#I don't want to spoil too much but the scenes about the parents were heartbreaking and sweet

[weepingfireflies]

Yama no Susume looks super cute and interesting, but My Roommate is a Cat is probably my #1 Healing Anime. The MC Mikazuki Subaru is a highly introverted crime novel writer who lost his parents in an accident. While at their graves, he meets a street cat later named Haru, who was the "Older Sister" of the rest of her litter. It's such a cute anime where the CAT ACTUALLY HAS A CHARACTER, VOICE, BACKSTORY, which adds a lot to the story, even when she can't communicate with the humans (she originally stays bc he gave her food & then because she doesn't think he can take care of himself). As the story progresses, the MC starts pushing himself to meet and understand other people, especially his own fans, and even learns more about / starts to understand his parents. I cannot stress enough how cathartic and soothing it is to watch.

Round 1 Match 4

Propaganda below cut

Yama no Susume:

[none]

My Roommate is a Cat:

it is the chillest slice of life show I know (and has a Very Good cat)

[waitlexist]

SPEAKEASY REVIEW!!!

Speakeasy is an otome/VN set in the 1920s, where you play as Evelyn Cora West(The MC goes by her middle name, which can be changed), a (totally not spoiled) rich girl, who's attempting to escape her parents forcing her into an arranged marriage. In her escape, she meets Vincent Harlowe, and visits his Speakeasy. On just her second day visiting, she applies for a job. What job? Well, that all depends on the route.

Speakeasy has A LOT of trigger warnings including(and not limited to, please check the game's store page before buying) sexual content, domestic abuse, suicide, violence, drugs, and MORE! Please be aware of what can hurt your heart before reading!

Based on what I played, I'd give the game a solid 4 stars! For more in-depth review, please check below <3

P.S. the MC doesn't have to be white! You can choose the color of your characters skin!

Milo's Route

Milo is the supposed "coat check boy" of the Speakeasy. Obviously, from one look at him, he's not. Milo is Vincent's adopted son(?), and handles various parts of the Speakeasy.

SPOILERS FOR THE ROUTE BELOW!

Milo's route was very sweet, in my opinion! Though Vincent is an asshole in this route, a lot of the character's personalities are different in each route. I only got the Speakeasy and Happy end for this route. The Speakeasy end is a mutually abusive relationship, with MC developing a choking kink. The happy end ends with Milo taking over the Speakeasy himself, with MC as his co-owner. He's personally not my cup of tea, but, I can see the appeal. NSFW scenes were alright in my opinion, I don't got a lot to say about 'em.

Silas' Route

Silas is the animal tender in the Speakeasy! A complete gentle giant, with terrifying tattoos-- which might put you off, but please do remember the setting of this game! It's the 1920s! Tattoos are seen as something to look down upon back then. As much as I can't see it, try to take it in the mind of our judgemental society!

SPOILERS FOR THE ROUTE BELOW!

OH MY GOD. I would DIE for this sweetheart. He's an absolute cutie-patootie. I guarantee this man will look at MC like she makes the world go round. Silas is oh so sweet and the EPITOME of gentle giant! I love men who look like they could crush my skull with their bare hands but in reality are too sweet to even think about it! Hell, in other routes, HE IS STILL THE SWEETEST THING! Being an animal lover myself, this was the first route I did. And I loved it. Silas is a sweetheart, and the way he's viewed in the world is heartbreaking. I want nothing more than to hold his hand. He ALMOST makes me reconsider my decision to not have biological children. I got all three endings for this route, including the Happy end, Speakeasy end, and the Tragic end. The happy end is definitely my favorite, but my kinky ass is still down for the Speakeasy end. The tragic end is, well, tragic, but at least they're happy! Better than the other ends, haha. The NSFW scenes are sweet! And you get to take his virginity, which I won't complain about. ;)

Dahlia's Route

Dahlia is the right hand (wo)man of Vincent, as well as the fortune teller of the Speakeasy! Dahlia is the only sapphic route in the game. She's kinda a bitch, but don't let that deter you! She's a sweetheart deep down.

SPOILERS FOR ROUTE BELOW!

Ermmmm... this route is kind of gay. Oh my god, Dahlia is so cute. The way she blushes when she's caught pampering Momo and Katie? Adorable. The way she melts for MC and almost nobody else? Adorable. I would destroy the system just to marry this woman. That's all I have to say. We love her. NSFW scenes are horny, but all lesbians are. I only got the Happy end for this route, and I quite enjoyed it. I want to kiss every inch of her burn scars. <3

Will's Route

Will is... well, I don't really know how to describe him. He's a guest of the Speakeasy... and that's about it. Honestly, I didn't enjoy his route very much. He's not my type. I don't have much to say about him!

SPOILERS FOR THE ROUTE BELOW!

Besides one NSFW scene where he strokes it to the thought of MC, this man had me dryer than the Sahara. Like I said, he's not my cup of tea. I'm sure he's someone's type! Just not mine. I got both the Happy end and the Tragic end (TW) in which the MC kills herself, but, it felt like that IS how it should have gone down? This MF wasn't even down to run away until he learned we're someone of good station. Fuck this guy!

Maxim (and Nika's) Route

Maxim is the dance instructor for the Speakeasy! He's strict and kinda an asshole, it seems, but, that attracts most women! Nika... who the fuck is Nika? That guy with the fur boa..? Didn't we only see him for like, a second? This is the one polyamorous route in the game!

