#and now season two just feels too flat for them to be lovable

[malpractice-morale]

I rewatched s1 of heartbreak high (2022) before starting s2 today and gods do I love season one cash has me absolutely on my knees I love him and I want to know how his story continues and see him explore his (a-)sexuality and quinni is my adorable sweetheart favorite and darren is a dick but I love them to death and uhhhh season two is NOT impressing me so far. and I know I am only at ep 2 but the new characters feel like caricatures while the old ones feel so much flatter with the story feeling a lot more like it doesn’t know where it wants to go

[youtiaoshutiao]

i just finished "the romance of tiger and rose" and i have nothing to watch now :( do you have any cdrama recs?

hello!!!! sorry i got to this a week late my tumblr is like... neglected currently

anyway i’m so glad u enjoyed tiger and rose!!! i love it so much too :D for cdrama recs, omg it really depends on what u’re looking for!!!! i find it so hard to narrow down dramas that are my faves to recommend because i actually watch very little HAHA and i only watch to completion dramas that i really like anyway xD anyway i’ll just list a few that i’ve watched recently (meaning like... from mid 2019 till now) and really enjoyed!!!

period dramas:

- joy of life 庆余年 (2019): hard to describe this tonally because it’s v irreverant and hilarious yet moving and deep and suspenseful?! the first 15 episodes are fun and enjoyable but i think i really really truly got into it after that and became invested 100%. in my eyes it felt like a fervent love poem to life and the human condition especially towards the end. the characters are all very fascinating and there’s a lot of twisty plot twists. excellent acting and script writing. only caveat is that it’s the first season out of a planned 3 season series so it ends on a cliffhanger, and the female lead doesn’t really have as much agency compared to the other supporting female characters (mainly due to her circumstances and the role she plays i guess).

- young blood 大宋少年志 (2019): YOOO THIS is a huge lovelovelove for me, you have the most lovable squad consisting of 6 very different and generally lonely teenagers who get roped into this secret services thing where they deal with top secret government plots and stuff. and they start off all on the wrong foot and grow to LOVE EACH OTHER and RELY ON EACH OTHER and HAVE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. *sobs just thinking about it* has many supporting characters that are interesting and whom u also get invested in. It’s an original script written by Wang Juan 王倦 who also wrote the joy of life script, except young blood is 100% original and not adapted from a webnovel! just like tiger and rose’s script, which is also an original script written by Nan Zhen. this is SUPER SUPER rare nowadays in cdramaland which is why i stan these 2 dramas so hard hahaha. caveat: young blood also ends on a kind of cliffhanger/open ending, but it still felt like the arcs that the entire series covered in terms of character development were well completed so i was okay with it. plus there are lots of hints that there’s also gonna be a season 2, though I think Wang Juan is still writing the script for that.

- under the power 锦衣之下 (2019/2020): this is the drama that tiger and rose is sometimes compared to in terms of how it became so popular unexpectedly. i would wholeheartedly recommend this 100% solely for the OTP which is a Tsundere Embroidered Uniform Guard (Ming-dynasty secret police) ML x Bubbly/talkative/street smart Constable FL. they are SUPER SUPER cute and the leads (who are both my faves) play them super well and their romantic development is presented really organically. the outfits esp the male lead’s are A+++ also and make him look super super hot. i like the OST too. however everything else is quite mediocre lol especially the special effects and the meandering sideplots and there was a whole plot arc that didn’t really make much sense because a lot was edited out because of censorship. STILL VERY ADDICTIVE THO

- the story of ming lan 知否知否应是绿肥红瘦 (2018/2019): a very long drama (but quite normal by cdrama standards lol) basically about the ~journey~ and ~growth~ of our protagonist minglan, unfavoured daughter of a concubine of a relatively high ranking civil servant. it’s a very different vibe to a lot of other cdramas in that it’s very slice-of-life and slow paced, but i think it’s fascinating how it showcases how women deal and work with the internal dynamics of a household in a patriarchal society, and how that affects societal and political affairs as well. her OTP with an unfavoured son from another family (lol) is also very very delicious as it’s basically 2 people who have gone thru a lot of Trauma as children treasuring each other/learning that they too are treasured by the other and them building their own family and household against all odds and evil family members. it’s v long and slow paced as i mentioned earlier but it’s very very rewarding!! and i think many of my tumblr mutuals would agree it’s quite a favourite :D

modern dramas:

(i’ll admit that i’ve only had the brainspace the past 1 year for fluffy brainless modern dramas so all these are just for the FLUFF)

- skate into love 冰糖炖雪梨 (2020): uni drama where the FL re-picks up her true love speed skating after abandoning it for Reasons and gets back into it competitively. her OTP is her primary school deskmate who is an ice hockey player. the otp is very very fun!! the ML has a lot of resentment towards FL initially because FL was quite the bully in primary school but i really like how they resolved it and eventually the ML falls first and falls Really Really Hard and it is Delicious. the career aspects was quite well done also and i really rooted for the FL to rediscover her passion and pick it up again, and also for the ML to become better at his craft. caveat: i actually still have 10 episodes to go as i stalled because i know there’s a couple of episodes coming up that are going to be frustrating because of typical Misunderstanding and Miscommunication blablabla. but that’s pretty common lolol and overall it’s still a cute watch.

