#I still wish they'd done a better job in episode 1 but it's so good now! I'm completely hooked!

[billpottsismygf]

Episode 3 of Dead Boy Detectives is the best one yet. The murder is absolutely brutal, but it's tightly plotted and has so many great character moments throughout.

This is the most attached to Charles I've felt so far. He's currently furthest down my list of favourites out of the main cast, but his performance was really moving this episode. I also loved how it highlighted his relationships both with Crystal and Edwin, and the jealousy that Edwin feels there. Interesting that that jealousy seems to go both ways, too, with Charles being the last to leave Edwin and Monty alone at the end.

Edwin and Charles are unlikely friends in a lot of ways, but I do buy it, especially when he occasionally makes Edwin smile. Here, Edwin is confronted with the fact that he actually doesn't know many of the deeper parts of Charles' life, and that he maybe hasn't shared all of his own. Really nicely done.

Edwin's sexuality crisis continues to be really compelling. I actually adore his dynamic with Monty. I know he's literally a plant by Esther, but their tiny interactions so far have so much chemistry. I also have Thoughts on why Edwin is more open to him than the Cat King, and it's the plausible deniability of it all. The Cat King was extremely upfront about what he wanted from Edwin, and Edwin could not quite bring himself to admit he even understood what that was. Whereas with Monty he's able to retreat behind his protests that "he is a boy and I am a boy, if anything he just enjoys ghosts".

Also! Crsytal and Edwin are becoming friends!!! Crystal's my second favourite character and I'm so happy they're warming up to each other. Edwin is such a spiky character but I love him and want everyone else to love him. On that note, him being understanding to Niko about her trauma also made me very happy. Edwin is not budging as my favourite character!

Small things:

Esther continues to have the best, most over the top performance. Perfect, no notes.

Niko yaoi enjoyer and general weirdo, I love her so much <3

[shiraishi--kanade]

Do you have more MyGo or Bandori thoughts? I wanna hear more 🙏 Come to our side and receive happiness!

Hi! I saved up this ask because I don't tend to talk a lot about shows I haven't finished yet in case my opinion completely changes like one episode later, but I'm done with MyGo now! Overall: delightfully painful. Here's my assortment of thoughts under the cut.

Things I liked:

1. Visual storytelling/show don't tell: exactly what I said before. I'm happy they kept at it.

2. The Themes, man. The ND-coding of different characters (especially Tomori and Anon. Anon is ND-coded and this is the field I'll die on), the lyrics, the monologues, all of this was delightful. I'm happy to see characters like these in popular media.

3. The characters. Everyone in the major cast was in equal measures annoying and likeable and I honestly consider the writer's ability to change my opinion about them a major win. I also liked the consistency throughout because yeah you can literally tie everything together. Especially Soyo, I think like they gave a lot of thought to Soyo.

4. The set up to Ave Mujica felt nice. It really did feel like the two are connected since the beginning. They did a Lot of Foreshadowing.

5. Yay for soundtrack! Yay for Chopin especially! And correctly drawn double bass!!

Things I think could have been better:

1. Tomori's arc. It's not that she didn't have development, it's that I think in contrast to literature everyone else in both MyGo and AveMujica she's presented as almost infallible/universally good and well-intentioned in contrast and it's a bit... Hmm, tonally weird? It's not a bad thing per se but I do wish we had a Tomori that's a little more selfish than just not being able to give up on the band. Especially since she's been hurt a lot twice over.

2. It generally feels kinda short-ish? Especially Soyo and Taki's arcs, I feel like they have more to say. Which may be tackled in Ave Mujica after all, so I'm not jumping to conclusions here. 13 episodes (12, if we consider Episode 13 being almost entirely about another band though) is both enough to tell a story and kinda leaves a lot of things to peter out in the background and the chemistry isn't always there. This is in part also fault of point 1 of good things I suppose. I guess they had to leave Something for the games to tackle though.

3. I still don't understand how Raana works. But we are Thriving. /ref

4. I didn't feel particularly attached to Crychic. I know they tried to show us a lot of nice wholesome moments but uuuh. Didn't work for me. I felt like it was like the first positive experience a lot of girls had, Ever, which is why they'd thrown themselves into it so hard and why disbanding hit them so hard as well, but if it's intended to be interpreted as well they didn't do a very good job at it.

The Characters Awards:

Best Blorbo: Anon

I still liked Anon more than I initially liked. She's cringe and grates on my (and in-universe people's) nerves sometimes but that's part of the charm. She's a coward and a girlfailure but she tries!! So hard!! She just wants to be liked and needed!!

