#SEASON 2 EPISODE 1 STILL GETS ME EMOTIONAL OKAY

[teambyler]

New Mil*ven footage: There's a reason they get interrupted (Byler analysis)

Whoever posted this new footage said they're "not breaking up" because El is smiling?

That's presumptuous of you ;)

Source

Maybe they're not breaking up in THIS scene. Or maybe they are, and making clear that things are alright between them. It's possible to be on good terms with someone you break up with. (Shocker!) And even crack a smile while you're wishing the other the best.

One really can't conclude either way. The body language does suggest honesty between them though. (Something not seen in s4.) But that honesty could be about anything.

WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT IS THAT WE GET THE INTERRUPTION TROPE LOL:

If you ask me, this is CONFIRMATION that not everything's sunny in Mileven land. This is not a "will they or won't they?" interruption of a kiss, because they're already a canon couple. No, this is something closer to the Pineapple Pizza Interruption scene(TM) where SOMETHING the audience is WAITING to be said is NOT said:

In s4, the GA was supposed to think Mike was going to say "I love you." (Or perhaps he was going to call it off after thinking the painting was from Will? Can't say for sure.) POINT BEING: the Interruption Trope is a writing device to tease something, only to deny it. The purpose of it is to set up an IMPORTANT conflict/tension in the story that will be resolved later.

(EDIT: After writing all this I realize that there's another time interruptions happen: AFTER a scene achieves resolution. Will and Mike had one of these in 4x4 with "It looks like it'll be up to us again." "It always is, isn't it?" and Jonathan barges in. For Mike and El, the Painting Lie still needs resolution and is almost certainly related to this conversation. So everything I say here might actually not get interrupted and is actually SAID, leading to a new phase in their relationship. I just think it's less likely because any frank discussion of the Painting Lie makes a Byler conclusion too obvious. Okay, on to the likelier theory!)

Now what is this NEW unspoken thing between Mike and El? Season 4 was all about Mike being unable to say "I love you" to El. And now he has already SAID IT. On paper -- what Milevens call "canon" -- the Mileven relationship is fine and healthy.

So why prepare the audience for a NEW development in their relationship if it's not a breakup, or at least an emotional confession of some kind that threatens the last canon development that made everything "fine"?

The Painting Lie is Chekhov's gun. If this scene is indeed early in s5 (there are very few scenes with Mike and El together in the s5 teaser, perhaps she's with Mike only at the start of the season), then there's very little time for the writers to prepare something ELSE "waiting to be said" that is NOT related to the Painting Lie.

So what is being interrupted? Is it:

Mike asking if she commissioned the painting?

El saying she didn't commission it and telling Mike she thinks Will loves him?

Mike has realized the painting was from Will and is about to confess he doesn't know how he feels about him?

One of them is initiating a breakup?

WHATEVER IT IS, the Painting Lie challenges the stability of Mileven because it was core to the Pizza Freezer Confession(TM) that was supposed to tie up Mileven in a neat bow at the end of s4. The moment the Painting Lie is mentioned, this tells the GA that not everything will stay the same between Mike, El, and Will.

By the time Mike and El get interrupted, (1) the audience has already been made to expect something to come to light between them (likely related to the Painting Lie), and (2) resolution of this plot point will not happen right away and is IMPORTANT to s5.

That's because Stranger Things follows nearly 100% of all TV/movie writing in following a three-act structure. The start of each season sets up the conflicts and character motivations that drive the rest of the season. (Just as the first episodes of s4 set up El's "problem" of feeling like she's the monster and why she went on a journey of self-discovery.)

It's hard to imagine the writers setting up Round THREE of Mike struggling to say "I love you" to El. No, what's being interrupted is the next development, which has to do with the Painting Lie and its ramifications for Mike, Will, and El.

Add to this the fact that all the teasers we're getting suggest that El is separated from Mike and most of the others for some chunk of the season. What's left unsaid between them might remain unsaid. And we know that Mike and Will are side-by-side much of this season. (As promised, Mike said they will "be a team.")

Which begs the question: WHAT is interrupted between Mike and El, and what is it setting up plot-wise? Is it something whose RESOLUTION involves multiple scenes of Mike ALONE with the boy who canonically loves him and made the painting that made him feel so wonderful? Someone who Mike confessed he REALLY missed and Hawkins "isn't the same" without him?

The conflict's GOT to have something to do with Mike's feelings for Will. It FAR surpasses any other possibility, given how much set-up there has been for it.

Another plot point for season 5: on Will's end, he still hasn't come out of the closet. Doesn't part of his "emotional arc" have to include coming out to his BEST FRIEND? This is probably set up in the first episode, also.

That, together with the interruption of Mike and El, helps prime the GA to look at every scene with Mike and Will, reading every interaction and figuring out what will happen between these 2 best friends who have never lied to each other, until now. We'll even see a flashback of when they were younger. How their relationship changes after the inevitable revelations is central to s5.

The ENTIRE SEASON will be the Interruption Trope for Mike and Will, while they confront the full danger of Vecna together. It will be "the painting tucked away in Will's backpack" times a hundred.

-teambyler

(My own theory of how Byler will culminate, in case you haven't seen it!)

[nionom-art]

Hello!

I have started the second chapter, still pretty good! 😁 However, I got a bit confused on the classmates, so I have a few questions ...

Marinette seems to like Alya, but what is her reason to trusts Lila to an extent to give her the Cat Miraculous 🐈‍⬛? I mean, she seems as the lesser choice, but still.considers it, why?

It might be adressed, so than, sorry, but Adrien clearly arrives one day later than school starts... Why? (I would have assumed the akumatization, but just 10 min. after his arrival, comes the supervillain...)

How did he conviced Gabriel?Since the late, I would have assumed he wasn't sure to let Adrien go... In cannon he escaped, but here with Messaging Chloé seems intentional. Did he just escaped, but was captured -therefor wasn't the one helping Fu- and his escape convonced Gabe he should go to school, otherwhise, he will escape to it?

How did Lila know Adrien? Or did she just saw him over Chloé's shoulder?😅 (I assume on first day, Chlo did spoke about him... A lot...😅, so thrir friendship is not a secret😅)

From the quartet, I missed Nino (not a problem, these 4 makes sence, I just like him) which made me realised, Nino, Nathaniel and Rose are missing, or at least I gid not saw them... Is it intentional, or just did not put them there, and will appear in the class, they were just not in view?

Not classroom question, but is this true, or a bit of exateration? (In cannon, Scarlet fate🐞 and Dark Grimalkin🐈‍⬛ have fought, at least) If not, how come Tikki even knows about she can purifie the akuma?

That’s a lot of questions- let’s break it down

1. Marinette just made friends with both Alya and Lila in episode 1. She trusts them about equally because she doesn’t know either of them very well yet. Alya is her first pick though because Alya clearly loves super heroes and would probably be a good match.

2. & 3. So with Adrien, pretty much exactly what happens in canon happens here with his arrival (minus him helping/meeting Master Fu). He would try to go to school in Episode 1, be stopped by Nathalie, and ignores Chloe’s texts because he’s upset and being scolded by his dad (doesn’t want to talk about it). He sneaks out and goes to school anyway in episode 2. We’ll get a brief direct rundown of this in the comic in a later update.

4. Chloe bragged to Lila and Marinette in episode 1 about knowing Adrien and how he was going to be in their class. Lila just put two and two together and lied to get Chloe out of the way in that scene (I go into a bit more depth explaining Lila’s emotional state during that scene here)

5. All of those characters will still be in the class, I just didn’t feel like drawing more people than was necessary in the Ivan scenes (so I drew the people with lines + Max).

6. I could have sworn Tikki said something like that in canon. If not, eh, call it a plot hole I guess. I don’t think Tikki would count Dark Grimalkin as a real enemy in the first place, but idk- she’s technically fought him, but kinda not too? Maybe she knows about the purification from the grimoire or Fu. Purifying akumas seems like a pretty specific power ngl, and probably wouldn’t apply to fighting Dark Grimalkin anyway (I wouldn’t really know though, I haven’t watched most of season 5).

Edit: okay, so I re-watched the appropriate scene from that episode. Tikki doesn’t mention if she’s fought against the butterfly holder before or not, so for all we know in canon she has. This is what happens when I play telephone with myself instead of copying down the actual lines from the show (my apologies lol).

[miriadalia]

Things you can comment on the fanfics you love when you have no idea what to say

From what takes less time to what takes more

~show those writers your love, please!! They do it for free T-T and they deserve better

1. Emojis

You know the vibe of the fic you're reading, chose the ones that suit it better.

❤❤❤

💔💔💔

🙈🔥🔥

You may think this is kind of stupid, but trust me, it is NOT for the writer. It shows you've read until the end of the chapter and that you liked it so much that you decided to say it publicly. Your presence means A LOT.

Also, leaving kudos or votes takes literally just 1 second, what are you doing NOT doing that?? 🤨🤨🤨

2. Simple phrases

I loved it so much!!

Can't wait for the next chapter!!

This was just so good 😍

Amazing as always, keep it up!! 🙌🏼

Writing is a lonely work if you think about it. When I'm in a writer's block, just one sentence can hype me up for the rest of the day and give me the spirit I need 💪🏽

3. The emotions you felt

Yes, you DO matter. That fanfic author cares more about your opinion than your stupid ex so you better write to them instead 🧐

The plotwist was so unexpected, I'm shocked 😱

You can't end with that cliffhanger, how am I supposed to wait another week??

Excuse me, I will now lock into my room and cry all night, thank you 💔

I've read some people saying they won't comment how they felt because they feel ashamed or shy. Take it as if you were about to post a tweet or comment on a friend IG's story 👍🏻

4. One piece of dialogue/prose that really amazed you

Oof 🔥 this happened to me a few weeks ago and that comment still lives in my mind rent free. There's no better way to compliment a writer's work than to highlight something they wrote that left a true impression on you.

And it literally takes no time:

[Insert piece of dialogue], oh she didn't just say that, imma throw hands 🤬🤬

[Insert piece of a description], I could really see it with my own eyes, loved how you described it!

5. Hopes and wishes for future chapters

C'mon, you're going to comment this anyway with some of your fandom mutuals or friends, why don't let the writer know that too?? COPY AND PASTE IT ✍✍

I just need Chatacter A and Chatacter B to kiss, how long is it gonna take?? 😩

Watching that scene in [Canon series name] would have been awesome!! Maybe in future seasons 👀👀

I hope [Ship Name] don't break up in the next chapter, they are so cute 😭

6. Character discussion

Okay, we're entering deeper waters here.

But the truth is: if you love that fanfic that much is because the characters really resonated with you. So express your first thoughts without any fear:

[Chatacter Name] is so important to me, like you have no idea. All the things they went through... But they still manage to be a better person ❤

[Chatacter Name] was so forgotten in [Movie/Series Name], I'm glad they're getting the development they deserved here!

7. Scene discussion

Again, you might think the comment section is no place to start "fangirling" over the stuff you liked. But IT IS!! And the writer wants to know your thoughts on their work, especially if your opinion is all positive 💞

This will take more time, sure. But if you're going to write it anyways for other people, COPY AND PASTE AGAIN, hon!

8. How this story is impacting your fan life (or even personal life)

You don't need to overshare, but simple comments like:

Your fic has really changed the way I think about [Character Name]'s decisions, I feel like I can understand them better now.

This story has motivated me to rewatch all the episodes again 😢 the nostalgia!!!

What you did with [Character's situation] was incredible! I've been there myself and I could have not explain it better 😔

... They will be the ones the writer will remember the most, I can assure you that.

9. A simple THANK YOU

At the end of the day, fanfic and fanart creators only have your feedback to rely on when the block or discouragement hits... This is about showing appreciation to someone you may not know at all, but that has brighten your day with their creations and efforts ❤

[katzske]

Thoughts on Earthspark Season 2 (first half)

Spoiler Free:

I must admit I’m dissatisfied.

The animation and rendering definitely looks cheaper. Sometimes it feels like frames are missing, animations not polished, scenes not fully rendered. 2d and 3d poorly blends. It’s quite noticeable unfortunately. Characters also do the TFP Megatron stare now.

That being said, time was taken to revisit old models of characters and give them a new appearance. (4 i’ve noticed) It makes sense given a lot has changed during one year time skip.

The writing often feels either like exposition dumping or naruto filler episodes. I was never at the edge of my seat even during the climax. I ended up skipping through episodes due to the lack of relevant plot information.

Something ES managed to maintain were carefully composed shots that make great still images. While that’s nice for screenshots and redraws, I also feel like it’s the only unique aspect of ES’ animation style that remained. The rest, as previously mentioned, has lost quality.

Character Details I’ve noticed and want to talk about (spoilers ahead)

half of season 2 part 1 is filler. optimus trailer episode, great america with cosmos, a pachycephalosaurus-truck fighting mushrooms, hashtag taking ten years to dispose of hard drives…. each episode did have a few minutes of either cute or important moments. but the majority is a waste of time.

I was hoping that we would learn more about the decepticons. now that they’re free, what are they up to? how are their dynamics? how did season 1 finale change their perception on things? would they try to convince the terrans THEY are the good guys? nothing like that though.