SPOILERS FOR THE ROUTE BELOW!

Oh my GOD I love my Russian husbands. First of all- I CAN FIX THEM. I love that the MC pushes them to be better, and that in the happy end, Nika starts a ballet school and Maxim gets to chase his dreams. We don't talk about the tragic end. It was, well, tragic. AHEM. Anyway. AND THE NSFW SCENES??? So hot. 10/10. Gay sex has no right to be so attractive?? Like, what the hell? Also, to add- I love when Max speaks in Russian to the MC! It just melts my heart.

Vincent's Route

Vincent is the big bad mafia boss that I'm sure most of you ladies are drooling for! Not my type, though. But the MC sees him as a knight in shining armor, so, surely nothing can go wrong there, yes?

SPOILERS FOR THE ROUTE BELOW!

I did NOT like this route. The character was sweet and the writing was great, but this route does what a lot of VNs do. The main guy gets a better and more in-depth ending than anyone else. You get to see his and MC's wedding and all that jazz, while the rest of that is skipped for the other characters in their respective endings. I do not appreciate it. While Vincent is nice, he's also a bit of a dick. I, personally, have never been in love, so, I probably don't understand very well- but he is not the kind of man I'd fall for OR put up with his shit. The NSFW scenes were pretty good, to their credit- though the toe-sucking scene was kinda... ehh? Not for me.

And that's all the routes! My only complaints are, as mentioned with Vincent's route, that he gets a more in-depth ending than the other characters, and that there is no Momo route. I would destroy the world for the sweet tiger. Platonically, I mean.

I recommend playing this game if you're looking for a VN with darker themes and NSFW scenes. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

[tatwaffel]

“Remus didn't love Tonks. Tonks forced him into a relationship. He was too old for her!”

Bullshit.

First things first, why do some people think Remus didn't love Tonks? Well, Remus is more of a background character. He doesn't talk about his feelings a lot and lives very withdrawn because of his lycanthropy. But then there's this huge problem of Remus Lupin having no self confidence.

Why's that a problem? Well...

We had this wonderful conversation between the trio and Remus where he finally opened up a bit. He said marrying Tonks was a mistake.

But here we have to pay attention. Mind you, Remus has no self confidence. He thinks himself to be a monster. 'He had never fallen in love before'. He's scared and overwhelmed.

By saying he shouldn't have married Tonks he does not say in the slightest that he doesn't love her. He thinks he's ruined her life, spoiled his unborn son's life, made them outcasts.

I ask you, if you don't care about your wife and your unborn child, if you don't love them, would you care like that?

Remus clearly is full of regret but only for 'ruining' Tonks's life. Remus hates himself for that. And, being an outcast himself for years, he runs away. He panics. He's babbling here, clearly distraught. It seems like he left Tonks and apparated straight here.

So this is the scene that makes Remadora haters doubt. But, with all due of respect, if you really think that in this scene Remus finally admitted that he doesn't love Tonks, then you don't understand Remus's character at all.

Now we have that negative thing sorted, here some more positive evidence why Remus loved Tonks.

I'd like to refer to the article on Pottermore here, saying Remus was 'first amused, then impressed, then seriously smitten' by Tonks. 'He had never fallen in love before'.

And this fits so well!

You have this clumsy, bubbly, jolly auror lass with the pink hair and large boots. She's constantly tripping, always up for mischief, bubbling with life. For Remus, Tonks is the definition of happiness. Happiness - a thing he's missed for many many years. He learns to smile again, watching her trip over the troll leg but still laughing, watching her morph her hair in a all colours of the rainbow or walking in with a beak. Despite there being a war, he can finally smile again. He found happiness in her.

But then, as they naturally go on missions (like it's said on Pottermore), he realizes that Tonks is capable. She's an auror trained by Alastor Moody after all. She could battle three death eaters at once and probably still win without being scarred. But he's not only impressed by that. He's impressed that she doesn't mind him being a werewolf. He's impressed that she still wants to spend time with him. She's so different from most of the wizard community. She's kind of a freak, really, just like him.

But then, feelings come. He finds himself not only smitten, but seriously smitten. Tonks is all he secretly yearns for. Someone who takes him the way he is, someone who makes him smile even in this dark times. He has fallen for the clumsy auror with the vivid hair.

When she told him she loved him 'after a year of warm friendship', his first reaction was a kind of happiness he's never felt before! He did not immediately start rejecting her, as said on Pottermore, that came later. His first reaction was happiness that the woman he loved loved him back.

Then there's the fact that he clearly enjoyed her company. Pottermore states that, despite his belief that he had to reject her, he still was happy every time he got paired on an overnight mission with her. Furthermore, they are together all the time! Usually, whenever Remus is mentioned in OOTP, Tonks is around. Whether as an old lady escorting the kids back to Hogwarts, or as herself at the breakfast table at headquarters. Coincidence? Well, you never saw Hestia or Emmeline that much in Remus's company, did you?

Oh, and there's this cute little fact of Remus being jealous. Before telling him she's fallen for him sometime in summer 1996, Tonks mentions that 'Sirius is still handsome, isn't he? Even after Azkaban.' And Remus's reaction is jealousy. He tells her that he supposes she's fallen for Sirius, then. Would he react like that if he wasn't in love with Tonks? Certainly not.

