#I really wish they had more time. s02 really suffered because of it

[arttsuka]

Ok here are my thoughts about arcane season 2, buckle up

I wana say, I liked the second season, less about what we saw, more about the story they wanted to tell.

It started fine but as soon as episode 4 came the problem was clear. The pacing was bad. Everything was happening too fast, there was no time for smaller moments. A lot of character development was off screen too.

I've heard they were supposed to have more seasons but decided last minute to cut the show short because 'there are more stories to be told'.

Caitlyn had most of her arc off screen which is such a shame, I really wanted to see how she realized she was being manipulated, I wanted to see her dictatorship era. But we got none of that, it's implied it happened but we didn't get to see it.

Sevika was relevant up until ep4 and then we see her again in ep8. I don't think she has any speaking lines after ep4. Such a waste of her character, she was really interesting.

Isha. She came to the series as suddenly as she left. I have a lot of problems with her character, one of them being that she wasn't introduced organically. She randomly fell on Jinx (by accident). Arcane relies way too much on 'right place right time', on coincidences so, when that can be avoided, it definitely should. Make her fall on top of the first person that passed through on purpose so she won't get hurt (that person being Jinx is the only coincidence here). Her sacrifice felt a bit unearned because we didn't get to see her a lot, and after ep6, they never speak of her again (it affected Jinx sure but they don't even mention her once).

Mel. They did her dirty this season. They speedruned her arc (and the whole thing felt so out of place). I've heard that maybe the next show was going to be focused on Noxus etc which, if it turns out to be true, would be a bad decision. If they are actually planning on making something about Noxus, I'd at least expect Ambessa to be there and also, it would be a great opportunity to learn about Mel and her powers in greater detail instead of whatever we got.

Viktor as the herald, ultimate life form or whatever was so short lived. Make you wonder why they decided to include it only in the last episode instead of implementing a bit earlier.

Vi was also so, useless this season. She did almost nothing. She was a punching bag for the most of it.

Jinx felt a bit ooc, less about what she was doing and more about how there wasn't any time to see her get over Silco's death. Silco had such a negative effect on her mental health (all these hallucinations from s01) but he dies and boom, mentally stable? I would have liked to see her become healthier (it would also tie nicely with getting to know Isha better).

Vander. They brought him back. It was actually foreshadowed in the first season. Him being back is not my problem, on the contrary I think it was a great way to naturally bring Vi and Jinx back together. My problem was how we see him for 2 episodes (and then he 'dies'). It felt like a waste of time honestly, time that could have been used to see something else.

Episode 6 has to be the worst episode of the whole show. The pacing is pretty bad. The events that take place in it feel like 3 episodes, not 1. We get not 1 but 2 different artstyle montages, making the episode look, weird...

The best episodes were probably ep03 and ep07. Both had nice pacing (especially ep07, it felt like it was straight out of s01) and the story explored in them was pretty captivating. But I do have a problem with ep07. It's where Ekko got his 'time powers' from and honestly, they were pretty underwhelming? Also not at all well implemented to the story. We literally see him use them 3 times. 1: when he finds out about them, 2: when he saves Jinx and 3: when he goes back to try not to get captured by Viktor's mannequins. The last 2 on the same episode. That 4-second-limit was never really relevant (at least I don't think it's was). They wasted an entire episode giving him powers only for him to never really use them and for the machine to act as a bomb.

Also I didn't like the dancing scene with Powder and Ekko. I understand the vision behind it but I felt like my TV was dropping frames. It felt choppy, cheap (such a shame for a beautiful scene).

Now, I liked the lesbian sex scene in ep8, I really did, but it felt so out of place. Jinx basically implied she was going to kill herself, Vi was on the verge of tears because she was insecure about how she seemed to only make the wrong choices and then, that scene happens. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I've seen people compare it to the s01 'Jayce/Mel vs Viktor dying' scene and while I understand where the comparison is coming from it's definitely not the same. In that scene, Jayce didn't know Viktor was dying (he knew about his deteriorating health, but he was clearly shocked and left Mel to go check out on him etc etc).

Also, Caitlyn should have gone down on Vi. I think they image would have been stronger. Vi was at the bottom of the barrel her entire life (literal plot point, being from the undercity etc) so seeing Caitlyn, someone of higher status and power, being the one to 'bow' would just be more powerful. Just a thought.

I just feel like I liked their relationship and dynamics more in s01. They had more casual moments, more natural dialogue. Yes we won but at what cost? Their relationship was so sweet in s01. In s02 it started sweet, turned out to be manipulative on Caitlyns side*, they break up and then they're fine again.

*in ep3 it's clearly shown that while Caitlyn loves Vi she's willing to manipulate her to reach her own goals. That first kiss we see was definitely more of a 'I'm gonna play with your emotions so you don't doubt me' rather than 'let's just kiss now'.

I liked how Jinx cut her hair. The whole 'hair holds memories' and how she was ready to move on. Too sad that scene didn't have the proper gravity it deserved because the lesbian sex was happening (probably) the same time.

Ep9 was, something. I'm conflicted about it. On one hand I really liked how they tied up Viktor's and Jayce's plot lines, on the other hand everything else was so rushed. Caitlyn and Mel were a team (they didn't feel like one honestly), they fought Ambessa and then she randomly died from the black rose. It felt like they just wanted an excuse to kill her. 'She needed to die so Mel could become the wolf' no, not really. She could still be alive, have Mel 'spare her life' or something. It would be more on track with Mel's ideals that way.

Jinx sacrificing herself to save Vi was also so forced**. It felt specifically written so she could 'die'. I do believe that 'Jinx is alive' theory because Caitlyn looking at the vents while holding that monkey head Jinx's bomb had + that air balloon Powder said she'd fly away with are all too specific to be coincidences.

