#and he did allllllll of that just to make himself seem more powerful

[theforgottenmcrmy]

Live reactions to house of the dragon season 2, episode 6

as always, this is done for my own amusement, but I’m also open to thoughts or comments🖤

spoilers below the cut

ANOTHER new variation of the intro? Give the creators some kudos cause dang

The Lannister Army. Wonder how old Jason has been…

Also, I totally get that the Rains of Castamere is House Lannister’s iconic theme, but it also didn’t exist until Tywin, so🤷🏼‍♀️ I’ll let it go though, because it’s bad ass.

Did he really just invite himself and his army to be guests?😂

Tyland’s looking so embarrassed rn😂

Damn, Prince Regent Aemond means business👀 Although I don’t know if making an alliance with essentially terrorists is wise is the long term.

Larys just capturing EVERY opportunity to undermine and cause chaos. He’s becoming one of the most predictable people in that regard, though I can’t say I’m too mad about it. You can always trust a snake to be a snake.

“Aegon is… mhm.”😂

Broooo the GALL of Aemond to kick out Alicent from the small council! I’d say this is hard to believe he’s the same mama’s boy we once saw, but his mama took a major stand ONCE in that boy’s life, and evidentially never did so again, so 🤷🏼‍♀️

And again, Alicent putting the men (and ONLY the men) in her life into power, and paying the consequences.

Another reference to Rhaena attempting to claim other dragons…

Ser Steffon, my thoughts are with you🥲 but the pure HONOR that was visibly on that man’s face when Rhaenyra suggested he attempted to claim a dragon🥲 we need more loyal men like him around the Queen.

“You can’t possibly still be angry about this.”😂 Maybe not, but Daemon apparently still feels a little bit guilty about it.

Welcome back Viserys! … Now please fix the problem you helped cultivate, thank you😇

The Haunting of Harrenhal bit with Daemon is starting to get real old, and I highly doubt I’m the only one thinking that at this point.

Like, realistically, how is Daemon ever supposed to be of use again after this constant psychological attacks? How are we as viewers ever to believe he’s capable of making a sound decision again? I get an episode or two, but dragging it on this long… I’m curious what the writers were thinking/trying to achieve.

The Stepstones? … Alys, he didn’t technically run from that. They did win. He just didn’t exactly tend to the upkeep.

“It’s not a prize to be won, but a burden to bear.” 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Seriously, why the hell would Daemon ask Alys for counsel and believe she means well after all this stuff that’s been going on?

What’s happening in three days time?👀

Literal chills at the dragon keeper’s hymn

Ser Steffon just wants to serve his queen🥲

Not the music….

Gods damn it. Poor Rhaenyra😭 F*ck, poor Ser Steffon😭😭😭 and just as I was about to say Seasmoke looked kinda happy…

Dyana, I need you to go to Dragonstone ASAP and get yourself a new employer, please

At least Ulf is right about something.

Wonder if Aemond knows what his favorite *companion* says about the “rightful heir” in her free time.

YES. SLAP SOME SENSE INTO HIM WOMAN.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

“It is my fault that you have forgotten to fear me.” GAG HIM

It does become her, Mysaria. We love a more active queen. ⚔️

Aemond seeing right through Larys’s bullshit😂😂😂

“You toad”😂😂😂

Aemond’s got his own family held hostage. The victim becomes the perpetrator. Seems to be a recurring theme with the Hightowers.

SHEEPSTEALER’S NEST. I repeat, SHEEPSTEALER’S NEST 🚨🚨🚨

Nooooo, don’t send Viserys and Aegon to Pentos🫠🫠🫠

Baby dragons, i can’t even😭🖤🖤🖤

The thought of Targaryen toddlers playing with their dragons like they would a puppy has me😭🖤

I swearrrr if they don’t move the Battle of the Gullet to season 3, I will not be faring well at allllllll

“My ruler is my mother, and I do not wish it otherwise.”🔥🔥🔥

Jace feeling put out by not being involved😅 as if you didn’t do that same thing to your mother literally last episode…

Is it food, or weapons?👀 both?

Dang, that produce is looking fresher than my local grocery store 😋

Literally, this plan was so brilliant though.

“You never love anything in the world the way you love your first child.” Cersei’s quote reminds me so much of Alicent and Aegon.

Ooof, the loaded “I’m sorry” means too many things at once.

Gwayne not even being the favorite child in his own household.., why is that making me feel sad😅

DAERON

The fact that Alicent has to ask what her own son is like is so damn pitiful and sad for a bounty of reasons…

“I’m sure you did your best.” Ehhhhh, my guy, that’s certainly up for debate.

Are there any genuinely healthy relationships amongst the Greens?

“She thinks of us, even now!”

How fast they turn…

Alicent protecting Heleaena🫠

“We Light the Way” playing at this moment is EVIL and I LOVE IT

Larys already trying to sober up his meal ticket, considering Aemond wasn’t too keen to buy what he was selling😂

Did not think about this kindred spirit aspect Larys and Aegon might have now🤔 he’s gonna be Aegon’s cheerleader for his recovery, isn’t he?

Nowwww I wanna know, is Daemon reliving something that happened, or something that he wished had? Because if he HAD legitimately comforted Viserys in that moment, just for Viserys to find out about the “heir for a day” bit later…. Ouch. Somehow the betrayal just got worse.

“Uhhhh…. The old man.” Please-😂😂😂

Not Daemon crying😭

Not me just now realizing that Seasmoke could very likely take to Addam because he reminds him of Laenor, who was in fact his half brother🥲💔

Imagine being confronted face to face with a dragon everyone is saying just burned someone alive, not only to survive said encounter, but to be able to bond with said dragon… That’s insane when you think about it.

Not the hug😭💔 this is getting me in my feels… Let’s just keep it platonic now, please.

