#all are rank 1 with characters ranks at 15+ because they came that way

[flying-cat]

wtf is up with jpsekai's tap recognition lately... you have to tap on something like 7 times for it to register outside of songs it's so annoying

[shsl-hubris-guy]

I'm feeling like being controversial today. Here, take some DR character opinions. Clutch your pearls besties

17- Makoto. I feel nothing for this character, in any positive or negative direction. To me, he's only ever been the vessel for which THH takes place for the player. That's kind of it. Bro is just chilling. (Note: these opinions are exclusive to the THH game.)

16- Leon. He suffers from what I like to call chapter 1 syndrome. Not only was he killed extremely early, but he had no plot or character significance before or after the fact in-game. I think the idea of a character that hates their talent is really interesting, and his design slaps, but he just didn't have any sticking power for me.

15- Yasuhiro. He's got funny moments here and there (the ghost bit in the ch 5 trial never fails to make me laugh) but he has no story. They don't do anything with him besides 'stupid occult man' jokes, and I can't help but feel like there was wasted potential to do something with his fortune-telling talent that was only ever used as another gag of his stupidity. Disappointing as a character, but at least he was around longer than Leon.

14- Byakuya. Asshole characters are always hit-or-miss for me, and Byakuya missed by a ton. I know he *technically* got showed up during the chapter 4 trial, but getting upstaged once and acting like nothing happened afterwards isn't enough of a character arc for me to find him surviving over so many others in the cast worth it. He's also just pretty weak as an antagonist in comparison to the others in the series(not to mention there was an objectively better option for antag in this very cast). He's the type of character I'd probably like way more in like, Ace Attorney, but here I just got so sick of hearing him speak.

13- Hifumi. I can appreciate the attempt to make a subversion of the 'perverted nerd' character, but they failed the second they actually made him a perverted nerd, even if they gave him that bare minimum ideal of rape being bad. Fanon interpretations of what could've been prop him up for me a good bit, too.

12- Mukuro. Similar to Makoto, she feels like a character that exists to serve a narrative purpose, and we never really meet her as herself in-game. Unlike Makoto, we actually got FTEs playable in the post-game that allude to a greater story with her and her doubt in despair that makes her retroactively more tragic and adds both to herself and her sister.

11- Toko. They just didn't do enough with her in THH to warrant me placing her any higher than this. I think the differences between her and Genocider are interesting, and I wish they'd been given more growth in the game instead of spending the entire game post-chapter 2 pining over and stalking Byakuya. Toko gets ranked lower because she wasn't as fun to have onscreen and I got sick of her insisting people disliked her for being ugly, even though she's pretty conventionally attractive beyond having glasses.

10- Junko. She was an incredible mastermind twist and had a ton of charisma and presence in the final trial, from her sprites to the VA's performance, but they just didn't use her enough to warrant putting her any higher than the characters above.

9- Mondo. I like the characters he's attached to more than I do Mondo himself. I like the 2-sided coin of toxic masculinity they write between him and Chihiro, and I love his relationship with Taka, but I just don't care much for him outside of what he provides for those characters. He's fine.

8- Genocider. Basically everything I said with Toko, but she's way more entertaining from her cheery and violent personality and is just more expressive and fun. I got excited whenever she came onscreen because I knew I was about to have a good time.

7- I don't think you could change Kyoko's role in the story much at all without drastically altering the game as a whole. Makoto may be the POV, but Kyoko is undoubtedly the main character of THH and not only is she the most capable member of the class, but her growth as she opens up to Y/N Makoto and puts her faith not only in the absolute truth, but also hope is beautiful to watch, especially as we get to learn the mystery of who she is and where she came from. In another world, she'd be my #1, but I've never actually shed tears for her so she ends up as low as 7th.

6- I'd say from an objective standpoint, Sakura is probably the most well-written character in THH. Her internal conflict as she's forced to play the role of spy paired with her rapidly growing relationship with Hina as she finally, finally finds someone that sees her as the woman she so desperately wants to be acknowledged as, growing past her greatest weakness- her fear- to stand up to Monokuma, and having to take the role of a fighter on for a class of people that hated her to be both victim and killer, freeing her classmates from having to become either- I think I've made my point. I still wish we'd gotten that 3rd-person fighter about Sakura.

5- When I went into THH, I fully expected Hina to be a dumb blonde character for the entire game, with no substance beyond her character design. Maybe that low expectation was what made her shoot so high up my list. She wasn't the smartest character, sure, and the game definitely focuses on her body an uncomfortable amount, but she still has an incredible arc in her relationship with Sakura. Her depiction of grief is so deeply emotional, and her sense of justice, which up until then had been alluded to but never put into her hands, became a weapon that almost took down the entire class with her tears. Not only does she lose her best friend, but she's then manipulated by Monokuma to make that pain so much worse by pinning the blame for her loss on everyone around her and herself. Her attempt of a murder-suicide of the entire class followed by the reading of Sakura's real will and her guilt and regret afterwards is one of the strongest moments of the series. I've always thought if Makoto didn't exist, Hina would've been a great choice for a protagonist for this game, since she starts with that same optimism and easygoing ability to make friends that Makoto does, but is a strong character in her dedication to her sports and fierce love of those closest to her.

4- As a trans man, Chihiro's story was a lot like looking in a mirror, especially when I was playing the game as someone who'd only just started opening the closet door. His insecurities due to his body and his attempts to forcibly feminize himself to receive acceptance and masquerade as something he wasn't was something I was intensely familiar with, and the tragedy of his finally gaining enough confidence to open up to a close friend and seek out help to try and become his true self, only to be betrayed by said friend and killed before he ever got the chance, was one of the best personal gut punches I've gotten from this series. Regardless of the transphobia and misogyny written into said storyline, he's a character I'll never not relate to. There's a ton to dive into with Chihiro's character writing, and he's one of those characters I can tear into like a raw steak and go not only into how he's treated by the show, but also by how many ways there are to write him better than the game actually did and all the different ways different corners of the fandom have treated him. (Also, to be clear, I'm not opposed to transfem Chihiros hcs, I'm using he/him bc that's what's canon.)

3- Taka. My beloved boy, underrated outside of his relationship with Mondo. I'll defend this man until the day I die, and will always believe he should've been a member of the surviving cast over Hiro. His constant uphill battle with trying to connect with and protect his classmates only to fail at every turn from his lack of understanding of social norms, going as far as to rationalize hobbies as a form of studying in his first FTE, and his pure joy in finally connecting with someone being decimated by the reality that that man went on to be a killer is so powerful. Watching him completely snap and go near comatose, only being pulled out of stasis by the news that an AI of Chihiro still exists and begging for forgiveness for not being able to prevent his death was shattering, and his fusion with his perception of Mondo pushing him over the edge only to be killed unceremoniously in the background of Celeste's plan was infuriating. This man struggled and clawed his way through the first half of the game for whatever scraps of screentime the creators would leave him, and then they tossed him out when they couldn't think of anything better to do. Justice for my man!!!

2- Celeste. Remember when I said there was a character more well-suited for the role of antagonist than Byakuya in this game? Well, this is she. Not only would she have worked as a narrative foil to the player, as Makoto and Celeste are both in the class for their luck-based talent, but she would've had a much more powerful and thematic rivalry with Kyoko, the girl who seeks out absolute truth, as the girl who wraps herself in a veil of lies. I already found her fascinating as she was, having a character that's unashamedly a bad person and follows her own ideals with no regard for the effects on the rest of the class beyond how easy it'd be to manipulate them, but her lack of regard for the class trials and refusal to cooperate could've been how she functioned as an antagonist, refusing to help the group when it didn't immediately serve her or intentionally leaving out details that put her in a bad position. Essentially, she'd function as an antagonist in a way inverse to how Kokichi functioned, which not only would've been phenomenal for THH, but for the parallel storytelling V3 later goes on to employ. That said, that's all hypothetical, but even without all of that, she's still an intriguing character that I can't stop thinking about.

1- Sayaka. I hated Sayaka when I first started playing, not because of anything she was doing, but because I didn't like how the game was seemingly gluing her to Makoto's hip. I didn't like having to slough my way through tutorial after tutorial going through her to talk to the entire rest of the class, and I didn't like being forced to burn my first FTE on her when there were other characters I wanted to learn about. I cheered when I found her body because it meant I wouldn't have to jump through hoops to speak to the other characters anymore. All that hatred dissipated as the first trial took place. Taking the cutesy sidekick girl and making her not only the first victim (something that was huge for the genre at the time) but also going on to reveal that she was actively betraying us and plotting to frame us for murder to save herself and her fellow idols was a genius move. Since then, Sayaka has become a stronger presence in my mind for this series, and her impact on the series as a whole can't be overstated. She put the first killing game into motion. She carried with her the first despair, and inspired the first hope from Makoto. Her desperation for a dream she had to fight tooth and nail for, that desire to hang onto her dream that'd kept her going for so long pushes forward everything. 11037 became a staple point for the series and the fandom, not just because of the poor western translation, but also because that was her point of regret, the guilt that stopped her from killing Leon successfully and ultimately saved everyone, her final moments being to save Makoto and the others. Every moment spent with her at the beginning is designed not just to make her seem like the desirable sidekick girl, but also to weave into your perception of her the darkness she carries on the inside, the dedication and determination to remain liked and retain her fame by any means necessary, feigning being agreeable yet still unwittingly developing genuine feelings for someone who's nothing but genuine. The money I'd pay for a prequel anime about Sayaka's rise to the title of SHSL Idol is unreasonably high.

[ananke-xiii]

My ranking of SPN seasons (based only on their PLOT) pt. 4 [final]

OKAAAAAY, LEEEEET'S GO!

Here, here and here I've covered from ranking #15 to #4 so let's see which seasons will be on the podium!