**her sacrifice was forced but foreshadowed. Isha was acting as an 'archetype' of what Jinx had to become. Her whole existence in the show was so Jinx could become an icon for Zauns revolution and for her to sacrifice herself so Jinx could see and do the same, break the cycle.

What really bothered me was how Jayce and Viktor seemed to be the only characters who had a complete story, everyone else had a lot missing scenes (they did too but way less, there never was a point where I thought 'where does this come from?', everythingwas explained about them. I wish I could say the same about the 'arcane', magic). It's so unfair, on the female lead show about 2 sisters for the male characters to be the final focus. Also another thing that bothered me how they did a seemingly better job at writing Ekko/Powder, the straight ship we got to see for 1 episode on a different timeline, rather that Vi/Caitlyn, the lesbian ship AND main focus since they're both main characters from the timeline were following.

Something else, I feel like the score for s01 was better/more memorable than s02. Sure s02 has some pretty good songs but s01 felt more diverse on that? Maybe that's just me.

Kinda lazy how they used the same song for the opening credits while using visuals way too similar (if not the same) to the artstyle of the show. Although, truth to be told, the s01 opening was way too good for any standards, it would be very hard if not impossible to make something better. Still, I feel like they could have done a better job.

Also maybe that's just me but there were a lot of predicable moments. Sometimes a scene would start playing and I'd know exactly where it was going (something I can't say for season 1).

I really liked in s01 how in each episode, before the opening, we got to see some glimpses from the past of each character. It was a great way not to have too many random flashbacks and include these scenes organically in each episode. In season 2 we don't get that. I understand that we already know these characters but it's still something I adored from s01.

What made s01 so appealing was how they handled the story, didn't rush things. How they took their time to make us understand and like the characters. With s02 we didn't get that luxury.

Season 1 was a masterpiece and unfortunately, season 2 didn't meet the expectations.

I still enjoyed watching it but it was definitely not as good as the experience of watching s01.

[fitztragedy]

Things I Want Changed in Fate S02

Better Costumes

Like, seriously, wth happened there? They were dressed awfully, and that's not news. The costumes were like straight out of a 90's teens movies, it was so obvious there was an adult trying do find out what teens used and maybe saw that 90s fashion was trending and thought that was the hype. Costume designer Catherine Adair has been a costume designer in 29 projects, none of them was a teen TV show (except her most recent project, after Fate, which is a disney kids mystery series) and 16 of wich were in the 90s. She has dressed TV shows before Fate but things like Desperate Housewives and The Man in the High Castle- Definitely not even close to the vibe Fate has. Hopefully she'll either do more research or they'll hire another costume designer since she's aparently working on this new Disney series. IMDb says we have a new Art Director in S02 (Justin Warburton-Brown, who apparently done The Witcher S02!!) so my hopes are very high!

New locations and sets!

I loved Alfea and the Winx Suite but I feel like we need more sets. That's not the fault of the art direction or set decoration (which were done by Karl Clifford -who isn't credited for anything but Fate- and Jil Turner who has a very good resume, having worked on Vikings and a lot of other fantasy movies and tv shows), I feel like they did a pretty good job with what they were given. Having the entire season be basically that got very repetitive and because of the number of views I'm hoping they have a bigger budged in S02 to be able to have different sets. I wanna see Magix! The cartoon did a wonderful job with the city near Alrea, it was super cool to see the futuristic town in a fairy show, which was a contrast to what me, as a kid, imagines what a magical town would look like. I don't think they'll to this for Fate but it'd be cool to see like magic being used in day to day lives. Also if Alfea is in the middle of nowhere where do the girls get like stuff? Where do they buy tampons if they need it? I MUST know!! Also it'd be pretty cool to see Solaria sometime. IMDb also told me we got a new set decorator in S02 and he's been the set decorator of Shadow and Bone (Kevin Downey) so I'M EXCITED.

More plot and Backstory for the characters

Let's skip Bloom and Sky because I think @lilshitwayne would do a better job talking about them and then focus on the others.

Aisha

WHERE IS AISHA'S PLOT??? They done my girl wrong, so wrong. Seriously, what is her backstory? What are her goals and dreams? What are her insecurities and challenges? What is her personal arc? What is her role in the series arc? I wish I could answer all these questions but I just can't. I saw @lilshitwayne and @rivusa dms about her yesterday and I want to give them the floor to talk about it so I'm not gonna say what they said, but I do want more from Aisha's character next season and I want her role to not be as suporting as she was in S01. I do think that the fact that she's a poc character had to do with her lack of development and I will HATE it if they make her also LGBTQ+ and continue with Netflix's trend of shoving all the minorities into one character. Hopefully because of the backlash they'll listen. Precious is a beautiful and great actress and she deservers better.

Musa

Musa had a pretty big part in S02 I'd say. She was basically the second most important character after Bloom, BUT she did not have a plot, let's be real. Her whole arch was basically "I hate my powers, they are useless and just make me suffer and I try to ignore them" and then she met Sam and was like "Oh he basically feels nothing so it's nice to spend time with him" and then she found out Sam was Terra's brother and wanted to keep their relationship a secret, then she told Terra and there was like too much drama for a non-dramatic revelation. Then she had to face her powers when Sam was dying but then he lived so she went back to being the same as she was but with a boring boyfriend now (I know people like Sam and that's okay because people have different tastes but I just don't see the appeal, okay? he's boring in my opinion). So like her whole development and plot was based around a guy. No internet struggle solved, no character development. Yes Musa is my favorite character but I still don't like her "plot".

Stella and Terra

idk what I'd say about them. I think one of the other girls in the fate fandom might have takes and stuff. Terra had the self-steem and body issues that basically went no where and Stella has mommy issues and issues in general that are probably gonna get more developed already so I'm not too worries about them.

I know people didn't like that they made Stella have a very different personality than the cartoons and (hot take) I kinda like it. Don't @ me. Stella was hella annoying in the cartoons and I like this very messed up Stella we got, yes she's a bitch but she's got layers and I can't wait to see them Explored.

