#Anyways this set is adoreable and the only think that would make it better imo is it being limited

[project-sekai-updates]

One Small Trip Before a Big Journey / Bon Voyage! Friendship Ahoy! cards

Kiritani Haruka - Donuts And Memories

"Would you like to see the photo?"

Hoshino Ichika - Escape By Sea

"This way! I think we can make it!"

Hatsune Miku - Yokohama? I Predict Good Food♪

"Everything looks so yummy♪"

Tenma Saki - Feeling Like An Incognito Idol

"Ta-da! A perfect disguise!"

Kusanagi Nene - Gentle Encouragement From Afar

[mercyedes]

What caught your eye about hambone? First I thought he was silly bc of the gold teeth but I learned more about the real hambone and I love him sm!! <3 the actor is so beautiful

my first watch of mota when he showed up in ep 1 & the end of ep 2, i recognized him as "wtf this dude has gold teeth oh he's defo a fuck boy" but didn't think much of ham LMAOOO i was still madlyyyy obsessed w/ buck and crosby i didn't have time for my eyes to wander <3

wait hold on i wrote way more than i thought i would lemme read more. i love hambone. he is everything to me

and then like episode 5 came around and i kept rewatching the first couple of episodes and i should've known better because i KNEW he was (is) fine as fuck i simply could not ignore it any longer. i always love the off-putting pretty bitches and hambone is exactly that, an off-putting pretty bitch. i was endeared by his bright ass blonde hair because it reminds me A LOT of an f1/f2 driver i love (liam lawson) so i feel like i kinda was set up from the beginning to be partial to this tall blonde pretty boy 😩💜

AND JUST LIKE YOU when i decided i was way too curious and enamored to ignore hammy's existence any longer, i just started researching more about real ham and just fell in love with brady's crew in general and found hammy so interesting and cool -- there is a part in a wing and a prayer where crosby writes about how hambone (unlike harry) genuinely wanted to get to the war and during training he was worried the war would already be won and over before he got the chance to go fight in it. and another member of brady's crew wrote in a journal he kept about how, while they were still in the U.S., all of brady's crew agreed with one another that they didn't wish to fight for the honor and medals of it all, they just wanted to go do their jobs, help return the world to something peaceful, and then go home. we love humble kings. anyway this is a side note but i'm ngl i feel like sometimes people in the fandom kinda mischaracterize/"Fanon"-ize hambone a lot and it sometimes rubs me the wrong way. but that's just me

obviously he probably still counts as a minor character in MOTA, but idk i love the character jordan still portrayed, he's a lil weirdo and a little silly with his gold teeth of course, but i fully love the bits of personality we got from him <33 he's a funny, witty boy with pride and confidence about his job (bombardiers r so hot it's just true. they are sexy af being competent) but also stubborn and a little aloof and easily irritable, doesn't seem to be all too bothered by being overly kind to people he doesn't know/we often only see him socializing with people from brady, crank, or blakely's crews (all men who irl hambone shared barracks with and had close ties to !) ... i love a dude who keeps to himself / doesn't feel the desire to step too far outside of his close social circle, it makes him even more intimidating imo and i love it. he's so hot. he's like a cryptid to me and i find his freaky vibes insanely alluring. like even the cat killing CANNOT put me off, if anything it made him sexier idk why .... like he's a lil vicious yes but he's also a resourceful bastard like that, like brady said protein is protein & hambone was very kind to his buddies to make them cat soup <3

ALSO he's just very very fun to write. i adore writing him he's so interesting.

[quill-n]

I think Tsu is actually the most unhinged hero. Everyone sees him as this prim and proper hero who takes his image very seriously, and he IS, but he’s also just so CHAOTIC.

Seriously the man was in full nude during a fight In vigilantes because he had to use his own hero costume. And he wasn’t even EMBARRASSED. He has absolutely no shame, and I love him for it

No fr, he's genuinely one of the strangest characters I've ever encountered because every time I learn something new about him, he gets weirder

and I ADORE him for it

I think I'll actually go insane if I don't write it all down, so that's going below the cut

All this information is canon, take that how you will

Let's start with the fighting in the nude thing since you already mentioned it— He was totally naked that scene, he used up his entire costume (which makes sense) but he still actively chose to leave the part covering his face. Not only does he have no shame, he has priorities.

His denim puns... was that something he always did, or did he come up with it to stay on brand??

The fact that he's always adjusting his hair. I would be too, if I also chose to rock that weird side sweep

This one's a little funky, but there's something about the way that he stands— Idk, it just sets off something in my brain (affectionate)

Yeah

I don't think I even need to mention his neck

His proportions in general????

He has pockets on the back of his. collar? jollar?? They're on the back of his head is my point and they're like the ass pockets of pants and just WHAT DOES HE USE THEM FOR??

(My personal headcanon is that's where he keeps his comb)

The fact that he has an S+ rank in fashion sense, but the way he canonically dresses is... yeah

He just looks so strange (affectionate)

(Ik it's not actually that out of place, but there's something about the four buttons on the pants and the suspenders/scarf (bandana??) combo and the. the bowling shoes. It just throws me off a bit. I feel like he can do better /lh)

SPEAKING OF HIS CLOTHES, we've seen at LEAST three or four different iterations of the same stupid costume. The changes are always so unnoticeable and it drives me a little bit insane

THE FACE BELT.

His taste in interior decor is... on brand

Wow I wonder what his favorite color is (sarcastic, affectionate)

(His home isn't actually that bad imo, but the office.) (There's more scenes of the office interior somewhere out there but they won't fit on this post, apologies.)

(The thread spool table. I can't tell if it's genius or insane.)

He was the president of a crafts club at a school that doesn't allow hero students to join clubs (anymore?) and now he's one of the top heroes of the country and I think that says a lot about him

He won the Best Jeanist award eight years in a row, which for a while SEVERELY confused me because did he name himself after the award, or was the award named after him? Because one of those is a little weird and the other one seems just a little unfair.

(This is how I learned that the Best Jeanist award is a REAL THING in Japan so he named himself after the award and that sent me reeling for a while)

The BJ belt buckle.

This image:

This image:

His hands are bigger than his face, which means that the fact that he's been hospitalized multiple times makes PERFECT sense

(my friend found a whole Stanford article written in the most hilarious way about the hand thing, and it's haunted me ever since) (I'd need to ask for the article again if anyone's curious but it's an... interesting read)

edit: I LIED I LIED THE ARTICLE IS SATIRE IT'S NOT REAL IT'S NOT REAL THE HAND THING (probably) ISN'T TRUE (it's still a hilarious read though so I'm still linking it)

(I'm going to pretend that it's real just because it is absolutely hysterical to me. Sir Nighteye and All Might also have hands bigger than their faces btw. For the record. Which is why I think it's awfully funny.)

Anyways

There's also this from Vigilantes, and I'm not even sure what to make of it

It talks about how he's always so serious even when the situation is........ ridiculous

He's so eccentric I love him

Also that specific image gives fish want me, women fear me vibes /j

He drives the fucking Batmobile except it can shoot out metal wires

(I've never read any DC comics; if the actual Batmobile can also shoot out metal wires, please forgive my oversight)

The fact that he JUMPED OUT OF A PLANE WITHOUT A PARACHUTE and STILL landed on his feet?? gracefully? on a cable???? With not a single hair out of place?????

ALSO the fact that he keeps on having such close encounters with death (he lost a lung, the whole Hawks and Dabi situation...) and yet he's. not dead. yet. somehow. Maybe he has multiple lives.

Is he just a cat?????

New conspiracy theory just dropped /j

Moral of the story is: Best Jeanist is, in fact, unhinged (and we love him for it)

[dream-critical]

something that makes me extremely uncomfortable about the dream team and their fans is how parasocial everything is, not to mention the constant babying of those grown ass men. their fans do absolutely nothing to hold them accountable and constantly try to change the context of what happened so their precious creators aren’t seen as the bad guys. they tried doing that recently with the gnf situation

on the tweet where dream was talking about the USMP and QSMP, there are so many replies that just read “AW DREAM YOURE SUCH AN ANGEL 🥺” “I’m so proud of dream for handling this situation so maturely 🥺” and so many others that are just like that…

and it’s so weird because they demand Quackity to talk about it when he literally doesn’t have to. I remember going past a tweet that said something along the lines of “I think I’ve been REALLY patient with him, but quackity’s losing me..” like who the fuck are you? 😭

not to mention hypocrisy, especially tommyinnit fans. when Tommy was critiqued for still being friends with dream, their response was “you can’t force him to stop being friends with him” but was outraged when Tommy uploaded a video featuring Bitzel who is known for heavily disliking dream. (not to mention Tommy has known bitzel and been friends with him longer than he’s been friends with dream)

the babying is seriously so gross… they’re talking about him like he’s some child

hopw this made sense lol

The inniters thing is slightly different from what I've seen, as most people who claim to be inniters and get annoying as fuck about his friendship with dream (aka the ones who defend it) are dream stans who previously would harass Tommy directly before all of this went down, but have now "accepted him" now that the majority of inniters are telling him to drop dream.

Obviously there's still a group within them that likes dream without having hated Tommy in the past but dream stans have tried to do the same kind of thing with other fan bases, like trying to "adopt" Aimsey and ranboo bc their fanbase was "anti dream" or whatever and don't "deserve either of them" when we all know what their opinions on both of them were a couple of months ago.

Either way, I do think Tommy's friendship with dream is bullshit and Bitzel is the most valid Minecraft cc out there atm imo. And people getting mad about it just self reported the fact that they didn't give a shit about Tommy before bc his friendship with Bitzel isn't a recent development.

Anyway setting all that aside, yes the woobification and babying these grown ass men encourage and cause is wild to me.

To be fair, it isn't a dream team only thing. It will happen in every fandom with almost every stan ever. Both with fictional characters and real people. Not only is it part of the dehumanization process where they stop seeing their favourite CCs as actual people but instead objects to project all of their emotions on to, It just shows the way fandom has become a competition. You have to buy merch, you have to watch every stream, you have to laugh at every joke a cc makes, you have to agree that they're hot etc, call them your poor little baby and constantly talk about how you love and adore them. Bc that is proof you are a "real fan" or whatever and even the slightest critisism or critical thought will go against everything you are supposed to be.