3. Season 8: This season really gave me life, it's absolutely one of the best. Plot-wise, I ADORED the introduction of the tablets and the Trials, whoever came up with this idea was pure genius. So Basically our heroes have to deal with the aftermath of the events in season 7: Dean has spent 1 year fighting monsters in Purgatory while Sam run away from his responsibilities and has found shelter in the arms of a woman. Cas seems nowhere to be found. The character who moves the plot forward is my beloved Crowley: while Dean was feeling pure in Purgatory with this vampire boyfriend (ihih), and Sam was guitl-trapped into adopting a dog (seriuosly? biggest red flag ever), our King of Hell was busy carrying the show on his shoulders. He kidnaps Kevin and orders him to translate the demon tablet. Since he's not stupid, he quickly understands that 1 leviathan table + 1 demon tablet = 1 angel tablet. Consequently, his quest for the latter begins. After 1 year of hedonism, our heroes realize that they had left poor Kevin behind while an astonished Castiel comes out of nowhere. The plot gets interesting. We find out that the demon tablet contains information on how to close the Gates of Hell. Comedy of error ensues since literally everybody thinks that the angle tablet would contain the same info as the demon tablet (really, guys? The ONLY smart person in the room about this was DEAN, as per usual). So what's written on the angel tablet? Surprise! We don't really know 'cause poor Kevin spent 6 effing months trying to translate half of the demon tablet so there's now way to know now! Cas makes the usual stupid choice and gets played by Metatron: he will undergo the Three Trials to close the Gates of Heaven. Meanwhile poor Sam undergoes the Trials to close the Gates of Hell. Eventually, Dean convinces him to stop the last trial otherwise he will die and poor Dean cannot live without his baby brother (same goes for little jealous Sam who, while literally dying, finds time to tell Dean that he feels left behind because Dean seems to love his Purgatory vampire and his trenchoated angel more than him (codependecy level: atomic)). Metatron fools everyone and cast a spell to make all angels fall. BOOM, season finale is EPIC. I really really enjoyed this season, it was so rich and full of turns of events but everything was coherent and engaging. What I didn't like is brainwashing Cas via Naomi. Plot-wise, it was unnecessary since Naomi literally reveals her original plan to Dean after episode 17 so, what was the point? Sure it gave us the memorable crypt scene and for it I am forever grateful. But in terms of plot, meh. It was weak. Also, it looks a lot like what happened with Godstiel in season 6 AND weird Cas in season 7 (poor Cas knows no peace of mind, literally).Once again Cas as a character is not fully in control and makes shitty decisions for reasons unknown? Mmmmh, me not likey.

2. Season 4: This season was explosive, I fucking loved it! First of all, as I've already said, I like when there's sort of a deadline in the plot and here we have a big one: Lilith is on her course to open the 66 seals that will free Lucifer from his cage. Problem is: nobody knows which ones she will choose since there are like 600 of them. Sam and Dean try to prevent the opening of the seals but things get complicated when the Angels enter the arena: they certainly look more like enemies rather than allies and for sure cause a lot of problems more than provide solutions. Previosly on Supernatural, Dean was rescued by Castiel from Hell (what an epic entrance, Cas!!!) after having spent 30 human years torturing and being tortured by demons, yay! Sam is now addicted to demon blood and nobody is pleased about it so our heroes have plenty on their plate. Plot-wise, this season was everything, it was a rollercoaster of turns of events, allies that become enemies, enemies become allies but wait no! they've been enemies all along! Castiel inadvertently changes the course of the story and creates real free will, Supernatural goes fully meta with the introduction of the Supernatural books by Chuck Shurley, angels are showed as scary, powerful creatures rather than comforting, merciful, ethereal beings ("Read the bible" LOL)... Man, what a fucking epic season! It felt serious but also carefree? It seems weird to say that but later on SPN gets increasingly tragic in tone so I'm very pleased with season 4 because it managed to balance everything out but with a lighter twist.

Season 11: while I was writing this, I was not sure which season would be number 1 but here I am, once again, in love with the plot of season 11. What can I say? "I'm a lover, not a fighter". So, the plot: the Winchester Bros Codependency Inc. has reached catastrophic levels: they are the ones to be thanked for the release of The Darkness into the world. The first interesting thing is that, for the first time ever, nobody really seems to know what to do. Thank God, there's the King of Hell (LOL) who promptly seizes the opportunity to take Amara and raise her hoping this would turn the events in his favours. However, he's unable to control her and soon Amara escapes wreacking havoc in the world. Not knowing what to do, Castiel decides to find Metatron, while Sam decides to go back into the Cage because he believes that Lucifer might be key to fighting Amara. Chaos ensues. Metatron doesn't really know shit, Lucifer same but he manages to escape via Castiel!vessel and we get Casifer (it was insane, I loved every minute of it!), the world is in shambles. A deus ex machina is needed: God/Chuck enters the chat. From here on, it all gets very philosophical and maybe that's why I frigging love this season. So, remember the Winchester Bros Codependency Inc.? Well, turns out Amara and God suffers from the same syndrome. They manage to (momentarily) find their balance while Dean (who had a bond with Amara because they both shared the Mark of Cain or whatever) decides to go to battle alone to convince Amara to stop or, if not possible, to die trying to save the world. And Sam Winchester is finally okay with this! Wow, progress, yes, right??? All ends so well that Amara gifts Dean with his friggin' mother who was dead 30+ years ago! Happy ending, much? LOL. I liked the simplicity of the plot, it's all very progressive, the pacing is slow but never boring, all characters still continue to make stupid choices but ultimately these don't bite them in the ass and they use them to grow... I don't know, I really enjoyed season 11. The only "negative" thing is that I wish the writers made Dean tell Cas something more meaningful than "you're our brother". Tons of metas have been written about it and yeah, I know, I know. Still, this season was all about "following the heart" so I'd have appreciated more honesty about this topic but hey, we all know how it ended so #nosurprise.

Okay, I'm done here! What do YOU think? Do you agree with my ranking? I'm curious, let me know!

[imzadi-caskett-huddy]

CHARACTER ASK GAME: Kate Beckett, 1-14 (all) + 25., if it's not a problem. :) Thank you!

I'm not gonna lie, I 100% wanted someone to send me this ask about Beckett! Sorry it took a little bit to answer, I'm on vacation so I've been occupied. But here we go!

1. I like this character because she's not perfect. She has flaws, but she still always tries to do the right thing. She's badass. She's strong. She's independent. She's incredibly well written because real people aren't perfect. There are qualities she has that I share. There are qualities she has that I admire and strive to emulate. And... not gonna lie...Stana's portrayal I'm sure has something to do with it as well.

2. Fav canon thing... um...I love that she was a fan of Castle's before they began working together. I also love that she was the youngest woman in the history of the NYPD to make detective. I also love her motorcycle though we never really saw her ride.

3. Least fav canon thing... that she felt she had to try to be separated from Castle in Season 8 to protect him... also she's not great at communication in relationships, like with Castle. Use your words!

4. Any other media... not gonna lie, I would LOVE a SVU/Castle crossover where Beckett and Benson shared time together, either with Benson as her captain, or as the two captains dealing with the men in their lives or their precincts.

5. First song that comes to mind...Superman by 3 Doors Down

6. Something Beckett and I have in common... we both suck at talking about our feelings.

7. Something the fandom does that I like... use her hairstyle to tell the season and sometimes the episode... does that count? This one was hard, lol

8. Something the fandom does that I despise... say her eyes are green in fics. Also there is a fair amount of Beckett hate inside the Castle fandom...I don't understand it.

9. Beckett and I would probably be okay roommates. I keep to myself the way she does. I'm slightly more messy I think than she'd probably like, but we'd most likely get along ok.

10. I could totally be best friends with Kate Beckett! Similar personalities... similar likes...we'd get along great.

11. Um...no. If I'm dating anyone from the world of Castle, it's Castle himself.

12. Headcanon I have...She made her Detective rank in vice. I'm reasonably sure this was never stated in the show, but it's just a strong feeling I have. She's too good at certain aspects of her job to not have come up through the ranks in vice before she became a homicide detective. Also that she was a chronic dater before Castle came along.

13. Emoji... nothing reminds me of her, but if I had to pick one she probably uses a lot, it would be the facepalm because... well... she did marry Castle. And I feel he requires that one a lot.

14. Fashion aesthetic... leather jackets

15. Favorite ship... uh, Caskett, duh!

16. Least fav ship...Josh. Definitely Josh. He was a serious problem who hung around way too long. And I KNOW Marlowe kept him around solely as the reason Castle and Beckett didn't hook up at the end of season 3 in episodes like LA

17. Ship that I don't hate but am fine with...um, there isn't one. She's Castle's girl. I don't like her with anyone else... I'm not fine with her with anyone else.

18. Canon relationship I admire with another character...I love her relationship with Martha. I also love her relationship with Espo, especially in episodes like Kill Shot. And I LOVE Lanie and Kate screentime!

19. Relationship from Canon that I don't like... I don't know that there is one outside of the guys she dated. Not a fan of her dealings with Sorenson, Demming or Josh, but I feel that's pretty standard.

20. Ideal best friend... Lanie is a pretty great girl best friend. Castle is a pretty great guy best friend... which is good considering they got married.

21. Fav thing to do when writing for Beckett is angst. I can't help it...Stana was SO great with those heavy emotional scenes on the show, I love worrying then with her in my head! Something I don't like writing for her is actual police work. I HATE it so much. Also, the few times I've had to write her with Josh drive me crazy too.

22. Something I like in fics when it comes to Beckett is having her call Castle "Rick" sparingly. He calls her Kate way more than she calls him Rick... it should start like that in fics. Something I don't like... and I touched on it earlier... is when writers say she has green eyes. Her eyes are not green. Also, when writers have her just stay crying over everything... Kate is not a random emotional crier. You have to do a lot to get her to re m that point... she's not going to cry over an argument or something small.

23. Fav pic... oh no. No way can I narrow this down.

24. I'm not sure there is another character from another fandom that reminds me of Beckett. She's pretty one of a kind. She's definitely one of the best written characters in TV history, and she towers over everyone else in my list of favorite characters because she's so unique.

25. My first impression of this character was that she has great hair, awesome leather jackets that I want, and that she's a badass hero who at times I see a lot of myself in. Also that she's a fighter. Now after watching the show beginning to end, my impression was pretty spot on. Though I would add I discovered her softer side (I initially saw the show before they got together, so before the Kate side of her personality was really fleshed out). And she's stronger than I initially realized.

These were fun, thanks for asking!

[rose-reads-visualnovels]

Jojos ranked from most to least favorite?

1. Jonathan. I don’t care that people think he’s boring. His manga portrayal is extremely charming, realistic in a boyish way and I love his relationships with everyone around him. Also the chocolate scene made me laugh. Baby 🥺

2. Jolyne. Despite how they may appear on the surface, Jolyne is the closest Joestar to match Jonathan’s energy and I 100% believe that was intentional. She’s both the Madonna and the Whore and I love her immensely. She’s my mother and my sister and my girlfriend. Don’t ask.

3. Giorno. I also like him because of his ties to Jonathan and how - unlike what many seem to believe - his inner sense of retributive Justice came from that side of the family and not DIO’s. I love how he’s obviously 15 years old despite how anime fans love to joke about how he’s too old and sexy to be a minor. Sorry he had an artistic nip slip but that was High Art and not a sign that he’s older than he looks. He looks his age, so shut up.

