#My thoughts and opinions

[calibratemehard]

Alrighty folks I finished the game. I will put non-spoiler thoughts here and then put my spoiler thoughts under the cut. Again, these are MY OPINIONS. I am happy to hear your thoughts but I'm not arguing with you because you won't change my mind.

* holy shit this is a big game

* Mournwatch is the best faction in my opinion. Idk they're just cool and not problematic lol

* there is some retconning of established facts, but I take it this way: it's been a long time since the original trilogy's events. Origins was canonically sometime almost 20 years before Veilguard - think of life 20 years ago, it was very different. A lot can change and gods coming back changes a lot. Factions grow and change and become something different. Also this is NORTHERN Thedas, an area we've never played in. With few exceptions we've always had companions from the south and learned information about the north second hand. I think that's important to keep in mind when people complain about things not staying the same or 'lore accurate.'

* I still recommend picking the same faction as your projected romantic interest

* The cameos are ... Fine. Again, it's been a long time in game. Are you the same person you were 10 years ago? 20 years? I think Morrigan is the most disappointing but my headcanon is that motherhood has really suited her, also a decision she made off screen that is explained to you during the course of the game also made her personality make a little more sense

* I think I liked this game because I went in with an open mind. I have always loved Bioware games for the writing and the companions and this game has those in spades. I loved how fleshed out the characters were though it doesn't approach the levels that say, Baldur's Gate 3 reaches. But overall it was an enjoyable experience, around 65 hours for me to finish just about everything. Though maybe shave off about 5 hours for the character creator, which was great.

Okay so now for the spoilers. DO NOT OPEN IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS!!

* I maxed out all of my companions and factions and nearly 100% every area. There was no quest undone. I think that's why I got a good ending, namely Solas agreeing to bind himself to the Veil, sharing a big kiss with Lavellan, and walking into the Fade together. I did lose one member, Harding, and that fucking sucked. I haven't looked into spoilers so I don't know if switching her and Davrin would have made a difference cause Davrin is a Warden and would have fared better against the blight idk. I'll have to look into it. Overall I was happy though.

* I ... Should have seen the Varric twist but I wasn't looking for it so it just passed over me. I was devastated, but I think that it was well done and well earned. Still sad though. That was the second time I cried during the finale, after Harding.

* This felt like a Bioware game to me. It felt big, it felt complex, and the humor was always there. The QoL improvements and expansion of classes and abilities made this so much fun.

* I felt the romances were lacking a bit in content, though Emmrich had suuuuch a sweet and gentle romance. I loved it so much. They banged in a graveyard in what I assume is a coffin. A+ love him, love Manfred. I just wish I had kiss options a la BG3. I got spoiled. 😅

* I'll play this again. And again. That's how my brain works. I think they need to patch a sort of 'golden nug' option into the game and a new game plus to make things better. If there are DLC, I'll happily play them.

[lemotmo]

My 911 8x01 thoughts

Just watched the episode!

So many thought! I have so many thoughts!

I haven’t even read any of the interviews yet. I’m just going to dump all my thoughts on the episode in this post and then I’ll get to the interviews and asks.

Also, this post might be incoherent and not chronological in any way.

First things first:

F*CK HELENA DIAZ! I wanted to reach through the TV-screen and strangle her. I was on the fence about her last season. But this? F*ck her! Seriously! I actually cried at seeing Eddie’s crestfallen face. The way she dismissed her own damn son and kinda makes it seem like Chris is better off in El Paso? The way she rubs it in his face that she has the money to install a pool? I hate it. It reeks of emotional manipulation. 🤬🤬🤬

Okay, now that that’s off my chest. Let’s get to the rest of the episode.

Let’s get Tommy out of the way first. Okay, the guy was there for 20 seconds and said 1 line. The way they all hung out together was interesting. Once again, Eddie is in the middle… visually as well. As they were hiding behind the couch and jumped up, Eddie was in the middle. They are showing us Buck and Tommy still being in that early giddy stage of a relationship, which is pretty much what Tim and Oliver talked about in their interviews.

It's funny how I care less about Tommy being there when he actually doesn’t speak.🤷‍♀️ Lou didn’t really have to do a lot of acting. Tommy just had a fun scene with Buck and Eddie and I actually didn’t mind him being there. It once again reminded us where the storyline is going. It also shows us that Eddie and Tommy are still friends, which is interesting.

I have a feeling that we will see Eddie come between them more often. Mainly because Buck will want to emotionally support Eddie as much as he can and I think Tommy might just call Buck out on that.

All right, what else? Ah the bees… I actually liked the emergencies. It’s something else than a normal natural disaster. The mom and daughter in the car was so on point. Here you have a mom who is willing to use her own epi pen to save her daughter. Most moms would act like that. (Well, unless your name is Helena Diaz of course.) I did wonder why she doesn’t carry two epi-pens. I mean, if the whole family is allergic to bees, I would probably haul around 3 or 4 of them in my purse. Not taking chances there.