Terra was not a cartoon character and I have no fucking idea why they didn't just put Flora. Flora in the cartoon had also a very different personality so maybe they thought she didn't fit, but then why not keep her and just change the personality like they did with Stella? Also if they had made Terra latina it wouldn't have changed anything in Terra's plot. Idk what happened behind the scenes but that's what we got. I do want Flora to appear and be this cute cinnamon roll but also badass (and latina) so *fingers crossed*

Riven

ah, Riven... He has so much potential and I can't wait to see his character development throughout the series. I can see a lot of troubles at home and internalized homophobia and fuck he's just so god damn Bi. Hopefully that little interaction with Dane about just liking whoever depending on the gender will make Riven be okay with his sexuality and I really like this plot okay?

Also, yes, as a Rivusa shipper I want that to happen and I've already done two huge post about Riven and Rivusa in Fate so if u wanna read more go and do it (here and here).

The rest idgaf about them (I do but i'm too lazy to type)

Future characters

I wanna see Brandon. They call even make Stella bi and change Brandon to like Brenda or something, I've done that in fics and I think that'd be interesting.

Flora, of course, as said above.

Helia if they bring Flora along. They should pair him with Terra, he's Flora's.

I don't wanna see Tecna and Timmy tbh, might be a controversial opinion but I didn't really care for them in the OG and with all the normal technology in Fate I don't really see a reason for them. Unless they change Tecna's powers like they did with Musa, but we don't need another white basic bitch character.

I think that's it!

If yall want to answer and discuss Fate feel free to reblog! I'd love to talk about how we could improve the show!

[bookslifeandeverythingelse]

I wish I could say that I liked the “Loki” series 100% and that everything met my expectations, it didin’t happened. Not spoiler free.

Loki’s character: he is not the prince from the first “Thor” movie, but he is not the Loki from “Avengers”, it makes sense and I appreciate that they realised that he can’t be the young prince, since he had go through all that Thanos did to him, but he can’t be the dangerous alien invader, since the Hulk had done some recalibration and Loki is not under the influence of the Mind Stone (he wasn’t completely controlled like Clint, but he wasn’t his own self either). On top of this, Loki had to suffer through the reel from the TVA and the knowldge that he is just one of the many Lokis that had spurted in the timeline. He must be under such a severe shock, whithout having the chance to work through it, since he is in an hostile environment. I liked that they tried to keep account of all of this, and not just write this Loki as a blueprint of "Avengers" Loki. What I didn't like was that he was still bent on conquering a kingdom, that was from whatever mindfuck Thanos subjected him to, Loki had never wanted the throne (he said so during the fist "Thor"). It would have been more in character to have him try to find the truth and fight for free will, but this storyline was given to Sylvie, unfortunately. What I loated was having Loki admitting that he was a narcisisst, he is not one! He is the son of a narcisisst, who will try anything to receive a crumble of his narc father's affection, this doesn't make him a narcisisst!

I have mixed feelings towards Sylvie. I like that she is competent and that she has a plan, I don't like that the show that is named "Loki", became the "Loki & Sylvie" show. I perfectly understand that all those TV shows are stepping stones towards MCU phase 4, but neither "WandaVision" nor "Fatws", sidelined their main characters, to achieve this. I would not have minded Loki meeting Sylvie, in a way to intoduce her for the next MCU projects, but I am here for Loki and his journey, not to have a good storyline for him, given to another character. After the first episode, I hoped to see Loki learning to understand himself and grow from all that happened to him. Instead he had to follow Sylvie around, appearing to be less competent, than what he actually is, otherwise he would have overshadowed her. I understand that Loki has had a more cocooned life than Sylvie had, he didn't have to run all his life and had to become street smart (he had to suffer through dufferent things tho), but he had been bought up as a prince, he must have studied war, strategy and diplomacy and this doesn't show, at all, he just follows Sylvie around and his only plan is to reign in the TVA; really writers? Really? They could have done more with him, showing us that yes, he is more book smart, but still on the same level of Sylvie. They could have explored Loki and free will and Loki and the knowledge that he is one of many and what might do to his psyche. But they choose the simple way. Pity.

Loki's magic is a sore point. He has been downpowered through all the movies and it would be strange to have him show magic left and right out of the blue but, if the show had really been focusing on Loki, we would have seen him using his powers more, since he is away from Asgard toxic influence (like what happened to Classic!Loki) and free to use his seidr, instead of using other means in a fight and in his life. But this first half of the show (it the tweet is true), had been hellbent on sidelining him and his magic. Let me watch as he learns that he is no less to anyone as a magic user. Let me watch as he has fun with his seidr!

His ship with Sylvie. I am for ship and let ship, but for me is a no, because it is the more narcisissist thing that he could have done. And he is no narcisisst.

This first half of the show could have been so much more and it feels like a missed opportunity, at this point. Hopefully the next half will focus on Loki more, since all the other characters have been introduced. It would be great if the show titled "Loki" truly has Loki as his main character in S02, otherwise, call the show "TVA", but it wouldn't have the same pulling, right Marvel? I am happy to give me my time and money, but I want you to deliver, and you haven't so far.

