#also what prison trauma?? this entire season you showed us absolutely nothing

[shellji]

“vi fucking caitlyn in jinx’s cell was vi reclaiming her prison trau—“ shut the fuck up actually

[thegreatestchange]

as soon as i finished s2 of arcane i knew i wanted to hear your takes on it. any opinions as to how they handled caitlyn’s arc, vi’s story, and the development of s2? i would love to hear anything you have to say about this season!!

also - the end of this season has me scouring Ao3 for some fics to fill the void. have you had any recent one shot or fic ideas now that the show has ended? i’ve been dying for a hurt/comfort and really soft sex type of story for cait and vi. maybe something where cait is taking care of vi after the events of 206? lord knows they could both use the comfort and vi deserves to be loved and taken care of. i know you would write that beautifully.

or if you have any recs for fics along those lines? 👀

as always, thanks for your incredible work both inside and outside of fandoms! love hearing from you! <3

Omg hiii! I appreciate that you care what I think haha!

Let me preface this by saying that the criticisms I have for the writing of s2 does not take away the love I have for this show and what it's done for animation as a medium.

Now, with that said...

S2 was a mess.

I said this on twitter, but I think the writers had a lot of ambition — too much ambition — for the amount of episodes they had to wrap this story up cohesively. This AMAZING show suffered because of corporate greed and not having enough time to flesh out character arcs and plots from s1. I think it started off promising. I was really excited to see how they would handle the Zaun/Piltover conflict, Vi's journey toward healing and forgiving herself for her past mistakes, Jinx's descent and then return as a hero, as well as Caitlyn's descent and redemption arc.

Instead we got... that.

There's one word that keeps twirling around in my head: commitment.

The writers lacked commitment (and a diverse writing room) to properly handle the Piltover/Zaun conflict. S1 had such a good starting point, whereas in S2 it's like they diverged from the path and forgot the finish line existed. Sitting Sevika at a table with her oppressors who will most likely tune her out and outvote her on everything is NOT a solution. Why not a complete overhaul of the council? Make it an even split? Instead it's the same people who never gave a fuck in the first place, and Sevika, who helped get half of the population of Zaun hooked on shimmer in the first place. Like what???

They failed to commit to Caitlyn's villain/dictator era. When episode 3 happened, I was skeptical about how they would handle it. And after watching the entire season, I had every right to feel that way. They make her so unapologetic and blasé about gassing Zaunites and letting Ambessa unlawfully arrest people. That's not my Cait from season 1. Does grief change people? Absolutely! But once it settles, you should be able to look back on what you've done and feel remorseful. Cait's lack of remorse was jarring. Her inability to apologize or outwardly own up to everything she did was OOC. You know what could've been the perfect moment for that? When Jayce gathered Piltover and Zaun in that room and she was standing right across from them. Why not have Sevika or Scar call her ass out and hold her feet to the fire? Lay out the facts of what her grief looked like to the innocent people of Zaun who had nothing to do with it? That would've been the perfect time for her to say something.

They failed to commit to Jinx and her story as a whole. At its core, this show was centered around two sisters growing up impoverished and oppressed, constantly separated, but always finding their way back to each other. Jinx is such a heartbreaking character used for trauma porn. Episode 6 fucked me up so badly but I THOUGHT it would lead to something big for her character. Like her stepping into this unwilling hero role and working with Ekko to lead Zaun into a better future like the one Ekko saw in episode 7. BUT LOL NOPE. Instead she's suicidal and self harming while her sister is fucking the oppressor in a prison cell. DA FUCK?

And lastly they failed Vi's character in every possible way. From putting on the badge in the first place to not exploring the depth of her character. She's basically a passenger in s2. Has no agency. Used as a punching bag (literally). And treated as an afterthought. I'm so pissed. There should've been a lot of conflict in act 1 between her and Cait. You mean to tell me Vi, who HATES enforcers. would willingly let her situationship gas her people? Fuck no. Absolutely not. It does not make sense, narratively speaking. Her ending did not make me hopeful. Even if Jinx is alive and moving on from Vi to "break the cycle" that does nothing for Vi's character. She is without family once again, and I fear it would lead to an unhealthy codependent relationship with Cait. Like she'll never be able to voice opposing thoughts or feelings without fear of Cait leaving her AGAIN.

As for the Caitvi relationship. This is tough. On one hand, I was happy to see a lesbian s*x scene in animation for an awarded television show. But on a heavier hand, it rings hollow after everything I've said. Much like the Piltover/Zaun story, Caitvi had a good starting point in season 1. I did have my issues with it because, as a Black woman, seeing someone oppressed get with a cop does nothing for me. But I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt because I believed the writers knew what they were doing. But I was wrong again. CaitVi is unfortunately one of the weakest points of S2. The writers did not COMMIT to their conflict. It's barely glossed over and then Caitlyn gets rewarded with s*x. And this is why I could never commit to them as a couple. At least not in canon. I liked them in s1 and the idea of what they could've been to each other in s2. And it looks like I'm going to have to find that elsewhere, unfortunately.

Overall, it all comes back to what I said in the beginning: lack of time, a diverse writing room, and corporate greed. I'm disappointed, but unfortunately not surprised. I hope the writers can learn from their mistakes moving forward.

As for fanfiction, I have actually not read any yet! So I don't have any recommendations for you. I need some for myself! I'll get back to you if I find any good ones.

Sorry for the lengthy post! I really just needed to get this all out and I feel so much better.

[ruby-whistler]

Srry but i noticed in one of ur dream posts u Referred to tommy's cat as hope. I must correct u, that cat was born pussbou and died pussboi. /lh Also tommy killing that cat was nothing compared to dream killing mushroom henry in exile btw just wanna say Also for ur posts about dreams trauma or wilbur manipulating him can u provide links to vods or other proof? Srry if i seem rude i mean that in a "genuinely curious way"

Aaa sorry if my ask came off as rude im just genuinely curious :(((

hi! dw, you don't seem rude at all, and i'm extremely happy someone with a different perspective has found my blog! i really appreciate that sort of attitude and am happy to answer :]

/dsmp /rp

the cat was called pussboy by tommy, but dream only called it "the cat" and then said that "it was hope", which is why it sort of became a symbol (his hope is dead, basically) - that's why i kind of made its name capitalized, because it was more of a metaphor than anything.

most c!dream fans call the cat hope because it's just really nice and really symbolic, and also really sad when you think about it. that's why the name was used in the essay, just to clear up the confusion!

tommy killing that cat was nothing compared to dream killing mushroom henry in exile

i don't really think so? mooshroom henry was entertainment more than anything, and even if it was bad, when watching the stream i don't remember seeing him mourn that much - on the other hand, dream was very quickly and very obviously attached to the cat, with it being his only companion in months of isolation, along with the hope that even when tommy left it would keep him company.

keep in mind c!dream has been deprived of stimuli and human contact for so long it's officially classified as psychological torture at that point.

i don't mean to compare trauma or even compare deaths - because honestly, what c!dream and c!tommy have gone through individually is incomparable and i think neither should be diminished in favor of the other since they're both terrible situations.

that's why i disagree that it "was nothing compared to" - it had an obvious effect on c!dream, and was still c!tommy killing an animal specifically to hurt him, no matter what reasons he had.

when i'm talking about effects people's actions have had on c!dream, i'm not talking about those people. i'm talking about him. :) /lh

as for the trauma, a lot of people agree that a lot of the things he says or does are trauma responses, and hence it's very possible that he's had trauma before he went into prison!

this includes being repeatedly called a tyrant via propaganda by about half of your friends who decided to betray you, trying to keep peace and being pushed deeper into villainy instead, repeatedly being put in between a rock and a hard place in order to make sure the people you care about don't start killing each other, then being betrayed by your closest friends after merely trying to keep peace (sapnap & george) and just in general having no control over your life or image and grasping at straws to gain it back.

i know a lot of people with trauma who heavily relate to certain trauma responses, which aren't always just shaky breaths and flashbacks, but trauma often also manifests itself in extremely ugly and destructive ways, both inwardly and outwardly.

trying to control the people around you is also very often a response to going through trauma, as well as emotional repression which is... rather evident on c!dream during season two. it only seems to get worse with repeated abandonment.

in the end, during the vault scene, the way he acts really just isn't at all the way a healthy person would act, and a lot of his really bad mindsets come from the way he was taught by the world around him.

the character is very reserved however, and since we don't have his pov we can't really say for certain - a lot of people claim it in good faith because they have a lot of evidence for it, and i think they're certainly valid in that.

that is just before the prison, however. from what happened during the prison arc? there is no denying he's traumatized at this point.

he's been emotionally and physically abused by c!sam since the very beginning of being imprisoned, and being in solitary confinement for over two weeks is generally considered psychological (and maybe also physical?) torture. that alone shows up in a lot of symptoms of his mental deterioration while in pandora's during people's visits, and quackity's "sessions" just absolutely drove the point home.

what he's gone through during this arc is absolutely incomparable to anything others charactes have faced before, and it's just plain suffering being endured by someone who is, despite everything, still a human being.

as for the wilbur manipulation thing!! it's talking about the whole vassal scene (though even beforehand a lot of their interactions are pretty iffy), and here's a post about that :]

I also have a small question about the analysis u last reblogged cus it says "why dream needed lmanburg gone rightfully" and like. The house analogy is poor because for one cus the land is infinite. And 2 cus punz's yard was literally larger then lmanburg. And also stuff about dream being a mediator? Can u provide examples?

i wouldn't say it was poor. dream's said a lot of times that he didn't care in the slightest about the land - a lot of his problems with l'manberg arose with the fact that wilbur basically built it on lies and tried to disallow half of the server to come there. c!dream was mad about the division and the fact that wilbur wanted "freedom" to have authority in his lands - over others, as can be seen in this post also.

the table analogy was fitting not because dream was some overlord, but because these were literally friends he invited to hang out and live in a place he wanted to call home. claiming a part of it for yourself and saying people of a certain nationality can't come in is directly opposing those goals.

in the early days of the smp, dream's always been a mediator between his friends - sapnap and george, who would often get into fights and go around killing each other! he would always do his best to stop the conflict, which continued after tommy joined when he took him to court and then later tried to mediate conflicts he was a part of, which resulted in tommy killing him unprovoked, stealing his gear, and starting the disc wars when dream was trying to get his stuff back. later, during pogtopia, he is also most concerned with peace over everything, and this seems to continue indefinitely after.

Today i was thinking about how messed up the final control room was. Like. Dream arranged the betrayal and punz and sapnap killed tommy and tubbo who like. Were literal children and their pals (because the author, wilbur soot, is dead/j but srsly if u take the streamers words tommy said he was 9 during the revolution sooo)

Sorry im gonna ramble about how dumb canon ages are for a second cus like. Streamers can say the characters are one way or another (wilbur saying he is mentally 30-something, etc.) But in the end the characters act like they(or at least their streaming personas) do.

i... honestly don't find it that bad? they were in a war, and the final control room was basically just supposed to end it quicker. the l'manbergians made it clear they were going to fight to the death, so they really left c!dream no other choice. and it's not like he didn't give them chances to give up.

also yeah the 9 year old thing was retconned, because in that case c!dream would've been 14 and i don't think that's true.

c!tommy and c!dream were both young and once again, in a war. the final control room was an attempt to assure victory, which both sides would've taken if possible, but only c!dream saw he had the option.

i do agree the whole child soldier thing was bad but... complain about that to c!wilbur, methinks. he talked naive kids into fighting for his personal power. however, the age argument isn't really valid either way. they had enough agency to sign up for it, and whether or not c!wilbur pushing the intense nationalism onto them had something to do with that is another debate entirely.

Bacl to final control room cus like??? Also fun fact punz took 2 of wilbur's canon lives. And like that probably is what started wilbur's paranoia which later lead to his spiral and i. Many thoughts full of lmanburg today.

i'm pretty sure cc!wilbur said what lead to c!wilbur's spiral was a "dark, twister view of possessions" and "disregard for his fellow citizen whom he claimed to love so much", but i really wouldn't say it was the control room; if anything the sudden loss of power after the elections seems to me like the trigger for his spiral.

I watched the exile arc live and. I feel dirty almost for feeling little to no sympathy for c!dream (srry ive been forgetting to add that aa) because of his actions toward c!tommy and like. The whole probation was so humiliating and unfair and c!dream was planning to frame him for the crimes he and puffy did under the the guise of "pranks" and c!quackity was planning to seize the vice president role.

i mean... to be fair, if you didn't watch the prison arc much yet or only watch tommy's perspective i understand not feeling that sympathetic - however, i encourage you to maybe watch a few prison visits, since they could help you see the whole picture better!

i also watched it live, and i also thought it was terrible, but i share very much the same sentiment for the prison arc because. absolutely no one should have to go through either of those things, you know?

i don't think probation was that humiliating? he was just. being asked to not start conflict with the other factions for two weeks. of course, what happened as a result is in no way justified, but i don't think probation itself would've been bad at all. either way yeah the framing and c!quackity's behaviour was. very yikes, i agree.

Also c!tommy antis are dumb because they say "he deserved exile angry emoji" i dont see u saying that about ranboo. Just say you hate cc!tommy and go. Also people say c!tommy was just as toxic to c!dream and i??? No. One is the victim and one is the abuser and like. :/// man. This part is rambly srry

i wouldn't say they hate cc!tommy? cc!tommy has a persona who people think is annoying at first ( but then they subscribe because he is super entertaining big man! ) but a lot of c!tommy's actions are straight up toxic to certain characters, such as c!funndy and c!jack. he has a very dismissive attitude towards others and their trauma and it does affect the people around them very negatively.

examples; his repeated bullying and behavior towards fundy:

Tommy: “Fundy, I’m just here to kinda let you know that I – if you weren’t Wilbur’s son, you would be out of L’manburg, alright? Just remember – you need to keep that relationship with your father. I saw how asshole-y and bratty you were acting in the courtroom the other night. You need to pull your shit together young man.”

......

Fundy: “I’m wearing glasses…are you making fun of my eyesight?!”

Tommy: “Yes.”

Sapnap: “Your father would be very disappointed.”

Fundy: “Wh – disappointed for wearing glasses?!”

Tommy: “You got glasses, like what are you wearing…”

Fundy: “What do you mean?”

Tommy: “Sapnap, Sapnap, over here. Fundy, Fundy, Fundy, I’m really sorry to say this – I’m just here to publicly denounce you.”

Fundy: “…What?”

( credit for transcript: @/findingjoynweirdstuff )

he's also responsible for a big chunk of c!jack's trauma, both with actions and words, and that's why i think certain people might dislike the character, and i don't think that's wrong of them. anyone can dislike any character they want if they don't attack people for liking them, in my opinion.

also c!tommy was most definitely toxic against c!dream in the cell. it's of course understandable but that doesn't change the fact he was constantly hitting and insulting him (without dream doing anything back for a long while until he snapped) which is toxic behaviour.

i wouldn't say he was "just as" though, so i agree with you on that. they're different and they behave differently.

i made a dream blob keychain today. Is it possible to send images if u wanna see? Idk cus i havent used tumblr before. I think that's all for now. Thx for letting me talk :D peepoShy -curious anon (but fr a connoreatspants c!dream redemption arc would be cool)

yooo that's cool! i don't really,,, know if it's possible to send images? try it out and if it isn't i'll try find a way to turn it on.

also, no problem! just please remember this is a c!dream sympathetic blog, and me as well as my followers are uhh,, oftentimes emotionally attached / personally relate to the character, so if you could avoid sending hate on the character (not that you have or that i expect you to, just a friendly reminder) in the asks that would be great! we already see a lot of it unwillingly so, i'd rather not see more, but as long as the discussion is civil i'm absolutely ok with you asking more and with me answering more questions if you'd want to! :)

if anyone else would like to reblog this and add some things i might've missed with my answers, feel free to, just go easy on her (she uses she/her pronouns!) and keep it factual.

i hope u had a good or at least ok time at school today :D

thanks! i gtg now because exam tomorrow but i'm going to try write the redemption essay tomorrow as well because ohhh boy i have a lot of ideas about what all i could write around the concept.

also sorry this was long, i can't keep my tongue on the leash :[

[whiskeyjack]

I absolutely hear you on a lot of what you said about Rio’s development this season, but I don’t think the show is saying that Nick’s comment about Lucy’s murder is what we’re supposed to think about it. That’s just what Nick thinks, and considering the way they’ve portrayed him, I really don’t think we’re meant to agree with him. In fact I thought we were supposed to do the opposite. Why do you think the show itself is reframing what happened through him? I’m curious in your reading of that

(x)

you know? you make an excellent point. this one also got unintentionally REALLY long, so it is too, under the cut haha

-shout out to @jade-marie and @00gangfriend00, without them I don’t know how coherent this entire response would be haha

Alright, well firstly, I think it’s unfortunately clear that even some of the show’s writers don’t actually have a good grasp on the events leading up to Lucy’s death, both during s3 and now. It seems like depending on who is talking, and the timing of the discussion, the answer will shift. It is… really hard to speculate sometimes when the writers don’t even know the reason behind a scene. However, since it’s canon - whatever the reason or goal of the scene - I’m just going to go on my merry way and create/keep my own interpretation.