4. Jotaro. I like how he’s a total try hard. The fact that he wants to look cool and is always thinking about cool finishing phrases for after he defeats his opponents is an adorable character trait. He gets a lower rank because of his raging gay induced misogyny, but his innate goodness tells me that’d be easily fixed if anyone gave themselves the trouble.

5. Josuke. I know he’s number 5, but I have nothing against him! Every time he’s on screen it’s a delight. I just love other characters more so he gets sidelined? But part 4 itself is in my top 3, so he gets to ride high on that ranking.

6. Johnny. Sure, his character development was well written but that doesn’t mean I have to like the guy. So I don’t. I think I seriously hate his personality. (I like Diego and it hurts me when Johnny is mean at him for no reason. He’s literally just jealous lol)

7. Joseph. Racist. Friends with Nazis. A serial cheater. Misogynist but not in a gay way. Annoying. People think he’s funny and all his jokes are “dressing like a woman”, ��sex with my mom”, “gay joke”, “no you”. I don’t get the hype.

Now you guys can send me anon hate about my Jojo opinions.

— Rose, the Revolutionary Witch

[ifthesewings--couldfly]

My Disney Princess Ranking because I can (note: positions may randomly switch)

1. Merida: A recently appointed favorite of mine. I still think she acts immaturely at times, but that’s the point after all, isn’t it? Her true braveness resides in admitting the way she treated her mother was wrong, rather than in the way she faces danger, and I absolutely love that. I also always loved archery and red hair, so…

2. Moana: I was always deeply fascinanted by Polynesian culture, so Moana and her story resonated with me like few others have done. Her combination of bravery and compassion is unsurpassed (and her design is absolutely gorgeous). I hope Moana 2 stays true to her character.

3. Asha: A victim of the ‘adorkable’ curse that plagues the modern Disney Princesses. There is just so much more to her (and to Wish in general) than marketing wants us to believe, her charisma and leading skills for example. I also love her design.

4. Ariel: She was my childhood favorite and the one I identified with, but my love for her has been progressively fading over the years, and now I think of her with a bittersweet feeling. The truth is that I’m tired of people claiming she left her world for a man, but at the same time, this general perception of her has tainted my own. On a side note, I never liked her distinctive color scheme (teal and purple).

5. Anna: Had she stayed the same sweet, naive character she was in Frozen, Anna would be in second place for me; but Frozen 2 made her clingy and insecure, which caused me to like her less. I also don’t like how she became queen, something I feel is absolutely out of character for her.

6. Cinderella: My favorite among the ‘classic’ Princesses, and the protagonist of the tape I watched the most as a kid along with The Little Mermaid.

7. Rapunzel: I came to respect Rapunzel after thinking of her as a the dumbest Disney Princess for a long time - it took me forever to realize that her ingenuity was due to the lack of human interaction in the first eighteen years of her life. But then, Tangled The Series had to make a fool of her again.

8. Mulan: Like Cinderella, a beloved childhood memory. I love how insecure she used to be before her transformative journey.

9. Pocahontas: I love her playful personality, independent nature and communion with nature. I also love her hair.

10. Snow White: I hate how overlooked she is, both as a character and as the one that started it all. I love the actress who will portray her in live action form, I think she incarnates her spirit perfectly.

11. Raya: Gets overlooked, much like her movie, but she is pretty cool.

12. Tiana: I’m pretty much indifferent to her, but I do like the message she is meant to convey. I put her in this position because there are princesses I like more.

13. Jasmine: See above, minus the message. Being strong, fierce and independent is her entire personality, which I don’t like.

14. Aurora: She has no personality IMO, but at least she is pretty.

15. Belle: For someone who doesn’t judge people based on their looks, she is way too judgmental for my tastes. Just look at how she treated the poor villagers just because they weren’t as cultured as her. It wasn’t their fault they were born in a narrow minded community.

16. Elsa: I used to love Frozen 1 Elsa, but as more Frozen installments came out, my love for her diminished progressively, until it was destroyed completely by Frozen 2 and the way she shamelessly abandoned Anna. Worst character development ever.

[bardofhype]

hello darkest dungeon community. behold my guy who came to me in a vision Darkest Dungeon 2 does not allow multiples of the same unit anymore. So I decided to be funny and create a little fan-character who can temporarily re-introduce such a mechanic EXTRA DETAILS BELOW THE CUT (bc yes I was invested enough in this little guy to make actual gameplay mechanics for them)

Max HP: 29 Speed: 5 Resistances: Bleed: 45% Blight: 25% Burn: 25% Disease: 40% Stun: 30% Move: 30% Debuff: 30% Death Blow: 60% Movement: 2 forward, 2 back

Elaboration on Permanent Condition: Essentially, if either their allies or enemies get a crit, they'll get buffed in some way that relates to said ally/enemy. A list of examples is as follows: - Highwayman/Pillager enemy: 1 Crit Token - Grave Robber: 1 Stealth Token - Man-at-Arms: 1 Block Token (75%) or 1 Block+ Token (25%) - Hellion/Fisherfolk enemy: +25% Bleed Resist (2 Rounds) - Jester: 1 Speed Token - Duelist: 1 Riposte Token - Plague Doctor/Swine enemy: +20% Disease Resist (2 Rounds) - Runaway/Fanatic enemy: +25% Burn Resist (2 Rounds) - Leper: +20% Stress Resist (2 Rounds) - Occultist: +20% Debuff Resist (2 Rounds) - Vestal: +15% Healing Received (2 Rounds) - Flagellant/Plague Eater + Gaunt enemy: +25% Blight Resist (2 Rounds) - Bounty Hunter/Cadaver enemy: 1 Strength Token - Creature enemy: 1 Dodge Token (75%) or 1 Dodge+ Token (25%) - Cultist/Cosmic enemy: +15% damage when Torch <75 (2 Rounds)

Skill Descriptions (Starting Skills):

Backdrop – Ranged Ranks 3 and 4, hits Ranks 3 and 4 (Enemy) (AoE) DMG: 3-5, Crit 5% Self: Gain 1 Stealth token / Mastery / DMG: 5-7, Crit 5% Self: Gain 2 Stealth tokens Targets: Gain Combo token

Choreography – Buff Any Rank, Any Ally Cooldown: 1 Turn Self: 1+ Speed next Round Target: 1+ Speed next Round / Mastery / Self: 1+ Speed next Round, 1 Dodge token Target: 1+ Speed next Round, 1 Dodge token

Comic Relief - Heal Any Rank, Any Ally Cooldown: 1 Turn Requires: Target 5+ Stress Target: -2 Stress, 10% Stress Resist / Mastery / Target: -3 Stress, 20% Stress Resist

Gestus – Debuff Ranks 1, 2, & 3, All Targets (Enemy) Cooldown: 3 Self: Gain 2 Taunt Tokens, 2 Dodge Tokens / Mastery / Self: Gain 2 Taunt Tokens, 2 Dodge Tokens, 1 Riposte Token Targets: Gain 1 Vulnerable Token

Improvisation – Melee Ranks 1 & 2, targets ranks 1 & 2 (Enemy) (Single Target) DMG: 3-9, Crit 10% Self & Target: Gain a random debuff (50%) / Mastery / DMG: 4-10, Crit 15% Self: Gain a random debuff (25%) Target: Gain a random debuff (50%) (1/2 because tumblr apparently has a character limit and i tried to fly too close to the sun with it)

[acourtofantumbra]

HOFAS Review (+ a stream of consciousness...)

With a full 24 hours to sit with finishing HOFAS I have some thoughts and will likely sit with all of it a while longer to make all that I'm thinking coherent...

TLDR: I didn't like this book. I thought it was an unprecedented miss from SJM. If that take might upset you, please, ignore me! I'm genuinely really, really happy if after two years folks felt like this was a huge win. Genuinely.

But the broad strokes are:

I was a CC girl. I saw a lot of folks had a hard time with CC2 and I think I was in the camp of "actually, mostly liked it, but def ballooned by the last 200 pages (which were fire)." I love CC1. CC in particular was the series to finally convince me to start recruiting my friends into the SJM world. Over two years me and my friends are closer than ever, reading all kinds of fantasy. It's my fave thing in the world. But, other than ACOTAR 1, this is probs the only book of hers I actively dislike. It's firmly slotted CC into my third place for all of her series when it used to rank 2nd.

I've seen a lot of folks frame it as: you're disappointed because it wasn't ACOTAR, this was a book for the theorists, you spent two years overhyping what this could be, etc. I suppose I accept the last point to some extent. I came into this book a bigger fan of CC than of the whole of ACOTAR... I genuinely wanted Crescent City, not ACOTAR. And, if this account is any evidence, I am a big theory girlie. This was a hastily written, chaotically paced, surface level mess that kept itself afloat with gratuitously long infodumps. My love of theories did me no favors (I got a lot of things right) and I realized that because there was no emotional connection in this book the "wins" felt completely lackluster. For a book that deals in quite a bit of soul talk... it felt soulless.

This book misses what SJM really excels at as an author - incredible characterization. She might have a cast of 10 people, but we know all of them, love all of them. The absolutely batshit plots that have been layered over 15 books are always grounded, bolstered, and absorbed through symbiosis via her characters. The way I can, 24 hours later, barely remember plot points is completely attributed their lack of emotional connection to the characters themselves.

For ex, the entire resolution of the Avallen plot and the Flynn siblings earth magic freak out would have had so much more emotional impact if we a) knew Tristan's sister better b) cared about this location that yes we've theorized about but had only just arrived at (and mostly experienced via cave). So it was really written as this moment of catharsis - after some of the most overt, unrelenting info plot dumps for pages on end - that felt unearned.

Essentially, this was almost 900 pages of exclusively plot. And I'm actually so sad that this is effectively goodbye to the leads of this story because, despite spending 900 pages with them, I feel like I barely saw them. It's part of the reason why my fave part of CC3 are the bonus chapters. They're just moments to actually spend with our characters, be reminded of their personalities, their connections, and what they'd do in moments of stillness, weirdness, or kind of perfect mundanity. That atmospheric joy was always one of my favorite parts of falling for the CC crew.

