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writefightandflightclub · 1 year ago

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"ride or die is so special to me" ch.6 edition!!!

(Sorry this is so late work was just way busier than normal this past week!!)

Okay so right off the bat, "Santiago watches you go. Feels the violence of you being snatched from his side like a wound" why would you do that to us??? Probably bc it's beautifully written and a perfect start to this chapter but STILL. I felt personally ATTACKED by this opening. Also the callback to ch.3 which says "Santiago is a wound you could never close" 😭 babe you know I am rooting for these two but they keep hurting me AND EACH OTHER.

Is all the boys except Tom showing up foreshadowing Tom's fate in the movie?? 👀 also I like the detail that Benny is the one to follow her while Will is sort of the guard/the wall keeping the two of them apart while Frankie goes with Santi. Without having to talk about it, the squad falls into roles, you can feel their history as a team in the way they moved into, and through, this conflict. Hoping our girl and Benny don't do anything stupid (I can't remember which chapter it is so maybe I hallucinated it or something, but wasn't there a comment at some point about Benny having a soft spot for her or along those lines? I'd like to believe neither of them would be so stupid and short-sighted though).

The IRONY of Santi's fear of hurting her being the exact thing that ends up hurting her? BIG OUCH. Another ginormous ouch was this "Until Santiago feels only jitters through his weak legs. Until he feels a pit open up inside and swallow him. Until he can carry himself no further away from you. Until he realises that no matter how far he walks he cannot run from himself" LIKE THAT LAST LINE IS SO HAUNTINGLY POIGNANT!!!

Now for what might just be my favourite aspect of this chapter: Frankie being an absolute KING. "Don't talk just walk" is something I have to tell myself when I'm upset, and Frankie telling Santi that was so great!! "Don’t patronise her by thinking you know better" THANK YOU THIS IS KING SHIT FRANKIE KEEP IT UP BABY. Kudos to you balancing how messed up their military history and trauma has made each of them from Santi's perspective and how moving on is worth it from Frankie's - it makes the conflict believable and layered and interesting. The way Frankie is uniquely equipped to get through to Santiago and get him to admit what he is afraid of, what underlies all these tensions, was GORGEOUSLY explored.

However that ending??? NOOOO SANTIAGO NOOOOOO YOU LITERALLY JUST WENT THROUGH THIS WITH FRANKIE DO NOT FALL INTO THAT MENTAL TRAP AGAIN!!! I want him to do copious amounts of therapy!!!!

Can't believe how you just come up with all this stuff and write it so well? This chapter really went straight to my heart like this is the kind of shit I want injected directly into my veins it is so good!!!

Special to me anon!!! 😀🧡 Heyyyy!

Ooh thank you for this delicious commentary. And PLEASE never apologise for bestowing such a wonderful gift upon me. I would wait years. 😁

Btw, I hope that work isn’t being too unkind to you. You got this! 🧡

Okay. So. First of all I love it that you noticed that callback, with the wound imagery etc. ☺️🧡

And ooh, well we’ll have to wait and see if Tom’s absence is foreshadowing anything in this tale 👀 … but that’s such a stellar observation! Oh and I’m so pleased the way they all reacted gave hints at how they work as a unit. That it’s well-trodden. I wanted all of the relationships to feel plausible and unique but also that sense of them as a team to be present. The fact they can *mobilise*. I feel they would have roles and patterns without needing to speak about it and I did feel this is how it would go down. Oh my gosh, thank you for remembering that detail about Benny too! I did indeed suggest he has a soft spot for reader, and so I think it’s apt he’s the one to follow 🥹

And the ouches? Oof. I know, I know. Santiago really doesn’t want to hurt her. He honestly would rather suffer himself than do that. And yet… somehow they are BOTH hurting. But, he’s an expert at creating / worsening problems for himself (no shade, he’s got a lot to work through in that pretty head of his and breaking cycles is not easy). I feel like this whole scene with Frankie was so vital actually.

Also. Yes. Frankie = king. 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 No notes. 😁 I’m so pleased the conflict there was believable, and that their different perspectives / beliefs came through. I think one reason why it’s so hard for Santi is that when he tugs on the reader thread to try and unravel it, it’s tied on to this big ball of all his other traumas: military, grief, and more, and so it feels far too big. I do feel like Frankie is “uniquely equipped” it get through to him - love that phrasing. Sometimes when people are in it or too close to it they just need someone else to help them shift their angle of view. Even a small nudge. Frankie knows them BOTH so well and loves them, and I feel like even with everything he has going on himself he’s just slightly less jaded. He’s looking ahead to his new baby, wanting to get back on track, you know? Also, importantly, he’s TIRED. Like. Just sort it out, man.

And ahhhh the ending!!!!!!! 😱😱😱😱 I think this goes back to patterns being hard to break. I think it’s clear this one isn’t going to be solved by any one *single* moment or epiphany. That, *if* they can make it work, it’s gonna take some work. Let’s see! 🤭

Once again thank you for indulging me and letting me ramble about this story! I’m so grateful! 🧡🧡🧡

#special to me anon is special to me #ride or die series #santiago pope garcia x reader #Oscar Isaac

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wickerfox · 1 year ago

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So a little while back my friend Page and I ended up talking about Star Wars and specifically the Clone Wars show and while talking about it and the prequels it sparked an idea. What if someone whose never seen Star Wars were to watch the movies and tv shows in chronological order? What kind of viewing experience would that be? Watching in order the retroactive changes made to characters and explanations given from the start and seeing the full timeline of events without any of the dramatic irony or knowledge of the looming tragedy. Of course I realized that'd be impossible considering what a staple of pop culture the franchise is, everyone knows the twists and the characters already, everyone knows that Darth Vader is Luke's father, you'd never be able to get that unique experience of watching everything unfold in real time unless the person watching genuinely didn't have any knowledge or understanding about Star Wars beyond maybe the first movie.

Anyways, I don't having any knowledge or understanding about Star Wars beyond the first movie

My dad made me watch it back in like 7th grade? And I watched The Force Awakens back when it came out in theaters but my interest never exactly extended any farther than that, and like, yeah I know a couple of names but I've never exactly had a face to put them to and all this to say, I know very little about Star Wars.

My friend Page on the other hand knows A Lot about Star Wars. Not only does she know a lot about the movies, she also knows a lot about the spinoff shows meaning that when I had my dumb freak idea to watch all of Star Wars media in chronological order, I asked her to help me. You'd think she'd look at me and tell me what a bad idea this is, but she came back with a spreadsheet sorting all the episodes of the different shows and movies in order. (All while telling me what a bad idea this was) I may be a freak but my friends are just as ready to commit to the bit. Now Page explained her parameters for what we'd be watching, the timeline, approximately how long each piece of media will take to get through, and remember, I told her to include all the spinoff shows so we're going to be watching The Clone Wars for A While, but she's a lot smarter than me and I can't remember half of it.

Where we Did start though, was May 5th with episodes 2, 3, and 1 of Tales of the Jedi, Episode One the Phantom Menace, and Tales of the Jedi episode 4 and let me tell you! This is the exact experience I was hoping for.

Of course episodes 2, 3, and 4 of TOTJ center around Count Dooku, and doing it this way, he and Qui Gon Jinn end up being two of the first characters I'm introduced to and when I tell you

I had no idea how little I knew about Star Wars until we started this.

Because I've never seen any of the movies past A New Hope, I don't know who Count Dooku is, I don't know Qui Gon Jinn, I have Page here as a guide to tell me how the Jedi Council works and the Republic but beyond that I'm just getting to know these characters. So imagine my surprise when we finish The Phantom Menace, and then follow up with Tales of the Jedi episode 4 WHERE I GET TO LEARN IN REAL TIME THAT COUNT DOOKU IS A VILLAIN.

Page got to watch my dawning Horror as I realized what was happening, and we've since realized that, wait that thing I was talking about? About Star Wars being so ingrained in pop culture that there wouldn't be any twists? Uh yeah, I have such little knowledge about the Prequels and Sequels that I'm in for a fucking ride. Count Dooku is not twist villain, but because of the specific way I've decided to do this, He Was To ME, and personally? This was the moment I knew we had to keep going. Because all of the callbacks to events in the movies within the shows? That's foreshadowing to me now. The dramatic irony of knowing where characters like Anakin end up? I still get that, but there's a world of hurt that I'm in for that I have no clue about and I can't fucking wait.

As of right now were planning another night to keep watching and next on the list is Episode Two Attack of the Clones, then we start to get into Clone Wars episodes. My hope is to periodically update this horrible idea with any running commentary we may have and pray we can make it to A New Hope by November

And before anyone comments, yes I am very highly aware of what a horrible idea this all is, but I'm also a person who attended the Barbie movie dressed in a life size Barbie enchanting evening dress with matching doll, carried a series of decreasing in size plushie frogs named Gregory, Gregor, and Greg for months, and got sick chugging half a gallon of chocolate milk in high school "for the bit." I am not immune to dumb ideas and I will never stop, and it was either Page and I do This, or watch every piece of Scooby Doo media in release order, and at least in this case I'll get to have fun watching Page go insane over details she gets to point out to me

TL;DR I'm watching all of Star Wars in chronological order and my friend is going to be my guide through this honestly terrible idea

#I'm gonna need a tag to keep track of this #but I don't wanna main tag this #I'll come up with something eventually #friend stuff #star wars posting #adrien's art stuff

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laurasauras-reads · 4 years ago

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Rereading Homestuck, post 1

i'm rereading homestuck! anyone who even vaguely knows me knows that i'm very familiar with the text, but while i've reread bits and pieces a lot, it's been a couple years since my last cover-to-cover reread.

quick disclaimer for those who don't know me: i write fanfic which is definitely regarded as problematic, but that's not reflective of my real world ideals. kinda weird that i feel the need to say that for the shippy ones and not for the violent ones, but there we go. just putting that out there so that no one follows me who thinks that engaging in fanwork is a form of moral activism or whatever. (my ao3 is laurasauras for those wanting to have a peek, i've written a bit of everything!)

anyway, onto the reread! if you haven't read homestuck in its entirety, including the beyond canon stuff and games etc, there may be spoilers. proceed with caution!

john is so cute omg

seriously, his little face. i want 10

i want to take a sec to appreciate that john's con air picture is the width of a double bed and almost the height of a wall

i love the little smiley he uses to mark his birthday

this is interesting, because every fic writer ever including myself writes john as loathing cake, but he's been eating it all day. seems like he's just very reasonably overloaded on something too sweet. there's only so much cake one can eat! and the house is quite literally lousy with cakes

okay, a number of things:

THE WALLPAPER. which, actually, i would also be proud of this. it captures something. i assume that dave could only aspire to something this hideous, and the fact that it's executed with perfect sincerity would kill him

john's programming files are ^cake. the ^ symbol is called a carrot, therefore you can read them as .carrotcake. possibly obvious, given the icons? but still a fun detail

the ~ATH one is similar. ~ is called a tilde, ~ath = tildeath. that'll come up again with the trolls, when karkat and sollux use ~ath to attach their programming statements to the death of the universe

the START button is ACTUATE. i really love hussie's way of using words. it's not even that they have a killer thesaurus, because i have one of those and let me tell you, the words that they use aren't standard synonyms. they're just like this. i wish i could know whether they did have some Better Thesaurus. it is taking great restraint right now for me to not look on my favourite online bookstore to see if they have cool thesauruses.

and of course typheus as a web browser. i cannot say for certain, but hussie gives me the vibes of a plantser. they did these first pages from reader prompts, so they were improvising a lot by default, which doesn't speak to having a rigid outline in my mind. in my experience, it's actually super easy to write something and make callbacks that seem as if you were foreshadowing things, especially when you throw as much stuff out there as hussie did. in saying that, they did stuff like name the kids' browsers for their denizens. so it's hard to say how much they planned/pantsed.

more examples of hussie's use of words. "rancorous". i'm reading all the rest as synonyms of "friendly", including "bully", like "oh, bully for you!" which is a bit out of fashion now but makes more sense in context.

ah, they are in love. (joking. unless?)

this is just an excellent way to begin the dialogue (pesterlog) of homestuck, dave and john have such choice reactions. "try using your brain numbnuts" is a brilliant quote. i also tend to forget that john isnt the only one to forgo contractions. not all the time, but all the characters share some tendencies despite their distinctiveness.

"hey did you get this game you want to play together? not like i'm interested or even want to play with you but you should go check now"

"did you see how it got slammed in game bro????" - this is fucking hilarious, like we get to read this review later and it says literally nothing about playing sburb, plus the magazine is a huge joke. i love that both john and dave read it. i assume rose does as well, actually. i'm putting this line down to masterful irony

#hs reread #hs reread 1 #long post

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meta-squash · 4 years ago

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Brick Club 1.3.2 “Double Quartet”

According to wikipedia, a double quartet is a musical composition made for eight voices or instruments, or made up of two string quartets, that are often written in a call-and-response style. Also, I’m not quite sure if this is relevant, but wikipedia specifically mentions German composer Louis Spohr in the section on double quartets. Spohr wrote an opera in 1816 called Faust (which was drastically different from Goethe’s plays), to which wikipedia gives this synopsis:

Faust is torn between his love for the young Röschen and his desire for Kunigunde, the fiancée of Count Hugo. He makes a pact with the devil Mefistofeles which allows him to rescue Kunigunde from the clutches of the evil knight Gulf. Faust obtains a love potion from the witch Sycorax which he gives to Kunigunde during her wedding celebrations. Outraged at the sudden passion his bride shows for Faust, Count Hugo challenges him to a duel. Faust kills Hugo and flees. Meanwhile, Faust's first love, Röschen, drowns herself in despair. Mefistofeles seizes Faust and drags him down to Hell.

Again, I don’t know if that is relevant, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless. Especially considering the “lover flees, young woman is ruined” motif. I have no idea if it was popular or even known in France at the time, but it was part of the Romantic movement, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was part of Hugo’s repertoire.

But it’s interesting that Hugo names this chapter after a call-and-response style of music. This chapter specifically is set up that way: we get information on the women, and then the men. Their affairs later on seem to also line up with this call-and-response, at least until the end of the dinner, when one half of the strings drop away and the other four are left on their own.

I don’t know enough about the different areas of France, so I’m wondering if where the men are from is at all important?

Also, who is the “Oscar” Hugo is comparing the group to?

Hugo establishes the men as “insignificant,” which I think is actually quite significant. To the other grisettes, and probably most other grisettes in their circle, these men are (as Hugo explains) common little flings. So to make someone who is insignificant to most, significant to Fantine is an interesting move. Hugo kind of does this with all his characters, on a larger scale. Aside from Valjean and Enjolras, who are exceptional, most of his other characters seem to be relatively normal people who aren’t necessarily special in a big way. The fact that he decides to focus in on them is what makes them special. And yet here it’s Tholomyes’ insignificance that highlights how unusual Fantine’s attachment to him is.

“...and in their souls that flower of purity which in a woman survives the first fall”. I don’t really know what to make of this line considering how a paragraph later he seems to insinuate that all but Fantine have already “fallen” due to their many affairs. (Which he then softens by blaming society for the women’s problems.)

“Poverty and coquetry are fatal counselors; the one scolds, the other flatters, and the beautiful daughters of the people have both of them whispering in their ears, one on each side. Their ill-guarded souls listen. Thence their fall, and the stones that are cast at them. The are overwhelmed with the splendor of all that is immaculate and inaccessible. Alas! Was the Jungfrau ever hungry?”

Hugo referencing the fall of man here, although this time it seems like only the women are punished, and not the men. Also, another Faustian reference, this time Marlowe, with the “good angel and bad angel” imagery. More references to life choices and the whole concept of having two potential paths and choosing the “wrong one.” Like with Valjean’s original crime, Hugo seems to criticize this behavior here while simultaneously pointing out the way that society demonizes these women and hurts them. I’d love to know why he uses the German “Jungfrau” here instead of just saying “maiden” or “virgin.”

We get a lot of information on Favourite in this chapter, and not that much on the other girls. She’s the eldest at 23, born out of wedlock, and has her own home. I love that she’s like Jehan--adding an extra letter to her name for the fanciness of it. We basically get an illustration of her as the sort of “leader” of the group, with everyone else looking up to her. She’s then contrasted with Tholomyes, the men’s “leader,” who is also the eldest of his group, I assume. Favourite seems closer to Bahorel’s “laughing mistress” or Musichetta than the other three; aside from her mother barging in on her life and being a nuisance, she seems much more stable than any of the others, financially (she’s been to England!) and emotionally/socially (her friends all look up to her). (I think it’s interesting that she’s not paired with Tholomyes, who seems to be her masculine counterpart?)