The more I thought about your ask, the more I realized, yeah, through Nick’s scripted words alone, they aren’t necessarily reframing what happened, since Nick does seem to be unaware of much of the entire sequence of events regarding Lucy: “So… you were just gunna, what, keep it to yourself?”. Assuming the diner scene with the cop was the first time he heard about it, his impression most likely wouldn’t be a fair representation of what actually happened. So, this is me eating my own words from before, so I apologize for using his quotes to reinforce my idea. This is simply my opinion, and it does regularly change quite a bit… I am wrong a lot haha

To some degree, I think reframing or shifting of some sort is kind of unavoidable when a show continues a plotline from a previous season, especially in addition to incorporating new characters into the past events. Nonetheless, I do think that the show is deliberately in fact reframing Lucy’s death and why it happened - through Rio’s backstory & POVs, Nick’s character development, and the show’s choice to show Rio having a lack of scars.

1. The backstory and Rio POVs

According to the backstory we’ve been given so far, Nick is this person who apparently is so deeply entrenched in Rio’s life and decision-making but he doesn’t know 1) that Rio killed someone, 2) the fact that Rio killed Lucy for Beth (as opposed to killing Annie, Ruby or Beth), and 3) why, which makes me wonder how exactly they are using Lucy’s death as a plotline in combination with Nick and Rio’s relationship. As I said in my previous post, I believe that the events leading up to and including Lucy’s death were heavily tied into if not directly a reaction to the shooting in 2.13.

According to this season, it seems Nick is Rio’s backstory, and Rio is Nick’s. So far, we’ve gotten approximately eight Rio POV scenes, separate from the girls, including flashbacks (excluding the Fitz kill):

4.02:

-the police station

4.08:

-baby Rio (rotten eggs with Nick)

-teenage Rio (the boxing scene(s)/contrasted with Nick’s POV on the golf course)

-teenage Rio (locker room theft)

-teenage Rio (grandma/stove and locker room arrest)

-adult Rio (outside the police station)

-teenage Rio (with Nick, kitchen flashback - I think this is more just an omniscient POV, however)

4.09:

-the boxing scene (with Nick)

With the exception of the police station in 4.02, Nick has been present in some capacity in each one of these Rio POV scenes. Since it’s only been through the flashbacks that we’re getting the main context of their relationship, it’s clear that the storyline the show is perpetuating this season is that Nick and Rio’s characters are very tightly weaved together in some capacity. And have been historically.

Rio, as a teenager, was a victim of Nick’s early manipulative actions, but in the end, it made him money, so (we are able to gather) he was able to justify falling into a criminal relationship with him. After Rio’s six-month stint in prison, he spent (probably) the entire time resenting Nick (and also, this is where he most importantly - in my opinion - developed adult Rio’s mannerisms haha jk).

So, moving forward with this knowledge, let’s take a look at their adult relationship.

2. Nick’s character development (in relation to Rio)

First and foremost, with Rio, in s1-3, he was an enigmatic, charismatic, clever, powerful, king who loved money, was in charge of every decision, well-connected, and a man of few words etc etc. Now, while Rio is being given more facets as more and more of his relationship with Nick is revealed and explored: he is being illustrated as someone who is dependant on his likely long-time abuser. This may be the case, absolutely, but, in my opinion, takes away from the last three years of work the show put into the character Rio mentioned above, including Manny’s nuanced acting. The reveal of Nick’s current power dynamic over Rio (at least the abusive part) in this past episode was quite jarring and seemed incredibly OOC of the Rio I personally know and love from past seasons, and, it kind of came out of nowhere, in my opinion. To be clear, I have nothing against the storyline of Rio being a victim (have you read my fic? haha), but I think that the way they are progressing this storyline is too abrupt and lacks the subtleties that I would have preferred to see with something like this. Especially considering this is canon.

Returning to the original point though, by assuming this abuser/abused dynamic is where the show is taking Nick and Rio’s relationship, that means that Nick likely seeks to control Rio’s life and decisions as much as he can (props to @00gangfriend00 for this articulation). Related and important side note: @jade-marie pointed out to me that by setting a preceding occurrence of physical mistreatment, the show is (unintentionally) establishing Rio as someone who is stuck in a cycle of abuse, and who seems to seek out abusive relationships and probably misunderstands abuse as intimacy. Rio’s relationships with both Beth and Nick demonstrate this. How much shit they’re both clearly able to get away with, and still have power over him. Which I think is an incredibly problematic message to be sending. This is a critical point, especially regarding the scars/acknowledgement of the shooting, because it offers the writer’s an excuse to write off the entire shooting, and by doing so, they are validating this cycle of abuse. (I won’t apologize for this particular tangent, because I really hope the writers acknowledge the damage this storyline could do if they don’t properly see it through this season)

Since it was confirmed that Nick didn’t know about Lucy (even though Rio supposedly got the alibi of the boxing tickets from him) Rio was, presumably, hiding the true extent (or the entirety) of his relationship with Beth from him. Which - I think from a writer’s perspective - does benefit the show, if they choose not to circle back to the shooting. This also allows them the freedom to ‘pretend’ that Rio got over it by himself. Obviously, there are a lot of issues and plot holes with that in itself, but to me, because Lucy’s death wasn’t something that Nick already knew about, combined with the lack of clarity of who Beth is to Rio in Nick’s mind - he doesn’t know about either the shooting or the consequences of it.

3. The lack of scars

Alright, so lastly - the show’s decision to not put scars on Rio. I think this was absolutely a conscious decision, there must have been at least one person in the building that thought of the fact that a shirtless Manny without scars couldn’t just be brushed aside. As a result, I, personally, think this demonstrates that the show is done with shooting. Pretending it never happened, erasing the trauma, moving on, yeah. Obviously, as I said, I vehemently don’t agree with this direction but I think it’s clear it’s a storyline the show doesn’t want to circle back to. Otherwise, Nick would know about Beth and Rio’s history. Otherwise, Nick would know about Lucy. Otherwise, there would be scars. This is my own opinion of course, but I’m making it based off of a couple of Nick’s lines: “Did you [kill Lucy] for [Beth]?” and in 4.08 when he talks to Beth, “So what’s the deal with you and [Rio]? […] Anyone who wears a cardigan, shouldn’t be doing what he does.” He generally seems unaware of the true state of Beth and Rio’s history and is probably genuinely curious about it considering the amount of control he has (or wants to have) over Rio.

I think that because all of the Rio POVs we’ve had are linked to Nick, I made the jump that we are supposed to believe Nick’s influence is/was at the heart of many of Rio’s decisions in the past. Obviously, during s2 and s3 writing and production, they didn’t actually know they were going to get a s4 or do a Rio backstory, so the fact is, that the character they wrote called Rio then, was someone entirely different from today’s Rio. However, we’re watching different seasons of Good Girls, not a different show from one year to the next. I think because this is the backstory we’re getting, the show is implying that this was the case all along. That s2 and s3 Rio made all of those decisions with Nick, someone he was scared of, hanging over his head in some capacity. Or somewhere in his vicinity. That’s why I have a problem with the implication that Lucy’s death was phrased the way it was, without the scars present. They coated that dialogue with innuendos about Beth and Rio’s sexual history, which is also quite layered, but at least that connection I get. It reminds us that Rio was betrayed in more ways than one. However, without the scars present, and Nick seemingly unaware of the shooting, how does the show intend to justify Lucy’s death with the audience? None of it makes sense. Jade was so incredibly helpful; she cohesively summarized the events - by erasing 2.13, they are erasing Rio’s motivations for 3.05. I just want it to make sense 😩

[vaguely-concerned]

The Mandalorian Chapter 15 reactions; *nobby nobbs voice* ‘s all gone a bit percychological, sir

 - so from both chapter 6 and now this: rick famuyiwa is incredible at portraying prolonged discomfort and tension (and also at getting din’s endless love for that baby across through the stress of being separated from him. this is the very first episode with no baby in it at all, isn’t it? wow that’s a heartbreaking milestone to reach im crying)

I liked this episode SO MUCH but I had to pause it pretty often and take a breather because it all made me so viscerally uncomfortable on din’s behalf -- not just the armour and having to take the helmet off and be seen for the (almost, ilu IG-11) first time in decades, people keep touching him in this episode when he clearly doesn’t want them to but can’t stop it and it makes me want to claw my own skin off in sympathy, it’s so awful. that’s really neat film making to manage to keep that tension steady almost all the way through!!! 

honestly this episode felt a little bit like psychological horror, with the cheering storm troopers and din in the wrong armour and clearly not digging it and there’s the palpable absence of baby and that ever present dread of being Perceived when you’re not ready for it; everything’s turned upside down from how it should be. and it’s playing with that discomfort both in the main character and in us, the audience, in having the familiar be made unfamiliar and also introducing these questions that shake up everything (that feeling you get of ‘but... if it’s not the helmet, and not the armour, but there’s his face, but we’ve only seen that face once before so it’s still basically new to us, is this... is this still him. is this still Dad’ (oooh I wonder if we’re... sort of getting some of the ??? the baby would be feeling about it too?) we’ve all imprinted on that t-shaped visor like little baby birds, and this was a very clever episode to break us out of that and start to really get used to the thought of him having several faces that are real simultaneously, in a way, and not just a voice. it’s all very smart and interesting and I’m sure I’ll have a lot of incoherent thoughts about this in the weeks to come lol)    

- the actual reason din can’t take off the helmet is that if people were able to see his wide confused puppy eyes they would no longer find it in themselves to send him on long arduous side missions and would help him immediately just so he’d feel better, and that would rob us of like 80% of the content for this show 

mayfeld in this episode: clearly a casualty of this. he literally sees one glimpse of the vulnerability there and then within five seconds goes on to materialize a few redeeming character traits after being a complete jackass for an episode and a half. (I mean. he was 100% still an imperial so I’m a bit ‘hm.’ about how easily especially cara let him off the hook, but with the way it was set up I guess it would have been quite shitty of them to just throw him back in prison so I mean I GUESS. I would be endlessly grateful someone got my awkward bff out of there alive and well too I suppose)

- I actually think din’s sense/integrity of self has gotten so much stronger and more resilient (though probably still quite fragile pls handle with care precious cargo within); if this had happened in the first season I think it might honestly just have killed him (and if it weren’t for IG-11 it probably would have lol)

- can you beLIEVE din is so bad at lying that they literally should plan for contingencies over it fjkasdlhfskajdhfsdj     

- very grateful for the scene with the spear throw that’s basically there to reassure us ‘uh-huh, he absolutely knows how to use it, don’t worry about that part at least’

I want to make a whole post about that fight scene, though, it’s just so GOOD! there’s so much storytelling and characterization in it! even out of the armour din has some real hand to hand MOVES!! he clearly came out of that aching all over, he can barely get back in his seat!!!

- so what I’m mainly taking away from this is that din absolutely cuts his own hair and you know what? he does a good job considering the conditions he has to work under, I love him  

I still find it so goddamn darling that he meticulously maintains that little mustache/stubble combo under there even when there’s every reason to believe no one will ever see it 

I suppose we can also gather that he did not ask cobb about whatever insane feat of magic he’s come up with to avoid helmet hair, but I don’t care looking a bit frazzled and tousled is exactly right for him (he’s so put together when he’s in the armour and a MESS when he’s out of it and I  l o v e  it) 

- boba fett is honestly so fucking hot in this I don’t know what to do with myself haha. he’s so CALM and CALCULATED and COLLECTED in his newly painted armour and he’s GOT THIS and he made that ‘I’ve got one of those faces. one of jango’s many, many, many faces’ joke and he’s so thicc now, he looks like he could easily lift me over his head with one hand and he’s just quietly steady and undramatically supportive and sdalfhsdjhfsa 

- ...din does know who the clone troopers were, right. I mean of course he does. he has to. but does he though. I’m sure he does and just wasn’t thinking. 

- no matter how stressful it was I’m still really grateful that in the end taking the helmet off was something din got to do himself -- it’s under some duress, but it’s still his choice and for the sake of the baby, and almost in two more manageable steps between putting on the storm trooper gear for a different helmet before taking it off altogether. it’s not something done to him by gideon, for example, that would be. so much yuckier and worse. he still has that control and agency intact, even if it’s been tested really hard, and now gideon doing that doesn’t hold the exact same nightmarish power anymore because there’s already a little space opened in din’s mind for different things it can mean, if you see what I mean. I’m not sure I see what I mean actually I just have a lot of feelings haha. so I guess thank you mayfeld for being decent about it and helping him towards that realization that he can still be himself outside these really really inflexible structures he’s set up around himself for like. stability and keeping himself upright for a really long time, and that even someone halfway decent won’t disrespect the boundaries he still has about it at any given moment. man there’s a lot in this episode isn’t there

- the sigh din gave when he saw even more pirates coming and knew he had to get back up... never has a single moment in cinema better captured how I feel about being alive. most relatable man in the world din djarin

- it was really cruel of them to make me listen to din’s dead bleak voice say ‘the child is gone’ again, it wrecks my heart every goddamn time 

- again... I wish carano wasn’t Like That in real life because the cara & fennec scenes should have been everything I could ever dream. ah well fennec was still wonderful and if I just allow myself to think in-universe for a few seconds it was really touching that din would entrust cara with his entire armour, that’s some prime BrOTP energy right there

I love that we got two female characters who were just allies and working together, no competition or nothin’. listen the bar is low but it’s nice to see something actually leap gracefully over it as well lol

- this was one of those with some pretty big open plot holes (why, exactly, would a scan of a completely unknown face be helpful to get into this classified system lol), but a) I don’t care, the emotional storyline was so sound it doesn’t really matter and b) eh handwave handwave let’s say mayfeld programmed that little stick with the good shit and overrode the code saying there needed to be an identity match within the system, it’s all fine 

- I know I joke a lot about this but din really is one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever had. just watching him struggle with eye contact and going pretty much nonverbal under enough stress is like. wow a bit close to home there could we, perhaps, nOT?? (honestly though these are trauma/anxiety things I really don’t see portrayed a lot, especially in protagonists, it’s so odd but healing to see it in a character I love and who’s EXTREMELY competent in many other settings)

- din repeating gideon’s speech back to him word for word (except for the crucial detail that he calls grogu ‘him’ instead of ‘it’ 😭😭😭) and saying nothing else is truly Everything. I’ve said some stuff about din’s deliberate and thoughtful relationship to language in the past and this is such an amazing example of it; he’s remembered that pitch perfect all this time, he’s kept it around in his head and mulled it over and then redeployed it to change the meaning of it completely from dehumanization to love. can you. can you even imagine. and it’s yet another example of his hilarious wonderful petty streak and I can never get enough of it fasjhdfkjalhs    

- din always noticing the children first and foremost Y_______Y (the kids running by is the only thing you see him sort of acknowledge when he’s walking into the covert in season 1 too)  

- please... please I just need him to be able to hold that baby against his chest all safe and sound and okay again I can’t it’s........ hh

NO SEASON END CLIFF HANGER ON THIS I AM  B E G G I N G  YOU 

- I would be having some thoughts about how much space there actually is on slave 1 and what that might mean (do not kill boba again please don’t kill him again), but honestly there’s only ‘GET BABY’ hours in here now, I can’t speculate about anything

[isaacsapphire]

(re: the fanfiction research thing) Colt like the guns? I know nothing about him but now I'm curious. What should I ask you? :P

Yeah, Colt like the guns. Samuel Colt, the real historical figure who invented a workable repeating firearm, and became particularly associated with revolvers. The early seasons of TV show Supernatural featured some lore involving various things that their fictional version of Samuel Colt did, including make a revolver that could kill anything, including supernatural entities that were otherwise difficult or impossible to kill by other means that is very important to the plot.

Anyways, the dates given by the TV show were actually a little wonky when you dig into the timeline for the real Samuel Colt... Which I did because that was my special interest at the time, and I discovered that if you really dug into it, which I did because I was bored with my actual college work and happened to have access to a particularly good library and the balls to get into microfiche when necessary, there was an INSANE story of international travel, love, murder, social climbing, the very first American media circus trial, bigamy, possibly more murder, a knife that nobody ever described the same way twice, bad spelling, and some seriously ride-or-die brothers.