Anyway, for the folks who are like sorry this is for the theorists... I hope this is the last time we get a book like this then. As someone who loves this - not just for SJM books but for all the fantasy series I read - world building without a strong foundation of character is not actually good writing. And this was bad writing - plain and simple. This felt like a checklist. And the glaring quality differences of each of the book's three parts, along with SJM's admission that this version of CC3 was a 5 week rewrite, leads me to believe a lot of this book was like SJM writing herself out of a corner. A means to an end. Also, I've never caught typos in an SJM work and... I caught a lot. Also why did we switch POVs like we were being held at gun point (I wont even get into the Tharion and Ithan of it all).

After that huge reveal in CC2, this book was always gonna be a massive thing to live up to. It needed to lay down so much groundwork for all the worlds, all the future books, to be able to play with. And that mission became of primary importance over the people and the world itself. There were too many plots, far too many characters, and we spent the entire time in what felt like "the future possibility" instead of taking a look around and sending off this main plotline and hanging out for a bit.

At one point I texted my SJM groupchat, all of whom are equally dismayed, like this book is essentially 4 infodump coversations and then every character going and telling 4 more characters that conversations and so on. And inexplicably we had to be present for every instance.

I celebrate the Lidia plotline from this book - the most emotional and satisfying (I still think it could have been done even better). Of course there were sprinklings of other things that were great fun. I read it fast in true SJM fashion. I think I'm only harsh because I only grade the queen against herself... and there were just countless times where I thought, "Sarah you're so much better than this... what am I even reading?"

Anyway, I guess I'm glad to put this chapter to rest. I'm excited for the future of ACOTAR and can only hope she employs the lessons she learned while writing ACOSF (a book with a ton of heart). Also, obviously delighted by the really strong focus on TOG easter eggs for whatever future that might entail (give me Manorian... please Sarah).

I think I'll just need to be in mourning for another second. And tbh, it may be light's out on the desire to ever write a brainstorm theory post ever again. Sad! But also not a big deal in the slightest.

[omgkalyppso]

15 Lines of Dialogue

Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture their character/personality/vibe. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you’re free to include those as well.

I was tagged by @dustdeepsea which is very funny because I also tagged them. We are like passing ships in the night, you and I. fgdhfdg

I already did this for Étoile and Faedolyn here. So this time I will do Borgakh. You can press J on desktop to skip this post if it's either too long or gruesome. Some vague gore / body horror / horror descriptions in her dialogue.

I'll also tag @cherrypikkins (yes again. you have all those Kitt supports), @peachiehambo, @bladesandstars, @bhaalbaaby and YOU.

Borgakh

"I did, but perhaps I spoke out of turn. I learned a little from our warband, but… I slowly stopped my questions. Do you honor your dead another way? Was I rude in asking?" - On The Isle Of Thunder, Chapter 1: Arrival

"Well, I have lived here five months now…" she chuckled, "so what is that? Thirteen elf years? Living among them in Halfhill was what synched it for me. I couldn't order pumpkin seeds if I couldn't speak to my local grocer." - On The Isle Of Thunder, Chapter 1: Arrival

"For as long as you need. I will hold him," Borgakh promised with a darkness in her voice. - On The Isle Of Thunder, Chapter 2: Broken Chains

"Are you sure? Most ranking members of the Horde want to know: Where were you … during the crossing of the Dark Portal?" He pursed his lips and opened his mouth to speak, but Borgakh plowed forward, her tone more sincere and apologetic. "I was ten when I came to Azeroth. I am entering my fortieth year." - On The Isle Of Thunder, Chapter 2: Broken Chains

She raised an eyebrow as she answered, "You make it sound as if I've never had anyone to guide me. Of course I've had mentors: in language, in cooking, in how to hold a bow or dismantle a gun. I am not undisciplined." - On The Isle Of Thunder, Chapter 2: Broken Chains

She laughed in response, a heady growl; maybe a little more orcish than he was expecting. Lor'thermar's hands went to his sides, as if to reach for a weapon. Borgakh laughed a little more freely before saluting him. "Get fucked, Regent Lord." - On The Isle Of Thunder, Chapter 2: Broken Chains

As soon as her arm came free, she twisted away from him and started untying her remaining restrictions. "I … I also thought to open my wounds." She sat up and turned to look at Lor'themar, eye to eye. "Not to injure myself," she explained, fisting her hands in the sheets on her knees. "I've simply … heard stories of spells and curses being etched into the flesh of my people and then sewn back down so that we are ignorant of their extent and meaning." She looked away again, ashamed. Lor'themar could see the soft twinkling of her eyes through her dark lashes. "I see now that this … was likely paranoia." - On The Isle Of Thunder, Chapter 3: Injured

"Then I will die there," she agreed, meeting his eye. "I know this. Just as you must have, once. Your soldiers do." She sighed, "But perhaps your people have the privilege of time, and can expect that if they simply crush that threshold, the remainder of their days can be spent in the walls of Silvermoon or somewhere else far away. Every home I've ever had has been a battlefield. If anyone will ever miss me, it will be in the context of war." - On The Isle Of Thunder, Chapter 4: At The Mercy of Responsibility

She reached down between his knees to pluck the brown bottle from his hands, and leaned away to look him in the eye, answering more seriously, "But I know: that you would be ridiculed, and I will have done the opposite of proving my worth here, if we are discovered." - On The Isle Of Thunder, Chapter 6: Questions Of Worth

She lapped at his ear and he twitched all over as she whispered, "I'm going to put my mouth on you. If you move too much, you may bleed. That might be pleasurable to you in some places … and certainly not in others." She kissed his ear more seriously, nipping at his ear lobe with the teeth between her tusks as she gave him one last word of warning, "Behave." - On The Isle Of Thunder, Chapter 6: Questions Of Worth

"An orc is an orc is an orc Khadgar; or is Garona not proof enough of that for you?" - In Dalaran

"No, no. Khadgar, tell your mate that if she should ever find herself taken by the Horde, or in another scenario where it might help, that she can ask for me. I'll pay her ransom. I'll fight in her name. Whatever it may be." Borgakh's eyes sort of crossed then as she finished her statement in a whisper, "And … I'll go on hoping never to hear from her." - In Dalaran

“This orc can hold her tongue,” Borgakh answered in chipped elvish, and Ga’el laughed. - Meet Me At The Border, Chapter 2: Reliable, In All Things

"I met a couple from Northern Morning today who didn’t speak a word of elvish. We had a whole conversation in common sign language! I was worried I might have forgotten too much, falling out of practice. It was nice. I hope however you’re talking to people lately that it’s going well!" - This post

“Are the elves under attack?” <- Context for this one. In one of the dnd games Borgakh was a part of, her asking this question and proposing that the elven kingdom was as afraid of something happening with a necromancer raising long dead people from when a continent split and that they weren't simply acting to expand their kingdom at a poorly timed moment when the kingdom we were in was being tormented by this necromancer, prevented a war and apparently changed the trajectory of the campaign (or would have, if it hadn't ended three sessions or so after this).

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

My weekly roundup CW 15

Well, I watch a lot during the week, as you all might know. I really want to write a little bit more about the stuff I watch, but time and work kind of get in my creative way. So I try to write down my thoughts after watching stuff to create a little weekly ranking in relation to the previous week on my, most of the times, quiet sundays (and because I love lists and this is a good excuse for me to create a new OneNote journal!).

The Promise is on hiatus, so it didn't make it on this week's list.

↑ 1. The Eighth Sense (Ep 5+6)

I love it. This series is so brilliantly good. What I especially like are those little gestures, like how excited JaeWon was when he called JiHyun and how he smiled when he told his therapist about him. The entire beach scene made me melt. What a wonderful love scene! Very aesthetically pleasing and realistic, because you can have fun with something like this and explore the other in a playful way, not everything has to be oversexualized. The series really does so much right here! The end of the episode on the other hand…I have read quite a few analyses about the next episodes and I guess we will suffer together with Jaewon, who will fall back into his old pattern and his old life to not cause more harm to the one he cares for the most and in the end harming himself, because he can't live the life he desperately wants; and we will suffer with Jihyun, who is in love and understands that Jaewon has some baggage, but is left alone in the end and is hurting and that will make my heart hurt very much and thinking about all this makes me tear up...

→ 2. Unintentional Love Story (Ep 9 +10/Final)

One of the best encounters with an ex took place this week. And Wonyoung kicked that guy's ass! In general, he has grown a lot over the episodes and has undergone a good character development. He has gained more confidence and seems more mature than he did at the beginning. I also found the phone call between Wonyoung and Taejoon a good solution to make Taejoon realize that it's not just Wonyoung who did something wrong and that the past can definitely get in the way. All the nicer that they end up watching the sunset together. I liked the series a lot.

☼ 3. Our Dining Table (Ep 2)

Yes, this won't be the most dramatic thing we're currently seeing, but that's just fine. It is a pleasant and calm balance in this rather hectic series environment. Everywhere they try to lure you in with more action, more suspense and drama, more trauma or more sex and here we have a young man overcoming his eating disorder and finding a family with the help of two brothers. It's nice and quiet and doesn't hurt anyone. I'm really looking forward to the next episode and can't wait to see what they will cook next and where their conversations will take them.

↑ 4. Chains Of Heart (Ep 9)

Okay, we now have a psychic on board who can see people's past by touching them…Nothing really surprises me anymore! But seriously, what an episode! Finally we have Mr. Lue/Din and Ken together! Even though Ken seems to be in denial that Mr. Lue is Din? I think he knows, but can't stand the thought of Din lying to him all this time. So Mr. Lue is supposed to make him forget what he knows and wow, he does! These two were really starving for both affection and passion. What else happened? The scene also made me forget what happened next. Hin is the older brother of Din…Wouldn't have thought that, I thought he is the younger one. And then he is also the brain-cell of the whole episode! I am very impressed, he seemed more like the simple-minded shadow of Yu. All in all, once again a very good episode.

↑ 5. A Boss And A Babe (Ep 7)

So Gun is just the best in this series.

How he came into Cher's room after the shower and just doesn't give a shit what others think and says goodbye with "I'll wait in bed." And Cher's friends…they already know something since the BBQ, but they happily ignore it away. That's another way of dealing with it. Some say that not much happens and the show has no real plot. Does something outstanding always have to happen? Aren't everyday problems and how to deal with them sometimes enough? Like the problems with the foster brother or overcoming a first love and discovering a new, different love. I really liked walking with Cher through his life this week.

☼ 6. Naked Dining (Ep 1)

What do you do when you want to relieve stress? I craft or watch series or listen to loud music. Our protagonist eats…naked. And feels free. Honestly, if it helps? Who am I to judge? He finds a letter in the mail from his grandmother, who has already passed away. She wrote the letter six months ago and put it into a program that sends mail at a chosen time. He visits the house to clean it up and relax a bit from the stressful world of work. There he meets Miki Mahiro, who has taken the grandmother on a culinary journey to discover the world in this way. And as fate would have it, he discovers that our protagonist likes to be naked while eating. The scene was hilarious!