[mc-critical]

hey, welcome back! hope your exams and stuff went well, and that you're doing fine now.

i wanted to hear your opinion on nigar hatun. i remember seeing one post of yours in which you said that she wasn't a favourite of yours like you favoured other characters and honestly, same. i didn't really much understand the fascination with her. she was an interesting character, but i can't imagine having her as a favourite when there are so many more characters who are far more interesting. i wish they gave her an alternate arc. idk what it could be, i'd like to hear your opinion on it. one alternative ending i came up for her is that she was extremely angry at ibrahim for toying with her and hatice for keeping her sweet little esmanur from her so she joins hurrem to defeat them? which hurrem did try but it didn't really go anywhere and nigar was against hurrem for killing ibrahim which just was kinda frustrating. they literally give hurrem no ally in the harem [except mihrimah later on but mihri is overall varying in terms of power] so it would be good for her to have some support in the harem from people who actually hated her enemies like her. she had actual political support from iskender celebi, rustem, and ayaz pasha and all, sure, but she didn't have much support in the harem, like all powerful women of the harem were against her. nigar obviously wasn't powerful like a sultan but she was an old member of the harem, was respected and even though she kinda lost her dignity with the scandal, she could've regained it with hurrem's help. sumbul was there later on but he was just a very faithful servant and didn't really have any real motive to harm any of hurrem's enemies except for out of his loyalty whilst nigar could've cultivated a hatred for hatice and ibrahim. this is a basic plot but i would've kinda liked seeing it. there can be many more ways her character could've ended but it would be good seeing a woman who didn't bow to her feelings all the time. the sultanas couldn't really control their feelings when it came to love because they were princesses who were used to getting what they wanted most of the time but nigar was a servant who also suffered the hardships of slavery and it obviously would've made her tougher as a person so she could control her feelings better; idk, i feel like this is an aspect of women they could've explored [or if they did explore it, i don't remember it lol my memory lapses a lot so i don't remember the show 100%] anyway, would like to hear your thoughts on nigar. thank you. welcome back again <3

Thank you! <33 Yup, I'm fine and the exams went well. Happy Pride month to you, too! 🏳️‍🌈

Hehe, I wrote that post years ago and while Nigar still isn't one of my absolute favourite characters, I've warmed up to her quite a bit. And honestly, now with the wider experience in the fandom, I can say that she isn't all that loved as it looks like. I then was under the limited wrong impression that the BG Mamma forum was a metric of all the popular opinions and yes, they loved Nigar a lot and I was sometimes confused as to why, but really, that and the Russian fanbase are the only places I have encountered that appreciate her all that much. There are characters I find more interesting than her, that's for sure, but she has her charm and I'm firmly against people reducing her to "evil" or "manipulative" or "weak after she fell in love with Ibrahim", so forth.

The thing she sets her first impression with is her intelligence caused by her relatively high experience in the harem. The advice she gave to Hürrem opened the path to her whole goal (as she herself acknowledged in E41) and that makes for quite an impact for a more recurring character. Despite of this, I never viewed early Nigar as someone taking an open side, hence I didn't find her supposed betrayal to Hürrem surprising in the slightest: she is also trying to survive in this environment in any way she knows how and she can't really find a fully comfortable position, because she is well aware that everyone is thinking for their own gain in the end. Including her. So the only choice she has left is to direct herself to where the wind is blowing and get advantages for herself once she gets the chance. Because all the experience has taught her to repress her feelings (E10 to Hürrem: "In this castle you can't show weakness."), opt to be the more level-headed person and seek for the more pragmatic solutions.

And yet she is very sensitive and perceptive to people that are different than the others or that are in need and is willing to lend them her hand. She adviced and helped Hürrem because she found potential in her, because she wanted to see her succeed, but not through endangering her own self or other people in the process (she told Hürrem that her game had gone too far again in E41), but through negotiation, compromise and adaption, to know when to start and when to stop and be respectful to those above her, no matter how hard or limiting that may look in Hürrem's eyes. Hürrem had the tendency in viewing every sign of support that came to her as granted, she still had that naive part of innocence in her in S01 and early on was in a desparate need of someone to lean on and unconditionally follow her path, that's why when Nigar diverted from that path, it hurt and took her a while to start trusting her again. But I didn't see Nigar as all that attached to Hürrem as Hürrem herself thought she was, especially with how Nigar became stuck between two sultanas later in S01 and that rendered her lost and more insecure than usual.

That's also why I don't view her as a two-faced or hypocritical double-crosser. Because for the longest time, Nigar was the one character in the series before Rüstem appeared that was clearly thinking about her own benefit and survival first and foremost from the beginning when darting between the powerful people in the harem and was the one well aware that she simply can't cling to a single side in her own position. Positions aren't permanent and can always change in such circumstances, so why can't she take advantage of this? Because who cares as much about the feelings for a Kalfa they can still order around after all? She has faced disregard from Mahidevran, Hürrem, Ibrahim and even Hatice. It is pretty understandable that she's going to seek the best opportunity for herself.

That whole facade breaks when she falls in love with Ibrahim. During rewatch, I found myself to have a soft spot for this character deconstruction, especially in S02. I know that it came to pass because of her falling in love with a man that doesn't share the same feelings and there were moments where it looked like she overdid it, even in S02, but for me, the whole thing nicely added a new layer of depth, while still feeling true to Nigar's character. Her future relationship with Ibrahim had been building up back in S01, when Ibrahim (both inadvertently and not I fully believe) played a part in helping her solve the first internal conflict she had (that is the struggle between the two sultanas). Maybe this didn't mean that much to Ibrahim, maybe he was simply trying to be helpful, but it meant a lot to Nigar - that was probably the first time someone seemed to take her feelings into account and actually listen when she couldn't help, but crack under the pressure. So it is only natural that she would search for this source of comfort once again, being ready to face every risk in the process. When she is appointed to Hatice and Ibrahim's castle, when she's practically left alone with Ibrahim, she decides to take that chance, to taste the forbidden fruit. He gave her something she never received and due to her not allowing herself to show weakness and having to cave to everyone else's demands before that, every ounce of affection Ibrahim shows her, it means the world to her. Thus she begins to idealize what she has with him, to the point of denial and delusion, and centers her loyalty completely on him. But that loyalty never seems to falter.  She began to resent and/or hate everyone who could possibly stand in Ibrahim's way, something she wouldn't have ever done before. She keeps her level-headed self and intelligence (I don't think that this plot line reduced it in any way, not even when she was at her worst.) and she's ready to take any opportunity for herself (case in point: her marriage with Rüstem.), but now her softer sides and her wish for affection are showing all the more.