Other posts talk about this better but I'm 100% sure that this is caused by the competitiveness people feel to prove they're the most dedicated fan and also the way people want to be part of a group so badly they would just throw away their morals and common sense. They're making their interest their entire personality, and critisism would burst that bubble.

Babying a creator, acting like they could do nothing wrong, like you know them personally, constantly feeling for them and feeling like you have to know and get involved with everything they do etc, it's like a mix of dehumanization and parasocialness and it's very concerning imo

[void-tiger]

please tell me more about the fic where Ke/th doesnt get to be a paladin again, i keep seeing shit like how the team abandoned/failed Ke/ith and should have apologized to him when it was literally the opposite (i am sorry but the team almost DIED because K/ith fucked off to run off with the Blades, werent for Kuron entering Black they would have actually died, i do not understand how anyone can see this and say the team was in the wrong/Ke1th was in the right, and still be considered a team player let alone a team leader is beyond me. Really really sorry about salt in your askbox)

No worries! (Although, disclaimer: I had to set aside my voltron fics for a bit ‘cause I can’t work on them without getting salty, and too much salt is bad for you. So they’re…curing, I guess. I’ll stop with the bad salt jokes now XD)

But short answer? Keith’s their comfort blorbo, and it’s incredibly easy to have that become “can do no wrong ever it MUST be EVERYONE else!” and…not recognize that kneejerk bias. Ask The Real Fandom Olds TM who’ve participated in fandom culture since the 80s and 90s and that’s a key issue with Current Fandom and especially younger fans (ie, probably our generation and younger.) Add in that a lot of us online trend (in my antidotal experience) towards having untreated anxiety or depressive symptoms and/or undiagnosed neurodivergent brain wiring that an individual might’ve not quite learned how to cope with yet (and many come with emotional regulation symptoms) in addition to…human brains really just Don’t stop developing until mid20s regardless of someone’s birth gender and brain development is particularly chaotic and…well.

That’s a recipe for a volatile fandom, and since the VLD Characters in particular were geared towards Teens or Teen Nostalgia? [Comfort Blorboing Intensifies.]

Now, in one fic series Idea, Keith DOES become the Red Paladin again, but he has to work for it. Really work for it. Like, the Team is still incredibly hurt that he left and never really apologized for ditching them before THAT Scene where Jiro is forced to step in s4. I think I have in my notes somewhere [coughs] prolly a random post or very buried DM to a friend that Red Lion finally outright takes Keith for a joy ride (much like Blue and Black did with Lance and Shiro) and literally has him bouncing around in zero g and gforces until Red’s really willing to accept him back as Paladin. (Also it makes me feel better.)

[tags: blackbox verse, rewrite the stars, blackbox, veeladee fixit. Note that some of the older posts especially I’ve probably discarded. But I do my best worldbuilding thinking aloud, and hey. It’s fanfic. Who gives af about spoilers? Not me.]

But, in Blackbox verse, I wanted Jiro to have his very own Lion…and the Sincline Meteor is right there. Plus, y’know. Fixing-fixing. Making as much work as I felt like since it was intended to be a series, anyway.

Buuut, that’s not the fic idea you asked about.

The one you asked about is actually a Redo of The Black Paladin’s episode following alteanroyals’ prompt of “what if Shiro’s the one who fights the clone, and the clone gets to just come home. Have his own name.” Because, c’mon. The visuals would’ve been incredible, and Josh Keaton and Studio Mir adores Shiro and Jiro even if the EPs and arguably NONE of the writers (even the better ones trying to patch job before bailing out) gave a shit about Jiro as his own character.

So. Back to Keith.

He actually tries flying Black Lion, same as the (egh) canonical episode…and…

WHOOPS. He gets lasers shot at him for his efforts (hA HA~)

Allura steps in, and has a battle of wills against Black Lion, then realizes that what has Black so torqued is Keith tried to dominate the Lion. (Imo? The only reason why Keith could fly with Black in s2-4 was because of the bond they both had with Shiro. “Help me help you.”) And well. Allura’s learned a thing or two: trying to dominate a Lion does NOT work. She learned that for herself with White Lion, she’s now realizing that’s why Black Lion accepted Shiro as it’s Paladin over Zarkon at all. So Allura changes tactics, senses Shiro’s Quintessence still inside Black Lion nearly two years after he vanished, and calls the others in. They do a reverse-balmera ceremony via their voltron bonds and pull Shiro back out—in his OWN body, tyvm.

And well. Remember how it’s technically a “Shiro vs CloneShiro” prompt? Yeah, they fight. (I’ll try not to have them totally wreck the place. All Shiros are Good Shiros.) And when Black Lion comes for them now that the Lion can get a clear shot? Red Lion also comes.

Because Keith isn’t the only character who holds the needed qualities for a Red Paladin. (Reactive instincts, laser focus, loyalty, but often emotionally volatile.) Jiro does too. And unlike Keith, Jiro stayed even when he “no longer” had a Lion to fly from his POV, and he struggled with the rest of the Team to adjust to Lions that no longer suited them in the wake of Shiro’s Absence. So Red chooses Jiro and flies to him. (Black would’ve saved Jiro, too, even though Jiro wasn’t Black’s true paladin. But seeing a Lion accept him, and further proof that he’s not just a poor copy but his own person and even a Paladin in his own right?)

[gemini fic, shiro vs jiro]

Basically, in starting writing and continuing to ruminate on ideas, I realized that Gemini works best as a single fic, so having Firm Consequences make more sense. Other tidying up?

-Allura and the Paladins take the Castle and immediately head out for the Altean Colony while Shiro (and Black Lion at Black’s literal insistence) go after Jiro. (And with Shiro here to lead and analyze + Convenient Recap/Alternate Explanation, Pidge is able to shut down the virus far earlier before it makes the Castle truly dead in the water.) Haggar never gets her claws into them.

-Keith formally leaves the Blades. He had a family, and he turned his back on them. Those relationships won’t be what they were before (ie, symbolic in losing his Red Paladinship), but this time he’s willing to put the work in to repair their trust in him. Meanwhile, the Blades never were going to help him find his mother intentionally no matter how many times he sacrificed his life for them, and his life and the lives of all the other Blades ultimately meant very little to Kolivan and the Blades as an organization. He surrenders the knife to Krolia, and walks away if Team Voltron will let him stay. It not, he can do better good with the Rebels. (Infiltration was Pidge’s thing, anyway. He’s the showy diversion maker.)

-Lotor returns to Orionde. But when he faces the Ancients and White Lion again, he stops attacking and running from his sins. He sacrifices his full life force, and the Drained Alteans revive fully restored. The tragedy his family caused and he ended up perpetuating ends with him. (That does leave…y’know. The Galran Empire without an Emperor. But hey. IF I finish this fic, that’s potential sequel material, baby!)

-

…anyway. Point is, Keith Antis put a bad taste in my mouth, but the point of “Keith loses Red” wasn’t to punish Keith (okay…maybe a little. But that was still mostly Black blasting lasers everywhere. For catharsis.) The point was, “There are consequence, and while some relationships can be repaired or make new ones with the same people after you’ve hurt them, others can’t. You lose them. It’s important to put in the work, but it’s also important to accept loss and endings, especially after you’ve fucked up.”

And well. I felt that Keith Losing Red, Jiro Gaining Red made things narratively tidy.

[cookie-waffle-art-and-stuff]

my honest opinions on all the Transformers films so far:

- 1986: This one is just fun. Objectively, it’s probably not a “good” movie. But the 2D animation is great, the art direction is gorgeous, and it’s just all around a fun romp. Ntm the music being the best out of any of the movies, imo. I absolutely adore how colorful and energetic this movie is.

- First Bay film: Good movie, very poor adaptation of the source material. If you want to watch a fun action flick with really good CGI that still holds up to this day, then you’ll probably like it. I just don’t think it adapted the cartoons or comics very well at all, and the character designs are objectively bad.

- Revenge of the Fallen: This movie is probably objectively the worst one, but not my least favorite. RotF was made during a writer’s strike, meaning Bay had to write it himself. And lemme tell ya, it SHOWS. At some points, this movie is so goddamn stupid that it loops back around to being funny. Character designs are still awful, and this movie also started the trend of writing Optimus Prime EXTREMELY out of character.

- Age of Extinction: I actually liked this movie as a kid, but as I grew older I started to see a LOT of issues. The character designs this time around were actually somewhat improved, and the autobots were actually really fun to watch. But those moments were way too few and far between. Also the age gap thing with the teenage human character was uh…. weird as shit

- The Last Knight: Good lord… was this a bad one. This is the first TF movie that I didn’t like since I first first I saw it in theaters. It was also the first TF film to ever bore me. There was clearly SOME genuine transformers fans working on this film and contributing ideas. But NONE of them actually felt relevant to the story. There are also several characters who are there for just no goddamn reason at all. Theres just… so much wrong with this one that I honestly can’t fit it all here without making this post too bad.

- Bumblebee: An actual, genuine, honest-to-god GOOD movie. There was so much passion and heart put into this film and it shows. I’m just sad that it’s not nearly as popular as the others, because most people think it’s another Bay movie, when it’s actually a reboot. It’s also the first live action TF movie with good character designs. It’s technically a period piece, since it’s set in 1986, which I absolutely love.

- Rise of the Beasts: This movie really got the shit end of the stick. People didn’t watch because, again, they thought it was another Bay film. It is nowhere near as bad as the box office sales would lead you to believe. It’s not as good as Bumblebee, but way better than the Bay sequels. And there’s some actual emotional weight with the bots in this film too. I do think that there was a bit too much human-only screen time, but the bots were still very likable and visually appealing. My only actual major complaint about the character designs is that they completely retconned Wheeljack’s G1-inspired design for no reason whatsoever.