There is no satisfying character development for starscream. ES Starscream was perfect to explore a more neutral version of him, who does not do bad things out of pleasure, but due to necessity; following his desire to be free. In the show he mentions he wanted to get rid of his oppressors (in his eyes autobots and humans), but a real “bruh” moment was when he told Hashtag the only reason he opened up to her last time was to tell her “take care of yourself first”. It completely disregards the fact he came to help in the season 1 finale after reflecting on Hashtags words. It also aggravates me that the writing could have been a very easy fix. “hey i’m not being selfish by destroying this town. im doing this for the decepticons, we have lived under the control of the autobots and then of humans. this needs to stop, we deserve freedom and i will do anything it takes.”

the show managed to establish some friction between starscream and shockwave but for deception standards it was very tame. overall i think it was written okay; he purposely let the Terrans escape with the fragments, and he bailed on Starscream once he went bonkers. I hope that he gets to be a Decepticon leader in the second half; i don’t think we have seen that in any TF TV show before. i also like that his antennae and eye color give away his emotions now.

i feel like the autobots are treated even worse than the decepticons this season ngl. they merely exist; and when they do have the spotlight it’s often for comedy.

why the fuck did shockwave not wait for hashtag to just dump the hard drives and leave. if someone walked up to me yelling “give me your trashbag” as i’m trying to dispose of it i’d be weirded out too lol.

i hope the chaos terrans don’t return. aftermath imo was, plot wise, redundant. spitfire at least was interesting and had an impact.

i wish there were more interesting fights like in season 1 instead of, oh no they’re hitting the trailer with sticks, oh no we are an abomination of dinosaur and vehicle for what feels like 15mins straight. i miss seeing soundwave slay.

[twig-tea]

Fragrance of the First Flower s2: What an Excellent Second Season

I've always been a little hesitant to rec Fragrance of the First Flower because season 1 ends ambiguously. I still included it on my GL rec list because it is that good, but I know people aren't in this genre for heartache. We had to wait so, so long for season 2 but it was so worth it! I am thrilled to say that season 2 held up beautifully, picked up the threads from season 1 that it had to, and brought this story around to a romance I can believe in. What follows is as un-spoilery as I could make it, but there are mild spoilers ahead!

The best thing about this show is how realistic and flawed its characters are. These women fight, and the fights hurt. They try their best, but still manage to get it wrong. They care about each other, but they also have trouble believing the most caring thing to do isn't to walk away; and they also have other things in their lives that they care about. The things they love about each other are also the things that drive them to frustration once they are together, and they have real soul-searching moments about whether they do actually want to be with this person, and if so what needs to change to make it work.

Seeing Yi Min and Ting Ting fall in love as high schoolers, meet again as adults multiple times, and then navigate all of their expectations both from their past and their present was a fulfilling and satisfying watch. Both of the characters have satisfying arcs, and there are moments where they genuinely could have parted ways and I would have been okay with it, but the characters continue to choose each other, and to grow in ways that compliment each other. And the pacing of the show gives us lots of time to see their relationship progress, stumble, and solidify. The last episode is very satisfying, and gave me one of my favourite QL tropes.

And the relationships that these characters have with the rest of the cast are equally complex and given emotional depth. The parents, children, blended families, friends, and coworkers in this show are all allowed to be imperfect and interesting too.

It's not a perfect show, but it is genuinely great. If you want a GL with adult women who are allowed to be recognizably and relatably flawed, and who fall in love with each other multiple times over several years, give this one a try! It's a GagaOOLala original so watch it there if you can (I believe season 1 is available for free for now and season 2 available with subscription).

[showtoonzfan]

Now that the episode is out officially, here’s my rant review of Oops!

PROS:

- Fizz and Ozzie were adorable and I honestly love them. Despite the sex jokes, you can tell they love each other for who they are OUTSIDE of sex. While I did wish we would have seen more, (like how Ozzie took him in and fell in love) they’re still adorable to watch. They’re the better version of Stolitz, can the show be about them instead?

- Brandon’s voice acting holy shit, he really knows how to sound like he’s in tears or is broken. As much as I hate the character and feel no sympathy, he displayed genuine and broken emotion very well.

- Alex Brightman Alex Brightman

Okay that’s it. Moving on to the Cons. Bear with me, it’s a lot and I go back and forth a bit. 😭

CONS:

So for a quick short summary, this episode:

- Once again puts more focus on the filler plot rather than actually focusing on the relationships between the characters, so all we're left with is a 10 second clip of Fizz being burned while the rest of the episode is surrounded on sex jokes/petty bickering and Stolas and Ozzie sitting around.

- Completely erases what made Blitz and Fizz's dynamic interesting in the first place because it retcons it with a dumb miscommunication trope about how Fizz actually wanted to see Blitz and Blitz tried reaching out to him. Not only does this feel like a cheap attempt to make Blitz out to be sweet/sympathetic and NOT the one in the wrong so Fizz can suck up to him, but this also makes no sense within the narrative.

- Has Fizz forgive Blitz despite him being the last person anyone would think would forgive him. (So honestly ruins Fizz himself because it turned him into a soft boy who's forgiving compared to the asshole he was in Ozzie's) All because Viv would sell her whole soul before she even remotely considers painting characters like Blitz and Stolas out to be the one's in the wrong.

- Takes Stolas out of the hospital completely, erasing all the drama/tension Western Energy had and proves that that episode was utterly pointless.

- Turns Striker from an interesting complex villain to a Saturday morning cartoon goon.

- Proves to us that Crimson is just a flat tool and gives us more prove that the world building rules Viv set up in season 1 legit don't matter.

-Ruins Blitz/Barbie's feud now because now you're making Barbie look like the one in the wrong since the fire was an accident. God forbid a female characters emotions in this show are justified.

But if you want my more in depth rants, it’s under the cut! (There’s a lot so bear with me lol)

- As usual WAAY too many sex jokes and swearing. It gets annoying and repetitive at times and some of them distract from the main plot. There’s a long and I mean LONNG dragged out joke of Fizz talking about Ozzie’s dick, then later saying he’s hard when Striker has a gun to his head, as well as Blitz making a joke about him and Fizz making out once they hug. Again, Viv can’t be serious for 2 seconds without an unfunny shitty gag. I genuinely wonder if Hazbin is ganna be like this, where a character is in a life threatening situation or a deep dark serious scene happens only for the next scene to be sex related.

- This is one of those “shit happens because the plot demands it” and it shows. Crimson and Striker COINCIDENTLY meet up with each other, and Fizz and Blitz just so HAPPEN to be in the same exact area they are. Viv wonders why we call her shit a fanfic and this is what we mean, when she creates wild wacky plots and focuses more on THAT rather than the actual character writing. This entire episode hinges on a useless poorly last minute planned kidnapping plot that didn’t need to happen. Also way to once again make the characters idiots so the plot can happen, cause Fizz KNOWS Ozzie worries for him and that the Greed Ring is dangerous, yet purposefully puts the spotlight on him.

- Stolas did NOT need to be in this episode. The plot completely ignores the fact that he was in the hospital the last time we saw him, and he’s only here for Stolitz banter. You’d think that a character admitting they have feelings for someone would be a big deal but he just flat out says it and it’s so underwhelming and feels half assed with no weight to it. Fan comics have made more dedication to this than Viv has. We're supposed to believe him too despite the show failing to actually SHOW us this. Same for Blitz ranting about how “nice” Stolas has been to him, laughing at his jokes and liking his posts…hey Viv, can we actually SEE that on screen so it’s more believable? Or are you only determined to show them sexually flirting? 😑

- Once again Viv felt the need to shove a B plot into this episode and this one sucks because it’s just two characters sitting and doing fucking nothing. It felt like Viv had no idea what to do with Stolas and Ozzie, and I refuse to believe that Ozzie just sat there knowing Fizz was in danger. If anything he would have said “fuck the paperwork” and went to save Fizz himself. Way to show that gif of Ozzie getting mad as a sneak peak to get fans excited, only to see that Ozzie spends the rest of the episode sitting in a dark room LMAO what a let down.

- Ozzie is weirdly chill and cool with Stolas and it’s something I don’t get. While he did say that Stolas had the real “spirit of Lust” in S1E7, it still gave you the impression that he was also more poking fun at Stolas rather than respecting him. The whole point of House of Asmodeous was that Ozzie outs him and publicly embarrassed him. Stolas literally was intimidated just by Asmodeous’s mere name, and hid his face around him. It seemed like Stolas certainly didn’t want someone like Ozzie to know about his private life especially since they’re both part of the Ars Goetia. Now here Ozzie is just cool with him and it feels like a missed opportunity for their dynamic.

- Stolas confessing his feelings about Blitz also makes…no sense narrative wise. I thought the whole point of The Circus and the ending to Western Energy was that he was realizing that Blitz didn’t like him that way and was finally waking up. I thought that’s why he was doing this whole crystal deal in the first place, so he can let Blitz go, yet the show keeps flip flopping and insisting that these two love each other and are good for each other. It’s really making you realize how this season and the previous stuff set up is becoming nonsense because the writers retcon EVERY damn episode. Also….why the hell is Stolas telling Ozzie his feelings for Blitz? Out of all people, why is it Ozzie, the person who outed Stolas and embarrassed him. Why is Stolas even respectful of Ozzie? He has no reason to, and he’s not under the impression that he’s dating Fizz either. I get that he needs the crystal but mentioning his love for Blitz makes no sense.

- Striker and Crimson teaming up to kidnap Blitz and Fizz was such an ass puller last minute decision. It feels overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time, more because it feels like Viv has no idea what to do with these two villain characters other than give them something evil to do to start the plot. Also…why…are they working together? It feels so random.

- Striker’s character especially is all over the place. First he’s working for Stella, then he’s painted as the best assassin in hell, and now he’s…looking for more work I guess and working for Crimson? Why? Does this guy even have a motive anymore? It feels like his character is just dangling around until Viv wants to use him for another wattpad kidnap plot and it ESPECIALLY shows when Striker escapes for the THIRD fucking time. Can this character/storyline actually GO somewhere or are you just going to keep introducing him and have him run away. 🤦🏽‍♀️

— How did Crimson not know who Striker is despite him being labeled as “the most popular assassin in hell”, and how the hell does Crimson know Ozzie and know all the information about him being in a relationship with Fizz?? Oh right because we needed the plot to happen somehow. Still, even if Crimson did know that Ozzie was the "weakest" and loved Fizz, (which….what about Beezlebub?)) he still should have known he was playing with fire. I get that he's supposed to be evil and intimidating but how could he have predicted that Ozzie would actually stand down and fill out the paperwork? He could have immediately came there and killed Crimson for all he knew. It's just distracting how..not planned this shit was.

- Fuck this episode for calling Striker a supremacist. It makes no sense?? Viv is trying SO hard to villainize him despite him being the one in the right and it pisses me off. He has every right to be mad at the upper class, he’s part of the lower class that we’re said Hell takes advantage of, but god forbid we call out Rich and powerful Stolas because that would mean he’s a b-bad person and we can’t have that complex morality! This is so not a “eat the rich” story and it shows bc Vivzie is rich as hell. Striker as a character deserves so much better man. Congrats writers, you had an interesting character and motive set up for him, now he’s nothing but a silly goon that you might as well kill off already cause you clearly don’t care about him. Crimson meanwhile is just a piece of paper, a boring plot device I could give less of a shit about. I thought his motive was to go after Moxxie, now he’s just doing fuck whatever because this show desperately wants a bad guy for their filler fanfic plots.

- We get more world building issues, Ozzie and Fizz are so determined to hide their relationship for obvious reasons, but then at the end of the episode just say “fuck it, no one would dare tell anyway”. So now they’re being open about their relationship and lmao I told y’all the newspaper scene of Ozzie being called out for being a hypocrite wouldn’t go anywhere. Even if Ozzie did threaten his workers to not tell, they can’t be so sure that someone wouldn’t see or snitch, it’s kinda a retcon too cause they were pretty lovey dovey in Ozzie’s. Still, it makes the characters look dumb and it makes the rules Viv set up for Hell once again not mean anything.

- We finally get to see Fizz’s backstory in action and it’s executed in the most underwhelming way possible. It’s literally a fucking 10 second clip of what went down, and rather than experiencing the event for ourselves, it’s in flashback mode but with Fizz’s voice talking over it. That’s it. I’ve seen fan comics/fanart that built this shit up better than Viv did, that actually took the slow time and dedication it needed, and here it feels like such an afterthought, like Viv could care less. Maybe if this actually was a character driven show like Viv claims, Stolas, Striker, and Crimson would be taken out of the picture and then that would leave us with PLENTY time to actually explore and develop Blitz/Fizz, bc most of this episode is just them pettily bickering and Stolas and Ozzie sitting around. But nah, we gatta have our fanfic kidnapping plot. Same goes for the reveal of Blitzo’s mom dying in the same fire. Glad to know that she got the same treatment Moxxie’s mom did, where we don’t even know her and yet we’re supposed to feel moved and care about her death. You nailed that one Viv. 👍

- I predicted that this episode would victimize Blitz and have the fire incident be an accident, (because Viv is a pussy writer and can’t make her characters actually do bad things like god forbid) but I never thought they’d actually have the balls to have Fizz forgive Blitz immediately in the same episode and pull the “actually turns out that horrible thing you did to me helped me in a way”- trope. Biggest flaw of the episode, fuck you Viv. I was actually going to applaud Blitz for taking accountability, but then the dialogue reminds you that an abuser wrote this, and he shifts his apology to “okay but I lost something too see so it’s not all about you” as if he’s fucking dismissing Fizz’s trauma and making it about himself. “I love flawed characters” my fucking ass. I would have smacked a bitch if I was Fizz because Blitzo loosing his mother in the fire too isn’t an excuse?? Fizz lost his fucking ARMS AND LEGS, and at the end of the day Blitzo STILL KNEW HE WAS HELPLESS IN THE FIRE BUT LEFT HIM BEHIND. He could have gotten help and came back, but didn’t. If this were a good show Fizz would have threw that apology back in Blitzo’s face and said “I don’t care if it was an accident or not, you still left me there and then proceeded to loathe me for years”. This is why Helluva will never be Bojack cause at least characters in that show who got treated horribly by him knew when to say “no, fuck you.”