Fantine is “wise” while the other women are “philosophical.” Also, Hapgood translates “sage” as “good” instead of wise, for some odd reason. It seems as though Fantine is wise in the same way that Valjean has that divine element of goodness that can be kindled and relit. It’s something that she is not necessarily aware of. I’m also wondering how Hugo defines “wise” vs “philosophical.” I’m guessing that wisdom is closer to intrinsic, instinctual knowledge, while philosophy is more thought out and pondered upon. (Perhaps these definitions are based on a popular philosophy at the time? If so I have no idea which one.)

In any case, part of what makes Fantine wise is her capacity to passionately and loyally love. Which I think is an interesting move, to praise someone’s social (and possibly emotional) naivete as wise, only for her to be completely ruined because of the person she’s devoted to. Her capacity to love is also the vulnerability that manipulative men see as a good opportunity to latch on to and use her.

This “wisdom” thing is also a weird call considering Fantine’s utter lack of pretense. The other three grisette’s go by fake names, have had a number of affairs and seem more playful than thoughtful when it comes to the affairs with this group of men. Fantine is just...Fantine, and she’s the youngest, and she hasn’t had the experience the other girls have had, and she’s about to make a huge mistake (rather, by this time she already has, and Cosette is an infant). Presumably the other three women learned somehow that their affairs were just affairs, why didn’t they clue Fantine in on this game? Later on we see Favourite thinking that Fantine is “putting on airs;” but she’s also the only one tu’d instead of vous’d and they all know she’s the baby. Are the other three just wrapped up in their own stuff and too preoccupied to think that maybe Fantine doesn’t realize this isn’t a real, permanent thing? Or is this a situation of three older girls being latched onto by a younger one who doesn’t really know what to do, and aren’t really a fan of the burden of being teacher? She’s been in Paris at least 4 years and yet she’s never had friends like these grisettes? I don’t exactly know the social mores of back then, but I assume that having friends then was similar to having friends now: gossip and talk about relationships and flings and one night stands. Interesting that she either never really learned by inference that this might be that, or that perhaps she just blindly assumes that this isn’t like that because this is real.

And here we get Fantine’s backstory, and her symbolism as the Universal Grisette. So many of Hugo’s characters that are blatant “universal” symbols are either orphans or abandoned quite early in life. And so many we get a certain period of their life, then a jump, then more. What happened between infant-Fantine being found and her working on a farm? Hugo does this time-jump with Valjean and the Thenardiers, and Marius, too. I think Fantine’s about 19 when we’re first introduced to her, if my math is correct? Hugo also foreshadows the sale of her teeth and hair here.

“Fantine was beautiful and remained pure as long as she could.” An interesting callback to a few paragraphs ago. Hugo seems to imply that the other girls gave in to those “whispers” quite quickly, while Fantine did not. Part of her purity, too, is her trust and devotion to Tholomyes; she’s not giving in to promiscuity or shallow affairs like the other three, she is genuinely in love.

The way Hugo uses beauty and ugliness is so interesting. “Beautiful” Fantine paired with “ugly” Tholomyes, as with Enjolras and Grantaire, and even to some extent Cosette and Eponine.

What stands out to me is Tholomyes and Grantaire both specifically being characterized as “doubting” and also described as ugly. Grantaire gets the actual word “ugly” while Tholomyes gets this horrible description (weirdly tempered by the fact of his humor and gaiety). I know that technically Courfeyrac is paralleled with Tholomyes, but I always seem to see more similarities between him and Grantaire. The difference being that Grantaire changes and Tholomyes does not. There also seem to be bits of each of Les Amis in Tholomyes (Grantaire’s doubt and ugliness, Bossuet’s irony, Bahorel’s age, Courfeyrac’s womanizing ways, Joly’s illness, etc) but all from the negative.

Tholomyes is described in a really awful way. That “he had a play refused at Vaudeville” and “doubted everything with an air of superiority” always has me reading him as this MRA type loser who thinks he’s better than everyone else and that that’s why people hate him. He’s charismatic, but in a slimeball sort of way. Hugo tempers Tholomyes’ awfulness with gaiety and then immediately turns around ruins that “but he was funny!” by telling us this awful prank.

Oh, and then Hugo stops to interrupt himself with a question about linguistics regarding the word “irony” and whether it’s based on the English word “iron,” like, the metal. Which...???? I don’t really know what to make of? Is he trying to say something here, because if he is, I don’t get it.

“Saint January” is Januarius, the patron saint of Naples, whose “miracle” is the annual liquefying of the phial of his blood. Apparently people gather to witness this annual miracle three times a year (as well as during things like papal visits). Interesting that Tholomyes compares his rather unpredictable and cruel “surprise” with the predictable, annual miracle of the blood liquefying. It makes me wonder whether this is not the first time he has done this (he is 30, after all, and I assume has had many affairs), just with a different group of friends.

We are just as in the dark about the surprise as the women are. Hugo does the same thing here that he often does with Valjean’s thoughts. He remains an outsider to the thoughts of any of the characters in the scene, and remains in a specific location within the scene, so when the characters leave, any following dialogue or action or thought is obscured from him as a narrator.

#les miserables #les miserables meta #brickclub #lm 1.3.2 #les mis #les mis meta #i started writing this at 2am instead of 4am! progress!#except then i went to sleep and finished it at 2:30pm the next day

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atamascolily · 5 years ago

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Avengers: Endgame review

TL;DR: This is not a terrible movie, especially given how many characters and story arcs the creators are juggling. That said, its success make its missteps all the more frustrating for me.

I like the opening scene, because it's so mundane. Instead of monsters and aliens and fighting, it's just a family picnic in the American Midwest. Even though it feels like Hollywood only knows one way to shoot family/domestic scenes, I like that Clint is teaching his daughter to shoot a bow instead of one of the boys.

I like how quickly the Snap happens, how silent and quiet it is. One minute, everything is fine, and then... Clint looks around and they are gone. He knows right away something is up. There's no place they could have gone. This scene is so short - less than three minutes out of a three hour movie - but the audience already sees where Clint is going next.

This scene also emphasizes how Rapture-like the Snap is - to the point where people online started calling it the Snapture. The film doesn't focus much on post-Snap life, but I'm sure religions would have a lot to say about this. In some ways, exploring life in this scared new world is more interesting to me than more predictable arc of getting it back...

I like Tony and Nebula playing paper football. How intense Nebula is, how into it she gets, how Tony lets her win. Wiki says those scenes were improvised and I approve. The message he leaves for Pepper with his helmet is pure Tony Stark--glib, audacious and yet charming all at once. I can’t decide whether I want to punch him or hug him for it. Maybe both.

I like that Captain Marvel's arrival is so angelic. She's glowing. It's a miracle. Was she sent to find him, or did she just stumble across the ship by chance? We never find out.

I like how the Avengers are able to locate Thanos, only to discover he's destroyed the stones. I like how using the stones has consequences: Thanos is able to use them, but at great personal and physical cost; it's nice foreshadowing for the end.

Thanos is so chill about dying; it makes me suspect he's got something up his sleeve, but apparently, he's okay with dying now that his Crazy Apocalyptic Death Cult has achieved its goal. He manages to break Nebula's heart even more before Thor murders him. It's hard to say who's more surprised in that moment: Thor or Nebula.

Time skip. There's only one real plot reason for a five-year gap, and that's so Tony Stark can have a kid and an excuse to be selfish that doesn't render him completely unsympathetic to the audience. Morgan is cute, and all, but I'm not a fan of what she represents, nor of the stock Hollywood way of portraying children. Tony lives in a log cabin in what is obviously Georgia, and doesn't use his wealth to fix the world or anything. Granted, he's got extreme PTSD, but he's chosen to become a hermit. I guess we should be glad he's not drinking, doing drugs, or screwing journalists, like he did in the first Iron Man movie.

Steve running the support group is poignant, especially since that was always Sam's gig. I wonder if it's his way of honoring Sam. Sob. Marvel claims the gay man in the support group is historic, but I can't help but note it's something that can be easily edited for release in China.

I have not seen the Ant-Man movies, but I like Scott Lang. He is an optimist who soldiers on despite the fact that he is the Butt Monkey of all the jokes. I like how he extricates himself from the storage locker--though the fact that the van is still in storage five years out speaks VOLUMES to how messed up the world is five years later.

I think Scott walks past his house first--then goes to the wall, then to his house and knocks on the door? Or is that just a random house in the background when he first asks the kid on the bike what's wrong? I don't know why the kid doesn't answer him, except to add an aura of mystery to the whole thing.

The stones on Crissy Field are intense. Scott running around in a panic is spot-on--and his confusion when his name is on there, and his relief that Cassie's isn't. He knocks on the door of his house and a now-teenaged daughter greets her father. Again, I'm not sure I buy how Hollywood portrays these kinds of reunions, but it's very moving.

I love Nat and her peanut butter sandwiches, her rapport with Steve. I love these two as friends and I also ship them, and nothing in this scene proves me wrong. I love that Nat is basically in charge of the world now, and that she's the one keeping everything running smoothly --even when, as Okoye puts it, some things like undersea earthquakes don't require any action on her part. I also like her hair - I wasn't a huge fan of her Infinity War look, so I'm glad she's gone back to long/red-dish hair again.

There's also the first stirrings of what Clint is up to, and while I don't like this subplot, I have to say it's set up very well. I can admire skillful plot devices even when I dislike their contents.

Scott showing up is priceless. I love his babbling to the security camera and Steve and Nat's reactions. Also, he drove the van all the way from California to wherever-the-hell-the-Avengers-Institute is located--I think it's supposed to be New York, but the filming location is a car headquarters in Georgia, so I think of it as Georgia.

I like that Bruce and the Hulk have come to an understanding. I wonder what Nat thinks about this. This movie makes it pretty clear Bruce is still into her, even though Nat isn't into him (and most of us are pretending that little subplot in Age of Ultron never happened).

Same with Thor. It hurts to see him so clearly stuck, but Korg is amazing, as always, even if he is an enabler. I don't know why Valkyrie hasn't kicked Thor's ass yet. Maybe she's too busy running things. I wonder if Valkyrie and Nat are talking. I bet they are. I bet they respect each other.

I also like how fanon says that noobmaster69 is really Loki trolling Thor via videogames. Otherwise, the idea of the God of Thunder threatening a teenager is terrible, not funny. It's much better for everyone if it's Loki.

I'm not sure how they get from quantum stuff to time travel, except Plot. I think it would have been less confusing if they'd called it traveling to parallel universes from the get-go, instead of time travel that happens to create parallel universes, because it doesn't act like the standard time travel narrative. There's some meta about this in the film, but I don't think that's enough to compensate. Anyway, timey-wimey-magic-science-plot ball.

Cut to Clint Barton murdering yakuza in Tokyo. I do not like anything about this scene, or Clint. Vigilante justice is not a healthy coping mechanism. Clint pulling back his mask in the rain while Natasha is behind him with an umbrella is beautiful, and I love it. I appreciate the callbacks to Clint reaching out to Natasha when she was brainwashed by the Russians, even though I don't like where this story arc is going.

I love that everyone finally puts their heads together and realizes that the Infinity Stones have all spent an improbably large amount of time on Earth in recent years.

You can hear the smile in Nat's voice when she says "Be right back," and my heart breaks because Oh, Irony.

Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One is a treat, even though I'm mad they whitewashed the character because China complained about making the character a Tibetan (as in the comics). I like how easily she is able to separate Bruce from the Hulk, and how Bruce just sighs and tries to negotiate. Strange giving up the Time Stone is one of the weirdest parts of the last movie, and I'm glad everyone else thinks so too.

(Also, Dr. Strange is in the middle of surgery while the Chitauri are attacking New York? WOW.)

The Captain America vs. Captain America fight is great fun, if painful to watch. Also, that callback to the Elevator scene in The Winter Soldier is great, as is watching all the secret!Hydra agents file in, and Scott says what we're all thinking: "How could you give the stone to them? They LOOK evil!"

Loki getting away with the Space Stone is a wild card, and I don't know what they're going to do with it. Going to Camp Lehigh in the '70s is great on a plot level: Tony gets a chance to chat with his father, and Steve gets more magic particles to further the rest of the plot. And they get the stone, too. Right.

Thor having one last conversation with his mother, oh my heart. Also, he stole his hammer from his past/other self... isn't that going to cause plot problems? Who cares, when we can have TWO flying hammer things in the final battle?

Peter Quill's internal monologue never looks as good from the outside. The directors seem to loath him as much as I do, meaning he is the other Butt Monkey of the party along with Scott. Rhody is genre-savvy and I approve; Nebula is an android and indifferent to personal danger.

The android bit makes things complicated when 2014!Nebula starts spilling bits of 2019!Nebula's memories. 2014!Thanos correctly identifies this as time-travelers from the future/parallel universes trying to prevent him from success. He gets to see the whole thing from 2019!Nebula's POV. I like that even though Thanos is dead in the main timeline/original universe, a different version of him rises up to take his place.

God, Clint and Natasha go to Vormir and it's terrible. Red Skull is appropriately creepy, but the whole premise pisses me off so much. Natasha and Clint fight about who gets to jump; Natasha "wins," causing Clint and everyone else much angst. I hated this in Infinity War, and I hate it even more now. I hate that the movie goes out of its way multiple times to explain there's no way to bring her back, even as it violates causality to replace Gamora. I hate that the only way to get the Soul Stone is to play the stupid game. There ought to be a way to beat it without sacrificing someone, and even if there isn't, why is it always the female characters who get sacrificed for manpain? I knew this was coming, so it wasn't as bad as it would have been otherwise, but I hate it. Hate it, hate it, hate it.

Anyway, so they all come back, and mourn Nat. Continuous emphasis on how she's gone forever. Fuck you all, writers.

Bruce snaps to bring everybody back. He can tolerate gamma radiation. I love the line "It's like I was made for this". Bruce, honey, you're a rock star.

Tony is so freakin' specific about "bring everybody back but don't erase the last five years" because he loves his baby girl so much and cant bear that he have to lose someone himself. All kinds of logistical problems are going to happen as a result, but does he care? No! It would have been just as easy--probably easier--to snap Thanos out of existence right before the Snapture, or to allow Thor to slice off Thanos's head in time. That would also create continuity issues, but I think it would be a Stable Time Loop--and honestly, there are already so many continuity issues, I'm not sure why that would stop the writers. Anyway, I think we can all agree it would have been better if there HADN'T BEEN A FIVE YEAR TIME SKIP and maybe like six months or something, that would have been more manageable for everyone.

(and also if just Thanos is dusted and not the stones, the stones would still exist, although maybe it's for the best that they've been destroyed??)

But evil!Nebula has infiltrated the group, and opens the time machine to bring 2014!Thanos forward right after Bruce's snap brings all the dusted back. How she does this, I'm not sure exactly; is it even explained? Whatever. Plot demands it, so she does. They get Pym particles from somewhere. I don't know.

Anyway, so the Georgia car headquarters is blown to smithereens by an alien spaceship. The lake starts falling into the crater. Clint has the gauntlet with all the stones and is chased by space wolves. Thank goodness he still has exploding arrows.

Good!Nebula manages to convince new!Gamora to betray Thanos (it doesn't take much, tbh), but has to kill her evil!self. Ow. Poor Nebula gets traumatized AGAIN.

Steve wielding Mjolnir is not only a continuation of a brick joke from several movies ago, but also a Crowning Moment of Awesome. So is Dr. Strange opening the portals for everyone to show up and fight. Huge CGI battle ensures. There's no blood and everything's a mess and it's hard to keep track of everything, but man, those Chitauri bone-whale spaceships are cool. Carol Danvers knows how to make an entrance. Peter Parker is awkward and endearing, as per usual. Instant Kill Mode gets a workout.

Wanda attacking Thanos is heartbreaking. "I don't know you." "You took everything from me." HEY TONY, UNDOING THE SNAP THE WAY YOU INSISTED THEY DO IT MEANS VISION IS NEVER COMING BACK! Poor Wanda. I liked Vision. I'm sorry he's gone.