If someone can give me a genuine, plot driving reason as to why these two are kissing right now, I’d love to hear it. Genuinely I would. I’m not trying to argue, im just confused and this is my initial reaction. Why isn’t Mysaria trusting Rhaenyra and Rhaenyra making a genuine friendship with another woman for the first time since Alicent not enough?

I’m still sad as hell they must’ve killed Laenor off screen😭

I just remembered we haven’t heard from Elinda this episode, I hope she’s okay.

At this point last season, the last two episodes were the Team Green and Team Black focused ones. So I’m hoping for a lot of excitement from these next two🤞🏻

[365days365movies]

January 2, 2021: Mission: Impossible (Part 1)

My mission, should I choose to accept it...

YEAH I KNOW IT’S A CLICHÉ. I just wanted to say it once.

So, previously on this blog, I watched the film Top Gun. Also previously, I didn’t like the film Top Gun that much, especially not its main character, Maverick, played by one illustrious Tom Cruise. Goodbye, Maverick. I banish ye from this sacred place, for this is a place where your toxic, arrogant, douchebaggery will NOT stand. 

Instead, we’re gonna jump into a separate Tom Cruise vehicle, one so iconic that he launched a multi-million dollar, 6-movie franchise, and made himself known as an actor who (obsessively) does his own stunts. Which, of course, he likes to let people know, and ramps up with every successive movie. Y’hear that he’s going to space next? Like, real actual space? Don’t know what action’s going to happen there, but call me cautiously intrigued. And by the way, I know that Top Gun: Maverick is coming out this year, and that it’s technically a continuation of the original Top Gun franchise, but as I said...Maverick is no longer allowed here. It’s all Ethan Hunt now.

A few things before I start the recap. First off: did I like this movie? And the answer is...I mean, yeah? I’d like to see more Mission: Impossible movies after this, if I’m honest. I’ve heard that Henry Cavill’s lip is amazing in the most recent one, so call me interested in getting to that point. I mean, that’s 5 movies, and I’m not doing that this month, I tell you what. Still, consider them on my list! As for this movie, let’s get into it. Might help me dissect my feelings a little better.

Second, I should say that Mission: Impossible (the whole series, but especially this film), is loosely based upon the original television series from the 1960s, starring Leonard Nimoy, Peter Graves, Martin Landau, Lesley Ann Warren, and more. It was a spy-series starring members of the Impossible Missions Force, or IMF. Ran for 7 seasons starting in 1966, then was revived in the ‘80s with Peter Graves returning. And, interestingly enough, I’ll have more to say on that later.

Third and finally, I should say my relationship with spy movies. Can’t say I’ve seen a lot of them, in truth, but I have seen the original Sean Connery (RIP) James Bond films, with the exception of Never Say Never Again. Haven’t seen any other Bond films, and any other spy movies that I’ve seen aren’t super notable, in truth. And yeah, I’ve seen the Austin Powers films, but that’s a conversation for a different month.

OK, enough background folderol, let’s get to that impossible mission, shall we? And SPOILERS, by the way.

Recap

OK, so we start with our intrepid spy group mid-mission, interrogating a guy using a fake dead-prostitute, a fake hotel, and a fake face, as seen by Tom Cruise taking off one of the iconic masks from the original show. And while this is clearly enhanced special effects, the original series used real latex rubber masks to accomplish the effect of taking the mask off. I dunno, that seems more charming to me than this:

But call that personal opinion, I guess. Anyway, we cut to Jon Voight...he’s the villain, isn’t he?

I mean, come on, he’s gotta be the villain, it’s Jon Voight in a ‘90s movie, where there are very few big names outside of himself and Cruise. But, I might be wrong about that, as Voight is playing Jim Phelps in this movie, and they wouldn’t turn Jim Phelps, of all characters, into a villain. He’s one of the main characters from the original series, played by Peter Graves. Dude even made it into the sequel series in the ‘80s as the head of IMF, a role which he appears to have taken up here as well. So, OK, I must be mistaken, he’s not gonna be the villain.

Right?

Anyway, after Jim Phelps chooses to accept the mission, the tape self-destructs, and our guys are going to Prague for find proof that some dude is stealing government secrets. We also find out that Phelps (Voight, remember) is married to Claire, played by Emmanuelle Beart, a woman 25 years younger than Voight. Well...sure? Anyway, we set up some nifty gadgets and planned disguises, and we make our way to the mission. And once there, the plan goes off without a hitch. I mean, mostly, anyway. No plan is foolproof after all! So, anyway, everybody’s dead.

Yeah. Wow. Everybody just got MERCED. Emilio Estevez gets crushed by an elevator, Kristin Scott Thomas gets stabbed alongside the suspect (somehow; I don’t understand how and why she doesn’t just walk away when she sees the dude clearly getting stabbed). Ingeborga Dapkunaite gets blown up, Emmanuelle Béart does to, but...off-screen. Hmm. And Voight gets shot...on camera...so that Hunt can see it happen...

It’s them, right? It’s Jim and Claire, the married couple, right? Like...they’re totally the villains of the movie, yeah? Because, like, we don’t see Claire get killed, and Phelps literally gets killed on camera. And the way the gun is pointed at him, CLEARLY looks like he’s shooting himself. It’s even the same suit that he’s wearing, you can see the sleeve! Come ON, man!

But, no, it can’t be that easy, right? This is a spy movie, after all, one of the best! Plus, I’m only, 20 minutes in? It CAN’T BE THAT EASY! And again, they wouldn’t do that to Jim Phelps, arguably the most well-known character from the original series! Right? RIGHT?

I’m just gonna say right now, I’m gonna be so upset if I’m right about this. Anyway...