- The episode retcons again, this time they make it out to be that Blitz TRIED contacting Fizz the years they were apart but no one would let him see him. Then they say that Fizz actually WANTED to see Blitz but assumed he didn’t want to, so their entire feud was solely because of miscommunication?? Number one, show don’t fucking tell omg. And number two, that makes ZERO sense. Blitz talked badly about Fizz in Loo Loo Land, and when they finally reunited in Ozzie’s, it was clear they fucking loathed each other. You got the impression that Blitz was petty and jealous just because Fizz was more popular, and Fizz not only loathed him for the accident, but liked to rub in his face about how much of a big shot he was. They literally do that in this episode too, so the episode is literally contradicting itself. Blitz and Fizz had multiple chances to meet up with each other, you can’t just say “oh they couldn’t because no one would let them”- So which is it? Did they hate each other because of bad blood, petty drama, or that they thought the other didn’t want to see them? Pick ONE Viv and stick to it, but she never does. Their feud was interesting and now you ruined it just to have some sweet happy ending. “Adult mature show” my ass lol.

-Bottom line is Fizz shouldn’t have forgave Blitz so easily, or forgave him period. I find it funny how he says “it’s hard to just forgive you” and then he literally does lol. I feel so bad for Fizz fans, him and Blitz’s feud was honestly interesting, so to see all of this go down in a half-assed piss poor way as if this was Care Bears is….wow. The fan interpretations had more thought and care put into this storyline but what else is new lol.

- I’m really tired of these shitty annoying songs. If you’re going to get Broadway actors, please put effort into your songwriting and actually have them sing something good, not something that’s literally nonsense. This Fizz song sounds like it took less than a minute to write and Sam Haft was just thinking of anything he could think of at the top of his head. Also Why the fuck are Striker and Crimson just STANDING there while Fizz sings. They look like idiots, just SHOOT them omg. If this were a funny show, Fizz would have started his first note and Crimson just rolls his eyes and pulls his gun out.

- Fizz and Ozzie kill the lawyer but not…Crimson? Despite Fizz knowing what ring he’s in and even Ozzie knowing what he looks like? Same for Blitz, he doesn’t try to make sure Striker is dead. I get that the plot demands for these two to still be around, but there’s a way to keep them alive without making the main characters look like fucking idiots. Also Stolas just leaves without doing or contributing anything to the plot yay.

- Fizz: “Let him have it, you could say he’s earned it”— Uhm….Nope. Blitz did NOT earn shit. He didn’t even earn Fizz’s forgiveness. Last time I checked, the moment Blitz cried and said it was an accident, Fizz forgave him, knowing he didn’t mean it. What effort did Blitz do to “earn” that as well as the crystal? Because he saved Fizz and didn’t leave him behind for the SECOND time near the end?? Cause if so than the bar is extremely low. That’s the bare minimum, just because Blitz cried and felt bad about it doesn’t mean he should be let off the hook Viv. I hate this so much, what a shitty conclusion, it feels forced just so Blitz can have the crystal and just so the writers can once again paint him as the one in the right. It’s almost insulting that they make it seem like Fizz was in the wrong for assuming Blitz starting the fire too, same for Barbie.

God what a shitty day it is to be a Fizz fan, I’m sorry. The episode did NOT do him justice. Fizzarolli deserved better than that half assed gaslighting apology for someone who lost their arms and legs man, and I’m tired of the show letting every character suck up to Blitz and Stolas for their horrible treatment just because they feel bad. Not only that but the episode (as most recent HB episodes) was a huge time waster. Everyone was really hoping for an in depth walkthrough of his character/backstory but again, when he’s not with Ozzie, the rest/most of his screen time is dedicated to him being helpless and pointlessly arguing with Blitz, plus a long dragged out nonsense song that didn’t need to happen. It felt like SO much time was wasted when we could have used the runtime we have to dive deeper and see more, like….again it would have been nice to see Fizz’s life AFTER the accident and how he became well known as well as how he fell in love with Ozzie, but his backstory is briefly scratched upon in a single scene and that’s it, all because Viv wanted this filler plot and wanted to dedicate more time to THAT rather than actual character expansion/development, something we could have got had you took out Stolas and Ozzie’s B plot and Striker and Crimson.

Viv is so on her way to murder/ruin every character that isn’t Blitz and Stolas and I won’t be here to watch further. I’ll check out the Mammon music video thing but that’s it man, this show is going off the rails, Adding Fizz to the character adoption list!

[yingdu-lover]

We should really be more empathetic to Lu Guang from every perspective

Started my proper season 1 re-watch just now and suddenly I realised something.

Every time Lu Guang repeats his rules to Cheng Xiaoshi or he reminds him while the latter is diving, there is something in his voice (I felt it personally) that tells me he also repeats to himself (It is same as him repeating "I am okay" in Yingdu ep 1, but this is more cruel) It is not a question of hypocrisy, rather its Lu Guang implicitly trying to remind Cheng Xiaoshi that "Do not change the timeline, do not change the past, I can't let you suffer the same fate as me. I cannot, by any chance, let you face the consequences. Let it only be me who bears the sin. I can't afford YOU to suffer."

Before someone says that Cheng Xiaoshi suffers in every episode one way or another, let me tell you, it is still better than the situation Lu Guang is in. Remember, season 1 Cheng Xiaoshi is our Yingdu Cheng Xiaoshi. It's needless to say how much Cheng Xiaoshi cares for Lu Guang.

Cheng Xiaoshi getting suicidal/angry with Lu Guang because of the secrets Lu Guang kept from him is a popular theory. But...what if it's the other way around? What if Cheng Xiaoshi actually feels guilty because it was his past self for whom Lu Guang actually had to dive back ("Sorry, Lu Guang, save them"), leading to this painful fate. It is, in a sense, Cheng Xiaoshi's fault. Cheng Xiaoshi is capable of this reasoning.

And Lu Guang...every time he utters the rules (just put yourself in his shoes. How terrifying is that? Past or future let them be. Bro someone's whole existence can't be hypocrisy that's called existential crisis) he dies a little inside. As Lu Guang confesses in the beginning of Yingdu, he doesn't know how the timeline works. It's not his elaborate plan. He is taking actions carefully, one by one. One incident decides his next action. Lu Guang has been hurting since the first episode, I could feel it before, now we have canon to prove it.

Lu Guang's voice actor while asked about his favourite line stated that it's those three rules in Yingdu ep 5. "Past or future let them be" is a rule meant to be broken. In a time travel story, if they do not break the rules, I don't think the predetermined future can even be achieved. Lu Guang always lives with the ghost of the past or the anxiety of the future, but never in the present. It breaks my heart really.

Another thing I want to say. Um. Cheng Xiaoshi doesn't really inherit the very core emotions of his hosts (means he pretty much acts on his own). At least this is the impression till now. He goes berserk in those cases where he is the son/daughter/student figure. Where his own overwhelming abandonment issues (due to parental trauma) overpower his host's personal emotions.

1. Emma's case : The reason Cheng Xiaoshi can't let go of Emma's death is because Emma's happy ending would have given him a solace. The happy ending he could not have with his own parents, he wanted to make sure that someone else gets it. Emma fits that figure. Emma would not leave that of a heavy impression on him if Cheng Xiaoshi didn't talk to Emma's parents. (For example, Cheng Xiaoshi didn't care for a second in Vivian's case and fled the place asap with Lu Guang. His priority was to protect Lu Guang. Vivian offered him a choice and for Cheng Xiaoshi, Lu Guang's safety comes first. If Cheng Xiaoshi dived into Vivian and had her parental issues experienced first hand, the arc would have been totally different.

2. Earthquake episode : Well... again. The mother figure. Cheng Xiaoshi again dreams of his mother. He wanted to save the client's mother to get one part solace for himself (I completely understand him. It is human to do. I would have gone more insane). The way he was pleading to Lu Guang to let him save her, I don't think Cheng Xiaoshi was in a state of mind to listen. Cheng Xiaoshi is also traumatised. Not all action he takes is rational (especially if the host is the 'child' figure having parental trauma). Lu Guang knew that he couldn't reason with a man who was functioning on a trauma response. He was ready for the consequences and calmly explained to Cheng Xiaoshi during the Doudou episode.

3. Wang Qing : Welp. Yeah. It was probably 90% him and 10% Wang Qing at that point. While meeting Cheng Weimin.

The very photo which was enough to traumatize Li Tianxi and inherit Lu Guang's one of the most traumatic memories (Cheng Xiaoshi's death) and which got transferred to Qiao Ling was the photo T A K E N B Y C H E N G X I A O S H I W H I L E H E W A S D I V I N G I N T O L U G U A N G' S B O D Y H U H

bro tf.

Cheng Xiaoshi didn't inherit shit. He dived twice into Lu Guang. I don't think inheriting core memories/emotions is his department. OR

Cheng Xiaoshi is way smarter than we think and Link Click intentionally left us with a narrative gap. Many things can happen so..

[poetry-protest-pornography]

Pit Babe 2 episode 1 yelling:

This is mostly just pulled from my chat with Mia as I watched, with a few additions. I usually break up liveblog posts for length, but I was too excited the vroom vroom show is back.

Onto the yelling!

Three minutes in, and Mama and Papa are back 😂 And they're still weird and very horny about each other. Good for them.

Looks like Charlie goes to the Leo DSN School of Helping Your BF With His Big Emotions. Which is to say "kiss/bang him about it"

They've managed to top season 1's NC scenes five minutes into episode 1. Bravo, team

KIM!

They're holding haaaands 😭

Kim, you're right, you would be number 1, Babe should kiss you in gratitude

I forgot what Charlie's powers were for a second and was like "how is he hearing this?" Lol

MY BOY NORTH! I MISSED HIM!

Of course the bad guy has an evil looking car. Perfect, no notes. It should have red under lighting to really sell it

I appreciate that they're doing the video game thing with the race position over the cars 😂 It's legit helpful but also just the right amount silly

This Willy kid is a dick. (Money on him being a Tony plant)

Alan swooping in to keep Babe from sticking his foot in it with the press, and the. Babe just does it anyway lol. And then North and Charlie double down 😆 I love my no chill sons

Uh oh, Babe is upset, better push him up against something and smooch him

The "Nu* pronoun Alan is using is so cute, and the soft way Jeff is saying "loong" is *adorable*

Jeff powers upgrade? I bet everyone thinks it's because he's pregnant and that boosts his powers

Charlie is trying to get rid of his powers-- or at least Babe's-- I forgot that was talked about last season.

Oh no, this experimental man is having a bad day

And first "Alpha" drop off the season. Idk how they even would've begun to un-omegaverse this show

Oh good, Charlie IS going to bang Babe about his feelings. Flowers and sexy role-play, The CharlieBabe special

Charlie: "he doesn't think my body can handle it"

Babe: "does he know how many times a day we fuck?"

If the living room car is a-rocking, don't come a-knocking

At least we know what the living room car is for!

Uh-oh, losing control of your powers, that's a sign of early pregnancy, for sure

Jeff, we know better than to lie to our partners by now, no?

KENTAAAAAA

You can shoot Dean, Mr Gangster guy he sucks. OH SHIT THEY REALLY SHOT HIM?! Is he actually not in this season?

There are some magical technologies in Thailand. I want a card I can put in the wall that turns all the lights on the way I like them

Not the drinking buddy post it 😭😭😭

SONIC IS HEEEEERE

North is just standing there like "please notice me please notice me please look at me"

Where is my boy's color? Why is Sonic in neutrals? Where are the silly prints?! 😭😭😭 North, kiss this man and give his color back!

Jeff: you playing matchmaker?

Alan: me? Those two are already dating, they just don't know it SO TRUE BESTIE

This conversation where Kim quits but him and Alan are both like "but we're still family tho" is so sweet. I love them a lot (what will X Hunter do when they're back down to the one braincell that Alan usually has? Kim is taking his braincell with him, how will they survive?)

Also, Kim is 1000% right, but I need him to visit often so he can do this with NorthSonic:

Alan, you are too young and child free (for now!) to worry about being an empty nester

Pete and his giant bouquet are here

Do they only have one picture of Way? @hotasfahrenheit decided this is the only picture of Way/Nut to ever been taken, and I think she's correct

Jeff can't take the skill erasing drugs, Charlie; they're not safe for the baby

It's okay, Babe, the zombies are going to be in a university bothering your friends, not in this lab

They have said "special alpha" so many times. Omegaverse erasure who?

Not!Way is about to have the weirdest first day of work in history

Pavel is so pretty, and Nut in those glasses is just so unfair. UGHHHH

PETE YOU CAN'T JUST TOUCH PEOPLE TO READ THEIR MINDS, THAT'S AN HR VIOLATION

I feel like I'm gonna flip flop on they're Chris is a different person, a clone, a robot, or Way with amnesia every episode

Related: I need The Prettiest Count to come out yesterday, I need Nut to have the twelve boyfriends he deserves

Kenta does not deserve to have to deal with Tony again. He looks terrified and it makes me v sad (that insanely tight T-shirt that is clinging to his tits is making me a lot less sad. If they hadn't planned away to Tony I would've missed him, I was struggling to look anywhere else 😆)

Ep 2 preview and Babe is already being a dick. Why is Babe already being a dick? Does the new mechanic have mind control powers and is influencing him, because that would be annoying. Alpha powers of Fuck Your Relationship Up

[911lonestarangstweek]

Welcome to Angst Week: The Return

Banner by @tellmegoodbye

I know it’s been a while, but welcome back to all our fellow angst lovers, writers and creators; we’re so excited to see you!