Thanos’s remark that next time he’ll make it so nobody remembers the horror of the Snap and they’ll be grateful to him and stop fighting it is truly horrifying. The Thanos in the first part seemed really resigned to dying, and it’s such a contrast. Thanos is right, of course--he would have gotten away with it “if it weren’t for those meddling kids” and the best way to prevent that is to re-write the universe to Make It So.

Thanos is such a smug, priveleged dudebro. Have I mentioned I hate him? I fucking hate him. He’s like the epitome of Smug Male Privilege crossed with Galactic Warlord. In some ways he’s the galactic foil to Tony Stark, which makes it all the more fitting that Stark is the one to take him down. Thanos is willing to sacrifice his loved ones for his vision of reality, and Tony fights to preserve them, even when it would be “better” not to. (I put “better” in quotes because I freely admit it’s a moral grey area with the whole “five year time skip” thing.) Stark starts off alone, and then dies surrounded by friends and loved ones; Thanos starts off with an army and a family and dies defeated and alone, twice over.

Stephen Strange holding back the waterfall--and gesturing to Tony across the battlefield--both great. "If I tell you, it won't happen." Anti-self-fullfilling prophecy, which amuses me. When all hope is lost, Tony reveals he has the stones and delivers the ultimate one-line--"I am Iron Man" before he snaps. Tony could have snapped for <i>anything</i>, he had ultimate power in that moment, but all he does is turn Thanos and his army into dust. Of course, Thanos is the last one to go, because it's more Dramatic that way.

Tony dies. Pepper gently but firmly pushes Peter out of the way. Peter Quill meets Gamora and Gamora kicks him in the nuts, unimpressed. I know she and Quill will probably get back together in later movies and it will annoy me then just as much as it did before, because he's so much cooler than he is. I had to stop watching the first GotG film because of all the ass shots of Gamora; ugh.

Everyone is appropriately sad and Tony's funeral at the Georgia lakehouse is very well attended in neatly thematic groupings. Nick Fury watches from the porch.

Have I mentioned how much I hate the "posthumous letter from emotionally constipated father figure that makes the audience and his loved ones cry, but which absolves him from any actual emotional development or growth" trope? It happens in the Stranger Things S3 finale and it happens here. Thanks, I hate it. Morgan Stark is cute and sad. God, Happy annoys me so much. I've hated him ever since he was so fucking condescending to "Natalie Rushman"--Natasha's alter ego in Iron Man 2. GOD. There is no justice here.

Steve volunteers to fulfill Bruce's promise to the Ancient One by returning all the stones. (It’s sweet how earnest Bruce is about this. I mean, Bruce has always cared about preserving the universe, even ones he doesn’t necessarily live in, but still. I find it endearing.) The movie doesn't say, but judging from the looks that Bucky and Steve give each other before Steve leaves, Bucky already knows what Steve is planning - to go the long way home and to give the shield to Sam. Bucky also knows where to look for Steve - on the bench by the lake. Still in Georgia; they got lots of tax credits for filming in Georgia, I will never be able to see this place as anywhere but Georgia.

Sam taking the shield breaks my heart, but in a good way. Nice set up for Falcon and Winter Soldier, I see what you did there, Disney.

The movie did an okay job of reminding people that Peggy existed by having Steve gaze longingly at her portrait in the locket and by staring at her through the window when he was at Camp Lehigh in the 1970s. Still, I don't blame fans for forgetting about her, given that she hasn't been a major character since The First Avenger, and died in Civil War. Both Bucky/Steve and Steve/Nat interactions are fresher in audience's minds - even Steve/Agent 13, although I guess that was just a side plot that didn't go anywhere.

Steve staying on through time the long way would make a LOT more sense if the time travel in this film worked like other time travel movies, but it's not, so it's just kind of weird. Literally, if it weren't for this ONE THING, I think the writers could have gotten away with "parallel universes" instead of time travel--especially since there's a 2014!version of Gamora around! How did Thanos do the snap the first time if his 2014!self jumped forward to 2019 and got killed there "before" he did the snap? It makes NO SENSE unless you assume the Quantum Realm takes you to identical-but-parallel universes instead of the past of the original universe.

(Yes, I KNOW Bruce says time travel doesn't work like you think it does--but I'm not sure it works the way this MOVIE thinks it does, either. Like I said, parallel universes all the way, except for the Steve 'n' Peggy bit.)

Also, I know Peggy gets married, but we never learn her husband’s name/see his face as far as I know, so it’s entirely possible Steve DID create a stable time loop by traveling back to the 1940s after his ship went down in the ice, and married Peggy and stayed out of the historical record to avoid Breaking Time any further.

So, while I can't say Steve's decision to go back for that dance wasn't foreshadowed enough, or is inconsistent with one version of his character arc, it pains me from a shipping perspective. I like Steve/Peggy, but I really love Steve/Nat, and there's no reason Steve couldn't have gone back in time and gotten together with Nat in the same way it's implied he got together with Peggy. The fact that he doesn't mention her name just makes it easier for my shipper heart to believe. (Because if he says Nat, Sam's going to make fun of him.)

Also: Steve meets Red Skull on Vormir. Please. I know there are fics about this, but still. I know the movie is three hours long, but this seems like a terrible omission, even so. Just saying. Maybe a special extra bonus scene??

AND WHY CAN'T STEVE BRING NAT BACK IF HE RETURNS THE SOUL STONE?? Over and over again, they say "A soul for a soul"-- so if Steve returns the Soul Stone he should get a soul back, am I right, am I right? COULD YOU FUCKING BE CONSISTENT, WRITERS?

(Can you tell I'm bitter? No? No? Let me shout some more then.)

I’m also not sure how the super-soldier serum works with aging, but I’m willing to buy that it doesn’t make Steve immune to normal aging - or at least gave him a lifespan twice that of most people, unless you want to chalk the first fifty years or so up to the ice or whatever. But that’s a minor world-building quibble at best.

Okay, so that was Avengers: Endgame. Glad I didn't see this in theaters -- I would have gotten too angry and too long for me to watch in one sitting without having to get up to pee. I think I would describe it as "adequate" --covered all the major beats, followed the standard scriptwriter format, some fun character moments. Very Obviously Written By Men based on its portrayal of family life and treatment of female characters, and the time travel makes no sense if you look closely at it.

But let's face it, it made bajillions of dollars, so as far as Disney's concerned, it was a home run.

So would I watch more Marvel films? The answer is, yes, maybe, but I feel so "meh" about the MCU now that Nat is dead. I'll make decisions on a case by case basis about what movies I watch on DVD after their release, but I'm not getting my hopes up I'll feel excited. There's always fic and fandom; I just don't know if canon has anything to say that interests me anymore. (Kinda how I feel about new Star Wars to be honest.)

#mcu #Avengers #avengers: endgame #Movie Reviews #WHY DISNEY WHY #natasha romanoff deserved better

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theonceoverthinker · 6 years ago

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OUAT Rewatch 4X15 - Poor Unfortunate Souls

I’ve always loved this episode, but I can’t help but wonder what kind of SOUL searching I’ll need to do as I watch this one again! XD

Eh, he got it.

Anyway, review’s under the cut!

Main Takeaways

Past

So, it goes without say, but Poseidon is the best god! He has a tough commanding voice, a method of carrying himself that commands respect, a solid character arc, and MINIONS! What god doesn’t have minions that dress in uniforms and follow his every order without lip?! Additionally, he’s egotistical, placing his need to have Ursula by his side over her desires to sing and awful in that sense that he’ll buy her love rather than earn it. Basically, this guy has the presence of a god. Characters like Nimue and Merlin would have this similar presence, but as for Hades and Zeus, the other actual gods, they really don’t.

I love the story development in this episode. I’ll get into this shortly, but what makes this episode work so well is that Killian is shown to, despite being a ruthless pirate, be someone who does have the capacity for good in his heart. He’s someone who has that potential to care for another person and to be willing to go to great lengths for them.

It’s great how Killian doesn’t go full tilt against Ursula upon getting a possibility for his revenge, but he does still retreat to villainy somewhat. The trip to Glowerhaven is now a trip not fully made out of goodness and selflessness, but also for profit as Killian asks for the squid ink before he transports Ursula away.

But the way he does ultimately go evil is interesting too. It’s not about hurting Ursula, but about hurting Poseidon. And that makes it worse -- the action that harms Ursula wasn’t made to hurt her, but out of spite. Ursula is turned in that instance from a friend into a pawn. And it’s interesting how Ursula takes agency in her own story back from both Poseidon and Killian. She stands up to both men and even takes the former’s triton to become a goddess and a villain. It’s so tragic, but also kind of badass!

Present

Killian’s development in this episode is fantastic! I like how we see the difference between the hero clan and Killian. While their first thought, as David puts it, is to “save August,” Killian’s is to find the Dark One’s secrets. And I like how this isn’t a bad plan in comparison to theirs, but different. It’s an important part of dismantling Rumple’s schemes in the long run. I also like how the episode shows subtly how Killian’s mindframe about doing good changes within the scope of the episode. When he first announces how he’ll return Ursula’s happy ending, it’s done out of a need to get revenge on Rumple after he screwed them out of the dagger. Listen to how he talks about helping her: “Now’s the time to use it [his backstory with Ursula].” He also calls her a “creature” and a “monster,” and even when she stands up to him for the name calling, he doesn’t apologize.

And look at the way Killian talks about returning Ursula’s happy ending. Normally, a line like that is given lighter and more triumphant music to accompany it, but not here. That’s because it’s not about wanting to do right by Ursula, but that is the mindset he has to learn. He’s sort of on the right trail -- he even points out to Emma how he’s taking a page out of her book -- but because his mindset is botched, he’s not in the right mindset for when things go wrong. While Snow, David, or Emma would try to take a next step after the shell doesn’t originally work and assure Ursula that they’ll help her out, Killian doesn’t think of her wants and needs and just demands the information, endangering himself.

Ariel was both a weird choice and the BEST choice to help Killian along his trail to redemption. For one thing, it allows for the real Ariel to finally get some justice after what happened with Killian and Blackbeard and her in season 3. But most importantly, she highlights that getting a happy ending isn’t necessarily dependent on you alignment, but how you go about getting it. And this prompts Killian to ask for help. That asking for help s so important because of how it shifts Killian’s perspective from wanting to help Ursula for himself to wanting to help Ursula for her own good. That’s how a hero thinks. And it turns out that when he starts thinking that way, he’s not bad at doing good at all!

“If Gold did to me what he did to Hook, I’d want to shove that dagger through his heart too.” I kind of hate a lot of this show’s approaches to anger. Killian’s pissed -- and Emma’s pissed for him -- that Rumple took advantage of the growing trust between himself and Belle in order to reclaim his power, and now the entire town is in danger because of it. This line is treated as a way to foreshadow the possibility of Emma going dark, but honestly, it’s just anger. It’s a valid emotion and in from here until the end of the series, that anger tends to be framed as something that’s not allowed to happen, and the show is worse off for it. Is the agner a touch excessive? Arguably, but given how personal this crime was, I can get that it reached that extent. And Emma even elaborates on that point immediately afterwards.

All Encompassing

Out of all of the episodes where Killian screws things up in the past, but rights things in the present, this I feel is one of the best ones. Killian’s not heartless in either segment, his actions aren’t too bad that they can’t be made right by the events of the episode, and Killian’s approach has to change in regards to his own morality and motivations, which it does.

So, let’s talk about Ursula. On one hand, we never get to see or even hear about any of her villainy and that undermines a lot of her presence in the series. Despite all of the power that she supposedly has, it’s never used to any villainous effect. Because of that, to some extent, she’s less of a villain in a lot of way and more of a vessel for Killian and Rumple. And that’s not really fair. That said, I do think that her character development in this singular episode is quite substantial and in a way, redeems Ursula’s character. She’s given a clear and concise motivation for her villainy as well as a redemption that makes emotional sense. She’s tragic and unique in a lot of ways and her characteristics in both the past and present, despite that lack of villainy, make for a three dimensional character.

Stream of Consciousness

-I love the callback in the opening to both the source of Killian’s apprehension over mermaids from “The Heart of the Truest Believer” and to “The Little Mermaid.”

-I like the design for Ursula’s grotto. Sure, it’s probably like the show’s final Rumbelle scene where it was designed in a minimalist way by painting the set all black, but just as it was there, it’s pretty!

-I like the allusion as Ursula listens to classical music instead of torturing August and only begrudgingly joins Cruella at Cruella’s behest that Ursula is not all that interested in being a baddie.

-I love the clear BS’ing yet improvising skills that August puts on display here!

-”Well it wouldn’t be the first time he lied to my face.” Regina, get Elsa back here because Rumple gave August a BURN! XD

-I do appreciate that Emma points out how fucked up it was to steal a child! It’s not as far as this conflict should have gone, but it’s a good step.

-Between the magical eye drops, giving David half of her heart, Cora’s possession, all the breastfeeding she must be doing, and now this, Snow must be SO tired of sharing her body! XD

-I also appreciate how Regina’s first bit of dialogue was to tell Emma that Pinocchio was fine and what happened.

-”Who? Me?” This is some perfect comedy right here! I love the slow buildup and the way every character’s head is given its own individual moment to turn to Killian. It is a perfect punchline!

-”Even when I didn’t think he could deceive me any more, he found a way.” I feel so bad for Belle with this line. She’s so tired of being tricked by Rumple and now even trusting in those that she wants to is dangerous.

-”Then your name would’ve been written across it.” …”When you can see the future, there’s irony everywhere.”

-I LOVE this rendition of “Mysterious Fathoms Below.” It’s so soothing and beautiful. It feels both like a lullabye and what a group of sailors would want to hear after a long day, and that’s an interesting balance to hit.

-I love the costumes of Poseidon and his underlings. I like the beach-y things the cover the tops of their gold and their hats that look like conch shells!

-”It’s unwise to insult the size of a pirate’s ship.” Wouldn’t be OUAT without the occasional dick measuring contest.

-I actually totally forgot about that dream sequence Regina had. So, now that I remember again AND have the context of the Evil Queen arc, I think that arc either alluded to a fear of Regina’s evil impulses threatening to separate her from Robin or foreshadowing of jealousy from the Evil Queen and that’s Wish Robin that’s there.

-I love the absolute look of HORROR on August’s face as he’s turned back into a puppet.

-I’m starting to realize that anyone with a “code” in this series has a code that is weak as fuck!

-Thankfully, that nice swim will be UNDERcut by some FIN-terference, so he’ll SEA you later! XD

-Snow hitting Cruella over the head with a frying pan from back of the room was perfect! Not only is it so funny, but it was a great reminder of just how tactical Snow can be!

-Awww! That August and Emma reunion was soooo sweet! We really see that friendship they had come fully back and it’s honestly so heartwarming.

-I loved Poseidon’s apology to Ursula. There are no excuses and he really gets into how badly he screwed both her and himself over, and not in an egotistical way.

Favorite Dynamic

Ursula and Killian. I like the framing of their dynamic. Killian is very much a ruthless pirate and Ursula is clearly defined as someone who can break through that thanks to the peace her voice brings him. It’s an unconventional, but organic friendship. And I like how it’s not just Ursula providing Killian with things, but also Killian providing Ursula with emotional validation. Ursula doesn’t seem to have many friends (which makes sense given how she’s the daughter of a god), and that’s implied by just how much Killian’s words and promises impact her. You can see how badly she’s needed to hear that her way of honoring her mother hasn’t been wrong and that despite what Poseidon says, she’s doing the right thing. And in return, Ursula gives Killian peace and a chance at some level of redemption. Because of her voice and mercy, he’s able to see some good inside himself and offer her help. And until his revenge gets in the way, and he starts treating Ursula like a pawn, he holds himself to that.

Writer

Andrew Chambliss and Dana Horgan are in control today! And they did a good job! This is just a cohesive episode. Unlike “The Apprentice,” these guys knew exactly what they wanted to do with Killian’s character and did exactly that. They made his character consistent and kept his feelings throughout the episode clear. This is an enormous change from the Killian who didn’t even have a distinguished facial reaction to being forced to hold an old man hostage while he was sucked into a hat. And they still managed to put in nuanced discussions about what it means to think like and be a hero. Writing decisions like that make the kind of material that define a character and these guys brought their A-game to both segments.