The problem I have with Nigar's character, writing-wise, and now that I think about it, the main subject of why I didn't get the deal with her back then (along with considering her S01 self bland.. somehow?), is her S03B characterization. While her falling in love with Ibrahim plot-line became an important part of S02 Nigar's storyline, I don't think it overshadowed or dominated over her other characteristics, making for a neat balance of traits and an interesting, nuanced character. In an attempt to keep her for longest time possible in the story, S03B flanderized her in every possible way and overexaggerated her biggest strengths and flaws until they became stale and unbelievable. Her love for Ibrahim read as а near obsession narratively and her opportunism coupled with her will for revenge, which put her into many repetitive intrigues. At one point I even felt she was reduced to a plot-device (the moment Şah Sultan appointed her as a spy) and she felt a little too purposeless and to have totally outstayed her welcome until her last moment in the series.

The root of this problem is again, that they just didn't know when to stop with Nigar. To be brutally honest, she had no long-term role left to play after Ibrahim's death and it was time for the writers to let her go and maintain her generally strong characterization. The ending I would've chosen for her is to simply have Matrakcı give her Esmanur's location and for her to live with her daughter in piece. I know that because of the tonal shift, the show seemed to be already inclined that everyone had to have a tragic ending of sorts, to underline the growing ruthlessness and cruelty of the themes, but I fully believe that Nigar was one of the only characters that were terribly forced through their tragic endings. She didn't need, nor deserve a tragic ending and I doubt it would've been such a problem for the half-season if she didn't get one. I find a happier ending to be perfectly fine for Nigar and I would've loved to see it, if only for a freshness in ideas for character endings. I loved her Esmanur storyline and to witness her finding happiness with her, the only solace she had left, would have been a great wrap up of her S03 plots and an amazing send-off to Nigar's character.

I appreciate the thought you have put into your ending for her and to be fair, your proposal would be much better than anything S03B gave us. It would nearly correspond with the revenge plot of hers they were going for and it would be something more original at the same time. Hürrem's principal lack of allies doesn't bother me as a fact alone, because all her enemies have understandable reasons to be against her, but what bothers me however, is when the writers try using it to dumb her enemies down and make them doom themselves through their own failings or outright use it to put forced (often soapy) conflicts to make the audience sympathize with Hürrem. Or to make everyone "mistitle" her (is that a word? probably not.) or disrespect her on purpose again for sympathy points (that go beyond the part of her motivation that wants to feel respected and does stuff out of fear not to fall under a less favorable position once again.), without changing the status-quo until say, S04.

It is so deliberate it becomes annoying and seeing something else for a change... honestly, gimme! While I personally prefer a happy ending for Nigar, I would live for Nigar and Hürrem to work together again, while keeping what's become her central motivation intact. It may seem a little OOC for Nigar to work for Hürrem by that point, because she's channeled her loss of the most precious people into rage on those that have taken them away, but it would be a decent shifting of gears and a reverence to her opportunism to work to eradicate those she hates for good, even if it means doing so with one of your bigger enemies. After all, after the mission is fulfilled, she could still work against Hürrem in some way, right?

[Tell me if I got what you meant wrongly, but there is an example of a dynasty sultana putting her love feelings behind and by that I mean Şah Sultan. Her love is in the past by the point she arrived in the castle and her love for Ibrahim is only used as a conflict between her and Hatice, which they get over relatively quick. Sisterly love and ambition are a much bigger priority of Şah's: she cared about Hatice past any resentment she may have harbored over the years and agreed to share her life with Lütfi for the advantage this may bring, even though she didn't love him at all. She divorced him only when he offended the pride of a woman and her own personal pride. Other than that, we indeed didn't have a female character in MC that puts her feelings behind in design as far as I recall, only ones that end up clinging to them completely like Nigar here or ones that let go of them eventually like Mahidevran. Characters that have this design by default are more present in MCK like Safiye, or Turhan, or especially Gülbahar, but as I've said many times, MCK is more ruthless, while MC is more about the personal feelings of the characters, hence every motivation they have is somehow tied to them.]

[nastasyafilippovnas]

Ok this might be long. I usually just lurk but this really annoys me to no end. The Bridgerton fandom has this weird need to incessantly use the both sides were wrong argument especially with the Marina/Pen and Siena/Anthony situation. But they completely ignore the realities of the time and power dynamics.I didn’t ship Anthony/Siena because she deserved better but there is this weird idea that they were somehow both toxic for each other.

Its like they go yeah he kicked her out into the street but then she said some mean things about him to Genevieve. Which therefore means they were both terrible to each other . I mean the way they equate the two as if they are somehow the same. And then the watch scene, where she makes a joke and THEN he tells her it is was his fathers. And fandom acted like she is some toxic girlfriend because she wasn’t able to read his mind and figure out the significance of the watch. It’s like they forget in that same scene Anthony straight up says not all women deserve protection as they are not ladies. In front of her. I mean it’s pretty clear what he thought of her vs these other virginal woman and frankly that 100 times more offensive than the watch. But again fandom equate those two. There were so many scenes where Siena talked about his life I.e asking about Daphne, significant duty to protect, the balls, reminds him he is a viscount and his responsibilities. HE is the one who never asks about her life. Never looks at things from her perspective. Even the asking her to the ball thing. He just went I know everyone at the ball will think your a whore, won’t respect you and say rude things behind your back but I really want you to come. Again people don’t understand why Siena wouldn’t want to subject herself to that. Especially considering Anthony clearly has a tendency to leave her and then come back to her when he wants. Again throughout the whole season he always approaches Siena.