- the 致我们 series consisting of 3 dramas : 

1) a love so beautiful 致我们单纯的小美好 (2017): high school drama basically tsundere male lead x bubbly female lead, they’ve been classmates since young and are next door neighbours, female lead has a crush on him since forever

2) put your head on my shoulder 致我们暖暖的小时光 (2019): set in uni, female lead’s doing an internship far from her school, male lead is a physics student and his parents have a flat for him that is near female lead’s internship place, BAM THEY ARE FLATMATES!

3) the love equations 致我们甜甜的小美满 (2020): uni drama, female lead is a chinese language major who loves writing forensic novels online, male lead is a forensic science major.

all 3 are really cute lolol. i put these 3 because i just watched the third one two months ago and i feel like i have to mention it in the context of the first 2 haha. the first 2 were definitely hits both domestically and internationally. i feel the 3rd one kind of flopped? in terms of reception compared to the first 2 and a lot of my drama mutuals couldn’t get into it, and i can understand why because it did feel more unpolished? in terms of directorial choices/the editing/the acting/the script. but i still somehow really loved it for some reason, i think some parts of the ML’s life esp his relationship with his mum really resonated with me, and i loved FL and her friendships with her dormmates so so so so much. so i really rooted for the OTP.  i think objectively in terms of quality i would rate them 2 > 1 > 3, but in terms of feels... i loved them all. and it’s all just pure fluff anyway at the end of the day HAHA.

ok i’m running out of time writing this hehe but also a quick shoutout to my 2 favourite youth/high school dramas forever - With You 最好的我们 (2015) and My Huckleberry Friends 你好旧时光 (2017) which are sister dramas/set in the same universe and imo, are the pinnacle of youth dramas and what it means to capture the anxieties/stresses/mundane joys/pain/beauty of the Chinese/Asian high school experience. 

there are many others from before 2019 that i watched and enjoyed but i didn’t put them in hehe. and i’m sorry HAHA i actually don’t have much trust in my own taste LOL but i hope it helps!!

ohhhh and i’ve been trying to avoid starting on new dramas because of Exam Prep but there’s been SO MANY airing lately that i’ve been interested in:

The Bad Kids 隐秘的角落: apparently super well done suspense/thriller drama that’s receiving rave reviews everywhere!!

Love A Lifetime 暮白首: an original wuxia starring ren jialun (ML in under the power) whom i love so much and zhang huiwen

My Girl 99分女朋友: this is a modern day cdrama written by nan zhen!!! (who wrote tiger and rose) so i think it might be worth checking out :))

[tardisman14]

Wing It: Chapter 2: Tough Practice

A novelized version of Wing It Like Witches, told from Amity’s pov. A look into what was going through her mind in that episode, with snippets of happenings in-between scenes. Told in 4 parts (3 main chapters, plus the prologue), rated to be safe, and obviously Lumity.

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. Writers block combined with job stuff is not fun. Hoping to get the next and final chapter out soon.

Did Luz really just challenge Boscha to a game of Grudgby on Willow’s behalf?

“Luz, what are you doing?”

“I’m just following Amity’s advice. Boscha only speaks in grudgby terms. Trust me, I have a plan.”

Okay, this was NOT what Amity meant when she told Luz that. Also, she really hoped that Luz mentioning her name would result in Willow blaming her for this.

“Okay, maybe it’s the altitude of the second floor, but I thought I heard you say that Leaf Girl wanted to challenge me to a grudgby match.”

“That’s right! We’ll settle this once and for all on the field.”

“Or we could just talk about our issues.”

“Let’s do this.”

“Oh, no.”

Yeah, Amity was with Willow on this.

“If Willow’s team wins, you don’t get to pick on her anymore.”

“Fine! And when we win, Willow and your team will be our water gofers.”

“Ha! That’s not even a punishment. I love water.”

Luz had no idea what she was getting them into. During Amity’s time with Boscha on the team, any water gofer they had never lasted for more than a few weeks because-

“And we get to use you as target practice.”

...because of that. And if the hole Boscha just put in that nearby tree was any indication, she wasn’t going to make it easy for them.

“See you after school, losers.”

And now said tree was on fire. Yeah, someone’s definitely gonna be in the healer’s office later.

“Woo-hoo! Willow verses Boscha!”

Okay, as much as Amity hated seeing Willow getting picked on, this likely wasn’t going to make it better.

“Luz, this isn’t a good idea.”

“Yeah, I’ve never even played grudgby before! How am I supposed to beat Boscha?”

“But you’re the better witch. I don’t know much about sports, but I know about sports movies. We, too, are a ragtag team of lovable misfits joined together to defeat a powerful enemy. With a little team spirit and a training montage, we can win.”

Well, it looks like there’s no talking Luz out of it at this point.

“Well, if you think this’ll work, then I’m in. How about you, Gus?”

“In seasons past, these flags have waved in support of grudgby greats. Now they will wave for the greatest: Me!”

