#I think it's also a product of S2 having way less time to mess around and shoehorn in League references

[peofun1]

still pretty bummed that they never used Here Comes Vi anywhere in Arcane. they found two spots for Get Jinxed (S1 Ep4, and S2 Ep2) but they couldn't find a place to drop Here Comes Vi in there? no room for "Have you ever really wanted to be a total rebel flippin tables on the enemy?" not even as a little treat???

look I like Get Jinxed as much as the next person with ears but cmon. where's the love for my misfit, always ready to brawl

[brigdh]

I can't stop thinking about rewriting S2. I don't know why – it's hard to find an activity that's actually less productive than writing fanfic, but surely this is it – but my brain won't stop circling around the idea, so I'm writing this down to hopefully shut it up.

A proposed outline for a better S2 of Our Flag Means Death.

Episodes 1-3 are pretty much the same as what aired. The big change is that I'm cutting out Prince Ricky. I think two big antagonists are too much for an eight episode season, though I went back and forth on whether to cut Zheng or Ricky. I decided on Ricky because the "end of piracy" plot is way too overwrought for a comedy series, and there's no way it was ever going to work without a lot of build-up. Like, a lot a lot. Possibly multiple seasons of it, and we just don't have time for that here. Also, although Ricky makes a fun foil to Stede, that never really goes anywhere. So he's gone. This doesn't make much of a difference to these first three episodes, since he's only in two scenes, but it will help tighten the focus at the end of the season. One other change is that it's clear (perhaps even referenced in dialogue) that Ed is still not killing anyone directly with his own hands.

Episode Four: This is where I start with the big changes, rewriting this whole episode. Now it's focused on the crew wanting to kick Ed off the ship. Stede goes back and forth between the crew and Ed, trying to talk the crew around while simultaneously trying to romance Ed. He fails on both sides. Perhaps we still have Ed's corporate "apology", as an attempt at compromise, but the crew refuses to accept it and this time, they're in charge. Lucius has his plot about being traumatized and drawing Ed's face everywhere (but not the resolution, not in this episode). Ed is angry at Stede – they get to have an actual fight, about Stede leaving, about Ed marooning the crew/tossing Lucius overboard, about Ed's mermaid dream vs Stede's masculine pirate hero dream. Ed fears he's unlovable, and Stede's unrealistic declarations of love are just making him feel like anything between them is impossible. (Maybe Ed & Izzy have a fight too – I'm not committed to including this, depending on time, but it could be good. Maybe Izzy gets to say, "A rotten leg's got to come off" to Ed!) At the end of the episode, Ed leaves the ship and tells Stede not to follow him. Everyone's angry and upset.

Episode Five: Ed spends the entire episode off the ship, throwing himself into his new career as a fisherman (it doesn't have to be fishing. It can be anything, as long as it's new. The point is Ed running away from himself and his past and trying to become an entirely new person). He's using a new name – Jeff? – and has a whole backstory he's made up. At the end of the episode, he realizes that this isn't making him happy either, because he keeps thinking about his guilt, about Stede, about Izzy or Lucius or whoever he centers on as someone's he's mistreated, and so he leaves.

Meanwhile, on board the Revenge, everyone's having a miserable time. This is where the 'traumatized crew comes together to make the unicorn leg' plot goes, except this time it's a three-sided hot mess, with the crew, Izzy, and Stede – heartbroken over his idealized view of 'true loves fixes everything' having crashed and burned in the previous episode. Buttons turns into a bird, but this time Stede is the one to witness it. It inspires him to patch things up with the crew and go after Ed. Together, they all come up with a motto for the season – something like, 'change is possible' or 'you've got to try again', idk, except it's probably cheesy and rhymes and yet is weirdly inspirational, a la 'talk it through as a crew'.

Episode Six: Ed runs into Anne Bonny and Mary Read, and goes to stay with them. Before Stede shows up, Ed gets a bit of time to talk and reminiscence with them about their own "good old days", back when he was happy. It becomes clear though, that remembering murder and torture and etc is not making him happy now. Ed asks them about feeling guilty. Their advice is terrible: only losers care. Ed laughs it off, but clearly is conflicted. Stede tracks him down, and the rest of the episode play out pretty much like it did in canon (I think Jenkins & co really wanted to do "Ed and Stede as exes at a party", so I am giving it to them here). However, the vibes are a bit different – it's less that Ed and Stede haven't spoken at all as in canon, but that they had their big fight in E4 and are now dealing with the awkward aftermath of wanting to make up, each wanting to maintain their pride, and not knowing how to do either. At the end, Stede gets the courage to put himself out there and asks Ed to come back to the ship. Ed refuses at first – the crew doesn't want him and he doesn't know how to be a better person. Stede passes on the motto the crew came up with in the previous episode – 'change is possible' or whatever – and Ed agrees to come and try. They have a brief, chaste, kiss.

The crew back on the Revenge should have a B-plot too. I love the cursed suit subplot and would stick it here, but honestly I'm not sure it works if Stede isn't around to be the pro-suit side of the debate. Maybe we have a training montage, but it's Izzy and the crew instead of Izzy and Stede. Whatever happens, we also get the Lucius and Pete proposal. This goes along with the hopeful, new beginnings vibe of what's happening with Ed/Stede.

Episode Seven: Ed and Stede return to the ship, and the crew agrees to let Ed try out their new motto. Calypso party preparations begin, but this time Ed is not just handing out money but taking part in finding and putting together decorations and set-up. We get scenes of him and different characters working together; things are awkward but improving. Izzy and Wee Jon can still do drag and sing. Ned Low shows up and disrupts the party.

The big change here: Ed is the one to kill Ned Low, not Stede. I love Stede's plot about becoming a pirate hero and killing and not dealing with it, but it's just too much for a season with a lot of other stuff going on. Sorry, Stede; your masculinity issues have to wait for S3.

Ed killing someone is portrayed as a very big deal. Ned is more dangerous here – it's seen as necessary for someone to kill him, and Ed taking on the role is cast as him becoming the protector of the crew rather than their tormentor. Nonetheless, despite Ned's death being a 'good' thing, Ed is traumatized and he and Stede still have ill-advised sex about it. Izzy can definitely still sing La Vie en Rose during.

Episode Eight: Zheng has (like in canon) been collecting all of the pirates in the Caribbean into her alliance. Now she's finally coming for the Revenge. It's them against dozens of ships. I think, since I'm making Zheng more of a straightforward antagonist than a reluctant ally, I have to break up Olu/Zheng. That's okay. In fact, it can make a nice parallel – sometimes people grow apart and it's not anyone's 'fault', it's just life. Are Stede and Ed also growing apart, or will they find a path forward together?

Stede comes up with what someone describes as a suicide mission. Ed says, 'what if we don't commit suicide?' He wants to live. He wants to be happy. He's still grappling with having killed Low, and he realizes that he can't do that again – can't even put himself in a situation where it might be kill or be killed. He proposes they surrender and just go and live on land somewhere. Why not? What is piracy good for, even, other than violence and theft? Izzy makes his speech about belonging to something. The crew – which has been swaying back and forth, debating both for and against fighting Zheng – is convinced, and decide to go to battle. Ed isn't. He agrees that community is important, that it was there when he needed it, that he'll always be glad he had it, but he can't stay. He's changing. This is him changing, for real. He and Izzy have a final exchange about Ed moving on and Izzy accepting it.

Ed and Stede have an emotional goodbye, where Ed says that he won't be like Anne & Mary – he won't let Stede leave piracy for him, but maybe Stede can come and visit some time. They make some long-distance relationship jokes. Ed leaves. They're both being ~super~ mature and adult about it, but they're clearly both not really happy.

Stede and the crew prepare for battle. Lucius and Pete get married, as a last hurrah for the Revenge in case not everyone survives the coming confrontation. They carry out Stede's plan (I don't know what that is, I'm not an action scene writer, something cool and out-of-the-box. Though it's not like 'dress up in British uniforms' was a unique and exciting plan either). They succeed, either by defeating Zheng or just escaping for now. (Does Izzy die in battle? It doesn't really seem necessary. If he does, it's clearly about becoming one of the crew and they're the ones his death scene centers on, since Ed isn't even there.) There's a big celebration scene and/or funeral, and everyone is bonding, people are cheering Stede's plan, but Stede himself can't join in wholeheartedly. He's off in the corner, clearly not quite satisfied. He pulls aside Frenchie and tells him, "I have something to give you".

The final scene: Ed is working on his new career. Maybe he's running a bar & grill in the Republic of Pirates. He's not hiding who he is, even using the Blackbeard name for PR, but it's not a fighting-focused career. Stede walks up, clearly unexpected, and Ed's like, "thought it'd take a lot longer for your first visit." Stede gets a big speech about piracy. Everyone's gotten to define it for themselves; for Ed it was about violence, for Izzy community. (Maybe some of the rest of the crew have gotten to voice their own takes as well.) Stede says that for him, piracy means freedom. That's what he was dreaming of, when he first set out to be a pirate, what he's been looking for his whole life – the freedom to be who he really is. Ed says, "and who are you?" Stede replies, "the man who loves you." They kiss.

We get an overhead shot, swinging out to sea, with the Revenge sailing away with Frenchie as captain. Distantly, we hear Ed and Stede talking as sound fades out –

Ed: You promise you're not going to burn down my bar when you get bored? Stede: Why would I be bored? I have so many ideas! Theme nights, cocktail recipes, waitstaff uniforms... Ed: Hey, what happened with Zheng? Stede: Oh, she might hunt me down for revenge. Another reason we won't be bored!

[afterthegreatunknown]

Okay, so going on my reblog spree of Olivia Caliban, both Book!Olivia and Netflix!Olivia, it actually got me thinking about Netflix ASOUE as a whole with the production, mainly the scripts.

Considering how Daniel Handler revealed that he was heavily involve in S1 and the beginning parts of S2, with him getting less involve in the later parts of S2 and for all of S3 (because it seems the email asking him to not be involve anymore happened around the time S3′s scripts were ready to be edited?)...

Is Captain Widdershins’ demotion to cameo and much of his character being combine into Fiona possibly connected to this?

Stay with me. This will make sense.

We know Daniel Handler was involve with all the scripts,and well, we know things always change in the editing process. We know that Charles was supposed to originally appear in TPP, but that was change to Babs due to his actor becoming unavailable. Sure, that is an actor-change factor, but there’s always changes in adapting characters and plot points from the original source from the get-go, which the example given is one. Charles was at the hotel with Sir in the books, and Sir got replaced with Jerome, a character already appearing TPP, taking his place. 

Olivia Caliban and her subplot is one another example of the original source being change for the adaptation that has me thinking a bit more.

Book!Olivia is a woman who lost herself in the role of Madame Lulu, always trying to make everyone happy by giving them what they want. Olivia is a coward of sorts, and sees the Baudelaires as a chance to become noble again. But her flaw on making others happy allowed her to help Olaf one last time. As such, it gives her death of being eaten by lions give the readers much to think about; mix feelings of being upset by Olivia enduring such a violent death, though also angry at Olivia’s decision to give up the Baudelaires.

Netflix!Olivia is a noble character through and through, hell bent on helping the Baudelaires and Quagmires. The woman left her job of being a school librarian for children she didn’t knew very long (and while the job is poor due to how early it closes, Olivia clearly love her profession). Olivia’s noble character changes her death into being something that is 100% needed to be upset over. It needs the Baudelaires and the viewers to mourn without doubt, to not have mix feelings over, for she doesn’t give up the Baudelaires out.

Olivia Caliban’s character changed almost as a whole. Netflix!Olivia is almost a new character that has elements of Book!Olivia. While Jacques and Kit sort of fell into this, Olivia really got hit with it hard.

Really, it has me wondering how Daniel Handler feels about the major changes to Olivia’s character. As well as Jacques and Kit. And Larry, and everyone else involve in VFD who is or isn’t involve in VFD in the adaptation.

I don’t want to assume that Daniel Handler was growing unhappy and frustrated by the changes of characters (and plot points) from the initial scripts that were written when he was involve. BUT, given that Daniel Handler was involve with the 2004 movie and the production was well...a mess, and Daniel Handler grew to basically dislike it with a passion and let it known at times...

If Daniel Handler was potentially growing unhappy and frustrated with the characters changes (and plot points) of the initial season two scripts prior to being being less involve/being ask to be no longer involve, I can sort of see Daniel Handler during the initial season three scripts, trying to keep what he was envision back in season one (and early season two) in a small way.

I mean, Daniel Handler himself was the one who decided to remove Widdershins from the initial TGG script making, for the writers found Widdershins’ decision to abandon the Baudelaires and Fiona (for the unknown swimming woman) difficult to adapt. While I’m in the minority, maybe the only person, to think Widdershins could work as a character in Netflix ASOUE, I must admit that Widdershins working on the show can only work if and only if he went through a drastic change to fit within the world of Netflix ASOUE and Netflix’s VFD to where he’s likely to be a Captain Widdershins in name only. Not quite to Olivia Caliban’s level, but he’ll get second place.

And like, given all we know the mess that is the 2004 Movie, if Daniel Handler was potentially growing slowly unhappy and frustrated with the show and history is repeating itself again, I do see him as the sort to cut his own character out was more than saving the narrative of TGG, but the vision he had for Netflix ASOUE as an adaptation all the way back in season one.

[mistchievous]

Saying he was fully in charge of his hair for the first time was a bad choice of words. I mean more that his parents strike me as the sort to heavily dictate what his style was growing up, and Eddie seems the type to just go with that. It was easier, and it suited him well enough, so why bother to change, ya know?

But in the military, he would've been completely not in charge. It needed function and to meet the dress code so he probably just kept it short rather than messing with gels or stuff, even when he was at home.

Plus I imagine Shannon liked it soft and product free, easier to stroke a hand over.

But now, in LA, he styles it. He's clearly experimented, even if only a little, with gels and mousse and a brush technique that isn't straight back away from my face.

S3 hair was best, S4 was a little too carefully-ruffled, and sadly I'm yet to see any of S5 (I'm not paying £30 a month to get it) outside of clips and stills, but it looks better.

You veered away from our joking back and forth about the best hairstyle and went meta with it. 😂

That's fine. We can talk Eddie's hair. That's a hot topic with me anyway. 🤣

We've had entire discussions about his hair before. Particularly his Season 3 hair and what led to that and the symbolism of allowing it to grow out again in Season 4. And then from that post, @extasiswings does that thing she always does and went even deeper turning the evolution of his hair into an entire character study in this fic here.

There are different ways to look at this.

That being said, before I continue, I honestly think his Season 2 hair was just a decision on the part of whoever was in charge of Ryan's style when he was first brought on. And they probably just went "Hmmm. 🤔 This seems sexy! 😏"

But let's talk about it inside the narrative instead!

While I'm certainly no fan of Diaz parents, I honestly don't think they'd have been dictating his hairstyle into his late teens and early adulthood. That seems like a bit of a reach.

