#and i love that i just wish EVERY OTHER ARC FOLLOWED UP ON HER BEING A BAD PERSON

[the-owl-tree]

Aside from the incredibly unjustified, poorly written forgiveness Feathertail (and Mistystar) grant her, what do you think about Leopardstar? In spite of everything, I’ve always liked that they gave us an extremely morally dubious she cat in power, who’s main motivation isn’t dependent on kits or tom cats. I feel like if the writers leaned a lot more on/ accepted that she’s awful most of the time, she could’ve been a much stronger character. And I do like how in spite of everything she agreed to do with Tigerstar, she was gunning hard for Sasha, and clearly liked her a lot. I just think there’s a lot of unexplored potential there

Big agree, I like Leopardstar as a villain. She's got a great presence in the first arc: she's intimidating and whenever she enters the scene, you KNOW somebody's going to get hurt. She goes for the throat and isn't afraid to kill, code be damned. She's ambitious and ruthless and I love how she's set up as this hungry cat who ends up being so blinded by her pursuit of power that she runs right into the claws of an even bigger predator. There's something so interesting about the way she plays right into what Tigerstar wants and yet every inch of power he gives her, he takes another for himself. Love it, fantastic set up and ending for the character in arc 1.

.....and then her involvement in the execution of Stonefur is never heavily brought up and scrutinized in the mainline books (then forgiven in the graphic novels) and she dies a very noble and brave leader. Bleh. Boring. She rubbed elbows with Tigerstar happily, why are we not playing her as a villain? Why is she just there? Her depiction post-TPB is boring and unsatisfactory, both she and Blackstar get away with waaaaaayy too much. Definitely find something interesting in her taking such an interest in Sasha, in particular her mentoring Hawkfrost and even considering him for deputy. It's that bit of wiggle room I like but I think requires more fan work than canon work for me to really wanna delve into.

side note, i LOVE the fanon idea that Leopardstar had something to do with Crookedstar's death. Poisoning him slowly, sneaking yew in his prey and weakening him slowly, all that.

[ilikekidsshows]

I wish the plot of the first season was Marinette coming to love being Ladybug. Mostly because I’m sick of it still being presented as a chore when she could easily pass the responsibility on to someone else. Instead, Ladybug is still presented as mainly a burden that Marinette is forced to nobly bear. My best guess is that she’s meant to be a tragic hero, but she's mainly just annoying.

Both times she gave up the earing she only took them back because there was no other choice. The writers could have dedicated an arc to Marinette learning what it means to be a hero (If nothing else, this needs to happen! Marinette is one of the least heroic heroes I have ever seen in media) and then being given the option to give up the earrings, but refusing because she wants to be Ladybug. One reason I think Adrien would make a better protagonist is that he clearly loves being Chat Noir.

Or if that’s too serialized for the show’s formula, then make being a miraculous holder an inherited position to justify why Marinette is still doing this. Maybe only descendants of the original holders can wield their respective miraculous. Maybe since the kwamis are basically gods, their holders are their avatars. They reincarnate every hundred years or so, and the kwagatama allows them to speak to their past lives. As a bonus,both these options provide an organic way to explore the lore of the miraculous and Marinette’s chinese heritage, both of which are extremely lacking in canon.

---

Yeah, like, that's the most annoying thing about Marinette Ladybugging: she sucks at it, she hates it, she merely does the bare minimum and yet she has all the power to quit at any second. As soon as an audience member realizes she holds all the power in this situation, the question of “why” becomes essential. Why is Marinette still Ladybug? She only views her duties as a burden and she kinda sucks at superheroics with her fix everything spell and far more dedicated partners carrying her and pulling her ass out of the fire whenever she's dealing with anything more stressful than a run-of-the-mill Akuma. If she was up against supervillains where you couldn't just magic the problem away like a real superhero, she’d be throwing crying fits every week.

Like, back when Neon Genesis Evangelion came out, people didn't really understand what parental abuse does to a kid and they were constantly annoyed at Shinji not just telling his dad to go screw himself if he didn't want to pilot the super cool giant robot. There's some lack of sympathy in general going on here, but people who didn't get it were asking those questions. And that was when said abusive dad was also telling him he’d send in a grievously injured girl in Shinji’s place if he didn't do it. Yet no one questions why Marinette, who's her own boss and yet constantly complains about her job, doesn't just quit.

It's starting to feel like some attempt at false humility by the writers, where the reason it's okay she gets all the power and authority is because she doesn't "really want it", but it comes across as more like her not appreciating it. She's supposedly really stressed out, but she doesn't exactly feel concerned for the people following her lead, considering none of her concerns are about if she's being a good leader or not. Whenever she's concerned about her performance, it's mostly in terms of how she's viewed, not how she's impacting others.

Her arrogance goes even higher than Barman's in terms of thinking she's the only one who can do the job, but Batman actually gets called out for this attitude.

[local-lamppost]

Act 3 Thoughts

Watched Wicked, came home, waited 20 minutes, binged Act 3. I do not recommend this lifestyle. Anyway...

I was so satisfied with where we ended up, but I would have also appreciated about 20 minutes to an hour more. It felt like some beats were skipped over, they wanted to get to specific endings and didn't have the time to wrap them up as neatly as I would've liked.

Maddie is a good example. She's a plant for Ambessa, okay but when and why did she become one? She couldn't have been one before Cait being named commander and when we next see her she's pushing for Cait to take power back from Ambessa. Did Ambessa just message her right after Cait and Vi started working together again as like a "the woman you love's actual love is back in the picture, you can either wallow or get revenge with me", but also made a smarmy remark about Cait 'at least being warm' or something. We didn't need to absolve Cait or villainize Maddie for their 'relationship' because they didn't even have a relationship-just a coping mechanism for Cait, similar to Vi's drinking. At best it was all unnecessary and at worst a waste of time.

Away from that, I want to focus on some good.

I am officially a JayVik shipper now. Them disappearing into a void together, encircled with each other, after Viktor spend however long within timelines/multiverses in hopes of finding a Jayce able to bring him back to his humanity? Come on, they needed to kiss. Especially after Jayce and Mel's low key break up. Honestly we were denied the three of them working together, because they would have been unstoppable.

Speaking of Mel, I love her. I love her design, her powers, her matricide, her taking command of Ambessa's armies, etc. I wish we could have seen more of her adapting to her new powers, finding peace with what she now is. There could have been a cool interaction with Viktor over how Arcane power has changed them both for better and worse.

I don't think Mel's story is done. With other characters, I can see them coming in for future story arcs as like, cameos or background details, but if the next LoL story is in Noxus I fully expect Mel to be a major player again.

Back to Jayce. I like Jayce, that could be my Arcane hot take, and I definitely want to write something more in depth on him. On all the characters really. For now, I'll just say that his determination to destroy everything he has built, because the only creation worth saving is his relationship with Viktor is just... glorious.

Viktor was amazing. I love Viktor in the lore, and they took his traits from the lore and amped them up to eleven. His body being destroyed and rebuilt, the process of which has chipped away his humanity and mutilated his dreams. He lives up to his own quote: "In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good. We have to make it right."

Ekko is a character I never realize I miss. That sounds mean, it probably is, but I am never the less so happy to see him every time. It's like finding the missing piece you didn't even know was lost: that is Ekko to me. His mini adventure in the parallel universe was adorable. Us getting to see what could've been alongside learning what matters most to Ekko, him getting a taste of a near perfect life and still choosing to return to his own time. That's why Ekko is the true hero of this story.

In terms of Jinx, I'll just say I'm not a hundred percent sure she's dead. The airship leaving at the end followed by her scribbled sign off, plus not getting a dead body shot. It was definitely left open ended. Her looking to do something good, to not mess up, alongside her fear of not wanting to try again because she is just tired of failure, of being a Jinx, was too real in many ways. I will go in depth on her at a later date.