Well, looks like Ethan’s being framed for the death of his team. Ah. So, it’s this story, huh? The mission was an attempt to root out a mole, and was apparently successful, according to Agent Kittedge (Henry Czerny at his most slimily dickish). Hunt is (very badly) interrogated by Kittredge, who literally only exacerbated the situation with his dumb, dumb interrogation tactics. Yeah, it’s gonna be one of those movies. Anyway, Ethan uses explosive chewing gum to escape, blows up a tank, and kills, just, SO many fish. Aquarists everywhere shivered as it happened, I’m sure.

Hunt goes...back to the safe house? Would...would the IMF not know where their agents are stationed? And you just went...back? Couple that with the fact that Hunt figures out how to contact the mysterious dealer “Max” within about 10 minutes, and IMF officials couldn’t figure that out for 2 YEARS at this point, and...these guys aren’t great spies, are they? So much slipping under their nose, geez. And if Jim actually is the mole, then WOW, these guys are incompetent. Still, outside of suspicion, there isn’t much proof of that yet...

Oh, look. Claire’s alive. Yeah...yeah, I’m calling my shot, it’s Jim and Claire. I don’t care if I’m wrong. In fact, I sincerely hope I am, for multiple reasons. But, yeah, I’m calling it officially now. And yeah, I’m not happy about it.

Anyway, Hunt, being not nearly suspicious enough of Claire’s survival, has indeed cracked the code that the entire IMF couldn’t crack in, again, 2 YEARS up to this point. Max has contacted him through the AIM server boards (Usenet, I know, but it’s the ‘90s; couldn’t resist). Max, played by Vanessa Redgrave in a pleasant surprise, makes a deal with Ethan to get the real list of agents, rather than the decoy that she’s been given. She accepts, as they narrowly escape capture by the IMF, and Ethan agrees to give her the full list for $10 million. And for the record, that set of demands is...VERY specific, on Ethan’s end. Thought about this before, huh, buddy-boy?

Anyway, Claire (who’s definitely guilty) and Ethan recruit two disavowed agents to help them. One is Franz Kreiger, a knife-loving sociopath played by the amazing Jean Reno. The other is Luther Stickell, a slickly-dressed computer hacker charmingly played by Ving Rhames. And I gotta say...I’m into it. Like, these two are both awesome characters, and I’m all for it. Rhames, while visually not looking like you’d expect an IT guy to look, pulls it off really well. He’s potentially my favorite character in the film, behind Max and Kreiger. Because, Kreiger...

So, Leon: The Professional is on my list for this month, and having seen Reno in this movie, I am EXCITED to see a movie in which he’s the star. I’ve only really seen him in this and Godzilla and heard him in Flushed Away, and he’s always my favorite character in those films. Not sure if it’s his characters, or his rakish charm, or his ABSOLUTELY AWESOME voice, but I’m a sucker for some Jean Reno, lemme tell you.

Allllllll right, time for some spy action! Looks like we’re going into Langley to get some information. Not an easy mission, that’s for sure. In fact, some might even say it’s a-

...Yeah, OK. Anyway, the mission proceeds in what may be, and I’m gonna be honest...one of the most heart-poundingly tense and enjoyable sequences I’ve seen in a spy movie. Cruise dangling by a wire over a supposedly break-in-proof room that sets off alarms at even the slightest trigger? Yeah...yeah, that shit was cool, I’m not gonna lie. Kreiger struggling to hold Cruise up, Luther coaching from the comms while awaiting the NOC list on his computers; it’s pretty awesome. No complaints there, 10/10.

OK, let’s break it up into two halves again, yeah? Part 2!

[scraplette]

Lost Light #11 Thoughts & Feels

Lost Light #11 is called Filling in the Blanks but I think a more fitting title would’ve been Spotlight: Getaway. Let’s find out why!

Under a read more for spoilers.

+These opening pages.... Yeah, knowing who Getaway is talking to, my eyes are rolling so hard.

+It's Froid btw. Since my Rung radar is permanently set to eleven I saw this a mile off but this was a cool set-up and reveal. Starting in Rung's office, leaving him off-screen, then we see the box of models ships, and because we know how important they are to Rung, alarm bells start to ring. Something is wrong.

It's a nice reveal, is what I'm saying.

+Now, back to the meat of the issue. We're finally getting Getaway's side of the story. SQUEEEE!

+Roberts has already admitted to there being an timeline error. I'm surprised the editor didn't pick up on it. I bet Barber wouldn't have missed it. I miss him.

+I love these panels of Getaway in the bar, his skills as a manipulator are on full display here. Stroking egos, creating an us Vs them narrative, exploiting their weaknesses and insecurities. Glorious!

+Love the added detail of Atomizer with the gun under the table.

+Oh! So Tailgate was the setup for the mutiny to follow, now the Plan A.

+I find it really interesting that Getaway used THUNDERCLASH'S (sigh, what a guy) isolation to convince him to join his side. It adds a nice layre to THUNDERCLASH'S character, one that makes totally sense when you think about the pedestal the poor guy has been placed on.

Ah, see this? I'm just going to put a pin in this for later.

Speaking of THUNDERCLASH.

Sigh, what a guy...

+Hi Froid

Something tells me if was probably Prowl.

+It’s so cool to see the #50 transmission from Getaway’s point of view!

+So, all those people in the #50 big reveal panel were there because they wanted Megs off the ship, and thought they were were doing the right thing. Thank God @_@

... Hound, THUNDERCLASH, after hearing this why the feck didn't you lock Getaway up?! He's admitted to brainwashing you!

Hm, having second thoughts, are we?

+Getaway stealing command from Hound was slicker than a wet weasel on a linoleum floor.

Time for another pin.

+This issue may be Spotlight:Getaway but Atomiser is getting some excellent character work, too. I love his relationship with Getaway, how he seems to understand and anticipate his needs. They're a really good time. If only they'd use their powers for good.

+Physics has a crush on Preceptor.

+Physic's crush is one-sided because Preceptor has a crush on Brainstorm.

+So this is the Warren that was mentioned last issue...