I do agree that when he was young he probably didn't care, but I'm gonna bring up Chapel's reply on this post from earlier:

Because whether there's a narrative decision behind his style for Season 2 or we're headcanoning something here, I think it's highly likely that he got out of the army and went right back to what he knew.

That he fell back into how he styled his hair before enlisting because that's what he was used to. That's what he knew how to do.

And that would kind of make sense when you consider what I mentioned jokingly (but also not jokingly) earlier that it was too young for him and didn't quite work. That it seemed like an older man trying to style his hair in a way he thought was cool and attractive only to miss and seem like he's trying too hard. Little things like how thin his hair looked around his hairline at times and how it looked thinner than it should around the edges for that kind of style don't lead me to believe it's a new style for him.

It comes across to me as something that worked before, so he went back without realizing that it doesn't work the same way anymore. I don't really see it as something that developed post-service.

I'm not going to repeat everything from the posts I've linked above for what I think happened with his hair from S2 to S3 and even S3 to S4. You can read them if you're curious.

I absolutely do not agree that his S3 hair was his best look. I literally mentioned in those other posts that I think he cut it off to avoid having to focus on it in his grief.

But I'll admit that what does and doesn't look best on him is all a matter of opinion.

In Season 4, his hair began to grow out again, and I've talked about the symbolism of that before. But I think it's a bit notable that it was kept so neat and carefully styled. Everything with Eddie in Season 4 had to be picture-perfect. From his hair to his relationship to his pillows. Everything had to look right.

And we see it being a bit less controlled in Season 5 as those picture-perfect ideas fall to pieces around him. His relationship. His mental health. Himself. It's there and he works at it, but every strand is not in place. There's still a lot more of Season 5 left to go, so we'll see what happens.

But his hair is definitely an interesting topic.

At least to me. 😂

[stray-tori]

TPN S02E10+E11 Initial Thoughts (anime-only)

Sorry for posting this so late (it was finished in my drafts for like a month why did I NOT POST???). since i dont have a lot to say for either, I’ll combine ep10 and ep11 into one post.

.

Season Thoughts overall

Overall: not a lot of hype or feelings. I don’t really want to say I don’t care but I was more invested in singular elements than actually seeing it unravel in front of me. I personally like that better than hating it (which I’m glad I don’t particularly feel betrayed or anything), though I guess based on the angle you could argue that anger often comes from a place of caring in those situations so-- maybe it’s a bad sign, but either way, I prefer it this way. the time when it was just stressful hurt.

Though it also hurts to know it’s truly over now (well, there’s the manga, but knowing that I waited for... little payoff haha) -- especially when they kind of teased how it could continue. I respect wanting to wrap it up but tbh just cutting it when they stay behind would have done it too pff-

maybe this will change upon rewatch but for now, here’s my “hype”/investment chart for tpn over the weeks:

I don’t want to call it “quality” because I’m not sure I’m being fair to that at all. I can tell its faults and at this point, I don’t care that much, but that is how I felt each week. active discontent is worse than being neutral for me.

I do think a 12th episode would have help not rush the Ratri exposition as much and maybe have some more of a through line to their quest. Even if it's more slideshow i would have liked a bit more context personally.

.

EPISODE 10

that was truly a doctor stone moment where they just built something super impressive (the balloons) out of.... somewhat nowhere haha.

I'm so glad Vincent stuff was just a classic CW cliffhanger-force pfff- I mean why it exists is questionable but I’m glad they didn’t force a conflict into it so late.

Mujika and Sonju went brrr on converting all those civillians haha

Will Emma ever get an epic action shot again, probably not.

Week 4 of wondering if the hideout Cislo or Vincent referenced will come back. at this point probably not but I guess if everyone is basically on their side already, they have the time to go collect every human in the world. [future tori: sadly the show did not] - or Mujika may help collect other humans and bring them to safety! I think I would have preferred a grey ending a la "we go over but who knows what happens" there but I'm still curious how it'll pan out specifically.

When Emma spoke to everyone over the farm speakers I was big emotional--

Somehow all the moms are instantly on their side despite being brainwashed all their lives? I guess maybe Isabella planted the seeds all this time and that’s the implication. It fell a little flat though

Also it implies that the sister/mom that urged Phil to get ready actually knew of the plan right? WHY IS EVERYONE SO OMINOUS pfff-

MICHELLE THOUGH!!! Its herrrrr. that’s a nice nod.

i liked how the tunnels of Sonju and Mujika came back around plot-wise :)

.

EPISODE 11

they didnt forget the kids from the mass production farms hazahhh (?) :D

it is kind of hard to unthink that none of the GF kids have reacted to Norman being alive lmao

i would have accepted a cut after the gate closed too tbh, but on the other hand it was rly nice to see the kids in the human world and see some of the frames of the demon world quest

in particular the one on water because it's also in the ratri exposition so I like that it's not completely random.

it is however very random and while I love to put some pieces together myself, I feel like there’s WAY TOO LESS to go off of in this case.

If you're gonna do a charlotte at least give them the 12th episode to work with but oh well

I feel like they could have done the slideshow over the ending but I guess saving effort wherever possible is a goal here sadly.

it's just.... the minimal runtime really hurts it - like a lot of it isn’t downright bad but it’s just so short-lived that it falls flat

as someone who's written very time-jumpy stuff too, I also sympathize because it's kind of hard to do a quick time "overview" right without just throwing in random moments.

I don't mind the slideshow for the exposition, it had a nice astethic and I don't have anything against it inherently bc you can't really quickly show moments after each other if it's not still images. like if its animated its kinda jarring bc stuff moves and its also just on screen for a short moment so i personally dont have anything against the slideshow itself

I do like the general ideas and concepts but it just felt like "okay that happened"

Because it feels like they are building on something with like that standing on water creature in the Ratri exposition and then in the time skip frames, but stuff around a lot of it and other things are just missing and that's why it falls kind of flat. Idk if that made sense. I'm not really angry or upset anymore, which I'm glad about. The elements i like i like and that's that. Though of course. I'll miss the anime. Even the mess of s2 haha because it still had those elements and I could see how it could have worked. Episode 9 however was insulting pff.

I would have also liked some info about how and where they live now tbh 

like that weird on water dragon and the demon in front of it appearing during the ratri expostion and then with Emma - maybe he's like..... the promise manager? "hello we would like to apply for a promise slot. thank you"

it's funny they were fine in the human world immediately when it was set up as "maybe unwelcome". and where did they even get out?? is there just a big ass gate at the ocean haha

I guess the gate just stays open and they can visit Mujika and Sonju from time to time or something? :D Or did they close it? NOBODY KNOWS bc everything is vague

The last episode (ep10) left me wanting nothing.

This episode at least left me wanting more. More of their quest getting all the children. More of the trio in the human world. Just more... And I think that’s better than not caring at all.

[tibby]

hello dearest tubular tibby. this is a big question but when do you think glee went wrong? like, what was the point of no return? and what would glee have been like if it was written by you? i would pay a lot of money to see glee: a tibby production and i dont have a lot of money. Sending you lots of love!

a year ago, i probably would have told you that it went downhill after season one, but revisiting season two has made me a lot of fonder of it than i was ten years ago. i still prefer s1, but i do think s2 - for the most part - does manage to keep the campy charm of season one, while balancing it out nicely with more serious topics. most of the musical numbers are good (rocky horror is one of their best, if not THE best theme episode they did), it has some of the standout episodes of the show (the substitute, furt, the sue sylvester shuffle, silly love songs, blame it on the alcohol, sexy), the cast were solid all around, and ryan murphy’s favouritism towards lea and darren had yet to impact the show too much. i think some plots weren’t handled as well as they should have (as a quinn stan, i have a lot of feelings about how all of her storylines could have been written so much better, but the lucy stuff would have been such a good way to delve more into her insecurities/body issues/obsession with perfection - instead, it was just a weird fatphobic mess), but i think stuff like santana’s sexuality and burt’s heart attack were pretty decent for glee. like, yeah, burt’s near death is intercut with finn singing losing my religion over a sandwich, but the weird mix of heart and humour is what made glee work, and you can’t expect more from a show that often covered hot topics with all the subtlety of a hand grenade.

and i’m an unapologetic riverdale stan, i love that show because it’s ridiculous and dramatic and over the top and illogical. because riverdale is self aware about that. and glee, for all its many flaws, was pretty self aware about that too in the beginning.

the problem started when the show got too caught up in its own fame.

season three continued to bring us ridiculous plots mixed in with serious ways, but it was no longer a perfect balancing act. it no longer felt as if it was fun but also touching, it just felt....messy. i’m not sure if i could pinpoint the exact moment it fell apart, because s3 was just a disaster that i erased from my memory as much as i could...but, i don’t know, maybe on my way? shoving regionals, karofsky’s suicide attempt (intercut with blaine singing cough syrup), finn and rachel’s near wedding, and quinn getting hit by a truck into 42 minutes was just...Bad. and it’s the kind of thing glee s1 might have just managed to pull off, but in s3, it just meant all the plots fell flat and lacked the emotional punch they could have otherwise delivered. no longer did glee have that spark that made us willing to overlook stupid plots and contrived relationships. it suddenly just became an overly complicated disaster that tried to shove as many social issues as it could into every episode to get people talking. also, if you didn’t care much for blaine/klaine and rachel, then every episode started to feel like a marathon. characters who had been there since the start were pushed aside, and boring/tacky/underdeveloped characters like sugar, the irish guy, and the christian guy were shoved in.

but i STILL think glee would be looked back on fondly had s3 been it. it absolutely was beginning to fall apart, and a lot of us fell out of love around this time, but their final few episodes made us love it again. paradise by the dashboard light is hands down the best new directions performance, and their overall nationals performance gave everyone a chance to shine. plots were wrapped up, the glee club won, and we were treated to an adorable montage set to tongue tied by grouplove. everyone was happy, they had their futures ahead of them, and people were teary eyed at the thought of saying goodbye to our kids. curtain call, fade to black, play them out. a ridiculous teen drama that existed in the only years were it really could have to make the kind of impact it made and get away with the stuff they did. nothing else like it, let us cherish the memories we made.

but then it continued. and nearly every new character felt like cheap replacements of the original cast, and plots were handled with less care than ever before but things were more serious, they ran out of songs to cover, there were constant and needless guest stars...it was no longer a show about a group of underdogs triumphing over adversity by singing avril lavigne songs. it was a shoddily stuck together mess of recycled storylines, unhealthy relationships, increasingly bad song choices, and matthew morrison’s greasy hair. glee, put simply, was no longer fun. and it didn’t have enough heart to redeem the lack of entertainment. we stopped tuning in, and those who kept up only did because of characters they had fallen in love with during season one. it had become exhausting, and we decided to cut our losses from one of our first big show betrayals and leave.

(sidebar: i do think that the quarterback might be the best episode of the entire show, but i think it’s an outlier and really...can’t be counted with the rest. it exists solely because of a real life tragedy, and real life emotions were going to make it entire something else entirely. it can’t really be included in the chart of “good glee” and “bad glee,” because it wasn’t about the show. it was about cory, and i don’t think it should be included in my overall opinion of when the show jumped the shark.)

i’ve tried watching some of the “better” episodes of the later seasons to see how i felt, but that charm was long gone. no matter which characters they brought back, or what plots took place, there was just no more enjoyment in glee. the spark that made season one shine despite everything had completely gone out. it had dimmed a bit over season two and three, but could still shine through sometimes. not anymore.

all that said, i don’t think i could ever write a show like glee, let alone glee itself. glee was not a show that could have been made before 2009, and it isn’t a show that could be made now. RIB’s insanity and jackassery might have brought about the show’s eventual downfall, but it’s also what made it work at the start. too much of a good thing - or rather, just enough of a bad thing. glee influenced riverdale and riverdale influences me (SPRINGFIELD, coming soon!) but that show was one of a kind. if i were in charge, but the general tone and vibes of the show got to remain the same, i guess my biggest thing would be less of blaine and rachel and brittany and kurt, more of quinn and mercedes and tina and santana. both as characters and their various dynamics. but that’s also just my personal character/ship preferences at work, as opposed to anything constructive. glee: a tibby production, would just be a lot of quinn character study (because she will always be my number one) in which her family, body image, religious guilt, relationship to motherhood both as a mother and child, sexuality, view of sex, etc were all properly explored.

but that’s a whole other thing.

[authoratmidnight]

Konami didnt cut ties with Gallop. Konami cut ties with NAS, who hires Gallop as independent contractors. Around last year I believe NAS and its parent company was going through some restructuring, which could explain some things. (1)

Also, DSOD wasnt the one that affected ArcV. DSOD called back veteran animators who no longer work at Gallop as one last hurrah, and the Gallop ones returned by midway ArcV. What mainly caused the mess was ArcV's writer Kamishiro not having a consistent script or plan. Apparently animators werent getting info on time, didnt know what to draw and were forced to make up details on the fly. (2)

This also delayed them from working on Vrains (the next series usually gets worked on one year prior), hence why at Jump Festa 2016, only an image of Yusaku was shown and vague plot details  that dont match up to what we eventually got (rmb when ppl though Yusaku would be shy?). Compare that with Zexal, ArcV and Sevens that all got actual video trailers, something was clearly off behind the scenes. (3)

By the end of ArcV a bunch of outsource animation teams quit (and some in-house as well, like Ebina, which was a serious loss cuz iirc he's been directly trained at Gallop for a while), which left Gallop running on fumes and they had to bring in a different director for Vrains' first 13 eps (apparently he's known for managing serious crunch productions), and also why in S1 there's so much repeated animation, recap episodes, and a minimal cast. (4)

Vrains never truly recovered even during S2 and S3, which probably led to it ending early, along with NAS' restructuring. Plus Konami seems to have wanted a fresh start for Sevens/Rush Duels, which could also explain why there's no Vrains manga.  Last I heard Gallop helped out on Digimon after that, so thankfully they werent shut down, though its unknown if they'll ever come back as the main studio. (5)

As further proof that DSOD is not what derailed ArcV and subsequently Vrains, a TV anime & movie at the same time already happened with 5D's and BBT. There's a mild stumble in 5D's animation but that was it. The next show Zexal turned out fine and in fact is the one with the least issues. ArcV's issues are its own, where the head writer couldnt agree on a direction, got too ambitious, didnt plan ahead, caused extreme crunch that it burnt away a lot of goodwill and animators fled after that (6)

Huh ok, I didn’t realize it was NAS. Everything I heard was that it was Gallop. Either way tho they stopped working with Gallop in the end.

I swear i remember hearing somewhere that DSOD did take some of the resources that Arc V was using (idk if it was animators or what) so Arc V ended up working with less. At the very least the creation of DSOD seemed to coincide with Arc V beginning to struggle.

I DID know about the animators not getting shit on time cause I remember seeing a tweet about that. I think it was why Zarc/Zarc’s monsters where, like that. They’re wizards for managing to actually give us stuff tho.