A chapter Remadora haters must've overlooked when reading the books was the one in DH when Remus came to Shell Cottage and proudly told everyone about their son. He's beaming and bubbling, which is nothing like the withdrawn and melancholic Remus we know. He's incredibly happy. He also speaks of 'Dora' pretty much, in a very affectionate way.

But second thing, Tonks pushed Remus into a relationship. What?

This is something most Remadora haters say. But, if they really knew Remus's character, they'd realize it's utter bullshit.

Yes, Remus is a lonely and sad man a lot of the time. He yearns to have someone who loves him, be near this someone. He doesn't like to be lonely.

However, he went away with the werewolf pack for about a year. Again, Remus Lupin went to life with the werewolf pack of Fenrir Greyback, the one who ruined his life, for an entire bloody year. An attempt to run away from his feelings, make Tonks realize she wouldn't miss him and just fall for another man - but most importantly here: Remus did manage to keep his distance tho the woman who he loved was waiting at a safer place than somewhere in a cave or forest filled with wolves.

Remus does posses a great will power. If he really didn't want to engulf himself in a relationship, a marriage with Tonks, he simply wouldn't!

Remus wouldn't marry a woman he didn't love just because she loved him and he wanted to do her a favor.

Just recently, I read someone saying that Tonks isn't a strong woman. She's clingy for chasing after Remus.

Tonks didn't chase after Remus. If she had, she would've abandoned her auror duties and left for any forest to get Remus back from the pack. But she stayed at Hogwarts doing her duty of protecting the castle.

We all know she suffered from depression after Remus started rejecting her. Her hair is mousy brown, she looks ill and sad. No wonder. In her eyes, the love of her life preferred death over being with her. How is that not heartbreaking? Besides, her cousin second degree and good friend, Sirius, passed away recently. She's pretty much alone now. And there's a war! She's lost Sirius to the veil, has lost or might lose Remus to the wolves, might lose her parents to the death eaters. This is all much to cope with.

But I ask you: doesn't it make Tonks strong that she kept going? She wasn't selfish and chased after Remus, she guarded Hogwarts because that's where the Order needed her. Plus, she showed her emotions. She didn't try to act like all was well. And that is true strength.

Tonks didn't cling to Remus, pushing him to be with her because she wanted to. Tonks could've had any man, actually. But she wanted Remus.

An important detail we have to see here is that Tonks's attitude described as 'clingy' isn't rooted in selfishness.

This is fiction, but Remus was a broken man. And Tonks tried to fix him. Though Remus said and thought the contrary, Tonks knew that he was indeed worthy of love. Tonks is not stupid - she realized that Remus liked her back. So why should she not try to make him realize he could and should be happy?

There's another thing Remadora haters bring up, which is saying that Tonks's patronus didn't change of pure love, but obsession. Tonks's patronus is a wolf like Remus's because she's obsessed with him. This is compared to Snape's relation to Lily, which is also (labeled as) obsession. Doe and doe, wolf and wolf.

Now what if I tell you that doe and doe doesn't work in nature? Wolf and wolf does. Remus being a male ought to have a male wolf patronus, Tonks a female one. Like it was for James and Lily aka stag and doe.

Tonks's patronus changed because she truly loved Remus. As already stated before, she wasn't obsessed with him.

Tonks didn't go into the battle because she was obsessed with Remus either. She joined the Battle of Hogwarts to fight alongside her husband. Tonks did something Tonks always does when it comes to Remus: make sure he's not alone, make sure he's loved, make sure he's protected.

Last thing, the 13 years age gap.

Well? Why exactly does that matter?

In OOTP Tonks was 22, Remus was 35. In the wizarding world, Tonks was a woman of full age. Five years over the magical line of 17 years, actually. Both were adults. Why is that problematic? When Tonks was born, Remus was 13. That even makes him too old to be her father! I see no problem in that age gap, to be honest. I only see a problem in the narrow minded people who keep using it as a reason why Remus and Tonks shouldn't be together.

I do not expect you all to ship Remadora after this and abandon all your other Remus x any character ships you liked before, simply to stop hating on Remadora - stop hating on any other ship. This is fiction, after all.

All of us are drawn to that one ship, canon or not, that fills our heart with indescribable joy and makes us believe in true love.

For me, that is Remus x Tonks.

[ordinaryschmuck]

Why I (Want to) Love Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure

Salutations random people on the internet who most likely won’t read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

When I heard Disney was making an animated series based on Tangled, acting as a continuation from the original movie, my initial thought was, "Why?"

Sure, Disney is infamous for its unnecessary sequels of the story after happily ever after, with the many, many, many failures that follow suit. Even then, though, most of these continuations were movies that kind of have the potential to tell more of a story. But what more could be said about Tangled? Sorry to spoil a movie that's over ten years old at this point, but by the end of it: Rapunzel lost her golden hair, was reunited with her parents, fell in love, and lived happily ever after. Her losing the golden hair is the most essential part of that list because how can you do a series based on a Disney princess when her most iconic feature is gone? Then I found out that the series forced a way for her hair to come back, and my new initial thought became, "Oh man. This is gonna suck, isn't it?"

Despite the hesitation, I decided to give it a chance anyway. After all, I've been pleasantly surprised before. Things like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, and even The Owl House (yes, really), were shows (and a movie) that I didn't think would be that special. Only to find myself enjoying nearly every minute. So after watching Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, I can certainly say I was surprised...but it was entirely for the wrong reasons.