Seriously, this is my drunk history pick, and I'm just going to shit this out right now before bed time and without looking anything up or linking. I'll link on a reblog later tomorrow or something.

So, Sam and John were two of like 7+ kids, Sam being one of the younger ones. I kinda get the impression that Sam was always the "I'm playing around with stuff that goes boom" kid, and he got kicked out of a boarding school as a teen for blowing up their pond trying to invent a better naval mine (like a landmine, but in the water for blowing up boats).

He wasn't a gunsmith, but he had an idea for a better repeating firearm and got a bunch of people he knew, including several members of his large extended family, to invest in his business venture. Step 1 was to get patents for this gun design all over the world in preparation for being eligible for big arms contracts with multiple nations. (Step 3 absofuckinglutly was "profit" BTW, but there were some bumps in the road before that actually happened.)

So, Sam was like, 20 something on this big venture capital funded Grand Tour, because you had to physically go to each countries' patent office back then, and you had to take a ship between a lot of countries, so this was pretty time consuming and involved a lot of hanging out on fairly nice ocean liners for weeks at a time. And while on one of these long ocean voyages, Sam met a nice young German woman named Caroline Henshaw who he married. However, due to her heavy accent and possibly other reasons as well, the fact of Sam's marriage was kept quiet and not public knowledge.

Fast forward several years; Sam is now getting all up into Washington DC lobbying because now he's trying to get the US government to buy a shit ton of his guns, and of course there's political drama about that because there's always some drama about that kind of thing. Sam is enjoying going to dinner with important people. Sam is also making political enemies.

Meanwhile, his big brother John lives in NYC and had written a book. However, the publisher owed him money, so John confronted him about it. Nobody knows for sure what happened next, but at the end of it, the publisher was dead due to some blunt force trauma courtesy of John, who proceeded to try and cover up this fact by putting the body into a box and having it shipped to New Orleans. Or anyways that was the plan, but the ship the box was on was delayed and it was hot and the body smelled really bad so the whole thing was discovered and John's involvement became known.

Cue an absolute uproar of a trial, since the brother of this dude who's trying to get a government contract is accused of murdering a dude who owed him money. The press had an absolute field day as more salacious details came out... Like that unmarried John shared his house with an (apparently) unmarried woman; Caroline Henshaw. The trial was, as best as I could tell, a shitshow. Caroline gave birth during the trial (not like, in the courtroom tho), named her son "Samuel Colt Jr" and brought the infant to court. I never got my hands on the trial record itself, but the newspaper articles said that on the last day of the trial, the prosecution changed their position on what they said the murder weapon was, from being a paperweight or something, to being one of his brother's cutting edge guns he was trying to sell the government. Despite this kind of incompetent fuckery, the jury convicted John of murder, to his shock; John had maintained he had been acting in self defense and the killing was justified.

Between the time of conviction and his scheduled hanging, both Sam and Caroline visited John regularly in prison, and a day or two before the hanging, John married Caroline in a very small ceremony in his cell, witnessed by his brother Sam. The next day, before John was to be hanged, a fire broke out at the prison and kept everyone there occupied for several hours. When they got back to John's cell, they found a dead body of a man who apparently committed suicide by stabbing himself in the heart with a knife that is not consistently described. A hasty inquest was formed the next day, consisting entirely of people who had never met John in life, which concluded that the body was indeed John and had died of suicide.

Caroline Henshaw and son were thereafter financially supported by Samuel, who sent them to Europe for years and years. Multiple people thought they saw John in Texas years afterwards. Samuel married a good social climbing match, leveraging his wealth into class. He ever afterwards referred to the boy as "my nefu" complete with the quotation marks and atrocious spelling because Samuel Colt was unusually bad at spelling. Supposedly, when Samuel Colt died, Samuel Colt Jr showed up with his mother's marriage license to Samuel Colt and claimed his chunk of the estate, but I didn't get those legal documents either so I can't confirm that.

[sandraoledan]

An Opinion Piece on Vis A Vis: A Bittersweet Goodbye

The start of a new decade marked the end of our beloved series, Vis A Vis. I can feel the 'post-series depression' already; in other words, that empty feeling at the pit of your stomach once a show has ended. In fact, I feel as if it has tripled for this series specifically, because of the three different time periods explored in the five seasons and the consequently different reactions I had to each period. Let me expound.

Seasons 1-2: What won me over initially

What really won my heart over with this show was Macarena's evolution during her time in prison. Initially, she was innocent, naïve, and defenseless, often finding herself at the mercy of Cruz del Sur's many villains; such as drug-trafficking Anabel, closeted pedophile Sandoval, and of course, the ever-scheming Zulema. A common theme was her constant need to be saved or protected; this was evident in almost all of her relationships - with her parents, her brother, and love interests Rizos & Fabio. We later find out that one of the reasons why she decided to be with Rizos was because she felt alone and afraid. Her feeble attempts at survival were frustrating; you wanted her to be stronger; you wanted her to push back against her bullies and win. You wanted to see a protagonist with confidence.

Because it took her the entirety of the first season to do this, her eventual dominion of Cruz del Sur in Season 2 was intensely satisfying. She became a better survivor: through boxing, she found a cathartic outlet and used her newfound physical prowess to overcome Annabel's thugs when they came to permanently deafen her with a wire in the bathroom. She became secure - or at least, so we thought - in her evolving identity, embracing her bisexuality as she fell more in love with Rizos. She bought Bambi from Anabel to put an end to the latter's remorseless abuse, and offered love and affection to Rizos upon discovering her rape by Valbuena; for the first time, we see Macarena as the protector instead of the protected. But this show wouldn't be emotionally complex if her character's development was so perfectly absolute: she was still reliant on Fabio, confusing her desperation to escape prison with feelings for him. Her shock at his deception, however in good faith, coupled with the news of her mother's death, witnessing the cold-blooded murder of her father, and becoming a murderer herself, triggered a spiral into darkness. It was a beautifully tragic display of the destruction of her initially strong moral compass. She turned to drugs, ended her relationship with Rizos in the most heartbreaking way, and isolated herself from the other inmates. This change in Maca was something I was excited to see play out in seasons 3 and 4; I wanted to see her redemption arc. However, due to conflicts in schedule, the actress that players her, Maggie Civantos, was only able to play Maca for a mere five episodes across the two new seasons. While the actress cannot be blamed for this, her departure led to a string of creative decisions that, in my opinion, slightly compromised the quality of Seasons 3-4.

Season 3: A decline in quality...

The first criticism stems from the time jump from Cruz del Sur to Cruz del North; there were many cliffhangers left unaddressed. Specifically, they were reactions we didn't get to see, such as Sole finding out her husband, Fernando, was murdered; the inmates finding out that Saray got pregnant, and of course, more importantly, the change in Maca after she decides (at the end of Season 2) to go back to prison instead of running away as a fugitive. The absence of these scenes automatically undermined our emotional investment in the show and created a misalignment between the reaction of the viewers and the non-reaction of the characters actually living out the story. Additionally, many key characters were so dependent on the development of Maca's story, that Civantos' departure from the show necessitated an abrupt end to their storylines (i.e. her brother Roman & prison guard and love interest Fabio), which felt contrived. Even more forced was the relationship between Rizos & Inspector Nerea: similar to Roman & Fabio, Rizos' character was so dependent on Maca that it seems like the writers felt pressured to "recreate" their romance with someone new. Not only did this spectacularly fail, as her short-lived relationship with Nerea felt rushed, disingenuous and random, but it also cheapened Rizos in the sense that she became one-dimensional, only capable of pursuing relationships recklessly and nothing more. This was confirmed implicitly by the writers, as throughout the two seasons, they struggled to give Rizos anything meaningful to do and gave her the most dissatisfactory ending of all the inmates in the finale. I found this extremely disappointing because I enjoyed her character's story arc in the first two seasons. In the same vein, enter Mercedes, who replaced Maca as one of the protagonists in Season 3. Her story and eventual demise was fruitless: she was not charismatic and did not form relationships with any of the inmates, the latter point I think being a crucial mistake on the part of the writers. So while they believed they upped the ante by giving her a brutal death, honestly, I don't think anyone cared much. We simply wanted Maca back.

Season 4: ...Redeemed by our favourite villains

While Season 3 was a far cry from the quality of the first two seasons, arguably Season 4 managed to redeem them. First and foremost, was the character development of our favourite villains, Saray and Zulema. While Zulema was the perfect villain in the first two seasons, I worried that her relentless need to escape prison made her predictable. By introducing her secret daughter, Fatima, and her estranged mother, this changed Zulema's dynamic entirely: whereas we once saw a cold and calculating criminal who would do anything and kill anyone to break free, we now saw a woman jaded by the injustices and traumas of her past. We could relate to her that much more. Watching Zulema fall to her knees, begging Sandoval to stop the rape of her daughter, was one of the most powerful scenes of the entire series, because a compromising Zulema seemed so unfathomable before. The chilling murder of Fatima was matched by an inflamed Zulema, and her passion as a mother finally eclipsing her need to escape was a well-developed, well-executed arc. We have a similar situation with Saray; with the birth of her daughter, instead of her sporadic episodes of violence, she channeled her passions into her newborn. The scene where she had to say goodbye to Estrella, as well as that scene where she showed her to Zulema as a way to make amends, were so tender, and beautifully contrasted with her previous tendencies to rage at the smallest things. This was of course helped by the gentle refrain of the soundtrack playing whenever Saray and Estrella were on screen together (as a side note, the scoring of this series was consistently excellent;  the melancholic melodies foreshadowed the inevitable tragedies of the characters onscreen. Other standout examples include the melodies played during Maca and Rizos' intimate scenes, and Fatima's theme.) Additionally, the fact that it was Saray who had the courage and heart to mercy kill Sole, just emphasized the growth of her empathy and the change in her character.

One cannot mention Season 4 without bringing up the tear-jerking reunion between Rizos and Maca. Watching them stare at each other in disbelief after not seeing each other for eight months was an incredibly emotional scene. Even Civantos admitted during an interview that that scene was "the most beautiful scene in her entire career". Seeing their chemistry made me lament even more the absence of Civantos throughout the two seasons, as I would have loved to see that familiar push and pull in their relationship playing out under the different circumstances of Season 4, and particularly, a more hardened and jaded Maca. Nevertheless, this reunion scene was arguably the best that the writers could've given us as closure between the two, so I applaud them for this.

Ultimately, there were a number of dissatisfactory decisions made in Seasons 3-4, but they were still very entertaining seasons. It is important to note that the episodes were more or less twenty minutes shorter than the episodes from the first two seasons, so I can understand the limitations that placed creatively on the writers and directors on top of having to work around Civantos' departure.

Vis A Vis: El Oasis - A grave injustice

So what made Vis A Vis successful? The evolutions and relationships of the characters, both protagonist and secondary. How every character existed purposefully, with a backstory we could empathize with. The constant battle between morality and survival. El Oasis, unfortunately, failed to capitalize on its predecessor's strengths, bringing nothing new to the lives of our favourite characters. The storytelling was convoluted and often times confusing; at best, the episodes evoked feelings of dissatisfaction within the viewers. Ultimately, most fans will dismiss this spin-off as a consequence of being exposed to the deserts of El Oasis for too long: a mere hallucination.

My first criticism concerns how little actually happened over the course of the eight episodes. My reaction after every episode was the same: I'd process the story unfolding, then get shocked when the (approximately) 45 minutes would already be over. So much time would pass, and yet there was so little exposition. Each episode would leave the previous episode's questions mostly unanswered, and gave rise to even more questions. I realized quickly this was due to the unnecessary increase in supporting characters, with close to no development of backstory. For instance: how did Zulema know Ama? Ama's confrontation with Maca was so brief, and she ended up killing herself. As one of the villains, it made the build-up of her character pointless. What was the point of Flaca? She spent most of her screen time bleeding out only to be killed. You could argue it was to show that high-stakes heists inevitably have risks and collateral damage. Well, sure, but I don't think people cared much for her character because they gave us nothing to care about. Who was she to Maca but someone who occasionally chimed in on Maca's contributions to their therapy sessions? What was the point of the school bus full of kids visiting El Oasis if they were all just going to be let go so easily by Ramala's henchmen? You could argue it was to reveal Goya's past with bullying, when she intervened and beat up Eric's bullies; or it could be because Vivi needed to meet someone that felt isolated like her, to give her character more dimension. Either way, both reasons feel contrived. If something cannot be justified naturally, then it feels forced. Cepo, Goya and Triana were all interesting supporting characters, so it felt like such a waste that their characters weren't given anything interesting to do.

What also elicited questions was the very disjointed narrative: there was a constant jumping of timelines mixed in with flashbacks, so nobody ever really knew when anything was happening. Doing that without properly developing the events actually occuring at that present time had the dual effect of leaving the audience confused and made us feel emotionally detached from the plot and the characters. Most significantly: how did Maca and Zulema go from taking cute polaroids together and Zulema calling Maca her home, to them wanting to turn on each other? Instead of expounding on important plot points like these, the audience was given fillers with non-essential characters. What is the point of making a spin-off dedicated to the relationship between Zulema and Maca if their story was going to remain underdeveloped? Additionally, a fan online calculated that they only got 30 minutes out of over 360 potential minutes screen time together; that is only 8%. It is no surprise the fans were extremely disappointed.

Moreover, underdevelopment came in the form of stasis, or a state of inactivity. A majority of the season saw the protagonists waiting around the hotel, which was honestly boring. For instance, we saw a number of episodes where Goya and Triana were essentially just watchdogs over Kati, and nothing more. This was worsened by the use of dialogue. In earlier seasons of Vis A Vis, dialogue was one of the main drivers of the plot; in El Oasis, not unlike the supporting character fillers, not much what said, and when things were said, they didn't add much to the story (save for a few exceptions). It made the actors' acting seem flat, which is unfair to the actors as we saw their moments of brilliance in the earlier seasons. Additionally, a stylistic choice that pervaded El Oasis was the drawn out moments of every scene; for instance, when Zulema looked over Ama's dead body in the desert - that was given a whole five minutes of screentime. All these points hammer home the idea that while things were happening, they were 1) things that did not do much to drive a compelling plot and 2) were things the audience did not care about. It is clear the writers were trying to be different from the original series, and also tried to do too much. As the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Arguably, they failed on both accounts.

Finally, the finale itself warrants its own paragraph of criticism. The most glaring flaw was the way Zulema's death was executed. In the promotional videos leading up to this finale, we hear Zulema say to Maca: "igual en la vida, igual en la muerte" i.e. equal in life, and equal in death. This was an idea initially introduced by Altagracia in Season 3. Thus, Zulema dying while Maca got to live was not consistent with what they were teasing in their marketing materials. Still, one could argue that Zulema had to die because she had terminal cancer anyway, and this would be her epic redemption arc. To which I would I concede that yes, this finale could have been satisfactory and logical even with Zulema's death. However, the manner of her death was inconsistent with her character. Throughout the series, we are made to associate Zulema with a scorpion; as a "bad bug that never dies." Zulema had an intrinsic need to survive, no matter the cost. So even if she ended up dying, there was no way that Zulema wouldn't have plotted to at least attempt to survive, whether that be a scheme involving a fake death or even in her actual death scene itself where we saw her putting her guns down in submission to Ramala's henchmen. In the same vein, it did not make sense that, upon realizing Zulema was sacrificing herself for Maca and her unborn baby, that Maca replied with a simple "Gracias" and ran away. There should have been one of two options: a scuffle with Zulema, wherein she refuses to leave her there alone to die. Or two, a scene where she is speaking to her son about Zulema's legacy. The absence of these key scenes disrespects and almost overtly disregards the very complicated and rich relationship the two had together, as if all they had been through meant nothing.

Overall, the spin-off unfortunately did not do justice to the story, the characters (both lead and supporting), the actors and the fans, the latter insisting on alternate endings to get closure on a story we have been following for five years. It is true that when many shows end, it is not possible to please everyone. However, I believe that the majority of the negative reviews of this spin-off could have been avoided.

In conclusion...