↓ 7. Bed Friend (Ep 9)

I'm only watching now because it'll be over soon. The series started really strong, but somehow it lost me. The positive thing about this episode was that for once there was no drama and Uea could take a breath (okay, except maybe at the very beginning, but that's positive drama when the former abuser is arrested and the abusive mother is done with the world). And finally Uea came around and accepted King as his boyfriend. It was getting a bit exhausting to see King begging and at the end I was just confused what their status is now. The introduction to King's parents I found really charming, between door and hinge. So not the hit for me this week.

☼ 8. My Story (Ep 1)

There's so much going on that I've lost track of everything. But one guy is a cook and goes to Thailand to earn money and meets the future love of his life there. And another one takes in a young man in his dormitory, which the dean finds totally fine, also that they have to share the bed together and that's why he just gets put up there from school and you can already tell in episode one that the two of them are going to be exciting. They have definitely stolen the show for me.

→ 9. Tin Tem Jai (Ep 7)

Now why the hell did Park have this change of heart? It feels like yesterday he wanted to do everything to convince Tin that he doesn't like him and will never marry him, and suddenly they're sitting in the living room and he confesses to him, in the creepiest way possible, that he tried to think of him as just a brother, but the older Tin got, the prettier he got…What masterful mind-brain came up with this dialogue? And those random jumps in time and space, and why didn't Tin and Park talk to each other? And Park really only has three emotions…annoyed, tired or neutral…Nothing else comes across…I can't really feel his affection for Tin either. Anyway…Three more episodes and if this doesn't end with the wedding of the two, I'll throw hands.

→ 10. PastSenger (Ep 6)

Okay, they like each other. Everybody likes each other. I just can't see the chemistry between Plawan and Moodaeng. For me, there's nothing there and it feels a little too rushed how Plawan got over his crush on Bamee. Then Kiev and Bamee…just talk to each other! But no, argue. And by the way it's totally normal when your friends want to interfere in your life or at least worry! What kind of friends are they who just let him work in this place? I would have taken him in and looked for something more suitable…And Franc is suddenly not so bad after all and makes her laugh? Very fast and confusing changes that happened this week. And I'm not talking about the kisses…Except maybe you shouldn't have held the camera on them quite so long…Had to look away briefly at the drunken mouth on mouth placement…

[sodiumlamp]

Picard

So this is actually where I came in, because I put the wrong disc in my DVD player, and it took me 10-15 minutes to figure out that it was Season 3 instead of Season 1.

My initial impression was that it looked kind of ridiculous for Dr. Crusher, now 70 years old if I'm not mistaken, to get in a crazy laser gun shootout. I mean, I don't know who's chasing her, but presumably they sent two of their better henchmen to get her, and she smokes both their asses. I could live with that, because the good guys always do a little better than they ought to in these kinds of situations, but there's a couple of moments where she just darts across the room to get to a better position, and the bad guys just sort of shoot at everything else in the scene while she's out in the open less than twenty feet away.

But now that I've seen Seasons 1 and 2, I realize this is just how the show rolls. Ridiculous gymkata battles, ridiculous BFG shootouts, it's all good on Star Trek: Picard. I guess I should be grateful Beverly didn't spin kick an alien, but there's still nine more episodes for that to happen.

Wait: Fantasy booking. Crusher and Troi have to stop a bad guy, and they lure him into a hallway with a mirror in it, and he's like "What the hell is going on here?" Then they come out wearing their backwards aerobics gear from TNG Season 3, and karate the shit out of him. I mean flips and kicks and elbows all over the place. Then the bad guy tries to open a door to escape, but Geordi rolls under the bottom of it and he's all "Going somewhere?" and bam! He kicks him in the nuts! Take that, alien bad guy! Then Geordi shoots heat vision from his cyborg eyes and he says "Take a look, it's in a book!" Then he says "fuck", because this is Picard and everyone swears.

Crusher sends a coded distress call to Picard and he takes like... a week to respond. First he gets the message, and Crusher explicitly warns Picard to "trust no one". He immediately tells his housekeeper to get her advice. Crusher also warns Picard not to go through Starfleet, so the next person he tells is Will Riker, his old buddy from Starfleet. Riker's idea is to get on a Starfleet ship and pull rank to get it to take them where they want to go. The ship's captain, a man named Shaw, tells them no, because he's not an idiot.

Okay, so the show goes out of its way to make Captain Shaw look like the biggest horse's ass in the universe. When they board the ship, they're greeted by his XO, Seven of Nine, who's now a real Starfleet Officer. But he makes her go by Annika Hansen. I thought Seven preferred Annika for a hot minute, but maybe I missed something. It's still weird that Captain Shaw can just order you to change your name and there's no Starfleet HR you can take that up with.

Shaw invites them to dinner in the captain's mess, but he's already eating when they get there, and he makes some weird joke about it to explain his behavior. Then he makes fun of Riker's musical tastes, and says a bunch of shit to Picard, who's a friggin' admiral for pity's sake. They really, really want you to hate this guy, but they overdid it. It just made me wonder how he got a command in the first place.

The idea is that you're supposed to think Captain Shaw's a jerk when he refuses to take Picard and Riker where they want to go, but no. He's a jerk for unrelated reasons. He's kind of within his rights to refuse their order for a course change, since he has orders from higher up to go where they're already going. So Seven does it behind his back while he's asleep, because she's the cool Starfleet officer who helps out the main characters when they're in a jam. Pretty sure she'll get court martialed for this, but no one seems to care. I think Shaw dies in a few episodes anyway, so it won't matter, but this is still incredibly dumb.

I mean... Picard had the exact same problem in Season 1. He needed to search for Bruce Maddox, but he couldn't involve Starfleet because he didn't work there anymore, so he made a few calls and hired Rios to take him where he needed to go. Why couldn't he just hire another private ship to do the same thing? Instead, they hijacked Captain Shaw's ship, and got caught the second Captain Shaw looked out the damn window. Then they stole a shuttlecraft to get the rest of the way. What were they going to do when they got back? Bring an injured Dr. Crusher onto the ship and pretend like they just happened to find her? She told Picard "no Starfleet" and now Shaw's going to file an official report to Starfleet about it.

All right, so they make it to Crusher's ship and they take their sweet-ass time searching for her, even though their sensors confirmed she's wounded. Fortunately, they find her in a healing tank. That's sad, because it'll take like fifteen episodes for her to get back to full strength, and Picard and Riker will have to fight Frieza by themselves in the meantime... wait.

The other guy on the ship claims to be her son? Everyone mumbles their lines on this show, especially whenever they state important exposition. It's not Wesley, since we just saw him in the last episode. It looks more like that guy who played Adult Wesley when Riker got Q powers and turned him into a grown man. I don't know if that's what they were going for, but it's the first thing I thought of.

The bad guy ship closes in on them, and Picard's like "Who's after you?" and the guy's like "See for yourself", and we see the ship, but I don't recognize it. Usually when they do that on a TV show, it's so the audience can see it's someone they recognize. Like you'd see a Cardassian ship and go "Oh, so the Cardassians are after her... but why?" But it's some new ship design which tells us nothing. Dr. Crusher's other son is a jerk.

While all of this is going on, Raffi is off doing her own separate TV show where she's trying to prevent a terrorist attack and fails miserably. She's all weepy and bitchy and annoying and it's impossible to tell what's going on with her. I remember being frustrated that we never got closure on her estranged son, but now I get why he was fed up with her bullshit. Cripes, imagine being her son. Man, nobody's got time for that.

Speaking of bitchy, I'm getting really sick of how everyone in this show has a beef or points a gun as soon as they show up. It usually happens to Picard, but that's only because he's the main character. Other characters will talk to people, and it immediately turns hostile. Picard goes to meet Raffi and she pulls a gun on him. Raffi goes to reconcile with her son and he tells her to get lost. Picard goes to find Guinan in the past and she pulls a gun on him. Guinan takes Picard to the Watcher lady and she pulls a gun on him.

Picard meets Captain Shaw and Shaw treats him like shit for no good reason at all. Like, you'd think Picard killed his wife or something. That's not even a hypothetical scenario, because Picard killed Sisko's wife and he still treated him more professionally than Shaw does here. Maybe Shaw had two wives and Picard killed them both? No, wait, he had seven wives, and Picard killed four and Riker killed three, and that's why he makes Seven of Nine use her birthname.

Sorry, I got off track there. Picard and Riker go to save the Crushers and Beverly's son... you guessed it... pulls a gun on them. It's a cool trick when used sparingly, but watching this show you'd think it's just a standard greeting in the 25th Century.

And it just keeps happening. Raffi and Seven were dating in Season 2, and all they did was bicker constantly. Rios and Jurati bickered a lot, but they were no longer dating. The key thing is to bicker, regardless of your romantic status. This might explain why Elnor hardly ever did anything on the show. His whole deal was "absolute candor", speaking honestly and without reservation. So it's hard to have him get in an argument with a friend or comrade, because if he was really hot at someone he would just say "I'm very mad at you" and leave. The writers didn't know how to write for him.

The biggest annoyance I have is when Picard first approaches Riker, and apologizes for taking him away from his family, and instead Riker notes that Deanna and Kestra would enjoy some time away from him. The fuck? We're doing a separation subplot with Riker now? We already did estranged Riker and Troi, and it was all seven seasons of TNG, plus two of the movies!

She'll be joining him before this show is over, so maybe they're just setting up some drama for later. It's not a terrible idea, but I don't trust this show to get it right, because they just have everyone mad at everyone else all the time. Worf and Geordi will probably show up later and they'll pull guns on each other and bicker about their failed marriage to each other. Then they'll see Picard and put aside their mutual loathing to point their guns at him, their common enemy.

This show is a tire fire. I don't like it.

[enbyleighlines]

Leigh plays Tellius prt 15

It's the final chapter! I had Ike give his speech, because I love it, even if he's clearly uncomfortable giving it. I literally muttered, "you're doing great, sweetie" at this moment.

What a wild time for Ashnard to confess this. I'm surprised Bryce wasn't more upset by this, honestly, considering he was a loyal retainer to the last king for fifteen years. But I suppose it's possible that his loyalty was more for the post, rather than the man himself.