And to explain how requires spoilers. So if you haven't checked the series out yet, I highly suggest you do it to form your own opinion. Just keep in mind that it's a bit of a mess, but it can be an enjoyable mess...sometimes...let me explain.

WHAT I LIKED

The Animation/Art Style: The series swapping from 3D to 2D might have been the most brilliant decision anyone could have ever made with this series. Usually, when an animated movie gets turned into a show, the most noticeable downgrade is always the animation. Whether it’s not as detailed or not as fluid, it's always subjective that the movie is better animated than the series. But by switching up the styles, the contrast becomes objective instead. 2D and 3D animation each have their pros and cons, so deciding which one is better is nothing more than a matter of opinion. So by changing the style, Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure avoids getting complaints of being a downgrade from the original movie. It also helps that the art style of the series is really unique.

The best way to describe how the show looks is that it's like a coloring book brought to life. At times, everything looks like it was drawn and colored in with crayons, which sounds like an insult, but in actuality, it's one of the best features of the series. As much as I love most animated shows nowadays, I will admit, they all look a little too similar at times. Then here comes Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, which tries to incorporate a whole new style that successfully sets it apart from most shows.

As for the animation itself, it's really well-made! It's remarkably expressive when required, while the movements are really fluid during the correct scenes. Sure the fighting can be a little floaty during some action set pieces (yes, those exist here), but the dialogue and comedic moments are really where the series shines with its animation. I may have problems with the series as a whole, but I give credit where credit is due for the perfectly executed effort that I see in every episode in terms of animation.

Rapunzel and Eugene’s relationship: This was not something I was expecting to enjoy from the series. In the movie, Rapunzel and Eugene were fine. They were the typical Disney couple that worked off of each other enough that it was always entertaining, even if it was unbelievable that they fell deeply in love with each other after, like, two days. They weren't bad, but they weren't anything to go crazy over.

But the writers for the series said, "You know what, let's make these two adorable in nearly every scene they're in." And they are!

Even though I don't believe in their relationship in the movie, I fully believe it here. Both characters have a large amount of faith in one another on top of having endless love for their partner. Like how Eugene knew Rapunzel would be fine when taking out an airship or how Rapunzel couldn't bring herself to say a bad thing about Eugene when making Cassandra a sparring dummy of him. It's legitimately pleasant to watch, to the point where I put Rapunzel and Eugene in my top ten list of favorite fictional couples. They're that good to me, and it's one of the reasons why I don't jump on the bandwagon of shipping the two main female characters together. I'm all for LGBTQA+ representation, but give Cassandra her own girlfriend. Rapunzel's taken, and most of my enjoyment of this show comes from her and her man. So, you know, keep things as they are.

Cassandra (Seasons One and Two): Seeing how I've already mentioned her, let's talk about Cassandra, shall we? Because when making a series based on a movie that had only four prominent characters, with two of them being comedic animal sidekicks, you're going to need to introduce more members to the main cast to write more potential stories. And Cassandra, in Seasons One and Two (I'll get to Season Three), is a worthy addition. She acts as a strict straight man (I know the irony) who interacts well with Rapunzel and clashes perfectly with Eugene on occasion. She was passably entertaining in Season One and developed amazingly in Season Two. Her growing frustrations with Rapunzel's actions lead to a slow build-up that made her betrayal heartbreaking but somewhat understandable. And as for the results in that betrayal...yeah, I'll get into that later. For now, I'll just say that Cassandra was a pleasant addition to the main cast, especially when she was a part of the main trio, and she's yet another good surprise that the writers supplied for the series.

The Songs: The songs are...not going to be for everyone. Most of them are passable yet kind of generic, while others sound like they belong on Disney Junior (Looking at you, "Bigger Than That"). But when Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure makes a hit, MAN, it is a home run. Numbers like "Ready As I'll Ever Be" and "Nothing Left to Lose" are sung phenomenally, orchestrated well, and are songs I can listen to on repeat multiple times. And "Waiting in the Wings" is not only something I consider to be the best song in the series, but it's also something I'd place as high up on Disney's best due to how f**king incredible it is. "Waiting in the Wings" is a powerful ballad that manages to be both tragic yet inspiring on top of how well it sums up Cassandra as a character. The writers may not always be on top of their game when it comes to music, but songs like these prove that they know how to earn that Disney name.

And that’s all I have for the likes...Oh boy. That’s not a good thing is it?

WHAT I DISLIKED

It Peaked at Season One: It did. It really did.

Season One felt like the writers had a grip on what type of show they wanted: A slice-of-life series with Rapunzel dealing with the issues of her kingdom with a meager threat of these black rocks growing in the background. It was all cute and well-balanced for the most part, but that all disappears in Season Two. Because now it's sort of about this adventure, but because Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure set itself as a slice-of-life series, there need to be these small-scale stories that intertwine the grand narrative being told. The issue is that the story comes to a grinding halt one too many times as fans are forced to sit through these filler episodes that, while not all of them are bad, still feel like a distraction. And by Season Three, the series does feel more focused while having some slice-of-life episodes added to the ongoing story instead of distracting us from it. But the writing isn't as strong, there are several plot holes in the narrative (how did Rapunzel's sunstone get into her dress?), and there is way too much time going back and forth on Cassandra's morality. They claim that she's a villain while arguing that there might still be some good in her, and they continue this train of thought for nine episodes when it really could have been settled in two. For me, it's a bad sign for a series when the first season is the best one. Because if it's all downhill from there, what's the point of even watching?