- Transformers One: Straight up, this is the best one so far. It’s SO good. The animation and art direction is outstanding, the writing is good, and the characters are super fun. You really don’t even have to be a Transformers fan to enjoy this film, as it basically shows you everything you need to know at the beginning and throughout the film, anyway. It’s an amazing adaptation and probably the first (non-comedy) western PG13 animated movie I’ve ever seen in theaters. Western animation tends to really lack in making any animated movies that are a rating above PG13, unless it’s an adult comedy. So it’s actually incredibly refreshing to see a western-made PG13 animated movie that isn’t an adult comedy

[zoekrystall]

I started to bash on german the better I got in english especially regarding dubs (didn't help I was a stereotypical pretentious annoying lil kid) and I am so glad it was likely really just a kid phase bc I am rewatching detective conan in german (and once I hit where they're not getting dubbed anymore I switch to sub bc I do dislike names getting anglicized and I am very glad the ger dub kept the og japanese names, exceptions when I grew up w the anglicized names) and it is so so comfy. The dub is also just plain good imo and the voices are so nice to hear again I am so glad I found a site that got shows in german (ty katrielle layton anime for apparently only being available in japanese and german and me deciding "well I can speak german so why not check it out", nice voice acting but not up my alley).

I do still usually keep away from eng by anime bc I am a sub over dub person and I find most... not that good.. but I stopped to play part in the debate bc I'm sure all VAs try their best. Not for me but if you like em I'm happy for ya. And also in ger it is hit or miss when the og language is eng do I stick to that which is usually the case. Idk if it is just my perception or if it really did but german dubs kinda worsened but who knows maybe I just catched the ones w bad production on that part (reg ops we got nice ones but I was happy to learn others learned abt the one we got for naturo bc. yeah). Like purely anime speaking I think the cartoons and shows on tv are fine. Minus julien bam as sonic in the movies I still can't get over that but no hate towards him I just find the youtuber as voice actor thing always baffling no matter which language (also dislike the celebrity bias in every country. yes that person is famous but do they actually fit that role + voice acting and actor require different skill sets).

I think I started to bash so much on ger bc "og language always better" and sometimes yeah and I do watch if possible in the og w subs so nothing gets lost (that doesn't have to) but where that opinion makes a turn for the worse is if you start to become pretentious about it and everyone who chooses another option is somehow worse than you. Counts for every opinion that obv isn't debating human life. Honestly I adore polls but that's also why people need to zip it with their snarky comments in the answers or also on quizzes, I do have to admit those where op smacks (right answer) or smth on the one that almost no-one clicked on are funny to see though. A bit of banter is fine imo but there are some that are just really not necessary.

Anyways it is kinda funny how I thought one piece would surely get me into anime again bc I do adore it since like kindergarten and it'll forever be in my heart but nope detective conan it is. Ig the aspect of finding out together who the culprit might be is fun next to being able to do other things meanwhile bc I don't have to read. I think I got into conan at age 14? 15? Feels like decades ago though. I don't think I really understood why others rewatch things until now. Like I got it like yeah comfort but not the extend. I always tried not to rewatch bc "I got so much stuff I can't waste time with the same" (<- has replayed okami a lot on wii and now switch while having gaming backlog since forever, replayed bratz the movie on ps2 almost yearly as kid, etc) but I luckily start to go into "who cares" mode fully and it's really nice. I truly get it now.

[dangerliesbeforeyou]

ok so i just finished a tale of 1000 stars and though there were def plot points that frustrated me (the whole 'tian's dad hired phupha to be his guard' conflict was dumbbbb as fuck... also i think the story would have worked better if literally NONE of the villagers knew of torfan's death, because as it stands it doesnt make sense why the people who did know wouldnt have just told the rest of them instead of forcing tian to & also making him even less trusted by the villagers lol... also why did tian go to america only to come back like immediately lol?! that was just so strange imo pfft) BUT overall i was really impressed at the characters and setting! most of the dialogue and interactions felt really natural & tian and phupha were simply adorable together lol i just really adored the development of their relationship and their interactions w/ all the side characters (the kids esp were fantastic!)

anyway i know i'm kinda late to this series & i imagine people have already talked at length about the silly nonsensical plots but i just wanted to say that i really loved it lol!

[johnprine69]

ok i have one more hater opinion to share today. before sunset is not a good movie and julie delpy's character céline is not just unlikeable, but a shallow caricature of a pure-intentioned white woman. céline is a generic upper middle class white lady with a corporate job that works for an environmental NGO so that other upper middle class white women with corporate jobs who saw themselves in céline in the first film can project onto her and feel better about themselves. the film acts as if, by virtue of having a "good heart," céline is making a meaningful impact on the world, while never leaving the comfort of her wealthy lifestyle or addressing the systemic causes of poverty/climate change/whatever the fuck her non-profit supposedly works with. she makes a few comments about imperialism being bad as if her nondescript western non-profit providing aid to countries in the global south isn't modern day imperialism, undermining local communities and autonomy in favor of upholding economic systems that force countries in the global south to remain dependent on foreign aid. look up the non-profit industrial complex if you want idk that's not the point of this post, but the lack of depth they give to her job in the movie (they claim it's an environmental NGO but she talks about bringing pencils to schools in Mexico?) is insulting.

céline is white saviorism personified. she gets held up by the narrative as a good person because her career is trying to "make change," but she has no attachment to any of the communities she works with and mentions the countries her NGO has engaged with interchangeably as if all of the communities and causes she encounters are the same, because to her they are. she is a bureaucratic paper pusher with a nice salary who gets the adoration of her western peers for being a "good person." it's incredibly apparent that the writers were attached to the beautiful, hopeful, young céline from the first movie and couldn't stand to give her flaws that would cause the white women viewers who projected onto her in the first movie to question themselves. ethan hawke's character is better imo, because he acknowledges that he's self-interested, always chasing meaning but failing to find it, and he's endearing anyways because he's so goddamn earnest. they let céline have artistic interests that she never pursues, and i think her character would have been better if they focused on that instead. i think a much better direction for her would have been having a stupid office job that she doesn't pretend to find meaning in, feeling a deep sense of dissatisfaction since she left the world of academia, and trying and failing to follow her artistic interests, such as song-writing, until jesse encourages her to.

it's clear that the writers wanted to show that the characters had grown up, become more cynical and lost some of their youthful naivety, but weren't willing to commit to making either of the characters average. they both had to become extraordinary people in their own sense, jesse as a bestselling author and céline as a girlboss NGO white savior, so that the viewers who saw themselves in the younger versions of the characters could continues to feel good about the parts of themselves they see reflected in the films. it's a fulfillment fantasy anyways, a sweeping decade long romance against a backdrop of beautiful european cities, with someone who really understands you. i guess they sacrificed authenticity in favor of maintaining the mirage. also the dialogue was so much worse. it's clearly marked by its time, set in 2004 and referencing the war on terror, allowing the characters to criticize imperialism but passionately rebuke communism (which in itself feels deeply american, and being as céline is a french academic it doesn't make sense for her character). the dialogue feels forced, mostly because the writers want to sell us the idea that our characters are simultaneously jaded and pure-hearted. the only one who gets close to the earnestness of the first film is jesse, and i say all of this as someone who really loves before sunrise. i still haven't seen the third one but hopefully it pisses me off less

[gunsatthaphan]

no one asked for this but here are my thoughts on the announced shows from today (in order of announcement, BLs are marked with a 🏳️‍🌈, personal favorites are marked with a 🌟):

Enigma: The days where I’m genuinely intrigued by a plot about a mysterious school are over. I’m not a fan of neither Win or Prim so I’m gonna pass on this one.  .

A Boss and a Babe (🏳️‍🌈): I did not expect ForceBook to come back twice next year lmao but I’m not upset. This would be the first series I see with them since I didn’t see Enchante but I really like their chemistry. I’m not a fan of boss-employee romance plots but I will give this a shot. Also the rest of the cast is amazing. Thumbs up!  .

Find Yourself: I did not see the original so I can’t say much about it but the trailer did not intrigue me. next.  .

Double Savage: This looks like a tragic but very interesting story I think, also Ohm and Perth seem to be an S-tier casting choice for this. These characters in this setting fit them extremely well imo. It’s a bit too much violence for my taste but I will take a look nonetheless.  .

Hidden Agenda (🏳️‍🌈🌟): FIRST HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY!!!!!! This looks absolutely amazing. The cast is A+++ and I’m SO excited that JoongDunk are actually coming back. I was hoping they would. The story is right up my alley and it definitely fits them. Joongs character seems very similar to Kluen but I’m okay with that lol. These are the kind of roles that fit him the best. Also we’re finally getting AouBoom 🥺 And is PoddGuy gonna be a thing too? If so then sign me up even more lmao. So excited for this one!!!!!! 💜  .

23.5 Degrees (🏳️‍🌈🌟): I cannot put into words how happy I am about this. We’re not only finally getting MilkLove but we’re finally getting a GL. This couldn’t be better. This looks so precious and so endearing, also GeminiFourth as the sides definitely makes this the most adorable project out of all. I absolutely love this. This is huge. Thank you gmm 🥺  .

Because You are My First Love: DewPrim seems to be a good match but I’m not really feeling it. Next.  .

Cooking Crush (🏳️‍🌈🌟): WELL WELL WELL. What do we have here. Still can’t believe it lol. I love shows about cooking and this looks fun, but to be completely honest I’m not sure how I feel about OffGun bl no. 5 lol. I love them but isn’t it time to move on lol. Also why did they say they were done. Idk. Obviously I’m gonna watch it but I think I would’ve preferred seeing Gun with Tor. Just to shake things up a bit. But oh well. Not complaining anyway ✌🏻  .

Wednesday Club: This looks like a messy version of Club Friday lmao. Not sure. Could be interesting but could be a flop. I think I’ll pass. Next.  .

Last Twilight (🏳️‍🌈): Hmmm..... If I took my glasses off I would probably think this was Vice Versa season 2 lol - I’m hesitant when it comes to shows portraying disabilities so I’m a bit reluctant about this one. I love JimmySea and I really hope they get this right. But I’m not 100% convinced.  .

Loneliness Society:  This looks boring, unoriginal story and a meh cast. Next.  .