Caitlyn's arc is going to be argued about, no question. It needed more time (see the start of this long post) to make her point of her anger burning away, of it not being sustainable, hit harder. I would have made her realize what her anger was doing to Vi, have Jinx point out that they really are acting the same in their treatment of Vi, and use the whole Ambessa was literally stoking the fires of her hatred to help fit what time they had left. Honestly just have Cait learn Ambessa was the one behind the memorial attack, that would be a much better way to explain her anger diminishing enough to look beyond her own hurt to realize and take account of her mistakes.

Vi, as usual, needed more screen time. Not necessarily because her story would've been helped by it like in act two, but just because I wanted her to have more time to enjoy her life. I went into act three with the sole hope that Vi would have a nice day, only for her to loose everything again. The only people she has left are Cait and Ekko, and god help anyone who tries something against those too now. Her ending being the chance to finally rest, to lean on someone else, was beautiful. She is my favorite character and please let her have only good things in the future, she was traumatized in almost every scene this season please-

Nobody tell Vi that in a universe where she died young everyone else ended up living. It would destroy her.

Vi and Cait relationship was great. I wouldn't say it was rushed in act three, because it felt like it was where it should be for a final batch of episodes, if that makes sense. It felt like the set up was Cait being genuinely remorseful and Vi just wanting someone in her life who wanted her in return. It helps that they have great chemistry and that when given the chance they fit so neatly together. I think Jinx encouraging Vi to be with Cait is what sold it to me. Jinx realizing how much Vi has given/sacrificed and giving her blessing for her sister to be happy with someone she disapproves of; not to mention Cait pulling the guards from their posts to give Vi the chance to actually meet Jinx in order to have that conversation. All in all, it comes down to Vi's "I don't care" because that's really all there is too it for them. Vi is done being miserable and Cait makes her happy, vice versa. Cait is someone Vi can rely on, Vi is someone Cait can find strength in.

Spitfire round:

Sevika being made a councilor

Every single one of Mel, Cait, and Jayce's designs were 10/10s

Vi not being given an actual uniform, just armor and the gloves

Jinx cutting her hair further to match Vi

Ekko getting his crystal sword/bats

Heimerdinger dying after living a life where he could make his city something to be proud of

I was fully expecting Vander and Silco to kiss in that one shot

Everything with Benzo

Loris' name being said

Vi humming the song and the song being their mother's lullaby

Viktor being held within the Herald

Sky leaving so Viktor was free to bring Jayce to his space mind palace

Caitlyn's rifle never surviving

Fishman McBlue being the only one of Cait's soldiers to stick to his guns and stay loyal

Sevika and Shoola side eyeing each other

Vander and little Vi and Powder with the bunny

The bunny being a passenger on Jinx's balloon

Singed's messed up family getting a happy ending

[thesophiewhit]

PHONING FAUST -- A Sapphic Novel of Demonic Contracts, Demisexuality, and Yearning by me! A cool queer author ~

Are you LGBT+ or BIPOC or just REALLY LOVE BOOKS? Interested in being an ARC reader and reading a book and helping a fellow queer indie author out? (Pretty please? -- ARC links all the way at the bottom of this post (beneath the rainbow banner) for those who like Sapphic demon x human angst books ~)

AND LOOK AT THE CHARACTER ART OF MEMPHIS (BADASS DEMON) AND DIAN (HUMAN) BY MY ARTIST FRIEND SNAX

https://linktr.ee/artsnaxk

ABOUT ME

Demisexual?? Queer? Nonbinary? All these were magical words to me until it hit...

Oh-- that's me.

It took me a while to come out as queer, longer to come out as nonbinary, and then some more time to reconcile all this with being a mixed Indonesian kid. A dash of mental health, a sprig of figuring out asexuality and neurodivergence. But atop all that? One thing has been constant.

I've always been a writer.

That's some live footage of me summoning some forces to reign my characters in from being feral.

WHY I WROTE PHONING FAUST

Well, well, well, after years of battling imposter's syndrome, I did it. I wrote another book! It's called PHONING FAUST and it's getting published with queer indie publishing company @ninestarpress-blog because they're all cool and LGBT+ and super talented!

Why did I write PHONING FAUST?

What is... a Faust?

A Faustian bargain is what's popularly known as the devil's bargain. A usually losing situation or a trick where the devil tricks someone out of their soul in exchange for ULTIMATE POWER!

I rewrote Faust to be Sapphic as can be. It stars a mixed Indonesian lesbian named Dian Faust who battles depression tooth and nail and ends up calling a mental health crisis hotline. Bc... she's lonely.

PAUSE-- and this is a horror comedy. Comedy. COMEDY-- you might say?

WHY? HOW? Sounds sad and depressing, right?

WHAT'S FAUST?

Well... in the original retelling version of Goethe's Faust (who retold it from folklore etc etc) the main character of Dr. Faustus accidentally summons the devil or something when he too is about to consider the meaning of life and it gets sad bc he doesn't see one so he makes the devil's bargain FOR ULTIMATE POWER. Or something.

But in my version-- it's based off my experiences as a queer person. Before I had community. Before I understood and accepted myself-- I had a rough time. For a whole bunch of factors outside of that-- I didn't feel like my life was in a good place. And even worse-- I felt isolated.

THE PLOT

I didn't want to bother my friends with my problems. So-- I'd call the Trevor Project or a crisis hotline just to have somebody to talk to. In the same way-- Dian Faust is struggling with depression in the story I write. So she calls a hotline like the Trevor Project just to not be alone.

And guess who she finds?

A super hot genderfluid devil called MEMPHIS, short for Mephistopheles. A pierced and tatted punk rocker who has an interest for telling tall tales and serving Dian Faust's every wish and command! (No, not like that!)

Because Dian Faust, like me, is a mixed Indonesian kid trying to figure out what it means to be queer AND demisexual (finding attraction only after really getting to emotionally connect with someone and feeling, as I explain in the book, a lack of that before then for anyone). And she's figuring plenty out--- including how to save her immortal soul and her feelings for a certain genderfluid demon but if you want to know more-- YOU CAN BUT YOU HAVE TO SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS POST TO FIND OUT !

I wrote this book PHONING FAUST (coming out in 2025 sometime with NineStar Press btw. I have these books CATCH LILI TOO and WAKE THE DEAD also starring Sapphic demiace MCs if it's helpful while you wait!

I WROTE MORE QUEER BOOKS (if interested)! (ARC SIGN UP LINK IS STILL BELOW THIS ONE THO! > FOLLOW THE RAINBOW !!)

MY OTHER QUEER BOOKS: https://sophiawhittemore.com/books/ ) <3 <3 <3

I wrote PHONING FAUST (train of thought, sorry, that's the neurodivergence) because I wanted people to feel less alone.

I was, like Dian Faust and like a lot of people, a queer person who felt like I was on an island unto myself. I didn't know who to turn to-- so I turned to no one. By reaching out to hotlines (no hot devils unfortunately), I managed to get the help I needed to avoid making rash decisions-- to get the help I needed to get better. To take that first step.

PHONING FAUST is a novel that raises the importance of mental health and finding community, and most importantly, not giving up. As Dian Faust says in my upcoming book...

There are stars out there-- I had only to see it.

***

🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

🌈🌈🌈🌈ARC LINK SIGN UPS HERE 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

ARC LINK SIGN UPS IN LINKTREE <3

Want to be an ARC reader for this queer book starring a demisexual Sapphic couple and BIPOC cast?

Sign up here! : https://tr.ee/mWPM8I9Zev

***

Hmmm, demon contracts...now where might young 2010 emo me have heard that before... ? ?

[yeet-noir]

Wait people actually believe Gabriel was redeemed in the end? He manipulated people up to his dying breath and wished to be seen as a hero. I know the ending seemed strange, but it definitely did so purposefully. This was a set up for the conflict next season not a wrap up of his arc.