“What about you, Amity?”

Right then, Amity’s head was filled with mental pictures of her and Luz. Playing a contact sport together. Being within VERY close proximity of each other.

“Me? On a team with you? Running around in cute uniforms? SWEATING?”

At this point, Amity was in full-on panic mode. Her mind failing to come up with a response, she could only act on instinct. And right then, her only instinct was to bolt it.

“I GOTTA GO!”

Alright, Amity would admit that probably wasn’t the best way to respond. But she was a 14-year-old witch working with new, intense emotions. What else was to be expected?

Once Amity had gotten some distance, she started to calm down a bit, giving her some time to think clearly. There was definitely something she knew. Even if she hadn’t gotten flustered around Luz at that moment, she was still unsure about whether or not it’d be a good idea to accept her offer to be teammates. She’d already gotten two teammates injured last season due to her cocky attitude during the championship. She didn’t want to risk it happening again with her friends by playing.

---

Bonesbrough Library,

Afternoon

Once Amity had settled in at the library, she got started on the assignments for the night. Most of the work was relatively simple, so she was able to get through about half of it in 30 minutes. However, during that time, her mind couldn’t help but wander back to Luz, Willow, and Gus. While she knew that they’ve already been through a lot together, none of them really had any proper experience with Grudgby. On top of that, she also knew that there was no way that Boscha was gonna go easy on them.

Not to mention what this says about Amity’s efforts to make things right with Willow. Sure, she had told off Boscha that morning. But when Luz challenged Boscha, Amity really made no effort to back her or Willow up. And when Luz asked her to be a part of the team, she got so worked up over the idea and just left without any explanation. Why couldn’t these new feelings just be simple?

Amity thought that she’d be able to get her mind off of it by trying to focus on school work. But it seemed that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. And if that was the case, she knew that just sitting there worrying about it wasn’t going to do much good. So, that just left her with one option.

*SIGH* “I can’t bail on them now.”

Amity looked at the clock and figured that they were probably still practicing at that point. Knowing that she owed it to Luz and Willow to be there for them after everything that’s happened, she decided that the homework could wait. Right now, she needed to, at the very least, offer them her moral support. If anything else, maybe she could even give them some pointers.

---

Hexside School for Magic and Demonics,

5 minutes before the match

After hurrying back to the school, Amity went straight for the Grudgby field. Hopefully Luz, Willow, and Gus would be understanding about her sudden exit earlier. However, when she got to the field, something was off.

Luz was just sitting in the bleachers. Looking sad. Amity figured that it might have something to do with why she didn’t see Willow or Gus anywhere nearby. Curious about what happened, she started to approach Luz.

“Tough practice?”

“I pushed Willow and Gus too hard. It’s just, I hate seeing Willow get picked on. She’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had. Winning this game is the only way I know how to help.”

Pushing her teammates too hard, huh? This was starting to sound all too familiar to Amity. Although she could at least tell that Luz’s heart was in the right place.

While Amity had been trying to avoid the subject all day, at this point, she could maybe think of one way to help cheer Luz up.

“Did you know, before Boscha, I was the grudgby team captain?”

“Really?”

Well, Amity supposed that this was bound to come up sooner or later. Might as well be sooner.

“Well, once I left the team, I decided that was a part of my life I wanted to forget. We were playing Glandus High for the Island Championship. We had a move planned, and it was a good one. But, at the last minute, I decided I wanted to do something a bit flashier. I changed our game plan to... the Thorn Vault.”

“Good Witch Azura 2: Field of Deadly Fates! You watched it too?”

“Uh, yeah.”

It would seem that even a saddened Luz is still just as enthusiastic about Azura as ever.

“It went disastrously wrong. My teammates got hurt. All because I had an idea of how things should be. I pushed them too far. I never played again after that day.”

Well, at least Amity was able to get that off her chest, and-

OH TITAN, LUZ’S FACE WAS RIGHT BY HERS!

Next thing Amity knew, she was lying flat on her back due to the surprise.

“Ah! Sorry. I just really love backstories.”

As Luz helped Amity up, both of them had noticed that Boscha’s team had just arrived. Right then, Luz was putting something into Amity’s hand.

“I know what to do to make this up to Willow. Thanks.”

As Luz walked towards Boscha, Amity looked in her hand and saw… Willow’s hair clip. Wait, if Luz needed to hand it to her, what was she about to do?

“It’s after school. Where’s the leader of the loser brigade?”

“I’m here on her behalf. We forfeit.”

Wait, what?

“And I’m here to tell you that I’ll take Willow’s place as your water gofer, target practice, whatever you need.”

Okay, while Amity knew this was a nice sentiment, she had a feeling that Boscha wasn’t going to be swayed by this.

“Wow, you’re really a good friend.

And unfortunately, she was proven right seconds later as Boscha lit the ball of fire.

“And a perfect target.”

Oh no.

“Think fast!”

[eolewyn1010]

3 seasons of Charité - upsides and downsides

Includes spoilers for all three seasons!