Welcome to Round 3 of Angst week, aptly titled Angst Week: The Return. 

This will be a seven day run (Round 2 was nine days, so it’s a little bit shorter), running from March 24th to March 30th, 2025. This time, we’re celebrating the five seasons of Lone Star, so each day’s prompt is an episode title, a quote, or a situation/theme from that season. Feel free to use just one, or mix it up with all three!

The prompts are for inspiration only. Basically: no, you do not need to create an episode coda/include the exact quote/centre it around the exact incident. You can do these if you choose to, but you can also let your imagination go completely wild. 

We’re not cops; anything goes, as long as you follow the golden rule:

Make it angsty. 

In this context, angst is being used as an umbrella term to include all forms of hurt. This week also includes whump, hurt/comfort, emotions, sickfics, basically anything as long as the entire thing isn’t happy. This is also open to the entire angst range. From soft hurt/comfort that still has fluff, to full on near-death whump: it’s all welcomed and encouraged!

What hashtags do we use? Is there and ao3 collection? Other information about posting? Okay, you’re getting ahead of us here. We just wanted to get the basic info out now so people can begin working on their submissions if they would like! Closer to the event, we will post some reminders that will include the information you need to post (but short answer: tag will probably be the same as before and there will be ao3 collection)

Any other questions? Send us an ask, or message @aliceschuyler or @morganaspendragonss privately and we will do our best to answer (we are both in different timezones, so one of us will catch your message). Thanks!

Here are the prompts - the bit everyone is waiting for!

Day 1 - 24th March - Season 1 Austin, We Have a Problem | “You promised me this would never happen again.”  | Gunshot wound

Day 2 - 25th March - Season 2 Displaced | “Whatever happens, it’s on me.” | (Un)natural disaster 

Day 3 - 26th March - Season 3 In the Unlikely Event of an Emergency | “How bad is it?” | Loss

Day 4 - 27th March - Season 4 Road Kill | “We all have a death sentence hanging over our heads.” | Drugged

Day 5 - 28th March - Season 5 Fall from Grace | “126 forever.” | Poison

Day 6 - 29th March Take your favourite moment/scenario/quote from any season and make it as angsty as you like - bonus points if it wasn’t angsty to start with! Even more bonus points if you don’t make it about Carlos, TK or Tarlos. 

Day 7 - 30th March - Free day

[j00d]

Octavia, Azathoth's Tears, and What It May Mean for Sinsmas

So... I'll admit, I might've been left in the oven for too long, but I have to ask:

This still of Octavia:

Doesn't this remind anyone else of Azathoth's Tears?

And how the colours in both previous pictures are similar to the colour of Octavia's power?

Granted the colors aren't all 1:1 and could be coincidental, but I can't help but think that if this is, in fact, supposed to be one of Azathoth's Tears, it means that she's holding a symbolic manifestation of, as Stolas said, "tears made of the hopes and dreams of every living thing that never came to be." Specifically... her own.

(But let me cook just a little bit more. I promise I turned the oven on broil and I'm just trying to get some nice kwispy browning on top.)

Based on the (admittedly limited) animation this clip of Octavia provides, I also believe she's singing. Here's the list of why I think that:

The framing of the animation

Octavia's mouth animations are slower than normal talking speed (speculative)

The second half of season 2 focuses on parallels and theme callbacks to the first half

Octavia's mental state last we saw her in Mastermind

The show's emphasis on incorporating musical theater language into the narrative (when emotions run too high to talk, you sing, and when emotions are too high to sing, you dance)

Viv's confirmation there's at least one song (diegetic or nondiegetic) included in every Helluva episode

I'm not 100% saying this is true, just that I think it's a decent argument to make, given what context we have.

Okay, let's assume there is an Octavia song in Sinsmas. What does singing have to do with the connection I made between the clip and Azathoth's Tears and the color of Octavia's powers?

If Octavia does get a song, it'll be about how her hopes and dreams concerning her own family are never going to exist and how she needs to let that go.

"You never loved Mother, and you don't love me. You love him."

If this quote is real and not a fabrication, then it also supports this idea due to how definitive it is. Compare it to her previous speculative tone in S2E2 when asking Loona, "Why does [Stolas] hate her more than he loves me?" The definitive nature makes me believe that she doesn't need to speculate anymore.

Regardless of whether she's actually correct or not, whether Stolas hates Stella, loves Octavia, and/or loves Blitz, she's already made up her mind about what's going on. Her letting go of this familial hope manifests as this definitive statement.

It's up in the air about how sympathetic or unsympathetic she'll be towards her father by the end of season 2, but if my theory crafting is true, we gonna get a pretty fucking huge character moment for Octavia one way or the other.

Or I need to get tf out of the oven.

Idk.

Maybe Stolas' brain is being a bitch and hurting our already hurting birdie babe.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's past 4AM, and if I don't get to bed in the next 10 seconds my fiancee will absolutely slaughter me worse than a goddamn D.H.O.R.K.S. agent.

[raayllum]

Ezran in Season 6

Because Ezran was basically sad and/or worried about something every time he was on screen in s6 and I wanna talk about it, among other Ezran S6 related things

Episode by episode let's go

6x01 — Framing, Kingship, and Caretaking

This is in some ways I think one of Ezran's most important episodes in arc 2, if only from a framing standpoint. By that I mean, as one of Ezran's last occasions to be in the same physical places as Harrow, they use every ounce of parallel framing and lines they can to show how much Ezran is evoking his father beat by beat throughout the episode.

We also get more literal parallels to Harrow as well, with the king by the window thinking it's better to not go destroying the thing his high mage brother is very much in favour of destroying, with both eventually agreeing (albeit for different reasons for said destruction each time).

Beyond parallels to his father, we also see how Ezran conducts himself within the council meetings, with Zym, and with his brother (+ Rayla) and Soren by proxy. For example, in just about every scene he has this episode, Ezran is focused on either 1) taking care of others or 2) directing others / making decisions. He has the final say with the pearl, he's the one comforting Zym, he's the one deciding Soren and Zym will look for Zubeia and signing off on Callum and Rayla leaving.

This on the one hand makes sense, as Ezran uses similar language when discussing his bond with his friends / Zym and his kingdom ("everyone is counting on me") but more on that later. 6x01, therefore, builds on the patterns established in early s4 of Ezran stepping up to carry everyone else's emotional weight, to be a steady presence of reassurance and peace, and of taking care of his kingdom / making decisions as a king and as a diplomat (going on the mission with Zubeia, onto Rex Igneous and Domina Profundis, etc).

She's alive. And wherever she is, she loves you too. (4x01)

I know you're worried about [Zubeia]. But wherever she is, I'm sure she's okay. (6x01)

It's not just Ezran emulating Harrow in telling Callum and Rayla to "take care of each other," or entrusting Soren with Zym ("keep each other safe"), and knowing that they will. Ezran watching everyone else leave without him harkens back, I think, to Soren's assertion in 5x02 that "It's not fair you have to struggle through this alone," but that is by and large what continues to happen for Ezran.

If you're trying to be a pillar of strength and one that others can lean on, it is very hard to lean on others (as we see perhaps most predominantly with Rayla, who also has many parallels to Ezran). All you can do is grin, bear it, and keep your head on straight. Therefore, that begets the question of who Ezran looks most directly to for guidance, which takes us to our next and only non-episode direct segment:

Ezran and Fathers: An Interlude

I'll expand on this a bit more in the next section, but I think it's worth noting up front in many ways that Zym is to Ezran what Ezran is to Callum, re: the older brother being both a brother and semi-taking on a parental role by default because it otherwise won't be filled. For Callum, this meant stepping in for both Sarai and Harrow at different points, and for Ezran, it means stepping in for both Avizandum and Zubeia. Ezran himself identifies this specific struggle in 2x03:

Someone's going to have to teach him all the things he's supposed to do, everything he's supposed to be. And he's meant to learn it all from a big strong king of the dragons. But he doesn't have that. All he's got is me.

Zym lacking his father and Ezran feeling like those shoes are difficult to fill leads him to missing his own dad. While Callum assures that "Me, Rayla, probably Bait, we're all here for you," Ezran still longs for his father and Harrow's specific guidance in his dynamic with Zym.

But I really wish Dad was here. I keep thinking about what he would do, what he would say to Zym. When I was little and I wasn't listening to him, Dad would say "Ezran, you're handful." So I tried that with Zym. "Azymondias, you're handful." But he doesn't understand. He doesn't even have hands. I guess I just miss Dad. He'd know what to do, you know?

Ezran reaffirms this desire to keep Harrow close in more ways than one, as he reveals in 4x08 where the silver of his crown came from (and why) as well as in 5x06, citing, "It's not worthless, it's really important to me," and quoting Harrow directly in 6x07 (though more on that later). We also see Ezran be willing to defend even Avizandum, who killed his mother, solely because he is Zym's dad: "Everything Avizandum did was to protect Xadia!" (4x08). This doesn't mean Ezran thinks either are perfect (his speech in 3x02 in which he reaffirms Harrow was a good father but a deeply flawed king indicates otherwise) but that both, as kings and as fathers, are people he has tried to emulate with varying degrees of success and aspiration.

AVIZANDUM: This is a special day, a day of life. Do not force me to make it a day of death. (3x06)

And this bond with Harrow is, of course, exactly what Claudia preys upon in 5x09 and what is going to be brought to the forefront in S7 with Runaan, but again: more on those things later. For now, the most important things are Ezran's continual push for himself with king and diplomat as the bases of his identity, and how S6 increases the strain on both of those aspects one by one.

6x02 — Knowledge and Need

One of Ezran's many assessments of what made him a different king from his father, besides not fighting in battles, was Ezran's recognition that he "hadn't read many books of wisdom". I found it a cute fun character detail then that both times we see him in his apparent down time in 6x02 and 6x03, and really the first down time we've seen him be in since early S4, he's reading ("He's right, books are great"—so true 4x02 Ezran, so true).

The more interesting aspect I think this episode raises is along the continuing lines of Ezran and Zym's bond, which is sweetly highlighted here (and then accordingly gets pay off with Zubeia and Zym by episode's close). Specifically, the idea of need:

CLAUDIA: She said I had to stay with Soren, that this was my home, and that my brother and I needed each other. (2x09)

This idea of needing one another, and being together, is very human centric in TDP, Callum and Ezran each being strong and routine proponents of it, but eventually the mindset extends to more Xadian characters (such as Rayla's statement that she and Ethari need Runaan, too, by season's end). This sentiment of "we need each other" is important of course, as well, because it operates in direct opposition to the concept of doing things alone or in isolation, which is how Ezran has been left behind as king and has operated somewhat as king in general.

Zubeia's demonstration that Ezran is a true part of their family is also important, as while Ez isn't there directly to hear it, it narratively rewards his love of Zym and Zubeia by having it be equally reciprocal, and Zym accordingly returns to him. While Ezran is king, and a good king, he cannot and should not be walking his path alone, and that means relying on the people around him to help him.

Or not, if that person is Viren.

6x03 / 6x04 — Viren

Viren's arrival back in Katolis weighs on Ezran before it weighs on Soren, and we see Ezran carry this weight in addition to every other concern already on his mind (but more on that when we talk about 6x05). For now, I want to talk about some contrasts with prior seasons for 6x03.

First, I want to talk about Ezran's storm motif. While the weather is normally pretty stormy, with just about if not every initial shot of the castle each season embedded in a storm, Ezran is the character who surprisingly has the most interplay with it. While Rayla is introduced in a storm and illuminated by lightning (S1 and her tears as the rain in S5), and Callum is a sky-storm mage (prominently in S2 and a bit in S5), Ezran is probably the character who experiences the storm the most and the most consistently.

1x01: Ezran is startled awake by thunder, fearful of the storm

2x07: Ezran runs after Zym and faces Claudia

3x01: Ezran arrives back in Katolis on the back of Banthers

4x01: Ezran hosts his council meeting of the season while it's raining/storming

5x01: Ezran goes out into the storm directly to engage with Domina Profundis

Therefore, the storm has been adjacent to most of Ezran's important turning points as a character, moving from something he's afraid of, to a signal of his tumultuous homecoming, to something he faces head on without fear, and finally where we see Ezran in a lot of ways finally be recognized as King by the person who tried to steal his throne and remove him from the position than one, with Viren's body language directly heralding his last confrontations (1x03, 5x02) with Harrow.

Furthermore, we have the interplay of what both Viren and Ezran believe will happen in Katolis ("They'll throw you in a dungeon, if you're lucky") versus what Viren actually receives from Ezran's verdict(s). Ezran is the only other character we see Viren seek direct penance and apology to, fully recognizing him as king: "I need to see the king" much the way he needed to go to Katolis to face his primary truth with Soren ("I must face my truth... I see you, Soren").

Then we have the way S6 takes more background themes of truth and mercy and amps them up throughout the season, re-contextualizing Ezran's exchange with Viren in a few ways. The most straightforward example of what I mean is by looking at what Aaravos says in his conversation with Sol Regem.