She's also god's strongest soldier because if I was stuck in her situation where my bandmates kept bickering and pointing out my lack of skill while I tried to quietly practice in the shame corner and then the person who invited me to the band in the first place literally said they used me and never wanted me there in the first place confirming all of my worst fears not even to my face I would be on the news.

Personally as much as I like Soyo in a "I want to study her brain" way I think Anon forgave her way too easily. Even though it's all but said why. Just like. I don't know girl. I think your self-esteem is in trenches as much as you try to pretend it's not and you need to get off the damn floor. But I'm happy to see her grow more potentially. She really just needs a place where she's needed. She's a treat. I also have been in the fandom for exactly and hour and a half but I still get the impression that she's underrated: probably because she wasn't in Crychic, ironically?

Most Scrunkly: Tomori

I think I already said all I wanted to say about Tomori but I latched on to her from the very first moment and I didn't regret it. At the same time some of her writing feels kinda weird. A lot of plot rotates around Tomori (lampshaded) but at the same time I don't feel like she's done anything Wrong to warrant the way a lot of characters treat her (Soyo, namely, tbh). She's either babied or ignored and it's... At times kinda bad to watch. I don't think it gets called out enough, and when it does it's mostly a call-out of the person doing the babying and not in defense of Tomori per se. Especially considering Taki isn't blameless either.

I also feel like, though episode 4 was very enjoyable and unique, they didn't quite press a pedal to the floor with her obvious ND-coding. It's good, but her lyrics kinda don't match the life we've been shown she has. I just wish we saw More of it, I'm sure there's a lot left to discover, again.

Most Lab Rat: Soyo

I want to put her in mazes. I want to put her in rat mazes so hard.

She's a character that both intrigued me greatly and also at time annoyed me so much I wanted to throw her down the stairs. She's fun though, her breakdown was delightful to watch. The Signs that she isn't who she tries to be are there (her weird Therapy-speak, the cafe scene, her interactions with Mutsumi, etc), so it doesn't come as a surprise that she spirals as much as how hard and fast she does. At the same time I didn't feel like her return to the band felt deserves enough.

Honami on steroids as I've said before. And she obviously feels guilty for using others, which is an interesting point that we didn't get to see enough. I want her to be More Guilty. I want her to suffer just a bit more before she can be truly happy.

I do enjoy her new grumpy character though. It adds some diversity, plus therapy speak Soyo was kind of irritating lmao. I just hope she's going to have a good head on her shoulders hereon after and moves on from her toxic codependency yuri ex. You deserve better queen even if you fucked up.

Most Hateable: Saki

Saki is a character that I just Love to Hate. I don't think she can be redeemed in my eyes though. I know she's like 16 but there's a line between being 16 and shitty situation/mental illness and being deliberately cruel to people who, by all accounts, did literally nothing wrong by you other than exist and be a source of attachment. And her formation of Ave Mujica is delightfully irritating, especially considering I know what's about to happen, and Mutsumi's arc in general. Just like, a gathering of Absolutely Unbearable people (and Umiri. I don't know what her deal is yet). It's going to fall apart So Fast. Thought credit where credit's due, their song is a bop. Ah well.

Anyway, Saki's tendency to attract, deliberately or otherwise, people who immediately form an unhealthy attachment to her is both concerning and entertaining. She needs to be contained. I hope life continues to hit her with rocks, I'll be gladly watching this.

I do have stuff to say about some other characters, but I think I'll save that for Ave Mujica. I like Taki and Ranna enough, especially the first one, just felt like she's written straightforwardly enough that I don't feel the need to comment. Yeah Taki MyGo, we all know 'er.

Thanks for the ask!

[theirondragonrants]

8 Thoughts on GOT 8X03 THE BATTLE OF HELMS DEEP THRONES STYLE

I have no God darned clue what the episode name is so I'm gonna call it Helm's Deep, no I will not accept criticism. That being said here we go.

1. The most Heroic thing

Can we give it up for the true heroes of this shit. Lyanna Mormont going out like a champ. She told men they were idiots and proved it in the end by taking out a fucking GIANT. Arya knew Sansa had no chance out there and if they were going to fight to the last man, Sansa would be what the survivors would need so she sent her to the crypts. (it also gave me flashbacks to Jon saying if he didn't Keep Sansa safe Eddard Stark would climb out of his grave to kill him). Melisandre fucking giving fire left and right like a boss, and GIVING THOSE WAR ENDING TIPS. Brienne holding the line with Jamie, Pod and everyone else fighting under her. Beric and the Hound hauling ass to save Arya. Greyworm protecting the retreat with the unsullied and then wrecking face inside the gates. So many great moments and people.