The perfume emergency was so funny. I liked the lady and her assistant. They brought some comedy. Also, Eddie running off with those bees? Such a great scene. I like how they said that Eddie was the fastest runner. I know Buck’s legs are longer, but he would just bumble around, stumble and fall. He’s clumsy like that in his running. We’ve seen that before.😂

I do feel like Eddie and Buck are even more in sync than ever. The fist bumping, the sharing of thoughts, the blind trust Eddie has in Buck’s ideas is incredible. Buck suggests something and Eddie just accepts what he says and goes along with it. I love that. Their dynamic is so great! 🤗

Okay, hmmmm… ah, Gerrard. I love the actor so much! He is such a great antagonist. The way he kept targeting Buck because Buck just kept talking back is such a basic bullying move. At the end there I really thought that Buck was going to hit Gerrard, but then -clear as a bell- there was Eddie’s voice in his head telling Buck to not let Gerrard get to him. Loved that detail! And then he actually saves his life! I wonder how Gerrard will react when he wakes up? I also wonder how Tommy will react to all of this?

Bobby! Bobby has an admirer! LOL! The guy was almost simping over Bobby, trying to watch his each and every move. And his heavy British accent? Definitely a reference to Oliver. Bobby doesn’t seem to hate his new job, but it’s obvious he misses the old one.

I can smell Madney and Henren problems from miles away. I predicted this storyline and I think I’ll be right. Chimney is getting attached to Mara and Mara is feeling more and more at home with the Hans. Now, that doesn’t mean that they’ll want to keep her or anything like that, but it does mean that Hen and Karen are looking in from the sidelines.

The longer Mara stays at Madney’s house, the more Henren might feel left out. I don’t know… I smell problems coming up there. Interested to see where this will lead. Ultimately I’m pretty sure Mara will return to the Wilsons, but in the mean time they will have to create some drama there.

That brings me to my least favourite part of this episode: Athena’s storyline. Once again, Athena can do it all. How is it possible that one single police officer who has a personal history with a prisoner can get assigned to single-handedly escort and protect said prisoner from Phoenix to LA? I don’t understand why they keep giving Athena these terrible storylines where she is some kind of superwoman who can do it all and who knows it all.

This man should be escorted by more people to make sure he arrives at his destination. After that fake agent pulled her over? She should have called it in and waited for back up in the airport.

Also, the fake agent was alone in this scenario, which is a big plot hole. Why didn’t he come with back-up to ensure they would get to the prisoner? Plot holes like this just take me out of the story.

This storyline is fabricated just to put Athena on that plane with the prisoner and he’ll probably get his redemption storyline because of it. He’ll heroically save her or something like that. Or maybe he can magically fly a plane. I don’t know. I didn’t care for this storyline all that much.

I wish they would give Athena some better storylines. I love the character, but I don’t like what they keep doing to her. I don’t like the person she becomes when she goes into supercop-mode like that. Anyway, just a personal opinion. If you feel differently about this, great for you.

Overall, I really liked most of the episode. It was fun, scary, exciting and I didn’t even check once to see when it would be over. Which is always a good sign.

Onwards to next week!

[marianadecarlos]

What is Aguila Roja? Is it a show or a movie? Because in your posts you ranted about Aguila Roja's portrayal of Mariana.

Is there TV shows and Movies about her aside from that? I feel like Habsburgs in 17th century was often ignore by media because I don't see shows about them. There is Versailles series though if your interested.

"Águila Roja" is a Spanish adventure television series set in 17th-century Spain. Produced by Globomedia for Televisión Española, it aired on La 1 from 2009 to 2016 and has earned its status as one of the channel's most successful shows, with broadcasting rights sold in multiple countries. I must express my strong dissatisfaction with the portrayal of Mariana, as it is historically inaccurate and misleading. While I recognize that the show is a work of historical fiction, it is essential to accurately depict real-life individuals, especially lesser-known historical figures. The portrayal of Mariana as vain, selfish, and promiscuous—engaging in an affair with the fictional character Cardinal Mendoza. This plotline creates a distortion of her character. In reality, Mariana was a devoted wife, loving mother, intelligent, strong, loyal, dutiful, strict, tactile, and pious. These traits are glaringly absent from her depiction in the series. Although some scenes show her as a caring mother and wife, particularly when she comforts Felipe, these moments are far too few and are overshadowed by their frequent conflicts. Shows like this must uphold historical integrity, as misrepresentation can lead to widespread misconceptions.

Beware my friend as the worst is yet to come, I stumbled upon this video on YouTube. To those who are curious to watch this scene, it features graphic content.

There is more than one scene but I refuse to post the links because as you can see this one is already terrible. The other scenes just featured her getting kidnapped, tortured, tying her to a tree, and lifting her up in the air.