I get the initial shock, but this show never held back on the abusive nature of Gabriel. In season 5 alone the total shift of Gabriel was idgaf about my son’s happiness and being mad at his lack of control he has on him. The last thing he did was control Adrien’s perspective of him. He went from wanting to be with his wife to being completely power hungry. His power hunger lead to Gimmi granting his desires.

And if that still isn’t enough to comfort people just remember that every season ends with a set up for the conflict that will follow in the next season:

Season 1 finale introduced Lila as an antagonist interested in the Miraculous and Marinette’s personal life which lead to Lila’s arc start which more so carried out in later seasons.

Season 2 finale introduced Mayura and Ladybug, Chat Noir the other heroes had their first epic fight beyond the scope of villain of the week. This lead to the introduction of sentimonsters and Mayura’s arc which heavily carried out in season 3.

Season 3 finale was another epic fight, but this time against Hawkmoth and Mayura. Master Fu’s identity becomes compromised leading to him passing down his guardianship to Marinette. This introduced Marinette’s guardian arc and season 4 heavily focused on her struggles with being one and maintaining peace with Chat Noir. This season also ended with both the love square “moving on�� from one another which in turn caused season 4 to focus on their alternative ships.

Season 4 finale ended with Ladybug loosing the miraculous after being swindled by Felix. Felix offering a trade off with Gabriel for the Peacock miraculous. We literally ended with Ladybug having a mental breakdown and Chat Noir comforting her. This introduced the Monarch arc. Season 5 dealt with the consequences of this mistake.

So what I am trying to say each season finale ends with something that makes you wonder what will happen next. It never ends with a final conclusion only introduction to the next big arc. Seeing a weird reality where Gabriel is remembered as a hero despite us seeing him as villainous as ever to the very end isn’t his conclusion it’s a new arc.

[arceus-insanity]

With the Series Ending

I decided to do this solely based on canon, except for F which are so bad that they transcend the rule. I also put this in the lens of do I enjoy watching them, or do they infuriate me. Most of the ones in G are there because I can't tell who they are from the picture, or are so minor I don't get why they were on the list to begin with

Hawks was the hardest to place because as I've mentioned before I love villain fanon Hawks, and hate Canon for all the missed potential and the guy being shit.

Before the last arc, Deku would have been in C, and I felt most criticisms of him were undeserved. I still feel a lot of them are dumb, however, he's canonically a hypocritical, suck-up to labels, abuse apologist, idiot, etc. As much as it feels like character assassination it's canon, same with Shoji. I also just don't care to read fanfiction of him, and feel he takes a lot of roles where other characters would make more sense. If I'm not already following someone I'm not going to read fanfiction with him in it

Most of E I hate as much if not more than F but the fandom either doesn't write about, or treat them like the pieces of crap they are, looking at Mineta of course.

Fun fact Edgeshot is in E for bringing Bakugo back, and causing me both meta and dramatic issues for me. What the fuck was the point of killing Bakugo to immediately bring him back. How the fuck did Edgeshot know he could do this? How the fuck did he know how to do this? Why the fuck is he doing this for some random teenager he has never interacted with before, in the middle of a war? And now why the fuck does this fucker get to live, no one gave a single fuck about Edgeshot but he gets to live!

Centipeder would have been in E if not for the fact I know what my ringtone for him would be, Red Flags by Tom Cardy

Uraraka owes her rank in B for her arc with Toga, otherwise, she would have been in D. For the plot forgoing her original motivations so they could turn her into a generic love interest. Toga tried talking crushes with her 'twice' everything else regarding that shit, which started before they ever met, is on her

I actually love Endeavor fanfics as most of them either a treat his abuse for what it is, or b I view them as an own on canon Endeavor and his incredible laziness and selfishness. But Twitter exists and they flock to him and his bullshit so to F with him.

Speaking of Fs, Bakugo is a whiney spoiled rotten brat with a silver spoon shoved into his mouth since birth. I hope he never breeds. Damn near every shit thing that has happened to him, was either brought on by himself, literally applied to everyone, he literally doesn't care, and even with the two exceptions I'd give this, the Sludge guy, and being chained up at the sports fest (he should have been disqualified), do not justify his shit

Congrats to Dark Shadow and Tokoyami for being the only hero (student) to make it past B

Needless to say I love villains, Dabi is by far my favourite, followed by Himiko, they are way more engaging and convincing than the heroes. And by convincing I mean it actually feels like they are going to put in effort to make their goals happen, not just wish really hard. I truly wish we could have seen how Shigaraki's goals shifted during his reign over the PLF. We had already seen how he wanted the League to be happy and an exception to his goal of destruction

[lifes-pinata]

Duck and Mytho, A Relationship Analysis

BY POPULAR DEMAND (10 notes and 1 prompt by a blog I follow and admire)

Duck and Mytho are obviously so very important to each others stories. Without Duck, Mytho would have remained a heartless doll forever. And without Mytho, Duck would have remained a simple bird. The story cannot exist without Duck, and up until the last few episodes, Mytho remains her primary motivation.

Which is why is was so surprising to me that the way their relationship resolved was so..... Unsatisfying.

Now when I say that, I am not talking about Siegfried and Tutu's resolution, which remains one of the most touching scenes of the show. I am specifically talking about the relationship between Mytho and Duck.

For the first 14 episodes, Duck and Mytho's friendship was a slow but steady burn. Duck is an anomaly in Mytho's small world. Even heartless, he doesn't quite know what to make of her. "Fakir and Rue don't say things like that" he says in episode 3, when Duck reacts to his hurt hand.

Duck, as a person, represents something Mytho never encountered even when he was Siegfried. Her simple, straightforward kindness is so different from Rue's desperate, grasping love. Fakir's poisonous protection, and even the blushing, tittering classmates that never dare to speak to him.

And even though Mytho can't express it, I think it's really valuable to him. Early on, Duck is the only person capable of making his loneliness disappear. Not Rue or Fakir, who he's known for years (which he says to their faces oh my GOD) but Duck. The first request he makes is that she stays a little longer.

The entire first arc Duck continually proves herself to be trustworthy. Once Mytho returned to school after receiving the feeling of fear, Duck tackle hugs him, saying she looked for him everywhere. She knows about Princess Tutu, and is the only one who listens to him. Who doesn't talk over him. She brought him an umbrella when he was waiting for Tutu. He values her opinion enough that he asked her opinion on gifts to get someone. And yeah maybe he could have asked anyone, but we never see him seek someone out until the Raven's Blood kicks in.

In episode 14, Mytho says to Duck, straight out "You're the only friend whom I can tell everything." And then? They never interact again? Huh???

Well. That's not entirely true. There is one more scene where Duck and Mytho interact, if you believe that Mytho was lucid enough to truly count it. Episode 24, where Mytho has fully succumbed to the Raven's blood, and as a result has turned into a raven himself. He runs outside, after being hidden away by Rue, and finds Duck. And what does he do? He asks her to dance, just as he did on the day of the fire festival. But this time, Duck doesn't answer. She backs away from the monster he's become, just like everyone else.

To its credit, that is a resolution, but it still doesn't sit right with me. It feels too bleak in a story where hope overcomes everything else. A spot where Drosselmeyer's tragedy wins.

The thing is, I understand why they did it this way. One thing I have always appreciated about Princess Tutu is that there is no wasted time. Even at the beginning of the show, when it seemed lighter and sillier, every episode contained important information. From the very beginning, they were building to the finale.

The second arc of the show is even more this way, there is no wasted space. Where would they even put Duck and Mytho interactions? Duck is reckless but she knows better then to approach Mytho when he's actively trying to rip out the hearts of their classmates. If anything, trying to shoehorn interactions would come across as forced, and could even cheapen their interactions in the finale.