Rating

Golden Apple. While I had my nitpicks, this was an amazing episode. Killian’s character development as he descends to and rises from villainy is really well done, the episode’s supporting characters are great, and Ursula is for the most part very three dimensional.

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”

Captain Swan - “Don’t you know, Emma? It’s you.” I love these guys. I love how they value each other. I love how in this episode, Killian calls Emma his happy ending and the slow, meaningful reaction to that including the kiss. I love how Emma stands up to David when he even considers that Killian could be evil again. She really believes in him and trusts that he can do the right thing and get them the information they need.

-----

Thank you all for reading!!! Shout out to @watchingfairytales and @daensarah!!

Season 4 Total (131/230)

Writer Scores: Adam and Eddy: (34/60) Jane Espenson: (20/40) David Goodman and Jerome Schwartz: (38/50) Andrew Chambliss: (32/50) Dana Horgan: (16/30) Kalinda Vazquez: (22/40) Scott Nimerfro: (14/30) Tze Chun (8/20)

Operation Rewatch Archives

#ouat #once upon a time #watching fairytales #ouat 4x15 #ouat rewatch #jenna watches ouat

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buildridernews · 7 years ago

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[Review] Kamen Rider Build - Episodes 47-49

This is it, folks - the final chapter. Or rather, the final three episodes of the show. We've got a lot to dissect, so let's get to it.

Episode 47: "A Zero Degree Flame" (ゼロ度の炎)

After the most painful week of waiting, we're back to Grease in his new Grease Blizzard form, which we know now is such a powerful form that it could kill him. As he's tearing down the Lost Smash doppelgangers, Sento, Ryuga and Gentoku make their way to another floor where doppelgangers of Remocon Bro and Engine Bro are waiting - Gentoku decides to stay behind and fight them himself, allowing Sento and Ryuga to progress through Pandora Tower.

Misora and Sawa show up with their Pandora's Box, realizing that Grease is using a new form with Shinobu's missing Build Driver. The two of them know exactly what this means for Grease, so Misora tells Sawa to keep going without her.

Rogue has difficulty taking on the gear bros, which is fair since he's now dealing with Evolt-level copies. MadRogue steps in, and while Rogue wants to be cocky against him, we learn what's really going on with MadRogue. He suddenly turns on the gear bros, revealing that he joined Evolt specifically to gain an edge since the Rider System didn't seem like it would be enough to beat him - not only that, but he wanted to avenge President Namba. As far as Rogue is concerned, they can both achieve their dreams together, so the Rogue boys team up!

Even together, they don't do a great job of taking on the combined form, so it's a good thing Sawa showed up with Pandora's Box! As it turns out, the call from "Namba" earlier was Utsumi arranging for the girls to show up with the bottles, and I love how this one line fixes any weakness in Utsumi's character: He's loyal to Namba. He never went crazy seeing the president's death, he stayed loyal. That's super interesting, especially since it means he's now an ally instead of an enemy. And the connection to Sawa makes it even better.

The plan was for MadRogue to exploit a weakness in the Kaiser System. The Same and Bike Fullbottles are specially designed to neutralize the system's attacks, which is a nice callback to the YouTube spinoff. They use finishers to deal with the gear bros, defeating them. Then Evolt's DNA leaves them, reforming as Soichi and demanding the Lost Fullbottle they got from that pair of mimics.

Meanwhile, Grease Blizzard is continuing his assault on the Lost Smash trio, practically losing control. However, he pauses once he starts letting off an aura that occurs with any Hazard Level carrier who's on the brink of death. Misora begs for him to stop but he figures this can only end one way for him. Sento and Ryuga catch this fight on a TV in the tower, and Ryuga questions why he'd invent such a dangerous weapon for Kazumi to use, because they both know where this is going - nothing left to do but continue traversing the tower.

Back with the others, MadRogue takes on Evol and reveals that he stayed with him this long so that he could input data from HIS belt. Then MadRogue starts charging up, apparently achieving the various Phases of power Evol had, then unleashes a quick barrage of attacks that legitimately shock him.

Speaking of legitimate shock, before MadRogue can deal the final blow to avenge Namba, he... starts to short circuit. His suit dematerializing, Utsumi falls to the ground with sparks coming from his chest. This is when Evol nonchalantly remarks "Oh right, you're a cyborg." EXCUSE YOU?

When Gentoku had Utsumi pose as Night Rogue... that shot in his shoulder, which caused him to fall off a bridge, was actually fatal enough that he was turned into a cyborg. That-- Wow. Okay, that's a pretty damn good twist, which once again fixes a slight nitpick of "He sure recovered well from that presumed death". And those motherfuckers made a cold opening where they joked about him being a robot! Did they make a joke then turn it into a plot point, or is this some Steven Universe foreshadow-trolling? Anyway, cool stuff.

With Utsumi seemingly dead now, Rogue tries his best to avenge him, but Evol sends him flying. With Gentoku lying before Sawa, Evol comes towards them with an attack, when Utsumi gets in the way and takes the hit for them, claiming he isn't doing this for them - he's doing it for the bottles. Gentoku and Sawa make a quick escape using the Nebula Steam Gun, leaving Evol mighty miffed.

I should take a moment and put what I said all into one paragraph: Utsumi was an interesting character to see develop. I thought it was nice seeing him come back, was totally hoping he'd become Kamen Rider Rogue due to the irony of it all, and was delighted to see him become MadRogue. Even so, his turn as a villain felt weird and kinda forced in retrospect, as did the presumed death and subsequent return - it's fascinating how this episode cleanly deals with both things and at the same time turns him into more of a heroic character, even if one that's been raised by a cult. And the cyborg thing is a nice return to Kamen Rider's origins, even if it's such a brief reveal. May he be missed.

... On a related note, back to Grease Blizzard. He finishes off the Lost Smash trio, claiming he's ready to hang out with his bros... on the other side. With all of them gone, his suit dematerializes, and that death aura ain't lifting anytime soon. He gives Misora the Lost Fullbottle he had, and it's here they have their final words. Misora still calls him Grease, and she reveals that she never wanted to call him by his real name, presumably so she didn't get to attached - it's... kind of fair since he always calls her Mii-tan.

Misora begs for him to live, and now even Kazumi is starting to tear up, because hey, his waifu is rooting for him, how lucky can a guy get? He decides he'd better brag to his boys on the other side, so... he disappears, leaving Misora to utter "Kazumin..." Wow. </3

So, Kazumi was great. I loved the actor in Kiva so I had an immediate attachment, and I feel he played a pretty superior character here - one with more depth and an interesting change in personality as the world around him changed.

But a pretty unfortunate flaw of this episode is that his death was basically spelled out from the beginning, and we had to wait a week to see it happen, so by this point the impact was not as strong as it could’ve been. It might’ve been better if Sento introduced him to his new weapon by saying it’s powerful “as is”, and having Kazumi remark to himself how it looks like the Magma Knuckle. Then when he steals the Build Driver, it’s more of an epic cliffhanger. The preview showing his death could have been framed in such a way that maybe his new form wasn’t strong enough, with the twist being that the form was what killed him.

I dunno, maybe I’m over-analyzing at this point. I just feel that the week long break hurt the impact of what they had written. Plus Utsumi’s whole twist and death kinda overshadows it since I did not see any of that coming.

Moving on... now we're in the area Evolt was in, which I guess is meant to be part of Pandora Tower even though there's no walls to be seen. The gang is all together and pretty somber after presumably learning what happened with Utsumi. It gets worse when Misora silently approaches, handing Sento the Lost Fullbottle and telling them the news...

... and it's at this point I found the scene sad and beautiful. All you hear is the wind - everyone is muted for dramatic effect, and each of them is reacting to what you assume is "Kazumi is dead." It sinks in, and they all break down. Misora falls to her knees, Sawa comforts her as she cries, Ryuga punches stone with a look of disbelief and anger, Gentoku straight up screams in despair... and Sento silently broods.

Then Soichi breaks the silence with "Yo!" and Sento turns, screaming Evolt's name. END OF EPISODE. Fucking stunning.

Episode 48: "For a World of Love & Peace" (ラブ＆ピースの世界へ)

Time for an entire episode of fighting! Everyone does their best to take Evol on, and we also get to learn what Sento wanted to tell Ryuga before at their cookout: Only Ryuga can save their world because he has the Evolt DNA to make stuff happen with the white panel. He starts using the Hazard Trigger with his Cross-Z Magma form, gets in some good hits, but in the end, Evol is still too strong.

Eventually, Evol manages to get back the two bottles and return to his final monster form, which is BAD. Evolt opens up a black hole which absorbs their goddamn moon, which... actually probably won't affect them in the long run according to Dragon Ball. But he also starts tearing at the Earth, which is definitely going to be a problem.

When Misora is begging for Vernage's help, Evolt tries to destroy her, only for Rogue to take the hit for her. He's already getting that death aura, but he takes Evolt head on.

We also once again come back to that cookout where Kazumi talked to Gentoku about being a political figure once this was all over, and... at this point I understood Gentoku - even after all he's doing to save the world, he feels like he's yet to really make up for who he was, and that's pretty damn interesting since he was under some nebula gas influence until becoming a hero. Even more interesting is the fact that Kazumi says he's forgiven Gentoku for everything, and that's pretty big of him to do. No wonder Gentoku reacted to his death so intensely...

Rogue, unfortunately, bites off more than he can chew as he tries to fight a god mode Evolt. His helmet gets broken, which only makes things look even more grim - as he seems to be falling, however, the people of the city are screaming and cheering for the Kamen Riders, which I must say, is goddamn powerful. Rogue is living by his father's words: It's not about the person in power, is about the people who put them in power. MANLY TEARS MOMENT.

While his attacks seem to be amounting to little, Rogue seems to be onto something with attacking Evolt's Evol Trigger. However... he can't fight his fate, and ultimately his transformation disengages, leaving a weakened Gentoku to question... did he measure up to his father at all after this? With a beautiful shot where Rogue's shadow can be seen on the wall next to him, Gentoku fades away...

I'll be honest, this character started out as a bit of a nothing character to me. I've said it before: After episode 1, there were at least 1-2 people telling me every week, if not every other day, that Gentoku is gonna turn out to be Night Rogue. It was obvious, and I found Blood Stalk more interesting. To me Night Rogue seemed like one of THOSE Rider villains: The one who's gonna stick around until the hero gets their first power-up form, then gets killed off. Phoenix, Javert, Graphite, just characters made to be a really strong obstacle that makes the power-up more impressive. I didn’t invest in him for that reason.

But Gentoku stuck around. He disappeared for a bit, then came back as the grim Kamen Rider Rogue. And while he was very cool visually, I described that period as "Comically edgy Gentoku" because he was just leaning too far into grim territory. But once we got the implication that he was starting to lose that nebula gas edge, and was starting to show some heroism, then he got interesting. I mean, maybe they could have used at least one line to explain his turn to comedy, but besides that, I really like him now that he's become one of the heroes. He will truly, truly be missed.

Build and Cross-Z Magma transform, powered by the screams for justice still cheering them on, and suddenly... Evolt has trouble moving. It seems that Gentoku's death wasn't in vain, as the Evol Trigger has some lasting damage. The two Rider Kick the bottles out of him again, and this time, Cross-Z Magma runs at him with the white panel to fuse them together, causing the black panel to disappear.

With the white panel attached to the Pandora's Box they brought, a beam shoots out into the black hole... and out of it comes another Earth, one without a Skywall. Evolt is given some heroic monologuing to explain that their plan was to use his energy with this beam to fuse these two Earths, forming a world without the Skywall and without Evolt's presence. Shockingly, the Genius Fullbottle's power gets absorbed, leaving Build with one less power-up.

As Build prepares to send Evolt flying, Cross-Z Magma shoves him aside, causing his suit to dematerialize. He tells Sento that he's got Evolt's DNA in him, so obviously... he should be the one to finish the job. Cross-Z Magma propels himself into space, leaving Sento screaming his name!

Episode 49: "The Tomorrow Created by Build" (ビルドが創る明日)

While the Katsuragi in Sento's head seems content with letting Ryuga sacrifice himself, Sento won't have it - from the point on, there'll be no sacrifices. Using RabbitRabbit, Build leaps into the space where Evolt and Cross-Z Magma flew into, which takes him to a wasteland. Here, we finds what he thinks is Ryuga, but surprise, Evolt absorbed Ryuga and intends to finish off Sento so that he can become powerful again.

To Evolt’s dismay, though, Ryuga fights back inside his body, giving Sento the chance to regain his composure, and gives him the silver Dragon Fullbottle. He also tells Sento something very important: Since they met, Ryuga has now become the definition of Sento's heroism, a person who can't help but smile when he's managed to save someone. Ryuga, and all the others, have built up Sento into the hero he wants to be, so he can't let them down now.

Build charges into battle, back at it again with RabbitRabbit, then moving into TankTank, all while he and Evolt trade some powerful blows that cause them to get just a hint of death aura. As they keep fighting, Evolt loses some of his bulk, and Build switches to RabbitTank Sparkling. As Evolt loses even more of his power, Build is reduced to just RabbitTank, which Evolt takes amusement in... until Build turns the tides.

With this Hazard Level, Build's Rabbit Fullbottle turns gold, and he uses it with the silver Dragon Fullbottle to unleash a powerful finisher in the Fullbottle Buster. Finally, with Ryuga holding Evolt back, Build uses these gold and silver bottles to transform into a special Trial Form that the bent decides is a Best Match, because that’s what Sento and Ryuga are! With a Rider Kick that Evolt attempts to counter, Build sends him flying to the ground, causing him to explode.

And that's it. Vernage leaves Misora's body, now that she can confirm that the evil is defeated, then that gold bracelet finally falls off of Misora's hand. The two Earths begin to merge, with strings of math breaking down the Skywall... because I guess we needed to homage the opening?

And then... silence.

...

Sento wakes up in a grassy field with an odd product placement in the form of the Cross-Z RideWatch, then looks around and realizes that the Skywall is indeed... gone. As he walks into the city and sees Prime Minister Himuro on a large TV screen, he and Katsuragi reflect on the fact that they were successful, and that this was the world their father wanted: The last 10 years have been completely different for this new world, more peaceful. Of course, this means the people Sento remembers aren't gonna remember him.

We then get a wonderful montage of things. Gentoku is his father’s aide, Sawa is a political journalist that’s having a nice professional exchange with Gentoku, Utsumi is working for Namba which is now a workshop, Kazumi and his bros hang out at our favorite coffee shop to meet the cute barista Misora, and... damn is it nice to see them all happy.

But it’s also sad, because even though Sento practically created his world, it’s a world that doesn’t know who Sento Kiryu is. Katsuragi bids Sento farewell, letting him know that it's been fun tagging along and watching him do his hero thing. By this point, he seems to have come to terms with everything, so he will cease to be a voice in Sento’s head.

Sento then encounters Ryuga, who’s hanging out with his not-dead girlfriend, and confirms that not even Ryuga remembers him. He tries to play it off then goes to the coffee shop, where it seems like Misora recognizes him... but her dad points out that he’s Taro Sato, the rock star on the poster in their shop! As Sento drinks his coffee, he makes the shocking revelation that Misora's dad actually knows what coffee is after all, and can't help but finally crack a smile as the two act like goobers over his resemblance to this rock star.

Outside, Sento reflects once more on the world he's created, and finds it pretty ironic that the man who once had amnesia is now the one person no one remembers... except the guy who calls out his name~?!

Ryuga shows up, asking what the deal is with this world. He found out there was a version of him here who's dating his girlfriend, which Sento realizes is because... Our Ryuga wouldn’t technically exist in a world without Evolt since he has Evolt’s DNA, so the Ryuga here is one who grew up normally! And is maybe 8 months younger! The two decide to ride off together, with a wonderful callback to episode 1.

The show ends with Sento revealing to Ryuga that he's written a 49 episode script about his adventures, which is frankly NOT the weirdest comedic ending a Rider show has gotten. Neo Fangire.

So... that was Kamen Rider Build. It was-- actually, it's better if I let the review end here. This is long as is, so I'll be giving my overall thoughts of the show in a separate post. Mostly positive, some small nitpicks, and perhaps it’s worth talking more about the ending. Til then!