I was mortified upon witnessing it! The need to showcase the character getting tortured and almost burnt at the stake! I do not understand the reason or context of this scene at all! This scene is not only inaccurate and degrading, but It is also an insult to her name, real-life experiences, and legacy.

Apart from her portrayal, her costumes were as expected inaccurate, The outfits that Lucía Eliana Sánchez wore in the series, in my opinion, did not fit the way of dressing at the time. Both the exaggerated neckline and the shapes of the silhouette did not correspond to the attire worn at that time, and even more so, by such a leading figure.

In Spain, women did wear a neckline, as we can see in some paintings, but a plunging neckline would not have been common for the queen herself. The feminine style of the dress at the time was the so-called guardainfante, a huge frame in the shape of an inverted basket on which the basquiña (skirt) was placed. The bodice or sayo was tight, between the fabric and the lining there was a rubberized cardboard that literally crushed the chest. According to the historian Maribel Bandrés: “… it was so hard and flat that the body lost its natural shape. To give it even more rigidity, it had two whalebones coming down to a point in front: the busc .” The neckline was covered with a striking collar called a valona cariñana with a beautiful decoration of pleats called abanillos. This type of collar was very flattering and a large brooch was placed in its center.

Diego Velázquez. Mariana of Austria. Detail of head. Circa 1652. Prado Museum. Madrid.

Eliana Sánchez is characterized as Mariana of Austria.

In this particular scene, I noticed Mariana's dress. I've seen that dress before in other Spanish shows and on Pinterest, which led me to believe they recycled this costume. While I appreciate when costumes are reused in different shows, in this case, the setting is in the year 1660, as they discuss Maria Theresa's upcoming marriage and mention that Margarita and Prospero are present. They look completely different from their historical counterparts.

Yes, apart from Aguila Roja, She was featured briefly in documentaries such as Memoria de Espana and Habsburgs heimliche Herrscherinnen- Auf fremden Thronen

I agree with you this century is often ignored by the media or the ones that usually don't get that much attention even though their stories are good and interesting. My favorite portrayal of her, Is the Memoria de Espana's Mariana, The costumes and mannerisms are perfect.

[junye8]

I don't like it when people depict Marius as dumb. He is not. He's been balancing between being an art student on one side while taking over a huge corporate on the other. And, of course, he has to be smart to get his way around the business world.

[kimium]

What are your favourite things about Chrobin (FEH) as a ship? Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want in terms of details! 💜

Aw, thanks friend! I'm super excited to answer this question! For anyone who isn't aware, Chrobin is the name of a ship from Fire Emblem Awakening (Chrom/Robin). They also appear in the mobile game, Fire Emblem Heroes (FEH).

Note: When I talk about Robin in general, I use gender neutral pronouns (they/them). Unless I'm talking about a specific Robin from FEH.

I also have spoilers for Fire Emblem Awakening here.

Let's get started!

Reasons I love Chrobin

I think the core reason why I love Chrobin so much is summed up nicely in this post HERE (not my post). I highly recommend reading it to understand the full picture, but in general:

I like Chrobin because it wasn't intended to be "canon" yet recently Intelligence Systems (I.S.) seems to be pushing it as a "heavily implied canon pairing".

I think it's so funny that within the game proper I.S. strongly intended/hinted that Sumia is Chrom's "canon wife". Yet in recent material for Fire Emblem Awakening (in Heroes), this perspective has shifted drastically to focus on Robin. And that the first time we as a player base saw this "unofficial shift" was in the Valentine Banner with Duo Chrom.

Now, I know the logical answer to why they paired Duo Valentine Chrom with Male Robin is because they didn't "want to suggest a canon pairing with Female Robin". However, when past Valentine Duo units HAVE been canon couples/ very strongly hinted canon couples (such as Alm/Celica), there was no way the fandom was going to sit and go "yeah, this is 100% heteronormative". Nope! Instead I saw fanart for months after that banner's drop with all the gay Chrobin dancing across my dashboard.

However, the cherry on top is how it seems I.S. is leaning into Male Robin/Chrom HARD. I'm still not over the Engage paralogue, I.S. They're spirits. Together. In a Ring. Are you kidding me??

Also, I love how I.S. simply isn't separating Chrom and Robin. Look at our most recent example is with our new Young Awakening banner dropping tomorrow. I.S. once again did NOT separate Chrom and Robin (this time a duo unit with Female Robin in lead). I hope this won't be the last time I.S. strongly "suggests" Chrobin because I'm loving this.

Love is presented as both a character flaw and strength regarding Chrom's death at Robin's hands.

Due to being a strong Chrobin shipper, every time I think about the bad timeline, I want to scream my feelings out to the world. Chrom dies by Robin's hand only because they're possessed by the Fell Dragon, Grima. There could have been other ways to kill Chrom, I'm certain, but the implication that having Robin do it was the most efficient way to do it? That Chrom would never see that coming because of the trust, loyalty, love, and devotion to Robin?