Ultimately, the hollowness in my chest is bittersweet: on one hand, it is telling of how emotionally invested I became in the show and its moments of brilliance, and on the other, it speaks to the disappointment I felt with the spin-off, because I had such high expectations. Regardless of the ending, however, this show will stay with me forever. I have loved experiencing romances, struggles and adversities with these characters. I have enjoyed watching the evolution of our protagonists, whether it be through redemption or a gradual descent into darkness. This is a show I will recommend to anyone, over and over. #MareaAmarilla

[shikai-the-storyteller]

Homestretch....the final Cyberverse episodes... :’(

Season 3: Episodes 21 - 26

Episode 21

Ok so before we start, I gotta fess up and say I got spoiled for something because Twitter Sucks, so I know Tarn is in this series. Here are my predictions about that: 

Megatron said he rescued Astrotrain from a tyrant. I thought he meant an Alt!Universe version of him, but now that I know This Bastard is gonna be in it, I’m guessing it’s Tarn

If Megatron DID save Astrotrain from Tarn, it’d be hilarious if Tarn & co. weren’t actually planning to kill Astrotrain, they were just using him as transport, in which case Megatron essentially car-jacked (train-jacked?) them.

As much as I rag on Tarn and the DJD I actually do genuinely love the idea of an Autobot + Decepticon teamup against the DJD THAT WOULD BE SO FRICKIN COOL....

Anyways, on to the episode!

Pics taken 10 seconds before disaster, rip Cosmos.

MEDIA BOT and Cosmos! :D GOSH COSMOS REALLY IS CONFIRMED FOR BABY THAT”S ADORABLE.....I’m so glad he’s finally back in a cartoon

OH WHOOPS I FORGOT WINDBLADE WAS FRICKIN DEAD (ish)

LUNA 3???

The “FORBIDDEN” moon? 

Chromia: You can go there anyways! Bee: Huh?  Chromia: When have the rules ever stopped you before? Bee: Fair point

BRO WHY DO YOU HAVE A TOY OF SQUIDSCREAM

aw I love all those photos of him and cosmos, that’s cute

Oh no did he quit the business because he lost Cosmos???

METEOR-FIRE what a cool name

I like this dude a lot

I love that he’s obviously depressed about losing his partner but immediately gets convinced to go break into Luna 3 lmao

HE’S GOT CUTE CAMERAS WITH HIM I love that

LMAO I was gonna say “Wow you just flip the switches alright” THEN HE JUST RIPS THE CORDS OUT I love this guy

Hmm suspicious

Aw I love the space-shots of Cybertron, what a gorgeous planet....

Oh hello cannon-fodder #418

SHOCKWAVE SHOCKWAVE SHOCKWAVE!!!!!

IT”S THE GRUDGE LMAO

It’s probably a sim that shows you the scariest thing you can think of

BLURR!!! AW THAT’S SO SAD

Ok I take it back, it’s probably like MTMTE’s “Cyberutopia” thing where it reads your memory files

Watch the cameras Bee!!!

“Bee, I don’t mean to alarm you, but the alien presence has taken over my circuits” *HEAD DOES A 180* GOSH I LOVE THIS FRICKIN SHOW

The facial expressions in this show are SO FUN Bee’s so expressive I love that

I like that Meteor-Fire is so chill about this, this ain’t his first rodeo

He just snaps his neck back into place that’s so freaky and they play it off so well lol

PRETTY SPACE BALL???? PRETTY SPACE BALL!!! HEY HASBRO CAN YOU MAKE A TOY OF THIS I WANT IT!!!!!!

Gosh I’d legit buy a gem like this if it had constellations engraved on it THAT’S SO PRETTY I LOVE IT

It’s a good thing that Bee’s got Meteor-Fire with him, this is his field!!!

Oh lmao JUST KIDDING I GUESS

Well so much for the alien, rest in pieces

I think Saling already said this in their liveblog but I love that Bee’s collecting Windblade’s parts a-la-Megaman X2 style

COSMOS!!!!!! Yay I’m so glad they got him back!!!

Meteor-Fire: Look everybody, Cosmos is back!!! :D ME TOO BUD I’m so excited to see my space-baby

RODDY AND ARCEE!!!! I love that Percy took over for Maccadam, but that’s also so sad!!! ALSO WHY HAS HE NOT FIXED HIS EYES, RATCHET PLEASE HELP THIS POOR GUY

Episode 22  

OHH PRETTY PLANET

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The background designers on this show are great

Rodimus: That place has nothing but bad memories for me Every Drift fan simultaneously: Mood....

I really don’t think they’ll bring Drift back (unless he’s like, a zombie, which would still suck) so that’s a bummer

Rodimus: *Talking about his trauma* Me, very distracted: Wow Bee looks really cute here

SERIOUSLY THOUGH THEY NEED RUNG IN THIS SERIES They need a therapist in every Transformers series, all these bots need therapy (though tbf they tried to give Starscream therapy and that sure didn’t help, pft)

GRIMLOCK MAYBE DON’T--oh ok too late WELL THERE THEY GO

Repugnis?? I don’t remember who that is

A CITY?????? PRETTY

INSECTICON

lmao the frickin voice actor for that grey dude cracked me up

BEE MAYBE DON’T IMMEDIATELY TRUST THEM

Energon masters???? What

Interesting that they used “She” for Grimlock

Affluence?? 

Oh great these guys are the Cybertronian bourgeoisie 

Oh boy they’re just wasting energon huh

THE SHOCKS????

That’s a pretty bubble but JEEZ

OH NO WHY CAN”T HE TRANSFORM??

WAIT WHERE”S THE AUDIO oh wait no OP did mention there was an audio dropout

Is Grimlock gonna make friends with the bugs!!!

OH RIGHT the bug is Repugnis 

Aw the bugs are way nicer than the bourgeoisie, surprising absolutely no one

HELL YEAH, EAT THE RICH GRIMLOCK

“If we let you go, things will change! We like things the way they are” jeez

I wonder how the Shocks came about

It frickin figures

PRISON BREAK BEE!!!!

EAT HIM GRIMLOCK!!!

“Well this is quite astonishing” cute....

YEAH I WAS WONDERING IF THEY HAD THE SAME ALT MODE they looked like they had bug-bits, I didn’t realize that thing was keeping them from transforming though

Episode 23   

Oh right Megatron has a Matrix of Leadership I FORGOT ABOUT THAT

I ALSO FORGOT WHIRL WAS IN THIS SERIES, MY BABY.....

JETFIRE WATCH OUT YOU BIG NERD

“Rack ‘n Ruin and Ratchet” OH IS THIS GONNA BE A RATCHET EPISODE??? PLEASE?????? PLEASE SAY RATCHET EPISODE

Aw poor Rack n Ruin...

RATCHET BABY BOY!!! I forgot he was a New Yorker in this series lmao

“I LOVE Jetfire!”  “I know, me too!” CUTE....

I love that every continuity has Ratchet stuck with someone who annoys him in a ship

I love that Ratchet’s not even concerned

RATCHET’S DESIGN IN CYBERVERSE IS SO CUTE...

Wait UNSPACE???? Isn’t that where they sent a bunch of bad people????

Different Quantum Frequencies??? Dimensionally aligned??? MAN I LOVE THIS GOOFY SHOW

“It’s a blue-purple” CUTE....

UH OH HERE COMES ASTROTRAIN throwing dead-end??

I love that Astrotrain is so HUGE compared to everyone else, thank you Cyberverse for my life

“Every time..” LMAO GOSH THIS SHOW IS LITERALLY THE BEST someone please make a gif of that. I love that this implies that every time someone rides in Astrotrain they get ejected at 100 mph and skid 50 ft face-first, that’s such a delightful mental image. I think this 5 second scene is legitimately one of my favorite goofs / scenes in this show IT’S JUST THAT GOOD

You can tell I really enjoyed something when I make a meme of it

IT”S ILLEGAL TO BE THIS CUTE!!!!!!!!

OK IT’S LEGITIMATELY A LITTLE FRIGHTENING TO SEE HOW HUGE ASTROTRAIN IS WHEN IN ATTACK-MODE, HE SO EASILY PICKED THEM UP but that’s why it’s cool for him to be SO much bigger than they are, I LOVE BIG CYBERTRONIANS

LMAO I LOVE ASTROTRAIN he’s such a turd to DeadEnd

“Time to pay Ratchet a house-call. ‘Cuz he’s a doctor!” I almost snorted my drink up my nose, I LOVE THE DORKY HUMOR IN THIS SHOW

I swear this series was made with me in mind

TWO HEADS, NO BRAINCELLS

You wonder if Shadow Striker and Soundwave ever just rock-paper-scissor to see who has to deal with the latest Autobot bs that day

“And we don’t” OH SHOOT THEY’RE BEING LEFT OUT OF THE DECEPTICON’S PLANS TOO...This is more dire than I thought

Man I really do love Shadow Striker and Soundwave, they’re the only competent Decepticons

OH NO NOT RATCHET!!! NO!!!!!

Ohh so Astrotrain is still a triple changer in this series!! :O

WOW A SHOT TO THE HEAD REALLY DIDN”T DO ANYTHING HUH

REST IN PIECES DEADEND lmao he and Percy both have good survival stats it seems

NICE MOVES GRANDPA glad your hips still work lol

Oh good I’m glad they actually kept the purple thing

RIP Rack n Ruin

DEADEND YOU DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT IS

YEAHHHHH SHADOW STRIKER AND SOUNDWAVE!!!!!

“You’ve been told this area is off-limits” Oh shoot so Megatron really doesn’t trust them with this huh??? Must be some serious stuff they saw while universe-hopping

“Make us” SOUNDWAVE I WOULD DIE FOR YOU MY SASSY BOY

Love that he’s pissing off this dude who’s literally 4 times his height, love my son

Shadow Striker & Soundwave are Goth / Jock solidarity

Ratchet: Yeah yeah yeah I know Cuteeee

Wow they’re really not gonna help Shadow Striker and Soundwave????

THEY’RE LITERALLY JUST DOLL-SIZE IN HIS HANDS which is probably a not great reminder for Soundwave after that Dr. Tentacle Dude incident

Astrotrain: *bops their faces together* heehee Soundwave: BI Shadow Striker: >8(

JEEZ, BYE ASTROTRAIN

THE STYLE IS SO JARRING I LOVE IT!!! I LOVE UNSPACE AND HOW IT LOOKS (especially when contrasted with the regular drawing-style of the show. Really great artistic choice!)

Oh shoot so Astrotrain can just leave whenever huh

Aw what cute high fives, man this show has such good vibes

Episode 24  

NOOOO ONLY THREE EPISODES LEFT.....

:(((((

WINDLBADE!!!! I hope she’ll be ok

DID it work?? Wait you guys still have two frickin shards left, YOU”RE SO BAD AT THIS

A SHARK????? WTF

HE JUST PICKED HER UP AND DIPPED WTF WHO IS THAT

It’s not Skybyte obviously but he’s a shark too so WHO IS THAT

OHH IS THAT THE HALL OF RECORDS???? 

Wait wtf the Decepticons are attacking?? Oh wait RACK N RUIN DID YOU REALLY TELL THEM THAT

OH NO HE FROZE

WHOA  WHAT”S HAPPENING

WHAT OPTIMUS NO

WHAT”S HAPPENING!!!!! WTF

I WAS GONNA MAKE A BSOD JOKE BUT I TAKE IT ALL BACK OPTIMUS PLEASE BE OK YOU CAN’T DIE IN THIS SERIES

Is this referencing the other time when he glitched oh no....I knew that’d come back to bite us

In other news, I love that we’re learning more about the life and (cyber)biology of Cybertron, I’m so glad we got to have pretty much almost the entire series set on Cybertron

I MEAN JUST LOOK AT THAT!!! THAT’S SO COOL!!! This is the stuff I want to see in Transformers shows!!!

Hasbro could literally make a nature documentary set on Cybertron and I’d be ecstatic. Gimme more details about their world and architecture and city stuff

“Fellow Primes, why have I been summoned?” Oh shoot so the other past primes can just jack OP’s consciousness whenever??? That frickin sucks. I do love the Atlantis vibes I’m ge HOLY FRICK IS THAT MAC

AHHHHHHHH MACCADAM!!!!!!!!!!! GRANDPA!!!!!!! PLEASE GIVE OPTIMUS DAD ADVICE!!!!!! IM SO GLAD WE GET TO SEE HIM AGAIN

Chromia: Bee are you crazy?? Bee: YES! *jumps off the ship*

I love that this weird storm cloud area is basically like an ocean, that’s so cool

OH NO BEE!!!!!!!

Jeez that startled me, the shark sounds just like Bee

“Well you’re doing a scrap job” lmao Chromia please

Oh it’s the Argon Sea, it IS an ocean pft

“An ancient evil” hooo boy

BEE he’s so cute. Wait don’t just jump down a random hole AT LEAST WAIT FOR CHROMIA

CREEPY TENTACLE STUFF AGAIN, JEEZ CYBERVERSE

KICK HIS BUTT CHROMIA

Aw man, not you too Bee

MISTRESS OF FLAME!!!! I get so excited about every IDW reference haha, I love Caminus and I love that they’re letting that still exist

JEEZ THAT”S NOT CREEPY AT ALL

Is this a Titan???? IT IS A TITAN

It’s like a Cthulu titan huh

Chromia: That is THE creepiest thing I’ve ever heard THANK YOU CHROMIA, SAME THOUGHT

Chromia’s just like “This doesn’t even come close to my Top 10 list of BS I’ve had to deal with lately”

More weird smoke, oh great

JEEZ THAT’S A FREAKY TITAN

Me, crying softly: GAY RIGHTS....(and Bee). MAN THE FRIENSHIPS IN THIS SHOW ARE SO GREAT :’)

ALCHEMIST PRIME!!!!!!!!! I FRICKIN KNEW YOU WERE A PRIME

“But this is not about me” I WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT YOU THOUGH

Wait why is a part of Windblade in Megatron’s Matrix

WHY WOULD THEY ALSO BE IN THE OTHER MATRIX oh they mean alt-universe them

It’s frickin HYSTERICAL that every time Optimus has some ~deep spiritual~ conversation with the past Primes he’s just standing there frozen while the Autobots wait for him to unfreeze like he’s some kind of ancient computer doing updates. Like, that’s legitimately one of the funniest pieces of information canon’s given us so far, thank you for my life Cyberverse writers.

I wonder if Arcee and the other bots ever take selfies with him while he’s frozen like that THERE’S SO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR COMEDY HERE

Optimus: *is frozen for a couple hours while talking to old Primes* Autobots: *put on PJs and unroll their sleeping bags so they can have a slumber party while waiting for him*

Heck now I’m just imagining them playing truth or dare or some similar game while waiting for Optimus to wake up. 

I’m sure at some point during their voyage on the Ark, Optimus froze and they all played the “who can do this silly / embarrassing thing in front of Optimus and get away with it before he wakes up” game. Like, Rodimus somersaults down the hall while spouting fire in front of Optimus, Bee does a handstand while singing the alphabet backwards, etc, and whoever’s in front of Optimus when he “wakes up” loses. (It’d be even funnier if Optimus kept pretending to be frozen while they played until someone did something REALLY embarrassing and he unfroze to freak them out. Then again, the Matrix going back into his chest would probably be too much of a giveaway huh)

OH NO I WAS SO CAUGHT UP IN THE EUPHORIA OF THIS IDEA I FORGOT THERE’S ONLY TOO EPISODES LEFT NOW....

Episode 25

I love Astrotrain’s design (both in bot-mode and his alt mode) because he just looks like a grumpy evil train and that makes me so happy.

Also RAIN!!! I love rain and this looks so pretty

LMAO ASTROTRAIN YOU’RE SUCH A TURD I had no opinion of him before this show but now I frickin love him

HE PULLED THE CHAIR OUT FROM UNDER HIM

“I HAVE HIS MATRIX” OH NO DID HE STEAL THIS FROM SHATTERED GLASS’ OPTIMUS OH FRICK

Megatron running like that while holding the Matrix in his hands reminds me so vividly of a younger sibling stealing their older sibling’s diary and fleeing at top-speed from said older sibling and that’s hilarious to me. Megatron is so petty

Dang, so that’s how his eye got messed up. Ngl it’s a good look

CYBER COWS!!!!

Wow that wall is so WEAK the Decepticons are so dumb lmao

Oh yeah they have a new furry on their team

Rodimus: Math isn’t my strong-suit.

Arcee: Especially me!  Arcee you are ADORABLE

OH SHOOT MEGATRON CAN TALK TO THE PAST PRIMES TOO...DANG

WINDBLADE!!! MAKE WINDBLADE A PRIME YOU COWARDS

Ok I know I said “Shattered-Glass Optimus” earlier but based on that spoiler some moron on Twitter posted, IT’S PROBABLY TARN...man I wish I hadn’t seen that spoiler but despite that IM STILL EXCITED

Makes you wonder how TARN got the Matrix though (not that I can’t guess 8( )

Oh my gosh I just realized we have the potential to see Windblade kick Tarn’s butt in this series. Cyberverse PLEASE, I’D LOVE TO SEE THAT

Ah so Astrotrain is the new scientist

Ur bugs are probably dead dude

LASERBEAK!!!!

