#So that doubles the reason I refuse to watch S3 in two parts

[amtrak12]

Truly unhinged behavior that Bridgerton has made a bee such a significant part of their branding and always put one in the premieres and finales and trailers etc etc when S2 showed plain as day that that bee was both a murderer and murder weapon. Like SIR!!! I thought this was a romance novel TV show with happy endings? WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME A MURDERER???

[notafunkiller]

My honest opinion about Karen Page

I am genuinely curious how people can like Karen Page as a character and even ship her with Matt, because I don’t think I’ve disliked a character so much probably ever. Karen Page got on my nerves fast and, as I watched more episodes, it got even worse.

About her

For someone who is supposed to be smart (and the definition of good), she is very stupid. The way she thinks and chooses to act makes no sense 99% of the time. She is more of a bad character than a good one. Even her “sense of justice” is flawed, with many double standards (a subject I will touch on especially when I’ll describe her relations with Matt Murdock and Frank Castle). She is arrogant, troublesome, and headstrong, she calls herself and is considered a journalist despite her lack of real experience (law experience too!!! -> so why is she now included in the firm name? SINCE WHEN IS SHE A LAWYER? I could not believe it!)

She is written in a very annoying way and flat. She is a flat character in the first place (=two-dimensional in doesn’t change throughout the work), kept around for 3 seasons (+The Defenders) for no other reason than the fact she is problematic. But she isn’t necessarily needed for creating drama if we had more villain(s) scenes and plans. She is boring and whiny, and she has a pick-me attitude most of the time. She is not just impulsive, but also extremely FOOLISH (the way she decides to go to Fisk and spill out in his face she killed Wesley... I was like: seriously?) And the writers make other characters praise her... I still find is shocking Matt only said she was brave for what she did. She is VERY judgmental and noisy and thinks the world revolves around her (The fact that when she came to Matt in S2 and found Stick and a very visibly hurt Elektra in his bed, she did not ask a goddamn thing like what happened? instead everything was about her and how she is betrayed. But like another man was in the room, you think he cheated on you with him there? Absolutely ridiculous.) But she loves to play the victim a lot, so I am not surprised.

I don’t know how the writers thought a pretty, angelic face can make the audience (and the characters) ignore her lack of development (zero) and the horrible things she does/provokes. She caused deaths and yet the writers still make others find excuses for her and not blame her.

NewsFlash: SHE IS DARK AND SHE LOVES DARKNESS. I am not even talking about a side, she is completely into PURE DARKNESS with only 1% of light.

When out of the blue, she decided to murder James Wesley despite him only threatening her, it was like ???  And she did not shoot him one time, she did it 7 times. SEVEN. And she did not even try to be cautious (locking the firm door was a joke, right? Cause I refuse to believe writers consider the audience so stupid) and caused another death: Ben, a real journalist she dragged around with her despite him wanting a way out. Fisk killed him with his own hands and Ben didn’t tell him Karen (who is the one who came up with the idea) also visited his mother. We don’t see justice, we only see her being treated as a victim again. And she didn’t even actually help to get Fisk in prison in S1 and in S2 she is a babysitter (Foggy and Matt’s) and a murderer defender (*pretending to be shocked*). S3? I was surprised by how much screen time she had (+A WHOLE EPISODE ABOUT HER)... sometimes more than Matt and it made me so unhappy because this screen time could have been used to build more. For me, the second half of S3 is not even centered on Matt.

And she caused the death of another character, a pivotal person in Matt’s life: Father Lantom and we don’t talk enough about this. I am also not surprised Maggie and her get along, they are both two selfish, horrible people who think a few tears are enough to be excused.

The writers tried to make her relevant, but they failed. The way she was basically forced down my throat made me see her flaws even more. She is not even a character than has enough traits to be a part of the main team. In S1, the contrast between her and Claire was huge (and Claire was just a supportive character). And it’s funny how they changed the love interests - direction. At first, we saw Foggy and her bonding, Ms. Cardenas hinted about them being romantically involved, but then they literally ignored that and started to focus on Karen with Matt, then Karen and Frank (still unfinished business), and a little more on Karen and Matt again, but the show on Netflix got canceled. To be honest, the last thing I wanted and want is to see Matt and Karen together.

Not gonna lie, I expected and wanted her death at the church because she is literally pointless, but it didn’t come. It would have been a surprise if they actually did it as in the comics. It would have impacted Matt and Foggy, and Matt’s decision not to kill Fisk at the end of the season would have been even more powerful and meaningful.

One of her defining features is hypocrisy. Matt is the bad guy for keeping secrets from her, but her hiding and lying, for example not telling him and Foggy about Wesley is okay. Matt being Daredevil and not killing people is not fine, but Frank being The Punisher (a freaking cold blood murderer) is more than fine. She was so happy when Matt defended him in court... it’s insane! She can be a bad friend, a liar, etc because she is special. It was hilarious when she started to give advice to Matt about how you change after ending someone's life. Shocking! And poor her, how she isn’t the same after her brother died because of her. See how she positions herself as the victim again?

It’s also very interesting how at first she tells matt (S3) she came to warn him Fisk knows about him, leaving out the part she basically told Wilson that he is Daredevil, and only later she plays semi-victim again and says she is to blame, and, OF COURSE, Matt says Fisk already knew (which is actually pretty false: he assumed, but it was never 100% confirmed) and comforts her basically. It’s absolutely infuriating how Karen messes up every freaking time and everyone goes: oh, poor you, you’re an angel, it’s okay, it’s not your fault. I am even more disappointed how the writers didn’t make Matt even have a proper reaction to her admitting she killed someone. S2 and S3 feel like two completely different writing approaches, and even though the plot in S2 made me think: IS THIS A JOKE?, Matt and the characters building speaking, it was soooo much better (not the love triangle thing though, because both: Elektra and Karen don’t deserve Matt and are horrible in two different ways).