(Or what about Lucina? If Robin is one of her parents this means Lucina willingly travelled back to the past knowing she has to kill Robin. That's the entire point of time travel is to stop the apocalypse. The only way is to kill Grima's vessel AKA Robin. Yet, she can't do it.)

Are you kidding me, I.S.?? I need to scream into my pillow all my feelings.

They always had chemistry (my opinion) in their supports, but Heroes and Engage only added more.

Look. I walked into Awakening blind and I 100% firmly believed in my first play through that Chrobin was end game. I thought their relationship dynamic was interesting and clearly charged with "they are more than just friends" energy. We add in the Duo conversation/dialogue from the Awakening Valentine banner + Engage's entire paralogue with them?? I'm looking at I.S. like I'm looking into the camera from The Office.

And there you have it friend. I know I have other reasons why I like this ship but here are my core reasons. I hope you like this answer!

[c2dragon]

One Piece Party seems to exist for the primary purpose of bullying Trafalgar Law

[thewolvesof1998]

I have too many conflicting thoughts about the RWRB movie so this is just going to be a long rant about it. I love the book like I've lost count of how many times I've read it and I have a tattoo that references the book. I read it in 2020 when I needed Alex, it helped me come to terms with my sexuality and come out. So it holds a special place in my heart. When I heard about the movie I was optimistically cautious and tried not to get my hopes up or be too critical until we actually started getting content. When I first saw the trailer I was not hopeful, there were a lot of things that just weren't sitting right with me but then they kept releasing clips and photos and they slowly won me over until I was really excited for this film. I was excited to get a queer, happy romcom. I was excited for the representation and I am still after watching the film. We need films like this, that show queer happiness and love and even just sex on screen.

The film on its own (not comparing it to the book) is good, it's campy and romantic and I love it. I love some of the editing choices and how they filmed Alex and Herny's text convos and phone calls especially the turkey gate one (tho I can't believe we didn't get the cornbread line)- I wish they continued this with the emails. I love the lake scene, the Bird's Eye view, the bicep kiss and how Alex is confessing his love but all we can really focus on is the sadness on Henry's face, how he's almost greyish compared to Alex. The way he's positioned looks like a statue or a work of art. However, It's not perfect, some of the dialogue is stilted and the lighting and colouring of some of the scenes could have used tweaking but we accept mediocre straight romcoms all the time so why can't we accept this film's faults? Why do we have to hold queer media to a much higher standard? As a former film student, I couldn't help but notice that stuff but I don't think it subtracts from the film to the point that I don't like it anymore, sure I can't help thinking how I would have done a scene. I laughed a lot and I almost cried and I really think there were some beautiful moments and acting and cinematography. Overall, I really liked it, I would totally watch it again and I might even love it one day.

But, this film is not just a film and we have to look at it from the standpoint of the book. I did squeal and giggle every time we got a moment from the book or a line of dialogue and some of the book's moments were portrayed beautifully. I wasn't even mad at some of the additions to the film, Zarah's lines were great and the whole key/signet ring swap was iconic. But I don't understand why they added in cheesy dialogue when there was stuff they could have pulled from the book. And the things that were missing!?!? The emails were barely in it- they are so important to the storyline so when they weren't really there and then they were leaked it felt so out of the blue and the importance felt lost- it was literally just horny letters, like what about love confession in the form of historical love letters and the Waterloo vase and Henry's fears and Alex's list of the things he loves about Henry. AND the fact that the emails weren't even linked back to Richards wtf. June was a missing piece, her relationship with Alex and her place in their friend groups is so key to the story. Characters were butchered- Nora was great for the five minutes we got to see her and then *poof* she was gone (I also missed the burrito convo and how she figured out who leaked the emails). Pez I think said one line, what the actual fuck. Henry was a sad boy but they brushed over his depressive bouts. Bea could have been replaced with a lamp until the very end in which her one contribution was to point out the crowds (which makes me so mad that we didn't get their mother and that storyline). Bea is punk and a drug addict and it was such an important storyline. and ALEX, fuck, Alex is who I related to, ADHD, chaotic, messy bisexual. I wanted to see him get lost in his work and forget about dinner with June. I wanted him to come to terms with his sexuality on screen and tell his mum and she do the fucking PowerPoint. And actually come out to his dad - I feel like half the convo got cut cuz it kinda came out of nowhere. My tattoo references chapter 9 of RWRB specifically, it's the chapter in which Alex comes out to both his parents, I got the tattoo the year I came out to both of mine, those scenes mean a lot to me. and don't get me started on the removal of the divorce, as a child of divorce I saw myself in Alex and June and loved how they showed the parent's relationship and the unconventional family they have. why did they have to remove that?!? Aren't we past the stage of needing to only see nuclear families?! this is a queer story and we kinda lost the found family that Alex, Henry, Bea, June and Pez find and I'm sad. AND I'm so angry we didn't get kimonos and karaoke and the (hinted) thruple June, Nora and Pez. Also, why is Alex giving his speech before they've even talked to Henry or the king, it makes no sense when the king like 'We could make it fake' when Alex has been on tv saying he's in a relationship with Henry and they're in love. I'm also in two halves about the 'history huh' I think they made it work as dialogue but I still would have loved it in the emails. I've seen a lot of people say that there is chemistry between the actors who play Alex and Henry but it's not the same as the book because we get more time between the characters in the book than in the film. Yes, but also, what we see in the movie is most if not all the in-person moments with the characters what's missing is the emails, that's where we see them fall in love (or reveal in Henry's case). The emails are such a driving force and I can't believe they've been reduced down so much. I also feel like in giving us a fun, romantic film they've watered down and gotten rid of most of the harder topics to make the film more palatable (like Bea's drug addiction, divorce, even the homophobia and the politics).