+The map still makes no sense to me. I'm glad Getaway can read it.

So Rodimus' map is different to THUNDERCLASH'S... I wonder if that means anything. We still don't know where these visions are coming from.

OH OH OH! Prepare, confront, repel! Whatever Cyberutopia is I doubt it's anything good.

I wonder how Scorponok got roped into all this clan business.

+Getaway's panic and relief at the SOS is fantastic. He's just waiting for the penny to drop.

+Refusing to help innocents, Getaway. Really? How did you think the others were going to take that info? THUNDERCLASH saves an orphanage at least once a month.

+OH MY GOD

THIS IS IT! We've reached peak Rodimus! This is the most Rodimus thing he's ever done! I honestly love his speech so much.

Suffering asteroids, cutting his own arm off just to show up destiny, PFFFFT! Small potatoes. Having you corpses dismantled and rebuilt into a gun(that matches his colour scheme, no less) that is to be used to kill your murderer... That's so metal.

+Also, puh-leese! Rung's eyebrows are unmatched throughout the entire galaxy.

+Gotta admit, I don't like the fake news line. It's a little too on the nose.

+And here is where it all starts to unravel.

+Wow, thing you got enough shots in there, Getaway.

+Nooooo! Riptide!

I laughed at this and I feel terrible for doing so.

YAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Froid and Sunder! The Murder boyfriends are back together. Froid seems pretty chill with the fact that Sunder turned him inside out.

+Sunder looks awesome in Lawrence's style. Look at those teeth! Oh! Did he always have an Autobrand [checks back issue] He didn't.

+Pfft! Boaty McBoatface. Odd enough, I'm don't find this reference as grating as fake news was.

+I guess that answers all my questions for the last issue. The crew weren't lying about the rod Squad leaving, they'd been brainwashed into believing that happened.

Right, time to gather up all those pins. Here we go! Getaway wants to become a prime and believes it is his destiny to do so, he also wants the respect and admiration of others and feels threatened and insecure around those who have what he desires. Does this sound familiar? It should, you could say the exact same about Rodimus. The only difference between them is Rodimus has a solid moral core. Getaway is a dark reflection of Rodimus, and I’m pleasantly surprised about learning this.

I'm fascinated by the signs of affinity and what that means for an MTO. I wonder if it was something that was hushed up because a CC showing signs of Primehood is a pretty big deal.

And the mystery of the braincords is solved! Bloody Hell, Getaway. I know you're a dick but I can't believe you agreed to this O_O

Sunder continues to be deliciously creepy. Just, bbbbbrrrrrrrr, chills. His preferred method of entry reminds me a bit of something Chromedome said allllllll the way back in the Sparkeater issues. With corpses, CD preferred to enter through the eyes. It's kinda cool to see how the different methods and techniques among Mneomosurgeons.

+I've got some mixed feelings over Getaway's moment of hesitation. It's an important crossroads for the character, the actual point of no return. That in itself is interesting and I have no problem with it, what I'm not keen on is that Getaway, master manipulator and shit-stirrer extraordinaire, was played by Froid.

Okay, okay. Froid is a criminal psychoanalyst, and is no slouch himself when it comes to mind games, but it feels so much like Froid is going “Oh, you're just a big chicken, Cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep!”

Oh! Same way Prowl convinced to take on Overload. Another parallel!

+Mixed feelings aside, I'm ticked by Froid. He's just here for the drama. Oh sure, he says he's interested in Getaway from purely an academic point-of-view. But we all know he's here to see it all fall apart.

+BTW I ship Froid x Getaway now. Sunder can join them for a threesome.

Riptide really came into his own these last few issues. I hope he makes it past this trilogy.

+EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! SCRAPLETS! How cut- I mean, horrifying! … >_>... [tiny squee]

+Getaway is quite cruel in these final pages. This isn't something new, he was always this petty and malicious when mocking Whirl, but this stings.

+Please let Riptide be okay. I'm hoping that because the Nudge Gun is low on nudge juice it will give him a chance of escape.

Looks like someone is having some doubts.

Can we just take a moment to applaud Lawrence's skills. Atomizer has no mouth(and he must scream) or eyes, but his growing doubt and reluctance is beautifully expressed through the art.

+Okay... See you all next issue for the final instalment of the Mutineer Trilogy :)

[greatshell-rider]

day eight of quARTine: milk (prompt list)

Ernie tried very hard to keep his eyes open as he milked Buttercup. But it was long past sunset, the lantern he’d brought was burning low, and the distant sound of crickets, mixed with the cow’s calm chewing of her cud, kept making him nod off. He sighed, hands stilling on the udder, leaning his head against Buttercup’s side. It had been a long day’s work out in the fields, now that harvesting was soon to begin. If he just rested a moment, just one . . .

Buttercup gave a long, low moo, startling Ernie upright. “Ah!” he said, hurriedly starting to milk again. “Sorry, sorry!” His shoulders were crowded up around his head, half-expecting a slap from Pa for lazying off.

But none came, and Buttercup was no longer chewing, her head turned to stare past Ernie.

“What is it, Butter?” he said, half-turning on his stool. “Wind spooked ya?” It was a bit early in the year for the ghosts to be haunting the valleys again, but ghosts would do as ghosts did.

He nearly fell off his stool at the sight of a tall silhouette standing in entrance. “Ah!” he yelped. It was really early for them to be appearing! Ernie didn’t have any shells on him!

“Uh, hello,” the ghost said. A hand lifted from its side to scratch its head, an oddly prosaic gesture for one strong to appear. It leaned backwards to yell at someone, “Hey, Lani? There’s a kid still in here.”

Ernie’s eyes bugged out. Ghosts using each others’ names?

The ghost outside the barn—Lani, apparently, even if names were forbidden to the dead—called back, “I could’ve sworn I saw all of them go inside the house. Oh well. Guess you’ll have to lop off his head, huh?”