She is a manipulative, self-centered, and dramatic person. We saw her past (drug addiction too) and how easily she can make the decision to kill someone, but she never actually faces real consequences. Her father kept it underground and Matt still protected her from Fisk.

Karen around Matt Murdock/Daredevil and Frank Castle/The Punisher

Matt and Karen not only don’t have chemistry (Charlie and Deborah have plenty of chemistry with other people), but they also don’t match at all no matter how much the fans and the writers push(ed) the idea.

Karen does not want Matt Murdock (she liked the idea of him at some point, but not the real him), and she certainly doesn’t want Daredevil, which is quite funny (Remember when she was obsessed with the idea of him, but when she found out it’s Matt, she wasn’t interested any longer?). Should I even talk about the way she wanted Matt to stop being Daredevil and not even for a second tried to support or/and understand him? SHE didn’t want him to be Daredevil so he should stop. Even when Foggy brought him the suit in The Defenders, she was annoyed. She doesn’t understand that her boss/friend/almost-boyfriend has two sides, just like Elektra tried to have only one side of him. Matt isn’t just Matt. I really loved the She-Hulk posters for Matt: Charlie Cox is Matt Murdock & Matt Murdock is Daredevil. Do you see? It’s such an important thing. Daredevil/Matt isn’t dark enough for her. He isn’t what she wants. 

And Karen doesn’t have the same moral code as Matt does (even when he thought about killing Fisk to protect the people close to him). They don’t see the world in a similar way and they never will. I don’t think Matt and Karen would have ever lasted even if Elektra wasn’t around, they are too different. She is dark, like Elektra. She wanted to change him, like Elektra. She doesn’t accept him as a whole, like Elektra. But, at least, Elektra accepted how toxic and bad she is for him. Karen is portrayed as a victim and a great, great person, as I said.

S2 had this scene in episode 7 that made it clear to me that Karen and Matt could and MUST never be together. I don’t even know if I have to explain, the dialogue is quite clear:

Not only Karen stood up for Frank Castle (who almost got her killed, killed so many people, and should be in jail), but she also compared his actions to Daredevil’s actions. She justifies murder probably because she did it too. Matt and Karen are in opposite positions and the message is loud: they could never be together. Not killing people is the fundamental principle Daredevil/Matt has, the one that makes him who he is actually. Things would be completely different if he actually took someone’s life (bad or not) for lawyer Matt and Daredevil.

For Matt: Vengeance isn’t justice and no person is God so he can decide who lives and who dies. In She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (1x08), Matt tells Jennifer: I think you’re in a unique position to do some real good. Jen Walters can use the law to help people when society fails them. She-Hulk can help people when the law fails them; which reminds me of his talk with Foggy in S1 when he finds out Matt is Daredevil:

It shows his views didn’t change and it’s quite moving to see Matt giving someone else (someone in the same position as he is) this piece of advice. It shows he finally accepted he has two sides, despite everyone else’s attempts to control him.

Their date in S2 started as quite a disaster: in a place Matt despites, awkward, and tensed, and then Elektra called! It was clear what the writers wanted to show (despite them having a better date later) and it was also clear Matt wasn’t 100% healed and that Karen and Matt were never going to be serious. So no matter how much they tries in the seconds part of S3 to push Karen and Matt closer, it looked forced, out of the place. Especially since she felt something for Frank Castle and the things that happened in the first part of the season.

Also, I can’t believe the writers made Matt reveal his face to Agent Nadeem cause he saved Karen’s life. This is infuriating.

And as much as Matt probably likes the idea of peaceful life, he would never be happy with Karen, nor make her happy. Because there will always be that Murdock side of him she will never understand just like it will always be the killer side of her he would never understand.

Matt: You deserve better, Karen… Karen: So do you...  (The Defenders, 1x05)

Frank, on the other hand, and her match. Crazy, right? But they did from day 1, even in the worst situations. She always felt drawn to him and she did not use the innocent facade as she did with Matt (Can you believe she kind of blamed him for not telling him the truth about Wesley cause he saw her as an innocent person?). She was there for him, he was there for her. They were attracted to each other (despite him still being emotionally unavailable because he is scared he’d lose her). She would rather be with him than with Matt 100% because they are similar. She had the nerve to defend his actions and mindset in Matt’s house after all. But they really match and I really believe she should be with him and live somewhere far away from Hell’s Kitchen.

Frank: I need to find these b*stards that took 'em from me. I gotta kill 'em. Karen: So where does that end, Frank? Because I look at you and... my heart breaks because all I can see is just this endless, echoing loneliness. Frank: I'm not lonely, Karen. Karen: Bullsh*t. We are all lonely. I sometimes think that that is all that life is, we're just... We're just fighting not to be alone. Frank: So what do you want? What should I do? Should I let it go? Karen: No, but I want there to be an after. For you. (The Punisher, 1x05)

In conclusion, Karen Page is not a good character despite the writers’ efforts to show otherwise. She puts everyone in danger and never pays for her mistakes and actions.

P.S. I will say this again: no, she did not deserve to be next to Nelson and Murdock: Attorneys At Law.

[killian-whump]

WHookWeek: The F Word

Hello, and welcome to my TED Talk. I’m KW, and I’m the head mistress of the Killian Jones Bang Train. In honor of Wish Hook Week, I’ve been asked by absolutely no one to provide an in-depth look at our facilities and the special amenities and stations we’ve added to accommodate Old Hook, Wish Hook, and Detective Rogers.