But as much as I love the scene where Mytho realizes that Princess Tutu was a duck. I also wish he had a moment to realize that the duck was Duck.

Because Princess Tutu performed magic and returned heart shards with her beautiful dancing.

But Duck did the hard work of being human. Of living and loving and trying and failing and getting back up.

It was Duck who saved the town in the end.

And it was Duck, who was ultimately forgotten.

[k-a-s-e-y-1-4]

Ninjago DR Season 3 part 1 spoilers:

Alright the season was actually so fire, I loved almost everything about it, so buckle in because this is a lot of reading. First things first tho that soundtrack holy shit, every single episode the team pulled out a banger ost. I was freaking the fuck out with every single one because like wow these instrumentals are absolutely fire.

Second Frak, my beloved, might be my favorite new character, I loved his little quips and he’s a such a fun little character to add to the plot. (Also I totally support the old married couple arguments going on between Sora and Frak, I actually kinda ship them)

Third, Love the return of sassy Jay, I hope they keep up his arc and actually don’t cut it short for time because I think there’s definitely potential there for a Jay moment again (One where his character development isn’t confined to a single season and is practically kinda pointless)

Morro, I’ve never been a huge fan of him but I’m glad the writers followed through on the redemption arc, Looking forward to a face off between him and Lloyd for sure

Arin is such a great and complicated character, I support his “villain” (He’s not really a villain just on the other side of the ninja) arc 100%. He deserves to be mad and I love that he’s learning from his mistakes and developing, he’s allowed to be a flawed character with selfish goals. I do love that he defeated Thunderfang that was central to Arin developing however the last episode felt really rushed with the final fight not that it wasn’t amazing.

PIXAL CAME BACK. I love how much screentime they gave her too. She deserves it, it’s been a long three seasons. Wish Cole had more screen time, but he’s clearly trying to protect his family and that he’s kind of putting being a ninja behind to be a dad which is sweet (and a husband).

The amount of death in this season holy shit, Zane’s death freak out was crazy, Lloyd literally just shrugged what happened to him off which I really do hope they go into more next season because there’s absolutely no way that’s not affecting him.

Speaking of Lloyd, he was acting super weird this season, his general silly guy vibe was almost completely written off. I understand why, Arin clearly messed him up but like jeez Lloyd. Also not Lloyd not acknowledging his oni side while Frak and Sora were talking about it (He’s going to pull some version of “there’s something I haven’t told you yet,” guys just prepare yourselves now)

Also the siblings! Their dynamic this season was written so beautifully, they feel like connected goofy siblings (and not whatever the hell was the dynamic in season 7 the writers were trying to pull off) Nya and Kai my beloved after so long I finally feel like they’ve been written right. Also Kai being a jerk to Jay but actually pulling the plan that gets them the closest to Jay really just shows how close they were, they just bully each other like that and I love it

Also loved the divorced parents core with Ras and Lloyd fighting over Arin. We love doomed yaoi in Lego Ninjago

The season was great, the writers did a phenomenal job per usual and deserve all the applause, can’t wait for part 2 of season 3 (If you scrolled this far thank you for reading)

[half-man-half-lime]

Listening to Arc 27. Damn if Shadow Stalker isn't a dark horse Blorbo for me. Just... first off, the endgame dynamics between her and Taylor (the conversation in prison) and Aisha (epilogue and "Your family loves you lots, Shady"), the "enemies teamed up against a greater threat" uncomfortable camaraderie and fun banter with Taylor's strike team and Lung, the violent history with Brian and Alec, and how cool and layered the intimacy of secret identity plays into their relationships (that's a concept I could talk at length about, it probably makes Batman villains like 40% better), the history of the bullying and her witnessing Taylor's rise to power and unmasking, obsessively following Taylor's career from prison, someone completely recontextualized as a person to her- also recontextualizing what Alec, Regent did to her- a very intimate form of cruelty, at that.

Then there's the fact that what Regent did to her was so fucked up, and I find the fandom support for torturing her so upsetting that I basically defaulted to sympathizing with her.

Plus she's just fascinating. She's a constant open wound. She is aggressively projecting strength every second of her life so she doesn't feel a trace of the weakness and victimhood she went through, while also in complete denial about being insecure.

I brought up the Wisp fic idea, and the reason I wish I or someone else were up to writing it is that on top of how fascinating she is, the notion of what it takes to rehabilitate her is fun to play with. In comparison to other villains who project strength like, I dunno, Lung, she's a relatable teen (for a weird definition of relatable), she's been involved enough in mundane society and rationalized her actions to herself enough that being a decent person or healing her issues isn't quite so alien, even if it's a steep uphill battle. She could become a better person, but it's contingent on facing herself and working on her trauma far more than it's about her growing a conscience and acknowledging her sins, which is a little counterintuitive.

I dunno, I just think she's neat.

[zhuoyichenpretty]

aww yeah ep 20 GOOD

I guess I do (very casual, broadstroke) episode commentaries now, halfway through the show lmao. Spoilers below!!

Bai Jiu BETRAYAL?

Wen Xiao WANTED?

Zhuo Yichen DETECTIVE-ING?

Ying Lei BACK?

*crowd cheers*

The dots are connecting like crazy with the big bad's whole inner core crusade and also with the simultaneous demon case like I did not recognize Ao Yin as the demon Li Lun first released eight years ago but oooh do I enjoy that minor payoff.

Love the repeated use of the demonic-spell-restraining sigils now that we've been introduced to them though I wonder why the Bureau doesn't ever seem to make use of them. Maybe they don't deal with enough powerful demons to need to paint those in their own (very empty) dungeon? Or perhaps just plot convenience. (edit: someone has pointed out the Bureau indeed uses them!! I'm just blind <3)

Anyway I kind of wish in the Chongwu Camp dungeon PSJ fought a little bc she's so cool in action and their bailing was a little abrupt, but it makes sense that they'd have an immediate getaway plan. Also this is an ep 19 comment but that line Mr. 3-Face Mask delivered about PSJ being fated to always be betrayed by her little brother(s) HURT. So good.

Back to the Bureau, I do love me a good framing, and I'm also happy to get a tiny bit of the episodic demon-murder-case style back. WX was v clever to hide out in Situ Mansion, and (small detail but) I appreciate that the others catch her up on the Bai Jiu thing onscreen. As an aside, I also like that the actress for WX got to be double-casted even just briefly. Seeing some of the actors get to play around with portraying various extremes in characterization and costuming is a ton of fun.

And then yay Bai Jiu backstory at last~! It's crazy how much that blood moon fucked up everyone's lives eight years ago huh.

Everything ZYC says to him is on point (and honestly, ZYC is really quite adept at comforting others, he just sucks utter ass at it when it's his fault and he has to apologize lmaooo) but of course my favorite scene in the whole episode is as follows:

The very slight shine in the waterline, the bittersweet smile/grimace as, deliberately or not, ZYC's words indirectly echo everything about the circumstances between the two of them right now??? Whew. They did that for me specifically.

Anyway, this was a good one to chew on for me, packed with plot movement enough that I didn't feel unsatisfied with just one episode. I'm glad that so far it seems like the release schedule bears in mind what episodes should be watched in pairs for maximum effect (eps 16/17, 18/19 specifically) and which ones are okay to stand alone for the day, but I also don't want to speak too soon haha. We'll see how ep 21 fares.

Also since this is a ZYC stan account (lmao) I have some obligatory ZYC thoughts that I haven't managed to fit anywhere else. I've been meaning to comment on this for a while now and was reminded by this episode: I love the fact that ZYC actually smiles quite often. I think it's a bit surprising every time he does because he so easily fits the archetype of stoic broody action hero, but it really is just an archetype he's fit himself into, and it's never clearer than when they flash back to smiley baby!ZYC (how freely and purely he used to give those smiles away...).