2. Everything that happened led you where you belong

It was definitely a line for Theon, and by the drowned God did he deliver, but it was also for everyone else. Everything they've been through, everyone they've lost, all they've endured led them to this battle, and every one of them was crucial for every moment whether we saw it or not.

And now to the man it was spoken to. Theon Greyjoy who betrayed the Stark family, drove Bran and Rickon from their home, saved Sansa and brought Daenerys to Westeros died protecting his little brother and I love that. Good men are forged in fire and like Bran said, Theon is a good man.

3. You were the best of them

For obvious reasons we couldn't let a lot of out the no combatants. Tyrion, Sansa, Varys, Missandei, they're all better at games that don't involve swords and fighting. That being said, I loved the little tidbits we did get. I really think that, if Daenerys didn't exist, Tyrion would probably give a thought to Sansa ruling the seven kingdoms. She's got the right name, she's stronger than Robert but gentler than Stannis, and she's been ruling despite everyone's doubts and doing a kickass job out of it.

Tyrion really was the best of her husband's and while I don't ship it, I think they would be a pair to be reckoned with. Sansa and Tyrion also knowing that they'd be useless in a fight but when the fight comes to you you've gotta get it together.

4. And now their watch is ended

I'm surprised we didn't get as many deaths? Granted I know there's piles of corpses that are a few stories tall, but main cast deaths were few and far in between. That being said let's have a few moments of silence for the good people we lost.

Edd, homie died doing what he had been doing for a long time, taking care of Sam who keeps freezing at the worst moments.

Jorah, he did just take Jamie's wish to die in the arms of the woman he loves. Fucking Jorah hauled ass out of Winterfell to save Daenerys, who had already done her fair share of fighting, and went out like a champ.

Beric, god dammit so I have a LOT to say about his death, but he went out doing the literal Lord's work and I appreciate him so.

Lyanna, she decided that the women wouldn't be left behind and she did her duty. She manned the gate, and held the line, and went out buying them precious time and instead of dealing with all those dead AND a giant, they just had to fight all the dead.

Melisandre, her fire went out but she fucking saved them. Like Beric I've got a lot of stuff to say about her, so catch that in number 8.

5. DRAGONS

No fancy title for this one because DRAGONS.

Daenerys and Drogon buying everyone time and doing the best they fucking could to make everything easier. But only Daenerys and Drogon. Jon on the other hand is a useless schmuck and I feel vindicated in how much I don't like him.

Even Viserion fucking wrecking face with his blue fire, and dog-fighting with Drogon in mid-air and still continuing to wreck face even after the Night King fell off? Amazing.

6. Jon Snow, not the prince that was promised

BITCH AM I HAPPY ABOUT THIS.

Jon Snow has repeatedly made stupid ass decisions, and been irredeemably useless on more than one occasion. Letting him be the prince that was promised would've been some utter bullshit, and honestly I'm so happy it wasn't him at the end.

He sat on his ass, on the walls of Winterfell, with full visibility of the trenches while the archers were desperately trying to light them and did nothing. He screamed at a dragon while Arya wrecked the Night King's face.

I am however very curious about why he got brought back? If he wasn't the prince that was promised then what's his mission?

7. Jaime and Brienne, a power couple

This is more my own fan service than nothing else, but God damn everytime the camera went back to then I felt my heart drop. Brienne saving Jaime and Jaime saving her right back? Amazing, iconic, I love them. And even in the thick of it they were still watching each other's 6s, protecting Pod, doing what they do and looking fabulous while doing it. Honestly I'm so happy to see they'll live another day.

8. Arya Stark, she-wolf of Winterfell, protector of the realm and slayer of ice zombies

HONESTLY I DIDNT SEE THIS COMING!?

What do we say to the God of death??? NOT TODAY BITCHES. Much like everyone else, everything they've lived has led to this moment. Every moment of training, all the names on the list, even that little training montage with Brienne when she did that dagger drop, everything led up to this iconic fucking moment. Beric being brought back to save her. Melisandre coming back from Volantis to save their assess. The Hound snapping out of his panic for her. Everything came down to that moment.

I'm really going to have to go back and see every clue that said Arya was supposed to do this, but God damn!

AND IN THIS MOMENT THE NIGHT KING KNEW, HE FUCKED UP

Final thoughts:

I know to a lot of casual viewers who came in for the fantasy, the show has led up to this fight and it's a question of now what? But really, the show is going to do a full circle. This all started with the Dragons, the Stags, the Wolves and the Lions going at eachother, and that's exactly how it's going to end. Be it as it may, this show is about the Game of Thrones, and it's time to play.

Episode Score: 9/10