“Lani,” the first ghost said, almost chidingly. “I said kid.”

“And I ‘lop off his head’, yes, I remember.” The second ghost—Lani—stepped into view, another silhouette against the lantern’s poor light, though Ernie could see its arms were folded across its front. Its voice curled into a purr. “If you let him go he’ll tell his family and then you’ll have to kill them allllllll toooooo, Jerry-Berry.”

“You’d be responsible too,” the first growled. Jerry Berry. The ghost of a dead berry farmer, then? Maybe? These ghosts were so well articulated, their voices and tones so much more rich and alive than the typical rattling, screaming moan like of a storm wind.

A terrible thought occurred to Ernie.

He squeaked, “Are you gods?”

The ghosts—or worse—stopped arguing and looked at him.

I interrupted them, Ernie realized with horror.

“So he knows Wide!” the second said.

“Being called a god is new,” the other muttered. Both considered him in silence. The weight of both of their gazes made Ernie’s knees shake. He thought they might smite him then and there.

But then They Of Berries suddenly turned their head sharply to the other. “Lani, no.”

“Oh, Lani yes,” The Purring One said. “He said gods, Jerry. Think of the possibilities!”

Ernie was still alive! They were merciful gods! Oh, oh! He might live! But—offerings! He needed an offering! He quickly snatched the bucket under Buttercup and ran forward, placing it as close to the two gods as he dared before quickly retreating back to the lantern’s small circle of light, hopefully a respectful—and safe—distance. “For you,” he murmured, voice shaking. Real gods, huh! He couldn’t tell if his body was trembling out of terror or excitement. 

They Of Berries had their hand resting on the hilt of a sword Ernie hadn’t noticed before. He stared at it, awed. A warrior god? Coming to a farm? They nudged the bucket with a foot. “What’s this?”

“An offering!” Ernie said brightly, amazed that these gods so far didn’t seem to know what they were doing. Nervous, he rambled on. “Best milk within five miles! Because there’s no one else here for five miles around! We’re the best farm for you to tarry at! And Buttercup’s the best cow!” Were they new gods? Powerful, then! And Ernie could be their first worshiper. He tried to not think of all the blessings he could ask for, in case they could read his mind. New ones usually didn’t get offended so easily like that, but one could never be sure with a god, young or old.

The Purring One had dropped to a knee to stick their finger in the bucket. In crazed anticipation, Ernie tried to not vibrate off the face of the planet as they tasted the milk.

“Hmm!” they said.

Ernie couldn’t keep it in any longer. “Would you like to stay?” he burst out. “The fields could really use your blessing—” he bit down on his tongue to stop himself from blathering on when he saw The Purring One tip their head up to the other. He thought he could see a grin on their lips.

“You know it’s either this or stabbing the kid.”

They Of Berries sighed and looked around the barn. “We do need a place to stay the night,” he agreed.

Ernie clapped his hands together, all exhaustion forgotten, a too-wide grin hurting his cheeks. He would get started on a shrine right away. With just half a bucket of milk, he’d acquired two new gods, and with their hunting season months away, he certainly wasn’t going to waste them. They Of Berries was rubbing their head again, looking at Ernie uncertainly. He tried to mold his smile from overeager to innocent, welcoming. Oh no, these two needed just as much guidance from a humble servant as much as said servant wanted their power. And Ernie knew just the kid.

[kaen-ace-of-diamonds]

RWBY VOLUME 5 WISHLIST

OKAY SO 

WITH ONLY A COUPLE WEEKS LEFT UNTIL VOLUME 5 PREMIERES, I’M GETTING HYPED AS FUCK, SO MUCH THAT I HAD TO MAKE A WHOLE POST YELLING ABOUT EVERYTHING I’M EXCITED ABOUT (POTENTIALLY) SEEING IN THE NEW VOLUME

In hindsight, despite knowing logically that nowhere near all of them can/will pop up in one volume, I have more hopes and dreams than I thought, so I’m putting them all under the cut:

- First and foremost, I am SO excited to see more of the new animation! I’ve seen some people criticize how the Volume 4 fight scenes looked, and I don’t know enough about animation or fight choreography to have an opinion on that, but all throughout V4 I was consistently amazed by how much more expressive everyone is now, and how much more depth everything seems to have, if that’s the correct word. And with the Volume 5 trailers looking even cooler, I’m both very impressed with the animation crew and very excited to see what the new volume will look like in full.

- However, I do agree with what seems to be the general consensus about Volume 4′s main problem, which was the pacing. Splitting the team up was a good move for the story, but trying to tell all the main four’s separate stories and properly dealing with the traumas they all suffered in V3 while also introducing a whole host of new characters who need development too AND devoting a chunk of the volume to Ren’s backstory AND adding more worldbuilding? That’s a case of biting off way more than you can chew, and I feel like the volume ended up suffering for it by having simultaneously too much and not enough. Hopefully, bringing everyone into a central location again will make telling Volume 5′s story easier to manage.

- Character development for Ruby! It feels like she’s started to be shunted to the back in her own show (can Jaune just...go away for a little while? He’s a good side character, but that kind of requires him to stay to the damn side), and there’s definitely a lot more to be addressed with her. 

SILVER EYE TRAINING. Or something of that nature. We’ve gone an entire volume since her powers were revealed, and nobody on the heroes’ side has said a thing about it. Has she tried activating them again? Did she even tell anyone else what little Qrow told her? Anything like that?

Consequently, we’ve learned nothing about them either, and when you’re piling on even more lore/worldbuilding like Miles and Kerry did in this volume with the Relics and the Brothers, that’s not a good thing when we barely know anything about what’s already there. 