RAVAGE??? Oh no that’s the furry dude MAN I GET SO EXCITED EVERY TIME, I KEEP FORGETTING

As much as I Die for loyal Soundwave, it’s really cool seeing him being his own character and acting on his own in this series and trusting his own judgement / surveillance! It’s so good. Soundwave you’re so smart (and I love that he loves Laserbeak :’) )

*SOBBING* CASE IN POINT...HE PET THE BABY..

OHOHO IT”S *THE* INSECTICONS

Oh shoot the Insecticons are deserting 

“No one can stop him. Not even you” dang son

“He doesn’t want us. He wants you” OH BOY

MY BABY WHIRL!!!! THAT’S MY BOY

SEEKERS!!! I forgot we still had a few who Starscream didn’t frickin kill

NICE JUMP-ATTACK OPTIMUS I love that he cuts the dude’s weapon in half meanwhile Grimlock just frickin eats the guy lmao. So much for Optimus’ mercy

FRICK FRICK FRICK IT IS TARN

OK TARN OBJECTIVELY SUCKS BUT AT THE SAME TIME I ACTUALLY DO LOVE HIM BECAUSE HOLY FRICK IS HE A DANGEROUS CHARACTER AND THERE’S SO MUCH TO PLAY WITH THERE, I CANT WAIT TO SEE HIM AND HOW THEY USE HIM FOR THE STORY AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dead End: Yeah, I see your point Lmao I love this guy

Everyone’s gonna frickin die in this series

OH NO WHIRL oh wait yeah he and Dead End know each other, Whirl’s fine

SOUNDWAVE CAN YOU AND SHADOW STRIKER CHILL FOR 2 SECONDS

I love Skybyte’s voice

WOW MEGATRON, YOU”RE ONLY PROTECTING HALF THE PLANET, JEEZ

OH SHOOT

OH SHOOT

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh so that’s why they had a wall, Megatron you turd

WHIRL NO!!!!!!! oh he’s fine thank goodness

Did Megatron get taller??? He looks taller than Optimus now

Just use Optimus’ matrix you big baby

“It’s time I called in that debt you owe me. Now it’s time for you to save me” I LEGITIMATELY SHRIEKED OUT LOUD, AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

THERE HE IS, THERE HE IS THERE HE IS!!!!!!!

SCREW PAST ME’S OPINION, TARN IS FRICKIN COOL AS HELL

OH SHOOT THERE’S A TON OF HIM WTF

WHERE’S THAT FRICKIN “THERE IT IS, THERE IT IS, THERE!!! IT!!! IS!!!” MEME BECAUSE THAT’S BEEN ME THIS ENTIRE EPISODE HOLY HECK

Episode 26

MORE PRIME NAMES!!! A) that’s very pretty B) LEGIT THOUGH IF WINDBLADE’S THE ONE WHO KICKS TARN’S BUTT I’LL GO APE

OH FRICK IF OPTIMUS IS THERE THEN TARN REALLY DID KILL HIM or it means he beefed it in that universe, as he usually does

“I wish I’d gotten to know you better” 8((((((

What happened to Alt!Universe Optimus!!!!!!! How did you die!!!

Windblade: Optimus, you’re speaking in riddles... Optimus: I always do, it comes with the job of Prime. Windblade: Oh right

“A perfect Decepticon race” HOO BOYZY.....

“All because I spared your life” MAN THAT HURTS

At least they aren’t attacking them right now?

HOW CAN THEY POSSIBLY RESOLVE THIS SERIES IN 10 MINUTES

ASTROTRAIN YOU COWARD not that I blame him, every bot for themself I guess

OH NO THE HURT PUPPY WHINE MAKES ME SO SAD

HELL YEAH SOUNDWAVE SAVE MY BABY BEE

I TAKE IT BACK TARN IS CANCELED, HE HIT SOUNDWAVE

*AND* HE GRABBED CHROMIA, YOU”RE CANCELED, ALL THESE CLONES ARE CANCELED

SOUNDWAVE IS THE ONLY VALID DECEPTICON

Optimus: Can’t keep-- Megatron: WE MUST! Me: *SOBS*

OPTIMUS AND MEGATRON BACK-TO-BACK FIGHTING AHHHHHHHHHH, IT”S THE LITTLE-THINGS

Definitely not the right time for this joke but: AU where instead of saying “Powers of Cybertron, unite!” they say “GAY RIGHTS” to activate their Matrix powers

Frick what if they kill MEGATRON in this series

HECK YEAH EVERYONE’S GETTING AN UPGRADE

Megatron: We must join our Matrixes together! Optimus: Now REALLY isn’t the best time for a marriage proposal Megatron: What Optimus: What

Thank you for telling Optimus to get down for once instead of just blasting him AND the Tarn-copies, Megatron

OH FRICK IT IS ALT-UNIVERSE MEGATRON NOT TARN WHO’S THE BIG BAD

I LEGIT STOPPED BREATHING DURING THIS ENTIRE SEQUENCE AHHHH

THIS IS INFINITELY BETTER (AND WORSE) THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

THAT MEANS ALT!UNIVERSE MEGATRON DID KILL OPTIMUS...MEANWHILE OUR UNIVERSE’S MEGATRON SPARED OPTIMUS...MAN THAT HURTS ME SO BAD

MEGATRON NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OPTIMUS SAVE HIM SAVE HIM PLEASE SOMEHOW SAVE HIM!!!!!

OPTIMUS LITERALLY FRICKIN RAN ACROSS THE ROOM TO CATCH HIM, MY HEART CAN’T TAKE THIS DRAMA

NO!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!! YOU CAN”T DO THIS TO ME CYBERVERSE

“Prime...one shall stand...one shall....” THIS IS THE SADDEST FRICKIN THING THAT”S HAPPENED IM LEGIT GONNA CRY, NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Hold on...my friend...” IM GONNA BAWL MY EYES OUT OPTIMUS

I legit had to take a moment to get up and do a lap around my room while processing what happened LIKE OK I KNOW THEY PROBABLY (???) WON’T PERMA-KILL MEGATRON BUT FRICK DUDE THAT WAS SO EMOTIONAL

MEGAOP RIGHTS....BUT AT WHAT COST

What’s fricking me up rn (granted, several things are fricking me up right now) is that this universe’s Megatron knew he could’ve achieved his goals if he’d just killed Optimus. He said so himself; he could’ve had it all but he failed “all because I spared your [Optimus’] life”. Whatever he saw in that other universe convinced him that killing Optimus just wasn’t worth it (or perhaps, deep deep DEEP down, he really doesn’t want to kill his old friend).

I’m rewatching that last minute and this feels like a frickin fanfiction. I’m Living but also Dying

I KNOW THIS IS A VERY TENSE SCENE BUT MEGATRON’S “I won’t pay for anything!” MADE ME LAUGH

SOUNDWAVE STANDING BETWEEN SHADOW-STRIKER AND MEGATRON!!!!!!!!! STANDING UP TO MEGATRON!!!! SOBS I LOVE SOUNDWAVE SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT ALSO PLEASE BE CAREFUL MY SWEET BOY!!!!! IF YOU GET HURT ILL NEVER BE OVER IT

Two reasons he could’ve done that: to keep Shadow Striker from getting super pissed off and lashing out at this enemy who’s way above their level, or because the “jacked up Frankenstein experiment” thing is a sore subject for her and Soundwave recognizes that (and frankly I’m leaning toward option B because SOBS....I LOVE THEIR FRIENDSHIP)

GOTH FRIENDS!!!

OH OK THANK GOODNESS, MEGATRON ISN’T DEAD DEAD YET

Dang so Megatron did kill Optimus

OH NO WE’RE GETTING A FLASHBACK

FRICK THAT”S SO GRUESOME, HE JUST RIPPED OPTIMUS’ CHEST OPEN

YOU ALREADY KNOW THE MOST PERFECT DECEPTICON, HIS NAME IS SOUNDWAVE!!! YOU JUST DON’T APPRECIATE HIM YOU BIG BULLY

Oh shoot so the Quints came to that world too

DANG HE JUST WRECKED THEIR SHIP HUH....

I’m loving this throwback to the IDW design

WOW Y’ALL JUST IMMEDIATELY WENT “SURE WE’RE ONBOARD” (I mean, good way to stay alive but C’MON GUYS....)

“I have no need for any of you” WHOOPS SO MUCH FOR THAT should’ve seen that coming

THIS SUCKS SO BAD

NONONONO!!!! MEGATRON!!!!

HECK NOW HE HAS THE MATRIX

wow you guys really just let Megatron fall to the floor COME ON OPTIMUS WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR SMOOTH MOVES

NICE ONE BEE!!!!!!

YEAH WERE ARE ARCEE AND HOT ROD

FRICK YEAH WHIRL, MESS HIM UP!!!!!!!!!

YEAH SHADOW STRIKER!!!!!!

RATCHET PUNCHING TARN HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

FRICK HE CAN JUST MATERIALIZE LIKE THAT TOO

WELL THAT DIDN’T LAST LONG

BEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“And now you will pay the price...for being a hero” DANG THAT”S A COOL LINE BUT DON’T HURT MY BOY

FRICK HIM UP OPTIMUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WINDBLADE NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO SAVE EVERYONE

YEAHHHH WINDBLADE!!!!!!!

Yeah don’t turn your back on the body please

YO Astrotrain came back

ASTROTRAIN THAT SOUNDS SO CREEPY AND ALSO THAT’S SUCH A BAD IDEA, JUST KILL HIM

I know this is a kid’s show but PLEASE DO SOMETHING TO MAKE SURE HE WON’T POP BACK UP IN A FEW YEARS WITH ANOTHER ARMY

IM GLAD WINDBLADE IS BACK AND IM LOVING THE HUG BUT DID MEGATRON LEGIT FRICKIN DIE????

WHAT!!! WHAT THAT CAN’T BE IT!?!?!? HOW COULD YOU END IT LIKE THAT NO!!!!!!! THAT WAS SO ABRUPT nO!!!!!!!!!! 

The last few episodes were such an adrenaline rush I CAN”T BELIEVE WE CAME DOWN FROM THAT HIGH SO QUICKLY....IS MEGATRON ALIVE??? KICKSTARTER TO FUND ONE MORE EPISODE???? SPARE ANOTHER EPISODE FOR A POOR FAN???

MAN I wish we could’ve stayed in the universe of this show for a little longer but dang!!! That was really really good!!! I’m so grateful we got to have such a wonderful series like Cyberverse! :’) Thank you to everyone who worked on this incredible show!!!

Man now I gotta wait for WfC for new Transformers content....at least I can look through the tag w/out getting spoiled now

A few more thoughts now that I’ve re-read my liveblog:

If Megatron could hop into the Matrix of Leadership he possessed, I wonder if he ever had a chance to talk to that universe’s Optimus Prime... :( based on what he said, probably not, but that makes me so sad!!!! Did they ever get the chance to work things out!!! IS MEGATRON ALIVE OR NOT.....

[schxbetta]

Verses - Remastered

I had to take another look over my verses, finalise them a little since I’ve started using them in roleplays and just generally spruce them up a little. Beneath the cut are all verses edited and this is how they will appear now on my blog’s verse page.

Beneath are verses for Final Fantasy (7,8,10,10-2,12 & 15), Resident Evil (1-7), Silent Hill (all), The Evil Within, Harry Potter, Disney, Batman, Fist of the North Star, Fallout, The Walking Dead, Blade Runner & canon verses. 

TEENAGE :: v;;teen

This verse is based between the ages of 14-19. Peter is still in high school, still chubby-cheeked and absolutely not a gangster. Set for before his time in Oz - Peter is a teenager who just wants to get through school, get a girlfriend, get good grades and work out his own head before he focuses on the family business or anything else. In this verse, Peter is a lot quieter and thoughtful, however he’s also hormonal, at odds with his mother’s cancer diagnosis and struggling to work out what sort of man he will one day become. 

BEFORE OZ | v;;preoz

Peter is between the ages of 20-24 and thriving as the acting capo of his family. His father is in prison and his mother is deathly sick but Peter keeps his head screwed on...or does he? In this verse, Peter is an acting mafioso. He’s callous, arrogant, rich and powerful. If he wants it - he gets it. There are still glimmers of the teenager Peter once was behind his malice but that confused teenager has otherwise become a stereotypical gangster. Beneath it all, however, he struggles with his father’s arrest, his mother’s cancer, his failing marriage and the tragedy in his life. In this verse, Peter is flirtatious, hot-headed, passionate and low-key frustrated. 

OZ SEASON 2 | v;;oz

Focusing on Peter as he is in Season 2, Peter leads the wiseguys within Oz. He’s cocky and vengeful - hellbent on getting justice for his father’s murder. Peter suspects Adebisi and wishes to exact his vengeance upon him, he also suspects Ryan O’Reily, however - he isn’t entirely sure of this. In this verse, Peter is snappy and confident - he does his best to show no fear however, privately he is mourning the deaths of his family members. Peter carries the burden of much grief, but rather than become sad from such trauma - he uses it to fuel his aggression. 

OZ SEASON 3 | v;;psych

Set during season 3 and after the ordeal of being raped by Adebisi; Peter is stuck in the psych ward at Oz / in prison. Unable to come to terms with his trauma, he struggles with his grip on reality and flickers between the reality of his situation and his own hallucinations. In this verse, Peter is dependable, traumatised, weak and confused. He will latch onto anyone who will help him and hallucinates his mother and father still being alive. Every so often, flickers of his original self will show through - but this is very rare. 

OZ SEASON 5 | v;;oz2 

After leaving the psych ward, and going back to Emerald City / the standard prison population. Peter is recovering from his trauma. On medication and yet eager to get back into the business - Peter will do whatever it takes to be a respected gangster again. Despite this, he struggles with his insecurity and shame over what he’s been through. Peter attempts to distract his mind with vengeance and a need to prove his own self-worth. In this verse, Peter hardly ever smiles, is quiet and serious and silently furious. 

OZ SEASON 6 | v;;oz3

Set after Peter’s second stint in the psych ward, Peter is somehow - on the road to recovery. His rape at the hands of both Adebisi and the three members of the Aryan Brotherhood have scarred him, however, he decides to not allow it to rule his life. Peter arises from the ashes of what he was with a re-imagined vigour. Compared to his former self, Peter has learned to use attributes aside from a hot-headed strength. He is much more manipulative and self-aware as well as a little more unhinged. In this verse, Peter retains confidence, he is cunning and happy to be by himself. 

FINAL FANTASY | v;; ffvi | v;;ffvii | v;;ffviii | v;;ffix | v;;ffx | v;;ffx2 | v;;ffxii | v;; ffxv 

Final Fantasy VI - In this verse, Peter resides in ZoZo as the owner of a hotel / casino / nightclub. He houses wanted criminals and emphasises with The Returners while simultaneously serving drinks to the empire soldiers. Peter’s family is in fact from Thamasa and thus have magic in their blood. His parents were skilled in such art, but since their deaths (secretly murdered by the empire, unbeknown to Peter), Peter has struggled with his own grasp of magic. He wishes to master the abilities, but ultimately struggles to control their power. 

Final Fantasy VII - Residing in Midgar, Peter is a co-owner of the Honey Bee Inn and enjoys the business and bustle of the slums - he primarily caters to the ShinRa and is supportive of their actions, primarily because he’s in their pocket. However, ehen AVALANCHE begin to terrorise the ShinRa and business begins to lessen - Peter decides to travel with the intention of expanding business to Wutai, Calm, Gold Saucer and other areas. However - whilst crossing the Nibelheim mountains, Peter is gravely injured. Barely making his way back into town, he collapses only to find himself at a total loss with the strange townspeople and ShinRa-esque manufacturing of the town. In this verse, Peter acts more like a travelling wiseguy / merchant, however - after his accident, he begins to question his own mortality as well as the world around him. And soon..becomes very anti-ShinRa. 

Final Fantasy VIII - Deling City is the place to do business and whether that mean during war time or no, Peter’s happy to indulge the rich with his night clubs and bars. During the war, his father would cater to the soldier - but seventeen years on and even more-so after, Peter does the same for the civilians and travellers alike. He looks after the shady deals under the table with the Galbadian army and keeps rival SEED forces and the like happy with pay-offs and ‘peace treaties’. 