I wonder if that’s why Dragon!Zarc was just, never consistent in what he looked like. No model prepped to work from.

I have to admit, I have no idea what reveals were like for Zexal or Arc V cause I jumped in part way through A5 so VRAINS was my intro to that, but I do remember getting a short clip for Sevens. And yeah, the whole ‘taking a step forward’ and ‘being new to dueling’ aspects just, don’t exist (unless it’s everyone else’s perspective on Yusaku lol). I always did wonder what happened with that.

The poor first director. I knew about VRAINS have two different directors and why all the recaps in s1 (and the poor guy constantly apologizing) and how director one got replaced.

Poor VRAINS had so many behind the scenes production issues. Sad. So much wasted potential.

I have no idea if Gallop helped out on Digimon but I did hear that Noh Gil-bo did some work on it. And I think some of the animators went to work on Shadowverse (which is why some ppl said it felt more ‘yugioh’ than Sevens, which is a lie cause Sevens still feels very ygo to me). I hope the other animators found good work.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

Genuine question what is billions even about I see clips all the time and I cannot figure out what the plot is besides like “business” but I am very much in love w Taylor Mason (i think that’s their last name?) so I am intrigued ...

oh i’m so glad you asked

yeah it’s not at all a Just You thing, not only do we often only post about a particular slice of the series, it’s just REALLY difficult to get (or provide. but i’m always up for the challenge) a sense of what Billions is like as a series like, genre wise, and re: the plot, my god, every [usually more than 50 min but less than an hour] episode is a journey, in that So much will have happened. it moves at a Pace, i can tell you. but you know, good news in that it’s not really necessary to explain every plot thread ever, b/c it’s as much about its Themes or what have you

the stats rundown is billions is a weekly showtime tv series partway through its 5th season (12 episodes per season, currently they are producing the last half of s5 but had been on pandemic production hiatus for the past year, we do not yet know when the rest of s5 will air, s6 was greenlit a while ago) this isn’t really need to know for this question lol, but you don’t need to Not know either

the like, content Rundown is that yeah, it’s business, mostly high finance, although one of the main characters is always doing Legal Stuff (don’t care really b/c that side of things is not generally as relevant to, yes, taylor mason, who Makes the series). the kind of overarching Theme / premise is that the show is about like, here’s these Conflicts between people who are wielding some power in various ways, looking at the motivations of the individuals involved / the Cause And Effect web of these conflicts between them, e.g. how the consequences / fallout of one Power Play Maneuver will affect someone else’s storyline and result in them executing their own maneuvers, and of course, the pitfalls of all of this. more specifically, the series kicks off with the two (then (taylor is introduced in season 2) mainest characters, Axe, ceo of a hedge fund, and Chuck, some kind of lawyer who decides to go after axe b/c axe thinks he’s hot shit (true) and chuck is like ohhh i gotta do something about this guy. so there’s an Unending Conflict, axe vs chuck, an ongoing back and forth series of small or more overarching battles, and of course sometimes alliances, because there’s a Lot of characters on this show and we’re in season 5 so there’s been plenty of other Conflicts introduced besides this particular ongoing war. also, uh oh, chuck’s wife wendy works for the hedge fund axe runs! that’s just a whole wrench in things. as some sort of like, in house therapist performance coach sort of deal, thanks wendy, she’s also fairly a Main Character

axe is somewhat more relevant for our purposes b/c that’s that Finance side of the show via which taylor is introduced. but yeah both axe and chuck are exasperating lmfao like, this isn’t a show where it’s about the Likeability of whatever main character where like, you’re rooting for the obviously righteous / justified person or anything, it’s more about being along for the ride where you get to know Why people are engaging in these conflicts for sure, but like, unless you’re one of plenty of fans who maybe aren’t bringing the most Insight to the show who find any of this like, aspirational Epic Winner stuff like hell yeah axe or chuck as the Cool Guy Who Deserves To Win lmfao, being along for the ride is knowing that you’re just getting to watch this unfolding mess, so that’s “fun” lol

to get more to the point, yeah Taylor Mason is again the best part of the series lol, they’re introduced early in s2 as a Very Talented young iintern at axe capital (axe’s hedge fund) who, yknow, part of what makes axe an Eventful character to center things around is he’s (sometimes) capable re: all these strategic finance maneuvers, and also all “i don’t play by the rules,” which can often mean like, the actual rules like “no insider trading please” or more kinda implicit moral rules like “don’t keep taking Business Advantage over people’s deaths,” and here means that even though taylor is this early to mid 20something intern with no experience in finance who’s not even, at that juncture, necessarily planning to stay in the industry, he’s like yeah they’re valuable and i’m not gonna hold them back from that potential / opportunities * just because they’re a 20something new to the industry intern who definitely doesn’t behave in the Usual Way around here and is also a canon nonbinary character, thanks ( * you might not believe it, but axe does not proceed to only ever be a potential encouraging, opportunity creating ally* (*although, one nice thing is that they....almost always....have axe adamantly hold everyone who works with him to respecting taylor as a nonbinary person, at least in how they address taylor. b/c taylor Does get misgendered periodically, which can be exhausting, but they also aren’t exactly striving to hold it to what might be most “””realistic””” so like, taylor isn’t subject to transphobia and misgendering All The Time either) and so taylor very quickly goes beyond internship at axe cap, to the extent that when, at the end of season 2, axe effectively leaves them in charge of the whole fund when his own fuckups mean he temporarily Can’t helm axe cap

aaand then s3 starts off with taylor running things but has axe return Officially in charge soon enough, so there’s problems there, in that axe is now pulling taylor Back, and like, axe is alllllll about his ego, so it’s like, of course he’d Want taylor to have been able to successfully run axe cap while he couldn’t, since it’s his fund, but then of course he’s also mad about it b/c he needs everyone, like taylor, to know he’s better & more winning than them. and taylor doesn’t appreciate now being more sabotaged and stifled and that, like, if they’re mad about being treated this way, axe is just gonna be mad about That b/c you know, why aren’t they Only grateful to their mentor or deferential to his Skill And Experience, as well as the fact that no matter how much of an Ally you are to him, he’ll be mad if you’re not unilaterally loyal, aka if he fucks you over you can’t be mad about it or that’s actually a way you’re wronging Him, and you’re also wronging him if yknow, you say he can’t/shouldn’t just do what he wants, or do anything that to him implies you don’t think he’s objectively the Best most Winning and Deserving guy in whatever regards, like, if you’re associated with someone who makes him feel insecure in his superiority for one moment, and/or who he thinks doesn’t also recognize his superiority or something, he’ll be mad at you.......the Conflicts can arise v easily around here with this beloved character walking around. so, yeah, whereas season 2 for taylor is more like wow taylor you’ve got all this potential and value here, in season 3 taylor’s sure got reason to question their future at axe cap (see this post resident Billions / Taylor Mason Pro soph made last night) and, when not only are they and axe just more often going head to head over what they want here, there’s also this added egregious conflict of “taylor starts seeing this guy oscar who’s also in finance (but not at axe cap) and when they ask axe for some input on a matter via which they intended to help oscar out, axe uses that Information taylor just used to fuck oscar over to his own advantage, and when taylor is like ‘what the hell’ axe is just like ‘what’d you expect!! i gotta be me!!! if you expected anything different, that’s on you, and if you Did expect me to do this, that’s also on you’ because i’m sure it’s a surprise to hear that axe considers himself this like, force of nature where all his feelings and motivations and justifications are Objective and Correct, and then taylor has to tell oscar what happened and naturally this ends the relationship, to their evident further unhappiness” and oops, season 3 ends with taylor having started their own hedge fund.

i could give a tl;dr for what happens over the course of s4 & (so far in) s5, but i think the s2/s3 arcs are kinda the Essential Lore for explaining this character who crashes into the show (not in that their character tends to crash, their arrival and presence is clearly somewhat of a shakeup re: the norm, but they themself are all about staying balanced and Not being driven by tumultuous emotional impulses or anything like that, *cough, the characters they are quite a Foil to in this way*) and quickly ascends to Main Charactership. (also just remembered the other stats note that taylor is played by asia kate dillon, who is themself nonbinary.) another element that is a lot of fun re: taylor is that they have like, the series’ best Friendship lol, the show is not very conducive to a bunch of characters having a bunch of heartwarming relationships, though they sure Do appreciate those characters and let us see a lot of Dynamics at play even beyond the “these people are locked in conflict” plots and characterful interactions and moments for their own sakes, and Alliances, even friendships, sure are the other side of the Ongoing Conflicts coin here. but what i’m getting around to is that taylor gets to be good buds with mafee, a Guy who was working at axe cap already in season 1, who, along with ben kim (Another Guy At Axe Cap in S1, who we are also fans of) is like, one of the actually nice(r) people around there, and who is just like. such this Hapless Cishet Dude lmfaooo but he also happens to be the guy overseeing taylor’s (and presumably others’) internship, and is yknow, maybe kinda conflicted about “i’ve Been an actual employee this whole time and there goes an intern rocketing past me” but is also Supportive towards taylor, and taylor in turn is an Ally to him, and they are Friends, and when taylor starts their own fund, Taylor Mason Capital, mafee is the person from axe cap who helps them do it and leaves axe cap to work for them there. there’s also a part in s4, after an arc in the middle of the season ended up with taylor taking quite an emotional L, mafee has gone and confronted Responsible Parties over it and, naturally, ended up in a charity interfund Boxing Match (which, a] billions is deliberately Wild plenty of times in both its Elevated Dialogue style but also just like, things that happen lol but b] apparently that’s something that can & does happen in real life in hedge fund world. absolutely bizarre to learn this kind of stuff) taylor kinda gives him this pep talk including “asking you to come with me (to TMC, mase cap, their fund) was the best decision i ever made” and even back then, when we’d just started paying attention to the show fairly recently and weren’t exactly familiar with everyone and everything going on, it was like oh i Gotta post that clip lmao

there are many other side characters, this is a very Populated show, including like, recurring characters, people liable to be introduced at various points who might become regulars Or make repeat appearances but more periodically Or be around for part of a season, but naturally also i am mentioning one specific side character of Winston (No Official Last Name), who is a Quant, aka a quantitative rather than fundamental analyst, who first appeared in One Scene at the start of season 3 when taylor was looking to hire some quants for a project, but did not succeed, and the character (then only Quant Kid 2) was only meant to have that one appearance, but delightfully everyone wanted him back and they wrote more material for him asap. taylor later brings him on to their quant project, which is revealed to be part of what ensures they can start their own fund, and in season 4 winston is apparently the head of the quant team at mase cap, and he continues to appear as taylor’s main Quant. could go into a long (and, as he’s not a Main Character and it’s easier to cover his material, very thorough) tangent there lol but you’re asking about taylor and i’m only bringing up winston b/c technically he Is relevant there lmfao but also, i have to, and [tfw this side character quant who was originally only going to appear in one brief scene was the reason you got into this series in the first place and now it’s like well, We’re Here Forever, and also, taylor mason is The character]

natch you must’ve noticed if you’re sending me an ask about billions, but if you like taylor mason you Gotta be following @nothingunrealistic the #1 Tayficianado and who has also recently nobly finished Actually Properly Watching Billions and who can give you all kinds of info about the character / series, there’s A LOT to cover and it’s kinda impossible to convey some stuff w/o simply experiencing things yourself firsthand lmfao but also, we think about these characters and this show every day for like, two years and running, so. as you can see......totally willing to talk about it at any time to any extent lol

[afraschatz]

Leverage: The 12 Steps Job

It‘s been a while since I‘ve done one of these, but I‘m rewatching Leverage yet again (SHOW, I MISSED YOU) and here are plenty of things I love about ‚The 12 Step Job‘: I love…

… The montage of Hurley in the car and how he walks into his office. Man, that is one NEAT character introduction because when you first watch this, of course he could pass as an absolute jerk and the baddie of the week – despite the client‘s description of him as enthusiastic and sweet. But at the same time this is just how he is later on in this ep and when he returns in The Boys‘ Night Out Job: An absolute slob and a complete mess but also very congenial (how much he knows about all his co-workers? Sweet) and with his heart in the right place.

… Nate being a complete dick and so fucking in denial about his alcohol problem here. I haven‘t watched season one in a while and it‘s so interesting how his and Sophie‘s relationship is so different here (the biggest shift of course being between s2 and s3 where Nate decides to take a vacation in prison and Sophie runs the crew in the meantime – this changes things forever). But it‘s so cool how Gina‘s acting walks the thin line between being the one who is absolutely in the right here and being just that bit annoying that allows Nate to justify implying that she‘s overly dramatic

… Eliot‘s hair is ON FIRE in that episode, wow and that blue shirt *chef‘s kiss*

… how the team works together in figuring out where Hurley might be. Yes, it‘s season one and Nate is very much calling the shots – and he is the one narrowing it down here – but Eliot and Hardison specifically absolutely pitch in.

… Sophie‘s and Eliot‘s little eyeroll at Hardison‘s dropping strip club knowledge

… ‘if Billy was a drunken sex fiend’ – hahaha, Parker, spot on as always – and Eliot‘s and Hardison‘s responding expressions. Come on, boys, don‘t deny it, you‘re in love with her already.

… that look on Nate‘s face when he figures out how to find Hurley. His whole expression changes, his gaze focusses, he leans forward and that drunken haze is gone for the moment

… how Eliot and Hardison constantly share the same frame <3

… Eliot‘s little DELIGHTED smile. Okay, his and Hardison‘s delight in strip joints doesn‘t quite fit later seasons, so we all can just agree that Hardison asking for change for 100 in singles is just because they really want to tip generously for the chicken wings there or something :)

… Eliot‘s and Hardison‘s synchronized walk off

… ‘Don‘t get mad, Eliot, I may have spilled slushie in your car’ and his badly acted expression of contrition hahaha, no one is buying that, Hardison

… Eliot and Hardison being extremely sexy in sitting in Eliot’s car (and as so often, look at the perfect way that shot is lit! Hardison’s and Eliot’s faces both fricking glow)

… very smartly dressed random thugs

… the messy way the fight scene is shot – close ups and very wobbly camera moves, and how you can still tell how efficiently Eliot fights and how… well not all that efficiently Hardison is. And yes, again, it’s season one, so Hardison grabs the gun and shoots it, too, instead of just sitting back and chilling while he watches Eliot beat people up (which is way better than the strip joint idea anyway)

… Eliot being annoyed with Hardison

… ‘Is he sleeping?’ LOL, yes, Sophie, that’s why Hurley is using the air bag as a pillow

… Nate looking progressively more like the absolute mess he is as the episode progresses

… - how confusing is it that Sterling’s Theme is used and Sterling isn’t immediately around the next corner? That is SO cool because yes, he shows up later, or rather: withdrawal!Nate hallucinates him; and so his theme music this early in the episode is almost like foreshadowing

… everyone in group therapy apparently understanding Sam perfectly well aside from Nate

… Parker having to read from the cheat sheet she wrote onto her lower arm to get her three-sentence-character-intro right

… Hurley’s massive list of addiction, with the climax of “Tacos”

… “Uh-huh” - and Sophie and Nate having another fight while everyone else in the group is already tired of it. Especially Parker, if one were to judge by her VERY subtle expressions.