What I like about Charité, season 1:

- Ida is a relatable and stubborn woman, and while I think the protagonists of the newer two seasons are written better and more interestingly, she makes for a good central character

- Behring is great to watch, complex, enthusiastic, arrogant, passionate, desperately forlorn, sweetly encouraging, irascible, honest, and I’m always torn between loving and hating him with all my heart

- he also stands in for how badly society was suited to handle people with psychological issues back in the day

-  actually, none of the characters are simple or one-sided; expectations are often subverted – Behring is not heartless, but he can’t just be “saved” either, neither Koch nor Virchow are as benign as they seem at first, Tischendorf is not the sweet young Prince Charming who’ll give Ida the dream life she deserves, Hedwig is not a brainless little floozie with no deeper thoughts or feelings, neither Therese nor Martha are all the strict boss ladies they want to be, Edith is not just a snotty bitch etc.

- medical history of that time, a blunt look on methods and circumstances

- the rivalry between the doctors; it’s fun to watch them passive-aggressively piss on each other

- the staging of the Tuberculin scandal was really effective, with all the hyping, the downfall and the consequences

- we get sweethearts! Stine is a sweetheart, Else is a sweetheart, Therese is a sweetheart, Dr. Kitasato is a sweetheart, and most of all Dr. Ehrlich. I like kind people, ok? Especially in a setting where so many people are asses

- the music is atmospheric and quite nice

- despite two options of marriage, the female protagonist remains single and gets to focus on her career, even in a time and setting that’s not supportive

- I’m having a blast with Minckwitz – he’s such a bitch, I love it

What I hate:

- the lesbian dies for no good reason

- did our main character really have to be a tragic, left-all-alone orphan in debts? Would you like some cheese with that whine?

- the big, hammy speeches get on my nerves after a while

- my sweet lesbian Therese dies, awfully, of frickin’ tuberculosis

- say what you will, Ida and Behring could have made it work; I think they would have been good for each other. Kinda disappointed

- Else Spinola deserved better

- poor Therese dies, thinking that God punishes her for being in love with Ida

- those weird slo-mo shots between scenes don’t serve any purpose

- what’s with the random fortuneteller scene? What was that good for?

- THERESE DIES! We go with f***king Bury Your Gays??? F*** YOU!

_________________________________

What I like about Charité, season 2:

- Anni and Dr. Sauerbruch – different than with Ida, we get two focal characters who aren’t presented as doubtlessly morally good. On the contrary, Anni starts out as quite the happy-go-lucky little Nazi follower – and then we get all the character development; hell yeah!

- Anni chooses to keep and raise her disabled baby herself, come hell or high water; damn, she fights for that kid. And Martin is positive disabled representation, too – thanks for giving me a handicapped veteran who’s not a bitter, drunk wreck just whining about what a cripple he is! He’s got a grip on his life, and the leg only ever comes up on three occasions; it doesn’t define him

- Otto, Martin, Doc Jung, Margot, Maria Fritsch and Kolbe are more clearly positive characters, but they aren’t one-sided, either – like, Otto plays that bright sunshine, but there’s so much seething in him. My sweet baby boy

- same for the negative characters, because they aren’t flat either; Artur, de Crinis and Christel are super interesting, all different levels between quiet, only semi-aware compliance and full-on, not-so-blind fanaticism. Gawd, those shitheads, but they’re fascinating to watch

- all them relationships – Margot-Ferdinand, Otto-Martin, Otto-Anni, Artur-Anni, Margot-Doc Jung, Ferdinand-Doc Jung, Anni-de Crinis, Bessau-Artur, Martin-Christel, Otto-Christel, Anni-Martin… there are so many interplays, so many dynamics that influence each other! SO many layers!

- the acting is better, I think; the characters altogether feel less wooden, much more human than the first time around – perhaps because it’s not 19th century manners anymore now, I dunno; I’m getting really emotional over shit, and I love it

- incorporation of the political and social situation into the hospital setting – much more than in the first season, the state ideology influences the way the doctors can do their work, and many of them do their best to still hold onto their duty when everything around them falls apart, which is beautiful

- power struggles between the characters in charge and ideological / political nuances are more subtle; nothing is black and white

- but there’s nothing subtle about the presentation of Nazi crimes and how many people actually just went along willingly – that cold bluntness is just what that subject needs

- interactions with patients are better this time; they’re more now than passive, pitiable creatures who quietly die their way, they’re characters with their own minds and drives (Lohmann, Magda Goebbels, Hans von Dohnanyi, even Emil)

- the music is even better than the first time around, I love it – so gentle most of the time, but it can also really help to build the tension

- we get a very sweet, functioning queer romance between characters who consist of more than “well, they’re gay and it troubles them”, and they both live – THANK YOU for learning your lesson; there was no good reason to have the gay character die, so Otto and Martin get a happy end. Was that so difficult?

What I hate:

- Yrsa von Leistner is so effing random. Who the hell wrote this? If you can’t incorporate a character properly, why bother including them in the first place?