I saw this movie where this girl once talks about this guy was just using her as a mirror to search for his self esteem. And I feel like that was Anthony to Siena. He was toxic to her. Not the other way around. The most annoying things is even when people realise that they just conclude that obviously it was Siena who brought out his worst side. I mean he is what a 30year old man, I think he can take some responsibility for his own actions.

Hmm, this is a lot. I'm not sure where to start. I do agree that the Bridgerton fandom tends to try to equate behaviors that should never be equated, and that's especially true for the Pen/Marina situation.

When it comes to Anthony and Siena, I think the need to equate their actions (even though they are not ever on even ground and it's laughable to compare anything Siena did with what Anthony did) and thus conclude that they are "toxic" for each other stems from the need of justifying Anthony's behavior and placing him in the hero category. A fellow Siena stan (@persiena) said once that, in any other story, based on his behavior, Anthony would be the villain. That's something that really stuck with me. As many as Cinderella tales, there are also tales of girls being used by a rich/powerful/handsome/evil man and then finding love with a good guy (who is usually poor and helpless in love with her). Fandom cannot see Anthony as the villain - he is the man of their dreams -, but they also can't ship Anthony and Siena - because they are too stuck on their stupid book pairing -, so what do they do? They drag Siena down. Siena's actions become as villainous as Anthony's ('she doesn't care about him', 'look how she talked to Genevieve about him'), she is the one to blame for their relationship failing ('she rejected him', 'she could've gone to the ball') and, therefore, they were both "toxic" for each other. And because nowadays any relationship with minimal conflict can be labeled as toxic, it's a narrative that is very easy to sell - especially when you have a fandom that will eagerly buy into anything that will make their ship look better. 

Having said all that, I'll kindly disagree with you in that Anthony was toxic to Siena. I think his actions were reprehensible, yes, and throwing her out as he did was inexcusable, but him going time and time again after her, not being able to let her go, inviting her to the ball - these things are not toxic, but the desperate actions of a man who is in love but doesn't know how to make it work. When it comes to the ball, I think that Anthony thought (very egocentrically, I admit) that the only thing standing on their way was his willingness to go public with her. He didn't think Siena's own reservations would be enough to stop her and he didn't register everything until that last moment. And of course he is going to feel sorry for himself at that point, he just got dumped by the love of his life! It doesn't mean he doesn't take her feelings into consideration.

On a side note, I think santhony really suffered from us not seeing more of Siena side. It's not a relationship that was developed to last, but to further Anthony's plot. So, yes, all their talks are about Anthony, and what he wants and what he must do, etc. What we get on Siena is on the details, is on Sabrina's acting, is on the very few times she vocalizes her wants, but it's not ever developed fully by the show because she is not one of the main characters and her feelings don't matter as much as Anthony's. But I don't think that's fully a reflection of their relationship - you can call that the shipper in me, but we have evidence that they had been together for a long time by the time the show started, and I can't see Siena being in the relationship for that long if it was all about Anthony.

Like you, though, I do wish we got to see Anthony acknowledging his past behavior in s02. I don't know if or how it's going to happen. Most likely, if there's any apology, it will be driven by "I finally found true love with another woman, so now I understand I was a jerk to you" and, honestly, if that's it, it might be better to have no apology, lol. On top of that, I think that the fact that Anthony's love interest is a member of the ton ruins any kind of development he might have in terms of seeing all women as equals/deserving of protection. Like, that's all fine, but you still married a lady, didn't you? It will be meaningless tbh.

And that's all I have to say for now. I'm sorry this got so long too, I really appreciate your message. 

[as-many-times-as-it-takes]

The Boy who Never Gave Up

I want to talk about something interesting from the fight in S06:E5 and the weight of all the episodes that led up to it that made it even more jawdropping.

For obvious reasons, it’s one of the most moving pieces I’ve ever seen in animation, and especially in the series. We know that Keith has been pushed to his absolute limits. But the extent of it is just amazingly portrayed in his reactions and, I believe, in the absence of his reactions as well.

It all begins with S01:E1: The Rise of Voltron

There isn’t a single Paladin or part of the Voltron crew that hasn’t experienced loss. They all have had their struggles and have grown so much from them. But fuck if Keith isn’t the universe’s punching bag through the first six seasons. In the beginning, he throws literally everything he has into a split second opportunity to rescue Shiro. Shiro, the only person who had never given up on Keith who was missing for TWO YEARS and reported DEAD and a FAILURE by the very Garrison that brought them together. Keith searched and struggled and mourned for Shiro for two years alone in the desert. But he never gave up. He became the Boy who Waited.

And it paid off. Shiro returned! Keith’s faith and unwavering loyalty were rewarded. Not only was he correct in his beliefs that Shiro was still out there, but it meant something even more important. Shiro had kept his promise. He came back. Shiro never gave up on Keith, just as much as Keith never gave up on Shiro. Fast forward FYI, this is a LONG POST beneath the break. But I promise it’s worth it if you stick it out with me. Though I’m not sure our hearts will...

S02:E1: Across the Universe Pushed to their limits while running from Zarkon, the Paladins are separated across the universe. While Keith is fortunate enough to still be with Shiro, he faces another dilemma: Shiro’s mortality and failing spirits with the insurmountable odds. Wounded, exhausted, and depressed Shiro asks the unthinkable of Keith. “Keith, if I don’t make it out of here... I want you to lead Voltron.”