Only Friends (🏳️‍🌈🌟🌟🌟): FUCK. ME. UP. This looks amazing. I was hoping for a Jojo series in the style of friendzone and my prayers have been answered. And not only that but with my babes FirstKhao???? And ForceBook and NeoMark????? Christmas came early this year lmao. I absolutely love that FK are going into a completely different direction for their second project. This looks spicy and messy and chaotic - exactly my cup of tea lmao. BRING IT.  .

Faceless Love: The plot around the face blindness is a very interesting concept but I’m not a fan of the main couple. Not sure.  .

Dangerous Romance (🏳️‍🌈🌟): YES I LOVE THIS. I wasn’t feeling it the first time I saw it but after rewatching it a few times I’m really into it. Yes, it’s yet another school setting (sigh) but I’m very much digging the PerthChimon pairing. I didn’t think they would actually get their own show but I’m happy. The trailer is giving Bad Buddy and 2Gether vibes which I hope won’t dominate the actual series lol but I’m intrigued nonetheless. Yay!!!!! .

The Jungle: Sorry but this looks awful. The cast is good but the story seems so weird to me. Hated every second of that trailer. Next.  .

Midnight Museum: This looks,,,,, interesting? I’m a bit creeped out lmao I was expecting to get TorGun and I’m not sure if they will actually be a pair here but we shall see. It looks very abstract which is intriguing but also has me a bit hesitant because it’s giving slight The Blue Hour vibes. But we shall see. Gun and Tor are gonna slay either way.  .

Cherry Magic (🏳️‍🌈): I have no words for this lmao. Like what---. I did not expect TayNew to actually make a comeback and I sure did not expect them to adapt THE cherry magic lmao? I generally find adaptions interesting but I’m not sure if this will work. TayNew are highly experienced so I guess they will do these roles justice but idk. cherry magic is so fundamentally different from thai bls which is one of the reasons why it was so phenomenal so I’m curious how they’re gonna do this. But for now I’m not putting it on my favorites list.  .

Our Skyy 2 (🏳️‍🌈🌟): YES I’m excited for this one!!!! Never in a million years would I have thought that there would be another season to this show lmao but here we are. I’m taking this as a final goodbye to these pairings which is a bit sad but I think it’s a good way to end these eras. I’m excited to see what they have in store for each of them!!!  .

Beauty Newbie: Absolutely hate this one. I’m sick and tired of these shows trying to sell me the idea that beautiful girls are ugly and then some handsome dude comes along and tells them otherwise like what century is this??? Win fits in there though because his characters are almost exclusively conservative snobs. No thank you. .

The Interest: Couldn’t care less about this one lmao. Bye. 

conclusion: 2023 seems to be the year of comebacks lol which I’m not mad about since I love all these pairings, but I do wish we had gotten more new ones. Also I was expecting to see more new faces (besides Title and Great). A few surprises like the ones we got last year would’ve been nice. However I am happy with what we’re getting, especially the fact that MilkLove is finally happening. Incredible. I’m glad they toned it down a bit with the number of shows and also that the event was shorter. A lot of their big shots were either absent or merely booked which was surprising; I was expecting to see people like Bright more frequently but maybe that’s for the best. 

My personal highlights are Only Friends, 23.5 Degrees, Dangerous Romance and Hidden Agenda. 

Can’t wait for 2023! 💜 

xxx

[jangofctts]

omg I just read so much of your writing and I’m 🥺🥰🥲🥵 the absolute royalty shit that we see here today. i’ve recently discovered I am very into ~thigh riding~ so do u have any thots on how our boys (especially our clone babes) feel about it? much obliged

IVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS ALL DAY KEJHKJRH SO HERE YOU GO OMG

boba: yEs--boba absolutely adORES when you crawl into his lap and straddle his thigh. he’ll either pat his lap and invite you up or it’s one of those times when he’s intentionally ignoring you and you have force your way onto his lap so he has to pay attention. imo the first time you ride his thigh you weren't intending to, you wanted to fuck him but with boba, if you want something from him he’s gonna do it his way or twist it into something to tease you. so he’ll say something like “if you’re so desperate, ride my thigh” or maybe “ride my thigh and then we’ll see if you deserve my cock.” he’ll sit back and enjoy the show with a smug grin, one hand gripping your hip. he’s not controlling your pace, it’s mostly just there as an anchor bc you’re gonna be doing all the work. you’re lucky if you get to ride his bare thigh, but most of the time he’s got pants on so they always end up soaked after you cum and boba always teases you for it, “ruined another pair of pants, little one” but really he isn't even one to talk, he’ll be rock hard and leaking through his pants too. he’ll also nine times out of ten put his fingers or thumb into your mouth to suck on while he flexes and pushes the hard muscle of his thigh up to your cunt. he likes that satisfaction of knowing that even his thigh can make you shudder and whine his name--a bit of a power trip esp if he’s sitting on the throne. he’ll fuck you nice and hard afterwards if you’re a good little princess for him          

din: din wants you to ride the beskar thigh plating. he doesn't realize it’s a thing he finds arousing until you sit over his thigh and he sees the heat from your thighs fog up the metal while your arousal smears over the shiny beskar. literally it’s like something just CRACKS in him and he goes feral for it. a dark thrill that comes from seeing your cunt drip over his precious armor, something so sacrilegious that shouldn't be arousing but it’s the hottest thing he’s ever seen. sure, it’s a bit cold at first but the more you get into it the quicker it heats up--it’s slippery too, not a lot of friction unless you drag your clit over the seams of the armor, but with din’s hands holding onto your hips and dragging you over his thigh, it’s not long before you cum. din is gonna be encouraging you the whole time, just a constant flow of praise and little moans of his own. he might bury a hand in your hair or slip off his glove and touch your clit when your hips roll up into his hand. he’d loose his mind if you lended a hand and palmed him through his pants. he doesn't even care if he ruins his trousers, he’s just so...fixated on the hypnotic motions of your hips rolling over his thigh, your wetness dripping off the plating and onto the floor. he might focus on your mouth, parted with gasping moans or how they roll the syllable of his name. he likes to watch you come undone like this, shuddering and whiney as you cum and eventually roll off his thigh. he probably busts a nut right then and there if you start to roll your tongue over the beskar, happily cleaning up the mess you made. but....sometimes...lick it off himself just to get a taste of you       

paz: big boy blue ALSO likes when you ride his beskar, but he likes it better when the armor is off and he gets to feel your wetness for himself. he has big ol’ beefy thighs and likes when you straddle one and start to ride him like that. imo he likes it when youre pressed up right near his cock so when you roll forward your own thigh brushes against his cock. it’s also just easier for him to grab your hips, set a pace and watch you squirm and whine. ngl he’s more interested in fucking you, so he’ll get cheeky and start jerking his thigh or holding you in place while he circles his thumb over your clit. p much will sabotage your wild ride and convince you to slide onto his cock instead. though,....if you were to tie him up, tease him bye riding his thigh, he might like that :)  

rex: oH rexY BOY--listen, rex has heard ALL about thigh riding, or rather what the clones like to call it, “paint job”. he doesn't understand the big deal, thinks that it’d be a complete hassle to clean and what not. in my oPiNiOn he’ll be sitting with you in an empty break room or on a couch, you both have feelings for each other but nothing's been said yet. somehow the topic of paint jobs come up and he tells you what he thinks and how it “couldn't possibly feel good, blah blah blah”. you just roll your eyes and you ask if he’s even tried it. he definitely blushes and mumbles out a no and with a leap of faith you ask him if he wants you to ride his thigh. baby boy rex gets very shy and embarrassed about it but he’s not gonna say no. so you’ll flash him a little grin and peel off your pants and your over shirt, make rex relax against the back of the couch/chair and sit over his plastoid covered thigh. even though when you start to grind on his thigh you still have your underwear on, rex with pick a corner of the room to just stare at. it’s not because he doesn't like you, he’s just incredibly shy and afraid he’ll cum in his pants if he looks at you. you gotta cup his jaw and force him to look at you. when that happens his eye will immediately drop to between your legs and just moan at the sight. he gets it now. seeing your arousal that’s already leaking through the thin fabric and staining the blue and white plastoid--he has to grip the fucking sidearm to anchor himself. his armor is one of the only things that he owns and is proud of, so seeing you riding his thigh, moaning and whimpering his name he goes wild for that shit. unfortunately he does end up cumming in his pants but eh fuck it. it was worth it   

cody: he likes when you ride his thigh in semi public places like the 79′s, debrief room, gunships, you name it. imma explain the 79′s scenario bc im a whore but anyway, cody likes to bring you on dates there, one because the drinks are free for him, two it’s dark and so unless someone is really looking at the two of you, it’s pretty secluded. he always chooses a back corner table and after a couple drinks you start to get handsy--nuzzling his neck and wiggling your fingers between the gaps separating his thigh and codpiece. it alWAYS starts like that. cody will chuckle, push his nose into your neck and nibble a line up to your ear, then bite down onto the cartilage. in that dark, rumbly voice he might sigh “such a depraved little creature. we’re in public”. but you can feel his smile and how is pulse quickens under your fingertips. cody will sigh and shake his head as he pulls you onto his lap, bUT--he’s gonna have you with your back to his chest plate, your dress/skirt/pants rolled up or down just barely in the view of anyone who glances over or looks a little closer. it’d be no secret what you both were up to but cody likes that. dude doesn't have any shame and so he’ll wrap an arm over your hip, push you panties to the side and slide his fingers through your folds. once they're coated in your arousal he might pop them into his mouth or yours, clean them off then flex his thigh onto your pussy. when he asks you to grind on his thigh you readily agree. while you ride his thigh he’ll nibble at your throat and suck bruises onto your skin, either watching your wet pussy slide over the plastoid armor or on the look out in case one of his brothers comes near. one time, just as you started to cum, a couple fresh shiny’s got an entire eyeful of you arching and burying your nose into cody’s neck as he rolled his fingers over your clit. safe to say they were a bit spooked--but of course, cody thought it was the funniest thing and couldn't stop laughing even if you were close to tears with embarrassment. now....he doesn't invite anyone to watch, but he wouldn't say no to a few prying eyes          