We never do learn much about the previous King of Daein. This amazing post theorizes that Ashnard was perhaps an illegitimate son of the king, which is why he was never mentioned in any talk of succession prior to the "plague" that killed off the rest of the royal family. I really like this theory, because it explains why Ashnard was so obsessed with strength over bloodlines.

I put Soren up against a dragon laguz, and he completely decimated it through a combination of crits and adepts. Then I felt really terrible afterwards, considering that Soren might have indirectly been the cause of him becoming feral, since it's possible that this was one of the dragon laguz that traveled with Rajaion to rescue Almedha and infant Soren.

As expected, Soren capped his magic before even reaching level 20, so I didn't have to use a spirit dust on him. Fantastic job, Soren!

Ilyana reached level 20 not too long afterwards. However, she was unable to cap magic and speed on her own, so I used both a spirit dust and a speedwing for her. Hopefully this makes part 1 of Radiant Dawn just a teensy tiny bit easier.

Unfortunately, Soren and Ilyana were the only two units I was able to get to level 20. I severely overestimated how much exp was available on this map. Even more frustrating, I got Jill all the way to level 19, but then I ran out of enemies to pit her against.

I very nearly got Mist to level 20, too, through using a physics staff to heal Ike. Unfortunately, I forgot to unequip Ike's ragnell and he defeated Ashnard with aether before I could get Mist all the way to level 20.

I unironically love Ashnard's dying words. There's no disappointment, no anger. He's just so happy to meet someone who proves to be a formidable opponent. I suppose he was getting bored. I suppose it makes war less thrilling when you wear invincible armor.

This reveal is sooooooo gooooooooood. I love Ena and Rajaion.

A closer pic of them because man they are too cute.

I wish Rajaion had survived. Unfortunately, they didn't make it very clear that he died, so when I first played this game, I thought he had survived until I played the sequel.

I love this image! So many cute and unique laguz designs.

Ike and Elincia's friendship is so good, so pure.

A moment of silence for my least used characters. Rhys, Volke, and Brom, you are great characters, but I didn't need you, I'm sorry. Sothe, I will see you in the next game.

And that's it! The end progressed too quickly for me to take too many screenshots, but I did record who my top 5 units were:

Jill came in at 5th. No surprise there. I worked really hard, trying to get her to level 20. It's a shame I never did.

Soren was 4th. I'm a little sad he didn't rank higher, but I suppose it makes sense. Once he classed up into a sage, I mainly used him as a healer, since he was such a higher level than everyone else.

Rolf was 3rd. I'm also sad I didn't get him to level 20. He would have been so buffed with those transfer bonuses. Oh, well.

Ilyana was 2nd. Again unsurprising. She lagged behind for a while, but I managed to get her to level 20 with 4 capped stats, so all the extra effort paid off.

And of course Ike was in 1st place.

And that was Path of Radiance! I'm going to take a break to work on my Big Bang fic, but I am excited to get into Radiant Dawn. I wish I had gotten more characters to level 20. So far, I have Ike, Ilyana, Soren, and Ranulf all at level 20. Ike has capped 5 stats, Ilyana and Soren 4, and Ranulf only the 1. Perhaps I should have played on hard, so there would have been more reinforcements. Additionally, I could have farmed several bosses for extra exp.

Oh, well. Overall, I did manage to achieve all 5 of my goals. No one died, Ike and Soren are at an A rank, Ike and Ranulf at a B rank, Soren and Ilyana capped speed, and Ranulf capped strength.

Next time: we meet the Dawn Brigade!

[jordoalejandro]

The Eighth Annual List of TV Shows I Saw the Past Year

Another weird year. Feels like there have been more and more weird years since 2020.

This year saw a lot of shows delayed by the strikes or coming back with 10-15 episode seasons. On the bright side, it allowed me to catch up with a few shows I’d missed.

Another weird thing: I usually say these lists are shows I’ve watched that have come out since the last Emmys, except the last Emmys occurred on January 15, 2024, which would’ve put some of these shows in no-man’s land.

So, instead, here’s the list of TV shows I’ve watched since-ish the last list of TV shows I watched (10/1/23).

38. Krapopolis (Season 1 - 2023-2024, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - A brutally unfunny show. I could probably count on one hand the number of jokes that really hit over a full season. And it’s not that it’s like, clever funny instead of laugh out loud funny. It’s not even particularly clever. It’s just sort of lazy Greek myth and early civilization references. The animation is really ugly and unpleasant to look at. The voice acting outside of Matt Berry is bad. I like Richard Ayoade, but he’s not right for this. His deadpan delivery works in his comedy but he just sounds like he doesn’t know when to emote here. Duncan Trussell has no range either in a large supporting role. Both are odd casting choices. I don’t think I liked any aspect of this show. I had to will myself to get through the season for completion’s sake. This show’s been renewed for three(!) additional seasons but I am so out.

37. La Brea (Season 3 - 2024, NBC) (Last year’s ranking: 42) - This show limped across the finish line with a sloppy six episode final season that hastily tried to wrap everything up. (It actually really felt like they tried to hastily wrap things up in only the final three or four episodes. They were kind of setting things up in the first two which makes me think I can pinpoint when they got the call from the bosses that it was over.) I've often said of this show that I really couldn't be bothered either way, but this season, it was not just me that couldn't be bothered. Multiple actors didn’t show up for the majority of the series' final episodes, eventually making courtesy appearances in the finale. At least the show got a proper ending. Completing a story is always nice. Too many shows don’t get that. La Brea is destined to be something I’ll be reminded of years from now that’ll make me go, “Oh yeah, I did watch that, didn’t I? Hmm. Don’t really remember anything about it.”

36. Fear the Walking Dead (Season 8B - 2023, AMC) (Last year’s ranking: 23) - Frustrating, aimless final episodes. No clear intention for the characters, bouncing around from motivation to motivation until the show came to an end. Looking back now, it seems pretty clear the show jumped the shark with the nukes going off at the end of season six. It was an apocalypse hat on an apocalypse hat. What followed were a series of constant time jumps and settings changes that didn’t really produce interesting scenarios but did manage to suck all the character drama out of the show. You'll hear, sometimes, about shows that make bold writing decisions because it forces them to write with their backs to the wall, to get creative and change course. You usually hear about this in a positive way. “It made the show better. It kept the audience guessing. Blah blah blah.” The season six finale in Fear was a bold storytelling choice that it never recovered from. Ultimately, I think this show had one really great season, a couple of good ones, and bits and pieces of quality here and there. When it was at its best, it was a show that focused on the characters and made me care for them. But it was also a show that often lost sight of that bigger picture, and it spent its final two years flailing its way to a messy ending. Tough way to go.

35. Abbott Elementary (Season 3 - 2024, ABC) (Last year’s ranking: 37) - Abbott Elementary reeled off a string of episodes early in season 3 that had me thinking, okay not bad, maybe they’re finally finding their footing. They lost it all almost immediately, reverting back to the weak writing of before for the back half of the shortened season. It does give me hope that, as the writers and actors continue to hone in on what works and what doesn’t, they’re will be more consistent improvement. What doesn’t give me as much hope is that we’re three seasons in already and still struggling through this.

34. Grimsburg (Season 1 - 2024, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - It’s a show that feels a little bit off the FOX animation assembly line -- schlubby male lead, goofy son, side character that’s a cyborg for some reason -- but it does show some promise. Nothing in the first season that really knocked my socks off but some solid episodes and I think if it can figure out how to balance the mystery with the humor, it can be a decent cartoon.

33. CSI: Vegas (Season 3 - 2024, CBS) (Last year’s ranking: 36) - The show settled into a pretty average crime show. I didn’t hate it or anything but also, I can’t really be too upset that it got canceled.

32. Echo (Miniseries - 2024, Disney+) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - You know how, sometimes, you’ll hear about a new spinoff show or film that’s set to explore a side character’s story and you think to yourself, Hmm, I wonder how they’re going to make that interesting? And then you watch it and they somehow do make it interesting? They show you a part of the character that you hadn’t seen before and give them some depth or reveal a surprising backstory that makes the character more interesting or sympathetic and you’re like, Wow, I’m glad they made this spinoff? Well, Echo isn’t that. Echo was a character that appeared in the Hawkeye series and she was a dour, stiff gang enforcer. She seemed uninteresting outside of her connection with the Kingpin character. Well, she got her own show and it turns out, she’s still pretty uninteresting. She still is dour and stiff. They give her some okay side characters to interact with but nothing that really moves the needle. They expand on her relationship with Kingpin but what you learn is all stuff you could’ve surmised from their interactions during Hawkeye. There’s some fun action in here but ultimately, nothing that really makes you feel like this was a truly worthwhile side-road to travel down.

31. Quantum Leap (Season 2 - 2023-2024, NBC) (Last year’s ranking: 35) – Quantum Leap was, in the end, fine. I mentioned it last year, but it’s essentially a quasi-anthology show and so some episodes were interesting, some were less so. The overarching plot was just fine as well. It was a passable show, but I’m not going to shed too many tears about its cancellation.

30. The Great North (Season 4 - 2024, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: 20) - Little bit of a weak season for The Great North. I don’t think there was anything wrong structurally, per se, just very few episodes that really stood out. Could come right back next year and move back up several spots with a run of good episodes.

29. The Simpsons (Season 35 - 2023-2024, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: 22) - Similar to The Great North, a weak season for The Simpsons. The highest grade I gave an episode this year was a B+. Nothing really standout to raise the overall score. Also similar to The Great North, it’s a case of what can you do? Write better episodes, I guess. When you do 700+ episodes over three and a half decades, there’s bound to be stretches of 18 episodes where nothing shines through.

28. Ghosts (Season 3 - 2024, CBS) (Last year’s ranking: 26) - Ghosts has landed around here on every list it’s appeared on so far and that seems about right. I haven’t given any episode of Ghosts a grade higher than a B+ in two seasons, but it also hasn’t gotten many bad scores either. Consistently decent enough.

27. Bob’s Burgers (Season 14 - 2023-2024, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: 32) - The last few years, Bob’s Burgers has surprised me by mixing in an excellent episode amongst some mostly average episodes. It generally also has a couple of episodes per season that grate on me. This shortened season had neither. Just the average episodes, which is why it’s landing on this list around here, with other average shows.