#kamen rider build #reviews #feed

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proofofburden · 2 years ago

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Spoilers and the Prestige Trap

It might be less obvious from my online presence, but I have a long and vitriolic campaign against the concept of a "spoiler"; if a story is ruined by knowing what happens, as a rule, it is not a very good story. There's a small number of a stories that rely on an unpredictable twist (usually with a genre or tone shift) to develop their themes. Bridge to Teribithia, The OA, and both Knives Out movies all come to mind. I am ambivalent about the mystery genre as a whole on this; the low re-consumablity of most mysteries is probably indicative of quality, though at the same time the audience participation in solving the mystery is both a one-off quality and a good feature of the genre. But in general, stories should be more than their reveals.

As an aside, both Season 1 of Game of Thrones and the book do not have a twist! Ned Stark's death is foreshadowed in the first episode with the dire wolf! Characters tell him he's marked for death! Both works establish the rules for deaths and Stark's death follow them! I know we all tired of GOT being called "subversive" but it was subversive because it subverted our genre expectation that the Aragorn stand-in would rise above! Half the modern prestige trap is built on not understanding the difference between narrative and genre expectations!

A lot of the conversation around these shows is not about what makes them satisfying, but about what makes them novel. Dripping out mystery, even when it makes sense for characters to be more direct, makes for more discussion of the show; 1899 fails because everyone is characterized in service of the mystery and not the other way around. I liked Rings of Power more than anyone, but the weakest part of the show was the "which one is Sauron" mystery, not least of all because Tolkien went in for telling you which one was Sauron and then reveling in the dramatic irony. Had they gone with the Stranger being Sauron and played with our Third Age expectations, I would have defended the departure from Tolkien's conventions because that is the heart of adaptation. I just don't understand what they were trying to say, but I do understand they were trying to power buzz about the show.

Fans, and especially fans on this exact site, ask for this kind of thing, if not deliberately. Marvel is basically unwatchable to me at this point because virtually every finale is a big, "Here's what is coming next from the comics!" teaser. Loki's emotional growth, rather than having time to breathe onscreen and give us catharsis, was shunted into revealing Kang. Without any meta-context, and I am not a comics reader, this was a new character monologuing over the catharsis I came for. It was a first act in a finale. But hey, he's in Quantumania, so I can pay movie ticket prices to go find out what teaser will come next and talk about it online. It's about generating buzz, speculation about how they are going to work Kang into future products, and reviewing the comics. It is not about the characters and the story they are experience in the present tense of the work.

I don't even hate these fan discussions! When these reveals sing with character beats they can totally enrich the show. Russel T. Davies is very good at getting his Doctor Who callbacks to have present tense resonance, and I look forward to his work on that again in coming years. I love how smoothly you can move between the story at hand and the deeper lore in Tolkien's works, and I think that's something the Amazon show captured a lot better than its given credit for, partially because some of the show is not harmonious with the wider lore, but partially because people were determined to hate every aspect of it. I'm a trash millennial, and I love a good callback and self-aware writing. Just, please, get your writing fundamentals down first.

Anyway, the prestige trap is writing for buzz. I am begging people to stop rewarding it.

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thejakeformerlyknownasprince · 7 years ago

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What would u say are the best and worst book narrated by each character ?

I sat down to come up with my least favorite book by each narrator and had a pretty easy time of it — there’s an unfortunate dip in quality in the series around #39 - #43 that I can point to as definitely not my faves — and then ended up totally baffled by how to choose JUST ONE favorite book by each narrator, because such a task is almost impossible. In conclusion, I really love Animorphs, as you probably never would have guessed from reading this blog. So, with a little cheating, here goes:

Tobias

Least favorite: #43, The Test

The plot of this book pretty much requires that all of the characters, but most notably Rachel and Jake, act in ways that really don’t fit with their behavior for the rest of the series. My cynical hypothesis about What Was The Ghost Even Thinking rhymes with schmender schtereotyping, but even if I more kindly assume that everyone was just acting strange to jerk Taylor around, I can’t really enjoy this book.

Favorite: #49, The Diversion

Tobias’s point of view works so well for this book, because its plot draws attention to his status as a partial outsider not only for human society as a whole but also for his team. He’s literally trapped in a liminal space that here actually gives him a lot of perspective on his friends’ families — and the importance of sticking close to his own. (And by that I mean 93% Ax, 7% Loren.)

Other favorite: #23, The Pretender

Speaking of Tobias being sort of stuck between roles, this book is so good because it shows the strength of his position as both able to access and able to escape being human. He moves flexibly between a ton of different roles in this book — a leader to the hork-bajir, a supporter to Jake, a parent to himself, a son to Elfangor, a quasi-hawk, a quasi-human, a quasi-andalite — and does so with astounding grace and aplomb. Resting bitchface has never seemed like a cooler accidental superpower.

Another favorite: #33, The Illusion

This book is the brutal shadow-self to #23, instead shutting Tobias out of a whole bunch of different roles over the course of the plot. It does however contain one of the series’s best villains (Taylor is terrifyingly sympathetic) and some of its best moments of heartwarming body horror in the final battle.

Least favorite: #8, The Alien

Honestly, there’s nothing really wrong with this book, but there’s nothing amazingly right about it either. It has a few great moments (Jake’s naïve optimism at the kandron’s destruction giving way to fear for Tom, Ax having dinner with Cassie’s family, Tobias definitely not tattling on Ax) but overall the plot is just kind of inane and doesn’t do much to move the series forward.

Favorite: #38, The Arrival

Estrid et al. act as such a cool check-in for not only how much Ax has grown as a person through spending too much time around humans, but also how much the team as a whole has grown until they are actually more effective warriors than a group of battle-trained andalite assassins. Every time I reread this book I end up making noises of triumph and fist-pumping the air, no matter how public my location is at the time.

Favorite favorite: #46, The Deception

This plot hinges on the stark contrast between Ax’s terrible and unavoidable awareness about the horror of open war and the Animorphs’ lack of standard of comparison beyond “hey, remember D-Day?” MM3 and #28 both do important work to condemn humanity from the outside, but this book actually uses Ax’s perspective primarily for celebrating the whole human species from an outsider’s point of view.

Marco

Least favorite: #40, The Other

As I’ve mentioned here, at this book’s core is an interesting concept that very emphatically does not age well. On top of the cringe-inducing attempt at an After School Special treatment of the idea that (*gasp*) queer men with AIDS are human too, it also has a largely nonsensical plot that strains both credulity and logic.

Favorite: #25, The Extreme

It’s a brilliant use of Marco’s perspective to comment on the constraints and terrifying outer reaches of Jake’s leadership, one that also contains a highly enjoyable mix of humor and horror. Because Marco. I could reread this one a thousand times and still find new aspects of the narration to delight in.

Also favorite: #15, The Escape

This book makes amazing use of Marco’s unreliable narration and lack of self-insight to contrast his willingness to imagine himself confronting sharks with his willingness to run from them upon a real encounter, along with his determination to kill his mom and his inability to stop himself from saving her. Marco is at his most human in this book, and also his most lovable.

Also also favorite: #51, The Absolute

The governor of probably-California is one of my favorite minor characters in the series, and I absolutely love the dynamic between Marco-Tobias-Ax any time it occurs (this book, #46, #30, #49), meaning that this surprisingly fun aside acts as a much-needed breath of fresh air and comic relief in between the Animorphs losing the morphing cube (#50) and blowing up the Yeerk Pool (#52). Plus, Marco + tank = OTP.

Cassie

Least favorite: #39, The Hidden

I’ve said most of this before, but this book is just… nonsensical. And it’s not delightfully nonsensical like parts of #26 or #14, it’s mostly cringe-inducingly nonsensical.

Favorite: #29, The Sickness

Arguably this is the best Animorphs book, both IMHO and by fan consensus. It’s got a simple but devlishly difficult plot, a ton of great characterization moments for all six kids, a handful of brilliant devices and settings that meld beautifully to Cassie’s overall character arc, and a wide-reaching perspective on the importance of overcoming difference that is a huge part of what makes these books so good. It’s also funny, horrifying, edge-of-your-seat engaging, and tear-inducingly beautiful at the very end.

Also my favorite: #4, The Message

Whereas #29 is probably just hands-down the best book ever written, #4 holds a special place in my heart because it’s the first Animorphs book I ever read and the one that convinced me to go find the rest of the series. This one is sweet and mystical, bleak with the dawning realization that these poor defenseless cinnamon rolls are in this war alone but also hopeful with the realization that these precious cinnamon rolls are in this war together.

Jake

Least favorite: #47, The Resistance

Although I’m of the opinion that #41 is more poorly-plotted, this book manages to be both poorly plotted and glaringly racist. Its plot doesn’t make sense on several different levels, not the least that Visser Three knows how to find the hork-bajir valley in this book and then apparently forgets how to get there for the entire rest of the series. And don’t get me started on Jake’s reprehensible behavior from the moment he casually declares Tom “as good as dead,” through to him trying to boss Toby about what’s best for Toby herself, all the way on to him being a jerk to Rachel and Marco. Blah.

Favorite: #31, The Conspiracy

Unlike #47, this book actually makes really good use of Jake’s character flaws to drive the plot forward — he’s bad at being vulnerable, and that ends up being a huge problem for his team. It also leans hard on the irony of Jake being the only one with a “textbook” family (i.e. upper-middle class, heteronormative and monogamous, European-American, traditionally gendered, outwardly happy) and also being the only one under constant threat for his life any time he’s at home, thereby accomplishing one of the series’s better comments on the fact that children’s lives aren’t as simple as we’d like to think.

Favoriter: #53, The Answer

There are definitely flaws with RL implications in this book, but the plot is so freaking brilliant that I can still regard it as a Problematic Fave. The final battle is so well-engineered and the Moral Event Horizon is so terrifying as it swings by that I assign this book to myself for rereading any time I’m struggling to write action or battle. It’s a scary, awful book, but also a very fitting capstone to the series.

Favoritest: #26, The Attack

This setting is so cool. This plot is so cosmic and yet so personal. This use of the chee is so bitingly brilliant in its commentary on pacifism as a luxury not everyone can afford. This story has so many moments that are either heartbreaking callbacks (the opening scene with Tom’s memories from #6) or bloodcurdling foreshadowing (Jake and Rachel’s casually absolute trust that each will be willing and able to kill the other if necessary). This narration feels like a middle-aged and yet middle-school protagonist struggling to figure out who he wants to be — and defeating a cosmic power at its own game with the power of love. I could gush forever.

Rachel

Least favorite: #48, The Return

Again, there’s nothing truly wrong with this book; it’s just a silly and inconsequential aside into the main character’s maybe-dreams at a time when the plot outside her head is heating up to the boiling point. It makes this whole thing come off kind of like Bilbo sleeping through the Battle of Five Armies.

Favorite: #27, The Exposed

I’m not normally a big one for romance, but this book makes me ship Rachel and Tobias so hard that my tiny bitter walnut of a heart grows two sizes every time I read it. Rachel has such great self-awareness that she doesn’t like any situation she cannot control or at least do violent battle against, and yet she dives into the bottom of the ocean with both eyes open and her chin up because that’s what she has to do to protect the rest of her team. Crayak has no idea what he’s talking about when it comes to asking her to turn on her loved ones.

Additional favorite: #32, The Separation

As I’ve said, I didn’t really get this book until I realized that it’s not so much about Rachel herself as it is about how the rest of her team views her, and how she defies their simple categorizations, both well-meaning (Cassie) and not (Jake), through simply being herself. Rachel is both masculine and feminine, both tough and vulnerable, and she makes no apologies for any of it.

And another favorite: #37, The Weakness

This book has an important role for the rest of the series in that it shows how the Animorphs’ guerilla tactics can easily be taken too far, and also how Jake’s discernment of his teammates’ strengths and weaknesses keeps them all alive. Rachel makes a fair number of logical-seeming decisions in this book that prove short-sighted, and of course it all leads to her and Jake’s brutal Checkovian epiphany at the end.

Added additional also favorite: #22, The Solution

A brutal but powerful read, this book focuses on the ugliest parts of Rachel’s personality (her sadism toward David) but also the most powerful ones (her compassion for Saddler and protectiveness toward both Jake and Jordan). It also shows that her reckless taste for violence and her boundless desire to protect her families both biological and found are actually two sides of the same part of her personality.

Okay I have a lot of favorite Rachel books: #17, The Underground

It’s oat-freaking-meal. Only it’s not just oat-freaking-meal, and I’m not talking about the extra-tasty maple and ginger flavoring. It’s a biological weapon. It’s a way to harm the enemy, but only through harming prisoners of war. It’s a social dilemma the like of which we rarely see in children’s books. It’s a lesson in decision making under uncertainty. It’s a moral imperative, but no one is quite sure what that imperative is saying. It’s a deconstruction of the implied assumption that it’s possible to write adventure stories in which no one gets hurt. It’s awesome. It’s hilarious. It’s disturbing as fuck. Welcome to Animorphs.

#animorphs #narration #animorphs meta #asks #answers #anonymous #rachel berenson #jake berenson #tobias fangor #aximili-esgarrouth-isthill #be really nice if cassie and marco had last names wouldn't it #k.a. applegate is a god #the rest of us just worship her

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halcyon-hyacinth · 3 years ago

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tbh when Gege said of the 4 main characters (Itadori, Megumi, Nobara and Gojo) either 3 would die and 1 would live or 1 would die and 3 would live I'd been thinking of Gojo or Itadori dying due to Sukuna, but this is making me think that Megumi will die.

Sukuna has plans for him, and wants to keep him alive til then.

So, Megumi because Sukuna wants to use him when he revives + foreshadowing/callback to him saving Itadori's life at the start of the manga, which connects to the sorcerer's conundrum: "Whose to say that someone you save won't kill someone in the future?" It could be out of dramatic irony, that by saving Itadori, Megumi condemned himself to death.

Itadori due to being Sukuna's host. The manga started off with the postponement of his execution, it'll be interesting to see what happens when he finally consumes all 20 fingers. Also, he wants to die without regrets which goes against what Yaga told him when he became a sorcerer: "All sorcerers die with regrets."

Gojo from taking down Sukuna/being selfless instead of selfish and sacrificing his life to do so. He's also portrayed as the strongest sorcerer and it's clear that the Jujutsu world is being shaken from its core, especially in the latest arc, so I think it's very likely that could be challenged.

Nobara imo will help take down Sukuna/other powerful curses/sorcerers with her cursed technique and/or reverse cursed technique. I can't see her dying when narratively it makes more sense for the others to. Also we haven't gotten a fully fleshed out arc for her yet. We're gonna get the rest of Megumi's with his sister in the Culling Game so I'm sure it'll come up soon after.

From a marketing/editorial standpoint, I don't think WSJ would let Gege kill off the majority of the main characters. And at this point in the story I'm not sure it would convey the message Gege wants to at the audience. I think Gege is very intentional with the themes explored in the manga/life lessons, and when it comes to those things JJK is just as much about life as it is about death.

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk spoilers #itadori yuji #fushiguro megumi #gojo satoru #nobara kugisaki #nobara rights #jjk trio

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minijenn · 7 years ago

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That actually helps a lot. In regards to outlining chapters, would it be possible to see an example? I think I remember you posting a partial outline for Scary-oke a few months back?