I feel like the queers won with this film but I did not. I'll still watch it again and once the hurt has lessened I'll probably be able to love this film for what it is but I'll mourn the film we could have had. (though personally, I would do a mini-series so we could really sit in it.)

[empresskadia]

So here are my in-the-moment thoughts about the experimental Spartan-IVs with Raya and Lana making a brief appearance.

I am 100% here if y'all have opinions or ideas too, I would love to hear them. This is just my take on it.

We hardly know anything about the experimental phase of the Spartan-IV project, what's canon is that it lasted 2 years and there was a brief moment with Ilsa Zane but that's it.

However, I've been thinking about it and they would've needed a test group of volunteers. I personally think there were two, the group in 2548, which was Raya's group. and then 2549, which was Lana's. While Musa and Jun were in charge of the official Spartan-IV recruitment, the experimental IVs were mainly picked by a board of ONI scientists, Musa and Parangosky. They needed to be very selective with this group, files upon files were shuffled through.

It's also noteworthy that not a single one of the experimental IVs got all their augmentations at once, ONI needed to watch to see how each person reacted to each procedure, so it couldn't have been done immediately, especially after the IIsa Zane incident. All these files are currently redacted.

The first group was the trial group, they needed UNSC personnel who had an outstanding mission record, more so looking towards the ODSTs and seeing who has served the longest and who they could "fix" with augmentations. Example A, Raya was part of the eight other candidates that were offered the original Spartan II augmentation for their eyes. Three of them ended up permanently blind while five were successes. In the end, there were a handful of deaths and complications with this group, but was an overall success to continue to the next phase.

The second group was ONI personnel, teams that could drop in and out of missions and knew how to keep their mouths shut. These were the ones Parangosky mainly picked, the ones she trusted to get missions done, ODSTs that had worked under her for years, and most importantly, ones that didn't have a group of teammates, lonewolfs if you would. Alot of them were Section 3 such as Lana, the ones that knew how to disappear and not say a word. These ones went smoother than the first group but ONI still tried to use Spartan II and III augmentations, or rather, a more subdued version that eventually became the building blocks for the Spartan-IV argumentations.

The three years before the actual Spartan-IV program started was an observation period. These Spartans were sent on hand-picked missions and would go through tests and scans as soon as they got back, from their diets, to how their bodies were growing with the augmentation and this is where ONI picked and chose what to make the official augmentation list.

I guess in a way, you can say they are genetic freaks. Hardly any two of the experimental Spartan-IV have the same exact augmentations. However, this led to the experiment IVs being really proud of themselves and their teammates, not in an 'I'm better than you way' but we've survived while not everyone did. Every couple of years these IVs get called in for testing to make sure nothing abnormal has happened, as of today many of them are still active and I want to say the end number was around 75 or 76 of these Spartans.

[bookwormcosplays]

I haven't gotten a chance to see the reaction here on Tumblr, but I know a lot of people are heated on Instagram about the finale, but I just have to say... Guys, we had to have seen it coming. HBO Max is an unstable network, there were budget cuts, and let's be real the pacing was off for these episodes. They were ready to wrap things up. I know there was a huge rally to renew as a crew, but I definitely saw how this was going to go down on week two of the episode releases.

I'm trying to keep it as vague as possible for those who haven't seen it and come across the post, but I know some people are unhappy with a certain event. I actually think if that didn't happen there would be a disconnect of where they actually belonged. As much as I was sobbing, I don't think it was out of place or a bad choice. As I said, they were just trying to wrap things up in an attempted neat bow. I think it's better to cut it now semi rushed than to attempt a continuation with a network that lacks stability.

If we're still unsettled just remember that any other deviation from the canon ending, we can find in fan fiction which I'll be going straight to after writing this and I will be ignoring the ending.

[cycat4077]

Benson vs Velasco

This thought has been bugging me since the last episode aired where Velasco was forced to reveal his past...