You can practically /hear/ the explosion of emotions inside Keith. What the hell is he supposed to do with that!? Shiro can’t die, he just got him back! He didn’t wait two whole years lost and drifting on hope alone just to have him struck down and watch him die. And no way in hell was he going to lead anything! Shiro was the leader. /Shiro would always be there/ ...... right? Keith protests. He tries to shore Shiro up. He would do anything to prevent that future. He takes these fears and buries them deep inside and forbids them from being entertained in his thoughts for even a moment. Things work out this time, and Keith doggedly marches on. But this is a close call that cannot be so easily forgotten. Fast forward

S02:E8: The Blade of Marmora Finally reunited with Shiro, Keith suddenly finds himself free to deal with aspects of himself that he had shoved into a corner for all those years. How could he have had time to process these things while his best friend was lost? But no matter, he now had a chance to gain some answers with the Blade of Marmora. Now he had an opportunity to face down the resentment, fear, and sadness that was left behind when he felt that his family had abandoned him. Finally Keith had an opportunity to learn about himself and not worry 24/7 about Shiro for a few moments. And once again, the cruel joke returns. The very test that might finally alleviate some of his pain only stabs him harder. Not only is his unwavering faith for Shiro thrown back into his face like shards of broken glass, this time we really have his feelings bared for all to see.

This time it’s fucking spelled out in blood, sweat, and tears. Enemy after enemy, pain, wounds, exhaustion. It’s all bearable to Keith. Until Shiro appears before him. Just like when Shiro turned to Keith when he felt his strength fading, Keith desperately wants to see the man who means the world to him when his own strength falters.

Except this cruel mirage is meant as a test. Keith, who has dedicated his very being to Shiro, is given the option of: Learn about yourself, or Shiro will leave you. Keith resists. He tries telling Shiro how important this is to him. He pleads with Shiro to understand him and not to abandon him.

In his desperation, Keith bares part of himself to Shiro. He tells him how much he means to him in one of the only ways he knows how. Like a brother.... keep in mind, Keith is here right now trying to solve the puzzle of why his family ‘abandoned’ him. This statement means so much with so few words.

And yet when all fails, and he believes he will lose Shiro for good, hell even when Keith sees that it was merely a test, but he sees that the blade will still cause conflict and danger to Shiro, he gives it all up.

He is a Paladin of Voltron. His place is at Shiro’s side. If it means he will never know why his family left him, so be it. He would tolerate that pain a hundred more years then suffer one more day without Shiro. Even when he’s finally given the small gift of learning that he has Galra blood in him, it’s still just more puzzles and questions. Sometimes, it seems, the Universe simply laughs at him.

Fast forward

S02:E13: Blackout, S03:E1: Changing of the Guard, & S03:E5: The Journey This is it. Taking a huge gamble, the Voltron team finally faces off against Zarkon himself in an effort to finally rid the universe of this deadly madman. In the climactic showdown, the Paladins and every member of their team give their all. Exhausting every last ounce of strength, they are finally able to overcome Zarkon and put him out of commission. But this victory came at a terrible price.

Keith’s brokenhearted calls goes unanswered as the Black Lion is brought back to the hangar in silence. The airlocks open to an empty cockpit. Everyone is stunned and hurt. But none are more broken than Keith.

For the others, they lost a beloved friend and leader. For Keith? He had just lost his entire world. In the blink of an eye, the one person he held dear above all else was gone.

And still he didn’t give up. He became the Boy that Searched.

Can you imagine the pain of going through this same morbid dance all over again? Only this time, it wasn’t hushed military secrets that you could at least convince yourself were false. This was the middle of battle. Keith was /there/. But once again, Keith was alone. Of course he had his friends in the fellow Paladins, Allura and Coran. But that wasn’t the same. He cared for them. But no one would ever be like Shiro to him.

And so Keith turned to the stars, endlessly searching by himself while the rest of the team turned to carry on. It was important for Voltron to move forwards, mind you. But Keith could not move on. Perhaps the others could take the next step.

But Keith refused to give up.

But despite the fact that Shiro is completely irreplaceable, neither is Voltron and the rest of the universe’s needs are forced over Keith’s. Despite his desperate pleas and every last attempt to deny the possibility that Shiro will never return, Keith is forced to accept his best friend’s last wishes.

Despite his own pain and reservation, he carries on. It’s what Shiro would have wanted. He forcefully buries his despair and sorrow because even at the end of it all, he couldn’t dream of disappointing Shiro.

And, once again, Keith’s faithfulness and tenacity pay off. While carrying on the team, Keith still manages to find the time to search. And this time, /Keith/ finds Shiro.

S03:E6: Tailing a Comet In a painful parallel to Across the Universe, Keith has very little time to celebrate and heal. The Shiro that he’s found is battered and broken in body and spirit. Once again, Keith expends all of his energy into picking Shiro back up. He finally found him /twice/. This was a miracle in it of itself and if Shiro needed Keith’s strength to get back on his feet, then Keith would bleed out every last ounce he had. “They need you, you know.” Keith tells Shiro. But you can practically hear the silent scream behind those words. 

‘I need you!’

But, Shiro, and then the team come first. And Keith still cannot quite bring himself to figure out his own emotions fully let alone try to explain them to Shiro. So instead, he gives Shiro his vow. How many times will he come to Shiro’s aid before they finally see the end?

A powerful line that started this blog actually. That made me break my own silence of hiding in the background and watching the fandom from a distance. Because, holy shit this is so powerful.

As many times as it takes? What a simple way to say: I will wait for you until the stars fall from the sky. I will run to your side regardless of the danger. I will stand by you and protect you and uplift you when you falter. I will sacrifice what I have for your wellbeing and approval. I will search for you to the ends of the universe, and I will bury my heart and carry on in your stead to carry out your last wish if that is all I have left.

Fast forward

S04:E1: Code of Honour

With Shiro finally back, Keith has some much needed time to heal. Whether he suspects anything is wrong with Shiro, or if the awkward pseudo power struggle gets to him, the end result is the same. For the first time, he feels like he has to distance himself from Shiro. To start following the things that are important to him, but also as a means to center his universe back into the proper order. Shiro is the leader. If that means Keith must go off on his own, then so be it. But here, Keith is finally able to take a stand and ask for what /he/ wants. No longer terrified of losing Shiro, he’s able to start growing, even if it will mean they will be apart for awhile.