Yeah sure! I’ll give you an example of what my notes look like for Sock Opera, seeing as how my notes for that chapter were, in my opinion, very thorough and good (warning this is in a bunch of parts because my notes for that chapter were VERY long, hence why they’re under the cut). But let me just say that I structure my notes in OneNote, just like how you see them here more or less. It helps keep me fairly organized. But the big thing that I do is that I structure my notes by beats that I have to go through, and generally give myself a little wiggle room to work with when it comes to things I won’t come up with until I’m actually writing. Still, I hope this helps! ^_^

Characters: Dipper, Mabel, Steven, Connie, Bill Cipher, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Gabe, Candy, Grenda, Stan, Soos, Wendy, various GF and SU characters, Lapis (dream), Jasper (dream), Malachite (dream)Settings: Mystery Shack, temple, theatre, some others Episodes to look at: Sock OperaTone: BIG drama, action, angst, horror, family, hurt/comfort, foreshadowing, some humor (dark humor)

• Start the chapter off more or less the same as the episode, with the kids at the library; the laptop from the bunker has been fixed and Dipper is determined to uncover what secrets it might hold (Connie is pretty much just as resolved in this, Steven and Mabel a bit less so, though make it clear they still want to help)Side note: Make sure there’s a good bit of underlying tension between Dipper and Mabel throughout much of this chapter (and make it come to a head later on)• Extend this intro a bit, and drop the implication in here that Dipper’s intention in figuring the laptop out is twofold: to not only find more clues about the author, but also to look through his research in the hopes that he might be able to find something that can help free Lapis from Malachite (angst)• However, their attempts are quickly halted upon discovering that the laptop is protected by a password (maybe through some humor in here as the kids make initial guesses about what it might be)• Not too long into this, however, Mabel is distracted by a show being put on by a young puppeteer, Gabe; of course she instantly falls for him, so she asks Steven to be her wingman as she goes over to talk to him• Make this part appropriately funny, though it eventually leads into Mabel panicking and telling Gabe that she’s going to put on a puppet show at the end of the week (make sure to give Steven dialogue in this)• Cut back to Dipper and Connie as they’re trying to crack the laptop, only for Mabel and Steven to return and beg for their help in putting the show together; Connie mostly agrees (she doesn’t think its going to be that big of an undertaking) and while he’s much more begrudging about it (since he believes time is of the essence for helping Lapis) Dipper agrees as well• Cut after some more interactions as the kids leave, though imply that an ominous, familiar shadow is lurking right behind them… (but don’t imply too much)• Cut to the temple as the kids rush in, with Steven and Mabel on the hunt for supplies that can be used during the show; the Gems are naturally confused by their excited panic, so they explain about the puppet show, which only ends up bewildering them even more (humor)• Also include a bit in here where Dipper asks the Gems if they might know what the password is (given their apparent connection to the author), but of course they don’t have a clue; in this, maybe show that they’re supportive of Dipper taking this mission on (they want to know who the author is too, of course), which will ultimately set up for irony later on (while also bolstering Dipper’s resolve to figure it out)• From here, go into something of a descriptive montage as the kids work on the puppet show (with help from Soos and Wendy; in here also mention how Dipper and Connie are still hard at work on the laptop, though Dipper more so• Generally in this part bring up several things, including Dipper’s near obsessive drive to unlock the laptop and his reasoning for doing so (mainly to help Lapis (maybe include some retrospective bits in here, including the pictures (for later on))) and how that drive is depriving him of sleep because he refuses to rest until he’s solved it (also highlight his frustration at being unable to do so thus far) (basically just set up the reasoning behind why he would make the deal with Bill in the first place) (make this angsty)• End this bit off the night before the show, with Mabel being content in how things are coming along for it (she’s on the phone with Steven discussing it); meanwhile Dipper and Connie are also on the phone, discussing their bafflement at how difficult figuring the password is going• After a bit of this, the twins both end their calls and so have some somewhat fun dialogue in here, but again, use this as a chance to foreshadow the conflict between them later on in the chapter• Still frustrated, Dipper goes up onto the roof to keep working with the laptop (maybe include a brief callback to Dipper and Lapis in here, (pictures!) for angst); have his irritation continue to grow until of course, the scene leads into Bill’s appearance (be descriptive with this)• Extend this scene quite a bit and keep all of Bill’s usual humorously twisted beats (maybe add a few) as he offers to give Dipper some help with the laptop in exchange for a “favor”; in this, have Dipper adamantly refuse (recalling Dreamscaperers), claiming that he doesn’t need Bill’s help• Of course, Bill counters this by claiming that the Gems are pretty much useless in helping him with this (again implications), as is pretty much everyone else; have him also be a bit manipulative in here by bringing up Dipper’s resolve to help save Lapis• Though briefly conflicted by that, Dipper still refuses, though Bill tells him the offer will still be on the table (make this ominous, maybe foreshadow more) before making his abrupt exit• Give Dipper a little introspection here before cutting, show that he’s still resolved to do this without Bill’s help, knowing that making a deal with him couldn’t possibly end well at all (though imply that he’s still a little conflicted about actually being able to do it on his own)• Have some humor the next day between Stan and Mabel for a bit as Steven and Connie show up; after a little of this, Dipper pulls them aside and tells them about his confrontation with Bill the previous night, so give the others appropriate interactions to thisSide note: Be sure to show that Dipper is sleep deprived in here, don’t just say it• Still, Mabel assures Dipper that she’ll be able to help him with the laptop after handing her materials off to Candy and Grenda; in the midst of this, however, Gabe shows up, so have a bit of humor as Mabel realizes she’ll have to up her game in order to impress him• Bring the underlying tension between the twins to a head here as Dipper angrily protests Mabel putting him off again; this of course, leads to an argument between the two (give Steven, Connie, Candy, and Grenda somewhat humorous reactions to this)• Make sure both of the twins abnegate their goals in here (with Dipper claiming that Mabel will quickly get over Gabe anyway, while Mabel calls Dipper’s ongoing obsession out); either way, make sure both of them are equally in the wrong against each other here• Still, have Mabel go a little further by claiming that Dipper should slow his search down because Lapis can wait (and have her regret saying that instantly); also, make Dipper’s reaction to this shocked and tranquilly outraged• As Steven finally intervenes in the argument, Dipper bitterly storms off to figure the password out on his own, leaving Mabel feeling pretty guilty about what she said (though not guilty enough to call the show off); still, before cutting, have some dialogue between her and Steven, where she asks him to go talk to Dipper in her stead• Cut to the attic, and have some introspection in here as Dipper’s not just frustrated with the laptop anymore, but also with Mabel; include a bit in here where he notices one of his pictures with Lapis and his resolve starts to crumble as he fears he’ll never be able to help her (PICTURES HERE)• In the midst of this, Dipper’s lack of sleep finally catches up with him and he gradually nods off, leading into a dream where he sees Lapis again, though keep their interaction very brief before she disappears and Jasper shows up in her place• In this, Jasper both mocks and threatens Dipper, telling him to give up on trying to save Lapis because he’d never be able to do so anyway (make this REALLY dramatic and dark); the dream of course ends on Malachite showing up (again, make this dramatic, kind of a parallel to Chille Tid later on)Side Note: Imply Bill induced this nightmare as an attempt to further manipulate Dipper into making a deal with him (don’t outright state this)• As Dipper wakes up in an abrupt panic, he’s of course met with none other than Bill, who makes a few snide remarks before casually informing him that the laptop’s about to erase all its data from too many failed entries (make this part a little different from the episode)• This is enough to convince Dipper to hear Bill out; the demon claims that all he needs is a puppet, and implies that he’s just going to use one of Mabel’s; of course, Dipper is hesitant to relinquish one, since Mabel worked so hard on them• Before Bill can counter this, however, he’s interrupted by Steven knocking on the attic door, having come to talk to Dipper as he promised Mabel; Bill lowkey panics at this but he’s quick to regain Dipper’s attention by reminding him about the laptop counting down, forcing him to put Steven on hold• Build tension in this part as Bill continues his appeal, reminding Dipper not only of how Mabel failed to help him, but of the fact that Lapis is still trapped at the bottom of the lake, essentially because of him• Remember to include Steven outside the door, continually worried over Dipper not responding (imply that he can he can kind of hear Bill talking to him, but he can’t really tell who it is, implying that Steven sort of defies the mindscape)• And so, as the laptop counts down its final seconds, on a burst of mere impulse and desperation alone, Dipper agrees to Bill’s demands (make this MOMENTOUS, as this moment alone changes a TON in UF as a whole)• Keep this tension high as Bill suddenly turns the tables, and be VERY descriptive and dark as he rips Dipper’s consciousness out of his body and possesses it in his place (again, draw this out, make it very dramatic)• As this is happening, Steven breaks into the room just in time to witness Bill possess Dipper, so of course show his shocked, horrified reaction to this (include Dipper’s as well); also remember that Steven can’t see/hear Dipper in his incorporeal form• Of course, Bill only welcomes Steven’s intrusion as he smashes the laptop right in front of both of the boys, while also tearing up the pictures of Dipper and Lapis, just as an added measure of sadism (make this hit Dipper hard)Side note: Make sure to have Bill’s dialogue switch to normal text and Dipper’s to italics post-possession and for the duration• Have some dark humor in here as Bill experimentally messes around with Dipper’s body, intentionally injuring it (more so than the show, again, make it darker) just for fun and to also psyche Steven out; however, when Steven tries to heal these self-inflicted wounds, his powers do nothing, much to his confusion and Bill’s sadistic delight Side Note: Make sure that Bill addresses both Steven and Dipper (and yes, make sure to have Steven be confused by this) in a lot of theses scenes• Needless to say that Steven’s still in a panic in all this, since he really doesn’t know what’s going on, but he resolves to tell the Gems so they can stop Bill and save Dipper; of course Bill casually blackmails him, saying that if he does that, he’ll destroy (kill) Dipper’s body, so that of course forces Steven to remain silent about it (even if Dipper tries to tell him not to, but of course, Steven can’t hear him)Side note: Also imply (from the journal) that Dipper (or at least his body) might be dead while Bill is possessing him (again imply, don’t state) (possibly do this through Steven being unable to heal the injuries Bill inflicts)• Keep both the suspense and humor going as Bill inquires about the journal, claiming that his intention is to destroy it to keep the kids from getting answers (that might stop his plans, but only imply this); of course both boys refuse to divulge where it is, only for Connie and Mabel to innocently pop in (hint that she still feels bad about earlier but she’s had time to get over it) and Mabel says that she’s going to use it in her show• Extend this scene as Steven attempts to warn Mabel about Bill, only for Bill to remind him of his ultimate; still, even though Steven remains silent, Bill ends up inflicting a pretty sizable cut on Dipper’s shoulder all the same, much to Steven’s (and Dipper’s distress)Side note: Be sure to have Connie in specifics notice how strange both Steven and “Dipper” act in this brief scene, though it goes over Mabel’s head• As everyone heads off to see the show, Bill takes the time to mock and gloat at Dipper specifically, claiming that he won’t be able to stop him because he effectively doesn’t exist anymore, cap this part off with some pretty heavy introspection for Dipper, show the severity of his situation here and his desperation to fix it• At the theatre, a huge audience has shown up to see the show; give some interactions between Mabel, Stan, and the Gems in here (have some humor with the Gem’s confusion as to what this show is)• Also include some interactions between Bill and Soos, Wendy, and the Gems (the Gems in particular, use this to imply/foreshadow a bit, but not too much); have the Gems (especially Garnet) pick up that something seems off with “Dipper”, but none of them can really pinpoint what (though it does seem somewhat familiar to them)• Bill’s plans are aided along when Mabel recruits him to be the reverend in her play, which will get him even closer to the journal; Steven fearfully attempts to protest this, but once again, he’s forced to say nothing (much to Connie’s continued suspicion)• From there, the show starts, to have it be appropriately humorous (include cuts to the audience reactions, including Stan and the Gems being somewhat weirded out by it); but for the most part, keep this relatively close to the episode and keep it short• Amidst all this, Dipper’s still trying in vain to get the attention of anyone who could possibly help him, but as Bill told him, he can’t interact with the physical plane without a vessel, which gives him the idea to use one of Mabel’s puppetsSide note: Make the implication throughout the chapter be that no one can notice stuff like the eyes or Bill’s voice coming out of Dipper until they are aware that he’s possessing him (Steven can though cause he knows about it from basically the beginning) • As the play reaches its intermission, include a scene in here of Bill confronting Steven, reminding him of just what will happen if he doesn’t keep up their “bargain” (imply that Bill kind of does want Steven to break it, but only after he’s destroyed the journal and won and its too late to do anything to stop him anyway)• Amidst this however, Connie comes in and acts just as smooth in her suspicion as Bill does in his “innocence”; have a bit of snappy dialogue in here (while Steven’s lowkey panicking all the while), and have Connie come very close to breaking Bill’s ruse, only for Mabel to call Steven and Connie into the nearby dressing room for their help• Of course, Mabel hardly notices the ongoing tension as she shows her excitement for how well the show is going so far; amidst this, Gabe pops in and compliments her while also putting the pressure on for the rest of the show to be just as good• After she leaves, Connie mentions that she thinks something’s up with Dipper, only for Steven to adamantly refute that (out of obvious fear); however, right before the girls can break him down into telling them about what’s really going on, they’re interrupted by Dipper (the real one), who’s using one of Mabel’s puppets to communicate with them• While the girls are aptly confused, Steven’s overwhelmed with relief that Dipper’s still technically ok and finally, the boys tell the girls about what happened with Bill, shocking them both; Connie’s resolved to do what she can to help, but Mabel’s hesitant, not wanting to ruin the rest of her show• The others scold her for this, however, which gets her to compromise and agree to secure the journal along with Steven and Connie while Dipper finishes off the show for her• So the kids split up, with Mabel, Steven, and Connie heading to grab the book from the stage catwalk; however, before they can get it, Bill confronts them (make this really dramatic and intense); give him dialogue with each of the kids, chastising Steven for breaking their deal, “praising” Connie for nearly figuring things out on her own, and threatening Mabel with ruining the show if she doesn’t hand the journal over to him• Give Mabel some conflict here (even as Steven and Connie are arguing with her to keep the journal away from Bill) as she doesn’t want all of her hard work to be for nothing; however, at the same time, she knows that she can’t let Dipper down like this, especially considering all he’s done for her in the past and since the consequences of doing so could be very severe• Still, it seems as though Bill manages to convince her before, suddenly, she turns the tables on him, pulling him down with the journal; make this a bit different than the episode, as instead of falling to the stage, Bill catches the journal while Steven catches both the catwalk railing and the girls• For a moment, Bill gloats his apparent victory over the kids, only for Mabel to cut it short by throwing one of her spare puppets up at him, knocking the journal out of his grasp; of course he thoughtlessly dives after it, but not before knocking the kids off the catwalk• Make this fall intense as Steven barely manages to catch them all (including Bill) in a bubble that cushions the fall a bit as they land on stage, crashing right through the play, much to the shock of the audience (have the Gems hint at intervening, though none of them are sure what’s even going on, much less how to stop it)Side note: Imply during this part that Dipper’s ribs get broken from the fall, something that’ll come into play in the next chapter• Chaos unfolds as the kids all fight against Bill for the journal, and extend this part a bit from the episode, as they all essentially play keep away with it, much to Bill’s growing frustration (make this somewhat funny, but also climactic)• Bill almost manages to overpower Mabel and get the journal back, only for her to utilize Dipper’s weaknesses against him, such as his ticklishness and his exhaustion, have Steven and Connie join in on this and add an element of fun to it• After a while of this, the kids finally manage to wear Bill out entirely, which in turn finally forces him out of Dipper’s body, allowing Dipper to rightfully reclaim it (be descriptive in this)• Of course, while the kids are all exceedingly relieved and overjoyed by this, their levity doesn’t last long as Bill leaves them all with one final, ominous warning (one that divulges a bit more than the episode does, specifically about the SU side of things)Side note: Possibly foreshadow to chapters such as Pyrite, Rifts/Memories/Dimensions, ect in here• This is cut short, however, as the kids light the show’s pyrotechnics, effectively destroying all the puppets (make this both dramatic and hilarious, show audience reactions to this)• Of course, the audience is anything but pleased with how the show ended up being a bust and they all storm out; Gabe breaks things off with Mabel (make this kind of funny), leaving just the kids, Stan, Soos, Wendy, and the Gems behind• After this, have Mabel apologize to Dipper for her selfishness, though Dipper apologizes for his obsessiveness too; give a few good feelings in here, and incorporate Stan and the Gems as they wonder what just happened; of course, considering what did just happen, none of the kids really no how to explain, so they lowkey unanimously decide not to • However, not too much longer after this, Dipper’s various injuries (specifically his shoulder cut and broken ribs, among others) finally catch up to him and he ends up passing out from them before they can even leave the theatre (much to everyone’s surprise as they realize this was more serious than they thought)• Give Mabel plenty of guilty introspection during the rushed trip home to get Dipper patched up, especially as she finds a note that Bill wrote while he was still in Dipper’s body on the floor of the car (don’t show what it says yet)• Steven lamenting that he tried his best to keep Bill from hurting Dipper, only for him to fail completely (the girls try to reassure him, but it doesn’t really work)• After a while of this, Dipper finally wakes up, in a lot of pain and still rather exhausted (give him some introspection); Steven hesitantly offers to try and heal his wounds again, but Dipper quickly turns him down (he claims that he’s not sure if it would work, but its mostly because he thinks he put Steven through enough during what happened with Bill)• As everyone voices their concern for him, Dipper staunchly assures them that he’s fine, hugely underplaying his injuries, both inside and out; still, show that he’s mentally shaken from it all, beginning signs of PTSD, trauma, ect, but he forces himself to suppress all that as he goes upstairs to rest• Cut back to Dipper (give him pretty much continual introspection by this point) as he goes upstairs and stumbles across both the broken laptop and the torn picture, which he desperately tries to piece back together as he realizes that he lost what was likely his only chance at helping Lapis while also partially losing a bit of himself (metaphorically) in the process, and all because of him making a choice that nearly cost him so much more • End the chapter on a very sad, angsty note, with Dipper finally breaking down over both what happened to Lapis, but mostly over what just happened to him (imply that he’s deeply traumatized by what just happened, and that that trauma likely won’t go away any time soon)Side note: End on the imagery of the light from the triangular window falling upon Dipper (ominous, angsty foreshadowing)

Cryptogram (keyword: SOCK):He claims to see all with his ancient eyeHe works in flattery, deception, and liesDon’t take his deals or play his gamesOr all you know could go up in flames

Untranslated: WY RAEBBM ID WXT UAA ABIB WXW TCWXTRM TSTWI WTUAH MG UFPIXXGS, STGXENXDR, TCX AXILSIC'I XTZY WXW WTUAH SK EFPN LBH APBILDL PAP RDO ZCSP RIJAH ZD OE XR YAUBTW

Part 2 (keyword: PUPPETS)A pine tree has burnedA shooting star’s fallingA sword swinger’s been spurnedA rosebud’s remorsefully calling

Untranslated:P JXCI MJTY WPW UMGHTSE LZDIIXRZ KIUG'H JTDACCVE LODLS HABFVYG'H FXWC MEJVGWSU GDWXTJX'H GIFGGMTUYEDN WPAPBFV

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sheikah · 8 years ago

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7.02 Thoughts

"Stormborn” exceeded my expectations in every way. There is so much I absolutely loved about this episode and I think that there was something incredibly moving in each storyline. I think my favorite thing about this episode is that it finally confirmed some things that I have been thinking and also arguing for quite some time! The rest is under the cut because those of you following me know brevity is not my strength haha.