… Parker aggressively chewing on the meds the doctor gave her. I absolutely LOVE the way she constantly gives other people this uncensored WTF-look in season one

… Eliot being smart in the parking lot. I have so much love and respect for how that’s played here again – Eliot is the one who has to have 360 vision, it’s his job to anticipate problems in all forms and sizes

… Hardison’s bricks-on-the-seat plan. That’s so great because he might be the smartest guy Eliot knows TM, but he is fucking afraid here and panicking and that’s not conducive to coming up with super clever plans, is it?

… Hardison and Eliot working together while bitching at one another - “Yes, there are a lot of wires! It’s a Com-Pu-Ter!!”

… Hardison’s brain rebooting as he figures out that it’s a computer bomb and the system needs to be re-booted

… Eliot trusting Hardison’s knowledge, and Christian’s acting here – knowing Hardison is right, being low key annoyed by it, being just a bit unsettled (that lip quiver!) “Run that sack of bricks by me again...” - “Are you ready?” - “NO!”  and his trembling hand - he is so good at rapidly changing expressions and tones

… “I’m gonna go and freshen up a little bit. Maybe cry a little”

… Hardison thinking on his feet and that sweet Jamaican accent – Eliot thinking that is sexy, and backing him up with a bomb

… and again, Kane’s acting – that beat and that look before he says “Sure” when Hardison asks whether he’d have saved him as well

… Nate’s withdrawal. So well done. Over all, the show is SO good at showing that alcoholism is a sickness and a serious problem, even if (especially if!) Nate doesn’t acknowledge it

… HARDISON AND ELIOT’S DATE AT THE RECEPTION DESK. - So, while in the scene before, Hardison takes the lead in acting their way out of the situation, here it’s Eliot by shamelessly flirting with the receptionist. And Hardison’s FACE throughout this. Like, bro, do we have time for this? DO WE? - And then “I’m with him”. And Eliot trying so hard not to burst into laughter, especially when Hardison is doing that thing he is famous for which is shamelessly over-acting just to piss Eliot off. - The ringing of the reception bell and “Bring yo ass”. And none of that even being mentioned in the next scene. - So much quality content in this episode.

… Sophie taking over for Nate when Nate very obviously can’t, and her tone of voice changing to what we’ll get to know from season three Sophie

… Parker coming up with a believable story and selling it. Up to the point where her make believe parents found gold under their trailer…

… Nate’s withdrawal getting worse, Tim’s acting is brilliant here.

… Sophie talking differently to Nate than before. Yes, she still seems to focus on Nate and how Nate is being a dick to them and particularly her, but her voice is different and she uses the real emotion between her and Nate’s exchange to get what they need from Hurley; the list of people he wronged. Brilliant little twist here, because of course Sophie is focused on the con and on helping their client, especially now that Nate is threatening to lose his focus entirely

… that Genesis? Veeeeery subtle product placement, Leverage hahaha

… “I checked your notes - he seems like a deeply troubled man” - Thank you, doctor, yeah. Nate IS a deeply troubled man. And again: Nate’s withdrawal getting much worse, and the con threatening to get out of hand. I said it before, and I’ll say it again: It’s really great how they used this episode to focus so much on Nate’s alcoholism. It’s something so important not only for later seasons but also for the upcoming s1 finale, and we’ve watched enough episodes at this point that we understand WHY this happened to him. And this episode doesn’t offer an easy fix, nor do the following seasons. “Just give me something to do” is what Nate says here, and Sophie has to decide whether or not this is really the right thing to do

… “He is an addict, he knows how to manipulate people, my father was an addict, my grandfather was an addict, I know how these people operate” - yes, Nate, we know who you’re talking about. And so does Sophie

… Sterling as the one Nate hallucinates. Because Sterling knows him, because they used to be friends, because Sterling is as ruthless as Nate is (well, nearly), because Nate is still projecting and in denial that he is in fact talking about himself. So what does he do? He imagines his former friend who is now on the other side, chasing him. - I’m not too big a fan of Sterling in later seasons but this is such a STELLAR use of his character, and Mark’s acting is brilliant here, and so is, of course, Tim’s.

… “Knocking on heaven’s door” - ouch

… Nate’s aggression towards Hurley, first in a physical form and that is scary but also less dangerous because it’s unfocused; and then when his mind has something to focus on, that sharp sharp focus – fuck, he’s one scary dude indeed, it’s rather disconcerting that one is looking at Hurley for emotional reassurance in this scene…

… Parker’s strange walk because of her meds and the return on her focus when her thief-self kicks back in

… “If you’re doing it to help someone, doesn’t that make it okay?” Good question, Hurley. Your answer, Nate?

… Nate shoving Hurley in the hallway rather than explaining what’s going on. Funny, and sliiiightly sloppy, Mr Ford

...Tacos :)

… Eliot and Hardison sharing the same level of annoyance and then acceptance. So in tune in this episode, these two

… re-using that bomb. Everyone does their part in sustainability and careful usage of resources ;)

… the thugs thinking the bomb thing was done by the Jamaicans, aka Hardison and Eliot

… Eliot’s and Hardison’s reservations in the flashback. “Uh---why?” from Hardison and Eliot’s emphatic headshake

… the cash in the tire. Very practical choice, Hurley

… HURLEY JUST WANTS A HUG

… Hardison going the extra mile with Hurley’s new identity by getting him a gym membership

… Parker’s brilliant drawing!!!

… Parker smelling the Sharpie

… Parker running, PARKER HUGGING ELIOT AND HARDISON!!!! OT3!!!

… and that song, that is a variation of “What shall we do with the drunken sailor”, right?

Seriously, this is such a dark episode for Leverage standards because of that focus on Nate’s addiction, and yet, it’s counterbalanced by so much Hardison/Eliot fun and competence porn, by Sophie’s strength and by the fact that the villain of the week has a redemption arc. I love this show so much and this mix shows why again; such a delicate balance, so beautifully handled

[the-lightning-strikes-again]

I really don’t get why people keep saying Allura was SO awful or horrible to Keith after learning about his heritage. She just gave him the cold shoulder for an episode or two, and it’s not like they brought this up later in the show as a way for her to hold some other grudge against him. People are just blowing it up as something bigger than it actually was. And like many people have said, her liking or “suddenly” being nice to Lotor wasn’t bc oH he’s Altean (1/2)

Continued anon message: “There were several moments between their first close encounter and him revealing his heritage which prove that trust was developing before then, but I guess people just overlook those (2/2)”

Hi, anon! Thanks for the note! Yeah, haha, this topic of “is Allura racist?” is an interesting one because for me, it boils down to looking at the show’s design decisions and details. And those design decisions came from real human beings who aren’t any more objective than the rest of us. So as a content creator myself (who feels incredibly human and and whose stories and portrayals are also imperfect by virtue of their imperfect creator), I have to recognize that it’s impossible to create a totally woke, unproblematic creative product—and it’s also impossible to ensure that everyone around the world interprets everything in exactly the same way, no matter how well-intentioned the project.

That said, I do think a lot of fans are victims of how this show may have manipulated/gaslit them to feel, not just about Allura but also about other characters and events as well—and that there are benefits to analyzing what went wrong with VLD.

My hope is that, as content creators and fans, maybe we can learn from VLD’s narrative mistakes or even better understand how two fans can have totally opposing interpretations over the same creative work. In the case of VLD, as I’ve mentioned before, the show uses a screwy and imbalanced narrative lens when portraying victims. To add to that, the show design also consistently undermines details foundational to the show universe (such as using an unreliable narrator to express what the show actually accepts as objective fact or history). This is important, because the way in which something is told/shown ultimately manipulates audience emotion for or against something. This gets into how propaganda and subliminal messaging work at a technical level. And when the narrative lens is handled in a biased way that undermines other story elements, audience reaction/interpretation gets messy, no matter what the stated events/facts are in the story. We are attuned to pick up on cognitive dissonances (inconsistent patterns) as part of our human survival instinct.

I’m not convinced that VLD dev team wielded the Power of the Narrative Lens very well—if it had, season 2′s portrayal of the conflict with Keith and Allura would have looked different.

In an s2 with a more balanced narrative lens, we likely would have seen at least flashes of Allura’s memory, showing some s3 backstory of Allura’s fear upon realizing that previously faithful Galran allies were killing multiple civilizations upon an order from their own kind...and coming for Altea next. Or maybe there would have been something/someone else involving Allura’s traumatic experiences so that the audience could have an empathetic, emotionally connective moment with her. We would have, in equal parts, still seen Keith’s plight as the suffering saint trying to figure out what being half-Galra means. And we would have seen the other paladins trying to resolve the conflict and understand how to recalibrate together as a team and a family.

Instead, in provided canon, we see Hunk (of all people, why Hunk?) make racist microaggressions at Keith, further alienating Keith without any recourse. And for Allura, the visual lens shows her making a cold glare at Keith without further explanation. It’s a very alienating moment. In season 2, you feel that coldness from Allura because the show’s visual lens aligns you to Keith’s gaze for several agonizing seconds, and the narrative bias of the animation is to show Keith as the singular victim in this situation. It is a very targeted, lonely, and disquieting moment for Keith. The other paladins and their reactions to Allura and Keith even feed into this. It’s not until s3 that we get an emotional glimpse into the omnicide of an entire solar system—and even then, that history focuses more on the motives of the instigators rather than showing the brutality experienced by victims. By that point, we’ve blown way past the s2 issue, which creates another layer of cognitive dissonance: that the situation doesn’t feel totally...resolved, somehow, even though plot-wise it actually is.

So I think there are indicators that the dev team’s own biases and agendas informed, at times for the worse, the very lens through which we consume the VLD story. I don’t think the dev team was aware what tackling genocide while visually portraying Allura’s trauma as antagonistic and alienating would result in? And I think this oversight gets into why some fans feel a certain way about literally anything in this show, haha. So I feel like we’re all victims of a show with amazing potential and incredibly fascinating elements but just…poor execution. 

One other thing I have to give faith on when I have a disagreement with another show fan—it’s a 78-episode show. How often are people holistically watching and critically reviewing this show in order to catch every little detail? I’m pretty sure I can’t remember all the details either, even though I re-watched the show not that long ago. So there’s a whole other layer here, where fans have a separation from the source content itself. So take those emotional negative “impressions” people developed while watching s2 or any other moment where Allura has been less than the ideal woman (oof, fandom is so forgiving with men but so unforgiving with women), and then suddenly muddy those memories with 2 years of not re-watching the show holistically. Typically, the brain is better at storing negative reactions than positive ones. So if someone had a negative reaction to Allura’s actions with Keith in s2 or elsewhere, without an empathetic moment to balance it out, then that negativity is going to stick, and every detail to the contrary is going to fade out.

I know for me, I’ve really had to fight the memory problem because after over a year, for example, I was building up impressions about VLD history that actually were missing some important details from s3. And that was kind of a shock to me. So I do think selective memory plays a part in adding to a biased dissonance one might feel from the actual story.

Ultimately, this whole unnecessary fandom split on “is Allura racist?” is one reason why I feel that VLD—for all of its good things that I genuinely love so much—had a lot of troubling issues. Despite all the canonical good that Allura ends up doing and how she overcomes trauma to champion genuine peace for all, there’s subliminal messaging against her because of how the visual and narrative spins  or hides things. And that issue has nothing to do with the characters but everything to do with the development team and how the show was written/directed. And that, I think, informs ongoing fandom perceptions of Allura and creates just some really painful and unnecessary messes, to the point of creating an overall inaccurate take like “Allura is racist” when in fact, she’s just traumatized from very real and significant abuses and overcomes that, even.

It really makes me, as a writer, try to look at my own stories and attempt to understand “why” I portray certain things as I do while writing—and if that lens portrayal is really the best one for the effect/message I want. Because the way in which a story is conveyed can really play mind games with the audience, and that might not be the right effect for a story that isn’t another Inception or Crying of Lot 49, lol.

[gaamagirl565]