We know that Joe's father was abusive and beat him and his mother. We knew previously that he was involved in a gang when he was young and took part in some criminal activity. The last episode revealed that he was just a young teenager when he and his friend, Chilly, were approached and recruited by gang members. As an initiation, they were supposed to murder rival drug dealers (?). Joe confessed that he could not go through with it, but Chilly did, covering for him when it came to the gang leaders. Ever since, Joe has felt a certain loyalty towards Chilly for that. Without Chilly, Joe could have presumably suffered severe consequences at the hand of the gang leaders.

Now, let's step back a few epsiodes to that BX9 arc, where Olivia was nearly murdered in front of her son by a young teenage member of BX9. Olivia being Olivia, found the compassion within her heart to see this teen as a victim. The gang used the threat of harm to loved ones to recruit and keep their members loyal. Still, because he was a teenager, Olivia was compelled to believe he could still be saved.

What bugs me about last episode, is how Olivia acted so differently in a "similar" situation. Velasco was a teenager when he was recruited into the gang. I'm not sure if the circumstances surrounding his reasons to join were fully revealed, but nonetheless, teenage Velasco and his friend would have been groomed by the gang in some way to get them to join. Yet, I don't think Olivia is recognizing this aspect when she confronts Joe. Instead, she thinks it is outrageous that he could protect Chilly and she gives him an ultimatum to choose where his loyalties lie.

Personally, I can see some parallels between Velasco and the BX9 teen. Both grew up poor and in difficult home situations. Both were (likely) groomed (and threatened) by the gang in order to coerce their loyalty. Teenagers are vulnerable and gullible, and when first recruited by gangs are likely not bad people. Just as Olivia taught us with the BX9 teen, they are victims of powerful, evil people. So, for her to lash out so harshly to Velasco felt off. A simple "I know you were just a kid but..." could have sufficed so that at least we knew that she holds some compassion for his situation. 

I actually like Velasco, making my opinion a bit biased, but I think he has some decent backstory and inner conflicts to be explored. Olivia knew that he had a criminal past and, up to this point, seemed more or less accepting and supportive that he had redeemed himself. So why the sudden 180? Failing to see the Chilly situation through the lens of a scared teenage boy who wants nothing more than to leave that life behind now, seems off from the Olivia Benson who carries so much compassion for those she crosses paths with. 

Just my 2 cents!

[calibratemehard]

My spoiler free thoughts about Veilguard after a week (and I have not finished the game):

• I love how companion centric the game is. They are always yapping and they always want to hang out with you

• The first big plot decision was very difficult and I regret my choice, but I'm happy it gives me the opportunity to play through it again and make a different choice

• I think it behooves you to make your Rook the same faction as your romantic interest. I love how connected my Rook feels to Emmrich because they're both part of the Mourn Watch.

• The combat is sometimes soooo good and sometimes frustrating as hell. I think being a rogue may have been a tough class to start out with but sometimes it is so so OP. I think I would have preferred playing a mage. Next time I'll make sure to play a class for a bit before getting too far into the game.

• While we can't import a lot of our choices from the previous games, I don't miss them too much. There are just enough easter eggs in items you collect for the codex that you can infer certain events or what happened to people. This game is SO big already, I don't know how they could have fit in too much terribly more. But I still think some things feel off, specifically some cameos from earlier games. It's not enough to bother me too much though.

• The environments are beautiful and I love puzzles so I'm very happy.

• Currency was hard to come by early game and frustrating but as I leveled up and played more it became easier

• I am a completionist so I do side quests as soon as they come up before doing the main quest stuff. If you're the same as me, I highly suggest this because some main quest events can lock you out of side quests.

Overall I'm very happy with the game! I am 35 years old and I played DAO for the first time back in 2011 when I was graduating from college. This series has been so important to me and just as I have grown and changed in that time, so has it! I think the game is a great entry point for new fans while still acknowledging the OG fans. Several times I have been presented with a quest and thought, 'well I understand the implications of this, but would a new player?'

Again, I have not finished the game yet! So my opinions could still change. But so far so good!

[that-lazy-snail]

I have a lot of feelings about the Titan sub extravaganza and since tumblr is just shouting into a vaccume I think I'll share them below the cut if anyone wants to read lol.

1st: I knew they were dead the moment they said they were missing. Like Cameron said in interviews there's literally no way for them to completely lose contact without having no power AT ALL, and if you have no power in situations like that, your craft is gone and you're dead. It was genuinely the best thing that could have happened to them, coming up too fast as they were trying to do also probably would have killed them but in a much more horrible way, and granted you can survive bad cases of the bends (sometimes) but if you don't it's a really really horrible way to go. But also so is suffocating and hypothermia which was the case if they'd been stuck in there for days as the rescue team led you to believe is also a really horrible way to go. If I had to die catastrophically, honestly that's how I'd want to do it, you can't even feel pain or understand it.