First, allow me to say that we here at the KJ Bang Train have every sympathy for those who choose not to acknowledge the existence of Wish Hook (or his tengential other versions). We have a highly sophisticated protocol in place for such riders on the Bang Train, which we have tentatively titled, “Shut Up and Bang the Other One Then”.

However, for those of you who have adopted a “the more the merrier” or an “if it has Colin’s face, I’ll bang it” approach in your life, we have adapted and expanded all of our stations to allow for this exciting new addition to the KJ Bang Train. Please, come along with me for a veritable word wall virtual tour.

Current KJ Bang Train Stops

Aside from the last 30-40 years of their lives, Wish Hook and OG Hook both had the exact same experiences and relationships. As a result, nearly all stations service both Hooks concurrently - a fancy word that means at the same damn time. However, most stations do have special kiosks and exhibits relating to one Hook or the other. Let’s take a look...

Stop 1: The Liam Jones Lookout Whilst technically a station, this small stop is more of a pause in the Bang Train’s route. We have never witnessed anyone actually getting off at this stop, aside from those few souls who forgot they were riding the Bang Train and thought they’d take in some brotherly love. Generally, these riders return to the Train a little shaken, having seen a bit too much brotherly love for their tastes. Still, the stop is here if anyone ever shows up to man the place.

Stop 2: The Millian Mile This gorgeous, scenic stretch of stations is the second largest stop on the KJ Bang Train’s route. We have canon-compliant banging, canon-divergent banging, and AU banging... all of which service both Hooks equally. We also have an additional station devoted to OG Hook for all your Underworld banging needs. Bang away, you tragic star-crossed lovers T_T

Stop 3: Golden Hook Gateway Don’t be fooled by this stop’s golden appearance. All that glitters is not always consensual. Or maybe it is. But it’s probably not. This stop caters to both Hooks equally, though one’s likely to have a slightly more positive experience than the other. AU bangings, canon-compliant FoeTP bangings, canon-divergent bangings... We’ve got all the dirty, filthy bangings you could possibly want here. Just make sure to wipe your feet before boarding the train again. We don’t know where you’ve been, you dirty fiend friend.

Stop 4: Tinkerhook Terminal This fun, spritely stop is the first of several located in our lovely Neverland Neighborhood. This stop caters to both Hooks with plenty of jungle bangings literally everywhere and anywhere bangings can occur. There’s also a special “Reunion in Neverland” Kiosk that caters solely to OG Hook and S3 bangings, as well as a Storybrooke Kiosk for any of your post-S3 bangings with either Hook (or both, we never judge).

Stop 5: Captain Pan Camps As soon as the Bang Train pulls in at this popular stop, you’ll be asked by our porter if you prefer the Dark Camp or the Light Camp. You’ll want to make sure you choose wisely, my friends, as there is a BIG difference between the two! Both cater to all of your Captain Pan bangings, albeit in very different ways. Both also have an OG Hook specific “Reunion in Neverland” Kiosk, as well as a “Wish Pan” exhibit that promises untold future wonders for both Hooks... or nightmares, depending on which camp you chose ;)

Stop 6: The Lost Boys Layover Stops are rarely as raucous (or dangerous) as this one, which is why we do not allow drop-offs with later pick-ups here. We used to, but no one ever seemed to return, or they showed up late and on death’s door from Dreamshade poisoning. Instead, the Bang Train will remain in station, ready for evacuation, for the duration of your visit. Make sure to check out the “Felix Fracas” exhibit and the Mess Hall, which serves a lovely foie gras. (Please Note: All of our Lost Boys are physically over 18 and mentally deranged.)

Stop 7: Tiger Lily Territory The last of our Neverland stops is a beautiful paradise of nature. Specializing in blow darts, Lost Boy evasion, and bangings, this stop also boasts a lovely Post-Series Kiosk dedicated especially to Wish Hook. If Wish Hook isn’t to your liking, shut up and bang the other one instead.

Stop 8: Hooked Queen Haven The third largest stop on the Bang Train’s route, and the largest non-canon stop, this station has a small Pre-Curse Carriage Ride to greet you as soon as you leave the Bang Train. This rollicking ride is the only part of the Haven that services both Hooks equally. From there, the station diverges down two separate paths. The left hand path is for Wish Hook, comprised of Pirate Queen and HQ Endgame stations, while the right hand path is for OG Hook’s continued pre-curse and post-curse Hooked Queen shenanigans and various AU stops.

Stop 9: Captain of Hearts Cave This rocky dungeon-like stop caters almost exclusively to OG Hook, though there is a small kiosk for those who choose to believe there was some banging attempts before the two Hooks’ paths diverged. Make sure to check out the “History of Male Submission” exhibit, which runs year round for absolutely no reason at all, unless you know what I mean, then you know what I mean, and would surely agree with its inclusion here. For no reason. At all. Have a nice day :)

Stop 10: Captain Gothel Grove This dark, ominous stop is definitely one for seasoned bangers only. Be sure this is where you want to stop before you get off the train, because once you’re here... Well, you might be here for a longer time than you’d like. This stop is exclusively for Wish Hook, as OG Hook refused to touch this stop with a ten foot pole, much to Mother Gothel’s disappointment. Warning: Don’t eat the mushrooms. Or drink the tea. Or... Really, just watch your back, like, the whole time. Forever. This one is a genocidal maniac.