On the other side of this is also how caustic and biting he can be with his words, whether sarcastically or otherwise, and how clearly his face telegraphs his emotions in general. I love that he actually emotes quite a lot and isn't cold and unaffected in the least, just pouty frowny and awkward.

The last piece to this for me is probably his age (which I very much appreciated being established super early on) and how convincingly TJR portrays him as young and inexperienced and extremely earnest. He's so sincere in everything he does that it really doesn't take much to move him, which also (imo) makes his arc less overdone.

We all know from the start what direction his development will likely go, how he'll learn he's mistaken about ZYZ and how he'll grow to have a more nuanced view of the world as he creates more bonds with others. But he's so emotional and emotionally aware that it doesn't really take much push and pull to get him there. And actually, it's not untread ground to him—he is moreso thawing, in part returning to the open-hearted nature that he had to very abruptly shutter away rather than fundamentally changing as a person. I think to me, that makes his character more compelling to watch because his cynicism about the world is perhaps the least sincere thing about him. It's entirely learned, and not by choice. Relatable.

[hannahssimblr]

Commentary - The Roskilde Arc

Time for some commentary on this short arc! I enjoyed this one a lot, and felt very inspired and certain during it. I love unraveling Jude and Astrid’s relationship, because frankly, I think it’s the most interesting part of the story so far. Why are these two even together? What’s the point? I think this part lays it out. The pieces are all there if you look for them.

1. Astrid & Mia

Starting off with the Christmas Eve dinner scene, and Jude is being a perfect angel in the kitchen with Astrid’s mother, Gitte, while family dynamics unfold around him. One obvious focus of this arc was Astrid and Mia, the sisters, three years apart and filled with violent hatred towards one another.

They’re similar. Both creative, Astrid, a ceramicist in training, and Mia, a professional pianist who completed her performance degree (in Amsterdam, though I never actually stated this,) in the Spring. They’re both argumentative, headstrong and need to be right, and from their first scene together, all is not well between them.

Mia makes swipes at Astrid every chance she can, and vice versa, as Astrid scolds her for mocking Jude’s Danish. A minor point here. I wanted there to be a sense that Astrid is nervous of how Mia will perceive him. Anxious that he’ll come across foolish, and perhaps embarrassed by his grasp on languages. She needs to be perfect, and by extension, so does her boyfriend, so she can prove to Mia that she’s the superior sibling.

“That’s just something he’s heard me say on the phone,” says Astrid in this apologetic voice, as though personally responsible for my total incapacity for languages. “I’ve been teaching him more, but many of the sounds are difficult.” “Like teaching a baby, then,” Mia says. “You go through the alphabet sound by sound.” 

Following this, Mia comments on how babies hate Astrid, specifically, her eight-month-old nephew, Felix. Son of the eldest sister, Pernille. More on this later.

Christmas Day, after a walk along the Fjord, the family sits down to play Matador, essentially Danish Monopoly. Mia and Astrid have a difficult time playing nice, as everyone else pretends not to notice. Growing increasingly frustrated with her poor luck, Astrid eventually gives up and announces the game is silly, after all, and she won’t be continuing. An argument quickly escalates between her and Mia, as while Mia feels Astrid is childish and a sore loser, (accusing her of wanting to flip the board, as she apparently has multiple times in the past), Astrid feels Mia was rubbing her streak of good luck in her face to make her feel bad about herself. The sisters pivot to personal insults, each accusing the other of believing she was better than the other, and Astrid eventually crossing the line, in saying that nobody wanted to be friends with Mia at school.

Meanwhile, Gitte grows upset at the table, similar to how she behaved at dinner the evening before, completely unable to control them. Pernille leaves the table. This is likely the way they’ve always behaved. An authoritative figure missing from the home, meaning Mia and Astrid may say and do as they wish, without punishment.

The fault of the parents comes into focus a little later, during Jude and Mia’s conversation by the piano. She tells him about how Astrid was showered with attention during the divorce, while Mia felt completely ignored and cast aside. Her parents felt protective of Astrid as the youngest, while assuming Mia could take care of herself.

“You know she got her own bedroom? I had to share with Pernille, who was always using the phone to call her friends and her stupid boyfriends as I was trying to sleep, and smoking weed out the window. The smell gave me a headache. I hate that kind of thing. Astrid got her own room and all the toys she wanted.”

Most likely, the sisters don’t even know what they’re fighting about. A thousand old wounds opened up again each time they spend time together. Their talents and worth always in comparison.

Mia, learning of Jude’s ignorance of her past, decides to punish her sister once more, and spills secrets to him, despite knowing it is wrong.

“I shouldn’t be telling you this,” she says, before telling me anyway.

She lays out Astrid’s hurts with contempt, blaming her directly for her own pain. According to her, the relationship with Nicklas only ended because he couldn’t stand her anymore, that she was too difficult to bear. This could well be true, with her opinion that Astrid’s devastation in the aftermath was caused by her opinion she was better than him, but Mia’s telling is gleeful and cruel.

In the end, Jude draws a line, and asks her to stop, though she tells him she’s willing to share anything he wants to know. He decides he does not and leaves to be with Astrid.

2. The future - marriage and children revisited.

It felt like time to show Astrid and Jude’s transition into a more serious relationship with one another. They have been together for over a year now, according to the timeline of the story, about time to introduce questions about their long-term compatibility.

While Astrid struggles to care for and entertain Felix, Jude thrives. He’s enamoured by the baby making faces at him during the meal, asking to hold and feed him, while Astrid complains that babies hate her, and she doesn’t know what to say to them. The experience makes her awkward and frustrated, giving way to a sense that she may actually wish she was a more naturally loving person.

Later, she and Jude have a discussion about having children. She is vehemently against it, citing reasons for the loss of her independence and unwanted changes in her body. It is something she has never pictured for herself. This echoes the opening chapter of 2011, when Jude and Astrid discuss marriage. The way she talks about it is similar, as is the way Jude responds. With deflection and lies. Pretending he wants the same things as her in order to prolong the relationship.

This is building on the sense that Jude will sacrifice his needs, wants, and happiness to stay with a woman he loves.

“Well, me neither. They are fine. But I don’t plan to have one.” “Never? Like, not a chance?” She looks at me. “Would you?” I hesitate. “Well, I don’t know. I suppose not.”

Roskilde Arc

“Just because a lot of marriages are bad, doesn’t mean they’re all doomed. I believe some people are happy.” “Trapped,” she whispers. “Like canaries in a cage. Maybe they don’t know any better.”

Opening Chapter

3. How well Jude knows Astrid (And how well he truly wants to)

A major theme of this arc was the question: How well do they really know one another?

The idea of deliberate mystery between them has come up before. It’s something that suited them both for a while, what with Jude being reluctant to open up about his past for fear of letting slip lingering feelings about Evie, but there’s a sense now, after his trip to Thailand, that he’s feeling more open and ready to talk.

The dynamic of secrecy is first evident at dinner, when Mia asks Jude questions about his childhood and parents, only to have Astrid promptly shut her down, telling her it is rude. Jude doesn’t feel it was rude. In fact, he was happy to share. It’s not he who is uncomfortable, it is Astrid, who doesn’t want to know too much about him, for fear she’ll owe him similar information about herself. His presence in her home is already making her feel on edge, his interest in her childhood photos, the things her family is sharing about her. There’s a sense it’s all too close for comfort.

While opening gifts, Jude has a crisis moment where he realises his gift for Astrid was entirely impersonal compared to the highly specific presents she receives from her family. He recalls skimming a fashion magazine from her apartment to find something fashionable for her. Earrings. He’s embarrassed to give them to her in front of her family, and then stresses out over whether she really likes them, or is just a good liar. Has she been lying the whole time? He’s confused, seeing her delighted by the calibre of gifts he would have assumed she’d mock previously. The question of who she really is comes to his mind.