2nd: I think it is sad, because I don't think people "deserve" to die, (particularly the 19 yo who most likely didn't want to be there/claimed he didn't want to be there) and they were probably afraid in their last moments because they heard the hull creaking and that's sad, but I also think it's ironic because you are taking a TOURISM trip to an EXTREMELY deep part of the ocean that is home to a MASS GRAVE. And they paid 250k to do it and weren't smart enough to check whether or not the sub they were in was a death trap (idk about you but I personally would be checking that 10 times over. I'm going into a highly highly pressurized space with no logical safety precautions? I'll pass). So they maybe kinda got what was coming to them, and eat the rich and all that, maybe don't voyer a mass grave.

3rd: I think the depth of the Titanic is the universes way of deterring people from going there, like we have museums that practically put you on the ship and give activities that simulate the sinking, you don't need to see the real thing. 100s of people died there tragically and suffered, let them rest. There is no good reason why civilians should be visiting the Titanic, not a single one, regardless of how much money you have.

4th: I was waiting 3 days for Cameron to comment on it, and I'm glad he did cause honestly I trust his expertise in this area maybe more than a single other person on the planet, and it's not cause I'm his fan, he's genuinely the most educated individual. I've had a passion/interest in ocean exploration since I was 11 so while I'm no expert, I do know that you can't make a sub out of carbon fiber and not die. I've also have been a fan of Cameron's exploration work in the challenger deep for over a decade by extension. I think it's funny that all these people didn't know that he was a director as his side hustle, because even tho I've been a fan of avatar since it came out (I was 9 at the time and didn't connect that it was him till I was like 16?), I always first and foremost knew him as the deepest human dive record holder for the Marianas trench. I'm glad to see the world is starting to share some of my respect for him as an academic 😂. Anyway, I'll always be kinda a Cameron fan probably more than most other white men, just cause clumbsy white man behavior aside he's a genuinely smart and well meaning individual, more than can be said for a lot of other multimillionaire directors...

5th: the media coverage of this was completely unnecessary and the rescue attempts were also unnecessary since everyone in the field knew they were dead, anyone with an engineering degree knew they were dead, anyone with common sense and the ability to do good research knew they were dead. The rescue was all for show and a waste of resources. I think it's horrrific what happened off the cost of Greece and I think the media SHOULD have covered that instead but I don't like hearing the comparison of "we should have sent our resources there" as there's a fairly large logistical difference between a submersible with a 3 day expiration date and a boat with a 30 minute one. That doesn't mean that there shouldn't have been more support/recovery efforts made for the immigrants, there SHOULD HAVE but it's not comparable in anything except media response and that it's in/on the ocean. I also think it's okay to care about both and the response to 5 billionaires dying at see can be joked about and made light of and sometimes that's good for the human condition, the death of people fleeing death and then tragically dying, cannot but it doesn't mean people don't/won't care, it just means they're not loud about it.

6th: and finally, I do think the Logitech controller is funny, and more seriously I think everyone's responses to this are valid, those people that are laughing at them, people who are upset, it's a hard thing to grapple with, at least it is for me

[scknight05]

I've joined the "I really want and NEED 9-1-1 to have a physical DVD/BluRay relase" group.. because.. I just do. I mean, yes I currently do enjoy the show via Hulu and I could get it from iTunes. But I'm also of the age where collecting physical media was a major thing (I have some TV seasons that are incomplete because everything went to streaming and it SUCKS not having a completed set). I kinda sorta in an extremely small way get the reasoning behind why they stopped after season 1 but they also have to take into consideration the people who AREN'T able to stream Hulu or other services.

Hell, I've only recently been able to properly join the streaming world with my home internet because of the area where I live. I wasn't able to get an ISP good enough to handle it until literally a few months ago. So again, streaming isn't an option for EVERYONE. And even if I/you/we were to buy stuff from iTunes or other services, it seems nowadays that even if you purchase it, there isn't a guarantee that it will always be yours.

So yeah.. I wish there was a way we could make enough noise to get a physical release of the show, giving us those extras like deleted scenes, bloopers, interviews, and other goodies that we so crave and desire.

*sigh* End Rant.

[theeconfession]

my one piece live action thoughts

i don't think these are too spoilery but anyways going to put them under a cut

-shanks actor very cute

-koby my sweet child i forgive you for wanting to be a marine

-zoro actor pretty and talented in sword fighting but please who ever is in charge let him have some facial expression (i feel like manga/anime zoro charm was lacking)

-all the child actors did a great job

-i felt like each episode was jam packed especially with all the additions and that came at the cost like main crew interacting and getting closer and also the fight scenes getting much shorter (they only had 8 hours but like why add so much extra stuff especially when everyone knows the story is still good without all the stuff they added)

-i came out liking some side characters more than the main crew (this why i dont 100% hate the decision to add the extra stuff but sigh)

-let nami be selfish and greedy 2023

-added the den den mushis in the most creepy way possible but sanji's curly brow is too much for them smh

-zeff can have his braided mustache but sanji cant have his curly brows

-inaki did the best job i think a actor could do with luffy

-script and score was weak and some scene were a little cringey (bro og voice actors have my utmost respect they are so talented at their job)