Stop 11: Hookriel Harbor This stop was originally much smaller and in a different place on the route, but it was upgraded and relocated as of Season 7. While the original station was devoted solely to OG Hook bangings, the new and improved station now focuses more so on Wish Hook and Wish Ariel’s relations. There still exists a kiosk for OG Hookriel, of course, along with all the original content from the first incarnation of this much-loved stop. Old Hook also gets some love here.

Stop 12: Sleeping Hook Spot This quaint little stop is centered on OG Hook’s AU/Divergent bangings with Princess Aurora. There is a small kiosk for potential Wish Hook post-series bangings, just in case you have need of it. This quiet refuge is just the place to calm your nerves before reaching the next stop...

Stop 13: Captain Swan Central Station The largest and busiest stop on the entire Bang Train line, this bustling hub boasts all the amenities one would expect from a 5-star establishment - a coffee shop, a gym, a pool where ill-fitting suits just happen to fall right off, plenty of hotel rooms with only one double bed, etc. There’s also special sub-stations for Lieutenant Duckling, Captain Swan Threesomes (just slap a name on the end of “Captain Swan” and there’s a station for it), Captain Swan 2.0, and just about every other variety of this endgame ship that your dirty little heart could possibly desire. Make sure to check out the special year-round exhibit entitled, “How Many Hooks Is Too Many Hooks?” Spoiler: The answer is none. There is no such thing as too many Hooks for Emma to bang at once.

Stop 14: Captain Charming Cove If you’re looking for a bromance, you’ll have to look elsewhere... for this is the bang train. We got nothing but bangings here, and these two DO bang at this stop. Choo Choo, All Aboard! We also have an MPreg Kiosk for all your mpreg needs. Nobody judges here. All Hooks welcome.

Stop 15: Krakillian Kreek A watery stop full of nothing but HUGS!!! (And tentacles. Please mind the tentacles and keep an eye on your orifices.)

Stop 16: Old Hooks Home This special stop caters to Old Hook, and Old Hook alone. Anyone and anything you might want to have Old Hook bang - it can happen here. Granny, Lady Tremaine, Old Emma, Young Emma, you name it. There’s also Taco Tuesdays and free bingo every night.

Stop 17: Hooking Utensil Utopia This Rogers-centric stop boasts the finest beignets in the world, as well as some top-notch detective work if you’re into that kind of thing. Oh, who are we kidding? You’re here to bang some Hooks... and the Hooking Utensil stop has the sweeeeeetest banging this side of the Pancake House. Wish Hook is also welcome, of course, both pre- and post- Hyperion Heights.

Stop 18: Hook Coven Crossing Still need more Hook? We’ve got you covered. Here at Hook Coven Crossing, your Hooks can bang other Hooks... and still more Hooks... whilst banging still more Hooks... and then a few more. All the Hooks are here, and they’re all waiting for you each other! :D

Stop 19: Last Chance Alley We here at the KJ Bang Train like to see to ALL of our riders’ needs... and that’s where Last Chance Alley comes in. All bangable ships that don’t have stops of their own can be indulged in here. We have kiosks for Red Hook, Black Hook, Wicked Hook, Hookfire, Stubble Sandwich, whatever we call Hades and Hook (why does that still not seem to have a name? maybe Blue Hook? No, that would be Blue + Hook...)... All the smaller ships are here, along with Captain Floor, Captain Bondage, some interactive “Make Your Own Threesome” exhibits and a self-contained Orgy Pile! Make sure to top off your ride on the Bang Train with this one-of-a-kind stop!

Stop 20: Right Back to the Start... The KJ Bang Train is life. The KJ Bang Train is love.

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S3 Ep 9: So Tristan Died

Been resisting that springtime urge to buy a house plant and watch it slowly die while everyone else on my timeline posts beautiful terrariums and wallscapes. I have murdered nearly every plant I own, I have no idea why, I have killed several cacti. But I just found out about logees.com and y’all. Have you seen a rock fig? I want it so bad.

So, instead of wasting my money, I will write here and...not click buy on that rock fig. That beautiful beautiful rock shaped plant. That incredible and glorious miniature Deku Tree.

Also, this week Tumblr said that they’re extending the post limit size for text posts and like...there was a text post limit? Y’all I assumed these posts were hella long, (and in fact way, way, way too long) but like, I never capped a text post limit so...I guess I do all right.

So, switching over to Yugioh, we’re back with the Tristan-Duke-Serenity trio, who are still fighting over Serenity, the world’s most oblivious child. I haven’t gone over too much what their high and low points have been over these past like 5ish episodes but here’s what they’ve been up to, a refresher course of what they’ve been doing since Tristan drowned a Rhinoceros turtle in the lake.

1.) Serenity sneezed once and the Tristan and Duke had a big fight over who gave Serenity a cold

2.)

Sorry that’s all they’ve done. I really thought this would be a list when I started.

It’s been so boring that Serenity has decided this has been the best part of her tourney vacation (she is not wrong). And I just realized--she went to great lengths to get her eyes fixed and now she’s trapped in the VR zone and she doesn’t even need eyes to be here. Hell, if she gets trapped here, she’ll never need eyes again, she’ll have permanent perfect vision 24/7. We keep finding new alternatives instead of spending millions of dollars on Serenity’s eyes and the show kind of glazes over it.

Anyways, we learn a lot about Serenity this episode, mainly that Serenity is a little bit of a space cadet.

(Every episode Duke’s necklace is a little bit more simplified and today it is...almost just a cross. I look forward to seeing what necklace’s final form will be.)

Duke is supposed to be the antagonist of the three, but it really comes off that Tristan and Serenity have goldfish memories and somehow do not recall being launched down a hyperspace tube by five insane computer ghosts trying to consume their bodies. Most people would not forget that happening so like...it’s kinda hard not to side with Duke. Weird that the guy with such ridiculous hair is actually the most level headed person here.