- the passivity and anonymity of the disabled children – why didn’t Artur or Anni ever get to perceive one of them as a person? That girl Traudel for example, Anni could have talked to her

- there’s a slight tendency to “I’ll just tell the character next to me” exposition – Artur when he and Anni wake up together that one morning (why wouldn’t Anni know yet what he’s working on? That long-winded explaining sentence just came off as awkward), Peter Sauerbruch to Margot about the Dohnanyis and Bonhoeffers

_________________________________

What I like about Charité, season 3:

- I’m all pro ProPro! Honestly, that man is a treat, both how the character is written and how the actor carries the situations and interactions he’s in. He’s arrogant and narcissistic, but he’s also principled, insightful and caring, unpolitical in a smart way and honest in a quiet way, and he gets how people are, and his mentorship of Ella, how he supports and encourages her and also bluntly gives her the dressing-down she needs, is a thing of beauty. And that she has to earn his attention first

- I have a personal soft spot for the scene where ProPro is doing his sports and going jogging while talking with Ella, and then just has her run along. That man’s hilarious, I love him

- Ella’s spirited, and while I don’t love the protagonists of this season as much as those of the second, she’s still great in her own right – the dedication to her research, the strength with which she handles the shit that’s thrown at her

- everyone’s so snarky!

- the wider focus on medical history and research; we see a lot past surgery now

- everyone’s taking shit in stride – staff is running off to the West? Ok; rest gets double shifts. We don’t have a senior doctor on the ward this morning anymore? We do shit ourselves. An illness we’re not prepared to treat anymore because, actually, there should be vaccination enough? We’ll make do. I love that spirit

- positive disabled representation! Rapoport’s daughter actually interacts with people, is presented as a person, has dreams and strengths and can handle her issues – yes, please!

- we get an intersex character, not for long and the story isn’t treated with the care and attention it should have, but props for the effort, I guess

- the setting allows for Ella to focus fully on her work and passion, not really giving much on romance and marriage without that seeming out of place – Ida’s conversations most often revolved around a man, Anni was considered a Nazi role model for being married and a mother, but Ella, while the relationship with Kurt is an option, never prioritizes this and never needs it

- personally, I’m smelling threesome subtext between Ella, Kurt and Alex Nowack – that may just be me, but I like it

- how everyone handles situations, how the changes happening in the country are incorporated into the world the characters live in, how they are able to cope with stuff and make decisions, in the end even without shifting blame

- even more so than in season 2, I really like how human the patients and their relatives are, that interacting with them in the right way is made an important part of the doctors’ work, even when some of the patients are asses

What I hate:

- people are mumbling – it’s not dialects, it’s not accents; they’re mumbling. They never were in the first two seasons

- the cancer stories were really no favorite of mine; what’s with the teary melodrama and the sudden gory shock value? Come on, Charité, you can do better. Presenting the human side of everything has always been the strength of this series, so why going so overboard now?

- I dunno, the crime cases ProPro investigates don’t seem to be incorporated that well? I suppose they’re there to establish his main field of pathology, but they spend a lot of time on that “Biter” case, and I’m not sure why

- would have been nice if Inge Rapoport had gotten to interact a bit with important characters other than her husband, Arianna and Kraatz – she’s a lovable, strong female character; why keep her so one-sided?

- what’s with the black’n’white painting? You showed us how conflicted and nuanced people under the Nazi regime could be; why now the clear line between “those people are good” and “that one sold his soul to the Party”?

- you show us an intersex person, introduce her as a character, make us sympathize, show us her hindrances and possibilities – and then she’s just gone? What about her treatment? Positive development? Making Kraatz’ interactions with her a counterpoint to his interactions with Doc Rapoport? What WAS that?

[omgthatdress]

How to make Cats a good movie.

I watched Cats, and once I got over the initial horror, I was actually pretty entertained and found myself enjoying the shit out of it. Like god bless it, for as nightmare-inducing as much as it was, Tom Hooper was clearly *committed* to his vision and you gotta give him credit for that. The scenery was actually really beautiful and the cinematography was frequently breathtaking. Like it really did have a lot of elements that really worked for it. But for every bit of genius, there was something terrible that the movie just couldn’t overcome. So let’s dive in.

First of all, you kind of have to understand Cats: the musical. It’s an adaptation of poems that T.S. Elliott of nihilistic lost generation fame wrote for his godchildren about cats. And the poetry is charming af and totally captures the nature of cats and why they’re so lovable. In the in the 1970s, Andrew Lloyd Webber did a shit ton of cocaine and decided to make a musical out of these poems. As a result, Cats has no plot. It’s a bunch of cats singing their songs about who they are and doing a lot of dancing. The thinnest of narrative devices is created with the “jellicle” ball and the deciding of which cat gets to ascend to heaven or some shit. So yeah. Cats is actually pretty controversial among theater nerds, it’s very much a you either love it or hate it thing. Is it stupid? Yes.  Is it going to make everyone happy? No. Does it lend itself well to film adaptation? fuck no. I get the feeling that Tom Hooper was really going for deep, meaningful poetic cinema here and trying to make another Les Mis (which was way overly long and ultimately sank under its own sheer weight as a movie and probably is better viewed as a play). I’m operating under the assumption that Hooper was going for ground-breaking cinema that would have made millions and swept up during awards season and cemented him as a legendary director and gone down in movie history, because every little detail of Cats is clearly meant for maximum impact. You kind of need to drop all expectations going into Cats, so once you’re there, you can have fun with it. So how do you make it a good film?