26. Chad (Season 2 - 2024, The Roku Channel) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Quick history of this show: sold to Fox in 2016, who eventually opted not to move forward with it. Picked up by TBS in 2019, aired its first season in 2021. Renewed for a second season right before the season one finale. A year later, TBS announced, hours before the second season premiered, that the show was canceled and would not be airing and TBS was getting out of the content game. The Roku Channel picks it up in October of 2022, releases season two in January of 2024, and cancels the show in May of 2024. Two seasons across eight years and three channels. And was it all worth it? Sure. Let’s say sure. Chad was a super cringe comedy with a little bit of depth that occasionally surprised you. I really enjoyed it at times and intensely disliked it at others but ultimately, I’m glad its second season didn’t disappear into the corporate tax write-off depths and got to be seen by whichever members of the general public that could find it on The Roku Channel.

25. Animal Control (Season 2 - 2024, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: 14) - I didn’t dislike Animal Control this year. I didn’t think it was much different in quality than season one. I think its rating took a hit because it, like a lot of shows, had a shortened season and none of the episodes really stood out and so a bunch of average scores land it about ten spots lower from one list to the next.

24. Clipped (Miniseries, 2024, Hulu) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Some decent performances and some interesting twists and turns but I think you kind of have to care about the early 2010s LA sports scene to really appreciate this. I don’t think this show alone gets you there. You don’t have to be a Clipper fan, but at least having an interest in the Donald Sterling affair and everything that surrounded it is probably needed.

23. Family Guy (Season 22 - 2023-2024, FOX) (Last year’s ranking: 24) - Family Guy is a show I usually highlight as one that experiences a lot of highs and lows, but weirdly, this year it’s at this spot on the list because it, too, was kind of just middle of the road.

22. Snowpiercer (Season 4 - 2024, AMC) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Snowpiercer is another show that almost got disappeared by TBS/TNT’s sudden shift to not producing original content anymore. I once described Snowpiercer as filling my Stupid Summer Show slot (meaning a show that’s not necessarily stupid, per se, but more a wacky, swing-for-the-fences type that airs in the summer months when everything else is on hiatus so you have something to look forward to every week). I’ll always be a little sad about the ending of a Stupid Summer Show. They bring me joy. On the other hand, I also wrote about season three of Snowpiercer that it felt about right that season four would be its last. That remained true. They spent so long on the train during the first three seasons that it started to get tired. This season, they actually tried something new and it didn’t really help much. I suppose the show as a whole was a little tired. Which is fine. This was probably never a concept built to last this many episodes. And so, I’ll take this pretty good final wrap-up season and thank Snowpiercer for its Stupid Summer Show service.

21. What If…? (Season 2 - 2023, Disney+) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - I wrote that the first season of this anthology show was better at coming up with concepts than executing them. I think season two flipped that around. The execution of the plot within the episodes was tighter but the stories themselves were not as intriguing. Some fun ones here and there. If this show could figure out how to nail both concept and execution, it could be really good.

20. American Dad! (Season 20B - 2023, TBS) (Last year’s ranking: 18) - American Dad! was more in the "highs and lows" school of ratings than the "just average" school. Some excellent episodes in this back half of season 20 and some not so good ones.

19. Ahsoka (Season 1 - 2023, Disney+) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Ahsoka’s episodes were all decent to very good but I think I wasn’t getting the full experience because I haven’t seen any of the Star Wars animated shows from which most of these characters originated. There would be moments that felt like significant reveals or emotional beats that didn’t fully land with me because I barely knew who any of these people were. I mean, I think the show still worked well enough without that previous viewing experience, but probably not as well as it could have if I’d done the homework ahead of time.

18. The Acolyte (Season 1 - 2024, Disney+) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Some stuff in here worked well, a good chunk of it didn’t, but an entertaining enough series overall. Excellent fight choreography, among some of the best fight scenes in the Star Wars franchise.

17. Baby Reindeer (Miniseries - 2024, Netflix) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - It has its spots where it drags or feels a little repetitive. Its high points, though, are very good. Thrilling, tragic, yet still comedic in the blackest of ways. I think if this had been condensed into a two hour film, it would’ve been excellent. As a seven episode miniseries, it’s still pretty good.

16. Our Flag Means Death (Season 2 - 2023, Max) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - It remained a delightful show in its second and final season and finished on a high note.

15. Dead Boy Detectives (Season 1 - 2024, Netflix) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Good characters, fun stories, a lot of style. I appreciated the use of the theremin. You rarely get theremin these days. Another Netflix one-and-done, which is a shame.

14. So Help Me Todd (Season 2 - 2024, CBS) (Last year’s ranking: 17) - I guess this is the “canceled too soon” portion of the list, as So Help Me Todd was axed shortly before its season two finale. This show was, I think, just about the best you’re going to get from a big order network series (your 23 episodes a year types). Snappy writing. Strong cast chemistry. A funny, easy watch week in and week out.

13. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (Season 1 - 2023, AMC) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - There was nothing exactly game-changing about this. No reinvention of The Walking Dead formula. It just felt fresher overall. It had a fresh look and style and France turned out to be a great choice in setting. It’s a well-done show, in terms of writing and acting and all that, but livening up the setting goes a really long way towards boosting it up this list.

12. The Lazarus Project (Season 2 - 2024, TNT) (Last year’s ranking: 11) - A good follow up season. It keeps you on your toes with its twists and turns and time traveling mind bending. It’s an often funny show as well, in a dark way. It doesn’t take itself too too seriously, which I appreciate. Also: canceled. And it ends on something of a cliffhanger, which is a bummer.

11. Hacks (Season 3 - 2024, Max) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Caught up on this show last year and really took to it. Sharp, funny writing. Strong entertainment industry satire. Jean Smart is great in this but it has a very good cast overall.

10. Archer (Season 14 - 2023, FXX) (Last year’s ranking: 13) - Archer got off to a little bit of a slow start in season 14, introducing a new character who wasn’t really gelling. But it got stronger as it went on, and it ended with a just about perfect three-part finale. I’ll miss this crazy show. I’m glad it got to go out on a really high note.

9. Only Murders in the Building (Season 3 - 2023, Hulu) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - This show has a winning formula and it executes it well. Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez riff off each other. The central mystery keeps you guessing. The supporting characters are explored and given depth. It all works just right and makes for a great show.

8. Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (Season 2 - 2023, HBO) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - This was another show that started a little slow but then kicked it into high gear and finished especially strong. Unfortunately, it also ends on, not a cliffhanger exactly, but a sour note. One that was strongly setting up season three -- a season which will never come because HBO pulled the plug. The show wraps up with a series of slides that tell you what happened with the main characters. It’s a nice attempt to close out things but really, it just makes you sad you’ll never see that story told. (Or, you know, dramatically reenacted.)

7. Girls5eva (Season 3 - 2024, Netflix) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Really funny show that I’m glad came to Netflix from Peacock so I could actually watch it. It’s produced by Tina Fey and done very much in her style: jam-packed with silly jokes that hit at an incredibly high success rate.

6. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Season 1 - 2024, Amazon Prime Video) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - Did you know the original movie is somewhat weakly rated by the populace at large? 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. 6.5 on IMDb. I love that movie. It’s obviously not the best film ever but for what it set out to be -- a light romantic action comedy -- it’s great! And, honestly, probably the sexiest PG-13 movie ever? I mean, the chemistry between Pitt and Jolie? It’s palpable. I get why that film created and destroyed multiple marriages. Anyway. All this is to say I had both high hopes and high expectations for this series and it more or less met them. It has all the right pieces: the action, the romance, the comedy. The chemistry between Donald Glover and Maya Erskine is strong. It’s a good looking show, as well. Good music, good vibe. I guess the only knock, and why it’s around here on the list, is that it doesn’t always feel like its clicking. While the movie is two hours and keeps moving from beginning through finale, the show is eight hours and it sometimes feels like you’re sitting in scenes or plots too long. This is a little more noticeable when there’s tension in the characters’ relationship and they’re arguing and you’re kind of hit with the realization that you’re not watching people do spy stuff anymore and you haven’t been for a while. You’ve just been watching a couple going through marital strife, which, let’s be honest, isn’t nearly as fun as spy stuff. It’s when the show slows down that I found myself thinking, There’s some great stuff here but it could use some trimming. I wonder if this would’ve been stronger as a movie? And then I remember it was one and I kind of want to go watch the movie instead. That’s not a great argument to make in favor of this show. It was a very good first season and I liked it a lot. (I just loved the movie more.)

5. Fargo (Season 5 - 2023-2024, FX) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - I think, ultimately, there was just not enough story for the full ten episodes here. The show often hit the brilliant mix of dark comedy, tragedy, and mythology that Fargo is known for but it also slowed down at far too many points to rank it amongst the best of the show’s seasons. Still really strong though, and an improvement on season four.

4. The Bear (Season 3 - 2024, Hulu) (Last year’s ranking: 1) - I loved season two of The Bear. What I loved most about it was the character growth. You saw so many of the characters blossom and you came to care for them. My fear going into season three was that we’d see some resetting or some unearned regression of these characters because the drama has to come from somewhere, right? I think, luckily, the show sidestepped that. They didn’t ruin characters for the sake of drama, which is appreciated. Unluckily, I think their method for sidestepping regressing their characters was to just kind of bring the show’s timeline to a screeching halt. The first two episodes of the season take place over a day. Much of the season takes place over, I think, a month? It’s very short. And so, nobody really regresses but also nobody really progresses either, and it feels like we’re not really going anywhere. That said, still a lot of really excellent stuff within this season, even if I felt like the season overall was kind of treading water a little bit. 3.1, "Tomorrow," was tremendous, using mostly music and visuals to tell the story of Carmy’s life. And 3.6, “Napkins,” was a really touching episode as well. There’s still a lot of greatness in this show, but I am starting to wonder if this is a situation where an endgame might help in plotting things out and landing this plane.

3. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (Miniseries - 2024, AMC) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - It surprised me how much I enjoyed returning to these two Walking Dead characters. Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira play them so well, and play off each other so well. I’m glad they found a satisfying way to come back to Rick and Michonne and wrap up their story.

2. Loki (Season 2 - 2023, Disney+) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - I really did love both seasons of this show. Enthralling, emotional, funny, great to look at and listen to. I think I understood maybe two-thirds of it. I think if there’s any reason season two didn’t land as strongly with me as season one it’s that. It gets a little complicated. There is a lot thrown at you. And from you. And through you. And, also, simultaneously, never thrown at all. Time is a fascinating concept. But even not catching everything, you can still connect with the characters and the journey. The emotion still lands. The two seasons combined are in my top ten MCU experiences.