wolffe: I feel like with wolffe, it’s gonna be right after a mission--one of you might've almost died or gotten real hurt so he’s not thinking about fucking you properly--he just want his mouth on yours, hands buried in your hair as he pins you against the wall. I dont think he initially meant for you to ride his thigh, but when he wedges it between your legs and you moan into his mouth the second he increases the pressure, he freezes. he’ll do it again and when it receives the same reaction from you he smirks and tugs on your hair and might say smthn like “you like that? if you wanted to ride my thigh you could've asked sooner”. he’s either focused on your face or on your pussy, just soaking up all your little reactions or twitches when you roll your cunt over the plastoid. he'll have both hands on your hips, helping you grin up on him, while you either cup his face or grip his arm. either way youre in for a wild fucking ride--wolffe tbh wants to see his armor dripping by the time he’s done with you. sO do nOT be surprised if he just, doesn't let you stop, pushes you to keep going until he’s satisfied. imo I think he’ll make you lick it up after, or just in general would really Like It if you run your tongue over any part of his armor. he likes to be Appreciated :)

wrecker (im sorry I just nEEDed to include him kejkejh): honestly since baby boy wrecker is uh, so big, thigh riding is some of the first things you try with him. you’ll both be butt ass naked bc it’s just easier to explore like this, and while wrecker is eager he knows he has to think about his strength in order not to overwhelm or hurt you unintentionally. he’s a bit of a goof ball so when you straddle his thigh and bring his thicC fingers to your cunt he’ll smile and say some shit like “wow, you’re wet” or like “is it always this wet/soft?” he doesn't mean for it to be teasing, it's more like he’s just stating a fact bc he’s curious about you. you just nod and say it’s all for you, baby/only for you. the second you put your cunt over his thigh he’ll curse and clamp his hands around your hips or ribcage, and just to make the experience all that better for him, you’ll jerk him off while you ride him. wrecker is very vocal/loud and so you’ll know exactly what you’re doing that he likes--he’ll probably tell you how pretty you look, or how good you smell etc., that bOY IS SO FULL OF LOVE and just wants to tell you! it doesn't take long for him to spill into your hand, he shakes and no doubt wakes up half the barrack/ship but who the fuck cares. you just smile and continue to ride his thigh, chasing your own thigh. once he recovers a bit, you can grab his fingers and show him how you like to be touched. he’s a surprisingly quick learner with this and so it doesn't take long for you to cum. afterwards he’ll run his fingers over his thigh, collect the mess you left and taste you and maybe say “you should ride my face. can we do that?”     

[greensaplinggrace]

What Is There To Celebrate About the Darkling? (Part 4)

1 2 3 4

He’s calculating but impulsive. Gentle yet firm. Stubborn and adaptive. Just a real mess of contradictions that makes him all the more interesting.

He loves nature. He loves the forest.

Fond of luxuries and nice things. After growing up as he did, I think he deserves them.

Very socially awkward. Introvert just trying his best. Anything that isn’t manipulation and therefore something he’s planned in his head is just a social train wreck waiting to happen.

The way he pushes up Alina’s sleeve when they first meet. This man had zero compunctions about acting completely unprofessionally in front of his soldiers and I think that’s very sexy of him.

He’s constantly tired and exasperated with the people around him.

The way he says “quiet” with the softest voice imaginable and a room full of laughter instantly goes silent.

He had no interest in Elizaveta even though she was utterly obsessed with him and I think that’s hilarious.

Elizaveta: I have a plan to resurrect the Darkling Everybody Else: Oh the Darkling is so evil for trying to come back! The Darkling, who just wants a nap and is sick of this mortal bullshit: Why am I even here? This is such a pain in the ass. I should have killed Elizaveta when I had the chance.

How he asks if Alina “will have” his name like a man proposing.

Has his bedroom attached to the war room.

Constantly checking up on Alina just to know how she’s doing. Never pushing her beyond her limits as she’s training.

Very creative with his shadows and the extent of their abilities. So many of the ways he uses his powers are genius.

His ending in RoW is a tragedy and an injustice. He deserves better.

This old man pouting at Alina in episode seven as he says “please, I just want to talk to you 🥺”

There is a black kefta made for Alina after like two days in the Little Palace. He really was already planning their entire immortal futures together as Mr. and Mrs. Starkov wasn’t he?

His bed is covered in maps and notes when he’s plotting how to find Alina. Also before that, the way he’s poring over the notes at his desk and giving orders is 👌🥵

Him acting like a real General at all is simply amazing.

The fact that he trusts Luda with his life. That they have a whole intimidation routine set up around him purposefully getting himself fatally injured knowing she’ll heal him.

He looks like a vampire in the show and a fae in the books.

His favorite ABBA song is probably “Lay All Your Love On Me.”

Looks composed but that’s only a façade. Is actually an unhinged feral terror of pain and misery.

That scene where he tells the king she will remain in the Little Palace to train undisturbed and he puts his foot down. ON THE RED CARPET. the king’s carpet. and uses a commanding voice that’s just on the edge of an order…I’m surprised he didn’t get flogged for that. IMO nothing conveys the fine line he walks with those in power while wielding his own like this scene. Literally he should just be celebrated for this alone.

“‘Why won’t you leave me alone?’ I whispered one night as he hovered behind me while I tried to work at my desk. Long minutes passed. I didn’t think he would answer. I even had time to hope he might have gone, until I felt his hand on my shoulder. “Then I’d be alone, too,” he said, and he stayed the whole night through, till the lamps burned down to nothing.

Trapped a bunch of Saints in the Shadow Fold like a true amoral disaster villain. What an icon.

His barely concealed amusement and half hidden smile when Alina comes to put his kefta on. The way he finds Alina utterly hilarious and tries so hard to act like he doesn’t.

That small amused smile when Alina jokes about finding Volcra hilarious. Please he’s so adorable 😭

“‘I know what you feel when you’re with the tracker,’ he said. ‘I doubt that’ He gave a dismissive wave.” - My Malarklina obsessed self, vibrating at the edge of my seat: but what does it mean?!?

Mal and the Darkling’s entire fight in the Fold: dumbass on dumbass violence.

The way he stands with his back turned to Alina when she enters his tent the first time they meet and then does the slowest Godfather turn in history. 1999/10 - points removed for a criminal lack of cat petting.

“I may lead the second army, but the king is still the king.” - the delivery of that line. the implications, the history behind it and also the foreshadowing for his plans.

That slow turn face reveal in episode one though. Like okay we get it you’re pretty alkjsdflkj

Confused Old Man Face™ whenever Mal or Alina do anything remotely defiant in his presence.

How he tells Alina to come closer and she only takes the tiniest step and he doesn’t even react.

His little head cock whenever someone says or does something that just doesn’t vibe with him.

Darklina tumblr has now convinced me that the Darkling is a cat in human form.

“You’re an amplifier,” she said. He glanced at where Sylvi was pouncing on another helpless tree, oblivious, and gave a single, frightened nod. How could he have been so stupid? He would have to tell his mother now, and she would insist that they leave right away. If word got out, they’d both be in danger. Amplifiers were rare, hard to find, harder to hunt. Their lives would be forfeit. Even if they got away, word would spread. He could already hear his mother’s voice: Foolish, careless, callous. If you don’t value your own life, show some concern for mine. Annika touched his sleeve. “It’s okay,” she said. “I won’t tell.” Panic crowded in. He shook his head. She slid her hand into his. It was hard not to pull away. He should. He was breaking his mother’s fundamental rule for keeping them both alive. Never let them touch you, she’d warned him. - 😥 I just want to give him a hug all the time.

His strangled shout when Mal tackles him off of the skiff.

His smile when he’s summoning the sun. The expression on his face when he does so. Like I know I’ve mentioned this before but damn. If you ever needed a reason to celebrate him, this would be it.

“Shame, I’ll have to give that speech again now.”

The way he flips Mal over his shoulder in the Fold after Mal attempts to strangle him.

His little lecture on the Small Science to Alina when they’re going to meet the King. Info dump.

“You make it sound so easy.” “A bird makes flight look easy. But it was born to do so.”

When Alina looks at him for guidance on whether or not to remove her veil and he gives her a small nod.

The handhold in the throne room after Alina’s demonstration is absolutely precious, but it’s in a room full of people he should be keeping up a façade for and it’s so unwarranted and yet he does it anyway, I’m-

The way he says “welcome home, Ms. Starkov,” in the most tender voice I’ve ever heard and then goes “ok that’s enough emotions for one day” and then just straight up leaves without even a goodbye.

He has his symbol?? Sewn into Alina’s kefta??? bRo???!?!

Disaster Simp never gets tired of introducing Alina to other people or talking about how she’s the best thing that ever walked this earth.

The Darkling lying: honestly

“I have devoted my life to undoing the great sin of my forebearer, but I am never seen as the solution. Only as a reminder of the problem.” Sasha you were literally the problem. What a manipulative little shit. We love to see it.

The way he closes his eyes and kisses the coin before he makes a wish at the wishing well.

“I think the Grand Palace is the ugliest building I’ve ever seen.” - I love him your honor.

This man has the most intense lines for Alina. Like straight up I would have booked it when he said “you and I are going to change the world”. But then the head grab?! “I’ve been waiting a long time for you.” He’s so intense like sir can you tone it down a bit please I am begging you.

“I shall be right by your side.” / “We can do anything. Together.” / “For us.” / “You cannot do this on your own. And neither can I” / “I want you to know my name. The name I was given, not the title I took for myself. Will you have it, Alina?” - WEDDING VOWS

That scene in the war room when Alina comes to find him and he instantly drops his guard and lowers his arms and welcomes her with a soft voice.

“Am I bothering you?” “Not at all.” - girl you could be stabbing him in the chest and you still wouldn’t be bothering him.

This whipped disaster sounds like the proudest man on the planet when he talks about how much more his enemies fear Alina over him.

His shadows react to his emotions.

“YoUr’E nOt IvAn.” asjlkdfjs god he’s so embarrassing.