It Tries to be Epic: This might have been the worst decision the writers could have made.

Now, here's the thing: I don't mind grand epic tales of adventure and battles against demons. If anything, I'm all for them...when it's appropriate and fits with the tone of the series.

Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure suffers a similar problem Frozen II has, in which the writers felt like a big, life-threatening adventure was the perfect continuation of a meager, personal story about the relationships of characters. It isn't. If anything, it's completely missing the mark about what the original story was about. And sure, sometimes writers can succeed in telling personal stories through grand adventures. Just look at The Owl House and parts of Amphibia. But with those shows, it's established within the first few episodes that action and peril will be a series staple. With Tangled, while there was some action and peril, it's all very subdued compared to how high the stakes got raised in later episodes in the show. Especially in the series finale.

And, I mean, c'mon. You're making Rapunzel an action hero?

Judy Hopps? Yes.

Moana? Maybe.

Raya? Most definitely.

But Rapunzel? The character who’s all about optimism and seeing the best of others. That's the character you're going to morph into a hero that fights against an evil demon laid dormant for years? Did you even watch the original movie? Yeah, sorry, but I just don't buy it.

If you want to tell an epic story that gets the blood pumping for fans addicted to adventure, go for it! See where the wind takes you. But make sure to set that tone as early as possible while also making sure that it fits with the characters. If not, the end result is a series that feels like it's trying to be something it’s not.

Eugene is Kind of an Idiot at Times: It should be noted that Movie-Eugene and Series-Eugene are practically two different characters. In the film, Eugene was more or less the straight man, as he often questions the wackiness in the world around him and keeping Rapunzel grounded in reality. For the series, most of that personality got transferred to Cassandra. Thus making Eugene's new role in the series act as the egotistical imbecile. Sure, he had those moments in the film, but not as frequently, and it really pains me when the writers really lean hard into a minor aspect of his personality. Sometimes there are moments when Eugene acts like his original self. But it's all small scenes that are spread apart with entire episodes where he has half a brain cell. I'm sure some people didn't mind this change to the character, but as someone who adores the movie version of Eugene, I can't help but feel disappointed.

The Villains are the Worst: Now, I don't mean the one-off villains that show up, cause some chaos for a bit, and disappear at the end of the episode. Those are characters with fun personalities, occasionally cool designs, and do their job as villains of the week. It doesn't matter if their motivations are laughably simple, as their purpose is to be enjoyable characters above anything else. So I actually enjoy those villains...it's the ones that act as season-long antagonists that really grind my gears.

The purpose behind these types of foes is to build up how evil they are throughout the season. The issue is that the writers try to give these characters, or at least two of them, a point. To be fair, this can work. Just look at Killmonger from Black Panther and sometimes Karli Morgenthau from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. You understand and probably even sympathize with the logic and reasoning these characters have. It's just that their actions couldn't be farther from what you would do. The problem with Varian and Cassandra is that they have the motivation, but it's not written suitably for the story.

Cassandra is a whole can of worms I'll get to in a minute, but Varian is someone I can easily discuss for a brief time. Because while I can comprehend his pain for having his father frozen in yellow rock, I don't think turning evil is the best decision to go with that character. Because A. Everything is his fault. He blames Rapunzel for not helping him, but even if she didn't have a crisis to deal with, there was nothing she could have done to stop it. His frustrations are not only unjustified, but given the fact that this wouldn't have happened if he listened to his father in the first place, it feels like him becoming evil is too drastic of a turn. And B. Varian worked much better as a supporting character rather than a primary antagonist. He was just this hopeful, if not a clumsy scientist who wanted to prove himself, who causes minor catastrophes due to not thinking ahead. Turning a character like Varian into a villain is a bit of a misstep because if the guy acts hilariously incompetent as a good guy, it makes little sense to have him be intelligent and ten steps ahead of Rapunzel when being evil. If he were to become more serious and careful when helping the rest of the main cast, I'd consider that character progression done properly. But becoming a villain is just an overreaction.

However, none of that compares with my issues with the main antagonist of the series: Zhan Tiri. This goes back to my problems with the series making itself too epic. Because if Zhan Tiri existed in any other show, I probably wouldn't have any problem with her. She's built up well throughout all three seasons and is kind of threatening at times. But she doesn't belong in a series based on a movie that dealt with a small, personal issue where it wasn't even the character who killed the villain in the end. It was her love interest and animal sidekick. Even if Zhan Tiri works well as a character, the fact that it doesn't feel like she belongs in the show makes her too distracting to enjoy. And that's why these villains suck. If not poorly written, they don't belong in a series that should focus on small-scale issues. And if you can functionally write an antagonist that appears for only one episode but flounder with ones that show up in several, well, that's just embarrassing.

Cassandra (Season 3): OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH BOY, do I have some words to express with this character. Like with Movie-Eugene and Series-Eugene, Cassandra from Seasons One and Two is frustratingly different from the psychotic IDIOT from Season Three. Basically, just take the issues I have with Varian, multiply them by ten, add them with some bafflingly stupid decisions, and you still wouldn't get how much Season Three-Cassandra frustrates me!