And I don’t exactly have a number one hope for this volume, but if I did, Ruby angst (for lack of a better term) would be a fierce contender. Like...Ruby’s innocence was shattered in Volume 3. She watched her school, which was supposed to be a safe and happy place, be destroyed, countless people massacred by Grimm, two good friends (and one enemy) die horribly right in front of her, her sister’s confidence crushed, and her team fall apart. And though she tried, though all she wants is to be the hero and protect people from harm, there was nothing she could do about any of it. What that must have done to her can’t be skimmed over with a few seconds of nightmare, a downcast look, and an “I learned something today” letter, and I’m hoping that the psyche of our main protagonist being explored more will be a higher priority in the new Volume.

Related note: please let Penny’s death be given more than one quick mention, @RT I’m begging you

ALSO I CANNOT WAIT FOR YANG TO FIND HER AGAIN, EVERY SCENE OF THESE PERFECT SISTERS ADDS TEN YEARS TO MY LIFE, IT’S GOING TO BE GREAT

LIKE, I’D MAKE A REUNION JOKE, BUT THE BEST ONES WERE ALREADY MADE

- Team RNJR running into Pyrrha’s mother (or other living family?) in Mistral. With communications down, there probably wasn’t a way for anyone at Beacon to tell her what happened, so her teammates will have to be the ones to break it to her that her daughter was killed in action.

 Oh, and that there was no body. Because she was shot point-blank in the chest with a huge arrow and then incinerated. It was bad, Ms. Pyrrha’s Mom. REAL BAD. 

Pyrrha’s Mom: Well, if that’s the case...Did you happen to save any of her personal belongings, so I could have something to remember my daughter by? These things really should go to the family, after all. Maybe her armor? What happened to that?

Ren and Nora: (look at each other, sweating bullets)

Jaune: UHHHH...(hides new sword and shield behind his back, also sweating bullets)

Ruby: ...I had nothing to do with this! You tell her! (rose petals away)

Yes, I know Miles and Kerry said that Pyrrha probably had more than one suit of armor. Yes, I do think the action itself was sweet. Yes, telling her mother that someone took her dead daughter’s stuff without permission and melted it down to use himself would be an awkward situation anyway.

- Speaking of which, maybe a flashback to Ren and Nora’s reactions to finding out that Pyrrha was murdered?

I mean, think about it: the last time either of them saw her, she’d been depressed and nervous about something, then accidentally dismembered a girl in front of a whole stadium, and was too stunned by it to run from a goddamn Nevermore. Then she disappears during the Battle of Beacon, and in the aftermath, on top of everything else that just happened, someone (probably Jaune) tells them she’s dead. And he can’t fully explain why, because he didn’t know what was going on himself. Ouch.

They were her friends, too. How did they take it? We got nothing, not even in the campfire scene where her death is directly addressed. (Because all that mattered were Jaune’s fucking feelings, rIGHT MILES, GOD DAMN IT)

(good God, I need to stop being so bitter, I’m trying to be happy)

- I CANNOT WAIT FOR MORE YANG, GONNA BE GREAT, I CAN’TT WAIT

I’ve seen a whole lot of people complaining that Yang got too little screentime in Volume 4 and that her recovery story was too rushed, and yeah, I can see where they’re coming from, but I feel like we need to look at the big picture for that because I get the sense that Miles and Kerry are building up to something with that

I am almost 100% sure that Yang isn’t actually doing as well as she acts. Remember that before we see her all peppy and energetic and “It feels so natural,” the last scene was her overhearing Taiyang talking about how he would go after Ruby to make sure she’s safe, but he can’t because he has to stay home and look after Yang

Feeling like she’s a burden now and putting on a brave, strong front and acting like she’s suddenly A-okay so that she won’t be, for the sake of her family, is a very Yang thing to do. She’s had to do that for a huge chunk of her life (remember we don’t know exactly how long Taiyang checked out of reality after Summer’s death), and it’s probably an easy coping mechanism for her to fall back into

Easy -- but dangerously unhealthy, especially considering that she’s driving herself right back onto the battlefield. I think we’re headed straight for a relapse/an even bigger breakdown sometime in the future

But before that, I’d love to see her actually having to adjust to having her metal arm. People’s reactions when they see it, how it lacks any sense of touch, how it’s going to need some amount of maintenance, all that good stuff

And most importantly, the new arm did fine while she was practicing with Tai, but how is it going to fare in an actual battle? How hard of a hit can it take? Can it keep up with Yang’s Semblance? What will happen if it’s not as strong as she thought and she loses her arm again?

Mark my words, that arm is going to blow the fuck up like Edward Elric’s automail, I know it

Also hey perfect opportunity to maybe shine a spotlight on all Yang’s other, non-arm-related issues

- Adding onto that -- holy shit I am so hyped for the Yang/Blake reunion I HAVE TO DO SEPARATE BULLET POINTS FOR IT 

I’m as excited as anyone else for them to be happy together again, but I know perfectly well that that isn’t going to happen right away and quite frankly I will be disappointed if it does

These two have a lot of issues to hash out, both about their relationship and with their own personal problems, so realistically, there’s going to be anger and hurt, there’s going to be betrayed feelings, there’s going to be resentment, and that’s okay

But I’m also hoping that we’ll get to see them work through what’s happened to them, learn to communicate better, and grow as partners by the end of it

AND AS SOON AS THAT’S DONE:

YANG AND BLAKE FIGHTING TOGETHER AFTER MAKING UP. LOCAL PUNK BITCH ADAM TAURUS FOUND DEAD IN MIAMI. 

If not, then I would also happy to see him playing tetherball with Ghira and Kali. He can be the ball.

Seriously, though: please take this moment of your day to imagine Kali Belladonna bashing Adam’s head open with a cast-iron tea kettle. You’re welcome.