AARAVOS: Would you like a reward? A small mercy before perhaps, before your death? The mercy of truth. (6x08)

So while Ezran doesn't provide Viren with mercy in a traditional sense, as he says, "Good, you don't deserve any" and therefore will not give any, he does provide mercy. He provides Viren a truth they can both agree on, he allows Viren to see him as was requested, and he spares the man's life, locking him away rather than executing him. Ezran's truth is harsh, maybe (deservedly) but it is merciful by its own measure.

On the other end of mercy with Aaravos and the Cosmic Council, we see concepts of mercy and cruelty be called into question.

Sometimes the line between mercy and cruelty can be thin.

Now, Ezran lived because of Rayla's compassion and mercy, and Ezran is someone who ordinarily shows mercy to others as well (i.e. Rayla, Soren, Claudia on more than one occasion, N'than). He's also not usually cruel. But "cruel" is one of Viren's many motif words (I do not mean to be cruel / I owe you an apology Viren, I was cruel to you even though I care for you so much / He's cruel, but you don't have to be / I have been cruel to you + I punished you with a life of cold cruelty), so I think it's worth taking into account. As the wonderful and talented @its-leethee once pointed out, Ezran denying Viren his own definition of mercy also means denying him cruelty by proxy.

I also think Ezran is aware he walks this line as king, however, given how we see things go when Soren returns in 6x04. Not only is the scene with the council while Viren is in the dungeon tonally completely different than it was in season 3 (nobody with the authority to do anything about it, not even Opeli outside of 3x01, really treats Viren being down there as a concern or something on Ezran's plate when he gets back), but also because it presents Ezran with a hard choice to make.

Barius is distanced enough that he can almost smile about the mushrooms, so I knew either Opeli or Ezran were going to be the ones to tell Soren what had happened. Ezran in 3x02 states, "I didn't see everything [Harrow] had to do as king, but I do know that my dad had to make many hard decisions." Not only does this form the backbone of Ezran's entire philosophy as king (going back home in the first place, refusing to have a regent, sacrificing himself, taking the throne up again, etc etc) but it informs him here. Someone has to do the hard thing of telling Soren the truth, and Ezran decides it'll be him, so he does.

Because he's not just Soren's friend, he's his king. And that's Ezran's responsibility.

6x05 — Ezran and Responsibility

Ezran has a very interesting mindset when it comes to what people are responsible for. He holds Claudia accountable in 2x09, but still chases after her and believes in her in 3x09; while he presumably doesn't like dark magic for obvious Ezran-y reasons of seeing all creatures as friends, he's not judgmental about its usage for either Claudia or Callum, even when Rayla holds his brother's usage against him in S2. And when Rayla returns in season 4, he's also not visibly upset with her, either. So I think we can say, if you express regret, had good intentions, and prove you can change, there's a lot that Ezran can forgive, even if it's not everything (re: Viren).

I think we see some of his struggle with it, though, when it comes to the weight he feels for his own actions and choices. Despite Kasef bringing war to his doorstep, Ezran laments, "How can I let this happen?" When he creates a plan where Katolis could escape the war wholly if enough people laid down their hands, giving them agency at the expense of his own, and it doesn't work perfectly, Ezran says, "I let [Corvus] down as king," and feared doing the same earlier: "I feel like I'm letting everyone down." This idea of immense collective responsibility, and the persistent fear of letting people (specifically and in general) down, is one of the many reasons him and Rayla are, often times, so very similar.

Ezran has a tendency to take on an internalized feeling of responsiblity to begin with, and that simply gets amplified with the external circumstances of him being king:

I know everyone is counting on me to teach Zym how to fly. But that's just the start. (2x03)

I don't have time to do kid things. I must gain the trust and cooperation of the dragons, and I shall not be deterred. So many people are counting on me to do my duty. [...] Every time I sit on my throne, I'm reminded of the immense pressure of my kingly duty. (5x02)

But when I struggle, I think of the people I love and how they are counting on me to do the right thing. (6x07)

So Ezran holds himself to a high standard, and that trickles down into how he interacts with others typically in a more compassionate rather than judgemental way—letting things go, holding the group together, being a routinely validating presence—and how he operates as king (4x04):

EZRAN: Wait, please don't go yet. If the Fallen Star is a danger the whole world will face, this is a chance to solve our problems together. [...] I wish there was a way we could combine our strength and purpose and face this together. OPELI: Maybe there is a way. Go with her. EZRAN: But Katolis needs me. OPELI: The world needs you right now. The High Council can take care the people, I promise. EZRAN: You're right. The kingdom will be in good hands.

As king, his kingdom and people come first ("As princes of Katolis, it's our duty to put you all first"—Dreamer's Nightmare) and we see this continue in 6x05 with his conversation with Soren.

LUJANNE: Consider the half moon. Light only falls on half its face right now, but that doesn't mean the other half isn't there. The same is true with you. There are parts of yourself that you keep hidden. (2x02)

Him and Soren are both worried and both fronting with each other, Ezran smiling when Soren enters and giving him a reassuring hug, and Soren's smile dropping the second he leaves.

EZRAN: I'm really excited for Aunt Amaya's wedding, but it also feels like a bad time to leave Katolis. There's so much happening. Callum and Rayla aren't back yet. I'm still worried for Zubeia. And there's that other thing. The prisoner. SOREN: Oh, don't worry about—Viren. Everything will be fine.

Even after receiving news from Soren and Zym that Zubeia is alright, and reaffirming he knows that Zym is worried, Ezran doesn't open up to Zym about it or let the worry go. He feels responsible for his kingdom but also in handling things with Viren.

Speaking of Viren from last episode: while Ezran is typically non-judgmental and forgiving of choices/mistakes, we also get an important piece for how Ezran views responsiblity from 3x02:

My father made choices to keep fighting battles that started hundreds of years before he was born. To punish enemies for crimes their parents committed.

The same way Rayla turns because "how can we take vengeance for something that never happened," Ezran didn't punish Soren and Claudia for crimes their father made ("They thought I ran away, just like my parents" / "But if I die, I'll just be paying the price they should've paid a long time ago") but he does punish Viren for crimes Viren has committed. His emphasis on agency extends to 3x04, in which he gives up his agency in order to give his army some: they can choose to walk away with no technical consequences, even though the deserters are jeered at and forced to wear identification badges / are publicly shamed for their choice to not go to war against Xadia. Rayla was also ordered by Zubeia to kill him and his father, but went against orders upon seeing the egg; Zubeia's heart likewise changed upon seeing her child had been returned to her. (Runaan, comparatively, refused to disobey orders even once seeing the egg, and then attacked and tried to kill his daughter over it by his own admission—but more on him and Ezran later).

The point I'm trying to make is that Ezran feels responsible for his own and other people's decisions when it comes to the good of his kingdom; that he fronts just as much as Soren does about feeling okay; and that he highlights people's agency / right to choose as something that can help them break the cycle, as indicated in his infamous 4x03 speech:

But violence tests us. In a twisted way, it converts us to its cause. Because pain and loss feel so terrible inside, you want to hate. You want to hurt someone else. So what do we do? How can we stop this cycle? [...] We have to acknowledge the weight of the pain and loss, but open up our eyes and allow ourselves to hope and maybe forgive and love again. We have to give today’s children a chance to inherit a future filled with peace. To give them that, we have to hold pain and love in our hearts at the same time.

As king, he has the ability—the responsibility—to make better choices in leading his kingdom, leading his friends.

With that in mind, time to finally talk about the biggest Ezran episode this season:

6x07 — Choices and Sisters

In 6x07, we see Ezran away from Katolis, which he was worried to be, but bonding with Queen Aanya, which is rather sweet. When war is brought to his aunts' doorstep, though, Ezran accordingly steps up, and that is where the real meat of the episode begins for him. Not only is he much calmer and more direct when bargaining with Janai than either his brother or Rayla were (5x03), he's also directly successful, with a little help from Aunt Amaya.

While Ezran to this point has had a bit of interplay with the Mercy motif running throughout the season, and a bit of Truth by proximity, here we see him step more fully into the Path motif that's interwoven with both of these concepts ("Only you can find your one deep truth. Only you can choose the path you're going to walk" —6x04):

EZRAN: What? No. This is supposed to be a day of love, not a day of bloodshed. Maybe we can talk him down. [...] Queen Janai, please. Go on with the wedding. Send me as your emissary to Karim.

There's a few reasons Ezran steps in, I think. He wants to help his aunts and allow them to have their wedding day (again, taking something onto his shoulders to avoid it being on someone else's). He wants to save lives. But perhaps most personally is that this is his path and therefore his truth. He believes in peace and more than that, he believes in choices, offering one both to Janai (and Amaya) of whether to send him or not, and then to Karim of whether to listen.

So he goes, planning for contingencies in bringing Corvus and leaving Aanya by the rocks to watch their backs with her bow and arrow.

A few notes on his discussion with Karim in quick succession otherwise we'll be here all day:

The return of the child-king dichotomy ("a child is freer than a king" / "but I can't run away from growing up, now that I'm king" / "the whining child king" / "this is a child!" "he is a king!") makes a return

As does Karim's typical brand of condescension

Ezran offers Karim the same thing he offered his armies, as well as Ezran's emphasis on the future > Karim's emphasis on the past and power: "Take your army, the people who follow you, and build your own future somewhere away from here."

Reaffirmation of Ezran believing humans and Xadia are stronger together and that people should be reintegrated with each other (bringing Zym home, working with various elves and dragons, his offers of togetherness to Zubeia and Rayla, his love for his aunt, etc etc)

Ezran quoting Harrow's letter directly: "No, history doesn't have to be a narrative of strength. Not if we don't want it to be. It can be a narrative of love."

Initial break down of key points:

Once again, Ezran highlights people's wants. Queen Janai wants peace. It doesn't have to be a narrative of strength if we don't want it to be. "We all want peace and we all want love." Karim is about to deliver a very harsh lesson about what can happen when that isn't what people want, as he's more motivated by ego and pride than any measure of love. Ezran's emphasis also ties into opposition with how when people / characters in the show don't listen to their wants, they're more likely to engage in the Cycle because they think they have no choice: "I don't want to," Rayla says, threatening his brother, "but I have to" (1x02) + arc 1 Viren's entire character arc.

Secondly, while Ezran begins by stating that "Human, child, king" (or his three identity monikers) "none of this matters," that's not where he ends his statement. Instead, he builds his identity directly upon his kingship (which Karim notably does not have):

K: Those are childish dreams. E: Not dreams. Choices. I am a king. And as a king, I choose love over strength.

This is an interesting reconciliation, as we see Harrow forced to choose in dreams precisely because he's king (2x05) and we see dreams interplay with choices for both Viren ("Every step forward is a choice") and Callum's dark magic dreams ("No, I get to choose who I want to be"). It also sets up inevitably that Karim won't choose love over strength almost precisely because he's not king and that's what he wants to be, perhaps in a symbolic sense.

Then we get to the meatiest part of S6 Ezran in a lot of ways, in terms of set up for next season:

Sometimes it’s hard, but when I struggle, I think about the people I love and how they are counting on me to do the right thing. Not the harsh thing, not the strong thing. The right thing. Do you love your sister, Prince Karim?

Again, a few quick notes:

Verbal acknowledgement from Ezran himself that choosing love over strength is hard and is a struggle, harkening back to 4x03

"Counting on me" pattern

Ezran specifically references to the people he loves as balances, which most clearly points to Zym and Zubeia, I think

Ezran will be challenged in that exact way next season with Runaan, precisely with "Do you love your sister?" (and brother) being what can bring him back from the brink

But more on this when I get to my Ezran-Karim meta, which all of this meta was originally supposed to be in, and then it got way too long and got split in two.

KARIM: What? Of course I do. I... She has led our people down the wrong path, but she will always be my sister. EZRAN: Then you can still choose love. It’s not too late.

However, all of Ezran's best efforts — his emphasis on choices — doesn't matter when Karim actively "wants Janai to attack"; that history wrote that fire must be chosen, so he'll choose it again now. What follows is Ezran desperately running to save lives and go against the perceived destiny Miyana sees ("Open your eyes, little king. You cannot be blind to destiny") as both Zym, Aanya, and Corvus help Ezran escape. We see Aanya continue to be a great support, extending a hand to him rather than being someone he extends aid to, and although Ezran is unable to stop the Sunfire armies from colliding with Sol Regem, they are spared anyway.

And while he's undeniably grateful and happy it didn't happen to the Sunfire elves nor his aunts, it's for a fate that's far personally worse for our young boy king.

6x09 — Castles Crumbling

Remember how I've emphasized throughout about Ezran treating kingdom — particularly in S6 — as an underpinning for his entire identity, both in professional and interpersonal relationships? Well... what's a king his castle? What is a king without a kingdom?

Furthermore, Katolis and the crown, the kingship, is also key to how Ezran conceptualizes and remembers Harrow. The emphasis on his throne, the emphasis on his crown, the way Ezran speaks and forges ahead as a leader... these are all ways to keep his parents'—his father's—memory alive. Now there's not even that.

Ezran has always had semblances of phoenix symbolism, surviving death, riding dragons rather than being burned by them, waking up with the rising sun in 3x02 and claiming his crown at sunset by the end, being taken to the dungeons at nightfall, etc. Now he's been pushed into it full throttle, dealing with many types of grief at once.