Final Fantasy X - Eager to please his expectant parents, Peter chose to become a summoner. A summoner would save the world - destroy Sin. His parents would be proud and his family name, restored. The name would no longer be associated with crime and hatefulness, but light and hope. In this verse, Peter travels with his guardians, namely Dino, Don and Chucky (or other characters) but a part of him fears his choice to destroy Sin. Truthfully...he doesn’t want to die. (His family are from Bevelle). 

Final Fantasy X-2 - Two years after FFX, Peter was relieved to have not gotten to Sin before Yuna and her gang. Despite this, however, he has nothing to show for his sacrifices. So - him and the boys become defenders - not of The Youth League or of New Yevon - but of their own gang! Peter takes up the male-equivalent of the Lady Luck dress sphere. He uses a garment grid that switches between the dude Lady Luck, White Mage, Gunner & Alchemist. In this verse, Peter is more upbeat and confident. This is more of a playful universe.

Final Fantasy XII - With money on the mind and a desperation to prove his strength, Peter takes to bounty hunting. An average hunter, Peter is a mixture of an Archer and a Green Mage. Sapping foes of their strength before taking them out from afar. While hunting a mark, he becomes lost in the Salika woods and later wounded. Luckily, he is rescued by a travelling Viera; and thus becomes indebted to her and her people. 

Final Fantasy XV - Residing in Tenebrae, Peter is the head of his family’s dealings. In cohorts with the empire; his gang takes responsibility for human trafficking, drug shipments and other illegal doings in the capital. With some reluctance, Peter takes on the responsibility of supplying the chancellor with ‘live stock’ (aka people). Despite his position, Peter isn’t exactly comfortable with the set-up and feels a degree of shame and guilt over what he’s doing. 

RESIDENT EVIL | v;;residentevil

This verse is set during the earlier Resident Evil games, Peter’s business is an ally to the Umbrella corporation and from a purely business perspective, he works alongside Morpheus D Duvall for a short while before the man goes off the hinges and steals a cruiser. In response to this, Peter’s parents are murdered by Umbrella and Peter (accused of aiding Morpheus) is shipped to Rockfort Island. Here, he is tortured and abused by Alfred Ashford before the shit hits the fan and Claire Redfield comes to the island. During these events, Peter is in his very early 20s - around 20-21 years old.

In modern verses, Peter has survived Rockfort Island and has distanced himself from his past as an Umbrella ally. He works for neither the BSAA or Terrasave and instead continues to run with the gangs and the family business. Peter can be placed in any sort of setting with the excuse of it being his current work destination. In this verse, Peter is similar to his S5 self. He’s quiet, reserved and scarred heavily from his past. 

THE WALKING DEAD GAME / TV / Comic | v;;twd

Similar to the next verse; Schibetta escaped from prison amidst the outbreak and has been doing his best to survive every since. He nurses earlier trauma and protects himself via wedging a great distance between himself and other survivors. He trusts no one but finds some solace in other survivors. In this verse, Peter is in a sort of relapse state. He’s been forced off of medication and is struggling not only with survival but also with the things that happened to him in his past. 

FIST OF THE NORTH STAR | v;; fotns

Surviving the wreckage of a broken world was a feat and a half - escaping from a prison full of inmates who saw you as nothing but weak was even more-so. Fresh out of prison and desperate to live, survive and thrive ;; Schibetta is reckless, desperate and will do anything to be tough again. Similar to TWDG verse, Peter is a survivor haunted by his past. However - in this verse, Peter is much more confident and desperate. He’s a determinator who will stop at nothing to remake himself. 

SILENT HILL | v;;silenthill

Released on a technicality ; he had nowhere to go. However…somewhere drew him in. A lonely town, a place he’d never heard of. Upon arrival, he could tell that the town was cursed. However, it draws him in further. Feeding on his self-doubt and previous trauma to hurt and hound him…and even change him.

Peter sees a hospital with heavy implications of a psych ward / electro-shock therapy. He sees a great deal of religious imagery, based on his experiences with his own Catholicism. Peter is drawn to a theatre / play hall because of his keenness in regards to acting and performances and he also finds himself in a jail with a lot of emphasis on prison rape and abuse. 

The monsters he sees are largely focused around Mpreg beasts and invasive creatures. Creatures with extended limbs and loose-hanging fingers, gross-depictions of his mother’s sickness and horrific interpretations of his trauma. He sees pictures / paintings of his father everywhere he goes. 

In this verse - Peter borders between his psych-ward self and his s5 self. He is at grips enough to keep going but ultimately, very emotionally vulnerable. 

THE EVIL WITHIN 1 | v;;tew1

A patient at Beacon Mental Hospital ; Schibetta is undergoing therapy for his prior attacks by Adebesi and the Brotherhood. Here, he is traumatised and weepy, much like his S3 self. He doesn’t enjoy fighting and is mostly-mute. During his time at Beacon, he is used in the Stem Experiment which…strangely enough, restores some of his prior self. 

THE EVIL WITHIN 2 | v;;tew2

Half-beaten to death and raped by the Aryan Brotherhood, Peter was certain he would die - however, at the last minute, his body and mind were used for an experiment. The stem experiment. 

Peter resides in Union, an idealistic town that he surely grew up in! He has no recollection of his past life before or after prison and as far as he knows, has resided in Union for his entire life. In Union, he co-owns a restaurant with his cousin, Dino. 

When the core vanishes and things start to go to shit, Peter begins to see flickers of his old self and his memories. Similar to the Silent Hill Verse, he begins to see the horrors of his past through obscure manifestations. 

DISNEY | v;;disney

The Schibetta family rules over the kingdom of Sicily. Queen Angela and King Nino are respectful, powerful rulers - their influence is both admired and feared. Together, the couple had a son - Peter.

Spoilt, rich and born with a hell of an attitude problem, this young prince seeks to cure an emptiness in his life that he can’t quite put his finger on. He strives for power and yet he’s insecure and afraid. The young prince hides a lot of his own fears behind a tough exterior and cockiness unparalleled.

Peter doesn’t really feel as though he belongs anywhere. Not in his home, the castle Ursino, or even on the streets with anybody else. He lacks any friends and his family are too busy to deal with his angst-y confusion.

In the verse, Peter is in his late teens/early twenties - is a prince and is generally quite rude, stand-offish, snappy and sassy. However, he’s also strangely melancholic, lost and just needs some guidance.

In typical disney fashion, this verse is much brighter and happier than other verses and is typically rated T+. The entire plot around this verse is that this boi needs to find happiness and satisfaction in his life and open his heart to love’s warm embrace!  

BATMAN | v;;batman

Located in Gotham city, Peter’s family are one among many Crime families. After the murder of his father, Peter stepped up as the leader of ‘the family’ but never really made a true, worthy name for himself. Despite his villainous activities, including drug peddling / trafficking / hits / prostitution and all the rest, Peter is hardly taken seriously in the criminal underworld.

During a sting operation; Peter was arrested by undercover cops. Looking at a sentence of around twenty-years on charges for money laundering and extortion, Peter’s enemies hardened the sentence by sending him to Arkham rather than jail.

In Arkham ; the days ware down an other wise sane man. His body and his mind are put through trial enough to break him over and over again. By the time the man is free of his sentence; he is twisted and bitter. He believes himself the barer of a horrific curse, that, should he infect his enemies with - will instantly kill them.

Truth be told; he steals precious items of his enemies and then taints them with a poison or chemical that can do damage equal to either extreme injury or death. Despite what he does - he genuinely believes his infliction to be a curse.

He’s pretty fucking nuts at this point.

(The story is incredibly similar to his canon story in Oz, however ; it’s based in Gotham & can be more pg+ rated depending on the themes / roleplayer & verse. ).

HARRY POTTER | v;;harrypotter

In this verse, Peter’s a child. At eleven years old, his family were forced to relocate from Italy to the UK and in the same year; he began attending Hogwarts. He’s a shy boy who’s excited by the prospect of magic; he doesn’t completely understand *why* his family were forced to relocate. He only knows the vague details given to him by his older cousin. Something akin to the dark arts and what not. He excels in Herbology, Astronomy and Charms. He takes up Quidditch to impress his older cousin (but is awful at it). In this verse, Peter largely speaks Italian with some broken English.

As Peter gets older and fluent in English, he becomes more cocky and stand-offish with the other kids. He has a black, pet cat called Andrew, is in Slytherin house and his patronus is a Shrew. 

BLADE RUNNER | V;;2019 | V;;2049

Peter owns a club within deep L.A - TENEBRE ; here, he does his usual bit - selling merchandise (people/replicants for pleasure), toting weapons and drugs on the side.

2019 STORY - V;;2019

It’s an open-secret that Peter wants Taffy Lewis dead. A rival club-owner - the man who runs ‘The Snake Pit’. Peter spends a lot of his time with his cousin, Dino and his own lover - a replicant named Rosalie. Rosalie is a basic pleasure model, a nexus 6 (Peter found her whilst in the off-world colonies and smuggled her back to Earth). When the replicant-ban came into play, Peter began inadvertently protecting replicants.

His family were not happy - nor were his usual clientele. Peter’s smuggling of illegal replicants, arms, weapons & product is an open-secret within the downtown LA scene. He is a replicant-sympathiser but uses criminal methods as a means to protect his lover and those around her.

2049 STORY - V;;2049

2049 follows a similar story to 2019 (this story is a separate story / verse; so he isn’t aged or in the same universe as 2019). He owns a club, Tenebre and is rivals with Bibi’s Bar. His girlfriend, Rosalie, is a Nexus 9 (a legal replicant). She was a pleasure model who he took from Bibi’s bar. Raising tensions between him and Bibi.

Forming an alliance with Freysa, Peter came to house Nexus 8 models (illegal replicants). He is firmly on the side of the replicants, however - he’s the human ally. The black sheep. His family, once again, do not approve of his on-the-side business.

More to come soon!~~~!

FALLOUT 4 | v;;fallout

Peter resided in Vault 114, his alliance with the triggermen being the basis for him staying in the vault. Following on from his life as a mafioso, Peter still follows his old family���s traditions and beliefs however - being the only one left, he feels somewhat lonely. He fails to pose a threat to outsiders or enemies and prefers to keep to himself and his own set ways. He believes in honour and loyalty, but finds himself without anybody to really project such feelings onto.

Lost, almost - he follows Skinny Malone but ultimately feels dissatisfied with being a follower and soon leaves the vault to explore the remaining world.

Peter carries a gun on him similar to the ‘Deliverer’ - a small handgun equipped with a silencer. On his hip, he carries a double-barrel shotgun (usually severely lacking in ammo, though he pretends otherwise) (the ol’ Mad Max technique).

An explorer / traveller - Peter makes his way through various places inc. Diamond City and the like.

Eventually, after finding a radiation suit - he makes his way through the glowing sea. However, he’s attacked by a deathclaw and soon finds himself trapped within the forgotten church.

In this verse - Peter is similar to his post-prison/s5 self. He’s quiet and stoic, regretful and lonely. He doesn’t smile as much and struggles more than he lets on. Despite this, he keeps going.

UNSPECIFIED | v;;untagged

This is the default for any unspecified verse; should my muse not fit in your particular verse but you wanna roleplay - we’ll use this one until we work something out!

[linkspooky]

The Many Faces of Shiro

“Kuron” is the romanization of clone. 

It’s rather obvious. If the show were attempting to surprise the audience they could have easily excluded these scenes or had them appear in a later episode. If going by the classical defintion of a twist, that is something that surprises the audience, Clone Shiro’s real identity (I’m nicknaming him Kurono) would have been a card to keep closer to one’s chest. Let the audience assume that this is the real Shiro, and then at the last moment reveal the deception. 

However, in letting the audience know that this is a clone right away, Voltron might be asking us to look at Kurono in a much different way then originally we would have if we were simply led to believe he was Shiro. We might actually be able to learn a great deal about Shiro, by using the fake Shiro, and also the many different fake Shiros as a lens to analyze him.

  This is a quick and dirty explanation of the Serling method of storytelling twists. The beginning, the exposition tells everything the audience needs to know and tells the absolute truth, but the ending manages to change the viewer’s expectations on what they learned in the beginning. However the beginning and end still cooperate with one another in a basic way. That is a question is asked in the beginning and answered in the end. 

Planet of the apes starts with the main character having a negative view of humanity his question is if they will ever escape their warlike ways, the answer is delivered in the end, no they won’t. The twist in actuality isn’t that important, it’s just a means of delivering the answer at the start of the movie. 

Therefore, why reveal that this Shiro is a clone in such an obvious way akin to playing with your cards face up? Especially since emotional reaction to a fake shiro storyline might require believing for a moment that Shiro had really returned? It’s because the twist in actuality changes nothing about the question asked.

The question asked by using a clone Shiro plot line, is the question your mind is trained to ask immediately when you detect a clone is in the midst of a storyline. “Where is the real Shiro?” or if there are two Shiro’s onscreen at some point then the question becomes “Who is the real Shiro?”

I’ll argue however that this question is actually something that’s been central to Shiro’s character from the beginning. Not only that but in previous seasons, there have been hints that Paladin Shiro might not even be the original Shiro. Sources [x, x].

Technical details also are not entirely important, but also remember that Paladin Shiro despite being human is shown able to generate and use Quintessence the same way an altean can through his arm. That obviously implies some physiological change was invoked on Shiro before he became a paladin, already marking him as different from Cerberos Shiro. 

Anyway, the blade of Marmora scene discussed in the first link. 

Shiro and Keith are heavily implied to have known each other at the Garrison. Keith is implied to have gone to rescue Shiro specifically because it was Shiro when he crash landed on earth. Keith even says that the blade of Marmora he carries is something he’s had his entire life but Shiro himself cannot confirm this.

Not only that but clearly when a knife is being pushed against Keith’s throat and he might die, Shiro cannot bring himself to simply lie to protect Keith. Eevn though Keith’s life should be inherently more valuable than the blade of Marmora’s cooperation. 

This suggests two possibilities, either Shiro is lawful good to a stupid extent, or Shiro genuinely does not remember this critical detail of his and Keith’s shared past. Keith even says “Shiro, you know me-” when trying to persuade him to take his side suggesting it is something Shiro should know. Also that not remembering, or not knowing how to act brings out a hesitance and a character flaw in Shiro. 

I’m not going to go into whether Shiro is yet another clone at the time or not, because as I said this isn’t about the technical details. However, it’s worth pointing out that this Shiro is different from the Shiro Keith knew. Not only that but in the same episode we see an entirely different Shiro in Keith’s mindscape. There are three Shiro’s then, the Shiro that Keith knows, the acting Paladin Shiro, and then the Shiro that appears in Keith’s mindscape.

Except that there are actually more versions of Shiro than that, because different incarnations and differing versions of Shiro’s character is something that’s existed since the beginning. Even when Season Three sets up the possibility that there might be two Shiro’s, a real one and a clone, they also throw in Sven whose obviously meant to be an alternate universe Shiro. 

If you keep a close tally from the beginning there is: Kerberos Shiro

Paladin Shiro (The one we know the most about in seasons 1 and 2)

Champion Shiro

A hallucination created by Haggar to embody Shiro’s worst fears of himself, and likely his perception of himself (A Galra experiment gone wrong). 

Mindscape Shiro created from Keith’s perception of him.

Then finally in the third season, Sven.

And finally of course, Kurono.

Another difference that points out Kurono might be a clone right away is the sudden outfit change and the hairstyle change, as well as Keaton’s performance making him sound a lot different than the paladin Shiro featured in the first two seasons. Once again, I think it’s meant to make it as obvious as possible that this is a fake, another offshoot of Shiro. 

What exactly then is the point of showing so many possible variations of one character in a series, rather than just sitting down and focusing on developing the real Shiro? No other character has as many alternates as Shiro. Not even when traveling into the alternate dimmension, do they meet the alternate Allura she’s merely mentioned. This is clearly a trait and quirk that belongs solely to Shiro. That’s where you hit that question again, “Who is the real Shiro?”

It is a question that automatically is asked when there are just so many derivative versions of Shiro running around in Voltron. Not to sound like a clickbait article, but the answer of course may surprise you. It’s entirely possible that Shiro does not know himself. 

We have a vague timeline of the events that led to Shiro’s escape in between Kerberos -> Prison -> Premise. The timeline is not entirely important though, the most important thing is that Shiro was inflicted a great deal of trauma in between. His trauma changed him, he could no longer simply go back to being pre-kerberos Shiro. However, rather than being given time to feel out the scope of his trauma and come to terms what his post trauma identity, he was immediately thrown into yet another high pressure situation where he was expected to lead.