Later, kept awake with racing thoughts, he grills Astrid on whether she truly liked the earrings. He is frustrated, feeling like a fool who doesn’t know her at all.

“Well, I didn’t know you liked certain novels, or that thing about your insomnia, for example. As your boyfriend I’m supposed to know you, too.” “Oh, well, I suppose those things never came up.” “You never told me. You never mentioned the insomnia.” “When have we ever discussed insomnia specifically?”

A small note here, Astrid suffered from insomnia after her breakup with Nicklas. Never stated, but implied.

Jude expresses his worry that she pretends to like his gifts, while Astrid brushes this aside, insisting she does. She likes that he chooses them for her.

This is one of those times that her chameleon-like personality really comes out. It has already, several times in the story, even in the way she dresses, seeming to lack a specific personal style, and dressing like a character fitting into any given scenario. (See: her outfits while hanging around with Elias, Leon and Dalia, how she dressed in Italy, and how she dresses in front of her family) Here, she says it. She likes his gifts as a reflection of who he wants her to be. She’s happy to slot into that mold for him, to do and be whatever he says she is. He knows this on one level, but still grapples with the question: Who is she really? Why can’t she show him? Seeing different sides of her all the time is beginning to confuse him.

She pauses. “Who I am at home and who I am with you… it’s just different sides. I like getting your gifts. I like the jewellery, because I like being who you want me to be.” “And I want you to be…?” “A woman who wants expensive things, reads mysterious books, and never had insomnia.”

After this frustrating conversation, Astrid brings up Nicklas is a subtle way, alluding to how they lost their virginities together. I believe this is her way of testing the water, and seeing how much Jude might like to know, and perhaps how comfortable she is sharing with him. Jude, however, quickly makes the conversation about sex, and asks if they are allowed to do it in the house. She flips back into obedient mode, and turns over on the bed to let him do what he likes, the way he likes it.

Jude decides he just wants to sleep, holding her in his arms, but still, has an awareness that this is his choice. It’s always his, and not hers.

“Sure,” she replies. “It’s whatever you want.” I know that already.

The biggest question I wanted to explore in this arc is whether he truly wants to know her, and this is the main focus of his conversation with Mia.

Curious as he is to hear about her past, Jude feels intense discomfort as Mia tells him about Nicklas and the photographer Astrid met in France at seventeen. As Mia gets deeper into the story, he feels acute anxiety, and asks her to stop. This mirrors the conversation at dinner, in which Astrid could not hear about Jude’s family, and insisted Mia was rude for asking.

On one hand, I think Jude feels disloyal, hearing the story from someone else and not his girlfriend, but I think there’s more to it, too. Mia touches on a potentially traumatic situation between Astrid and a group of much older men.

“On the beach, she met this man who told her she could be a model. She believed him. He was twenty-nine, or something. Completely inappropriate. The parents of her school friend had to call our mother, panicked and upset because Astrid hadn’t come back to the hotel one evening. Turns out she was with this man and his friends, drinking.” “She’s been strange ever since. Having strange relationships.”

Jude is likely one of those strange relationships. He just happens to be the only man she’s taken home. (as per his request, not her offering.)

He has to confront the inherent strangeness of his relationship now. Two people, refusing to know each other. The deliberate and curated power imbalances. The impression he may do as he likes with her, something he was uncomfortable with in Italy when they first had that conversation, but does he enjoy it now? We’re revisiting these themes again. He’s still not immune to his (man’s) misogyny. Is he treating this woman in a misogynistic way? Should he face that question head on?

Jude asks Mia to stop speaking, saying, notably,

“[knowing] might change things.”

He means two things by this. He can never un-know this information. He will have to pretend he doesn’t once he hears it, hereby being dishonest to Astrid, lying to her, likely trying to find ways to trick her into telling him, needing to ease the burden of knowing.

He also knows that the information will end their relationship. If he knows of treatment she experienced at the hands of other men, he cannot continue the relationship as it is. Her preferences may have been formed by the hands of male cruelty, her desire to be anonymous, to be a doll, dressed up and placed where they like her. An object for them, as she is a willing object for him. He enjoys it, now. Think of this line from the Thailand arc.

“How I can explain to him that nothing about the sex I have with Astrid is normal or replicable in ordinary environments. Not the kind you have with a girl you just met in the bar. Imagine that, like, “yeah, nice gaff. Here, just wondering, when we get into it d’you mind if I spit in your mouth?” 

We know the only reason that would happen is if he wanted to, if he enjoyed that kind of thing. There certainly is pressure from Astrid to be more extreme, based on her critique of his softness in Italy, but Jude will have to examine that too. Can he morally stay with her, continue doing these things with her if he learns about why she has these preferences? Would he be a cruel man, then? Everything will come crumbling down when he knows too much, and ignorance is ultimately better.

So much of this story comes back to men, Jude, as a man who believes himself to be above so much of the culture. Is he really? Is wanting to be really enough?

In the end, we see a grim vision of Astrid and Jude’ future, down the lens of Colette’s iPhone camera. Two people, together two decades, living parallel lives, and never truly knowing one another at all.

Jude decides to tell Astrid about his father, their relationship, though his body resists. She’s comforting, yet still cold. Unable to share her own stories with him, even now. She never will be, and he’ll never know who she is. He chooses to be okay with it, moving forward to 2012 the same as they always were. Wishing for nothing to change.

Suddenly, it’s all wonderful. Her, and me, and here. Love as a concept. And the snow coming down in little flurries, the quiet space between one year and the next, where time is slow and nothing is urgent. Not knowing if you’re supposed to wish on the first snow, but wishing anyway, for more of this, her, us, for a peaceful year. 

[wayward-robin]

Season 2 Final Thoughts  

I loved this season so much. It was a really good mix of drama and humour and it all worked so well together. Ocean’s 9-1-1 is my ultimate favourite episode of the series so far!

One point, we have now had Bobby, Hen and Chimney ‘Begins’ episodes. I really, really hope we get some more for Athena and Buck! And maybe Eddie too? I assume they won’t do Maddie as we know a lot of her story thanks to this season with Doug. This show is a great ensemble cast but seeing a deep dive into the characters backgrounds is so much fun.

Chimney – I loved his evolving relationship with Maddie. They’re so freakin’ cute together! I’ve been cheering them on all season! I’m gad he managed to find some self-esteem after all he went through last season with his injury and his ex-girlfriend. He felt much more authentic. His backstory sort of came out of nowhere considering how big it was to effectively lose his brother and it could’ve done with some more emotional build up to it but it was nice to have all the same.

Hen – I’m super glad her and Karen are past their rocky patches from last season with Eve. I loved seeing her past in the Hen Begins ep this season. All the actors can carry their own plotlines and episodes but there really is something so charismatic about Hen. I think what I love the most about her though is you can put her with any other character and she works with all of them so well.

Athena and Bobby – I have to take these two together. I wasn’t expecting them at the end of the first season and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed them. Seeing “older” characters get second chances at love and family is always so inspiring and I’m definitely happy they went down this route with them. I’m ecstatic they went so far as to marry them too. They had some good individual and joint plots this season. They found a good balance with them.

Buck – I love Buck to pieces. He’s one of my favourite characters. He’s a real scene stealer. But he did feel like he was adrift this season, despite being given more connections in Maddie and Eddie. Which is not bad! I just get the feeling after his relationship with Abby, he’s looking for something more permanent now so I’m excited to see where that journey takes him. And hey, it took him two seasons but he has his own apartment! I love his friendship with Eddie, finally he has a partner he can pair off with on rescues and they’re both ridiculous dorks. Buck and Maddie were a brilliant combo too. Their sibling banter was wonderfully engaging and despite not seeing each other for years, they fit well together.