First off, her motivation...what the f**k were the writers thinking? The big reason why Cassandra betrays Rapunzel and motivates all of her misdeeds was that Cassandra's mother was Mother Gothal...EXPLAIN THAT LOGIC TO ME?! Because Cassandra should know what type of woman Mother Gothal was. She should know what Mother Gothal did to Rapunzel in the first eighteen years of her life. So how is Cassandra being abandoned by Gothal the central motivator to cut ties with Rapunzel, who is probably an even bigger victim in this scenario!? Seriously, Rapunzel was cut off from the rest of the world and treated as an unknowing prisoner because she was beneficial to Gothal. Cassandra was adopted into a household with mutual love and got to actually live her life. In no way does it make sense for her to be angry at Rapunzel.

Nor does it make sense that the writers try to play it off as a good thing in the song "Crossing the Line!" Sure, it sounds nice, but thematically, it gives across the opposite feelings that the audience should have. Because if Cassandra cutting ties with Rapunzel is meant to be tragic and awful, why is the music suggesting it's the best possible thing that's ever happened for the character? If you like the song, fine, but even you have to admit that it's thematic nonsense.

But, sure. Cassandra's evil now, and she considers it a good thing. Whatever. I'll take it as long as it leads to good stories...but here's the thing: In the penultimate episode before the three-part series finale, Cassandra asks a question. A question I would have never expected her to ask, despite everything that has happened in the last season. A question that was so baffling, I had to legitimately pause the episode to process the fact that she asked something so stupid. Because Cassandra, the character who is intelligent and grounded in reality, asked, "Am I the bad guy?"

I was honestly shocked to find out she was shocked! How, in the flying, everlasting, cock-a-doodle-doodling F**K does a person like her not pick up that maybe, just maybe, she isn't the hero in this story!? Call me crazy, but endangering the lives of people you once called friends and family, dressing in black, AND HAVING A GIANT EVIL-LOOKING TOWER MADE OUT OF F**KING SPIKES aren't qualities I would give to a hero!

If Cassandra was like Thanos, a character so wrapped up in his ego that he can't even notice how evil he is, I would understand. But she doesn't have an ego. Anger, yes. But for the most part, her personality is based on having logic and reasoning. So turning her into a villain and having her unaware that she's a villain is an act of lunacy that I am incapable of understanding. I don't know who's idea this was, but whoever is to blame...you've got issues.

>Sighs<...This series isn't good, is it?

IN CONCLUSION

I like the animation and some of the characters...but that's not enough. Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure is a mess of a show that tries to do too much for a story that should have so little. Meaning that it's a D+ for me. I want to enjoy it and give it a higher grade, especially with how much I hear people praise this series. And if you do enjoy it, all the power to you. Your opinions are valid, even if I highly disagree with them. Because for me, this is a show that I won't get myself tangled up in again in the future.

[wildflowers-of-trolberg]

Top (or bottom) 5 worst episodes?

Okie anon you asked for it - a lot of these I don't like for the same reason so sorry in advance:

1:

I know most of the fandom considers this episode a masterpiece, but if I'm honest it's my least favourite by a wide margin. My biggest problem is Hilda and Johanna's relationship; I'm sorry, but Hilda is entirely in the right and Johanna is at her absolute worst here. I know the scene of her crying in the car was meant to show her side, but honestly it didn't work for me. Just because something is hard for her to do doesn't mean it's the right thing to do, and it's her own fault that she's become the kind of mum she never wanted to be. Besides that, I really don't like all the deaths in this episode; I can just about stomach Lloyd in The Witch, but Hilda plunging, terrified, into the Time Worm's maw or the last Mr Ostenfeld getting caught halfway in its mouth and screaming for help as he's lifted up and devoured are genuinely horrific and IMO, genuinely go too far for this show. I don't care that it's not graphic, it's still horrible. I do think the "not like this" scene is genuinely heartbreaking in a good way, and I love Mr Ostenfeld and his history with Tildy, but it doesn't make up for what I can honestly call my discomfort episode.

2:

This is, again, down to Johanna being a bad mum and no longer supportive. Hilda absolutely goes too far with the "just a mum" comment, but she's a kid lashing out at a parent who's consistently (barring The Deerfox) been getting worse. I also don't like how it draws an equivalency between Hilda waiting for her mum to return from a place she knows is potentially lethal on a dangerous rescue mission, and Hilda doing the thing her mother has been supporting since she was six years old. I also know it's a product of the adaptation (all of my issues with this are really down to the last two graphic novels not being suited at all to TV adaptation due to the changes in S1, IMO), but I don't like how we spend the entire thing with David and Frida separated from Hilda; their side of the story with Gerda and Erik is this episode's saving grace though (although I can't forgive it for blowing up the airship).

3:

I'm not a big fan of sad endings, but I know this one was needed for the overarching narrative. What really gets me with this one is that the sadness is never properly paid off; Frida never apologises for how awful of a friend she is in this episode. She has a moment in The Black Hound where she admits they were right about Kelly, but she never actually says sorry to Hilda for dismissing how much her best friend did for her and telling her she wished she had never moved. I don't hate Frida, far from it, but I can't enjoy this episode knowing it never gets a satisfying resolution.

4:

There's a big jump up in this one - I actually want to like this episode, and I almost do, but there's two things that really spoil it for me. The first is that I really don't like kidnapping as a plot point, in the sense of "we have your loved one" being a source of conflict; it's weird to explain but it really sets my anxiety off and I hate it. That's not really a fault of the episode itself but it's still something I don't like. The other thing is the sheer amount of implied horror. It's hard to enjoy this one knowing that the Yule Lads are still slaves to a monster who could eat them at any moment and has eaten people they care about before, and that up until this year the Lads were feeding her children. How many parents have lost their kids to this monster? How many are missing, never to come home?