Matters of the heart S2 ep 14

Matters of the heart Season 2 Episode 14 Family never forgets

{OPENING CREDITS} {open to night in the dark kingdom; Isaiah shuffles around the alleyway packing items into a sack; Gaia gets up and walks over to him and tries to lick him and mess with the bag} Isaiah: AUGH! Gaia nooo! Shh! Let go you’re gonna- Benny: ‘saiah? {both turn around and look at a sleepy benny rubbing her eyes} Isaiah: Now look what you did. {he snatches the bag back} Benny: what are you doing? The moons still out...i’m sleepy.. Isaiah: Sorry I woke you.  but I'm packing. we need to get on the road as soon as we can if we're going to make good time. {She gets up from her place on the ground and stretches then when she looks at Isaiah she cringes} Isaiah: What? Benny: you look dead. Isaiah:  gee thanks… Benny:  no I'm serious!  you look pale and you got dark circles under your eyes did you even sleep? Isaiah: of course I slept! Benny: then you're not very good at it! Isaiah:  I didn't realize sleeping was a skill set.  anyway, now that you're up and we're all packed we might as well get moving. we could probably make some good distance from the dark Kingdom by sun up. Benny:  do we have to? can we actually wait for sun up? Isaiah:  sorry Benny but we have to get going my family is probably really worried about me if they don't already think I'm dead. Benny:  they probably do think you're dead. I mean just considering you. Isaiah: aren't you just a ray of sunshine in the mornings? Benny: Well come on if we really are leaving... we can probably stop by the forest and fill up our goatskins in the river. Isaiah:  good idea… {Benny stops and looks back at the town before fully exiting the alleyway} Isaiah:  you okay? {Benny clutches her necklace} Benny: yeah!  let's go! { Benny runs off towards the gate with Gaia; Isaiah shakes his head and smirks before coughing into his hand;  when he pulls his hand away it has droplets of a black liquid that is now dripping from his mouth; he also looks startled at the condition of his fingers which have now turned a blackish purple with long black nails growing out of them} Benny: ‘Saiah!! Come onnn!! { Isaiah wipes the black liquid from his mouth and runs off towards her; cut to Zapada sitting in the kitchen sewing something with a cup of tea next to her; Noremoth walks into the room} Noremoth: ahem… {Zapada looks up and looks uncomfortable before going back to her sewing} Noremoth: Oh come on! you can't just pretend that you didn't see me! Zapada:  if you had eyes you would notice that I had acknowledged you I just choose not to speak to you. Noremoth: you and about every other woman here… Zapada: hmph! Noremoth: Do you know where Varian went? Zapada:  you mean Varian my husband?  of course I know where he went he went to the fields.  even with everything going on there is still a village to run. Noremoth: ... hey ummm.. your... you're a female right? Zapada:... if I wasn't I'd be concerned as to why I'm pregnant… Noremoth: sorry dumb question.  Anyway,  how can I get a woman to speak to me if they're angry I've never really dealt with any of this. Zapada:  let me guess you're used to using your charm in a problem that involves a woman yes? Noremoth:  kind of, yeah.  I just want to talk to Catalina but I can't even get her to look at me. Zapada:  you're completely hopeless.  she wants you to recognize what you did was wrong.  if you start with that she should be able to listen. Noremoth:  everyone keeps saying this was my fault I wasn't even near Isaiah when he died! Zapada:  it doesn't matter if you were near him what matters is you were part of the group that caused it!  Poor Catalina probably feels hurt and used!  she doesn't just want you to say sorry she wants you to show that you're sorry! Noremoth:  how do I do that!?  is not just saying it enough? Zapada:  how you do it is up to you but- Augh! {Zapada clutches her stomach} Noremoth:...uhhhh...Should I go get someone? you okay? that thing isn’t going to go pop goes the weasel on me right now is it? Zapada:..shut...up… {Noremoth stares at her for a moment before she relaxes} Zapada: phew...Well that was...something... stop looking at me like that I'm perfectly fine. Noremoth: Y- you're sure? seriously I could go get someone. Zapada:  I said I am fine... why don't you looking for my husband. Noremoth: R-right...umm.. thanks... for everything... I think. {He turns to leave and zapada rolls her eyes; cut to isaiah walking on the side of the road holding the map; he looks disturbed by the sunlight and tries to shield himself} Isaiah: Is it hot to you? Benny: nope!  actually it's kind of nice today. Isaiah:  of course it is… Benny: seriously you okay? Isaiah:  I'm fine really… Benny:  you don't look okay... you still look pale. actually you look like you're about to fall over and die. Isaiah: aren't you blunt.. {Peering off to the side we see Vergus and two cult members hiding in the brush with their wagon} Cult member 1: honestly why did we steal all this stuff if you're only going to hide in the brush every 5 minutes on the road? Cult member 2:  she's right you know we do have enough money to buy stuff… we don't exactly have to steal. Vergus:  honestly where's the fun in that? think of it as a tax for all that Society has done to us. also that's not the reason we're hiding. Cult member 2:  then why are we hiding, Vergus!? Vergus: Shut it! Look! {He points over to Benny and Isaiah walking by} Cult member 1:  it's just some kids…  should we know something about them? Vergus: I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing it right now...that's the child that holds some of the vessel's power. Cult member 2:  what?  well let's get him then? honestly, what are we waiting for!? Vergus:  patience!  we're on a busy road. people are constantly riding past. if we just run up and grab two children on a busy road people will see us as nothing more than kidnappers. Cult member 2: Fair point.. but then what are we supposed to do we can't just let them go and I thought Larkspur said this kid was dead! Vergus: To be honest we thought he was... the kid fell off the side of a cliff. but that doesn't matter now look at the state of him. the magic is finally overthrowing his system he won't be able to hold out much longer.  even if he collapses during the day would be too dangerous to grab them in daylight. will wait till the cover of darkness. I'm sure Larkspur will be quite pleased. {They slink back into the brush; cut to an ax coming down on a log; pan over to Varian cutting wood and Noremoth walking over} Noremoth: There you are! Varian: what? Noremoth: I've been looking all over for you and-... what are you doing? Varian:  chopping wood, what are you doing? Noremoth:  no need to be hostile.  I'm just confused. Varian:  honestly how can you be confused by the concept of chopping wood!? Noremoth: well... because you're doing it. Varian:... I feel like I should take that as an insult but I am not sure… Noremoth:  does everyone here take everything as an insult!? Cat:  no just when it comes from you. {Noremoth screams girlishly and jumps back around} Noremoth:...DON’T DO THAT! Kiera: sorry not sorry… {they fist bump} Noremoth:.. as I was saying.  the reason I'm confused is Varian is the leader why is he working as well shouldn't he just be supervising his followers? {They all stare at him puzzled} Noremoth:  what? Cat: you're not serious... are you? Varian:  that's not really how being the leader of the village works. Kiera:  I don't normally get into this but even I know that's not how being a leader works. Cat:  everyone pulls their weight.  being a leader doesn't mean you get some sort of free pass from doing work. Varian: look… {Varian points out all the villagers doing their Fair Share of work} Varian:  we all work together to survive. For example, the baker provides food s,  Carpenters repair homes and build new ones, and the Millers provide flour and lumber for them, We all work together. Cat: its a cycle… {Cat and Noremoth share eye contact before she turns away} Varian: I'm doing my part. I'm helping supply wood for the village this is my job for now. Noremoth:  for now? Varian:  I still have to oversee Crop Production and make sure that the borders are safe.  then I have to write a letter of my findings On the Border to the king. Noremoth:  you do all of this for your village? Varian:  everyone pulls their weight. Noremoth:  what if... what if someone gets hurt? or sick? Varian:  then we find someone to take their job for them. Noremoth:  oh... so they're done away with. Varian: WHAT!? Kiera: what the hell… Noremoth:  you just said that there were placed! Varian:  until they're better!  we don't just do away with them! we have a physician that nurses them back to health!  we don't just leave a person behind because they get hurt or sick! Cat:  is that what your people do? Noremoth:... yes… {They all look mildly shocked} Noremoth:  minor injuries are no problem, the same with minor illnesses as well.  as long as you're able to get on your feet you're fine.  but if you're seriously hurt or ill... Larkspur orders us to… {catalina walks away with her hands up} Noremoth: Cat! wait I-! Varian:  Let Her Go... that's pretty messed up to hear. Noremoth: …. as much as I still believe in our cause... perhaps it's time to accept that we're going about it the wrong way. {Varian drops his ax} Varian:  what are you saying? Noremoth: our cause was to bring about a new form of society for those trampled by it.  you already know that. at first I thought it was the right thing to do.  but lately things have been changing.  as time goes on we care less and less about the people who join us.  we don't care who we hurt. what we have to do. Varian:  let me guess, your great leader doesn't agree with your view of things? Noremoth: not even in the slightest. it's going to be the death of us. Varian:  your idea is a good one. build a community in which you all work together and which those were down on their luck come to you to join a community of people who are just like them. but like you said the way you're going about it is incredibly wrong. A new Zhan tiri won’t help.  it won't bring about a new Authority. it'll make things ten times worse. Noremoth:  I think you're right... I hate to admit that and those words feel like they're burning my mouth. but I definitely think you're right. Larkspur has to be stopped. Varian: And Corona can help you stop her... we weren't there for you then let us be there for you now. {Varian unrolls a map onto a stump and hands Noremoth a quill} Varian:  but you need to help me in return. {Noremoth looks seriously at him before taking the quill; cut to Varian slamming open the door to the house and running in and past a clearly distressed Zapada} Zapada: I-Iubirea mea? {Cat and Keira walk in with noremoth} Varian: not now Zapada...I have to write a message to the king… Keira: um, V? Varian: I finally have The Hideout that the cult is currently staying at!  I need to write a letter to the king saying that I'm heading out immediately. Zapada: CE!? Catalina: Say what now!? Noremoth: this is not what I agreed to! Varian:  you finally gave me their location I can't turn this opportunity down now!  I'm going to send the letter to the king and he'll have reinforcements right behind me is I'm heading up there. {Zapada whilst clutching her stomach grabs his arm} Zapada: have you gone mad!?  you've seen what they can do with a group of their own!  you're only one man!  they're dealing with one bee and then there's dealing with the whole hive! {Varian yanks his arm away} Varian:  you don't understand what they've done to me! to my family! Zapada: AM I NOT ALSO YOUR FAMILY!? Varian: YOU KNOW YOU ARE! Zapada: Yet recently you treat me as if i’m not! Varian: YOU KNOW I CARE FOR YOU! Zapada: it would not kill you to show it! Varian: I’M DOING THIS FOR YOU! Zapada: no! you're doing this because you're filled with hatred! Varian: YOU KNOW WHAT!?  I am filled with hatred!  I am so filled with hatred for these people you don't even understand!  they killed my father,  my wife, and my son!  there is no way in this world or the next someone like you could ever understand! Zapada: C-Couldn’t I!? Varian: No not in a million years! Zapada: AUGH! {Zapada grabs her stomach and doubles over; Cat and Kiera run over to her; Varian’s look of anger is replaced with shock} Varian: Z-Zapada? Zapada: ...it will cease in a few moments… Catalina: Zapada... have you been dealing with this all day? Zapada: Y-yes…and they get stronger... Catalina: Zapada...I-I think your in labour! {Zapada screams yet again and grips Keira’s arm} Keira: ow Ow OW! Noremoth: w-what do we do!? Catalina: uhh..umm… {Keira smacks Varian} Keira: HEY! Varian! Wife having baby here! Varian: R-right..sorry! Catalina: Come on! Lets get her to a bed! Noremoth: wait I want to help! What can I do!? Zapada: AUUGH! Catalina: Varian, take her up to your room! {Varian picks her up and carries her upstairs with Keira in tow} Catalina: Noremoth, we need towels! And hot water! Also, get some string and something sharp! {Noremoth salutes} Noremoth: Got it! {Cat runs up the stairs and to the room; when she opens the door, Zapada is laying on the bed with Varian holding her hand} Varian: i-it’s gonna be okay! I promise! Zapada: Ngghh!! I’m having trouble believing that! {Noremoth runs in with hot water and other supplies} Noremoth: I got it! Catalina: Thanks, now out! Noremoth: R-right sorry! {He runs out and Varian goes to follow him; Zapada grabs onto his arm} Varian: huh!? Zapada: Please no...i’m still...angry at you...but I’m frightened..please… {Varian hesitates for a moment before propping her up and sitting behind her, letting her rest against him} Catalina: Varian!? Varian: i’m not leaving! Look at her, she’s terrified. Catalina: but- Varian: I’m not asking permission. Catalina:...fine… Varian: it’s gonna be okay… I’m not going anywhere. {Zapada weakly smiles but it quickly fades and she screams again; cut to the countryside; Isaiah slowly tags along behind Benny} Benny: you okay ‘saiah? {Isaiah doesn’t answer; his vision looks blurry; suddenly The whites of his eyes turned pink and his irises turn a bright neon green; he collapses} Benny: ‘SAIAH! {She runs over to him} Isaiah: *in a deep evil voice* DON’T TOUCH ME! {she jumps back; he struggles to get up but only collapses and pants exhausted} Isaiah: grr...my body is weak… {more black liquid pours from his mouth; his eyes flicker in colour and his body twitches; he groans in pain; cult members watch from the thick brush; eventually, he passes out} Benny: Isaiah!? {she whimpers and checks his breathing then sighs in relief; she slowly drags him off the road and into the soft grass; she goes into their bag and takes out a small soup pot and starts setting up a fire; she then looks over at the forest} Benny: I'll be back... that’s a promise. {she walks into the forest and starts looking around; she looks over and sees a small stream; A turtle sits on by it; Benny picks up a rock} Benny:...sorry mister turtle… {She throws the rock; cut to Zapada letting out a scream of pain} Catalina: You’re almost there, Zapada! Varian: i-is she okay? Catalina: she’s fine Varian. This isn’t exactly a pleasant feeling. Keira: I can attest to that from what i’m seeing… {Zapada shouts and Noremoth flinches outside the room} Catalina: You’re almost done! Just one more time! I swear! {Varian wipes her forehead and kisses her temple before giving her a reassuring smile; Zapada’s lip quivers and she tightly shuts her eyes as she yells out one last time before flumping back against Varian’s chest; a cry fills the room} Catalina: YOU DID IT! You did it Zapada! It’s a boy! {she holds up the black-haired infant and Zapada lets out a half cry half chuckle; Varian smiles and laughs with her; Catalina wraps the baby and hands him over to them} Zapada: ei, bine ai venit, baietelul meu.. {Varian tears up and caresses his son’s face; Cat pulls Keira out of the room} Varian: he’s perfect… Zapada: he has your hair… Varian: and your nose. What a day...Zapada? Zapada: hmm? Varian: I’m sorry...i’m so sorry for..everything… {she kisses him} Zapada: I have already forgiven you. let us not focus on that…look at this beautiful boy that we've just brought into the world.  what should we call you? Varian:  oh man you're right we never really did decide on a name. Zapada:  think I might have an idea... Sterling. Varian:   Sterling? like sterling sil-... it's perfect… {Cut to Cat washing her hands downstairs; Noremoth walks in the room} Noremoth: ... nice work today. Cat: thanks… Noremoth:  no really... none of us had any idea what to do. you took the helm and you steered us out of the storm. {Cat turns to walk away but Noremoth grabs her hand} Noremoth: Catalina I am trying.  I know you hate me for what I did.  you have every right to be angry with me. please realize that I am trying. damn it, I'm not going to stop trying. I know what I did was bad. and maybe I don't deserve it but all I'm asking is that you give me the chance to prove myself. Catalina:... fine... maybe I am being a bit unfair. but you can't really blame me. I thought you were my friend. I trusted you. even if you weren't the direct cause of it, somebody died because I trusted you! I should have warned the king that you were there. Noremoth:  I never meant for him to die.  it was never the plan.  I thought I was doing what was right. I truly did.  I'm going to be honest right now. I really do like you and the last thing on earth I wanted to do was hurt you. I'm just hoping that even if you are still mad at me can we start over?  or is it too late for me to apologize to you? {Catalina looks over at him} Catalina:  you know this might just be the adrenaline of me having just delivered a baby talking... but alright... but I want you to know it's going to be a long time before I can ever trust you. but I'll give you the chance to prove yourself in the time being. Noremoth:  that's all I'm asking. {he pulls her into a hug; she hesitantly hugs back; cut to Benny stirring a pot of stew} Benny: I got everything from the forest!  I'm sure you're going to love it!  everyone loves Turtles stew!... I think... never really cooked before. {isaiah groans and rolls over to face her} Isaiah:  I'm sure it will be great..sorry... crappy time to decide to get sick huh? Benny: yep pretty much… Isaiah: umm... Benny? what is even in that?

Benny: ummm.. a turtle... some tubers that I found... Wild Onion... also a bit of wild garlic. Isaiah:...better than nothing. {Benny continues stirring the pot but then looks up and gasps} Benny: ‘Saiah!!! {Isaiah turns around to Vergus grabbing him and the screen goes black} {END CREDITS}

[kinetic-elaboration]

December 23: 1x29 Operation Annihilate!

I’m very tired but at least I’m done with work for the year! Now to...set about furiously writing because I’m behind on like 3 different events, including, most egregiously, Chopped. Woah well. Here are some thoughts on the FINAL EPISODE of TOS season 1.

This ep isn’t messing around with the drama. Very first scene involves chasing a ship that’s flying into the sun.

Sam! I have a lot of Kirk brother feels even though tbqh they’re entirely about a relationship made up in my head. Like, there’s not really a lot of canonical Kirk brothers content, in either TOS or AOS (okay, nothing in AOS...technically...) but in my head it’s like this whole Thing and I’m obsessed.