1. The HORRIBLE hyper-realistic cgi human-cat hybrids. YES, it’s a technical marvel, and the CGI artists who made it all deserve a ton of credit for the work they did. And I understand why the actors were kept in their human shapes: live dance is a huge part of what makes Cats work. One of the smart decisions made was hiring theater veterans for the filler roles in the cat chorus, so when you have the choreographed numbers, it’s really spectacular. It’s just the end result was way too uncanny valley and bizarre for any of the film’s good parts to ever rise above it. I think a minimalist approach would have actually worked best. Cat ears and simple costumes with clean lines that show off the dancer’s bodies. Go for the suggestion of cats, and kind of let the viewer’s imagination take over, and showcase the cat’s personality. A huge part of what I enjoyed was hearing the poetry and imagining these cats and how they all relate to cats I’ve known. The dance and the music helped heighten this experience, but hybrids kept reminding me of the joke: what do you get when you cross a human and a cat? An immediate cessation of funding and a stern rebuke from the ethics committee.

2. The schlocky, honestly amateurish attempts at slapstick humor. I’m gonna come out and say it and say that Hooper is pretty deeply entrenched in *dRaMa* and has no sense of how comedy works. There was a lot of added in comedic bits from Rebel Wilson and James Corden, and it was honestly terrible. I mean really, a crotch hit? That kind of lowbrow comedy is so crude and base that it’s actually really hard to pull it off well. Slapstick comedy actually lends itself to the whimsical tone, and slapstick done well can be utterly sublime, but Cats seemed satisfied that fat people falling over is the height of comedy and should be left at that. And a second note on the comedy? Weirdly fat-shame-y. A saw a post about how odd it is to see James Corden, who has been very frank about how he’s struggled with dieting and come to accept that his body is fat and can’t be made not fat, playing this role where fat is added to his body, his CGI vest strains at the buttons, and he’s literally stuffing his face with garbage. The theme of fat people as lazy, stupid, and slovenly carried over from Rebel Wilson’s role, in which she also plays a fat lazy cat who is leaned on heavily for comic relief. I know the role is about a fat cat, and gently laughing at a fat lazy cat who loves to eat is fine, but, speaking as a fat person myself, this felt like a gleeful exploitation of a nasty and cruel stereotype. James Corden and Rebel Wilson are both extraordinarily funny people who happen to be fat, and their comedic gifts were tremendously mis-used here, reducing them to simply two fat bodies to be laughed at.

3. Jennifer Hudson. She’s a talented actress who can sing and emote like a motherfucker. And emote she did. She was clearly GOING for that second Oscar. I really don’t want to call her performance bad. The same level of emotion, tears running and snot flowing, in another movie, would have been devastating (Hello, Viola Davis in Fences). But this isn’t Fences, it’s fucking Cats. You need a level of character depth and development that Cats doesn’t afford to make those tears hit. All the crying and misery was an odd maudlin and over-dramatic break in the fun and whimsy. With a subtler performance and a hint of self-awareness, it could have actually brought in an emotional anchor for this light-as-air film, but Cats doesn’t make any attempt at nuance, and as a result the scenes just hit you out of nowhere like a load of bricks. 

4. Francesca Hayward. Okay, before we go anywhere, I want to say that this girl is not un-talented. She’s the principal ballerina of the Royal Ballet, and has a very long list of ballets that she’s lead in. So it makes sense that she’d be hired for a role that’s primarily ballet. This girl is a really really great DANCER. But Cats was clearly trying to make an A-list actress out of her. They tried to make her into Florence Pugh, who has been acting for a while and is blowing up right now because she’s very talented. Like everything about Francesca’s role in the film said “This is a star-making role.” A new song was written just for her to sing as an addendum to Cats’s show-stopping signature song. But the song was just okay, it didn’t carry nearly the emotional weight or all-around beauty of “Memories,” and all in all felt wedged-in and totally unnecessary and really just felt like a grab at that “best original song” Oscar. Francesca’s voice is high, thin, and child-like. It’s not unpleasant, but next to the richness and depth of Jennifer Hudson’s voice, it crumbles, and it’s not the sort of voice that I want to seek out to listen to over and over again. As for her overall performance, she largely keeps the same look of wide-eyed wonder throughout her numerous close-ups, so much so that I found myself thinking of the the MST3K “dull surprise” sketch. But I don’t know if that’s really entirely her fault. There was an attempted romantic storyline with the magic cat, but again, because of the nature of Cats and its lack of real character development or depth, the chemistry fell flat. There really isn’t much of a chance to show off a lot of dramatic range, so to keep going back to her character, it kept reinforcing the one-notedness of her performance. Really, I just kept wanting to see Francesca dance. Ironically, I think they really blew an opportunity trying to make an A-list actress out of her. All she really need to make people want to see more of her is one spectacular dance number, but for some reason, she never really gets that show-stopping moment. 