Our first scene was intriguing to me from the very beginning. The sounds of the storm raging outside Dragonstone fit well with the episode title, “Stormborn.” I like that because it emphasizes how far Dany has come! She got that name from being born on Dragonstone during the worst storm in memory, and now she has returned to her birthplace at last.

It was interesting to me that she said it didn’t feel like home at all, that it wasn’t really her home. This lined up with aspects of Dany’s character I have been trying to show her detractors for a long time. Dany cares about taking the throne not because she is hungry for power but because she craves a home and a sense of belonging.

I’ve been arguing for months that after the war, Dany might realize that the throne isn’t what she wants. That restoring her family’s good name and legacy and righting the wrongs of Westeros is enough for her. What she really wants is “the house with the red door,” a place where she can feel safe, secure, and rooted. And while she might have thought Dragonstone would be that place, it isn’t. I don’t think King’s Landing will be either. Because home to Dany will be family and security, something that has always eluded her and something that she will (I strongly believe) find in the long run with Jon.

Anyway, moving on! Let’s talk more about the storm. I have seen anti Dany people arguing that the storm foreshadows a turbulent rule for her. I disagree. First and foremost I think the function of the storm is what I have just been talking about--a callback to Dany’s famous birth. She’s Stormborn and this is the birth and beginning of her conquest. But additionally the storm is meant to show the tension of her conversation with Varys.

This is the one and only negative thing I have to say about the episode--this conflict was very poorly timed and strange to me. Varys has been working for Dany for months now, and while she was a Dothraki prisoner for most of that time, they spent an entire sea voyage together. Why is she choosing this moment to angrily confront him and doubt his loyalty and sincerity?

But we can’t judge Dany for not knowing what we, the audience know: that apparently Varys is a genuine and good man who truly does seek to serve the realm and the realm first.

But aside from the timing I really enjoyed this exchange and think it was a necessary one. I am tired of seeing arguments that Dany is an evil, murderous tyrant when in reality she is a strong and righteous ruler. This scene confirmed that. When Varys told Dany bluntly that his loyalty only lasts as long as her goodness, she didn’t dismiss him from her service. She ASKED HIM TO CALL HER OUT WHEN SHE STEPS OUT OF LINE! You guys, this is huge! Dany is humble enough to admit that like any human, she can and will make mistakes, and she wants her advisers to be honest with her instead of tiptoeing around issues. Because she genuinely wants the same thing Varys wants--whatever is best for the people.

Yes, she said she’d burn him if he betrayed her. Is that so bad? People who commit treason die in this society. That rule is by no means unique to Dany.

So overall I really enjoyed this conversation and what it revealed to us about Dany as a queen in Westeros and Varys’s loyalty. But my favorite part about the Dany scenes was actually Tyrion! Dany and Tyrion have become my favorite GoT brotp, sadly replacing Davos and Shireen (RIP sweet baby girl, you deserved better). Dany needs Tyrion. I am a crazy Dany fangirl but I’m humble enough to admit that. She’s still young and she needs him to talk her off the ledge when she gets a little too “fire and blood,” and I’m glad she has him.

The scene in the meeting room when she defended him to Ellaria Sand was really rewarding and I loved how moved Tyrion was when she quoted him and said, “I am not here to be queen of the ashes.” He admires her so much and she is taking his teachings to heart. I love it.

I also love Dany’s council!!! She has a council of mostly badass women including WOC, a bisexual pirate, and a grandma. Like everyone is represented hahaha it’s AMAZING. And even her men--all three of them have some sort of physical disability. It makes me happy to see so many different people represented in her inner circle. And the moment when she asked if they were with her and they all said yes was wonderful. I almost cried.

When Dany hung back with Olenna I was surprised by the conversation. I am someone who read the plot leaks and they suggested that this conversation would feature Olenna trying to lure Dany off of the more peaceful and level-headed path Tyrion has set her on and instead try and make her go crazy and be more violent. To me the fact that the leaks interpreted it this way just shows how uncomfortable people still are with assertive women. Especially old, assertive women since Olenna was doing the talking. That talk was harmless and sweet and I loved how Olenna was taking Dany under her wing, telling her to be true to herself, and schooling her in how to play the Game. Because at the end of the day, what she said is true. It doesn’t matter if you’re loved. It didn’t matter that Margaery was. Toughness is just as important as love.

Okay last part of Dany scenes. Melisandre meeting was really cool. The fact that “prince” is gender neutral is fantastic and huge, and I love that Missandei got to step in and say her piece. A friend pointed out (and it’s true) that this makes no sense because Dany is like a native speaker basically (I know she didn’t live in Valyria but she calls it her ‘mother tongue’) so she should have known this better than Missandei. Anyway, I like that now a theory I’ve been supporting for awhile is basically confirmed--Dany and Jon are both TPTWP. Or rather, Dany is Azor Ahai (having sacrifice Drogo and Rhaego to birth the dragons as Lightbringer) and Jon is TPTWP--and those two are not the same person. Melisandre told us they both have a part to play, and it would be fitting with the story so far for us to have multiple heroes of the Dawn, not just Jon.

Which brings me to the most important moment of all: Dany already crushing on Jon Snow courtesy of the apparent new captain of this ship, Melisandre. Dany saying, “He sounds like quite a man,” is all of us. Let’s face it. I am so excited for them to meet. This is something I’ve wanted for YEARS. Y E A R S.

Oh and speaking of important meetings at Dragonstone, Grey Worm and Missandei were absolutely adorable. I loved it so much. Grey Worm’s declaration that he never feared anything until meeting her was so sweet and such a memorable line. And as far as GoT sex goes, I thought it was loving and tasteful and much better than what we had in earlier episodes between other characters. I am so happy for them :’)

So moving on to Jon. His scenes were great again this episode. We can now safely say that resurrected!Jon is a much more assertive man than he was before. This isn’t to say he was ever a coward. But I wouldn’t call Jon quiet anymore.

I am so happy that he has fond memories of Tyrion. Their friendship is one of my favorites and I love them both dearly so I am glad that he still trusts him, which we can see from his reaction to Tyrion’s summons. I also really liked that Davos basically told Jon that he has good reason to visit Dany. It’s good to hear one person in favor considering what happened next.

I am annoyed but not surprised by the Northern lords being so opposed to Jon’s journey South. I really have to wonder what they think they could do against the WW on their own. I know that like Jon said, they haven’t seen the Army of the Dead for themselves. But the North’s forces are seriously depleted ever since the War of the Five Kings and the events thereafter. We know how small the Night’s Watch is, too.

So they should know that they need all the help they can get, and they should be grateful that Jon is brave enough to ride South in a time of so much uncertainty and political turmoil. I didn’t like Sansa saying that Dany wants to take the Seven Kingdoms and the North is one as if that’s a problem. I don’t think she realized the irony of this statement. The North IS one. They only rebelled because of the Lannister/Stark conflict. Otherwise, the North would be just as much a part of the kingdoms as everyone else, and I don’t think that Northern independence needs to be a priority at a time like this. Northern independence wouldn’t matter if the person ruling the Seven Kingdoms was just, and I firmly believe that Dany will be. (But I also believe that if Sansa is still in charge when Dany comes to power, she will gladly GRANT Northern independence as she promised to do for the Iron Islands for Yara).

But I think overall Sansa has good decision-making and has grown a lot from her experiences. In other words, I think it’s a good idea Jon chose to place her in charge of Winterfell while he visits Dany. She will do a good job, though Littlefinger will do his best to make sure something goes wrong. That bitch.

Speaking of, Jon choking him out will go down as one of my favorite moments in the history of this season haha it was AMAZING. And not to further reveal my weird Jon thirst but him being angry and rough is pretty much the hottest thing I’ve ever seen so. We are very lucky to have gotten this scene haha.

Overall I’m happy that 1. Jon was able to sway the Northerners to a grudging agreement with his course of action and 2. He didn’t let them talk him out of going. Isolationism is a sure way to get them all killed. 3. Jon finally admitted what I’ve been saying all along. I have gotten into so many arguments where people claim that now that we know that Jon is a Targaryen, learning this will lead him to challenge Dany for the Iron Throne in season 8. We can now lay that argument to rest where it belongs. (Although while we’re on the subject, even if Jon didn’t confirm that he dislikes ruling, I’m pretty sure that won’t matter in the long run anyway since I am 99% sure he and Dany are getting married at some point).

Meanwhile, the most boring plot point to me was at King’s Landing this week. Cersei’s long speech of lies about Dany was a very “fake news” moment and I hated it. I do think it was interesting that Randyll Tarly, certified douche, tried to gain the moral high ground on Jaime about the Red Wedding. This is the man who threatened to murder his own son if he didn’t go to The Wall because he didn’t want him to be the heir to his house. I think it’s interesting that he and the Lannisters will have this alliance though. But as someone who has read the leaks I know how this all pans out so I won’t say more on the subject.

Cersei and Qyburn with the dragon skulls PISSED ME OFF. This is such a messed up scene for so many reasons. First of all, that weapon is obviously scary considering what it might do to our dragon babies and I hate that. But the fact that they had a whole room of dragon skulls to test it on, and they chose to destroy the priceless relic that is the skull of the largest and most famous dragon in history, Balerion the Black Dread, is NOT OKAY. I was so angry and I think my friend drew an interesting parallel when he said it reminded him of Isis destroying priceless artifacts. Balerion is a huge part of Westerosi history as the dragon that Aegon used to conquer the Seven Kingdoms and unite them as one kingdom for the first time. He was so cool and Drogon is sort of like the next best thing, so I hate that possible foreshadowing that comes from destroying Balerion’s remains.

After the Lannisters we got to see what Sam is up to and I have to say this week was much more intriguing than last. Sam has become a certified badass, from stealing Heartsbane, to basically having a woman live with him against the rules of not one but two patriarchal institutions, to PEELING A MAN WITH NO ANESTHETIC. This scene was so brutal and disgustingly gory. I was gagging. It was needed though because it showed us the depth of Jorah’s love for and devotion to Dany. That he would undergo this procedure for her instead of just putting himself out of his misery as--the arch maester not-so-subtly suggested he do--is admirable. Also, Sam’s face during the surgery was one of the funniest things I have ever seen and such great acting from John Bradley-West. INTENSITY! And of course, the cut from the close-up of Jorah’s pus-filled surgery to the creamy pot pie was nauseating and brilliant. Such great editing/directing.

Speaking of pie, Arya reuniting with Hot Pie was absolutely adorable! I loved this scene so much. It was sweet when Hot Pie called her pretty because Arya is a girl who grew up being compared to Sansa and called ugly and “Arya Horseface” by pretty much everyone but her parents and Jon. So I like that he paid her this compliment :) It was a funny callback, too, when she said she’s made a pie or two herself--something Walder Frey was unlucky enough to sample :P

But the best part was the moment that Hot Pie told her that Jon and Sansa are still alive. Maisie Williams’ face in this scene was absolutely heartbreaking. Such real and believable shock. And about time, too! I think Arya needed some good news. We could see that she was broken and sad leading up to this scene. When she saw Hot Pie, who she hasn’t seen in years, she barely even reacted. She just said hi as if it was normal to run into him. So I think she needed a win, and finding out that her family, especially Jon, is still alive AND in Winterfell, was really satisfying to see.

Of course the show gives and it takes, so right after this we got the wolf scene. I didn’t know what to make of it at first. But in retrospect I really like it. Seeing Nymeria of course was super emotional and I’ll freely admit I cried a lot when Arya asked her if she recognized her. I was just weepy thinking that finally my fave badass little murder weapon was getting her doggy back. It hurt bad when Nymeria turned from her and walked away. I was devastated. But then Arya brightened and her saying, “That’s not you,” is such a significant moment and I am so glad it was included for a few reasons.

First one is the one D&D mentioned in the post-episode commentary. In season 1 Ned laid out this scenario for Arya of her growing up to marry well and be a proper lady and have babies. Arya said, “That’s not me.” So like Arya, Nymeria is too wild for this domestic life. This confirms something I’ve been speculating for a while--that whatever happens, the series probably won’t end with Arya happily settling down in Winterfell with her family. I think she’s going to be an adventurer for life. Like her wolf, she’s a leader, not a follower.

But I also like this scene because I feel like it tells us that “that’s not you” also applies to the argument I keep seeing that Arya has become cold, heartless, or “too far gone” since her training as a Faceless Man. Some people were saying after she killed the Freys that she was dark!Arya now and possibly irredeemable. But I think the Lannister soldier/Ed Sheeran scene + this one showed us that Arya is still fully aware of and in control of her identity and that she’s just as much the Arya Stark we’ve always known and loved.

This brings us to the Greyjoys and the Sand Snakes on their ship. At first this scene was frustrating to me. I’ve never liked Ellaria and her taunting Theon was really irking me. I think Theon has suffered more than enough and I really like him. I feel horrible for what he’s been through and just want him to be happy and well-adjusted. The punishment he’s received has far exceeded his crimes in my opinion. But I think this episode showed us that Theon will never really stop being Reek.

The romance that was about to start between Yara and Ellaria is cute I guess. I did laugh a lot when Ellaria started feeling Yara up and Yara just looked over at Theon and gave this massive shrug like, “I can’t help it that I’m irresistible, fam.”

But I’m glad it got interrupted because Yara can do better. I think she has more honor than someone like Ellaria.

But the Sand Snakes definitely got some karma for what they did to Myrcella and Trystane. WOW was the battle scene crazy. It was everything I wanted action-wise and the choice to do it at night with the flames just made it terrifying and so cool to watch.

Euron is every bit the deranged killer I was hoping to see and his ship, is SO BADASS OMG. I hated what he was doing but loved watching him do it?!????!

It does suck that two of the Sand Snakes are already dead because I was hoping their story would get better and now it can’t. But honestly they always bored me on screen so I guess at least that won’t happen anymore. Their plot was by far the worst adaptation the show has done yet.

The fighting during the sea battle was brutal and jarring and the Theon scene was absolutely heart-wrenching. I cried again when Euron had Yara. Because 1. I love Yara more than I can even describe. She is my sexy, badass, patriarchy-smashing pirate goddess. But 2. It really hurt to see Theon so conflicted. I know he wanted to save her but he is clearly suffering from PTSD from his time with Ramsay.