Not only was Shiro an amnesiac and lacking details about his own identity, but everybody he met up with already had in mind their own version of what Shiro would be like. It’s deliberately shown at the beginning of Season 3 that Shiro is considered a hero back on earth to some extent, and all of the paladins knew about him before meeting him in the flesh.

Hero, legend, teacher, holder and confidence and trust, Shiro is all of these things to everybody. When he came face to face with the paladins and in the light of his own splintering identity, Shiro then chose to try to be the best they wanted out of him. This is even shown a bit in Shiro’s leading style, as he often defaults to some variation of “Any idea guys?” when presented with a situation that he cannot solve on his own or grows insecure about.

The fight in season 2 episode 3, Shiro’s escape is a pretty good example of this. Shiro really only has one idea which is to shove the shield in his mouth, the rest are contributions from the other pilots of voltron. Which makes sense as it’s supposed to be a robot with five pilots, not just one. The first two seasons do a good job of illustrating Shiro’s positives and what makes him an effective leader, he’s able to compartmentalize himself so effectively that his trauma and own lacking identity rarely interfere with things, and his own ego comes second to the group thus he’s able to really effectively take suggestions from others and mobilize the group together. 

Which is why I think in part Kurono is a necessary addition to Shiro’s character, as he exists like all of the other Shiro spinoffs to highlight another part of Shiro’s character. That is his faults. Kurono is the result of Shiro’s high level compartmentalization and playing to other’s expectations, that is a literal clone who all he needs to do is act like Shiro to be accepted by the rest of the group without any suspicion. Except for Keith, who had the strongest emotional bond to Shiro in the series before his disappearance. 

Kurono also serves to highlight the faults in Shiro that might not be obvious when he is trying so hard to project an in control leader in front of the paladins. If Shiro’s character really is a reference to post traumatic stress disorder, then it’s important to notice the history of the disease. While it has many causes of course, to simplify things it’s something first noticed within Soldiers of World War One. At the time it was called “Shell Shock”, and in its most basic terms it was soldiers who came home and were unable to adjust back into home life, but rather were stuck still in soldier mode.They succumbed to Shock, that is they were stuck and unable to move from the way their brain adapted to the instance of trauma. 

Therefore there is Shiro, and then there is Shiro after trauma and the two are disjointed from each other. Shiro simply cannot move back and become Kerberos Shiro, for various reasons. On a meta level though it’s strictly due to his trauma. Shiro knows he’s changed and questions it several times, but when the paladins are around he’s well enough at coping and putting on an act that we suspect nothing. However, remember what he does when all of the paladins leave him alone in the first season?

He kills in cold blood. This isn’t really an examination of the morality of the scene, my use of cold blood simply means that Shiro killed somebody who had already been taken down and had no means of fighting back. It’s just a description of his actions in the purest sense. 

What’s important is not the morality of his actions, not really, but his own rationale. Why did Shiro do the unnecessary and take out Sendak even though he was already down for the count, and was not the real source of the threat on the castle? It’s because at the moment, Shiro was alone and under threat. Which meant he resorted to his own instincts, his survival instincts, his soldier instincts. Instincts aren’t necessarily logical, so Shiro does the quickest thing he can to move him back to safety. He removes the threat by any means possible.  Shiro’s face after the fact says it all, he’s stressed, he’s in shock from what he’s done, he’s not even sure of his own actions.

It’s a common writing technique to stress a character out and show that they always repeat a pattern that is indicative of their true selves when they are pushed to their lowest point. Low points are revealing like that, when Lance is at his low he tries to back away and insist he’s unworthy he has inner feelings of worthlessness, when Allura is at her low point she always relinquishes and gives up control, she feels out of control,  Keith in times off high stress laser focuses on the most clear cut path to the objective, Keith has a greater sight of the bigger picture than most.

If what Shiro does in his highest point of stress is to act like a wounded soldier desperate to survive than that is how he sees himself. 

This resorting to soldier like logic and instinct over cooler rationale is something present in Kurono too, but firs tand more important it’s a trait shown by Shiro’s foil and fellow black lion pilot Zarkon all throughout his backstory episode. 

I would argue Pre-Quintessence Zarkon, and Paladin Shiro have a lot in common. They have similiar reasons for being the black paladin, Shiro is not the best pilot on the team or the smartest but he does have the most experience. Zarkon was the soldier on the team, while Alfor despite building the lions himself was more of a scientist. They’re also both stiff to the point of being awkward, incredibly by the book (As I said before his refusal to simply lie to save Keith’s life in Blade of Marmora suggests extreme lawful good tendencies), but have the capability of being more relaxed. (Shiro plays along with the rest of the paladin’s antics, Zarkon went out of his way to bring Allura a present when she was born and even Alfor comments he’s softened.)

What is most similiar about them however is their primary flaw. When Shiro and Zarkon are both stressed, they revert back to soldier mode. 

This is referenced several times in episode 7 of season 3, that Zarkon’s primary identity is that of a soldier. When the experiment goes wrong, Zarkon quickly thinks of the potential disaster in the terms of soldiers he is going to lose. That is he is exposed to stress, and processes it like a soldier. 

When Alfor disagrees with him much later on, Zarkon immediately pulls rank as if that’s supposed to pull him back into line. Much like an earlier comment when Zarkon tells the others not to speak to the servant class so that they do not erode discipline, Zarkon sees the world in a very rank and file way and expects this simple calling of rank to pull Alfor back into line.

This is almost exactly the same way that Kurono and Keith have their disagreement in episode six, Kurono handles it by ordering Keith exactly what to do rather than relying on Keith’s instincts like he had in the past. Not once, but twice first when he ordered Keith not to go after Lotor, and second when he told them exactly what to do and how to deal with the Teludav. An order which would have left them completely open to Lotor’s trap without Keith’s improvisation.

What is Kurono’s justification for this, it’s very soldier like. “You need to make hard choices Keith.”

If Kurono as a plot line is meant to be a lens through which we analyze the original Shiro, then we’ve learned two things from this episode alone. One, that everybody on Team Voltron relies too heavily on Shiro to the point of trusting his every word against Keith’s even when Keith was technically now supposed to be the leader. The second is that these flaws that Kurono displays can have their root in the original Shiro too, that Shiro’s flaw is that without his empathy he would at times default to his survivalist and soldier like mindset. 

In the same way that Zarkon, Shiro’s much darker reflection when stripped away from his love and his friendship, becomes only able to act as a soldier and declare war. 

[statemant]

AN ODE TO GEORGIA - VETEMENTS SS 2019

JULY 1, TBILISI, 7:11 PM – I’m sitting in my kitchen with two of my friends and sipping final gulps of homemade iced coffee to bite with incredibly hot weather  outside and scrolling my Instagram.

I know that VETEMENTS show is about to start, almost everyone who I follow has live tuned on and the show starts. The quality of the live stream was not perfect but I could spot long narrow table, where models started walking and guests were “served” with the latest VETEMENTS outfits while sitting around it. With each new VETEMETNS show announcement, I always think what’s gonna be the next offering from Gvasalia brother, since we all know how they’ve revolutionized and “disrupted” the industry and their unusual runways is one of the biggest part of the brands’ entire aesthetic. It was the same here, I was intrigued to see just for the sake of interest. When first three looks appeared, music started and models were walking with usual VETEMENTES-que “rush”, I thought, well, ok. But then I’ve screamed, shouted (my friends looking scared at me) and had goosebumps all over, since fourth look featured a hoodie saying “ტანსაცმელი”, which means “clothes” (or “VETEMENTS”) in Georgian! None the less! Then another one saying “გაზაფხული/ზაფხული” (that translates as “Spring/Summer”), then “უფალო შეგვიწყალენ” (meaning “god bless us”) and finally the Georgian flag printed anorak jacket..

I wanted to cry, for various reasons:

First – finally, it was the collection I was waiting since the appearance of VETEMENTS in fashion scene and I was absolutely sure it would happen once! Second - it felt so emotional to see someone pay tribute for my (and his) native country. And the 3rd that I’m an asshole and did not stay for few more days to attend such a historical and monumental show! Cause I was in Paris days before the show but could not stay for additional 3 days (I could manage to attend the show), because I spent all my money at shopping (mostly on VETEMENTS actually!) and did not spare more for 10 minute event, which I regret now VERY VERY VERY much!

It might be hard for someone, non-Georgian, to share same excitement as I have for this particular collection, but it’s definitely a moment which made even most non-fashion-related Georgians interested and very proud. It quickly became a major news for local tv and online media. As more facts became clear, it felt even more special for all of us – appears majority of the models were just regular Georgian boys and girls, selected by VETEMENTS casting directors right here, in the streets of Tbilisi. Collection featured some fresh “ugly” sneakers, signature dad shoes and combat boots, 

various tailored pieces (my favorite VETEMENTS category), 

some white hand-painted “graduation” shirts  (which were actually painted in Tbilisi by locals, in various night clubs), 

opening model wore a nude shirt covered with the types of tattoos Georgian prisoners would get to flaunt their mob ties, 

there was a signature Alpha Industries bomber with a message -  “We dance together, we fight together” -  dedicated to the police raids held few weeks before the show in most famous local night clubs here “BASSIANI” and “CAFE GALLERY” and a massive two-day rave at the center of the city with the same slogan as above. 

Leather jackets and suits were finished with zip up hoodies, masks, covering the faces of the models (as a symbol of unknown or no identities), 

target prints symbolized the bullets that were once aimed at Georgia. 

Georgian flag was seen in various colorways, including one in a rainbow - more or less provocative for local standards. 

Besides the floral dresses (already a strong brand signature), we have seen a fabulous wedding gown at the finale of the show (worn with some classic white pumps, while some other variations featured a upside down Eiffel tower as heel) 

and one off special maxi skirt, painted by Demna himself, and will retail for around 15 000 EUR (pictured below).

Finale of the show has brought highest emotions: it featured modernized version of Georgian national dance music and with all the Georgian models walking on this imaginary “wedding table” wearing Georgian alphabet features on that music, in Paris, on the center of fashion’s most important players, was just…terrific!

WATCH THE FULL SHOW 

In a post-show interviews, VETEMETNS creative director Demna Gvasalia said:  “I went back to my past in Georgia to face my fears and painful moments…like post Civil war and everything there in the ’90s, and I made the most personal kind of fashion proposition out of that. My house was bombed and it was destroyed. My grandmother, for one week, she didn’t have memory. These are all the things that influenced me, experiencing that when I was a child. I feel everybody today talks about war, refugees (and the show was held on 19th Arrondisement of Paris, which is now surrounded by refugees). And I am like, yes, I know exactly what that means. It's weird. This is about my life, but also it's about everything you see on CNN, as well," said the designer.

Here’s what’s behind the story: Sukhumi (Demna’s and his family’s hometown, capital of Abkhazia region, now occupied by Russia, for more than 25 years) was one of the epicenters of the Georgian Civil War at the beginning of 90’s. A strong ethnical conflicts have resulted into 30,000 killed humans and around 250 000 refugees – including Gvasalia and his family (here’s full story behind the Civil War). Also, here you can listen an exclusive rare radio interview with Demna via Radio Tavisupleba.  

For me (and my entire nation), as a Georgian (even if I was just 1 or 2 years old during that Civil war), it’s very important to spread the message to the world what was our past and how we have come to the present times, what my parents and grandparents generation had to overcome to make Georgia a safe place to live. Demna has went through his entire youth traumas and came out with the most sensational VETEMENTS collection to date.

Besides all the Georgia-inspired pieces (which were mostly VETEMENTS classic fits, hoodies, oversized silhouettes and deconstructed denim) there were Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish (also a homage to Demna’s mother heritage) and US flag anoraks featured. These are countries that mostly influenced and affected Georgia (and Demna himself in various aspects) over the years, especially after 90s’ post-soviet era. Featuring Russian flag has actually generated mixed emotions between locals in Georgia (as I mentioned it became a major discussion topic in social media for a few days) with some mentioning that it kinda ruined entire thing and putting a huge flag of the country who has 20% of Georgia occupied (and continues to grow this share) was unnecessary and it at least should feature some protest slogans. I think (and majority) it actually felt absolutely right and genius to put a Russian flag on this specific collection, since if you want to tell us about the history of Georgia, it’s just impossible to miss Russian Federation and all its activities against us.

As for the cast, those 40 people, that Demna and VETEMENTS guys brought from Georgia, he said: “They represent for me what I represented when I came to Europe years ago - that certain naivety and voice they don’t think they have in their country”. I’ve asked some of the guys after they got back to Tbilisi (cause they are all friends of friends), what did they feel about the entire thing, some of them had just same feelings as me, some mentioned that they still didn’t filter in their mind how and what happened to them, since for majority it was not only first runway show ever, but first touch to the fashion industry, overall. But all of them were proud that they now became kinda part of the history.

It was a 10th collection of VETEMENTS, it will be hard to name brands that gained such an incredible success in such a short time and had influenced not only young but many of the well-established labels. Demna is a so-called “Margiela kid” himself (and that sensational Margiela exhibition at Palais Galliera in Paris is a proof of that) and he even mentioned how he got back to his design roots with its previous collection, entitled “The Elephant in the Room” (FALL-WINTER 2018, see here) where he has fully exploded what he does the best (some of the buyers and editors mentioned with me that label was kind of “back on track” with that collection, after not so-satisfying SS 2018, which was just re-edition collection, see my visit to the presentation here). And this latest “Georgia” collection was a continuation of his growing personal approach to the clothes: “It’s a very different way of working for me because I always did shows that were just about clothes…nothing else really mattered for me. But I think I’ve changed and probably my approach to fashion also changed. My interests changed. I realized that I need some storytelling next to making just clothes. Last season, it was going back to understand my creative roots. That’s why there was an elephant in the room, the whole Margiela, questioning creativity. This season I went back to my actual roots, which is this country that is troubled and that really shaped me creatively and also who I am.” – Demna said.

As VETEMENTS CEO Guram Gvasalia mentioned, they have sold more of this collection than any other recent ones (and even Demna told that once he made his personal order of the collection, he found it was biggest to date), which is very interesting for me, since it means that spreading the message (and not just selling a garment) is a cruicial part. Me and my natives have already been shocked or made fun of fashionistas from around the world wearing our grandparent’s wardrobe inspired clothes (that can be also found at second hand markets for 500 times cheaper than VETEMENTS), oversized outwear (that our parents were buying in bigger sizes, on purpose, to last for few years, while we would grow in height and weight) and table cloth print shoes, but I actually can not wait to see entire world wearing this particular collection pieces and I’m sure I can read a lot in Georgian during my next fashion week visits on everyone’s chests or shoulders.

One more note (just in case), I have met Guram year ago in Paris during their SS 2018 presentation and mentioned how popular they were in Georgia (I mean, they are! They have crazy fan pages and dedicated TV shows). Demna must be one of the most famous Georgians ever (on the international scale) and the fact of him not being heterosexual (and Georgia is known for its homophobic issues) does not affect the pride that most of the locals have (because of him)! After the latest show, I’m sure their fandom will double and the respect will move to another level, cause he is the man who could manage to tell the history of the country to the world, just in 10 minutes, without even a single word!  Below, you can see the guy wearing custom-made cap, outside VETEMENTS SS 18 show, campaigning for Gvasalia as President and I think it never made more sense than it does now, after the show. And btw, that guy is actually ME!

And here’s me again, with my version of VETEMENTS definition, that I made 2 years before the show to show everyone the native heritage of the brand and “translate” the word for them, during the fashion week. 

[latinalesbi]

Do you have a feeling one way or the other if The Fosters will be renewed for a 6th season? With them only shooting 18 shows instead of 20 made me wonder. (I read that somewhere). But then last night someone asked Bradly and he said there are rumors.

Peter also mentioned season 6 in an interview. Freeform doesn’t really have a more successful show (even though last week’s ratings were the worst ever, not surprising considering how awful the episode was). I think if they can’t get key players in place it’s not going to be possible. So, I imagine that’s what the rumors are about.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Hopefully Callie doesn't do anything with Russell. Her going there was so stupid. Thx just adds another traumatic even to her life. She doesn't need anymore trauma. Hopefully we don't see her acting out like she has been. I think she got some trauma from being in juvie.             

Doesn’t do anything? You mean like get raped? I don’t think we’re going there. Peter pretty much said that but the trial isn’t over either (sigh, le sigh, fuck me). He said, this is it for her though, a turning point. We will see. I am sick of her story.

Anonymous said:                                                                      this was one of the worst episodes this season, if not ever. last week's episode with the whole kyle twist was the right move. take this stupid storyline and make it about callie's character development and turn her whole "the system is rigged" ideology upside down. this could've been big. but no they had to make troy guilty, make callie right (wow! teen detective cracks the case! does it illegally! yay for criminal justice!!!).             