5:

I actually do like this one, though Woodman has never done anything for me either way, but it's the lowest of episodes I actually like because of Johanna. I won't repeat myself; just see my first issue with The Fifty Year Night for an explanation.

[escapeinpapers]

Book Review: THE UNHONEYMOONERS by Christina Lauren

Quarantine is really ruining our plans for the summer. But hey, this book will definitely give you great summer feels for it will take you an atmospheric trip to Hawaii.

Plot: Basically, the story revolves around Olive, whose twin sister is getting married. On the day of the wedding, in the middle of her speech at the reception, everybody started vomiting. Apparently, everyone got food poisoning except Olive and her brother-in-law/nemesis, Ethan. Since the newlyweds was so sick and couldn't go to their honeymoon, Olive and Ethan were asked to take their places and go to Hawaii instead. Their trip became a roller coaster ride. Olive obviously hates Ethan. Ethan obviously doesn't know what the hell was wrong with Olive. They keep on bickering and annoying each other. But as they go along with their free vacation, they got to know more about each other, unravelled feelings brought by unexpected turn of events as well as they discovered secrets they didn't even imagine.

Thoughts: Christina and Lauren are popular adult romance authors. I have heard a lot of good things about them and how their books are really great. At first, I was not really bought into reading this book because I am a not really a fan of stories on fake dating and fake marriage. Most of the time it sounds cliché to me. But there is something on this book, maybe the book cover (which I adore, the vibrant yellow color screams read me lol) that made me pick it up and I read at around 11 pm. It was a mistake reading it late at night because I cant put it down and I kept on giggling. I was immediately engrossed to the story!

What I love:

1. Well first, I love that Olive is a biologist! (I know I'm biased since I'm also a bio student woops) She has PhD in Biology specializing in Virology which is amazing. She is fascinated with vaccines and likes talking science stuff, which I can relate to.

2. I love how well written the book is and it was not difficult to read and comprehend. I like how the beauty of Hawaii was described and how it dragged me to that wonderful scenery.

3. The enemy to lovers relationship was not too heavy in a way that their arguements did not annoy me. It was hilarious. It felt like watching a good romcom movie.The transition of their relationship was so good and romantic (I'm a sucker for romance). It got me begging for more. It was just cute and Ethan is just super hot......

4. I love how the essence of family was incorporated in this story. I love the relationship between Olive and her twin sister, parents, cousins, aunties and uncles. What is a heartbreak when your whole fam got your back right? Her entire family is just awesome trust me.

5. The TEA. Swear, I did not see it coming. The secrets and revelations! People dont always seem what they are. They could be an entirely different person infront of different people. It made me want to punch in the face one of the characters because I was so mad. That's how carried away I was. I'll just leave it that way cos you dont wan't any spoilers. (if I spoiled you already I'm sorry!)

What I don't love:

1. There were some scenes that I wanted more drama and aggressiveness from the characters. That's why I hope there was some punching or slapping lol.

2. Felt like the ending was rushed.

Recommending to:

1. People who like enemy to lovers, fake dating and fake marriage stories.

2. People who like adult romance. (tho this is not really smutty like FSOG)

3. People who want a quick read. (less than 300 pages and a stand alone)

-------

This is my first book review here in tumblr yay! This was posted originally in my fb acc but some people encouraged me to make a blog so here I am. Just been into reading again recently. I felt a sudden of enthusiasm surging through me. Thus, I wanna express and share my thoughts about the books that I have read. Suprisingly, I have already read almost 20 books for the last 2 months which is really a great improvement from 0-1 book a month. Well, given the time that we have right now, might as well read and discover new stories. I hope you liked my first book review. Sorry if it is not perfect or if it is lacking. I'm trying to get the hang of it and I'm being cautious so that I wont give spoilers as much as possible. I'll be posting more reviews soon. So, I hope you guys would check out "The Unhoneymoners" by Christina Lauren. Definitely a good read. If you have something to recommend me, please don't hesitate to comment or message me. Thank you for reading up till the end. Luv ya! ❤

[llycaons]

ep33: I'm fucking sobbing at this wen blood pool scene. the one thing they nailed. also sisi is fucking dead because there were too many women still living in this show I GUESS

maybe this scene is the reason I see red-headband wedding fanart. I never understood that. don't disciples only ever get the one headband? why would they change to wear something else of a different color? but it's red here. I don't know, if it's meant to be wedding-adjacent by the animators maybe that red headband would have been accurate after all

jc giving jl zidian is a HUGE scene but he's supposed to return it!!! he's supposed to BREAK THE CYCLE symbolized by the use of zidian!!! JIN LING??!!!!