A loss of his people and the responsiblity he felt towards them, grieving innocent lives lost; the destruction of his childhood home and safe stronghold; in many ways, the loss of his father and family all over again; and lastly, a loss of sense of self, symbolized by the literally fallen towers of Katolis.

This raises an especially interesting arc for Ezran going forward. On the one hand, being king is a deeply positive experience for him: it's hard but it's liberating, he deeply loves his people, and it's a role as mediator he's always naturally stepped into (1x03, 1x06, Dreamer's Nightmare, 4x06, etc). It's something he actively chooses and uses to choose the Narrative of Love.

At the same time, it's also been deeply isolating, and something he's prone to utilizing in anger: "If I am the king, you have to let me go" (2x08) when it comes to pulling rank. The fact it's so bound up with his bond with Harrow (and Callum having distance from Harrow partially specifically informed by Harrow being king) is also likely to hurt as much as it helps.

In the same way that other characters are being pushed to their dual identity breaking point in S7 — Rayla as a protector or an assassin, Callum as someone who can break away from Aaravos' corrupted control or will play right into his hands — Ezran will likewise be similarly tested, being a King of Strength and a King of Love, potentially falling prey to the same pitfalls that doomed his father but also coming back from them as well. In a lot of ways, therefore, each of his scenes / episodes in S6 take the former dominos from S4 and S5 and line them up all for 6x09—7x02 to likely knock them down in brutal succession, and then see how he — like his brother and friend; like a phoenix; like his kingdom — rises from the ashes.

And I can't wait to see it.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this very long Ezran meta! There was a lot to dig in from S6 itself as well as from prior seasons, and is — I think — probably tied for the 2nd best Ezran season with season 3 (the best season for him being S4, tbh). Contextualizing things further both in regards to the past and the future for his character arc is also very exciting, and I hope this meta helped create hype — for the boy, for the king, and for the way Ezran has continued to grow and be tested.

The next meta will either be Terry (S4—S6) or Claudia&Rayla (S6) centric, and I will see you then!

In the meantime, Dragons out!

[emeryhiro]

My thoughts on The Book Of Carol Episode 1

-Spoiler-free edition-

I know that some information about what was discussed during the panel has already been posted online, but I personally will try my best to refrain from posting about it since that was what was requested before the episode showing, and the panel.

Setting the tone for the rest of season 2

Firstly, Episode 1 immediately starts the season with huge emotional implications, primarily focusing on Carol and her current mindset. I truly believe that if they keep at this pace, we will have Daryl and Carol on an even field within the spinoff by the end of season 2.

Over the seasons of the main show, we got the chance to see so many layers of Carol, but since the screen time on that show had to be shared with so many other characters, we never got to go as far into Carol's mindset as we wanted to. But after watching this episode, I now know beyond a doubt that Melissa has the talent and Carol has the depth to be a brilliant leading character. She can fill an entire episode with her storyline, and there would not be a dull moment; on the contrary, during the showing, I constantly had chills because of the absolute power of Melissa's performance.

Storyline split ratio

As Norman has already said, The Book Of Carol will not be an exact 50/50 split between Daryl and Carol. There will naturally be slightly more of a focus on Carol, which I found was already so evident in Episode 1. The heavier focus on Carol was done beautifully, and like I said earlier Melissa fulfilled the role of a leading character so perfectly that I couldn't help but be a little disappointed whenever I saw that a scene had changed away from her.

Carol's mindset

Carol's mindset and emotional state had me in a chokehold this episode; I don't think there was a single scene between Carol & Ash that didn't bring me to tears or leave me with chills. As Melissa mentioned in her behind-the-scenes interview for Daryl Dixon episode 6, Carol's journey is about her mindset and how she needs to know that her friend is okay.

This theme is already heavily touched on in episode one and delivered in a way that brought me to tears repeatedly. They utilised a few vital flashbacks and some moments where we find Carol alone, going through some powerful emotional moments that opened old wounds and addressed certain things that were never fully resolved on the main show.

One of the most heartbreaking moments we see of Carol alone revolves around a song that Carol sings along with (to herself); even though the song itself has very simple lyrics, I immediately thought that it fully explains why Carol is prepared to do anything to get Daryl back.

Even before watching the episode, we knew that Carol would do anything for the ones she loves, but this current situation with Daryl truly asks more from her than anything she has ever done before. Still, there is no hesitation within her about how many lines she is willing to cross to find him again.

In all this Carol also showed some immense growth, especially in how she handled guilt and loss compared to her actions and mindset in season 10.

Daryl's change

This is mentioned in the new season's synopsis, so I no longer classify it as a spoiler. The synopsis stated that "Daryl struggles with his decision to stay in France" which appeared to be very true to me in episode 1.

I saw a colder, more aggressive, and mentally exhausted side to Daryl, which is evident in how he handles all his conversations with people from the Nest and how there seems to always be an slight undertone of resentment in his words that he is trying to hide.

Additionally, while watching season 1 of Daryl Dixon, I noticed that the longer Daryl is away from Carol, the more he regresses into his trauma. It's like all progress is being lost, and he's slowly turning back to his old ways, not standing up for himself and hiding in Merl's shadow.

Additional quick takeaways:

Ash is an angel and must be protected

Genet looked scary and really creeped me out at one point, which was really thrilling and showed the possibility of a really interesting villain for the season 2 arc

It appears that (according to Norman) we'll be getting more screen time with some of the other characters, like Sylvie and Losang

Some of the nest members' scenes evoked a sense of impending doom and eerieness, which suggests that there may be more to the Nest than meets the eye, with perhaps something sinister hiding within it.

This episode had gorgeous cinematography, which I personally liked more than season 1's, and I found that it felt richer too.

Episode 1 of TBOC is now, by far, my favourite episode from any of the spinoffs. It shows that when a show about Daryl and Carol is true to its characters, it becomes a natural success and a beautiful piece of the story.

Melissa's voice and influence are clear in how Carol's story is told in this episode. And Melissa herself seemed very proud of the work that had been done for season 2.

Norman teased one of his favourite upcoming scenes, which is of Daryl and Carol bickering like an old married couple, and Melissa teased about her favourite location where they slept and woke up surrounded by horses (I'm just imagining Norman waking up and immediately being terrified)

Melissa was absolutely glowing in person and exceeded any and every expectation that I may have had of her

Conclusion and final thoughts

If episode one is a good example on which to base my opinion, then I'd say that season 2 looks very promising, with the very likely possibility of surpassing the main series in ranking as my favourite show.

It has planted seeds to potentially resolve many of Caryl/Daryl's storylines that were left unresolved in the main series, in a way that's true to who Carol and Daryl are and how even we, as viewers, envisioned it should be.

And in Melissa's words from the panel:

"12 years of The Walking Dead, there was a lot unsaid... we picked some of the core issues and built on that"