Local Dark Lord Sasha offering Alina the throne after she literally tries to kill him.

He gets so jealous of Mal.

Has a great relationship with his soldiers and his men. His men trust him implicitly and believe him to be an amazing general.

When he turns around after Alina puts the kefta on him and looks flustered/has to take a breath because she’s a lot closer than he expected. The way he’s breathless and literally can’t string a sentence together because he’s so distracted by her closeness.

His jokes are absolutely terrible.

GF: *jokes about throwing herself down the stairs to get out of an event* Sasha “no thoughts head empty only Alina” Morozova: haha I’d just have my healers heal you right back up again.

How genuinely touched he is by Alina admitting to wanting to help Grisha and Ravkans.

That scene in Demon in the Woods when he notices the intricate details of the politics in the Grisha camp after one meeting with the Elders. He has the Ulle pegged almost instantly.

Born to be a leader. Born to take care of others. Born to protect. Even in Demon in the Woods he’s protecting people. Even in Demon in the Woods he’s leading them and caring for them.

The way he cups his hands around Alina’s face when they’re kissing.

This man gets so starstruck by Alina walking into the Fete that he doesn’t even excuse himself from the King’s side to go to her.

Long haired Aleksander rights!

Ok I know the wig was kind of ugly but he looks pretty with long hair and I think it would look very good on him naturally.

The way he slams his hands together in the Winter Fete scene and instantly turns the room pitch black.

Literally any times he summons shadows is a blessing and we should all celebrate him for it. They are so beautiful. On god if I ever saw his shadows in real life I would be awestruck.

He asks Mal if he’s okay when they first meet.

The pure, barely contained fury directed at the Conductor for daring to harm Alina and kidnap his Grisha.

He always has to make a grand entrance.

This man is like a bloodhound when it comes to Nina. He is very invested in finding her and I feel like that’s never really talked about.

“I know exactly how she felt. The King’s soldiers treated me the same way. Because they knew- they knew that I was more important than any of them.” - the way he says it, like it’s something he has to remind himself of in his head constantly. a justification for the way he’s been treated, the fear he evokes in others. a way to protect himself from the hurt of being ostracized and reviled. arrogance and conceit as a defense against emotional harm.

Also the way his face instantly changes after that, like he’s said too much. vulnerability. lowering his eyes. shifting his eyes. literally just everything about this scene makes me love him all the more.

Dark carriage rides up to the Crows’ hiding place. Grisha circle the area as Aleksander steps from the carriage slowly, dressed all in black, floofy cloak high on his shoulders. Villain Entrance™

Him slowly pulling a knife out of his chest like it shouldn’t have killed him is hot as fuck and also totally badass. Big dick energy.

“I’ve had enough of your lies.” “And what lies are those?” - Alina, pulling out a fifty mile long scroll of grievances: Well, for starters-

This man is literally just an Alina Starkov compliments machine.

He cares so much about the Grisha and their protection. He loves Ravka and his people so much.

He had an entire cult dedicated to him.

“They would approach him. They always did. But he felt more anxious than usual. He’d stopped trying to make friends in the places he and his mother visited—there was no point when they moved on so quickly. Now he wasn’t quite sure how to go about it.”

Save a Villain. Murder the King.

Openly admits to staging a coup like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

He speaks so slowly. He moves so slowly. Everything he does has to have Purpose and Gravitas.

Theater Nerd™

He knew Nikolai for years and yet couldn’t recognize him as Sturmhond. We do stan an oblivious icon 💕

The Darkling after he gets his ass whooped in Siege and Storm: Mom can you please come pick me up? I’m scared!

He’s here to manipulate sun summoners and murder cities. And unfortunately he’s all out of sun summoners.

Would absolutely get drunk on real alcohol. This man thinks kvas is strong liquor.

Has his wrists exposed exactly one time in the most skin he’s shown all season and it’s when Alina visits him at night in the war room. WHORE!

Was too emotionally slutty and fell for Alina. RIP.

He’s passionate and cold and beautiful and hurt and twisted up in ways nobody could ever hope to understand and he’s stunning.

I would literally kill for this man 🖤✨

[strifesolution]

so sorry if this exists and i just cant find it, but might you have a post or something similar where you list the specific songs you associate with each of the songs in your 3rd life playlist? i am listening to it right now and quite adore analyzing it, but i am curious about a fair few of the songs and what lens you viewed them with. you listed a couple on the playlist post reblogs, but i am not sure about the others.

ayy sorry this is a late reply, i kinda forgot to get around to it :P i know i talked about them somewhere but i’ll do a quick analysis. with some lazier than others. this got long lmao.

do it all the time - idkhow

where the playlist name comes from! now we're so young / but we're probably gonna die. it’s the vibes of getting stuck in a game you don’t want to play but embracing it anyway, and the selling lies/trust fund lines tie into the scamming themes

great vacation - dirt poor robins

this song is along the lines of a telling of the rapture. i associate with the idea of the 3L cast being taken from their home servers into a new world.

the other side - the greatest showmen 

desert duo. need i elaborate 

six feet - patent pending

a very 3L/LL song. ain't nobody coming when you make the call, cause every man's gunning for the first to fall // so it's left, right, left, down, the trail of the dead, and only six feet between me and catching my breath, only six feet between me and getting some rest. basically a hardcore minecraft song.

people i don’t like - upsahl

kinda associate this one with scott or etho specifically? but it’s the idea of disliking the players around you, ‘i’m surrounded by idiots who don’t know how to survive.’

it’s tough to be a god - the road to el dorado 

early session renchanting. ‘nuf said

i can’t decide - the scissor sisters

your classic villain song. pick your fancy of who you like it to fit

the fine print - the stupendium

this is a scar song.

bang! - ajr

session 4 lmao

nicknackatory - mr b

early renchanting, again

crazy=genius - patd

desert duo

revolution - queenpb

ren song ren song ren song. start a revolution and watch your body decay from head to toe / start a revolution, and laugh as you think that you have control. the arc of the red king’s fall into blood lust.

anti-hero - sekai no owari

an etho song, imo

cops and robbers - the hooisers

blame simon, 'cause he said, you've got two lives down and one life left / blame simon, 'cause he said, you could think better with a hole in your head

wolf in sheep’s clothing - set it off

joel song!

the ballad of sara berry - 35MM

scar as sara and ren as julie, or swapped, depending on who you wanna view as the villain in the series (these two are morally gray parallels, which is the point of them swapping places depending on perspective)

brutus - the buttress

power hungry red lives.

the wolf - siames

red life vibes, specifically ren or joel for obvious reasons

misery fell - tally hall

the denial of early game, where it was supposed to be cooperative, and their was still hope they’d survive...

business man - mother mother

scar, again. he’s the most common character across POVs, what do you want from me? :P

come along - cosmo sheldrake

mysterious new world with a magical energy that comes with it of the lives system and blood lust vibes

off with his head - jack conte

ren, ofc

curtain fall - area 11

A11 PROPAGANDA!!! there are some ways to win, the primal games we’re in // cling to me and my scars that prove it all, don’t let the curtain fall

those who carried on - ghost

a 3L into LL song. the players are unique entities that will continue to be reawakened to play the game again.

i’m gonna win - rob cantor

fun fact, i said this would be a grian song if he ended up winning long before the finale. i was very right. i'll be bloody and bruised, i'll be breaking my bones /  i'll be paying my dues, i'll be laughing alone

send them off! - bastille

ren and martyn because i love crying

terrible things - april smith

about the unreliable narrator phenomenon in the series.

from the ground up - laura shigihara

if you watch the music video for this song, it’s about a couple playing in a hardcore minecraft world, living for literal centuries in it, and choosing to play again once they die. still gives me chills.

viva la vida - coldplay

damn i wish fallen kingdom was on spotify, anyways, ren

solider poet king - the oh hellos

a classic. you know the deal

two birds - regina spektor

red/green duos

skulls - bastille 

when our lives are over and all that remains, are our skulls and bones, let's take it to the grave / and hold me in your arms, hold me in your arms, i'll be buried here with you / and I'll hold in these hands, all that remains

no children - the mountain goats

again, another one i don’t feel i need to explain.

[whattheflameo]

Lin healing the bonds with her family hc?

Ohhhhhhhhhh anon you have opened up a WHOLE can of worms I have extremely strong feelings on this topic and most of them can be summed up with Lin Beifong is the Epitome of the older sibling parent trope. RANT INCOMING

Lin choosing to forgive Suyin has almost nothing to do with Suyin’s “apology” (or lack thereof). It occurs solely because Lin actively decides to be the better person in their relationship. She decides that having her sister and her niblings in her life is worth more to her than her grudge and her hurt. Which is saying something, because damn can Lin hold a grudge.

Su isn’t going to apologize; its not in her nature at all. She genuinely doesn’t recognize the need for apologies in anything. She doesn’t give them and never expects them from others. Lin knows this and decides to move on anyway.

Su did write Lin a letter asking her to come talk. Actually, she wrote several. Lin never opened a single one, determined to keep herself from getting hurt again. Its easier, especially when Su isn’t in front of her, to convince herself she doesn’t care.

Despite everything, Lin still hopes the best of her sister. Finding out that she changed her ways after being sent away, stopped with the petty crime and actually made something of herself, built an entire city and raised a pretty great family, comes with a level of relief- even if it wasn’t her to help Su see the error of her ways, at least Su was able to do so.

Lin doesn’t trust Su as far as she could throw her, especially after Su lies to her face to send Korra after Aiwei. She doesn’t trust Su to choose her to save over literally anyone else, and to be honest she has the older sibling complex that she just doesn’t have as much faith in Su’s bending skills as her own. That’s why her “I love you,” before drawing P’li’s fire sounds so much like a goodbye.