I wish I could enjoy the battle couple scene but I found it hard to follow the character's fights when we were so zoomed in because our views was blocked by stalagmites and shit and the camera was too shaky, and I found it unengaging when the camera was super far away. shame

fuck fuck fuck there's the wens there they are. nightmare fuel for SURE but one of the most powerful and intense scenes from the novel and one of the sole reasons I watched this show. and my god it is breathtaking

the utter horror of wwx seeing his loved ones as living corpses, the terrified bafflement that lsz must have felt when a dead woman looked and him and adressed him by name (how did she know?), the absolutely heartbreaking image of wen ning trying desperately to catch the ashes of his family as they broke into pieces around him...I was fully crying. and I didn't even know the wens. we never knew granny wen or uncle four by name, nor had any real interactions with them as people rather than wholesome backdrop. but this scene was phenomenal. my only complaint was that I don't like their character designs, but that's nothing new. I was a wreck. I don't cry very easily but here I was pausing to wipe my eyes. always a trancsendent media experience

not only was the pacing and execution of that scene brilliant, then we step right into jin ling and his grief over his parents. the whispers start about how much jin ling was spoiled by jgy, and how he's not trustworthy or reliable since...he's an orphan. I don't think this was in the book, but it fits nicely into its themes, with the quickly changing reputations and the power of public opinion and whatnot

wait im sorry why are wwx and lwj completely clean of blood was that a spiritual image of redness only? dang I wanted to see lwj all bloody. sick visual

oh so...I guess they aren't going to LP? I'm no longer keeping track, but this is scene 12 or something that cql is more book-accurate about

are you kidding me one of the women is DEAD? the novel killed off almost every single named female character and the donghua people said oh no, that's not enough dead women, we need this one who appears in ONE scene to be dead as well. are you SERIOUS

also! we didn't see fucking mianmian living her best married life! this donghua is goddamn useless! and it's not like there's time now!

yeah yeah having them get attacked on the way is a fine addition but you didn't need to KILL one of them

my donghua face blindness is once again ruining the experience because I did not recognize xue yang in jin robes

they didn't even name sisi oh my god this poor woman

damn bicao has no sense of drama or timing. you can't just say 'jgy killed his wife and son!' you have to lead up to it. give some context

I do not like the incest used for shock value in any adaptation, but at least they didn't use the r slur

that always sounded like such a weak justification for murdering his son, though. was 'their parents must be related" really a logical conclusion for the cultivation world to come to if jin rusong had any disabilities? or maybe that was point, and jgy was being paranoid as well as heartless. but it seemed like such a natural conclusion to come to for the leaders of the sects, in all adaptations. idk. is that what they automatically look to when children have disabilities?

bit of a shame that after wwx remarks that tides of public opinion turn easily, they cut his line of being sick of the cultivation world's two-sidedness, caprice, and shameless requests for his aid. the bitter cynicism seemed like a great aspect to his character arc and I was disappointed it wasn't in cql either. does donghua wwx even really have a character arc? this show might actually be worse than the novel, in a lot of ways.

damn what's with this sexy music as we pan over to the Guanyin temple. I love it

jc coming in from the ceiling was a baller move lmao pretty sick dude

the curse not being an order from jgy but rather su she's expression of hatred towards people he found arrogant...the fact that the jins die and the wens turn themselves in and wwx was thrown into despair and grief not because of a nefarious mastermind pulling the strings but because of one resentful man...su she's actions as an independent asshole with agency...there is poetry in that. I don't mind the cql changes but this story of coincidence and tragedy may be more interesting

jgy doing his little "you were bound for an early death because of who you are as a person and you all make your own problems and cause your own tragedies" hits a lot harder when jc actually LITERALLY led to seige that murdered the wens and that wwx died during (?)

oh sweet a thunderstorm. I don't think they're using the scenery to its fullest potential though

jgy's animation/voice acting/expression has been fine up until now, but here at the end I just think it falls flat. there is no beating zzj for this scene, not now when it counts the most

it's been pointed out before, but the sheer irony of jgy whining over how hard his life is because his dad's approval required him to do bad things and how his father's callousness ruined his mom's life, in front of a group of people who are ALL traumatized orphans

jc and wwx who endured jfm and myu's wretched marriage and mistreatment until their violent deaths, their bodies unable to be retrieved. wwx who had lost his parents at a very young age and was homeless for years because of it, lwj and lxc whose mother had been imprisoned until her death and whose father had locked himself away until his...and jin ling whose parents' deaths jgy is LITERALLY repsonsible for. the GALL. the self-centeredness!

jgy is such a great villain his emotional manipulation stemming from seeming as powerless and pitiable as possible in front of honorable men. jgy says "yes, I'm evil, and pathetic, and I've done terrible things, and I throw myself at your feet. this is just who I am. this is a an inherent part of me. I'm ready to repent for the rest of my life. don't you pity me? can you really kill me, in cold blood? such good men as you?"

jgy would make the crytyping apology omg

wwx and lwj totally would have killed him given the chance. just want to put that out there. I fully believe that

actually, why aren't the fighting jgy? is their spiritual power sealed too? when did that happen?

jc hugging jl...they've made jc less odious than in the novel by cutting some of his crueler scenes but he's still a huge piece of shit and he hasn't treated jin ling very well. poor kid

I'm not invested in this jc at all. I do not care about him. I don't even hate him for the horrible things he's done. he's a narrative tool. he fulfills his function. he is adequate, but not interesting

in these times of merciful and just heroes, it's nice to have a protagonist who will cut through the bullshit and say shut up, you're a horrible person and you're clearly lying to everyone here and you definitely plan on doing more horrible things as soon as we let you leave this place

they definitely rearranged some scenes because the gc reveal MUST happen. maybe in the final ep

now I don't know how they're going to fit wen blood pool attack, sisi and bicao testimony, exploring LP, gc reveal, boat ride, possible second drunk scene?, break-in, and entire temple showdown attack PLUS the post-climax fight and epilogue material in a little over ONE hour but this show has been remarkably good at cutting important scenes so I'm sure it'll do fine. rip to the pacing though