5. Dignity? I guess this goes back to the whole CGI cat thing, but there were a lot of moments when I felt this tremendous wave of second-hand embarrassment hit me on behalf of the talented actors in this film. Watching Gandalf lap up milk from a saucer was a wholly uncomfortable experience, like come on, grant the great Ian McKellan some fucking DIGNITY here. Which goes back to whatI said earlier that a suggestion and interpretation of cats would have worked better than all-out just being a cat. Or it could again just be how much Cats just fails its attempts at comedy. But then again there was no fucking reason at all for Idris Elba to be that fucking NAKED. I guess they were trying to make him sexy? But his sexy smolder and just being Idris Elba wasn’t enough they had to make sure that we all saw his chiseled pecs and thick thighs. And then at the end when he’s dangling off of the rope of a hot air balloon and what’s supposed to be a funny scene, I think, I kept thinking “I’m so sorry this is happening to you, Idris.” 

There’s a bunch of other small, nit-picky things that I could go into. Those cockroaches would have worked so much better if they weren’t humans with an extra set of arms. Watching them get eaten was some horror movie shit. Taylor Swift’s Macavity song would have worked a lot better if the cat chorus full of cats we’ve gotten to know had sung it, but instead Taylor Swift is brought in as a new cat we don’t know whose only purpose is to sing the Macavity song? but of course a big oscar-bait movie needs to have that pop star that draws in the people who wouldn’t otherwise see it and making her a part of the cat chorus would have had her performing throughout the whole movie and she would have floundered the way pop stars tend to do when performing musical theater around a bunch of musical theater actors. So I guess I get why she was thrown in.

So.... yeah? Is there anyone else who found themselves enjoying it in spite of everything? I’m glad I have dogs and didn’t have to watch this mess with actual cats around me.

[sagebaileyspeaks]

Season Four, Episode Ten: Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri

A few days back I wrote a post called “Thoughts to Close Out Season Four”, where I said this:

“If Season One was a reintroduction of Rick to the family, Season Two was him securing his role at the top and Season Three was him beginning to overstay his welcome then Season Four is about Rick losing the control he’s had over his family thus far... If Rick can’t be in control, he wants others to feel out of control in order to give him the illusion that he’s always in charge and always knows best [and]  with the promo for the final episode hinting at another round of family therapy I’m willing to bet Rick will find himself at permanent odds with the rest of the Smiths.” 

And as you can see from the above picture, I was absolutely right. 

When we finally get to the end of the episode literally nobody cares about Rick’s “answers.” Both of the Beths say they don’t need answers and flat out call him a piece of shit (in stark contrast to Season Two’s finale,) Morty can’t be bothered, Summer tells him explicitly not to drag them into anymore of his bullshit just because he’s losing control and while it doesn’t happen at the end of the episode, Bird Person tells him that the fact that he thought about fighting him makes him a bad friend. 

At this point, if Justin and Dan called it quits right here and just ENDED the series, I would tip my hat to them for having the balls to dethrone what some consider a hero. Realistically we know that won’t happen because the show is just too popular to end its run here, but I honestly have no idea where the show can go from here because Rick is no fun on his own. 

He’s a lovable asshole until he’s not and do I really just want to see him go on space adventures without Morty, Summer or Beth? Not really. And alternatively, I don’t just want to see a whole season of Space Beth and co. being a family of Federation fighters. 

So right now he has no friends, no family and the Federation - something he’s been up against for a significant amount of his life - actually wants nothing to do with him because they don’t care to be bothered. I know that shit has to hurt hearing, “You are no longer important because you’re too much of an asshole,” from a group of intergalactic terrors must have really taken a number on his pride. 

On the whole, while I know some consider Season Four a bumpy ride I loved seeing Rick slowly lose control over his family simply because he felt he was above them. For a minute there he did have their love, adoration and obedience but since he never returned that love in an explicit and meaningful way they moved on to be better for themselves. 

And with that, I guess I’ll see you all in 2023 when Season Five finally starts.

[kylermalloy]

my Thoughts on rebels

Now I don’t have any hot takes or any controversial opinions to put out here. Rebels is a simple show with a simple plot. There’s not a whole lot to analyze, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to enjoy. Sometimes all you need is a straightforward concept with lovable characters. So let me proceed to squeal about Dave Filoni’s second masterpiece, Rebels.

Spoilers abound!

Before I say anything else...

THEY HAD A BABY I haven’t stopped squealing.

Zeb Okay I’ll start with Zeb, for no particular reason. He was the only main character I hadn’t really heard about or seen much of before I started watching. In the first few scenes with him, I was afraid he’d become his stereotype—the thuggish gorilla who argues all the time, disobeys orders, messes up plans, and borderline betrays his friends. I was so pleasantly surprised when none of that happened. Maybe by virtue of being a kids’ show, these characters don’t have *edgy* or twisted nuances. Zeb is fiercely loyal. He likes smashing heads in and gets grumbly sometimes, but he’s never a hindrance. He’s not just “the muscle”; his ingenuity saves the day on more than one occasion. If anything, his nuances take him the other way—he’s incredibly sensitive and childlike in some ways. Being one of the last of his kind is a major plot point of several episodes, which brings so much depth to him and his psyche. It also informs SO MUCH on his relationship with Kallus. Speaking of...