All I gotta say to wrap this up is get excited!! The future of Caryl is looking bright!

~~~~

I have also written a full spoiler version of my thoughts, which goes into a further in-depth analysis of specific moments and their significance. However, I will post that once season 2, episode 1, is officially released in September.

[claimedcrossbows]

Dancing with Tyler Galpin's Shadows

Okay so I was actually going to post about this particular theory before this sneak peak had dropped, but I'ma get this out the way and talk about the sneak peak later.

ANYWAY

I was looking back at pics of Tyler from season 1 and I saw someone mention this a while ago, about how half of Tyler's face was in the dark in a lot of scenes, and I thought that was interesting, because that is probably a form of symbolism for him being the Hyde, he's literally split in half between two different personalities and the lighting on his person reflects it well.

For example...

You see only half of him is present the other half of him is Hyde in a lot of these scenes.

That could symbolize one of two things, either he's in sync with the hyde and they are both acting as one. Or two, it reflects being at odds, or feeling divided about what's happening. Notice in all of these scenes Wednesday is present, and he's quite literally split in two on what to do when he's around her. It's like a part of him doesn't want to lie to her, but the hyde is winning out overall, he has no say.

The reason this is important is because it seems like this is carrying into Season 2 as well.

In these new photos Tyler is once again split right down the middle with the lighting.

But don't let the dark lighting be your only clue.

Instead of focusing on when he's split.

Let's focus on the scenes where he appeared in full light.

Exposed.

Now I wanna start with the times he was fully well lit when he was with Wednesday because this is very important.

Wednesday and Tyler's first meeting..This is one of the most important weyler scenes because Hunter clarified he didn't know who she was in this first meeting, so this is a genuine reaction. He finds her intriguing right off the bat, the smile shows it, but the lighting proves it. He's well lit, you can see his face, his genuine reaction to his first encounter with this odd but interesting girl. He's not hiding his emotions here, he's being sincere.

Tyler is also well lit here, this is the same episode and again he seems fascinated by Wednesday, like he's seeing an outcast who's an outcast live her life the way she wants and embraces her oddness, and I think Tyler can't help but admire that since he cannot fully embrace who it is because it costs a high price.

Oof..the kiss scene, well he is WELL lit here, you can see his full face which makes me believe that this is 100% Tyler at this moment. He has no reason to kiss her at this point, he already had won her complete trust and had gotten Xavier arrested instead of him. His mission was accomplished, but that still didn't stop Tyler from kissing her.

I mean why would you kiss someone you allegedly absolutely hate if you didn't have too for the sake of the plan??

It doesn't make sense unless he genuinely liked her.

NOW

let's move onto moments Tyler was fully lit but only this time we're getting the TRUE image of Tyler who he really is as a whole.

This scene was interesting to me, and it's not talked about often, but there is a LITERAL spotlight being put on Tyler Galpin..and now that I'm looking even closer at this picture...

There is a absolute HUGE shadow of Tyler Galpin behind himself that practically screams..

TWO IDENTITIES.

If you weren't suspicious of Tyler at all this season, this would've been a pretty giant hint that something was amiss here.

He is fully lit, and he looks worried, but it's only later you find out he was worried..but only of getting caught.

Tyler is also well lit at the mayor's funeral..you can see his face in whole, no shadows lurking, this is Tyler as well..you can see the real guilt illuminating off of him as he stares at Wednesday, to me this scene always screamed that he desperately wanted Wednesday to figure it out to help stop him..I truly think the mayors death was one of Tyler's clear breaking points.

Tyler is also well lit in the scene where he's talking with his father and chastises Donovan for not going to therapy with him to the Addams family does with Wednesday. You see him clear here as well and I think this is Tyler fully speaking, he's resentful and maybe a little jealous of both his father and of Wednesday in this scene.

But it's fully him.

Then finally we have this scene and it's interesting he's well lit here, because everything around him is truly dark.

But this is full hyde and Tyler combined, they have fully become one entity at this point, both of them, confused, hurt, vengeful and angry this is a full look at Tyler/Hyde as one.

To Conclude Tyler Galpin and his shadows danced to their own kind of tango most of this season.

[phantomoftheorpheum]

School Spirits Season 2 (episodes 1-3) liveblog/thoughts

**Spoilers for School Spirits Seasons 1 and 2x01-2x03

note: so last season I wrote up a lot of really detailed timeline stuff as I watched, and I don't think I'm going to do that this season, because 1. it's not a murder mystery anymore and 2. since a lot of the "mystery" elements of last season didn't tie back to Maddie at all, I can't expect all the little details to necessarily come together for the main plot. There are a couple of loose threads from that which I will keep an eye out for (honestly, I think they're just accidental loose threads), but my approach this season is more just ~vibes~

2x01

ROFL I completely forget Xavier got hit by a car at the end of season 1, like it completely slipped my mind. I possibly should have done a rewatch leading up to this, but I didn't and I'm here now, so I'm gonna go with it. I am watching the recap, though.

First question remains the same- what does Mr. Martin want? He tells Janet "the only way out is to go back in" and tells her that she needs to "go in deeper" which she does not want to do. He later tells Maddie that he wishes he had never pursued "this," though we know we can't trust him, so who knows if he actually has regrets or not. However, the fact that he runs from Maddie (and vanishes to who knows where?) suggests to me that he is genuinely afraid of something. If he were completely in control, I don't see why he would run away, what are the ghosts going to do him? Kill him?

Okay, Simon, my boy, please think clearly. Maddie literally gave you information that would have been impossible for you to have otherwise. The only reason you even found out Claire was involved in the blackmail was because of this stuff.

Lots of setup, some refreshers for the start of the season, fairly standard for a season opener. The budget feels higher already.

Unsurprisingly, it looks like Janet's past is going to play a big role in the season. Her dad seems like he sucks. I guess my immediate question is- are we getting all this backstory because it's emotionally relevant to Janet's storyline, or are we getting all this backstory because there's going to be a big plot element around it? When Janet goes to the graveyard, we see her grandmother's and her father's grave. Are those characters still in play as ghosts?

So far it does seem like the ghost characters are going to get the majority of the emotional weight. Rhonda, Charley, and Wally all already feel like they've been set up for some character development, while Nicole, Claire, and Xavier (until the end) don't have particularly clear set up for anything. Simon and Maddie have always been central, so no surprises there.

Okay, tbh, I did not think the car hitting Xavier looked that bad, but I'm going to assume he suffered a head injury or like that thing where if you get hit really hard at just the wrong moment it stops your heart, or something like that until told otherwise, because otherwise I can't figure out why he literally died for a minute.

So, my big question for the end of episode 1 is- how will this tie Xavier to the ghost world? Will he be able to see ghosts now? (I can see them not wanting to do this because Simon being the only person who can see Maddie is portrayed so heavily as a special bond, but also linking Xavier to the supernatural seems like the obvious reason they would kill him briefly, so....) Maybe it's just to get him onboard with everything because Claire is clearly not going to buy this story and Nicole seems pretty skeptical, too. I guess I'll just have to keep watching to find out.

Also seems important to mention that Janet is clearly pretty messed up from both what she's been through (and possibly her life before her death) and she appears to have been locked in a basement for like a year and I didn't miss all of that, I just don't have much commentary for it other than- I can't blame her.

2x02

Okay, so far it does feel like Xavier's brush with death is mainly to get him to be more open to everything, but I think it would be cool if he has some sort of lingering supernatural effects of the experience. Having a character die and then be brought back feels like the sort of thing that majorly changes them. If this weren't a supernatural story, I would assume that would be emotional/metaphorical change, but this show is about ghosts, so I'm kind of expecting something more than that.

I hate to say it, because I adore Wally and I hate love triangles, but it's making me itchy to watch all the Simon/Maddie/Wally scenes where Wally very clearly feels threatened. It's not there for no reason.

New additions to the cast, Yuri and Quinn. I wonder why Yuri never thought it was odd that Janet could make permanent stuff? Does he also have that skill? Because if not, surely he would notice that his stuff resets and (at least some) hers doesn't? I do like Yuri so far, though. I'm about halfway through the ep, don't feel like I know much about Quinn yet.

So we now know Janet's dad definitely sucked a lot. With that confirmed, and with the scene of Janet hiding under the stairs (as Maddie) with the person going up and down, do we think that's her father's ghost? (It wouldn't surprise me at all if Janet sees ghosts even though she's technically alive now). And... How did he die? did she (or her grandmother) kill him?

Xavier, my dude, I know I was tough on you last season, but cheating on Maddie does not mean you deserved to be hit and killed by a car.

Mr. Martin is engaged? (well, was) Interesting.

I hope someone realizes how triggering the Mr. Martin & Janet stuff clearly is for Rhonda. Obviously (so far) in the flashbacks we aren't getting the impression that it's an exact reflection of Rhonda's experiences, but close enough.

Okay, I wasn't expecting the Wally conflict to directly come up so soon, but I hope this at least means that we'll get some happy-go-lucky glimpses of him this season because it's one of my favorite elements of his character and (as Maddie basically called out) it's been very lowkey recently. I understand why he's upset/struggling, I like the layers, I just hope that's not the only side we see of him this season.

Alright, they just said Xaiver has a concussion. I'm no MD, but I did do some sports medicine training (unfortunately saw my fair share of concussions, including a couple that required ambulances, paramedics, and a trip to the hospital) and I do not think if you actually almost died of a head injury that anyone would let you back in school like the next day, even if you aren't expected in class. The lights alone would be problematic. But that's probably just me nitpicking.

So what you're telling me is Yuri saw a ghost with extra abilities and he was just like "eh 🤷‍♂️"? honestly, kinda valid. I'm glad Charley is addressing that.

I just had a thought that probably won't happen, but could be interesting, since Simon & Xavier are headed to the house that Janet is burning down, is it possible that Xavier will see Janet (Maddie) as Janet and not as Maddie? That would be an interesting effect of his death that's different from Simon's ability to talk to Maddie's ghost. I don't know how it would be helpful, but it could be cool.

Also was I right and Janet's father's ghost was actually there, or was she just imagining/remembering him? Clearly we don't know the extent of her abilities, or how the other ghosts factor in, but considering Janet's love of science and all the documentation, it would follow that she was running different experiments and she needed a bunch of different test subjects to do so. The big question being- what negative effects did she know/assume this had on them, because if it didn't have any, there would be no reason to hide it and they might do it voluntarily (they have very little to lose). Is it just that she was actively keeping them from crossing over? It seems like it would be something worse than that.

Mr. Martin is afraid of something "bigger," so clocked that. I do have an idea of what the red light means from the trailer, so not going to pretend to be super confused or speculate a lot, but not gonna explicitly say here because in case people haven't seen the trailer that addresses this.

2x03

So... do we think Claire is going to get an actual storyline, or?

Ah, there's some Wally lightness I was looking for.

Just got to the scene with Nicole's brother who I do not believe existed last season & I could be wrong, but he very much feels like a character that's been introduced to provide Claire with a new love interest and I am questioning if this would have absolutely anything to do with the central plot.

Janet's quite possibly a genius, but also she managed to leave her bag in a bathroom and lose all the money she stole, so brains aren't everything. I can't even laugh at her because I left my purse in a public bathroom a few months ago and didn't realize until I had driven an hour and half away and then had to drive an hour and half back (luckily it had been turned in) and then an hour and half the other way again.

I didn't realize I wanted more Xavier & Simon detective squad scenes until just now, but I do. I think they're really funny together, the actors bounce really well off of each other.

Okay, wait, wait, I immediately take back what I said about Nicole's brother because Janet's just been offered a ride to a college, and they just told us five minutes ago that Diego is in college, so what are the odds on "Diego sees his sister's missing best friend"? High, I'm guessing.

Well. That happened a lot faster than I was expecting it to, but okay. lol.

Can someone explain to me how the hell is Mr. Anderson is not in jail?? Stealing that much money is definitely a felony.

I can't tell if we're setting Nicole and Xavier up for a legit romance or just absolute horror and hilarity, like right now I could honestly see it going either way.

I just had to pause for like ten minutes from the secondhand embarrassment of the Wally/Janet scene. I know that's not the important part of that, but omg.

I don't understand how everyone else thought what Rhonda relayed about the party made Janet look bad instead of Mr. Martin. She literally says "no more experiments" and it seems like she wanted to give back the objects taken from the other ghosts, and I don't really get why Rhonda had to spell that out for everyone, like exercise some common sense my guys. I'm not saying that I fully buy that Mr. Martin is the ultimate evil (the man is scared of something) or that Janet is the ultimate good (setting aside the whole "stealing Maddie's body" thing, she was willing to kill Xavier with a car, so not a paragon of good morals, but still), just that I don't get what they missed about Rhonda's story to see Janet as the bad guy there.

I'm back to "Diego exists as a character solely for Claire" even though they technically used him for the plot briefly.

How did five of you lose Janet? She was literally right there.

So is it (the "hellscapes" so to speak) like a "you have to confront your death before you can move past it" kinda thing, or??

Unexpected MVP dynamic Simon & Xavier! But also Xavier should not be driving either and the girls really should have dropped both him and Simon off.

I'm not sure where Janet falls on a morality scale, but approaching Maddie's mom is rough if she doesn't intend to try to give Maddie's body back, because she has been through enough and like... oof.

It took me several hours to get through these episodes because this show has the misfortune of being on the most buggy streaming platform of all time, so my brain is tired at this point. I'll start a new post if I have any additional thoughts.

[a-vibing-potato]

Here's the yapping :) (the following day so now I've already forgotten half of the episode but it'll come back to me, trust)

"Mommy Dearest" has got to be THE MOST Destiel episode of all time after "Free to Be You and Me" in Season 5. Like ACTUALLY. The entire time I was watching it I kept having to pause suddenly like "OH MY GOSH IT'S THIS QUOTE". I am NOT exaggerating, FOUR scenes in a row I was watching and then was like OH CRAP THIS QUOTE. "Cas, get outta my ass." The ENTIRE baby in a trench coat diner scene. The Cas staring out the window all melodramatically because Dean hurt his feelings. "I have a painful, burning sensation." Cas OBVIOUSLY checking out Dean's ass. Those are like FIVE scenes that I knew before watching this episode. Like I thought this episode would probably be kinda mid or average (mainly just because it's right before The Man Who Would Be King and I think that episode is gonna be an emotional angsty crazy roller coaster even though I haven't seen it yet) but oh my gosh! Cas really went off in this episode, and the Destiel is great, too and it's just awesome.

But a few thoughts on the actual plot of the episode (I'll put my Destiel obsession away for a second lol).

At the beginning of the episode Dean is like "I dunno guys, the phoenix ash doesn't burn me so how is it gonna burn Eve?" like. Is he dumb? Silver doesn't burn humans but it hurts SO many evil things. Same with salt! We literally EAT salt to LIVE, but it's effective on basically every monster ever. When did we start abiding by the logic of "Oh it has to hurt me to hurt them" like no??? It doesn't??? Sam literally says that, too, like "Maybe it's like iron or silver and hurts them but not us." and Dean's still hesitant?? Like it'll be okay, it'll work??

I also LOVE Cas in this episode (could you tell?) just because I love the episodes where he basically just tags along for the entire case like he's just a normal little guy, solving a mystery, hunting a monster (which is also why I love "Free to Be You and Me"). Like you're telling me a multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent is stuffed in the body of that hot guy, and he's riding passenger princess style in the car? Yes PLEASE.

But I just loved how for the majority of the scenes, the four of them were grouped into pairs of Cas and Dean, and Sam and Bobby. Because 1) that means I get Destiel >:) and 2) I like the idea of Sam and Bobby getting father-son bonding time. Because we all know Dean's the favorite, Bobby ACTS like Dean's the favorite. But he also loves Sam. And I think it's cute :)

ALSO this episode felt like the one where Bobby truly accepted Cas as his son-in-law. The scenes at the sheriff's office just solidified that for me. Bobby talking to him about Sam and Dean going to take those two kids home, and Bobby comforting Cas that Sam and Dean just kinda do their own thing? Perfection. Also also, Cas is SO melodramatic in this episode and I love it. The staring dramatically out the window at the diner after Dean calls him a baby in a trench coat. "You don't know that. They might find more... wayward orphans, along the way." Like YES CAS. GET SASSY AND PETTY ABOUT IT. He deserves it. As a little treat :)

BUT PLOT RIGHT I WAS GONNA TALK ABOUT THE PLOT