And honestly, if Yugi had been speaking, then Joey and Serenity would have sobered up. Kind of a bummer that Duke doesn’t have the card cred, although Tristan was there when Duke beat Joey.

Like this episode was somewhat frustrating because Duke Devlin really is supposed to be incredibly good at cards, a kid who has only been beaten by the Pharaoh himself, and Tristan and Serenity sort of don’t believe him for some reason. Duke owns a version of the game they are playing. Like, he has ownership over Dungeon Dice and they don’t...care? It’s really weird, but it’s not like Duke has really done anything for an entire season so maybe he deserved this?

But considering that he’s been running for his life/kidnapped since they met up again 2 days ago during Kaiba’s tourney, maybe Duke just has no choice but to hang out with these people who do not respect him at all.

(read more under the cut)

Also, they’re still keeping it a secret that Duke beat Joey because...they’re still lying out of their ass for Serenity’s self esteem. It’s Season 3 and we’re still very concerned that Serenity cannot handle the truth. This girl was in a hospital for weeks and completely blind, I’m pretty sure if anyone can handle hard truths, it’s this girl. But, she’s very pretty, so better not spook her.

I am impressed that this random throwaway plot point from the beginning of S2 has come back to haunt us.

It checks out. This was about as much credentials that Joey had when he joined Pegasus’ tourney. I mean, Joey trained with Grandpa but Grandpa full on died in the middle of their training so...Tristan should have been fine this episode, he’s been interning with card people for like...years.

Anyways, this is where everyone else is.

And Noah decides to try his carrot-under-a-box trick that has so far worked on literally every child he has tried it on.

These kids cannot resist a door to save their lives--and that’s really the whole thing. If they resist the door, then boom, their lives are saved. But nah. Gotta open every door. So they enter, and behind this door is, you guessed it--their favorite place, the ever recurring supervillain of all of Yugioh,

Wow.

Anyways, the fourth of the Big 5 is here and he is a robot that’s gonna do some Russian ballet to the Nutcracker Suite.

Finally, someone who’s strong enough to safely do the ballet alongside Tea.

*I did not watch Gundam, I spent my Torrent days watching Cowboy Bebop and Love Hina and I remember none of it.*

Speaking of, Love Hina--that one probably didn’t age well, didn’t it?

Tristan just digging his own grave for no reason is basically the rest of this episode. Duke Devlin was their out. Duke Devlin has been primed to die for like a full season but then Tristan had to go and fight a giant robot like an idiot. Which is not a sentence I thought I’d be typing about Yugioh, the show about a haunted card game.

PS, I just remembered something. One sec, let me dig this up, something I wrote in S1 that at the time, when everything was about magic and soul snatching, seemed so outlandish that it would never actually happen.

I can’t believe that I predicted myself but at the same time was still just so wrong, because not only do they already have Gundams, they also are card playing Gundams.

This giant VR Gundam could just step on them, right? Like just step on them? I get that would be against Noah’s set of rules but like...

...just a little step.

And what’s even more nuts about this show, is that some things I knew going in, some things you can’t escape just living here on the internet, like Yugi being strapped to a saw at some point (I just didn’t realize it would be from...a clown and would have *such freakin large blades attached*, it was very sudden) and them dueling from the backs of motorcycles (which apparently isn’t even this show. Apparently dueling motorcycles is a spinoff and y’all...kind of disappointed by that). But Gundams? This universe is so zany that Gundams just went completely under the radar.

*this robot casually wearing a jumbo duel disc*

Faced with the reality of none of his friends ever take him seriously, Duke decides to find a weird compromise and asks for double duel. Thing is, this robot also can’t take Duke seriously, and so this super backfires.

Would it in fact simplify everyone’s dating life if we had a 1 in 3 situation? I mean it’s already a mess because we have two 3 in 1′s, but we could balance that right out with a 1 in 3. Then the math will be correct. Balance will be achieved.

And that was how Disaster Serenity sort of stumbled her way onto a dueling platform and killed her brother’s 2nd (3rd) best friend (4th if you count Joey’s rivalry with Kaiba).

Tristan, who’s job as a volunteer janitor is to clean up messes, could not clean up after this Wheeler hot mess.

This is a card now? OK. I see you, product placement. I see why you made Duke Devlin pick up a deck again. Just for this product. That’s fine. At least we did something with Duke Devlin. But we could have maybe used him at any point outside of dungeon dice monsters, ya? Like any point?

Anyway, Serenity explains that if they tell her exactly what to do, they will be fine, so the robot catches wind of this and does this move

Of course. Of course the abandoned warehouse is now full of lava.

Serenity doesn’t even know the rules since she was actually blind until yesterday. She recalls faintly that on the train Tristan told her the rules, and that there were stars on the card that line up with power or whatever. So she looks down at the card and goes “Ah! there are little stars on here!” she plays it, and she realizes that no one has ever told her that sometimes they are placed sideways. Basically Serenity playing this episode as a recently not blind woman would be like me playing cards as someone who fast forwards through all the shuffling.

It’s hard to say if it’s Serenity who caused all this or Tristan who didn’t just let Duke do his one job. Either way, Tristan will absolutely find a way to blame this on Duke until about the point Tristan dies. Between Tristan refusing to play ball with Duke Devlin who is actually a card expert and Serenity playing all of her cards the wrong direction, I’m fully ready for Tristan to die by the end of this episode. Boy had a million chances to just chill and let Duke do his thing so ya, kill him.