1. Fallout (Season 1 - 2024, Amazon Prime Video) (Last year’s ranking: N/A) - There’s sort of an unfair advantage built in here because I’m a huge fan of the video game series but I just could not get enough of this show. It’s a brilliant adaptation of the games, made with care by people who clearly love the series, too. It captures the essence just right, nailing the humor, the horror, the style, and the music. It explores the world of the game with an original story that feels right at home in the universe. It has action and mystery and twists and fun characters. I was worried coming in that it wouldn’t be able to do the games justice but it could not have turned out better. (It's so good that you don't even really need to know the games to enjoy it. You just have to know it's kind of gonzo and enjoy the ride.) Can’t wait for more.

If the list has bad writing at any point, just know that I wrote the majority of this while I had COVID. It gives you the brain fog and the only words you can think of to describe things with are good and bad.

But, really, in the end, aren’t those the only words you need?

Enjoy the Emmys.

- - - - -

Read More:

Annual Lists of TV Shows I Saw the Past Year

[nerdyenby]

My top ten favorite season of ninjago (don’t hate me)

[Note that I’m not ranking DRs2 yet, as we’ve only seen the first half, but I fully expect it to make this list]

Dragons Rising season one: Energy

Prime Empire (fight me)

Master of the Mountain

March of the Oni

Tournament of Elements

Secrets of Forbidden Spinjitzu

Rise of the Snakes

Skybound

Posession

Crystallized

Obligatory reminder that that’s just my opinion

And for those of you who like confusing numbers, here’s the same information but listed objectively worse:

16

12

13

10

4

11

1

6

5

15

Now, I’m not going to try to justify my placements because we’d be here all week, so instead I’ll explain why the seasons that didn’t make the cut just don’t really do it for me

Legacy of the Green Ninja: the first half of this season is back to back bangers, but I just entirely lose interest when it comes to the actual dark island stuff. Idk why it just cannot hold my attention.

Rebooted: a fine season. It set us up beautifully for s4 and gave us a lot of incredible characters (Sensei Garmadon, Borg, Pixal), but it just messes with my sense of this universe so badly. That’s only kind of a complaint — because I actually find it super interesting to try to explain away — but it is majorly distracting for me personally and kinda just seems like poor planning. While this season did a great job with Pythor and managed to get me to kind of care about the Overlord, the nindroid army is woefully underdeveloped. Zane defends Pixal, saying she was just doing as she was programmed, but the same is true for literally all of them and we never even stop to entertain the notion that these nindroids also have the capacity to be, you know, people. That’s all pretty nitpicky tho, my real issue with this season is the stupid love triangle. Not to mention how forced Pixal’s existence is and how bland she is at first. I absolutely adore her as a character, but rebooted was just like “here’s a woman. she’s hot btw,” and I don’t really vibe with that.

Hands of Time: over hated imo, I feel like if the animation wasn’t noticeable worse than every other season we would all appreciate it a lot more. I think it actually did some really cool things, but you kinda lose me with the vermillion. Literally why are they there? The bad guys need lackeys, yeah, but why snake hivemind warriors? Idk, felt random and out of place. I feel like they could have also done more with the conflict between the Time Twins. Like they fundamentalists disagreed about what an ideal world looks like and they argue about it all the time, but they still work together like nothing happened? Anyway, all my complaints are fairly minor for this season, it’s just not much of a stand-out.

Sons of Garmadon: ninjago didn’t know what to do with itself after the movie came out and you can tell. They went more serious with the plot but the humor feels way more childish. It still hits most of the time, but it just feels off. I’ve come to like Harumi and her arc, but I feel like this season really suffers for it’s focus on her and Lloyd. It just lacks a lot of the team chemistry that makes ninjago ninjago imo. It’s all about Lloyd and the others are just kinda there, something that ninjago has impressively managed to never fall into before. What makes this series special to me is how it handles its characters and their dynamics, they all feel real and important, both to each other and to the story, but you could just say “yeah everyone’s dead” and the plot could more or less function as is. I do love what they did with Pixal tho.

Hunted: idk, it feels like they started to correct the whole issue I just talked about where none of the characters other than Lloyd matter, but the disconnect just doesn’t really do it for me. I’m fairly into the resistance plotline, and I’m kinda here for the First Realm shenanigans, but it’s just not really a stand out. S9 is always where I lose interest in my rewatch and I’ve never been able to figure out why. It does wonders for Lloyd and Nya’s relationship, and I am always here for lore, but otherwise I just kinda don’t care that much.

Seabound: she’s solid, it just doesn’t really stand out to me. Obviously having a Nya season is huge, but otherwise it’s just ninjago. That’s a good thing, but it also means it doesn’t stand out. I don’t really like Maya’s arc, and I’m really not a fan of how they just shoo Kai and Cole off to do a whole lotta not much. It felt so forced and unnecessary when s13 did a fucking superb job of keeping the rest of the cast busy and having it be entertaining, however I do recognize the real-world reasons at play so I don’t hold it against them. It does detract from my experience tho, and the rest of the season isn’t memorable enough to recover from that for me personally. Also it’s super shitty that they kill Nya off as soon as she gets to be the main character, they hate women so much and for what.

[omniuravity]

Ranking all of the songs in Helluva Boss:

This list will not include songs in the Pilot (The Jingle and Oh Millie), minor songs (the Teacher's Song, My World Is Burning Down Around Me), or Just Look My Way (cause I haven't seen the video yet)

Here's the list! From least to most favorite.

19. Chaz Time (S2 Ep3)

It was a short song and honestly not a good song. I do like Chaz's voice though.

18. Mustang Dong (S1 Ep3)

It's a good song, but there are better songs.

17. Crashin' A Muthafuckin' Wedding (S2 Ep3)

It kind of reminds me of Before He Cheats, Church Bells, and I Don't Even Know Her Name. It's definitely a badass Millie song.

16. Til the Day We Die (S2 Ep2)

This is just a worse version of "Oh Millie". It's not bad, just not really good.

15. Striker's Song (Sweet Victory) (S1 Ep5)

This song has always just been eh to me. It's not a bad song, but I'm honestly not a fan.

14. The Ballad of Striker (S2 Ep4)

I like this a little more then Sweet Victory, but it's not really as good.

13. Stolas Sings (S2 Ep1)

This is probably the weakest song sang by Stolas. It's definitely heartbreaking, but it is not as strong as Stolas' other songs.

12. Juggling Iz Cool (S2 Ep7)

I love Tom Cardy, so this might be a little biased. However, this is a good song. I just wish it was longer.

11. Regular Joe (S2 Ep5)

I'm honestly not that big of a fan of the Millie songs, but it is pretty good. I have been waiting for Millie's character development, and this episode never really gave it to me.

10. You Got The Power (Millie's Big Show) (S2 Ep5)

This song intercut with the fight between Blitzø, Moxxie, Barbie, and the teen is really good. It is a pretty good song.

9. Crooked (S2 Ep7)

I wish this was higher cause I love Fizz and Ozzie. However, I still really like this as one of the only love songs that isn't sang by Moxxie and Millie.

8. Vacay to Bonetown (S1 Ep3)

I love this song despite it being so short, it's still a good song.

7. Moxxie's Bad Trip (S1 Ep6)

This song is thematically strong being intercut with both Moxxie and Blitzø's hallucinations. Moxxie struggles with his fear of rejection, but so does Blitzø. Moxxie's hallucination being themed after Phantom of the Opera also makes it slightly better.

6. Klown Bitch (S2 Ep7)

Episode 7 of Season 2 has some of the best songs in the entire show. I'm honestly glad this song was played in the credits cause it was so good! It kind of reminds me of KDA.

5. Cotton Candy (S1 Ep8)

I love Kesha! Also this song is a great representation of Bee as a character. I think Cotton Candy was also a great way to set the scene of Bee's party.

4. Look At This! (S2 Ep6)

Might be a little biased because I love Alex Brightman, but this is just a really good song. The ending also cracks me up every time.

3. You Will Be Okay (S1 Ep2)

This song is basically More Than Anything before More Than Anything Existed. This song is what sold me on Stolas' new voice actor. I legit cried when I first heard this song.

2. House of Asmodeus (S1 Ep7)

I love the different parts of this song. It's a good cap to the end of the season. It's one of my all time favorites.

1. 2 Minutes Notice (S2 Ep7)

I think we've all had a shitty boss we wish we could sing this song to. I listened to this song nonstop for weeks after this episode came out.

[casmong]

Fruitful

The word fruit has the connotation of something that is produced, like how a tree produces fruit, and the fruit itself bears seed that leads to another tree, which in turn produces more fruit.

When Jesus healed the blind man at Bethsaida, upon receiving his sight the healed man initially declares "I see men as trees walking"[Mark 8:24], and in another place YAH declares of His saints "that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." [Isaiah 61:3] These and many other scriptures establish the principle of people being represented in scripture as trees.

Jesus came to own tree of own people expecting to find fruit of good works being produced, but was understandably angry because he found none, only trees full of leaves! [Matthew 21:9] The Jews for the most part were not doing the works of God that He delights and takes pleasure in. To confirm their failure, Jesus warned that "the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."[Matthew 3:10] alluding to the nation and those who fail to produce fruit being destroyed. Ironically, the Gentiles who weren’t supposed to know or do well, were the ones who were often bearing much fruit.

This echos YAH complaint about ancient Israel compared to the gentile nations who ‘sought me not’:

"I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face"[Isaiah 65:1-3]

The proud Pharisees would bid Jesus to come to their house, and then would proceed to disparage, disrespect and cast aspersions at his character, and sought carefully to find out something he said or did wrong so they could accuse him; in their attempt to restore their perceived social status, as it were, in the eyes of everyone[Luke 7:39]

In stark contrast there was a humble Centurion [Roman, gentile, non Jew, man of much violence] who personally came to Jesus requesting healing for his servant, and scripture reads like Jesus attempted to get up to go and heal his servant as was usually the case, but the centurion prevented him, because as a ranking military officer he understood how authority works, and showed respect for Jesus, asserting that Jesus did not need to bother himself to walk all the way to his house, on the dirty road in the hot middle eastern sun, but should rather simply just give orders and that would suffice; as a military commander would understand, and he'll be on his way, no worries.

Scripture mentioned that Jesus marveled at this, which also gave the sense of Jesus being pleased and refreshed to finally see faith, as all this time he was preaching to people who mostly didn’t believe in him, nor his words, nor even wanted to hear what he had to say.

The truth is that God is no respecter of persons, nor does He discriminates about who can and will be saved [Romans 2:11], and it was always hidden in His plan to save and include gentiles into His kingdom[Colossians 1:26-26], which provides context to the when "Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles."[Acts 13:46]

We are encouraged by the words of our Lord and Teacher who counseled that "ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." - John 15:16