Eve infecting the people and turning them into monsters in the first scene reminds me of the Croatoan virus (MY BELOVED <333 I THINK ABOUT IT EVERY NIGHT BEFORE I GO TO BED SERIOUSLY CROATOAN IS THE EPISODE OF ALL TIME FOR ME AND I DON'T KNOW WHY I JUST LOVE A MYSTERY DISEASE IT'S THE HOUSE MD FANDOM IN MY COMING BACK). But they're all violent and attacking each other? Croatoan? No, but I love it like it was.

The whole scene with them all realizing they need a "friendly monster" and I was SURE they were gonna say Cas. But Dean was so oblivious! "Those are in short supply, don't you think?" Like he's standing. Right behind you!! It FELT like Sam was trying to lead him to the answer, too. "But we've met one or two, right?" And Dean that fucker, responds with "Maybe." LIKE YOUR BOYFRIEND IS RIGHT THERE HAPPY TO HELP. But then they bring in Lenore???? From a LONG time ago???? I didn't even remember her I don't know who this bitch is???? Looking at the transcript it literally says she's from season 2 episode 3!! Am I actually expected to remember the name of a monster in ONE episode in early season 2 this much later??? Because I don't, that's very Magnus Archives of you to think I would remember a one-time monster by her first name. BUT her saying "I fed." was such a twist I loved it :) I did NOT love Cas killing her all of a sudden, I absolutely get why he did it, and I feel like she probably would have needed to be killed, but it was so sudden it was sad. :(

The entire diner scene is perfection, I love Bobby's confusion over an IPad, I love Cas getting all embarrassed and flustered that he can't search the town and THE LITTLE THROAT CLEAR babeeeeee before he tries again and looks like he's shitting himself. I love Dean calling him a baby in a trench coat and him staring out the window (can you tell now that I've mentioned it probably five times lol?). I love FINALLY understanding and knowing the context behind the clip "So Mom's making you limp?" "Figuratively, yes."

Timeskip because I don't have any big thoughts that I can remember or want to talk about for a bit...

But them getting arrested by the sheriff, nothing new except Cas' first arrest! (isn't it? I think so lol) Baby's first arrest of probably many.

The kids that Sam and Dean find (Joe and Ryan) are the cutest, I know they're meant to make us think of young Sam and Dean and they absolutely do oh my gosh. All the scenes with them are so sweet <33

Cas feels very jealous (well, I don't know if jealous is the right word but we're rolling with it) boyfriend in the scene with talking to Dean about the kids, very sassy, very snippy, but I ADORE him in it. He's practically begging Dean to stay there and Dean just won't listen. It's also giving lovers' spat, which, y'know. Great. I see where both of them are coming from, Cas wants to save possibly more people for the greater purpose, but Dean sees two kids that look like him and his kid brother and wants to save them.

THE BOBBY AND CAS SCENES ARE ACTUALLY MY FAVORITE IN THE ENTIRE EPISODE, PROBABLY EVEN MORE THAN THE DESTIEL SCENES WHICH IS CRAZY. Some worthy mentions being:

"They may find more wayward orphans along the way."

*the finger quotes on "sarcasm"*

"You don't let Sam and Dean Winchester do squat. They got what they gotta."

*the no-nonsense sass in Bobby's "Thoughts?"*

"I need five minutes alone with him." "Cas, your batteries are dead." "Give me five minutes." *SCENERY CHANGE TO Bobby drinking some kind of alcohol and listening to the pleasant sounds of muffled screaming coming from the other room, only mildly concerned* *Cas comes out with his hands SOAKED IN BLOOD. LIKE BOTH ARE COMPLETELY RED. He wipes off the blood (and looks hot as sin doing it) and has an address. It's later found out that he FUCKING DECAPITATED THE DUDE to get the address*

I don't get why Dean gave Cas a phoenix ash bullet when he literally says in this episode "I'm fairly unpracticed with firearms."??? Like???? Should we really be wasting a bullet by giving it to guy who's never shot anything before??? Anyway.

Not Eve literally just pretend-playing Restaurant inside as a waitress like is she seven. But also, go off queen.

THE FEELINGS I FELT WHEN SHE JUST CASUALLY GOT ALL THEIR PHOENIX ASH BULLETS BECAUSE YEAH, FUCK YOU, WE DID GO THROUGH A LOT TO GET THOSE. YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH. AND NOW THEY'RE GONE. JUST LIKE THAT.

The natural order thing TOTALLY makes so much sense though. I get where she's coming from. Also, please don't wear our mother's skin suit like eww. Absolutely the fuck not ma'am.

The lore drop about Crowley, purgatory, human souls, etc. was so good and cool I love it. ALSO ALL THE WEIRD STUFF GOT EXPLAINED. Like there were a LOT of loose threads but they talked about all of them and I think wrapped up all the episode-centric plot holes!!

THE. FUCKING. TWIST. That Ryan was turned and Dean and Sam didn't even realize EVEN THOUGH THEY TESTED HIM WITH DOZENS OF TESTS. I screamed. (Also, my sister somehow fell asleep during this episode and slept through most of it??? because she's a freak and does that like how are you not on the edge of your seat, but when I gave her a crash course of what happened this episode via transcript, she literally thought Sam was turned. And I was like. Yeah. That would've been really cool, too. And totally on brand for Supernatural to do something like that to Sam.)

My FAVORITE part of the episode: Dean saying "Bite me.", Eve doing just that, and finding out that DEAN HAS PHOENIX ASH FLOWING THROUGH HIS BLOOD BECAUSE HE DRANK IT WITH A SHOT??? Your honor, I fucking love him, he's so crazy.

The dread from finding both kids dead after knowing that one was a killer like okay... but who killed them? Also Cas' whole "I told you so" look on his face for like two scenes lol he's so sassy in this episode and it's actually my favorite version of him.

Sulfur, demons, "Why would demons kill these kids? UNLESS- they were told to." And Cas IMMEDIATELY taking that as his sign to get the HECK out of dodge lmao. Like buddy you are not slick.

Dean defending Cas saying that he wouldn't work for Crowley/keep him alive on purpose/etc. to Sam and Bobby when NEITHER of them believe him. Gay boy, you just love your boyfriend and don't want him to get in trouble.

Cue: The last scene but a tie for my favorite shot scene in this episode, tied with the scene of Bobby drinking alcohol while muffled screaming is heard in the background: The record getting played on a record player and Cas just STANDING THERE like a fucking FREAK all menacing just LOOKING AT DEAD BODIES. LIKE INSPECTING THEM. CASUALLY STROLLING AROUND, JUST PERUSING THIS MASSACRE. He is my favorite he's so unnatural and doesn't abide by societal rules. Give me more Cas that doesn't fit in because he's weird. I love that kind of Cas :D

And we end with Crowley being alive and playing into Cas' humiliation kink with "Really, Cas? How many times am I gonna have to clean up your messes?"

Thank you for coming to my TED talk, this rant did NOT need to be this long, I don't know HOW it ended up this long, but it did. I guess I had more feelings and favorite parts of this episode I needed to quote than I even previously thought lol. Anyway, @greypistacchio, you asked to be tagged in my insane long rant (I don't know why you'd subject yourself to this torture, but here you go lol) Thanks for being interested in it, I just really love Destiel and Cas (if you couldn't tell).

Hope you all are having a great day :)

[laughhardrunfastbekindsblog]

Okay, my one and only major complaint about Bad Batch is that I don't think they handled Tech's death properly (I still don't think they should have killed him off at all, but here we are; and even if they intend(ed) to leave things open-ended to maybe bring him back later, the titular characters in the show wouldn't have known that); and with all the reasons I've seen floating out there as to WHY Tech's death was handled the way it was and why the characters reacted the way they did (or didn't), I just want to explain why none of the "reasons" cut it for me. If you're satisfied with how Tech was handled in season 3, I am genuinely happy for you (and lowkey jealous, ngl 😉). I've just been thinking about this a lot and need to spell it out!

Reason #1: "Why do we need to see more of the characters mourning? What we got was enough. We don't need a 2 hour episode that's all about the characters grieving." (Yes, someone actually used "2 hours" in their argument.)

Let's recap what we got: 1) A scene where Echo looks sadly at the Marauder's pilot seat, Wrecker actually sheds some tears (bless him), Omega's in denial, and Hunter tells Omega they're going to retire on Pabu because Tech is gone... followed up almost immediately by the villain dropping off broken goggles as the only proof that Tech was ever on Eriadu; 2) a scene where the audience is shown Tech's goggles but Hunter doesn't interact with them- instead, he looks at Lula, proving that his driving motivation is recovering Omega (which is fine when taken from the perspective that he can't do anything about Tech, whereas he can do something for Omega; but that perspective is ultimately just headcanon because the show never reiterates or follows up on this); 3) Wrecker alluding to Tech (not by name) to try to convince Hunter to be more cautious; 4) Omega name-dropping Tech (wait, does Crosshair even know what happened?... yay for context clues, I guess); 5) Echo name-dropping Tech in relation to data decryption with the team looking down sadly for 5 seconds (I timed it) before Crosshair changes the subject; 6) Phee name-dropping Tech in relation to her not knowing what m-count is; 7) Crosshair referring to Tech's information on Ventress; 8) Omega leaving Tech's goggles in the Archeum with none of her brothers around (hot take: it kinda bothers me that the goggles are given the same treatment as Lula, I totally understand the context/deeper meaning of Omega leaving her childhood behind by leaving Lula, but we're talking about the one relic they have of their fallen and irreplaceable brother being given the same emotional weight as a doll); 9) Phee referring to Tech having a discussion with her about Crosshair while Tech's goggles are in the background (and, noticeably, Crosshair doesn't react at all and just changes the subject back to needing a ship); 10) Crosshair says the squad died with Tech, Wrecker says Tech understood the risks, and that's that.

So, what we got was enough to establish that the characters were sad in the immediate aftermath of Tech's death, that some of them may have stayed sad about it all through season 3, and that the show didn't completely forget that Tech had been a main character at one point.

What we DON'T get is any real reference to what Tech meant to the family as an individual and a brother, any real indication of how the loss of Tech (distinct from the mission to save Omega) influences his family's actions or the story's overall narrative, any actual acknowledgement in the show of Tech's sacrifice having any meaning or the family moving past grief to express any form of gratitude for Tech's presence and influence on their lives, any reference to Tech having a true impact on 4 of his 5 siblings (Omega is the closest we get to witnessing Tech's continued influence on any of his siblings and even seeing that involves squinting/head tilts at times)... in other words, we get a few minutes of sadness, but never any catharsis. We see they miss him, but never does this truly inform the narrative or their decisions in season 3, AND it's left frustratingly vague where the characters are in the grieving process (more on that later).

Besides, no one (that I have come across, at least) was ever asking for a 2 hour episode. At most, Kanan got a 22-minute "eulogy" episode, and most of us aren't even asking for that. I'd have been at least minimally satisfied with a "Mayday moment" for Tech - and that scene lasted a grand total of 20 seconds. What would have been more satisfying would have been the show taking all those superficial name drops and converting at least a few of them into meaningful mentions indicating what Tech means to his brothers and/or how he continues to have an influence on his family and/or how his sacrifice is a motivating factor for them.

Reason #2: "There was no time."

Leaving aside the fact that there was apparently plenty of time and opportunity to make Tech (among others) a red herring...

Let's assume that the showrunners were not only told they only had 1 season left to wrap everything up, but were given highly specific time allotments for each episode to where they weren't allowed to add any scenes (I highly doubt this is what happened, but we're rolling with the "no time" thing here). You know what you do in that scenario when you're talking about something like following up on a main character's death that clearly has left your entire fanbase in an uproar? You MAKE time: you trim down the action scenes, you make the characters walk a little bit faster, you decide whether an extended scene of Echo giving Omega a crossbow that is never going to show up again is actually worth saving (I actually like the scene, by the way; just giving an example), you cut out a few of the extremely vague lines of dialogue Fennec and Asajj indulge in. What you DON'T do is kill off a beloved main character and then rely on convenient time lapses/time skips to just brush over all the fallout apart from a few name drops that do nothing to establish just how important said character was to the other characters in the show.

What's more, they could have EASILY included some true closure with ANY of the Tech name-drops/scenes that were already in the show. Have Hunter look at Tech's goggles before looking beyond them at Lula in 3.02. Have the brothers be present with Omega when she decides to leave Tech's goggles in the Archeum in 3.11. Have any of the brothers say one meaningful line about Tech while they're otherwise silently basking in the sunshine in the end scene on Pabu in 3.15!

Reason #3: "They're soldiers."

Of all the reasons given for why Tech's death was mishandled, I dislike this one the most. What does CF99 being soldiers have to do with the aftermath of Tech's death being reduced to perfunctory allusions? (If you want to get into the argument that soldiers in general have to figure out a way to "move on" and The Clone Wars didn't really spend any time on the clones processing losses after battles, let me just say I don't care for how this topic is covered in The Clone Wars either, and Bad Batch was a golden opportunity for the Star Wars franchise to move past this unfortunate trope.) Fallen soldiers in real life get memorials/funerals too, even if it's months after the battle. Fallen soldiers are honored and remembered by their families and those closest to them. If the show is trying to push the stereotype that soldiers move on from tragic deaths of comrades by being "stoic" and holding it all in and never talking about it, I strongly disagree with the perpetuation of this stereotype; and if the characters as soldiers actually DID grieve Tech in a healthy way, why didn't the show depict it?

Reason #4: "Star Wars writers don't know how to write meaningful scenes/payoff regarding death and characters dealing with death/loss."

The Bad Batch writers proved time and again how brilliant they are at writing emotional storylines with maximum payoff. Case in point: Mayday. Enough said (I'm writing too much on this general topic as it is).

Reason #5: "They got over it."

Maybe I'm reading things wrong, but a rather drastic change in behavior for one character (going from cautious and weighing all risks, to reckless and jumping headfirst into situations without proper backup), and another character including Tech's death as just one reason why he "deserves" to go on a suicide mission, does not read to me as the characters "getting over it." It reads to me as "avoidance behavior" and "continued internal conflict." (Granted, Hunter's more reckless behavior in season 3 likely had as much to do with the Omega situation as it did Tech's death, but the point still stands. And if the point DOESN'T still stand, then I've got even MORE issues with how this plotline was handled, so we'll just keep assuming it does.)

Furthermore, if the characters had truly "gotten over it," there shouldn't have been any hesitation or issue with them discussing and honoring Tech in meaningful ways.

Reason #6: "They DIDN'T get over it."

Right, and we ended the show that way, with no clear resolution to them actually coming to terms with Tech's death and honoring his memory. Great.

Reason #7: "Whatever. It's good Tech stayed dead. Tech's sacrifice meant something."

... Did it? Did it really? I mean, I know I say quite frequently that Tech's sacrifice is what made the happy ending possible for the others (because that's the only thought that got me through a rewatch of season 3). But the show, the narrative itself, certainly doesn't act like it really meant anything. Hunter says in the season 2 finale that they "weren't going to waste Tech's sacrifice" because they were going to retire on Pabu... and that discussion promptly gets forgotten and never brought up again, not even when the squad is trying to stay off the Empire's radar in season 3 after Omega returns. Never is there any discussion that "not wasting Tech's sacrifice" by hiding on Pabu to make sure no one else dies (a very understandable reaction, of course) also goes against the very mission Tech pushed for in the first place: rescuing Crosshair. Never do we hear Omega tell Crosshair, "Tech didn't give up on you, I'm not giving up on you, that's why you ARE going to escape with me." Never is there any talk about "Tech wanted us to live and stay together, so that is what we are going to do." Never is there any acknowledgement at the end of the show that they are all going to live in peace on Pabu because Tech made sure they could live.

The last half of season 4 of Rebels is full of references to Kanan's sacrifice actually meaning something and having direct tangible consequences not only for the family but for Lothal and the Rebellion. For one thing, the show itself literally spells out that the mission to shut down the Imperial factories on Lothal was actually a success because all the fuel reserves were destroyed - Kanan had died, but the mission had succeeded and directly led to the success of the bigger mission to completely free Lothal, and while this is very poor consolation for the loss of Kanan, at least the show openly acknowledged it. Kanan and his influence is also openly credited for Ezra foiling Palpatine's plans with the Jedi Temple and the WBW, Ezra learning to let go and again disrupting Palpatine's plans in the finale, and doing what was needed to ensure Lothal was fully freed.

Imagine how different Rebels would be if Kanan's death had been treated like Tech's: no mention that his role on the mission had any impact whatsoever. No reference to Ezra or any other member of the Ghost crew living up to what Kanan had taught them all - or, at best, there's a perfunctory reference in the epilogue that Ezra decided to keep using the Force the way Kanan had taught him to. No depiction of Ezra or Hera or Sabine or Zeb accepting Kanan's death and letting go of the pain while holding on to the memories. Nothing to show that any of the Ghost crew members act in memory of Kanan or that he is a motivating influence on them. No indication that Kanan's sacrifice drives Ezra to decide to follow up on their initial success with the factories and ultimately completely drive the Empire from Lothal.

Rebels just wouldn't be nearly as fulfilling.

Now, imagine if Tech's death had been treated like Kanan's, and maybe it will become more clear why I have a REALLY hard time agreeing with the argument that the show itself actually depicted Tech's death as "meaning something."