“But just know that we’re here for you whenever you need us.” Shiro tells him.

Not that the other Paladins are chopped liver, but that’s not what’s important right now. Keith says “I know /you/ are.” And while I might be taking it a bit too literally, Keith’s eyes certainly imply extra trust in Shiro, if not the entirety of that statement.

For the first time in a long, long time, Keith strikes out on his own to heal on his own terms.

But Keith was never far away....

S04:E6: A New Defender

When a horrible trap seizes Voltron and the rest of the crew and threaten to destroy everything they’ve ever done, Keith returns. With time running out and Shiro’s life on the line, Keith does not even hesitate for a moment to give the ultimate sacrifice. Knowing his own Galra fighter lacks anything near the stopping power required to see everyone to safety, Keith swings around and prepares a suicide dive without a second thought. For the first time, it is Shiro who has to face the cold possibility of going on without Keith. And if not for the timely intervention of Lotor, their story may have ended here.

Fast forward

S05:E4: Kral Zera

Once again, despite their separate missions, Keith finds himself never far from Shiro. When a bombing run set to destroy the leading figureheads of the Galra Empire suddenly threatens Shiro’s life, Keith risks it all to protect the one he holds above all others. His animosity towards Lotor and the rest of the Galra is thrown aside in a heartbeat. He risks his own life even as his fellow Blades abandon him to preserve the mission. But it doesn’t matter. Keith once again risks everything. He will never give up on Shiro.

Fast Forward

S06:E5: The Black Paladins

Finally we arrive at the end of it all. Haggar’s end game finally sees fruition as the unthinkable happens and Shiro is forced to turn on the team and flee with Lotor. With time running out, Keith throws himself into the Black Lion without a second thought, leading the charge with Voltron until even that won’t be enough. Convincing the others to break apart Voltron, Keith plummets into the wormhole that Shiro fled through by himself in an injured Black Lion. There is no thought of danger or anything else. He has traveled the universe and returned only to have the enemy try to steal Shiro from him again.

Only this time, Keith is ready. He has grown in every aspect. He is older, wiser, and has finally reached his limit. This time, /Keith/ is the power to be reckoned with. This time, they are afraid of /him/. There is no hesitation as he tears through the hull of a Galra ship to go after his lifelong friend.

Sensing a way to kill two birds with one stone, Haggar/Honerva sends Shiro away to draw Keith away to their mutual destruction.

“The Red Paladin’s connection to you runs deep. Deeper than the others.” She states. It is a weakness she will exploit to allow their escape and ideally cripple Voltron permanently.

And so Keith doggedly pursues Shiro to the remote hidden base where he is forced to defend himself against Shiro as his beloved friend turns on him with deadly intent.

Which brings me to the whole reason I started this long, long article. (And thank you to those of you who have stuck with it. I am getting to the point, I promise.)

I started the article with this:

“ For obvious reasons, it’s one of the most moving pieces I’ve ever seen in animation, and especially in the series. We know that Keith has been pushed to his absolute limits. But the extent of it is just amazingly portrayed in his reactions and, I believe, in the absence of his reactions as well. “

Despite Shiro’s dark actions and violence, Keith never ceases to attempt to communicate with him, which wears him down, little by little as he gives and gives and gives in his last desperate gamble to shave Shiro’s life.

It begins when Shiro parries Keith’s assault.

Finally, Keith reacts

Shiro remembers? The first hint that he’s still in there. Like blood in the water to a starving shark, Keith centers on that lifeline. Shiro is STILL. THERE.

And so Keith calls that out.

Keith remembers too. He’s never forgotten. This memory has kept him going for years now. This promise has stood out against all other things.

And Shiro replies with some of the most brutal words he’s ever said.

In a few short sentences, Shiro rips apart every insecurity Keith ever had. Keith’s feelings of abandonment and loneliness, his insecurities in his own leadership and his fear of Shiro’s disapproval; all things that he’s probably only shared in whispers to his only friend. A sacred trust of words that he could only share with the one he trusted, or even words that were never spoken aloud.

And yet Keith’s face never changes. He listens to the most bitter and cruel things the most important person in the whole universe to him has spat in his face and he never bats an eye.

In the face of despair. In the face of death, even death at the hands of the most beloved and trusted friend he has ever had, Keith refuses to give up. He would rather die at Shiro’s own hands rather then let himself be distracted when Shiro needs him the most.

And at the end of it all, Keith finds himself on the precipice of disaster. Struck down by the one man he has torn the universe apart for, he is forced to shield the last blow that would end it all. And it is here, after years of suffering and pain and dedication that Keith finally shatters.

What does he have left? Keith has given everything. He was the Boy who Waited. He was the Boy who Searched. He sacrificed everything he ever had. He buried his feelings until they burst. He has traveled his own hell a thousand times and beaten back impossible odds. He has suffered and wept, tearing himself apart again and again for the one man who never gave up on him. He’s risked his life and been prepared to give it before for Shiro.

So he gives Shiro the only thing he has left.

No. He’s said that before. He’s given that concession to Shiro.

And at last, Keith bares the very core of his essence to Shiro. This declaration of love was the last thing he had to give. Keith has lain down his time, his mind, his pain, his life. The very last thing he had to give was the one thing he kept buried away from everything else.

His heart.

And when the whole universe falls apart and everything around them is destroyed. When they both plummet towards the planet, Keith refuses to let go. At the end of times, if he cannot save Shiro, he will never give up on him. If Shiro will pass, then so will Keith. By his side, as he was always meant to be. As /they/ were always meant to be.

By itself, this episode was hauntingly beautiful. But when you pull apart everything that led up to it, everything that Keith has endured to get to this point, it becomes absolutely chilling. This is so profound. A friendship and dedication that transcends anything and everything. Commitment that runs so much more than simple affection.

Love