Anyways, here’s a desert brought to you by yellow ochre. A LOT of yellow ochre.

Was this also a background for an 80′s space anime?

At some point Nezbitt sat in a boat and watched Kaiba launch what appears to be nuclear missiles at a missile factory. Kaiba did say he needed to throw out the old and start over so like...do Marie Kondo the way you need to do that Marie Kondo thing, Kaiba. This clearly did not bring you joy.

Anyway, lets skip to the good stuff. That’s right this boy: dead because he couldn’t not.

As you all know, I’ve been looking forward to Duke Devlin dying for such a long time now. I’ve been waiting here, tapping my fingers delicately together all Mr Burns-style expecting that the only way they could possibly find a use for Duke Devlin--since they refuse to give him any cards--would be to die.

But guys. I forgot about Tristan.

(bro wants to point out that right above the dungeon dice card was the revive card that would have come in handy right about now.)

Truly unexpected, standing in between Serenity and Duke, the most killable of the Yugioh franchise, Tristan freakin died.

But most importantly, we’re getting very close to death 169 (nice). We skipped 69 proper (a shame) because *somebody* had to kill just a chunk of people at once, Kaiba. So...who’s it gonna be? Probably the Big 5 member who’s cosplaying around as a Sexy Fish? chances are good.

Anyway, if you just got here, we’re in Season 3, if you would like to start at the beginning in S1, click here to read my so many recaps of this show. I cannot believe how much Yugioh content is in this Yugioh show.

[joanna-lannister]

we already know you ship jxc but maybe tell us why and some of your feelings? fav scenes or aspects to their relationship?

Hi Nonnie!

To be honest, I wasn't sure if your message was an accusation because you were the anon whose sent me the cersei x euron ask and you ship it or if you simply ship Jaime x Cersei and were curious why I ship it too lol. I'm always cautious when I receive that kind of ask ahah and sorry for the late reply, I've spent too much time writing it.

So here I go!

First of all, I think this is the most important ship in the show I mostly speak about the show because I haven't read all the books yet with Ned x Cat (I could add Rh*egar x Lyanna but I don't ship it). Without them, no story because no war of the five Kings. And by that, I don't mean ''Cersei wanted their bastard(s) on the throne''. No, I mean people like Littlefinger (or Varys, Stannis and Renly to some extent) found the evidence of their dirty little secret and used it to start a war for their own profit. Littlefinger comploted with Lysa Arryn to kill her husband and then let the Starks believe that the Lannisters were responsibles of that murder.And Jaime pushing Bran out of that window to protect them lead that spark. Without that defining moment, Cat wouldn't have tried to search proofs in the tower, wouldn't have gone to King's Landing to warn Ned, wouldn't have kidnapped Tyrion and hurt Tywin's pride, Ned wouldn't have found Jon Arryn's researches and confontred Cersei about Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen being bastards, etc.Littlefinger said "Chaos is ladder." and he was right, this relationship lead to the actual chaos in Westeros. You remove it from the equation and you lost a big part of the story. I wish some people could see that.

This is something they both want. People will say : "But this is unhealthy!!! Well sure, Jan but this is Game is Thrones ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ What do you expect? Even then, shipping something doesn't mean accepting everything they do and frankly, unlike some people like to believe, it goes both ways with these two. So yeah, this is something they both want, they said countless time they love each others. Hell, even Jaime told this to Edmure and said he can laugh at it if he wants to, like "eat it, bitch !". Jaime wants to marry her, he's angry when she refuses and jealous af. It's worse in the books but we can see it during the season 7 with Euron. And he's ready to give her another child after Joffrey's death (I wanted by the way making a gifset with this quote and when Cersei tells him she's pregnant with baby!Lannister in the S7 but I forgot because I'm a dumb bitch... 🙄). As for Cersei, she choose love over the kingdom, she choose to have her children with the man who made her feel safe, not her abusive husband, Jaime gives her the little agency she can have. This is terribly human...

Forbidden love! I'm such a slut for this trope and honestly, Romeo and Juliet are pretty boring next to Jaime and Cersei. Well, I remember back when I watched The Borgias and I shipped (and I still do!)  Cesare and Lucrezia, I used to feel so ashamed for shipping them but now, I don't care. Yeah, I love this trope and shipping is supposed to be fun. Give me two persons who romantically love each others but aren't supposed too, hello the angst! I'm on board! After all; We don't choose whom we love.

Time. They spend their lifetime together! This is another trope I love. They are born together and they are obsessed by it. My romantic ass can't help but loving long-term relationship. They can't see themselves without the other (if this phrase makes sense) and it makes me laugh when people say "Jaime is so over Cersei ass" sorry but hello? They lived for 42 years together, have been involved for almost 30 years romantically, had 3 (almost 4) children together and you except him to forget her just like that? LMAO

I think I could add more reasons but this is really the first ones that pop into my mind and if I keep going, I will never finish...

As for my favorite scenes :

The Reunion in S3: This is by far my fave! The look on their faces OMG... especially Cersei, she looks like she can't breathe. No words needed or big love declaration, simply their faces. That's what I call good acting. Oh, I remember this fanart, where they fall into each others arms, it was so pretty! I felt robbed after seeing that. But I don't remember the author. 😭

The Morning After in 7x03: I know most of the fans hated this season but theses scenes were pure bliss for me and I was ready to take every crumbs I could have. And oh God, this scene looked like I wrote it myself. And the maid... I want her face when she saw Jaime in the bed on my grave, I will never be over this!

The Moment After Cersei Told Tywin The Truth in 4x10: Well, it was pretty hot!