This is one of the most beautiful planets in the galaxy I guess? Looks a lot like generic California to me. Cool architecture though.

I think I missed the explanation of what this planet does lol.

Sam is a research biologist.

His wife has such a weird name that I sometimes think of her as an alien but I guess they are all human. Less interesting lol. She might become an alien in HAICG but probably not.

All the people are in their homes, hiding out. I know this is to save money on extras, and then in-universe I guess because people hide from that which scares them, even when that’s pointless, but all I could think was “they’re self-isolating.”

Kirk and co. go to Sam’s lab to find him, but his whole family is there... do they... live in the lab?

We finally meet Sam...and he’s already dead. So bitter about this.

I remember a specific close up of just Sam’s face where it’s super obvious it’s Shatner with a mustache but this seems subtler... has it been edited, or am I mis-remembering?

Spock doesn’t know what to say. Does he really “understand” lol? He wants to be comforting though.

Guess Aurelan calls him Sam too. Thought that was only Jim.

I remember someone on tumblr pointing out that Jim beams down to the top of the stairs just so he can walk down them dramatically and now I can’t unsee it.

I’ve also heard people make fun of the aliens but I legit think they are alien looking and scary and gross. “It’s not life as we know or understand it.”

Been a while since we saw Christine and here she is.

“Spock’s readings are strange... even for him, which is saying something!”

“If you can’t do this, get another nurse!” What other nurse lol? This whole ship has a medical staff of 2.

“His body’s full of tentacles.” That is legitimately disgusting.

This is a very bad day for Kirk.

Spock’s on the loose, we must catch him--oh how convenient, he is here on the bridge!

Must...pinch... Captain...

“I apologize for that mutiny attempt back there. We’re all good now.” And miraculously, he actually is.

I HAVE MY OWN WILL. LET ME HELP. Interesting phrase there!

The needs of the few do outweigh the needs of the many. He MUST save Spock. And his nephew.

Is Spock, uh, hypnotizing himself? I don’t know if I believe that Vulcans can just stop themselves from feeling any pain.

“I was confined to sick bay. I unconfined myself.” He is really determined to run this errand. This needs to be the attitude I take toward my errands.

Bad ass Scotty. “Captain, your space husband is trying to escape.”

Kirk is so in love. “Your logic, as usual, is inescapable.”

McCoy just wants his patients to stay put.

I love when McCoy just randomly examines people.

“Your affection for Spock.” That’s one way to put it.

I feel like it took them way too long to figure out that the sun produces light. “What are the properties of the sun?” / “It exists.” Starfleet’s finest minds, everyone.

These creatures are sort of...like vampires. In a way.

Cool specs. I want a pair of those (prescription).

“The best first officer in the Fleet!”

“I am also quite blind.” What a drama queen. He knew he was blind already, obviously, he just needed to bump into something and make a big production out of announcing it.

And then literally seconds after blinding Spock, the tests they were ALREADY RUNNING come back and they realize that they never needed to use the blinding light. Like... I appreciate the drama but omg you dumbasses. And you call yourselves men of science. It wasn’t even like they hadn’t thought to do the tests. They were doing them!

Jim’s mad now.

Ew, gross, disintegrating vampire creatures. Clean up is going to suck.

I feel McCoy’s grumpiness about the weird eye thing lol. Unexpected...optic nerve...thing. Except actually it’s the eyelid? Developed to respond to “the brightness of the Vulcan sun”? That Spock just FORGOT he had? Very suspicious. I suspect more manufactured drama.

Uhura’s really enjoying this banter.

YOU FORGOT ABOUT HIS VULCAN EARS.

This whole last scene is so good. If you’re going to go on hiatus for 6 months, this is the way to do it.

I legitimately love this episode. Yes, there were moments when Kirk and friends were kind of dumb: taking forever to think about light (not buying McCoy’s line about how “light isn’t harmful” because first of all, there are nocturnal creatures on Earth so the idea that a living being might not like the sun isn’t weird, and second, even if it WERE weird, these are ALIENS so--think more broadly!); and being so quick to test out the light on Spock (while the results from the first test were still ongoing!) but I’ll forgive them that. Everyone has blind spots. Even very smart people can get caught up and not think about stuff that seems obvious as soon as they realize it. Plus, with the tests on Spock in particular, I can see how the urgency of the situation, the excitement of coming up with a potential solution, Spock’s desire to be free of the pain and also to be Dramatic again, and Kirk’s general commanding presence, might have all combined to lead them to jump the gun.

Also they totally forgot about Peter by the end lol. I mean we assume he got the same light treatment that Spock and the planet did but he’s also an orphan so...where does he go lol?

But other than that, pretty perfect episode! Got some good K/S moments. Some Kirk family stuff, even if it’s not a big element and also probably superfluous given that Spock being injured gives Kirk exactly the same personal stake as a family member being injured does. GREAT alien: I’m always here for any ep that can reasonably sneak in an “it’s not life as we know it” line. I like that they’re one giant organism, but spread out over a great distance; they’re using people for their bodies, to build ships and basically be their colonizers for them; they infect people in a gross and scary way; they’re defeated in an unusual manner. Basically, a great combination of Alien, as in unusual, and frightening.

And it’s a PERFECT triumvirate episode. A lot of focus on all three, and on their strengths. A philosophical problem that puts the difference between Spock (we must destroy the comparatively few to protect the many) and McCoy (we cannot kill that many people for any reason) into stark contrast, and then sets up Kirk as the fulcrum between them (we’re not killing anyone, now or later, just find my a solution--that great combo of optimistic and commanding). Kirk gets a special spotlight appropriate for him as Captain: he has to make these big decisions that could lead to a million deaths, while also thinking about the people important to him. Spock gets a spotlight that emphasizes his Vulcan nature. Mccoy gets a spotlight that emphasizes his role as doctor. They all get to interact together in a way that shows their real affection for each other. There are great moments like them all squashed in the doorway, or when Spock is blinded and Mccoy has to hold Kirk back from helping him TOO much. The banter at the end is easily among the top end-scene bridge dialogues of the season. And it’s a good note to end on because it sets up the importance of the triumvirate going to S2.

I am not going to take a 6 month hiatus lol. Next time, probably next week, not really sure, is Amok Time! Truly a wild choice to start out the season.

[electricbluebutterflies]

new history

She could get used to the hidden gentleness of him.

@restrainedubiquity wanted post-s2-grayspace Kabby hair-braiding fic so here we are. In which Abby is a mess (and trying to convince herself otherwise) and Marcus is probably having a midlife crisis. Title and slight inspo from “New Histories” by Brooke Fraser. PG-ish and also on ao3.

The first full day after, she sleeps like she hasn't since… honestly, Abby has never allowed herself this kind of rest, but her body crashes even harder than she expects and she has no control over any of it. The second and third days, she rests on and off. The fourth, she starts to get frustrated.

She is not a solitary creature by nature, but right now she has no choice. Her body has decided it is time to suffer all the consequences of her habitual neglect, and that combined with the recent violation - she has to call it something and that will do nicely, she decides - means she's sidelined for a while. Standing up without help is currently not happening, and any form of productive activity is even less likely.

She knows it's temporary. A week or two at worst. She'll be fine, in the grand scheme of things. But for now, she is miserable.

She was just starting to get used to the concept of a wider world, fresh air in her lungs and rain on her skin. She will have those things again, she knows, but their absence feels damning as she is stuck once more in a metal box, this time without even the ability to pace across the small room. She shouldn't even have this space. Someone else, someone in worse condition, should be on this mattress. Not her. Not-

The door opens, and another feature of her current hell asserts itself.

A week ago, this would've felt strange; a month ago, completely unthinkable. But the man in her doorway is not who he was then, and she feels a strange warmth as he approaches. Her, feeling something about Marcus Kane that isn't near-homicidal anger. Not as new a sensation as she wishes it was, but still foreign enough to throw her off.

He checks on her every few hours, in between whatever else he's doing. She suspects he's slipped back into a natural leadership role, to whatever extent that's even possible amidst current chaos, and that doesn't bother her as much as she feels like it ought to. He's not what he was - she trusts him now, started trusting him at some point shortly before she crawled through a ruined city for him, and she's conflicted, and-

"Did I wake you?"

This caution, too, is new and conflicting. The softness of his voice as he stops just out of reach, the heavy emotions in his eyes, the general presence of him as someone who has finally learned to act like a human being. All new, all probably her fault somehow, all terrifying.

"No," she replies, beckoning him closer. "Unfortunately."

He sits down in a chair that appeared at some point close to her bed - she has no idea where it came from, but she's not complaining. "Still…"

"Yeah."

Last time he checked on her, a few hours ago, they tried out her physical abilities. Which is to say that she took three steps on her own and then collapsed against him. The pain in her thigh isn't quite as bad as she was, and she suspects the problem right now is mostly just exhaustion. Another day or two, she'll be capable of normal activity. But today she is not, and she's angry, and-

"Anything I can do?"

The offer is genuine, another reflection of what he is becoming. Whatever she asks, she knows he'll at least try. This balance won't last long-term, but until she's functional again and until anyone's brave enough to explain where the hell her kid is…

Whatever happened, Abby reassures herself, it will be okay. Her daughter will be okay. The issue right now is her. She can… she can't…

She won't cry in front of another human being. She hasn't in years and she won't now. But she is tired on a level that sleep won't fix, and currently useless, and unable to do anything about anything, and-

Focus. Back in her body, to the extent that she can be, to the extent that she is realizing everything sucks and she's not as resilient as she used to be. She's not twenty-six anymore, using stimulants to stay awake for four days at a stretch because a high-stress job and a small child weren't an ideal mix. Hell, right now staying awake for one full day would be a nice change of pace. As soon as she can, she'll throw herself back in, she has to, she-

"Abby. Look at me."

She doesn't even have the energy to pick a fight with him. This is how bad she's getting.

"I'm fine, Marcus. You can go back to whatever you're actually supposed to be doing."

"I have time. We're figuring out better logistics, but I've done what I can today."

"And now you're here because I'm the only person you haven't annoyed enough today," she mutters, because if he keeps this up she is going to-

"I'm trying to take care of you," he counters.

And oh, that should not make her feel as good as it does.

She's not in any medical danger, she's figured out that much. In her current state, Marcus is a capable caretaker. It doesn't take a lot of skill to change bandages, and he's brought her food as needed and found an extra blanket for her from god-knows-where, and it's working out. She needs some form of connection with the outside world; he needs something to affirm his humanity. Not a worst-case scenario for either of them. Not at all.

She needs to give him something, she figures. Some little project to distract the both of them. And now that she thinks about it, there's a pretty obvious idea…

"Could you braid my hair?" she asks, voice shaking a little. She's had it loose since before the Bad Thing, but she wants something familiar. She could do it herself, she always has, but it would be nice to have someone else help. It's been too long since she's been touched with any kind of affection.

(No. It's been four days. This thing between them counts, and she needs to stop being so damned stubborn about it.)

"I don't know how," he replies. "Never done that before."

"It's as easy as it sounds, and I trust you. I need… there's a hairbrush somewhere in that dresser, I think. Should be a band around it."

He walks over and starts opening drawers. She feels like she ought to be more bothered by how comfortable he is exploring her space - she ought to be more bothered by almost everything this man does - but it feels right, him digging through her few personal possessions in an effort to help her. Him here feels right, and she's scared of how their dynamic will change when she's functional again, and-

"This one?"

"Yes."

It takes a little maneuvering to get her body in an accessible position. It would be much easier if she could stand up, but as that is very sharply Not Happening, moving to the chair is the next best option. She does this on her own, still unstable but not as bad as a few hours ago, and this feels like confirmation of her expected timeline. Two or three more days at worst. She'll be okay. She'll-

"I don't want to hurt you."

"I trust you."

Marcus seems to have discovered a wide range of new emotions recently, and Abby thinks his current nervousness might be her favorite. She hasn't tried to deal with her hair in over a week and it's a mess, but she keeps calm as he works through the knots. He has definitely never done this before, but it's not bad as a trust fall and it'll be okay. She has never been particularly vain, and if she looks human, well… that'd be a vast improvement over how she feels.

"Three strands, right?"

"Yes."

He pulls a little tighter than she'd like, but she feels the transformation taking place. It'll be good enough, keep her hair out of her way if that should happen to matter at any point soon, and-

"I could… I could try to find a mirror for you. If you wanted."

Again, warmth. Again, she is unsure how she became so important. Again, she doesn't mind as much as she ought to.

"I don't care," she murmurs, reaching back and taking one of his hands in hers. She could learn these calluses, she thinks, get used to the hidden gentleness of him. She wants to. "I trust your judgment."

"I'm not sure if I do," he replies, almost laughing.

"Still a few more days before anyone else is going to see me, unless something goes wildly wrong. As long as you can stand to look at it…"

She turns her head and tries to make eye contact at the same moment he blushes. It's a good look on him, half-hidden by scruff - he is becoming wild, and there is a certain kind of beauty in that. One of these days, she decides, she's going to crash into all of that. Not now, not at any point she can pin down, but someday. When the timing is right for her to risk herself again.

"I… you look… it works."

She suspects she's the only person who's ever made him speechless, and the frequency with which she's doing it… yeah, that plan of jumping up and kissing him will probably break the poor man. But she's a little less worried about that being undesired.

"Thank you."

"Do you need anything else, Abby?"

"Can you… can you stay for a little while? I've been alone too long."

He sits down on the edge of the bed and reaches for her hand again, and they are both too young and too old for all of this, and she wonders if maybe this is what love feels like. Chaos and uncertainty and warmth despite it all, as he starts tracing patterns on her skin like she's pretty sure he does when he's nervous. Something complicated and terrifying and wonderful.

"Do you want to talk?" he asks, hesitant again.

"Tell me what you did today. What's happening outside of this box. Please."

"So one of the kids thought they saw a squirrel…"

[sol1056]

git along little nonnies

Got a whole bunch of you on related themes, so I’m just gonna do this all at once: a bunch of questions about DW, spinoffs, merchandise, business, management, support (and protest) and whatnot. In no particular order.

Ok there are petitions and peaceful boycotts directed at DW but problem is they aren’t addressing the EPs and things they, not DW, did so how are we to sign them, how to handle this when this could at best confuse the situation and not give any results and at worst, make matters even worse about what we want regarding DW addressing things? 

Here’s what companies care about: money. Everything else is gravy.

If you want a corporation to pay attention to your complaints, then you need to figure out their sources of income, and find a way to threaten that. If the social reprobation is high enough, damage to the brand can translate into lost sales, but the tempest required to make that happen must be much, much larger than anything I’ve seen the fandom manage. 

I’ve been saying this all along: voices are far more powerful than signatures. If twenty thousand people wrote or called in, and said what they liked vs what upset them, that would have a far greater impact. Certainly a lot more than a list of names with no emotion beyond a request that may not even be something DW can, or would, fulfill.  