Eddie – He has the most adorable son in the world! His season felt the most complete plot arc wise which I assume was on purpose just in case things didn’t work out with his actor. I’ll admit during the first half of the season, I thought they might’ve been setting him up as Buck’s potential new love interest. The whatta man song, the elf at Christmas commenting on their family unit and Maddie calling out Buck’s boy crush felt like it might have been building to something. Because this is TV. They only have so many minutes an episode and every minute has to mean something. The second half of the season focused more on his relationship with Shannon and Buck ended up in liaisons with Taylor and Ali but I’m secretly wishing this gets picked up again in season 3. 

Maddie – her domestic abuse plotline was gut wrenching but also very inspiring. I’m glad she found the strength to break out of that relationship. I hope next season they don’t just sweep the whole thing under the rug as last season’s plot because domestic violence can have long lasting consequences and it would be good to see some follow through with it. Surviving doesn’t just stop because the abuser is dead. Her budding relationship with Chim was absolutely adorable and I am so here for it! I am so glad they got Jennifer Love Hewitt for this role. She’s one of my favourite actors.

[pacificwaternymph]

I. ADORED. S2 of Arcane.

Final thoughts on the season below the cut

Season two was incredibly emotionally fulfilling. The climax was amazing. I loved the constant butterfly effect throughout the entire show, starting with Jayce as a child in the snow and Vi and Powder pulling off a heist leading up to all of this. All of it felt like a natural progression, so many threads of fate being woven together into one.

But there is a part of me that almost wishes they hadn't raised the stakes quite so high.

I know it's literally the namesake of the show and therefore this was probably always the plan, but there's a part of me that wishes they had left the Arcane out of it and just focused on the class war that got kind of... brushed over in Act 2?

It feels like they had to brush aside the themes of classism and oppression for the sake of making room for this bigger climax. And I think a big part of the reason I feel like this is because season 1 chose to focus so much on that part rather than the Arcane plot. So maybe I would have felt this way no matter what they did. But in their defense, they didn't forget about it entirely.

The shot with Sevika joining the council and several councilors giving her disgusted or mistrustful looks is a wonderful way to show that while they may have temporarily joined forces to defeat a bigger threat, the tensions between Piltover and Zaun are not automatically resolved. And I do like how Sevika is still the only councilor from Zaun. Everyone else is still topside. It's a good way to show that while a little progress has been made, it's only the beginning, and Sevika will likely have to fight tooth and nail for any reform.

Jinx's death... well I suppose I should have seen it coming. It was a good conclusion to her arc. But I still wish it hadn't happened. I am of the personal opinion that it didn't need to happen, and now I'm just left wondering how the hell Warwick/Vander was still alive when every other construct or whatever the hell they were had already died.

Vi... my darling. Even at the very end, couldn't catch a break. She really did lose everything. I'm glad she has Cait. I'm glad we got the sesbian lex scene. I just wish she could have ended the show genuinely happy, after having suffered so much throughout her entire life. I know for Arcane it's kind of a long shot for anyone to end up truly happy, but... I still really wanted it for her.

And on a lighter note: just when I thought I couldn't be any more attracted to Mel, the character designers decided to take that as a personal challenge.

I LOVE that they gave Mel more attention this season. The whole witch plotline and Mel having magic came kind of totally out of left field, but I still really enjoyed it. It gave Mel an actual role in this season which was less focused on internal politics, which I am glad for. It meant that she wasn't pushed to the side when the final climax came up. And I liked how her being a black rose put her in direct opposition to Ambessa, as opposed to the subtlety both of them had been employing up until that point. I liked the juxtaposition between the two of them, and I liked how she became the leader of Noxus following everything. Returning home after a long exile.

The completion of Viktor and Jayce's arc together was so fulfilling. I wasn't even sad about their deaths, I was glad that they were together, and that they could finish what they started together, just as both of them had always wanted.

I know everyone ships them but honestly I don't. I don't think their bond needs to be romantic. It transcends the need for those kind of labels. What's important isn't the exact nature of the relationship, it's the depth of it. It's the fact that their destinies, their souls have always been and always will be intertwined. And honestly the fact that they weren't explicitly romantic is almost better to me, because it defies the idea that relationships that deep always have to be romantic.

Ekko, as always, was perfect. My only complaint about him at all this season is that we didn't get more of him. I so adore him, I loved his episode in arc 3, it felt so perfect for him. To see what could have been, having just briefly everything he could ever want, and then knowing he had to leave it behind in order to keep moving forward.

And gosh, what a way of tying his time travel abilities into the story. It does make me kind of question what was going on with his fight with Jinx in season 1, if it wasn't actually time travel, though? Maybe we were just seeing another timeline, and he wasn't? Idk.

I'm so glad that at the end of the day, it was him that managed to save everyone. It wasn't perfect. He didn't bring anyone back to life. He didn't reset any timelines (which I am immensely grateful for, I would not have wanted everything that happened to be erased, it would have been such lazy writing), but he turned back time just enough to let Jayce snap out of his trance and free Viktor from the emotionless shell he'd surrounded himself with. He gave them one last moment together. And that's all they needed.

I don't know how I'm ever going to be the same after this. I am so glad for Arcane's existence.

[ask-the-wicked]

It is a Wicked Month !!

Stamps creds

“What's the Wicked Month AU?”

Skid and Pump are purposefully troublemakers who misbehave and cause distress to others (excluding his families.. partially) constantly. Skid is manipulative and finds joy in other people's pain, a trait gifted by his own father's genes, while Pump is brattier and follows no rules with the intention of having fun no matter what. It leads to bad reputation, lives ruined and the dreaded decision of changing. But despite all that, they are still spooky kids who loves halloween, candy and whimsical fun, and still have much to learn.

Important!

;; Despite being an ASK/RP blog, this is also officially the account where I'll be posting AU updates, rewrites and others!

;; Avoid sending asks that breaks the story, such as trying to snitch on Skid to his mom. I'll pretty likely not respond to those.

;; Specify which character you're talking to, please!

;; If you send an ask to a character who's now gone, they'll be answering it from before they died unless specified. It also counts for episode timelines. Ex: Bob before meeting the kids will answer differently about them compared to middle Tender Treats.

;; You're more than welcome to ask things to the mod himself about the characters or the lore. I'll answer happily.

;; Basic sense on asks, just don't be weird and we're cool! :)

;; OC's are more than welcome! I love them!!

;; A few characters may not be available to talk to, such as Skiddad or Pump's parents.

About the Mod + Others!

;; My name is May, I am 18 years old and I use both He/Him & She/Her. My main is @mayisgoingnuts. As much as my boundaries are there already, I'll be saying the most important ones here.

;; If you make part of a basic DNI criteria, is a proshipper and/or pro-fiction, I'll politely ask for you to not interact. Supporters are also included.

;; Please don't start any drama including myself. Call me on DM's for us to solve it.

;; I'm not experienced on roleplaying every single SM character, so some of them (such as Father Gregor or Bob) may not be so accurate as I wish they were.

Tags!

#WM — [Character] // (ex: WM — Skid)

#Not Canon

#Just some silly posting

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Misc Tags!

Crocodile Arc

Wolf Arc

[whereubeenloca]

What's Claire's Deal Though?

Here is a collection of thoughts that I have regarding Claire x Carmy. I've posted my psycho thoughts on other platforms, but I feel like this is a better place to keep them. Apologies for the formatting, I just wanted to get this out. Ramblings under the cut.

First things first, Claire is not a manic pixie dream girl (in my opinion). Does that mean she's well-written? No. But, she serves an important narrative purpose in terms of Carmy's arc.