The Hug in 1x03: Same as the one above. And I think Jaime's quote sums up their relationship : And if he does, I'll kill him. Him, Ned Stark, the King... the whole bloody lot of them, until you and I are the only people left in this world.

That Scene Just After Jaime Came Back with Myrcella in 6x01: Cersei is devasted by Myrcella's death, she's depressed and it breaks my heart everytime. 😭 And at the same time, it's a beautiful scene but yeah, I always end up in tears.

And so many more! I could also talk about the moments when they are apart and think/talk about the other. Theses little clues people barely notice. Like Cersei, talking to Sansa saying Jaime was with her during Joffrey's birth, or saying to Tyrion she wonder what Jaime is doing, worried, or saying to I-don't-remember-who he's not been forgotten, or just before they reunite, when she's looking at the shell, I can't stop thinking this is a reminiscence of their childhood at Casterly Rock (I know someone else wrote that too not so long ago). Or Jaime, saying to Jory Cassel (I think) that Robert is humiliating her by whoring in front of everyone, or when Roose Bolton tell him that Stannis attacked King's Landing but he failed and that Cersei is safe, Jaime fell on his knees, everyone think it's because of the loss of his hand and he's exhausted by the trip but he's simply relieved that Cersei is alive. All these little things...Yes.

There is one micro moment from the books I would have loved to see on my screen tho, that kiss Ned catched during the Hand's tourney. He see Jaime kissing a woman and we all know it's Cersei disguised, but not Ned. It's short but I really love that moment.

I wish GRRM could write a book only about them to be honest, at this point. There is so many possibilities and I have so many headcanons. This isn't nice George, make a girl happy! I also think there relationship is more toxic in the books than in the show and they freaking need to talk! And my stupid romantic ass also want them to have a happy ending sometimes, I can't help myself, even if I know it's not gonna happen. Oh, and I also think their fate will be slightly different in the show but I could be wrong.

Yeah, I really love them. I have to admit that sometimes, it really piss me off to see how people treat them, the double standards they instaured between these two make me want to gouge my eyes out and I'm disgusted by the fact they want them to f*ck someone else, especially while Cersei is pregnant. 🙄 But at least, I stay in my lane.

Honestly I could add other stuffs, I want to but like I said I will never finish this post otherwise... But here's my opinion. 😊

Have a nice day! ❤️

[thewritermuses]

Call of Duty - The TV Series

Strike Back - Chris Ryan - Season 1 - 5 7/10 In a post 9/11 world Section 20 strikes foreign targets in a bid to stop threats to the UK and its allies. It's just a bit sad that it took them three seasons to really hit their stride. Season four was the best, a mix of action and comedy. Great characters and interesting plot. Section 20 are a deniable military force run out of the home office in the UK. This story follows their fight against threats to the UK and the world. This is a really interesting and unexplored idea for me. I feel that we generally see this story told from the point of view of the brass back in Whitehall and rarely get to see the it play out from the soldier's perspective. Great Episodic Narrative The storytelling is generally fantastic on at the meta level. Each season follows an overall plot, generally perpetrated by a main villain. Each episode follows a single part of the story but fits neatly into the meta plot. This allows us to get to know all the characters on a deeper level as less time needs to be spent focusing on the plot in each episode. In turn it doesn't detract from the narrative because it is all part of the seasons meta plot The investment in the characters is also true for the story. They are interesting and thought provoking. Each season poses what if scenarios that are allowed to play out. Playing in this space is very fun for writers and you can tell this as it shines through on the screen. Buddy Series After the first season the show changes quite dramatically. For the first season it has been a one man show. John Porter, Richard Armitage (The Hobbit & Spooks), carries the season on his ample shoulders.

From then onwards it becomes a buddy series. Sgt. Michael Stonebridge, Phillip Winchester (Crusoe & Chicago Justice), plays a straight laced SAS officer who plays by-the-book. Sgt. Damien Scott, Sullivan Stapleton (Animal Kingdom & 300: Rise of an Empire), plays a wise-cracking, philandering Yank. They make a great team, each playing off each other's strengths. The tension between the two is also very good. They have their differences but also have each other's back when it matters. Big Names in the Supporting Roles There are some big names throughout this series. Because of the structure of the narrative they are given a lot of opportunity to really sink their teeth into their roles. Conrad Knox, Charles Dance (Game of Thrones & The Imitation Game), is the main villain in season three - Vengeance. He plays the charismatic South African billionaire who is trying to change the face of the political landscape in Africa. Li-Na, Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon & Star Trek: Discovery), is the lead of North Korea's Section 39. She is a ruthless and effective killer. Michelle nails this role. Unfortunately I gave up on the show before the end of her season. Some Bad Parts There were many mistakes and issues with the series so I'll just list some of them here. S2 E1 - There is a gunfight at the start of the episode. It takes place in a street and the kid running away from Section 20 goes down before they fire. S3 E1 - Up until this point Stonebridge has been the stoic reliable part of the combo. He flies completely off the rails and puts a bullet in Jake Hanson's head after Jake himself loses his mind and murders his squad. Then Stonebridge runs to his side to check his vitals. Come on, you know he's dead.