And don’t even get me started on mailing stuff in. Cute, but hardly actionable.  

Do you know what kind of contracts DW sign, as in, are they obligated to air all seasons, can they choose not to air them, do the companies they work with (netflix, wep) have a say or more say than them? Who gets the last word? Is airing all seasons squarely on DW or more? 

As I’m not a corporate lawyer employed by any of the signatories, I can’t tell you what the contract stipulated. What I can tell you is that a contract of the magnitude of the DW-WEP-Netflix agreement probably had a dissertation worth of riders covering the different types of possible defaults or breaches, and the penalties for each. Additionally, the contract also likely covered what constituted ‘satisfactory delivery’ of the product. 

To take it down to a really simple level: you place an order at a restaurant. You expect to get it, eat it, and pay for it. You don’t expect to be told, “hey, we burnt your steak and we’re out of butter for your sweet potatoes, so have some green beans instead,” and then be told you still owe the full amount, anyway. 

Netflix wouldn’t settle for ordering (and paying for) something never delivered, anymore than you would. Sure, any corporation worth their over-inflated stock options would try --- but that’s the point of contracts, to make sure they can’t. 

Netflix paid, DW delivers, end of story.  

 ...do you think ppl in charge didn't think EPs would tell they made changes and also thought they'd manage to bury it? And then they got in trouble and DW is going thru changes for that reason? -waves at DW goings on and silence.

I got lost in all the pronouns, there. Who’s the first ‘they,’ the EPs or DW execs? Is the second ‘they’ referring to the same as the first? So... I’m not really sure what you’re positing, but if the ‘DW is going through changes’ is implying DW’s got a shakeup and/or is promoting its head-of-TV to president and that’s somehow connected to two newbie EPs screwing up?

I’d say the chances are so infinitesimal as to be nearly in the negative. (I should also note, the press release listed successful shows Cohn oversaw, yet oddly did not include VLD.) DW is not a three-person start up; it has stakeholders and a board and a C-suite to satisfy. Cohn got that promotion ‘cause she’s got a track record going back thirty years, most recently growing DW’s TV division from 8 to 800 in five years. 

Most corporations tend to announce their new CEO or President like someone woke up that morning and went, hey, I’ve got a great idea. Truth is, it’s usually in the works for at least a year, sometimes several years, or more. The only thing that has me side-eyeing the announcement is the silence around who’ll fill Cohn’s previous position. 

But that’s again less to do with a single series, and more to do with what it says about DW as a whole, business-wise. 

What meaningful changes could the new president Margie Cohn make that would be different than the last one? Also I'm sorry if your getting a bunch of Voltron/DW questions lately, you just seem to be the most knowledgeable person on this platform.

I’d be willing to bet I’m far from the most knowledgeable person; I’m just someone not bound by an NDA, and curious enough to do a bit of digging and jaded enough to talk about (most) of what I find. 

A president can have immense impact on a company’s direction; that’s kinda why they exist, to set that high-level strategy. That said, Cohn will be bound by all contracts signed by her predecessor. The TV side (barring someone filling the shoes she left) will probably continue as it was. The theatrical side (which she’s taking over) will be where we’ll probably see any major changes. 

And even those aren’t likely to be on films currently in production. Hell, given theatrical animation can take up to five years, I’m not sure that’d show much change, either. Look instead to changes in investors, new deals, and new properties. 

What do you think DW will do about a sequel if there’s really no bible? Theres tons of plot holes & abandoned storylines. VLD will never feel satisfying, and fans already argued with different interpretations based on conflicting content, without a nice satisfying explanation...

I know this is the first of a three-part ask, but I’m skipping the rest because the only answer possible is to your very first question: the bible doesn’t matter. 

Any new series --- even a continuation --- will construct its own bible. Same as we’d do in fandom: they’ll patch together what they can, fill in blanks as they need, and gloss the rest, or retcon it outright. Even if there were a bible, diligently followed, that doesn’t mean the next series is automatically beholden to it. Some franchises would care (ie Star Wars) while others might let a reboot mess with the details (ie Star Trek). 

For every continuation, there’s gradations in between, since otherwise what’s the interest for creative minds, if you’re obligated to follow someone else’s script exactly? So, no. The absence of a story bible doesn’t preclude the next iteration making its own, as it needs, to whatever extent it requires. 

I was wandering around the hot topic online store, and i noticed a shirt that raised a few flags and questions. it's the 'Voltron Location' shirt. it has all the paladins in different places in a star globe chart thing? with what might possibly be planet designations. plus Lance is the only one not inside his blue colored bubble. Keith is in Red and Shiro in Black again. it's interesting at least.

Nearly all the shirts use the same base images, just changed up. It feels a little like someone handed a designer a half-dozen images with a request for forty-something designs --- and now HT is just throwing them all at the wall to see what sticks (or sells). 

HT’s stuff has been pretty consistent, from what I’ve heard: Shiro is Black, Keith is Red, etc. Considering the t-shirts seem to be selling out regularly (along with various other sidelines), I’d say someone is savvy as to the fact that the segment of fandom spending the most money is also the segment that prefers the S1/S2 lineup. 

If that’s what customers want, it’s smart business for DW to provide.

(Yes, that applies on more than one level.)

There are VLD comic books being released by LionForge Comics, are those considered canon? Do LM and JDS have any involvement? They take place before Season 7and8 but I don't wanna support the original EPs.

Every fandom has its own stand on what counts as canon. Sometimes (especially with adaptations) you’ll find fandoms being explicit as to whether they’re book or movie (ie HP and LotR). I expect the same will eventually shake out in VLD’s fandom, too. 

From everything I’ve heard, Hedrick and Iverson were handed the comics and ran with it. I suppose that would argue for seeing the comics as canon, being they were written by people also writing the main series... but from what I can tell, it’s one-way. The show affected the comics, but nothing in the comics ever affected the series.

That said, your purchases have nothing to do with the original EPs. All you’re doing is telling DW you like the VLD-iteration of Voltron.

What are your thoughts on the final vld poster? I feel like it’s missing the end. Allura is randomly staring back into nothing.

It’s a clever idea to do a poster for each season, but it’s not something I’ve ever paid any attention to, really. If it were drawn by the head writer? That might mean the artist had more insight than, say, a storyboarder or animator. But even then... cool picture, still not-canon. I’m only interested in canon.

Do you think that Voltron was rushed purposely by the EP's. [...] Wouldn't this effect the quality of, well, everything? I feel as if they got frustrated with the show at that point and just wanted out.

Dude. There are times I sit here and just stare into space, bewildered yet again not just at the thought of 39 episodes released in one year --- but doing that with 26 as a last-minute cut-and-paste rearrangement. All I can tell you is that what I’ve seen from animation people and aficionados (and friends) is that three full seasons in one calendar year is just bonkers. 

If DW hadn’t wanted the schedule that packed, the EPs aren’t the ones getting the say. That’s a DW-Netflix thing. I really wonder whether DW used VLD as a guinea pig. TH went a year between S1 and S2, and the numbers slumped badly. Perhaps DW wanted to know if more episodes, more often, would keep fan interest high? DW has experienced execs, but they’re all from broadcast; how you arrange and time things in the brave new world of binge-watching is a completely different beast. 

So, it’s possible it was less of a rush job to get the show out, and more from a desire to see what'd happen to release so much, so close together. 

I still think it’s a bonkers schedule, though.

"Relaunch the whole property" sounds like they won't continue expanding the whole vld universe and they'll make a new itineration. Though if they do a spin-off it'd likely be on the vld universe surrounding the new "Legendary Defenders" from the epilogue. And "especially given the response" do you think after the negative response from s8, wouldn't be better for WEP to not keep working with Dreamworks? Or maybe they need to clean their brand from vld fiasco? What can you say about all of this?

I can say you might try re-reading, because boy is that a radical interpretation of the text. Remember, Jeremy was speaking before S8, and all indication is that he was caught off-guard as much as the fans. Re-read in light of Jeremy (at the time) appearing to expect S8 to be a crowd-pleaser.   

...I'm becoming more confident in my belief that DW has something planned for Voltron. I mean they are still heavily promoting the show, LionForge is still publishing Voltron comics, and merchandise is still being made. These don't seem like the actions of a company trying to get people to forget a show. 

You’re not wrong. Up to the last few days of 2018, DW gave every indication they wanted S8 quietly buried. Nothing they’ve done since has fit that pattern --- including the anomaly of failing to announce their 2019 series. Something is going on, that’s for certain. 

Did DW really just throw the VAs to the wolves [for] three days? and there's still no official stance? One panel was enough. They had [the VAs] take the heat for them? But thankfully fans felt sorry for them? Which could also have been the goal, shut the fans up [with] the VAs of the characters who got the worst treatment and who love their characters ... Yes DW this really makes me trust you /sarcasm/

I don’t think that was the original plan. Let’s pretend DW released its 2019 schedule via press release in the first few days of January, and among those was an announcement of a VLD sequel or spinoff, coming late 2019. 

People wouldn’t be fussing over putting the VAs through three panels. They’d be complaining we didn’t get the biggest room for every panel. The majority of the fandom doesn’t trust the EPs, and is wary of DW --- really, the only ones who retain any goodwill, at this point, are the VAs. So who better than to assure a nervous fandom about the goodness of the second iteration than the VAs whose characters were most shafted by the first iteration?

What breaks this is that immediately after S8 dropped, Josh and Kimberly went silent on twitter. AJ slipped into passive-aggressive snarking; Jeremy fell off the radar and usually he’s pretty interactive with his fans. Bex pretty much wiped  VLD from her stream, possibly including deleting older tweets. Neil tried to engage and made a hash of it, bless his heart. 

Josh and Kimberly are consummate professionals who reliably promote the series after every season drop, but their radio silence continued for almost two weeks. This wasn’t the first season that came saddled with controversy; if there was a time to go quiet, it was after S7. Something else was going on. 

I have strong suspicions backed by research, but if I’m right, I’d be stepping on a major legal landmine. In the interest of not getting blown up, I’ll only say that the VAs appearing for those three panels (and their low-key and mostly diplomatic hedging around VLD’s conclusion) was a good sign that all parties involved are willing to work things out.   

[DW was] quick to handle the Season 7 backlash and have stayed mum on what is arguably a much worse reaction to the 8th and final season.

and

I believe the S8 of voltron we got was not the original ending we were supposed to get and highly edited. My question is why? What was the point of changing the original ending? [The] radio silence from DW and the cast is driving me nuts. I wish DW would make a statement.

DW is in an interesting place. Its TV side is barely five years old, but dominated by execs with long-time broadcast experience, predating vibrant interactivity afforded by platforms like twitter, tumblr, or instagram. DW’s background as a theatrical company also seems to incline it away from any ongoing engagement with the audience. It releases a movie and by the time that hits theaters, DW is onto the next thing. 

It’s a strong contrast with production studios like Zagtoon (Miraculous), who penned an open letter to their fandom about production delays. Or little studios like Wonderstorm (The Dragon Prince) whose deft use of twitter and tumblr sets their brand apart. Or Federator (Castlevania), with their witty marketing campaigns and willingness to engage with fans. Even Disney was willing to be open about its errors with Tiana, and to make clear how it was striving to do better --- so there’s no excuse that only small studios do such outreach.

My guess is that DW's core leadership is from the school of business in which admitting a mistake is tantamount to ritual suicide. Don’t blink first, or maybe the rule is never let them see you sweat, but whatever it is, DW is turning into a textbook case of how silence can damage a brand. 

Companies have multiple avenues to reach customers directly, now. Our modern technologies are a two-way street, and good companies leverage that to create not passive fandoms but active communities. It takes work, careful planning, and some level of transparency --- something old-school execs find highly uncomfortable, to be honest --- but in this day and age, those are crucial building-blocks to achieving any kind of audience loyalty.

DW isn’t going to render itself obsolete (at least not overnight), but it's on a track to end up as the studio whose work audiences only watch when there’s nothing better being offered. Unfortunately for DW, there’s a hell of a lot of other studios out there, and they're all offering something better. 

[lightsandlostbells]

Druck episode 7 reaction

I fell behind with Druck because the release of the clips from this episode threw me off, lol, but I’m catching up now! 

Some of these comments are outdated as I wrote them before seeing the clips that came out after this episode. 

Episode 7

Clip 1 - Leonardo DiCaprio sweetie...

Sam’s hair!!! Love it.

Unfortunately I do not love that Sam is somewhat encouraging Kiki in her Alexander-related delusions. 

Tbh, I wonder how Sam copes being a friend of Kiki since Kiki is racist, but then again racist people can be selective. They’ll have bigoted beliefs about one marginalized group, but they’re OK with another group.

Kiki referencing Titanic and being like the film is based on a true story!!! And Amira being like, uh, just the iceberg and sinking part. Well, Titanic is applicable to real life, in that Kiki and Alexander are the sinking ship. But also, Jack died at the end of Titanic, so maybe Kiki should pick something with a happier ending, anyway.

Mia has incorporated the famous red lipstick into her style.

Amira asking about the party and Sam saying Mia twerked, good for her.

I adore Amira messing with the girls and saying costume parties are haram. Even Mia, the self-designated progressive feminist of the group, falls for it. But I love that Amira can joke with them and tease their expectations and it’s casual and friendly. Pay attention, Kiki.

Awww, even the Hanna/Jonas guilt making out is too cute! I’m going to savor it while it lasts.

Clip 2 - Hanna confesses to Matteo

Matteo settled on a different hairstyle, I see.

So I guess Hanna did end up joining the refugee tutoring program, and Matteo did too. Despite the less-than-enlightened attitudes we saw from the group representatives in the first episode, I’m glad to see Hanna is involved in another activity, at least. Since she’s very insecure, volunteering and participating in activities can give you some sense of purpose and direction. And Matteo - I don’t think we ever saw Isak really involved in anything at school? Just kosegruppa, which he was blackmailed into. Which is fine, I just like seeing Matteo doing something productive. Also, I enjoy seeing something that Hanna and Matteo do together, whether that was intentional or not on their parts.

After seeing a few versions of this scene, I prefer it when the Isak character needles the Eva a bit into confessing what’s up rather than Eva just spilling her secret unprompted. It makes sense in that Hanna/Eva might need a push and also gives a subtle hint about Matteo’s/Isak’s investment in their relationship status.

I laughed out loud at Hanna being like “I made out with Sam” and Matteo being like “Well yeah, girl Sam is hot.” I mean, she is a babe, but Sam is the one girl Chris character who does not flirt with the Isak character (from what I remember), and it turns out to be the one time that the Isak says that the girl Chris is hot. Even though I don’t think it’ll matter much, lmao.

Also Matteo being like whyyyy are you telling me this right now … in front of a bunch of students within earshot. True!

LMAO AND FATIMA AGREES WITH MATTEO, HOLY SHIT? I hope that this poor girl isn’t going to be like … a red herring as to who spilled the beans.