Anything to assuage my looming fear that right when everything is looking up for Blake and Company, Adam’s going to just swooce right in and kill her parents

Sun can help too! I wouldn’t be surprised to see him fighting off the Albain brothers and/or Ilia while the power couple Yang and Blake beat the shit out of Adam

And then they can all sit on his corpse and have dumplings together

- Speaking of Sun, I have a very strong feeling that when he finally reunites with his team, he and Neptune will dance again and it will warm my cold dead heart

- SIENNA KHAN BEING THE STRONG, BEAUTIFUL, MAJESTIC TIGRESS FAUNUS WE ALL KNOW SHE CAN BE

- TEAM STRQ TEAM STRQ TEAM STRQ TEAM STRQ TEAM STRQ 

ALLLLLLLL THE TEAM STRQ

MY ANGST-LOVING ASS IS 5000% READY FOR SOME FLASHBACKS

SOMEHOW IT’LL BE EVEN BETTER SEEING THEM YOUNG AND HAPPY KNOWING DAMN WELL THAT THEIR COLLECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS GOES TO ABSOLUTE SHIT BEFORE LONG

It’d be cool to see Tai when he was actually happy and untraumatized

And the twins, too, before they went all Zuko and Azula on each other! What made two kids raised by a bandit tribe decide to go to Beacon? Were they partners? What were their relationships with Tai and Summer like? When the time came, how did they choose between their tribe and their new lives with their team? Did they used to get along better? Were they born into the tribe or adopted into it? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE TWO AND I’M SO EXCITED TO KNOW MORE

AND OF COURSE THE MORE I GET TO SEE OF RAVEN IN GENERAL, THE BETTER

BUT EVEN BETTER: I have been wanting to see Summer Rose content for years, and I will die happy if she gets the chance to actually be a good character in her own right instead of another example of the “perfect dead parent” trope

And this would be the perfect way to tie in to Raven and Yang’s story: by bringing up again that Summer was, for all intents and purposes, Yang’s real mother, not the woman who gave birth to her and then Ging Freecss-ed away to go slaughter people

Also I know it has like a 0% chance of becoming a canon ship, but if it turns out that Raven really is working with Salem in some capacity -- 

(which I think she probably is; her loyalty is to her tribe and her responsibilities as its leader, and it would be beneficial for her to be getting information from both Beacon’s side and Salem’s side, so when things really get ugly, she can decide who, if either, will give her people the best chance of surviving to see the dust clear if she allies with them)

-- my Hellbirds-shipping heart will explode if she and Cinder actually share screentime together

I don’t care if their only interaction is, “hi you flash-fried piece of garbage”, (ANGRY WHEEZING NOISES), I’ve made do with rarepairs that have exactly one second of eye contact and nothing else, I will be so happy

- Qrow getting into some AA and therapy because God knows he needs it. Mama Schnee can come too. 

Actually, anything with Mama Schnee being relevant would be very welcome

Whitley proving to be smarter and more manipulative than his father while operating in a self-serving gray area would not go amiss, either. Boy’s got to do something to get out from under the pile of much cooler villains than him

ALSO, I want Winter Schnee to do three things: step on me continue to be badass and beautiful, have more Good Big Sis moments with Weiss, and kick Qrow through a window. Any of those would be lovely :)

- OH I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT THE MAIDENS

With the Spring Maiden being brought up as Team WTCH’s next target in V4, I’ll be very surprised if she doesn’t show up at least once in V5, and now that we know the lore surrounding them, I’m curious to see how they are in the real world

Like, unless you’re Cinder or Pyrrha, you don’t choose to become a Maiden, and the concept of being a regular person randomly ending up with huge, world-bending power and having to live with it until you die and potentially being tracked down and murdered for it is really cool

Do they all choose to become fighters, like Amber, or do they try to carry on normal lives and hide their powers?

Since the power is transferred to whoever was in the last Maiden’s dying thoughts, is it possible that there could be Maiden families somewhere in Remnant, who deliberately try to pass on their powers down the family line, from mother to daughter?

And while we know that you can be too old to become a Maiden, is there a minimum age limit? I saw this one theory that the Spring Maiden is going to turn out to be just a little girl, not even a preteen yet, and I think that’s definitely something worth exploring. Like, take everything I said before about the concept of being a Maiden and apply that to a child, and it’s simultaneously cooler and much, much worse

And the idea of someone like Tyrian hunting down a really little kid, to either be killed or used as a Tykebomb by Salem, is just fucking horrifying; please keep him away from any and all children

Finally here’s something I’ve been wondering since V4 started: can a single person inherit more than one Maiden’s power? Since I’m assuming they all have different sets of abilities. Does Salem intend to find three other candidates to steal each Maiden’s power, or is Cinder supposed to assume the powers of all four Maidens to save her the trouble?

That would be an interesting move for Cinder’s character arc...She’s the girl who wants power, and so she steals more and more and eventually winds up taking in so damn much power that she can’t handle it, and in the end, it destroys her

- Speaking of which: THE VILLAINS. GIVE ME ALL THE VILLAIN SCREENTIME.

- I need Team WTCH content, I know we’ll probably be getting plenty of it but I need it like breath

Tyrian with his hair down? Maybe? 

I’m interested to see whether he’s still traumatized by Salem telling him his kidnapping skills suck, or whether this happens often enough that he’s bounced back by now

As much as I talk about wanting to find out where Cinder’s obsessions came from, I think out of the whole team, I want to see Tyrian’s backstory the most. Just what in the hell fucked his head up so bad and made him so devoted to Salem? The others fear and respect her, Tyrian worships her -- why?