Yeah, I agree. And so did Vulture.com, which is usually up the producer’s ass. The Kyle twist would have had far reaching consequences for Callie. This just lets her be just as self righteous as before. I am sick of it, no one is always right, and Callie does not have a clue on how to do things right. I can’t stand it. I can’t stand the quick confession. It was terribly written with characters we don’t give a shit about and they’re doing it again with Diamond, literally no one cares.

And just so you feel a little angrier, they cut a Stef and Lena scene according to Peter on Afterbuzz.

Anonymous said:                                                                      So sick and tired of Callie getting in to truble like every 5min!!! Really hope season 5 will be less of these drama and more of the family love..             

Well, as Peter said:

Final thoughts on what to expect next season?Season 5 is a little bit of a reset to our family, our home, and the sort of simpler and brighter and happier times that our family really needs.

Let us hope that is true, it’s what the audience needs.

Anonymous said:                                                                      In the picture you post of Bts of Maia, Sherri and Teri.. The 4 picture in one. The one of Teri, looks like she got hit in the face. Might be just my eyes.             

Good call. There does seem to be something... Stef has some explaining to do in terms of her role in getting Callie in this particular mess. She wasn’t really looking out for her. Another terribly written story.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I hope AJ is still in the show a lot, despite not being with Callie anymore. Like it'd really upset me if they just stop his character from having screen time. I really like his character and he's more than just a love interest. I just noticed how he was on the show often when he was dating Callie and then suddenly after they break up he has no screen time. At least he is more of a main character compared to people like Wyatt

Peter said he’d be around but obviously not as much. Too bad we get rid of AJ and have to put up with more odious Aaron.

Anonymous said:                                                                      If Maia is in "Callie" clothes and is shooting a scene ifo the house, that must mean that Callie's okay, right? Like, the whole trafficking monkey business is short-lived?? I hope.    

I think she gets out of that in the first episode but that means another season opener filled with complete bullshit drama.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I finally saw last weeks episode. Now, Mariana has always been my favorite of the kids. But last week was the first time I ever disliked her. It was Emma's choice to have the abortion. I hope in 4x20 she apologizes and the two reconcile.             

Mariana who self invited her bio daddy to a house she doesn’t pay a single bill for, that Mariana? Yeah that Mariana is unlikable.

                                                                              Anonymous said:                                                                      I miss the old Jesús :( I was re watching the first episodes and seriously, everything about him is so different now. I liked him because he was so protective over his moms and the family in general (Even when he was together with Lexi) and now it seems like everything is just about Gabe or Emma. I don't why I haven't noticed before, but this Jesús sucks a lot.             

This Jesus has been Jesus for nearly 2 seasons and he just now had a nice scene with the moms. It’s ridiculous. I know this question is old but I feel exactly the same way, new Jesus is all about his bio daddy and his penis. I am sorry but that’s all I see. Old Jesus was handsome, gentlemanly and most importantly Latino.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I've noticed fosters ff has been super slow lately.. do you think it's because of a lost of interest in the show?             

I don’t know because I only follow Stef and Lena fanfic and that’s always been slow.                             

Anonymous said:                                                                      My finance, myself and many of our friends are die heart Fosters fans. We used to watch episodes live, now we DVR them & watch when we have nothing else to do (weeks later-fast forwarding most of the episode). These storylines (Daimond, Aaron, Gabe, Anna) are really sucking the want to watch out of us. Unfortunately, this has made us unsure if we will DVR or tuned in for the finale or next season.  Hope the show producers/showrunners do better & hope they don't lose more viewers due to this.             

You aren’t alone. It bothers me more than the fact that Stef and Lena weren’t allowed to kiss. The last few shows, I mean, I watched hoping they’d surprise me. I watched, hoping for some neat moments. I didn’t care at all about any of the main plots. AT ALL.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I just saw Maia Mitchell's instagram story and she was in the car with Robert and why does it look like Gabe is going to be meddling in family affairs I'm so done with this show             

There does seem to be at least a Stef and Lena scene, still,  I know episode 2 won’t be my favorite.

Anonymous said:                                                                      As someone who was born to a teenager, I definitely identify with Mariana being angry with Emma, as my entire existence is predicated on my birth mother's decision to not terminate her pregnancy. A abortion as an adopted kid is always a touchy subject, and I would like to see both pro-choice and pro-life arguments being presented.             

Wrong person to send this anon to. There’s only one person that gets to decide and that’s the pregnant woman. There’s no such thing as a pro-life argument for me. Sorry. I mean, not to get personal but since you did, how many of us are accidents? How many of of our lives were dependent on a such a choice. I was. I totally support any choice my mother might have made. If she had made the opposite choice, I wouldn’t care because I wouldn’t exist. It’s really a silly argument.                                                              

  Anonymous said:                                                                      sherri has MASTERED the look of love when looking at stef. in the episode when frank passed in the bathroom Lena is leaning on the sink mesmerized by her woman before she rallies the troops. that wonderful kitchen kiss scene when stef is having flashbacks. & in the making out in the rain scene. it's really beautiful to look at how much she loves her woman. also love stef stroking lena's face & then she pulls her chin up right before the kiss. these woman are absolute goals            

Anonymous said:                                                                      i'm the anon who just wrote about sherri mastering the look. in the making out rain scene one thing i love is seeing sherri smile into a kiss. she's so relaxed with teri now which means more from lena. after the cut back from jude clapping, that is my fav. angle they captured because you can see how close they are, like physically, second because we can see sherri smiling & then putting a bit more force behind the passionate kiss. i'll never be over that kiss. we're blessed             

Yep, gonna go watch it again!

  Anonymous said:                                                                      Why is Stef so cool about what Callie did ? I know the girl isn't going  to prison and I know Stef has to be supportive and all but Callie did all of this. It's on her and I don't understand why Stef and Lena are son nice with her. Even if they don't want her to suffer, I wish someone could tell her that what she did was wrong. Now we are supposed to feel sorry for her. I'm so tired of Callie. I wonder what happened to this character.             

They took her too far. This isn’t life is so unfair to me Callie that we could relate to. This is self destructive Callie who gives a shit about everything and it’s hard to relate to.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Does Lena have an EdD? That could help her a lot in terms of future employment if Anchor Beach goes private.             

My great big hope is that Anchor Beach goes fully public. Peter said it won’t be resolved in the way we expect so that’s what I hope. The charter has been revoked or whatever, if it’s an affiliated charter as it has been portrayed then the San Diego Unified school district would take over. The school is worth more than 10 million btw. That’s my opinion.

Lena having a PHD? I would assume so. Mike said she did but I have been unable to identify it on her wall.

[zainapbaraketcaryl]

‘The Walking Dead’: Carol and Daryl, A Match Made in Hell?

02-21-2017

Carol and Daryl on ‘The Walking Dead’ are soulmates, but does that mean they’ll go canon?

The Walking Dead puts it’s characters and by extension the fandom through the ringer. Season seven started off on a particularly devastating note, and throughout the first eight episodes, things looked beyond bleak for our faves.

There’s certainly an argument for the gratuitousness of all the pain and suffering endured throughout just about any season. But the thing is, it’s all a bit more manageable when Team Family is all together. Since season four, the show has relied on separating our faves and taking them through emotional journeys that generally lead to major character development. In the season seven midseason finale, hope was restored to the group when they were reunited at Hilltop.

In fact, most of the undertaking of separating different characters from the larger group comes from how earned the reunions feel later. Who could forget the feelings of relief when Michonne (Danai Gurira) followed the tracks to the house where Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Carl (Chandler Riggs) were recuperating or when Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Glenn (Steven Yeun) found each other in season four?

The Walking Dead is at it’s best when it’s bringing characters together and there is almost nothing that compares to what we got with Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl’s (Norman Reedus) reunion in “New Best Friends” (S7Ee10).

Considering the deep bond Carol and Daryl share, the episode gave us a lot to discuss. With characters as popular as Daryl and Carol, it’s no surprise that not everyone interprets the Caryl bond in the same way. So I’ve brought my colleague Erin Qualey (go read her The Walking Dead recaps!) here to assist in another discussion!

What’s the possibility of seeing Caryl go canon like other romantic couples we’ve seen on the show?

Julie: So, for me “New Best Friends” is essentially my new favorite episode. It’s only rival at this point is “No Sanctuary” (S5E1). The obvious similarities are the Daryl and Carol reunions but I fell in love with that relationship in season two, when he brings her the Cherokee Rose. I can admit my bias but given everything we know about Daryl and Carol’s past, I think the show made a pretty airtight argument that Daryl and Carol love each other on a very deep, very emotional, very romantic level that goes beyond the physicality that might be necessary to consider a ship canon. I guess what I’m wondering, is what’s missing for you in that bond?

Julie: They’re definitely soulmates. And I like your transcendent interpretation. I’d even agree with it except for one thing. Daryl isn’t a touchy-feely kind of guy and he is almost always touching Carol and there is almost never anything entirely chaste or innocuous about those moments. Daryl might be an oblivious flirt but he gravitates toward her like no one else. I mean look how far we’ve come from season two after Daryl fails to save Sophia. He yells at Carol and tells her “Just go, I don’t want you here” and four seasons later he’s at her door and his voice breaks when he asks her, “Why’d you go?” (Ugh, it’ll be a long time before that line stops giving me chills and making me tear up. A+ acting on Norman’s part!) I just can’t imagine a scenario where Daryl is as comfortable with a woman as he is with Carol. It stands to reason that the emotional intimacy between them will eventually translate to physical intimacy.

Erin: But isn’t Daryl kind of in the friend zone at this point? It’s been awhile, and the two have had plenty of opportunity to make it official. Yes, Daryl gets kidnapped a lot, and Carol has been trying to run away for ages, but they’ve had opportunities along the way. Carol even propositioned Daryl back when they were settling into the prison, and he brushed her advance away like a joke. So I guess I’m just left wondering if Daryl is truly just that awkward or if he doesn’t actually want to be with Carol after all. And Carol hasn’t made a move since then either, so she seems just fine with the status quo. I guess to me, at this point, they seem like family members, and that makes the idea of adding sex into the mix somewhat off putting.

Ultimately, I think that both Daryl and Carol can find sexual release elsewhere while still maintaining their deep connection. It’s the apocalypse. They transcend traditional labels because they can.

Julie: The friend zone is a myth invented by “nice guys” who think they should be repaid in sexual favors every time they do something nice for a girl they find attractive. I don’t hug my friends or family the way Daryl and Carol hug each other. Daryl is the most eligible bachelor in the apocalypse, if he wasn’t that awkward why wouldn’t he be out and about screwing with the wrong people? And we’ve seen Carol try and use a relationship to hide her feelings. The whole point when Carol was with Tobin is that it felt completely disingenuous to the characters. It could never quite work because Carol is only truly herself with Daryl. It backfired spectacularly and precipitated her leaving her home (a noteworthy point that she still referred to Alexandria as home).

Erin: I think Carol and Daryl do transcend traditional labels as a romantic relationship. Okay, sure there are three men in Carol’s life. But two of which absolutely already fulfill the platonic male/female relationship. She’s clearly not interested. Carol told Morgan (Lennie James) to tell Rick and Co. that she was gone and she literally shut the door on Ezekiel only to open it a moment later to Daryl, whose presence completely took her breath away. What makes those options so much more compelling?

Erin: Hmm, I might disagree with you on your friend zone theory. I think that it’s natural for a pair of friends to pass a point where it would become difficult for them to become romantically involved. But even if we set the friend zone thing aside for a second, I still believe that Daryl isn’t necessarily the best person for Carol to end up with in a romantic sense.

Here’s where I open the floodgates and admit that I’m definitely an Ezecarol (Carekiel?) shipper. Yes, he won’t leave her alone, and that might be perceived as wrong, but he only continues to bug her because he’s honestly and truly concerned for her safety. If the Saviors found Carol, it’s very likely that she wouldn’t be able to protect herself, even with all of her battle prowess.

Ultimately, I think that Carol and Daryl are too alike for a relationship to succeed long term. Ezekiel pushes the boundaries with Carol because he knows she has walls up, and he actively wants to help her tear them down. Sure, that’s not his job, but he’s fully willing to challenge Carol in order to help her be her best self. Conversely, Daryl rarely, if ever, pushes Carol to deal with anything because he hasn’t even dealt with his own stuff. Since they’re both introverted survivors of trauma, their continued special relationship gives them implicit permission to keep everything bottled up instead of actively working through their issues. The Caryl friendship is a beautiful one but, if we look at it through a different lens, it’s actually an unhealthy co-dependent relationship that prevents either one of them from moving on from their respective traumatic pasts.

Julie: Ah ha! Now this is a quality discussion! Cherokee Roses will win over pomegranates in my book any day. But Ezekiel has a vested interest in keeping Carol safe because she knows his secret. If Carol wanted to, she could bring down the Kingdom. But when he let his act go, he tells her not to run away from whatever she’s running from: life, love. They barely know each other at that point, he’s not speaking about himself, yes he’s trying to get her to open up but it’s the same thing Morgan tells Daryl about finding something/someone to hold onto.

Erin: It’s interesting you would characterize Carol and Daryl as unhealthy (it’s probably a little co-dependent but like they established they literally can’t live in a world where the other doesn’t exist, is there a more romantic trope?) when it’s the healthiest, kindest relationship these two have ever known. And Carol didn’t look like she was bottling anything up when we finally caught up with her in front of the fire (but like seriously Gimple I need to know what happened in the hours between it went from afternoon to night in the house).

In fact, that whole moment when she talks about about fighting the Saviors if the family needed her was a callback to “Consumed.” Complete with fire imagery and the “burned away” line. With the biggest difference being that this time she was feeling it. She was crying. So much that to make it better Daryl makes her laugh and smile despite the tears. Daryl did that. And he’s the only one who ever has. When have we ever heard Daryl or Carol be humorous except with each other? Daryl even makes a joke about Ezekiel’s advances and Carol tells him to “shut up,” which is eerily similar to every other time she’s flirted with him. Can’t be too far from the romance novel Carol was reading right before her husband came back from war. Nevermind the undeniable body language in that second hug where he kisses her shoulder and she runs her fingers through his hair!

They’ve been trying to sort themselves out (i.e. Daryl taking the book on child abuse). Carol has isolated herself because she feels like she’s losing herself. In fact the brief but significant tearful conversation before their candlelight dinner is a blatant attempt to protect Carol from the devastating truth. If he wanted to push her, why wouldn’t he tell her? Daryl was also completely isolated from the group after the immediate aftermath of Negan’s (Jeffery Dean Morgan) line-up. Why wouldn’t he use the opportunity to sit and mourn with her? Except that it wasn’t about Negan or the Saviors of the loss of Abe and Glenn. It was about Daryl and Carol finally getting a respite from the constant assault that their lives have been. And the episode indicated that they’re finally ready to admit they’re what each other is holding onto, they’re what’s worth the fight to survive.

Erin: I can see what you’re saying, and I agree that perhaps “unhealthy” wasn’t the best choice of phrasing earlier. However, I maintain my argument that there’s not a ton of open discussion between Carol and Daryl about the traumas they’ve experienced in the past. They both have certainly made progress due to the support they feel from one another but, as regulated by them, the healing process is quite slow. Case in point, when Carol saw Daryl with the book on child abuse back in Atlanta, she didn’t say a word. She didn’t really support him or encourage him to talk about the issue, mostly because she didn’t want to talk about her own stuff. The mutual and unspoken understanding is there, but with that understanding, they lose the follow through necessary for true healing.

There’s no denying that Daryl and Carol’s relationship is one of the most genuine and unique relationships on TV. Like I mentioned before, I wouldn’t be upset if they ended up together, but I do think that they each may be better served by finding mates that aren’t concerned with protecting the secrets that haunt their lives. And even if their relationship never becomes sexual, they’ll still always have a place in my heart as two of the best soulmates on TV.

Julie: We know we’re not going to change the others mind. I would be disappointed not to see Caryl go canon. It just feels really earned at this point but I do appreciate the alternative perspective because like I mentioned, I know I’m beyond biased at this point. My final thought on the subject is that there’s this basic continuity editing rule. It’s often employed in film and operates on the idea that if it’s significant in scene five it should show up again in scene 15. It works in a more longer-form capacity for TV but we’ve had a lot of Daryl and Carol moments repeated back that always deepens their development. Except the one scene they have yet to recreate in a new way is the two sharing space on the bunk bed in “Consumed.” Don’t for one second think that isn’t deliberate.

http://hiddenremote.com/2017/02/21/walking-dead-carol-and-daryl-match-made-in-hell/