Photo by Lucas Fonseca from Pexels S4 E2 - Rebecca is shot in the head and yet is still able to move and talk. The scene is quite good apart from the particular injury that would have made her continued role in it impossible. Perhaps the issue is a lack of understanding of how debilitating head wounds are. Some Worse Parts S3 E3 - There is a fight in a hotel and three grenades go off. There is a market happening outside and everyone here would have clearly heard the explosions, but they go about their business as if nothing has happened. In season two there is part of the meta plot of a secretive operation called Trojan Horse which is the main villain's motivation. We only start seeing reference to this towards the end of the season. It is buried too deep for us to understand it. Essentially the entire last episode is one big reveal which we couldn't have see coming. Season two ends with the death of the section chief. We are supposed to care and feel for her sacrifice. But this is just not possible. First, she has been utterly unbearable for the leads the entire season. Fine, but you cannot expect us to take a complete one-eighty. Second, the reason that she sacrificed herself was to stop Operation Trojan leaking - an operation that we had no idea about until moments before. Glaring Plot Holes S2 E6 - A doctor working with Doctors Without borders, or another similar group, is treating people at a hospital under guard of the UN. As night approaches they are told they have to leave. This appears to be a daily routine and she must have some understanding of the threat that she puts everyone in by refusing to leave when an injured lady arrives. Her naivety gets everyone killed. It was also key for her to be captured - but that doesn't excuse the terrible writing. S2 E8 - People working as organ harvesters see their boss murdered and continue working. Everyone up to this point has been a captive working at gun point. Why don't they immediately try to escape? Perhaps the perks are just really good as an organ harvester in eastern Europe? We made it to Season 5. We don't have to worry about the Plot now right? In the first episode Section 20 get a tracking device onto their target's car - the idea to follow him to where he is holding a kidnap victim and perhaps whomever is running him. But they don't pull back at this point - they keep following. It proves important for them to be there so why did they need the tracker at all? In the third episode it gets even more ludicrous. After an attack on their new safe house Julia learns the surname of one of the attackers and finds out the city he is from. From this information she determines that he is Yakuza AND that the Yakuza are working with Section 39. Seems a little farfetched to me but it gets better.

Photo by Cristian Benavides from Pexels Stonebridge then walks into the room and says that they think we killed their boss. Presumably he learnt this from the Yakuza he was just fighting. Surely it would have been good to show us this part of the fight rather than cutting away right before it happened. Also isn't this contradictory to what Julia has just discovered? It would be a huge coincidence if the Yakuza were after vengeance as well as being in league with Section 39. And that is exactly what happens, even if the target of their vengeance is misguided in this instance. The End of the Show for Me The problems and plot flaws above were wearing a bit thin for me but there were also some great bits which we will talk about in a moment. The end of the show for me, and literally where I stopped watching, was S5 E4. They have tracked a truck of metal to a Yakuza stronghold. The metal was going to allow North Korea to have a nuclear weapon. They also know that Li-Na, head of Section 39 is here. They begin the assault on the stronghold, as normal outnumbered at least three to one. The head of Section 20 says: "The only thing that matters is the metal." So they fight their way until they are in sight of the truck and it is heavily defended. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Photo by Chandler Cruttenden on Unsplash At this point the section head orders Julia and Kim to take down the truck as he and Stonebridge go after Li-Na. So in a couple of minutes North Korea getting nuclear weapons switches from priority one two somewhere else down the list. He has to pay a heavy price for this decision but it feels completely unbelievable that he made it in the first place. Why did I watch Five seasons? There is some really great stuff in this show. I think if it had just been episodic I would have been done long before season five. The meta plot spanning a season was really engaging. The way subtitles are done in this show are awesome. With a lot of the show taking place in non-English speaking locations it was great to see them try something new and it worked. The subtitles were huge and felt more like speech bubbles from a comic. It's really fun. There is a great scene in S2 E2 where Section 20 storm a hotel that has been rigged with explosives. A bomb has been suspended above the centre of the floor. As it falls and everyone dives for cover. Stonebridge pelts towards it, catching it at the last second. Other things that they did really well The title music, Short Change Hero by The Heavy, is a banger. It sets up every episode perfectly. You cannot be anything but pumped up for them to storm in, guns-a-blazing, after hearing this track. Generally the editing and pacing are both good. A great example of this is S3 E10. Various teams have been separated as they travel back to base from Nigerian HQ. This thoughtful editing is so fantastically handled. S4 E9 has a portion of the episode where Stonebridge and Scott are assaulting a base while wearing night vision. They transition between first and third person. It works extremely well and lets us experience what the characters are experiencing. Good use of Plot Devices Using Hugh as the villain in S1 E1 and then as a red herring was brilliant. This makes us think that he is always the bad guy, even when he isn't. Great misdirection. Season two sees a double cross of Pakistani intelligence. This aspect of the story is well told and its unfolding is handled with nuance and skill. The show is great at toying with our expectations. It shows us time and time again that it has no qualms killing main characters. It then uses this to setup characters to appear to die or look like they are going to die. As an audience we feel that their death is almost certain and then they escape. They also do the reverse when they kill main characters. They meet our expectations in ways we don't expect which is a hallmark of great storytelling.

Photo by Quentin Kemmel on Unsplash A Missed Opportunity to Use Hatred Well In S3 E1 Stonebridge's wife miscarries. She takes her anger out on him saying that he is happy because he never wanted the child. Stonebridge has been struggling with the decision about the child for a while. He left Section 20 to return to a desk job all so that he could be around. Her reaction is important because we have to hate her. We have to hate her otherwise we will hate Stonebridge when he rejoins Section 20. If they had left this there it would have been great and Stonebridge could have tottered off to kill some bad guys and we would have been on his side. But no - they had to have someone kill her as well. This is supposed to make Stonebridge go on a mad rampage now whenever he sees the perpetrator. This makes little sense. Why setup the hatred of the wife and then make us kind of upset about her death. This makes Stonebridge's decisions from here on appear wishy-washy. He kind of just chooses the motivation that fits best for the situation he is in. Which just takes away from his character. Read the full article