Speaking of differences in skill level, that fight between Lin and Su? Buckle your seatbelts motherfuckers I have THOUGHTS. Yes, its one of the most badass fights in the entire series, imo, but I’m gonna be real here. Su was winning. She had Lin on the defensive almost the whole time. But Lin was also at about 40% health- run down, emotionally strained, off-kilter from acupuncture treatment (which I agree with @dont-blame-it-on-the-kids was DEFINITELY not in Lin’s best interest that doctor was 100% paid off by the red lotus), and Su is taking advantage of it. If Lin had been at 100%, even like 60%, she would have WIPED THE FLOOR with Su and Su’s dancy-ass bending style. But she still held her own, even though she was literally breaths from passing the fuck out. Did you SEE some of those hits? There’s one in particular where Su hits her in the gut with a rock mid-air that physically couldn’t not have broken several of her ribs. Su’s behavior in this fight absolutely incenses me like how dare she fucking do that I JUST

All this being said I do really love Su as a character I promise.

Su’s base character hasn’t changed, but after going through the Red Lotus and Kuvira together, Lin does recognize that she’s changed in some important ways. She’s still self-oriented, but she’s not the selfish, bratty teen she was when she scarred Lin for life.

Likewise, after seeing the permanence of Lin’s scars and spending more time with her sister, Su realizes that she’s really hurt Lin. She sees how terrible she’s been to this woman who is willing to give her own life to protect everyone around her, Su especially, and actively tries to make up for it. Like I said, she doesn’t apologize with words, but tries to prove to Lin through her actions that she is going to be there for her. And the fact that Lin’s arm flickers toward her weapons whenever Su loses her temper? Su is so disgusted with herself over it that she nearly throws up the first time she thinks about it.

They’re not best friends, but they do become close. Both of their personalities mellow out with age, and they’re more understanding of each other. Su becomes someone Lin is able to talk to about some personal things, if not the extremely deep stuff. They have wine nights and Su sometimes sleeps over if she gets too tipsy. They both act a lot younger with each other, and Su is one of the only people who can snuggle up to Lin and get away with it.

Unless one of them is actively concealing their emotions (its usually Lin), they can read each other like an open book.

Lin remembers all of Su’s favorite foods and colors and activities and songs from childhood. Su realizes that she hardly remembers any of Lin’s and has a guilty meltdown to Bataar over it. He suggests that she pay really close attention to remember them now, and Su makes it her personal mission. 

Despite having confronted her feelings of abandonment by Toph ages ago, Su can see that Lin not only feels abandoned but also feels like she’s the one who let their mother down, that the break in their relationship is her fault, not Su’s or Toph’s. She knows how glad she was to have Toph back in her life, even if inconsistently, and sees how much Lin wants their mother’s approval and marches into the swamp (and that’s saying something for Su, who isn’t exactly fond of gross swampy things) and drags Toph out to force her to some of Lin’s award ceremonies or other events, including her wedding to Kya. Lin doesn’t know it was Su’s doing.

“Mother Lin may have said she doesn’t hate you but she deserves more from you and spirits help me you are going to say the words “I am so proud of you” to her or I WILL tell Wing and Wei where to find you-”

Basically, Su’s main apology to Lin for all the years of pain and hurt she’s caused is to kick Toph’s ass into repairing at least some of their relationship. Its the most truly selfless thing she’s done in possibly her entire life, because she never tells Lin.

To be clear: NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF LIN HAD NOT ACTIVELY CHOSEN TO SET ASIDE HER PRIDE AND HURT AND FORGIVE HER SISTER. LIN WAS THE CATALYST- SU WOULD NOT HAVE PUT IN WORK TO EARN HER FORGIVENESS IF LIN HADN’T GIVEN IT TO START WITH. Su’s behavior in Zaofu was utter bullshit, it was not worthy of Lin’s forgiveness. She literally showed up and immediately drove a wedge between Lin and some of the most important people in her life, said horribly mean things to Lin, and used Lin’s illness as an advantage to beat the shit out of her. But Lin, strong, selfless, badass, incredible Lin who is so much more empathetic than anyone in that show gives her credit for, looks at all of that and forgives Su anyway. Its not unconditional, like I said the level of trust isn’t bone deep, but she does the legwork. And you know what, Lin deserves to have family that cares about her in her life. Her niblings adore her, and she eventually believes that Su is genuinely there for her. I will die on this hill.

I know this probably came across as incredibly disorganized and rambly. I’ll talk more about Lin’s relationship with the metal clan kids and/or Toph in another post because I recognize that I’ve gone down a fuckin rabbit hole but I have extremely strong opinions on Lin’s relationship with her sister.

[mintenochian]

what other people want added to Minecraft: g u n s

what I want added to Minecraft

•Birds

-For multiple biomes, but mainly for the forests.

-Songbirds would add SO MUCH life to the otherwise quiet areas of the game

-Ravens and crows would be awesome and could use some of the parrot mimicking AI

-Cardinals in the snow biomes would bring a GORGEOUS pop of colour into the white atmosphere

-Seriously we need something to populate the sky, parrots do NOT fly like they should

-nests in trees, can find eggs in them

-doesn't really add a use but fun new feather types would be cool

•Owls

-technically still a bird but would go really well in covered rooftop forests and snow biomes

-we're already getting larger avians added in the form of vultures so why not more large birds?

•Mice and / or rats

-absolute precious babies

-sadly would go well with owls :(

-with cave update coming we need adorable rodents scurrying around

-lil bastards could make mouseholes inside of blocks

-will they be tameable? idk.

-adds the necessity for cheese

•Deer

-MOJANG this is a MUST, this is a NEED

-You literally have pigs, chickens, cows, and sheep spawning in forests what the fuck

-Deer with spotty baby fawns??? Yes

-Young bucks with different stages of antler growth? Yes

-Fawns frolicking in flower forests bc they feel safe

-Stripped wood appearing on trees where bucks scrape velvet off their antlers

-Being able to collect sets of antlers when they fall off periodically (would NOT be attainable by killing the deer, you have to wait for them to shed)

•Elk and Moose

-Same vein as deer

-Bigger, much bigger, neutral instead of passive, less shy

-Snowy biomes

-Better additions than fucking llamas tyvm

-Sidenote but savannahs could also really use some endangered deer-like species to help raise awareness for their status

•Squirrels

-Mojang plz

-Adds nuts to Minecraft ;)

-Black, grey, red, and mixed colour squirrels and breeding

-Brings life to forests like songbirds and deer

•Bears

-Mojang bby you literally already have a neutral bear in Minecraft why have you not reskinned it for grizzly/brown/black bears?

-Bear caves

-Hibernating mobs

-Brings more use to the beehives and bees, bears could be attracted to any area that has more than one bee hive with honey

•WOLVES AND DOGS

-They NEED the ocelots and cats update

-More wolf types (red, timber, snow, black, etc)

-Actual wolf packs (the AI would be difficult to program but the doges are worth it)

-Please let the howl at the moon, if foxes get to say ringdingding all night long wolves deserve to be allowed to howl

-More dog breeds (I know that there's no reason for domesticated dog breeds in Minecraft but ACTUALLY THERE IS)

-Hunting dogs like springers that can jump and run faster

-Foxhounds :D

-Most Important Goodest Boy: Herding dogs like collies and sheepdogs

-Herding dogs could be found in plains where cows and sheep spawn and create herds

-LET DOGS LAY DOWN FOR FUCKS SAKE

•Herding

-Instead of having to pen up and enclose your livestock you could form herds of cows and sheep

-Your Goodest Boi herding dog would protect them and move around with them when they graze

-Just soft peaceful minecraft tingz

•Salt licks

-Something SO SMALL but would make SO MUCH HAPPINESS

-Drawing new cows into your herd by putting up a salt lick

-I'm soft

-I guess salt would be a new ore???

•Bird feeders

-idk I think it would be cool

-excess seeds used for SOMETHING

•Raccoons

-The coolness of wolves, the chaos of foxes, the cunning of cats

-thumbs

-be gay do crimes

-can open chests (trigger trap chests to catch them?)

-Fantastic little shits

-Not tameable but will trust players like foxes do

•Snakes

-I know it's a lot to ask and it would be hard to make them look good

-But??? Imagine a tiny lil garter snake in your garden

-unlikely but would be so fantastic

•Rope

-climeable

-please Mojang we need this so badly

-imagine the ships? The bridges? The bell towers and everything?

-super easy to add, just reskin vines and add a string crafting recipie

•Butterflies and Moths

-Bflies could be a unique mob to flower forests and friends with bees

-if moobloom is added they would all be BEST BUDS

-get it "buds" ahahaha

-help with flower polination but just gives a TON of life to flower forests

-We literally have lanterns in minecraft why do we NOT have moths? Such a cool aesthetic addition.

-helps fill both the daytime and nighttime sky

•Hummingbirds

-fourth member of BEST BUDS

-just soft baby

-i love birbs okay

-the only avian who does not work for the bourgeoisie

•Fireflies

-10 million of them please

-they give great hugs

-adds so much atmosphere to the night world

•Cheese

-We have milk

-We have, presumably, goat milk

-Quit being cowards and add butter and cheese

-Butter churn job block for villagers

-V funny bc they have no arms to churn with?? Oh well

•Seashells

-Something decorative and beautiful that could 1) liven up beaches and 2) have snails and crabs inside!

-Mojang plz do not add sand dollars to the game people already don't know how to tell if they're still alive before trying to take them home

•Whales

-WHALES.

-Imagine something as massive as the ender dragon but peaceful. Allows you to stand on them (idk how but make it happen Jeb)

-WHALE SONGS.

-Being so deep and far out into the ocean, and when the moon is high in the sky and you're sitting in your boat, you just hear the beautiful melancholy sounds of the whales in the distance

•Jellyfish

-Idk if y'all know this but the glow squid is a bad idea

-Dream buddy you fucked up, please use your influence to get in contact with Mojang and have them redo the vote. People would have so much regained respect for you if you tried to fix your mistake.

-Also why does a speedrunner get to tell millions of people what mob would bring more life to Minecraft? He's only playing the game for 5 minutes smh

-aNYWAYS

-Jellyfish could literally do everything the glow squid is going to and look better for it AND possibly be neutral instead of peaceful

•Orcas

-Not much to say but it would liven up the frozen water biomes a bit

•Penguins

-You already know why

-Imagine giving a new home to all the Club Penguin players? Legendary.