-ussop actor has a lot of potential imo and was a little under utilised in the show

-i feel like they did great with the back story of the main crew (except zoros i can't put my finger on it but it was weird i think it again has to do with even zoros kid version not being allowed to go a little crazy with grief and emote with his face) but something was lacking in the grown up version of the crew and the only reason i can come up for that is well that is were the show differs from the manga

-like am i crazy or was the best development happened between koby and marine nepo baby

-i feel like the show could have taken some pointers from the anime

-feels weird sanji didn't witness zoro fight with mihawk feels like that was pretty significant for sanji's chara development or am i remembering things wrong??

anyways thats all for now

ps will watch season 2 if it gets green lit

[c2dragon]

Naoya's 27 in 2018, meaning he would have been 17 in 2008. Gege PLEASE show me how he dressed in 2008, I just know he was emo

[melymigo]

We are going to enter the final round of Bad Batch season two, and I think the next episodes are going to be the darkest of the series, with an amazing and exciting performance but a devastating impact. I think the series is going to start to put the pieces together for the season finale. For those who said the previous episodes were filler, I do not agree with you. I think, besides character development, they had a purpose for the main plot.

These are my theories and thoughts. I don't think any of my mind's ramblings will come true, but be warned.

Metamorphosis:

I think this is going to be the episode with the clone commandos (I believe this because they are the ones we have not seen yet from the trailer). I see the concept of "metamorphosis" as a type of change or transformation. The empire is going to "re-shape and transform the clones that are no longer useful for the empire into something that fulfills their goal to oppress the galaxy." This is going to be related to the Assassin's clones, like clone X. I am scared of what they could do to our beloved clones. I said it before in another post: I think this is going to be the early attempts to create the Purge troopers or Death Troopers, or in my wildest theories, a kind of retcon of Rezi Soresh's Project Omega with the X-assassins like (X-7). I also believe the chips are going to play a major role in this.

The missions of Echo with Rex and why he hasn't contacted with the batch are mainly because of this. They are the closest to the plot related to the clones and their futures. The fact that Echo has been away on those missions and decided to go with Rex to help the other clones wasn't just to give character development to Omega, Tech, Wrecker, and Hunter; it was meant to put one of the main characters (Echo) in the plot of the season.

And talking about change and transformation I think this goes for the Bad Batch as well; they will have to rethink their alliances with Cid and how they're going to "survive" without her. Maybe they're going to ask Phee for advice? Idk.  I wouldn't trust her either, but I want to believe that the producers didn't waste the opportunity to work more with Wanda Sykes.

The Outpost:

Crosshair-centered episode, ugly stuff about the empire and the replacement of the Clones with their new kind of troopers, heavily connected to the previous episode. Crosshair is going to suffer :'c

Crosshair knows the truth about the assassins' program, like the clone X, and how the chips are implicated. He is going to have to make a big decision here. He will be at a crossroads with the empire. Let's remember that Rampart is gone, and we don't know how that is going to influence Crosshair; he will have to reevaluate his place in the empire and choose if he wants to stay and be part of that, or if this is going to be the last straw for him. And if it is actually related to the chips, I want to believe that this is going to shake off Crosshair's world and make him realize that he was just a tool for the empire. 

This episode is making me so nervous.

Pabu:

I just can't help but think about a red panda and the one from Avatar: The Legend of Korra. Something to calm our nerves after the Outpost episode But at the same time, I don't think they're just going to let it be like a light episode; they're going to continue the plot from the previous episodes. If they didn't cut ties with Cid in a previous episode, this has to be the one where they do it. We know the Batch doesn't have a lot of friends to trust, but like Ezra back then in Rebels, he made quite a few unconventional friends along the way, like Vizago, Hondo, and the others. Omega has been doing the same in her own way. I don't think this is going to be like a blind trust, but they could use the help from Phee, Benni, and the others that they've helped along the way.

Tipping point:

Echo is coming back, and he is going to tell the batch what he found out about what the empire is doing to the clones.

We might get to see Crosshair again, either running from the empire or working for them. Tbh, I doubt the last one. It would be repetitive and pointless, and they would have to use a better explanation this time. 

Omega is happy to be reunited with her brother(s)?. Something really bad is going to happen, and they have to seek out for Rex or Cody (I want to see Cody again 😭😔) in order to get to see them in the next episodes.

The Summit and Plan 99:

We may get to see Crosshair. (I am begging, please; I need him.) Cody, Rex, and the rest of the clone force 99 work together.

They are going to need the help of some allies, clones who have deflected, and the friends they have made all along. I don't know. Maybe we're finally going to see what happened to Cody and why Rex had the PSTD episode in Rebels. It would be too soon. But I think, like the season 2 finale of Rebels, we are going to get a strong and devastating season 2 finale for The Bad Batch. It's tradition. 

Don't take me too seriously; I was waiting for my render to complete, and I had a lot of spare time to think nonsense.

😂😂😂