Clip 3 - Kiki gets a much-needed pep talk

Kiki just cuts straight through the bullshit and figures Hanna has a thing for Samuel.

Well, now we get the “I’m not a lesbian” comments from Kiki. I wish they would go there with her. Honestly, after Skam Austin, this is the version of Skam I would most expect an f/f storyline (other than Skam France which has girl Alex as bi but it’s not much more than Word of God and a couple offhand comments.)

Kiki asks Mia if she’s a lesbian and Mia says she doesn’t think in categories like that … which does not rule out the possibility of her being into girls … I am just saying …

“Just because I’m pretty does it mean I need to have a penis inside me?” Well damn Mia, when you put it like that.

Alexander repeats the same bullshit lines on different girls. I bet he compliments them on their stomachs because so many girls are self-conscious about having rolls or belly fat.

Kiki is near tears, and she gets Vilde’s line about everyone saying it’s not her fault, but it is her fault … because that’s how she feels. I’m glad they kept in that line, and it does make you think about how “of course it’s me” would feel in light of S2. I mean apparently Vilde didn’t care that it was Noora who ended up with William, but if you think about it, William apparently was willing to settle on a girl. It just had to be Noora. And IDK, to me that would kind of sting regardless of my ultimate feelings for this dude - because apparently I wasn’t enough to make him stop acting like an asshole, but for another girl he could act like something resembling a decent person (in certain opinions).

The girls making a Hanna and Mia sandwich with Kiki inside is so sweet.

Clip 4 - Mia tells off Alexander

“You’re a proud, confident pussy!” Aw, that’s a lovely line in context.

Mia is, out of all the Nooras, the one who most feels like a feminist or at least someone who is heavily guided by feminist principles and has done the required reading.

I was going to say it was a bummer that Sam went against Kiki’s idea to stand up to Alexander, but the way the actress played it, plus the line “That’s how I always do it” made it feel like there was more going on with her than just not wanting the party invitations to stop. Like the pressure to be chill and not take anything too seriously, especially relationships, was something that weighs down on her. If she’s like girl Chris, perhaps she feels the need to be the fun party one, too. (Heh, I actually thought of the infamous Gone Girl “cool girl” speech, believe it or not. A lot of these insensitive teenage boys don’t want a girl who’s going to have feelings and inconvenient stuff like that, they just want a girl who’s cool to do whatever. And I think there is some pressure on girls to not be like “those other girls” who cause drama by speaking up for themselves and not taking crap from boys.)

And I like Amira’s point of view, which was the same as Sana’s, but which was explicitly compassionate and trying to help Kiki keep her dignity.

Also Hanna is just like “No idea” which is in-character for the whole not-having-her-own-opinions, going-along-with-what-everyone-else-does theme.

Alexander wasn’t as bad of an actor as I expected, though he needs to work on his dead eyes. Maybe he meant it but it’s going to be hard to deal with that in the long run.

His version of this put-down is one of the cruelest in a way, though. It doesn’t even feel like he winds her up as much, he’s just callous. And he had the temerity to tell her to stop crying. Because crying is inconvenient for him.

He mimics Mia’s smirk back at her when she steps up which was a nice touch.

I’m glad that Kiki stuck around in this version so she got to hear someone stick up for her. It is sad that her moment becomes Mia’s moment but it’s nice to see the girls immediately defending her, Amira stroking her arm.

I’m not sure Mia had quite the fire to pull off that scene; however I am liking her more and more in general because as I mentioned above, I think she’s convincing as a baby feminist character and she’s good with supporting the other girls.

I loooooooove Sam giving him the finger as she walks off. itswhathedeserves.gif 

Clip 5 - Hanna and Jonas in bed

They’re easily the best Eva/Jonas outside of the original. They just have great chemistry.

“By the way, I found out there are studies that prove the danger of cell phone radiation.” Wow, I didn’t know Jonas was channeling my 72-year-old auntie.

So cute with him talking about getting down and asking for her hand!

“Society made me do it, a boy from the streets like me, what can I do?” Jonas is definitely the most endearing drug dealer in the Skam extended universe. Ahem.

That description makes him seem like Aladdin.

Oh god they’re so cute. I don’t have much to say except they’re fabulous together. 

don’t break them up

Clip 6 - Fight!

NO NOT THE SCARF. Wrapping her scarf around his neck! I know what happens next for them, you assholes!!!

The girls are ridiculously cute when they pose for a photo. Mia giving Hanna a kiss!

Also they love Mia so much for her smackdown. And Amira stroking Kiki’s arm <3

Brawl time!

Lol, this is the least convincing Iben.

DON’T TOUCH SAM’S BEAUTIFUL BLUE HAIR YOU JERK

I love that all of them got involved in the fight. Amira seemed like she was trying to stop the fight at first but then it looked like she was trying to put that girl in a headlock. Kiki went all in, too, jumping on that girl’s back and holding on with her thighs.

Lol, a teacher actually yelling at them to knock it off and them breaking it off on their own? How novel.

Clip 7 - Hanna and a reptile

Hanna actually has a bruise from the fight so that’s a good detail.

That line from Matteo about Carlo being friends with Jonas and not with Hanna ... buddy … you’re going to want to consider that line more closely, considering I can think of someone who’s friends with both Jonas AND Hanna who’s also screwed her over.

Jonas asking her to stop calling when her phone background is all pics of her and Jonas being affectionate :( :( :(  You know, just to rub it in.

Matteo were you fucking SMIRKING after you gave Hanna a hug? Is that an actual smirk or is that just his face? Duuuuude, I do not approve.

Clip 8 - Leonie dropping hints

Lmao, it’s not really funny but those are some A+ celebrity sunglasses that Hanna is wearing to presumably cover up her bruise and hide from the world.

Love how shook and upset Hanna gets from just spotting Jonas through the window.

Kiki is probably the biggest asshole of any of the Vildes but not gonna lie, I still kinda like her? She is a jerk but she feels like a very specific, realistic type of jerk, like she feels very believable as a character.

Also, something I’ve never thought much about is how Vilde/Kiki fixates on Eva/Hanna being considered a “slut” to the whole school, and obviously some of that for Vilde has to do with the impact it’ll have on their bus group. But this is also happening right after Vilde lost her virginity to the most popular guy in school, wore his hoodie that marked her as a trophy, and was treated like trash by him afterwards. So for Vilde/Kiki/the equivalent characters, is it possible that there’s some projection going on here? I don’t know if I’d say for certain because she seems so eager to have sex, but the aftermath also messes with her self-worth, and that’s mostly indicated by her eating disorder but I think it’s possible she may have internalized some ideas about slut-shaming that could apply to herself.

Mia loves Hanna so much. I don’t get the mega-flirty vibes between them I got from Eva/Noora or Eva/Eleonora, but Mia just cares for her a whole lot. I’ve had some doubts about Mia’s performance but the writing for her has made me love her quite a bit.

Oh, I love that Hanna kinda snapped at Leonie and that Mia took a bit more of the caring, leave-her-alone approach at first but then got all forceful and told her to go away.

Mia either thinks Kiki needs to shut the fuck up or she’s noticing that something’s up with her attitude.

Clip 9 - Hanna and her dad

Is that plant symbolic of something? “There’s a lot going on and I just forgot to water it”? Or you know, sometimes a plant is just a plant.

The dad! I love him being all concerned by his daughter’s banged-up face.

And he’s being so sweet and supportive when he sees Hanna is having a hard time! Gosh, Druck is really like the sweet and soft remake. The baby lamb version of Skam.

Hanna also freely confesses to him that Jonas broke up with her instead of it slipping out in a fit of frustration like with Eva. The dad is sympathetic and wants to help and tries to reassure her that it can happen to anyone, but Hanna is just too upset and stressed for it to have any effect.

General Comments:

I have no idea what’s up with the production on this one. I’ll be so bummed if it doesn’t get another season. Honestly, this is still my favorite of the remakes - it’s the one where I have the most fondness for the characters. I enjoy almost everyone by this point.

This is also easily the version where I would want a S3 and S4 the most (other than a Shay-focused season of Skam Austin), as I think Matteo and Amira could potentially pull them off; they both have conveyed plenty of youthful vulnerability. Mia/Alexander is the least convincing Noorhelm yet but Mia has grown on me a lot. And I think girl Sam and Jonas are fantastic and would love to see more from them.

Just to say it again: girl Sam is wonderful and I would looooove just a full season of her.

I guess the Druck team posted a little message on IG about Kiki’s eating disorder and a link to a hotline? That’s really great, I’m glad they did that.

Not to compare remakes but when Meg and Marlon from Skam Austin make out: 😒 😒 😒 When Hanna and Jonas make out: 😄 😄 😄

I don’t speak German so if I miss some context, feel free to correct me.

If you got this far, thank you for reading!

[stray-tori]

TPN Vol 8 - Chapters 66-70 Thoughts

[we're already on vol 9 but I'm slow with compiling]

I know I always rag on the "cop out" deaths and it is true that no corpse no dead, and I am curious if there will be any more worldbuilding regarding Lucas' survival (hello deus ex machina person) but uh. Idk. I'm sure it has a point and it makes sense in universe (having him be the reason for the knowledge among GP kids is good) but it just feels a little. Eh. Like it feels like paddling back on a small part of geezers guilt and feelings. In part it also feels like a "reward" for choosing the heroes moral side and going to help save Emma (why ever that happened - ig bc Gilda would blow up the shelter if he doesn't so. YAY).

...

Obviously the development is still his, and he obviously isn't expecting to find anyone alive there, but ig i felt like he was leading up to... healing more through the kids and not one epic Emma speech and "oh your one friend is alive btw" reveal later on. It feels like a spark of hope and happiness for him that I'm not sure if was needed narratively. He already decided he wouldn't harm them.

Like maybe they handle it very differently so i might be jumping the gun here but idk. It just feels a little... weird to me. Probably in a similar way how speeches about Norman hurt but also kind of get that "well uh about that...." Air once you know. I feel for the characters and their separation but it doesn't have the same weight it could have anymore.

In theory it reminds me a bit of the whole gate reveal structure in s2. With a setup being built up or established and a reveal just going "nvm that's not what we're doing".

It makes sense, I'm just not a huge fan of what it does for me for previously established things.

But i guess writing wise it puts its cards on the table with small scale Lucas and then Norman haha.

.

I find it rly funny how much the arc sort of mirrors the s2 arc so far (character assumed dead is alive, new cast of demon kill children introduced, a plan to kill demons).

Ig that might be intentional, for all intents it's a good method of conveying character change. Or different specifics or how things might be judged differently with different specifics (like hunting for enjoyment vs. farming)

I'm totally jumping in on this too early but idk it's interesting to think about.

That and also our whole "There's someone I want you to meet" - "ITS NORMAN" jokes made me think, like you could probably ACTUALLY restructure some of this in a way that would allow Norman's return here instead lol. Could be a fun AU, esp since we have the seeds of a (small-scale) demon annihilation plan anyway.

I also just find it funny to think about Norman grumbling from his future self that Emma agreed to some random guy's plan so easily udkhjsd

Obviously the time is a bit of a mess -- it's only been 3 months? is Adam out bc Norman's escaped already or was Adam just shipped to GP? if he already escaped, our boy is quick - plus, why would he go to GP. the supporters in Lambda probably know it's been compromised, so aside from freeing the children, there isn't a lot of reason to go there and while that may have priority, I feel like 3 months is a bit of a short timeframe for Norman to settle in there well enough -- so it's more wonky than anything BUT IT'S FUN TO THINK ABOUT.

.

btw I find it so funny how Emma has that whole "intent to kill" thing going on now, considering her later moral stance - like it's fair but coming from s2 it's a bit of whiplash haha especially since she's so determined about it right from the start. (though I have no idea if she ever addressed killing demons before this, memory bad)

Though notably she said "she wants to shut down the hunting ground too", not "want to kill them too" - and it's good that she draws a line but IDK IT'S JUST INTERESTING because what bothers her is the toying / no respect for their lives, right? - "this kind of hunt", not hunting in general.

... so like, if you were hunted by a demon in the wild, who didn't toy with you, just killed and ate you, that would be fine then? Idk, it's a very fine line and I get it, but it's interesting to think about. A quick, suffer-less death is of course a valid thing to want if you will die anyway, but you're dead afterwards in both variants.

Of course maybe I'm reading it wrong and it's just her sort of realizing that between mass production farms and GP, they really did have it good, even if they died an early death, and how this is much more hate-worthy than GF's method. Which is true, I suppose, and might expand on the building blocks of her moral development down the line (as in "there's different stages of demon-badness").

.

Also a more funny thought but imagine if Lucas DID have the pen, would... Geezer-senpai just not find the way back? And even if he did would he even get into the bunker? That'd be one tragic ending pff. Tell the person to run away and they can't even go back inside sudhdjd

.

Also i thought about it and isn't it weird that none of the books or materials mentioned what goldy pond actually is? Like youd expect sth that important to be in there.

We know WM wasn't at the bunker in the last 13 years and we know that the books he supplied to GF, the newest one was 2015. What if he was discovered or had to limit his WM activity 30 years ago?

So 30 years ago, he still sent people to goldy pond.

I'm just realizing.... That totally sounds like a setup for minerva to actually be on the demons side or a demon himself sjdhjddj. Like he orchestrates escapees (who are likely to be smart) and then sends them to GP where he and his noble friends can hunt them.

But where i was actually going with this uh, what if GP 30 years ago (potentially longer depending on how long ago he was there last) wasn't actually a hunting a ground? Why would you send kids there without a warning otherwise? What if it WAS a small human community (tho that would likely have been passed around by the inhabitants) or it was at least WM supporter base like the bunker, intended for humans to live there. Not sure about mansion then but YKNOW.

If it was, i wonder if it being discovered was a huge part in WM cover being blown OR if the demons decided to keep it secret bc you know this place is rly convinient haha

I also wonder how wm even finds and builds all these underground things lol. Bc it can't have existed since before the world split i think?

Man has some big construction projects running pfff.

I'm also not sure how that underground thing works-

.

its tori is confused about minor things hour

[Emma takes the axe with right hand, her right hand is still behind her as if she was winding up, but the axe is already thrown?]

like if she had the axe still in hand it'd make sense or if it was in her hand AND spinning, it'd be like "2 frames".

but this?? i am just-

.

im rly late with this but the glove is Lucas' memorial. the pair will only be together again when they reunite :<<

what I want to know is HOW. like the John thing is already questionable but I guess he could have gone back again?? but with this.

he has both gloves when they part he still have one glove on when his arm is gone. but the arm Leuvis has, doesn't have a glove?? So either Leuvis took it off but i wouldn't know why, and just dropped it on the ground for geezer to come pick up ORRRR he took one off for some reason?? maybe he threw it at the demon pff something is very un-continous here and i need answers-

.

the duality of man... not wanting people to know a) your age and b) your name (which you may have forgotten, who knows)

we just assumed geezer's name is censored here but I guess it could be anything haha-