-Gender doesn't exist in Minecraft but we all know penguins would be hella gay

•Lobsters

-I think they would be cute

-You would NOT BE ABLE TO BOIL THEM ALIVE THANK YOU VERY MUCH

•Mermaids

-Never going to happen since passive mobs are generally real life animals but it would be so cool

•Otters

-they can hold hands

-brings life to the rivers

-super cute

•Frogs and possibly toads

-Swamp gods

-Absolute mad lads

-maybe grow from tadpoles

-wouldn't do much but needed

•Fairy Forests

-NOT Twilight Forests. Not a new dimension.

-Just gentle hidden groves in forests

-ADD FAIRY RING GENERATION TO MINECRAFT.

•Big cats

-Tigers, lions, bobcats, panthers

-Literally anything that could finally add a strong predator possibility to savannahs and jungles

•Zebras and Giraffes

-Shy and skittish

-cannot ride (their skeletal structure is NOT MADE FOR CARRYING HUMANS)

-Super cute tho, brings much needed life to savannahs

•Camels

-The better llama

-Can honestly just be a reskin

-brings much needed life to the desert

-spits and wears carpet and forms caravans like llamas

•Lemurs

-Easier to add to "jungles" than monkeys

-it would be really cool if we could just get a Rainforest biome

-King Julian stans awaken

•Red pandas

-we need them

-cuter than normal pandas and you can @ me

-better idea than sloths or koalas

•More Eldritch Horror Hostile Mobs

-Fun fact time

-The enchanting table language already has Lovecraftian references

-"phnglui mglwnafh cthulhu rlyeh wgahnagl fhtagn" is literally a quote from the enchanting table

-translates to "In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."

-Bet you didn't know that fun fact

-aNYWAYS add the Kraken to Minecraft instead of the shitty guardians. Thanks.

-imagine how cool it would be to see lights slowly extinguish as something terrifying and dangerous slowly moves in for the kill

-torches get extinguished and can get relit

-if not relit fast enough Something will be waiting

•Ice statues

-We have giant fossils and ship wrecks and cool stuff like that but please imagine finding a GIANT humanoid ice sculpture in an ice spikes biome

-maybe bones inside to show you that... That wasn't carved or naturally generated.

•Skeletons

-Not a mob but a decoration block

-Found in temples, mineshafts, and caves

-implied to be the remains of miners and explorers

-rare

-also implies that every skeleton you kill has some backstory since they look the same

•Constellations

-Not real world star maps but completely unique to Minecraft

-chance for LOTS of fun references

-The stars are your only companions in an apocalyptic world where you are the last of your kind

-Space is gay minecraft is gay thus minecraft space is gay

•Corn

-we have butter in this list

-we have salt in this list

-popcorn. That is all.

And finally

•Leeks

-mostly a joke but would be a cool crop

-100% a reference to Hatsune Miku the creator of Minecraft

DISCLAIMER: I recognize that mobs are added to Minecraft to serve a purpose within the game and that many of these mobs would be better in mods and such, but I also feel like many of these suggestions would really bring so much more life to parts of the game that really need it. Even if they don't serve a huge purpose, they would still be really amazing additions imo.

I would love to see the ideas and suggestions that other people have for what they want added to Minecraft, please TAG ME if you make a post like this, I wanna hear and read it!

[evakuality]

Mia, episode six

1.  Mia is faaaaaar too nice, even if it is because she’s happy after the evening before.  There’s no way I’d clean up someone else’s mess like this.  I mean, I had to once but that’s because it was New Year and in our open doorway and the guy was passed out.  But I literally only did it so I could close the door and keep the place safe overnight.  In a situation like this, you can bet that guy would be cleaning it up himself.  This puts an interesting spin on Hans and his irritation at Matteo for not helping clean after their party, though.  Like.  He really doesn’t have a leg to stand on here.  Poor Hans, though - has the unfortunate honour of being the one who gets confused by happy flat mates who are acting out of character because of the guys they like.

2.  I don’t remember the og for this very well, but did they give a reason why it had to be kept secret?  I don’t feel like I’ve had an explanation for why Mia thinks they need to keep quiet that they’re together.  I assume it’s the Kiki thing, but I haven’t seen it articulated yet?

3.  This little interaction between Hanna and Mia is so nice, though.  Hanna is such a sweetheart; I adore her.  I love that they have this friendship with the two of them.  It’s so nice to watch it growing more through the two seasons and seeing the consistency of that friendship over time as well.  I’m glad they decided to bring this through from the og.  I also really like that the Hanna/Jonas thing is different to the og’s one with Eva and Jonas.  Parts of that one I found quite.... uncomfortable, I guess.  And I didn’t think they should get back together.  Much as I disliked him, I did think P Chris was a better fit for Eva than Jonas, so the whole turn of that at the end was blah.  But here, I do believe Hanna and Jonas work together and I like seeing the way they work through this over the seasons.  By the time they get back together, I actually believe it.

4.  This whole ‘we have to keep it secret from Kiki’ conversation with the girls should imo have come before the morning meetup with Alex.  The whole ‘but Kiki was all cool with it’ ‘yeah no she wasn’t’ vibe works better with Mia making sure Alex keeps it quiet AFTER hearing that.  I don’t know.  This is a consistent problem Druck has.  Much as I love it, pacing etc isn’t their strongest suit.  But I live for my woman Sam being out here and making sure Mia knows exactly what she’s doing if/when she decides to carry on with Alex.

5.  Mia trying to slow Kiki’s exercise/healthiness drive and getting left further and further in the dust is truly funny to me.  I know of course that what Kiki is doing isn’t healthy at all and her obsession is too much.  But the fact that she’s clearly fitter than Mia does shine a light onto Mia’s way of going about stuff.  She is always certain she knows what’s right for other people, and that her way is always the right way.  While Kiki is taking things too far, Mia doesn’t have all the answers either.  Giving Kiki some respect and allowing her to voice how she feels is a better strategy, but it’s not one Mia (who we already know is super in need of being the one in control) is very good at doing.  Given that Sam literally just told us that Kiki semi-worships Mia, this whole image is interesting.  They are two different people with two very different sets of needs (in all aspects of their lives, but visually we are seeing this in the exercise) but neither of them is allowing the other to be who she is.  Mia tries to micromanage Kiki and Kiki tries to make Mia do exercise/live exactly like her.  There are clear reasons for this of course but the upshot is that they aren’t able to communicate effectively because they each assume the other needs what they themselves do.

6.  I have nothing much to say here except that I still really love the Hanna and Mia friendship.  I love that they discuss stuff with each other that’s quite important to them and worry about what’s troubling them.  If Mia struggles to communicate with Kiki, she doesn’t with Hanna.  And it’s nice that she’s got this person.  But what I don’t like is this sneaking around Mia’s doing.  She literally told Hanna about Alex, so there’s no reason to be this evasive about meeting him.  It was also a weird decision to have the lipstick thing be with Leonie and Sara rather than the friend group.  In the og it made sense and heightened the tension with Vilde.  Here, it’s just a random nod in a meaningless way.

7.  This scene with Mia and Alex should feel sort of lovely (they certainly have a nice chemistry together as actors), but I’m not feeling it because it’s such a short time since he was apparently the depth of all that is wrong with men, and I just didn’t believe her change of heart.  I’m not sure how you go from the awkward sort of ‘he is an asshole but I’m drawn to him anyway’ to this very easy happy moment.  Best thing here is Amira and her absolute insistence that no-one cam know she has a job - and also, like Sam, telling it like it is.  Keeping Kiki in the dark is both difficult and unkind.  But we already saw that Mia and Kiki are on different playing field so to speak and so obviously this is going to be an issue.  But now that literally all of her friends know, Kiki is going to be super devastated once she finds out they kept it from her.  Mia calling Amira out about having a job and not telling is real sidetracking as well - it’s not the same.  Amira having a job affects only her.  Mia and Alex affects other people and as Kiki’s friend, Mia should be telling her.

8.  It’s really interesting seeing Linn in this season.  I know her, obviously, from Matteo’s and in that one she’s not quite so bizarre or alarming.  She’s still quirky, but standing in someone’s room or hovering like this while talking nightmares isn’t really part of her thing there.  I’m finding her quite creepy in this and I’m glad this wasn’t my first introduction to her.

9.  But also, I do have to commend the acting in this season.  Mia is so comfortable around both Hanna and Alex, but with Kiki she’s so much tighter, more wound up and anxious.  And there’s a reason for that, of course, but it’s done so nicely.  And the way this scene with Kiki plays out is very good.  They both do a stellar job of expressing the emotions of the two characters.  And at least Mia told Kiki - clearly her friends talking to her has had an impact.  The way the scene is shot makes it all the more painful too.  To start it is, like Kiki jokes, like a date.  Very close and intimate, lots of PoV shots across the table, but by the end there are a lot more shots of them with the wide expanse of the table between them.  The more distanced they are emotionally, the more often we get that shot.  

10.  I know we’re supposed to feel Mia agreeing to give up Alex for Kiki’s sake is a wrench and we’re supposed to be heartbroken about it, but I can’t feel it.  There wasn’t enough of ‘nice’ Alex after the assholey bits for me to genuinely believe that giving him up would be a struggle.  Kiki even reminded her - she thinks he’s an asshole.  He is an asshole.  Just because he’s nice to her when he wants to be doesn’t change all that other stuff.  So, yeah.  The end of this scene really isn’t having the impact on me that I think it’s supposed to.  The acting is great, and both of them are doing a wonderful job here, but the romance to this point was too rushed and/or he was shown to be too much of an asshole for this to actually have any impact on me.  

11. And the fact that she literally goes from Kiki and that conversation to Alex makes me actually dislike her.  He is not worth it.  Plus, if she was going to carry on seeing him, she should have been honest with Kiki.  Yeah, I lost a lot of respect for Mia after that.  Yikes.  I don’t remember this from Noora’s season at all, not being so direct in saying ‘yeah I’ll stop seeing him for you’ and then literally running straight to him.  But I could be wrong - I did block out a lot of her season, after all.