He was looking around at Euron’s men literally cutting parts off of and out of the defeated soldiers in what was grisly, screaming torture. He was triggered and reminded of being flayed by Ramsay, I’m sure. So I was surprised to see him jump ship (literally) but not angry with him. I totally understand why it happened. But it didn’t make it hurt any less to see that one, lone tear roll down Yara’s face as she realized he wasn’t going to help her, that she was doomed. And seeing Theon floating in the water churning in his own failure was awful.

Overall it was a horrible blow for the Greyjoys and for Dany’s forces in general and I am interested to see how she is going to try and manage damage control.

Lastly, the promo for next week!!!!!!!!!!

I can’t believe we are FINALLY getting Jon and Dany meeting after all this time. I just. I can’t believe it. And that one brief shot of Jon looking at her on the throne . . . You guys, he’s in awe. Seriously I couldn’t ask for more in terms of his very intrigued reaction when he laid eyes on her for the first time.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, we have the most outspoken and self-assured Jon we’ve ever seen and a Dany who has finally reclaimed her birthplace. They are both at their prime and they get to meet each other that way and I CANNOT WAIT FOR IT. You could see how much Dany’s interest was piqued when Mel described Jon liberating the wildlings the way she liberated slaves, when Tyrion told her about Jon’s family being butchered by the Lannisters the way hers was by the Lannisters and Baratheons.

The romance I have been waiting the better part of a decade for is about to happen and I am so blessed :’)

Anyway, as a whole I loved this episode so much, better than last week. And I think it’s only going to get better from here!

If you actually read all of this thanks haha sorry for the EXTRA! LONG! POST! What did you guys think of the episode? :)

#game of thrones #got spoilers #ep2 spoilers #jonerys #long post #text

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threehoursfromtroy · 8 years ago

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March of Process - Pt 6

Part 5

Things continue to turn south in chapter 11... not geographically, but you know what I mean. Presaged a bit with Asami's nightmare in the spirit world—Korra isn't the only one living in the shadow of that day with Zaheer—followed by their conversation about what Asami would have done as the Avatar. How she would have run the numbers, and let Jinora die when Unalaq had her, since it was the most logical solution while Korra took a greater risk and created a third path. There's certain parallels to be made to chapter 33 here, and I wish I could say it was foreshadowing, but it's more character consistency than anything, hah.

The throughline for chapter 11 is Asami's plot to get her guns back from the triads, and hopefully decimate their remaining forces too. Somewhere in the middle of the chapter I got the idea to involve a certain firebender she might recognize in the operation. Overdramatic? Possibly. But it led to some marvelous character moments and besides, you're allowed to use coincidences, so long as they create trouble for your characters, not solve it. Plus, we get some cute Bopal, Bolin getting to be a Super Sekrit Agent, and I get to tease the fandom for calling Asami 'heiress' a little. ;) And make fun of media's inability to recognize two women being romatnically involved, too. Gotta keep some humor in there, can't have lows without the highs, and visa versa.

Korra's subplot with her parents gets resolved thanks to Iroh and his embarrassing baby Korra story, and really, I coudn't be more pleased with how well that plot hole was fixed. The subject of Asami finally comes up, and of course, Korra's parents aren't surprised at all. Tonraq was just as impressed as I at Asami's performance during the Red Lotus incident, not to mention her devotion to his daughter. Top it all with a callback/escalation to the 'betting pool' gag, and we're good!

Jinora gets distracted by Kai, just enough to create some dramatic irony and hopefully build a sense of dread in readers who, at least I hoped, were getting antsy to find out what happened to Tenzin. I'm not sure if it worked, but the more normalcy you build in contrast, the worst the expectation for the imperiled character is going to be.

Mako and Tsu Ying's relationship deepens, with his concern about Tsu Ying facing her past. At first it seems okay, but when she finds out her town has willingly gone Red Lotus, its too much to bear. And Mako, ever mindful of the mission, of his duty, of his job... runs after. I have a feeling Book 2 Mako wouldn't have, and Tsu Ying certainly didn't expect or ask for it. Character growth is so very lovely!

Or should I say, development, because 'growth' implies a positive direction, and not all character changes go that direction. In a chapter that began with Asami being haunted by a nightmare of a time she was powerless, and a discussion about how her decisions are always logical—at least in her own mind—we end with her suddenly thrown into a situation where she has all the power, against somebody who triggers the darkest emotional response imaginable. Who can really know, REALLY know, what they'd do in that sort of situation? Most interesting for our purposes here, though, is that I literally hadn't thought up this subplot until the scene where I had Varrick warn Asami about the guns, and promise to 'help' by stealing them. I came up with this complication as something for Asami do be doing while Korra was away, and more than a few things turn on it. Her reaction to Kuvira, their conversation after the fact, introducing Kya back into the story, all of that came because I stumbled into this plotline here. This is why I can't outline, because a lot of the most interesting material grows organically based on paths I stumble on and choose to explore. Keeping characters consistent, listening to them, to what direction they want to go, while developing an eye for drama that doesn't veer into the DRAMA category... that's how to make things feel organic, to allow the story to be character-driven without sacrificing story direction.

Jumping off that cliffhanger, we get a vacation flashback that is exceedingly fluffy, and one of my favorite headcanons to boot—the keys from the airship that Korra found on her long sojourn. This sets up a powerful symbol of their relationship for the long-term, while in the short term, stands in stark contrast to the somber mood the plot is turning toward. The vacation letters are funny like that—they're at their best when they inform the chapter in some way, but that way is always different.

Korra's parents teasing her and the jovial mood as she takes them to meet Asami continue that tone right up until Korra gets home and finds Asami sobbing. Everything shifts, and for a change, it's Korra comforting Asami, reassuring her that she's a good, worthwhile person, generally drawing her out of her own head. This particular personal crisis gets defused, with Korra's utter faith in Asami being enough to boost her back up. But, tellingly, Asami manages not to divulge a certain detail of what went on... Korra talked over her, yes, but on some level, Asami doesn't want Korra to know...

As I mentioned, though, this sting operation arc afforded me many possibilities. A chapter or two prior, I'd written off the possibility of including Kyalin in the story, as Kya had more or less vanished and I didn't foresee any reasonable way to bring her back in for the sake of a tertiary plot. But then Asami shot a guy, and Lin was conflicted about it, and what healer might she trust to have a look? That gave Kya an in back into the story, just as Lin was in an introspective state, and I nearly did the same happy dance Kya does when I realized I could include them. Why do they hook up now? Has Lin's opening up to her family cured her of at least SOME of her emotional constipation? Have Korra and Asami falling in love opened her mind enough to think that maybe Kya's attention no longer feels so strange to her? Did Kya get her so FANTASTICALLY drunk that she forgot about heteronormativity for a night? All of these things and more can be contributing factors!

Mako comforts Tsu Ying—man, this is the chapter for that, isn't it?—about their pasts, relating to her over paths not taken, and showing confidence in her, too. This, I think, was the moment these two went from 'they have chemistry' to 'this is really sweet.' Sorry for the unexpected heterosexuality guys, but I had to have a little for the sake of representation. How else will the little straight children know it's okay to be in a healthy straight relationship? ;) More though, I feel like his own spiritual growth arc, from brooding teen to responsible, professional, confident adult, didn't feel quite finished at the end of the series, and part of my goal here was to put everything on a much more conclusive sort of footing—Makolicious included. In all seriousness, though, their romance isn't breaking new ground as far as love stories, but it's earnest and sweet and I rather enjoy how it played out.

Teasing sassy Tonraq from the beginning of the chapter wasn't done, and proceeds to hug the hell out of Eska then troll everybody on the island about Korra and Asami being such 'good friends.' He's such a giant brat—I look forward to a scene between Senna and Asami, where Tonraq and Korra are being 'funny' and their partners just look at each other and sigh. All this levity though, is again just setup for a fall, as a sudden message brings Tenzin's plotline straight to the foreground. These chapters feel a little more solid than the previous ones, as the story is actually leaning in a direction now instead of meandering around. But this is only chapter 12? Geez I wrote a long story! Part 7

#march of progress #writing #korrasami fanfiction #legend of korra fanfiction

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stevenuniversallyreviews · 8 years ago

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Episode 46*: The Message

“Have a little have a little have a little faith in me.”

In the past, Greg Universe wrote songs that yearned for a life among the stars. Then he met Rose Quartz, and in a way, his wish came true. More than any other human on the planet at this point in the show, his life is full of cosmic wonder. But while he may be surrounded by aliens with literal magic, he’s not one of them. He tried so hard to fly, but he was thrown.

Greg is never more distinctly human than when contrasted against the Gems, and The Message highlights these differences more than ever before; he’s not even boring ole Greg here, but in Amethyst’s words, he’s Gregory. We haven’t seen the Gems so uniformly dismissive of him since all the way back in Laser Light Cannon, but this time we don’t just have to take Steven’s word for his greatness. He has proven to be competent and loving, capable of understanding his son deeper than any of the Gems.

This is honestly still a problem forty-odd episodes later. Sure, I buy Pearl having no faith in Greg. Even if we ignore her Rose-based dislike of him, here’s her perspective of his handiness: in Coach Steven, she saw his cruddy makeshift gym; in House Guest, she had to fix his van because he couldn’t; in Space Race, she saw his go-kart explode against a rock, and certainly didn’t see him help make a spacecraft; in Maximum Capacity, she confirmed that he’s messy, which hits her very core. Pearl is allowed to be condescending.

But Garnet and Amethyst? The former is super open-minded and practical, and the other actively enjoys Greg’s company. Both have participated in making music with him and know that he’s an expert with sound. Both know him to be someone who tries his best to fix things. Hell, all three of them know that his human duct tape solution to the Geode worked.

With this backdrop in mind, all three Gems react absurdly to his initial failure. Even Pearl, who’s most likely to want him to fail, is an expert in how the van functions and would understand the power failure. And his methods are clearly working before the battery shorts out, slowly shifting the senseless wailing into something that sounds vaguely like a voice. But instead of continuing down this path, the Gems give up the only lead they have. These are the same Gems that are bracing themselves for Homeworld after two encounters with Peridot and need all the help they can get, by the way.

The only conclusions we can gain from this is that the Gems are incompetent (which they aren’t) or that their stubborn lack of respect for Greg clouds their vision. Well, we’ve seen the latter in Laser Light Cannon, where, as a reminder, they assume a guy who keeps everything and loved Rose would’ve tossed something Rose gave him. But there, and here, this is nonsensical compared to their treatment of Greg in the rest of the series. Maybe Pearl would be petty enough not to recognize his value. But for Amethyst and Garnet to brush him aside ignores many episodes of rapport with him, and their knowledge that, oh yeah, he raised Steven by himself for years.

I’m not against the idea of the Gems having friction with Greg, but it comes up so infrequently that both of these episodes feel like oddballs. It would be easy enough to make this plot element consistent, but instead, the Gems (even Pearl) are far too cordial far too often with Greg for me to believe they suddenly see him as a total failure in The Message.

Like Laser Light Cannon, this tension does make for good conflict within the episode itself. Steven wanting to bring his two families together and prove his dad’s worth is a great problem to solve, and it lets Greg have a victory with stakes. But Steven Universe is a serial, and what works for a single episode doesn’t necessarily work for the whole. For a more extreme example, take House Guest: while I can’t stand Greg’s sudden shift to lying manipulator, it’s a perfectly decent episode if we ignore the context around it, which is that Greg never shows anything close to this sort of behavior elsewhere. But we can’t, and The Message shouldn’t.

One more issue before I get to the good stuff (because I promise, I actually do like this episode for all its flaws): it’s been a while since Lapis Lazuli flew back to the stars, and she hasn’t been mentioned since, so one of The Message’s duties is reintroducing her to the audience. This ends up being a mixed bag, because as much as I adore Steven’s song about her and our extended callback to Greg’s reaction to her ocean tower, it makes the sender of the titular message blindingly obvious. As soon as the Gems deduce the Wailing Stone is communicating from space, any viewer who understands foreshadowing (which admittedly excludes the show’s absolute youngest audience, but not school-age kids and up) will recall the focus on Lapis minutes earlier.

Considering the looming presence of Peridot in the wake of Warp Tour and especially Marble Madness, this episode could’ve easily led us to believe the green meanie was the culprit, with Lapis appearing as a genuine twist. As it is, her message arriving on the same night Steven and Greg happen to be discussing her (again, for the first time we’ve seen since her departure) feels contrived.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that the focus is on Greg and the Gems, and I understand that with only eleven minutes to spare it would’ve been difficult to do a genuine mystery plot justice while maintaining that central character study. But I’m tickled by the irony of an episode about a message being distorted by its medium getting distorted by the necessities of serialized children’s television.

Okay, so the good stuff. There’s a lot of it! Despite their out-of-character reaction to Greg, the Gems have fantastic interactions with each other: I get a kick out of the assumption that the Wailing Stone is a prank from Amethyst, and their different methods of trying to stop the noise are nice reflections of their characters. Steven and Greg are still great together, and Steven’s utter faith in his dad never gets old.

The music here is terrific. Greg expanding Steven’s melody about Lapis to express himself is inspired, considering they’re having a jam session before the episode picks up. I just love Tom Scharpling’s singing voice: I can’t imagine it’s easy to find so much oomph from the word “expertise,” but he nails it.

Even if its place within the serial makes some of the character beats ring false, the emotional truths underlying them are still done well. We feel how crushed Greg is, how hopeful Steven is, and the Gems’ full arc from discouraged to amazed to terrified. And Greg still gets to be a dad in an episode where he could just act like a buddy, calmly telling Steven to use his words when he gets too excited to communicate.

And dear lord, does Lapis continue to impress. With mere seconds on screen, the tone of the episode, and the entire rest of the first season, shifts into full crisis mode. It’s not just Jennifer Paz’s chilling performance, it’s the positioning of her small monitor to either fill the screen or surround itself with the Crystal Gems’ reactions. It’s the knowledge that the most powerful Gem we’ve seen so far is out of her league with Homeworld. It’s the confirmation that yes, they’re coming back to Earth.

And it’s Garnet, trying desperately to play it cool while her team falls apart. Her headspace is still pretty much the same as her initial reaction to Peridot in Warp Tour, but now she’s got to pull everyone together. It’s crunch time.

But not until we get Steven goofing off a little, because this is still a show that wears its heart on its sleeve and Steven’s humanity still matters when the going gets tough. Even if he’s actually a robot.

Future Vision!

Apparently Steven says “Hold the phone. Now give the phone to me” enough to worm its way into Garnet’s lexicon come Mindful Education.

As the Gems leap away, Steven notably fails to make such a leap. Combined with his fall in Rose’s Scabbard, it’s a wonder it takes so long for Steven Floats to pop up.

Lapis points out that Peridot knows Steven’s name, which shows that she paid attention to such things during their Marble Madness conversation; given this, is it really surprising that she kept a record of Steven’s friends that comes back to haunt us in I Am My Mom?

If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn’t have inconsistencies…

A personal hot dog this time: why oh why didn’t I name this section “My mind is the internet, I know every continuity mistake ever made on television”?

I guess you could read it that way…

When viewed in the intended order, The Message comes right on the heels of Story for Steven, with mixed results. While Steven and Greg’s musical van hangout makes for an excellent link between the episodes, as does the focus on Greg’s relationship with the Gems, Story takes place at the car wash and Message on the beach. Sure, Greg could’ve driven them over, but they still seem to be mid-hangout when The Message begins. This really should’ve been a more solid location connection given the opportunity.

This also would’ve been the third Greg episode in a row in the intended order, for whatever that’s worth (thanks to Shirt Club). The Message works as a culmination of a Greg trilogy, but honestly I like it better on its own.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

Like sister episode Laser Light Cannon, I do enjoy this episode on its own merits. But its flaws are easier to see in hindsight, especially when you aren’t as caught up in resolving the initial Homeworld Arc as you are in the first viewing.

Top Ten

Steven and the Stevens

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Rose’s Scabbard

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Winter Forecast

On the Run

Warp Tour

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

The Test

Future Vision

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

No Thanks!

4. Horror Club 3. Fusion Cuisine 2. House Guest 1. Island Adventure

#the message #steven universe #su #steven universally #review

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