Hazel’s little moments of compassion/morality -- being the only team member not to make fun of Cinder and helping out Oscar purely because he felt like it -- really interest me, and coupled with the fact that he’s definitely probably the one who killed Summer Rose and I could listen to William Orendorff’s voice of a god for hours, I’d love to see more of him

And on the complete opposite end of the "niceness” spectrum, I’m looking forward to seeing Watts be a complete dick for the whole volume probably more than I should

I see all your jokes about how he’ll eventually lose his mustache to Ruby and I’ll raise you the reveal that the mustache was really a gun the whole time. That’s his Semblance, his mustache turns into a gun

(I’m also curious to see how a Kingdom/Academy already influenced by Salem in some way operates. With the knowledge from World of Remnant that Mistral in general isn’t a kind country, and the reveal that Haven’s headmaster is on Salem’s side (willingly or not), the place is giving me real Town With A Dark Secret vibes already and we’ve barely seen it, it’s looking to be really cool)

More interactions between these four in general I’d love, but what would be really great to see would be a flashback to how Cinder fit into the group pre-Silver-eyed-ass-whooping, when she was still confident and could still talk back to them 

I mean, I seriously doubt it will happen but if we get an “Beginning of the End”-style flashback episode showing how they all ended up with Salem, I will flip a fucking table that would be so cool

- But even more than that, I will sell my soul for more scenes with Cinder, Emmy, and Merc, do you hear me RT, those three aRE MY FUCKING LIFE

Personally, I’d love to see just a quiet, normal scene with the three of them, without Salem or WT_H, showing off how their team dynamic has changed now that Cinder’s hurt and vulnerable and they’re all stuck in hell together until Cinder is ungrounded

Seeing more of Emerald acting as Cinder’s voice/caretaker. One more reason I think that this is the absolute best direction they could have gone with Cinder is that her relationship with Emerald has been turned completely upside down. Before, Cinder was in control of everything, easily, and her emotional manipulation of Emerald centered around the fact that she was the one who took her off the streets and gave her food, work, shelter, a place to belong (I’m trying to keep it brief, but I could write so much more on how Emerald’s self-worth is tied directly to Cinder), with the implied message being, “You owe me your life, your happiness; where would you be if I hadn’t chosen you?” Now? Cinder’s life has spun entirely out of control, and she’s forced to rely on Emerald for the most basic things. Where would she be, now, if Emerald decided to leave her? My guess is, Emerald probably has mixed feelings about the whole thing, but this has got to grate on Cinder like nothing else

Cinder moving on from fire and starting to try and master all the other bending disciplines Maiden powers. AVATAR STATE, YIP YIP

Mercury taming those goddamn monstrosities above his eyes, good Lord

But seriously though, let my boy talk again 

(and maaaaaaybe tell us where those metal legs came from? I will bet actual money that it was Marcus, I’m not even kidding)

Finding out just what the hell Salem has been doing to Cinder to heal her injuries (my money’s on that ugly ass sleeve coming off to reveal a monstrous Grimm arm, because hey, Salem might not always have looked like that either and that little Grimm beetle Cinder used to steal Amber’s power had to have disappeared to somewhere) 

Since I’m guessing speech therapy isn’t a part of Salem’s treatment plan, maybe Cinder will start learning sign language so she doesn’t have to rely on Emerald all the time? 

(muffled sounds of Neo parasoling through the sky in the distance)

- And of course I’m looking forward to the eventual Ruby-Cinder fight, but there’s one thing I started wondering about while working on Homecoming...

Does Ruby have any idea what her Silver Kamehameha did to Cinder? She does seem to be under the impression that Cinder’s still alive. Did Emerald and Mercury grab her and get out before anyone could see? Not that she’d care, but does Cinder know that Ruby didn’t deliberately attack her? Is Ruby even going to recognize her when they meet again? Because if Cinder goes through months upon months of obsessing over how much she hates Ruby and how she needs to get revenge, and then when she finally catches up to her all Ruby can say is something like, “Who are you, again?”, she’s going to actually explode and I will die laughing

- SALEM. Just...More Salem. 

Her whole Evil Team Mom/Unholy Grimm Queen thing is something I really like and find unique, but now that we know what she’s like, what I think we need to know more about is what she’s capable of

What other powers does she have besides controlling Grimm and walking like she’s got a hoverboard under her dress? What drew Team WTCH to her, and how else does she keep them in line? She wanted Ruby alive, so what does she plan to do with her when she gets her hands on her? 

Why, above all, should we fear Salem as our main villain? Seriously though, I want this woman to scare the shit out of me at least once this volume

I’d mention whatever backstory she and Ozpin have together but I don’t think about that part as much and I feel like it’s going to be cool whatever it is

However, I am dying for the moment when she finds out that the reports of Ozpin’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. I imagine it’ll happen Lion King-style.

Salem: Why, my dear Ozpin, I’m a little surprised to see you...(turns around to glare death at Cinder) ...ALIVE. (thunder booms in the distance)

Cinder, trying to subtly hide behind Emerald and Mercury: (GULP)

Meanwhile Oscar has exactly zero idea what is going on and is just praying that the scary Grimm woman and the angry fire girl aren’t going to hurt him, pray for my baby boy, he didn’t do shit to deserve this

- And to finish all this off: ME IF I SEE ONE HINT OF A REDEMPTION ARC IN THIS VOLUME:

Really, though, I see a ton of posts about it, but I don’t think it’s going to happen; the only one I could see realistically leaving the bad guys’ side at some point is Ilia, maybe

I’m not going to get into it too much because I’ve typed for too long already and I’m sure you’re starting to get bored with me by now, but yeah, Emerald and Mercury aren’t going to up and run so easily, Cinder doesn’t actually give a shit about other people, Raven is (most likely) going to stick to her own agenda no matter what, Adam will be a punk bitch until the day he dies, and all that

The way the narrative is going, I just don’t think redemption arcs for any of the villains would make any sense, at least right now

- BUT YEAH I’VE GOT MY TICKET TO SEE THE PREMIERE IN THEATERS AND DESPITE MY OCCASIONAL HANG-UPS WITH THE WRITING I HAVE 100% FAITH IN THE CRWBY TO GIVE US SOMETHING GREAT, NO MATTER WHAT

Now, off to go rest my cramping hand...