Claire as Carmy's Past

Claire is the classic childhood crush archetype. She knows his family, his friends, and the name of the restaurant he wants to open without any intervention from him. She doesn't need to be introduced like a regular girlfriend would. Claire perfectly slots into Carmy's life with zero resistance. She doesn't have to get to know him because she already knows him. Despite this, Carmy still struggles to understand their relationship. He still sees her as the girl he had a crush on rather than the woman he is dating.

Despite being the protagonist- Carmy is incredibly static. He finishes season 2 as he started it and spends season 3 regressing. Every other character has changed, even the restaurant itself has evolved. Carmy is still in the beef.

Claire as the fixer

Claire works in the medical field. When she tells the story of how she became interested in medicine Carmy assumes she wanted to learn to "fix things" when in reality she wanted to "understand how it works". This is Carmy projecting onto Claire, he continues to do it in season 3, referring to her as "peace". Carmy sees Claire as his out, the person who is finally going to fix him.

When he dates her in season 2 and things still fall apart, he lashes out, not because she didn't fix him, but because he thinks he is unfixable.

Claire as wish fulfillment

During Carmy's seven-minute monologue in season 1, he laments about not going to parties, not having girlfriends, and not having friends in high school. While no one else in the series sees Carmy as any different for not reaching these milestones, Carmy sees himself as "broken" for not meeting them. These wounds follow him into his adult life, and he sees his relationship with Claire as a way to remedy that.

The party scene stands out to me. It frames Claire and Carmy's relationship in a juvenile light. Claire invites Carmy to a house party where he gets mistaken for someone else. He rolls with it and suddenly he's the funny life of the party that he so badly wants to be. The party ends with the police being called and they run off like teenagers.

Claire is also his childhood crush. She's the girl he always wanted to go out with but never had the balls to ask. Dating her as an adult heals his bruised teenage ego.

Claire and work-life balance

Claire works a high-stress job as does Carmy. Interestingly enough, she can still maintain a work-life balance while he can't. Claire leaves her work at work, has friends she doesn't work with, goes to parties, and has time to date. Carmy struggles to juggle managing a restaurant with the talking stage of a relationship. He constantly thinks about work and the only people he has in his life are people he met through The Bear.

This is another instance of Carmy seeing Claire as an out. It's also a moment where he is comparing himself to Claire. He sees her as this amazing person who saves lives but still has time for herself and wonders why he can't do that. This leads to their downfall as a couple, comparison is the thief of joy.

Closing thoughts

While I don't love Claire and Carmy as a relationship, I do see her narrative significance in the show. She is one of the many forces trying to drag him back to his past life and the only way for Carmy to progress is to not end up with her.

Also hot take I guess: I don't think she needs to be a multi-dimensional character to have an important role in the story. I'd rather the limited time be used on the other characters in the cast rather than fleshing her out.

It's a bummer Claire is basically just a plot point, but her inclusion explores a side of Carmy's character that we never saw before.

[miriadalia]

Things I wanna see in Cobra Kai S6 part 2

Since I'm on a Cobra Kai streak since they dropped the new photos, I want to make a list of things I wish to see in part 2. And then check if they become true 🙏🏻 (I'm writing this before they drop the trailer)

Feel free to add whatever you want <3

Alright, HAJIME!!

1. Kwon's backstory and character development

I don't want him to be a 2D villain. Every character until now has had at least some internal conflict and reasons behind their behaviour (even bullies like Kyler), so please, PLEASE, give the guy an interesting background. If we have to tolerate Daniel and Johnny love-hate every season, I want my little Kdrama too 😂

Also, if they're going to add even more secondary characters (who, according to the leaks, will be kind of villains too), I need them to focus on Kwon first.

2. Tory defending herself from whatever BS the Miyagi Do's will tell her

Yes, she's not well at all after her mother's death and yes, Cobra Kai isn't the way to heal from her wounds... But if I hear one of them getting angry at her or calling her a traitor when none of them went after her, I'll be kicking 540s in my room................

I would also love to watch her train in Korea with the new team, giving Kim a "TAKE THAT B*TCH, who wouldn't have lasted one minute in your dojang back home??" (In season 5 Kim told that to Tory and Devon) and watch her training her hardest and truly fighting and earning her position as captain, not to appear magically in Barcelona as sensei Kreese's pet ('cause I don't think neither Kwon nor Yoon will like that).

They can even do this as flashbacks before each round of the tournament. But... I'm kind of losing hope on this because of the producers' comments. I write it here just in case :(

3. Johnny being a real father to Robby

I understand his main interest is defeating Cobra Kai, especially now that they know Kreese is back. But Robby will need him more than anyone during this tournament: the poor boy has the pression of being the team captain in a televised international competition, he needs to win the Sekai Taikai because that's the only way he could be offered a better future after being in juvie for so long, his girlfriend (ex?) has been MIA only to appear with their nemesis' team........

I've seen an interview where Xolo said Miguel's going to be Robby's main support during part 2. And while I like that, I still feel that, for once in his life, Johnny should step up and put the son he abandoned for so many years first. That would be his REAL redemption arc, more than being sensei for his own version of Cobra Kai.

4. Demetri and Hawk fixing their problems FAST

I understand them both, but their argument seems like the typical post-high school crisis where you have to separate yourself from your lifelong friends because (surprise!) each one wants and must follow their own path and dreams.

So for me it's alright if they solve this with just one conversation after winning together some round during the Sekai Taikai. I don't need something like one of them DYING or ending up in the hospital (though that's probably what will happen to Demetri seeing the X-men-mutants they've chosen as their rivals........).

In short, for me the character arcs of Hawk and Demetri are already complete and do not need more drama. They can become secondary characters, although I love both actors and I'll miss them so much :')

5. Bring back #MiguelSeason 1!!!!

I don't think there's anyone who doesn't want this to be honest haha. But in my case what I mean is I want the concentration and power he had back then, not him playing dirty or seriously injuring someone.

I want FULL POWER Miguel, the ultimate version of this young fighter we saw growing each season, using every style he's learned and making it his own.

And who knows, I won't be mad if he wins after all, but that only if Robby gets an awesome final character arc.

6. Sam and Tory supporting each other even if enemies on the tatami

These girls have already apologised to each other and now Sam understands Tory's situation and mental state without any judgement, so I want Tory to find selfless support in Sam and to learn how to confide in her.

And I want Sam to fully embrace Mr.Miyagi's teachings of forgiveness, balance and strength.

And what better way to do it than by applying them to your former arch-nemesis?

EXTRA POINTS if they fight together against Zara or any other enemy!

7. Silver NOT coming back in this second part...

At least until the end of the last episode.

We have villains already. We have NEW characters (villains?) already. And as much as I like chaos and drama, I don't think it will be easy to follow a story where everyone is against Miyagi Do lol

They can save him for the finale.

... Plus I just can't stand that dude :'), I prefer Kreese as an antagonist all the way.

8. Sassy arguments, teenage drama and funny scenes

I already read that part 2 is gonna be very action-oriented. But Cobra Kai is much more than amazing stunts and choreographies (which I love, don't get me wrong). I just don't want them to forget the potential of having a hotel and a sports park full of troublesome teenagers, with even more troublesome senseis.

They're participating in a hard competition abroad, but that doesn't mean they can't have some comedy scenes here and there like the ones they have in the Valley.

Idk, you have a Korean dude with an anime-looking hair and an American dude with a freaking American flag in his mohawk!!!!! Someone has to make at least a comment about that.

9. The characters eating Spanish food or trying to speak Spanish

This one is personal hahaha

I grew up in Spain so I need to watch them tasting a tortilla or trying to buy something and getting scolded by a Spanish "abuela" (grandma).

BONUS POINTS if Johnny Lawrence drinks the typical beer from there (Estrella Galicia). (Know this won't happen as it would be free advertising haha).

10. Amanda and Carmen being the queens they are, finally happy and in peace as every karate freak (including their respective husbands) are booked and busy at the other side of the world