Kallus I never, ever expected Kallus to be anything more than a season-long plot device. The fact that he stuck around and went through actual character development?? Amazing. The episode where he and Zeb are stranded together is gold. He’s got a sense of honor even as he works for the Empire, sparing the rebels as Zeb spared him. He develops a new set of ideals thanks to our heroes, and he begins to question and regret the things he’s done for the Empire—ethnic cleansing of Zeb’s Lasat people included. And that last scene of them in the epilogue? I’m not gonna lie, it was a bit shippy.

KANERA I know while the show was airing, fans were constantly asking when Kanan and Hera were going to get together. But for me, they seemed to be married from the first episode. Hera calling Kanan “love” and teasing him? Kanan constantly worrying after Hera while simultaneously believing in her ability to do...absolutely everything? Their parenting of Ezra, Sabine, Chopper, and even Zeb? Explicitly referring to them as “the kids” and themselves as “Mom and Dad”? Yeah, they’re married. And let’s not underplay their strengths as individual characters. Kanan—or Caleb—is exactly what you would expect of a Jedi whose training is only halfway complete. He’s cool and awesome, but also riddled with self-doubt and uncertainty. And Hera is the mature voice of reason this merry band of children so desperately needs—except of course when she’s the one rushing headlong into danger, whether to get a fighter prototype or to steal a family heirloom or to save a couple pilots in a suicidally risky move. She’s a perfect blend of mature reason and headstrong determination that makes a true rebel. (Wait a minute...she’s totally Katara! Maybe that’s why I love her so much.)

Now back to them as a couple! Most of the show did nothing to advance their relationship—further reinforcing my headcanon that things were always happening between them behind the scenes. Even though they became official canon in the last season, the appearance of their kid in the epilogue proves I was right—based only on what we saw, there was no time for them to make a baby. Of COURSE there were things going on behind the scenes. 😏 (I found the interview that explains exactly where Jacen came from, and I was equal parts ecstatic and freaked out.)

Did I mention THEY HAD A BABY???

Ezra So apparently there are people in the Star Wars fandom who hate Ezra? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; Star Wars fans hate everything. Except the OT. If you hate the OT you’re a heathen. I can’t really think of a solid reason why people hate Ezra, except for the fact that he seems to be a Luke Skywalker analog. He’s a poor kid with Force sensitivities who gets adopted by a Jedi and becomes a venerated leader of the Rebellion. He also finds an oddball group of friends he comes to call family but eventually bids them farewell after the death of his mentor. They’re not carbon copies, of course—Luke’s an optimistic idealist; Ezra’s a cynic. Luke whines; Ezra snarks. Luke blows up the Death Star and defeats Vader; Ezra completes a series of far more complicated missions and defeats Inquisitors and Thrawn. Again by virtue of him being the star of a tv show instead of just three feature length movies, he gets a lot more time to have his adventures. Maybe there’s some resentment over him getting more screentime than Luke? Maybe it’s because I’m just Not a Luke Skywalker stan. I like him fine, but I don’t hold him up as some perfect saintlike hero. (I didn’t have any problems with his TLJ characterization.) The people who do need to rewatch the OT they hold so dear. Luke’s a beautiful drama queen and you all should love him for that. But I’m here to talk about Ezra! Listen, this child is a disaster and a half—just like Luke, just like Anakin, just like young Obi-Wan. There is nothing to not like about him—except that he reminds you of your favorite characters but he’s not them.

Clone Wars characters I initially started watching this show solely for the characters I already knew from Clone Wars. Ahsoka Tano has been my girl ever since I started watching Clone Wars, and I didn’t even consider watching Rebels until I knew they had undone her death. (If there was just ONE character they could needlessly save via time travel, they picked the right one.) At any rate, she’s perfect in this show. She’s more grown-up, more mature, but still retains that *young and plucky* spirit. (For the record, I usually hate the *plucky* characters. Somehow, she works for me. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t really do that annoying cocky smirk thing.)

But it’s not just Ahsoka. Rex survived! I’m so glad at least one clone (two? Wolffe?) made it out of the war okay. And he’s great here. His constant snarking with Kanan reminded me so much of his banter with Anakin (and I’m sure it reminded him of that too ;-; ) His presence on Rebels isn’t strictly necessary, narratively speaking, but it’s just a nice tie-in to the world we got used to in Clone Wars. It reminds us that this world with the Empire was once the world of the Republic, and there are still clones out there—even if there’s no place for them in this new order. This of course reinforces the tragic narrative of clones as sentient beings created for nothing but combat. And again, I commend both shows for making me feel that narrative so deeply!

Hondo and Maul were two of my favorite antagonists from Clone Wars, so seeing their multiple appearances here filled me with joy. Hondo cracked me up, as usual, and Maul’s farewell was touching and heartbreaking. I almost wish he were still around! There’s still his duel with Ahsoka in season 7 of Clone Wars... 👀 Honestly what surprised me most about those two were the way they were both presented as protagonists. Hondo especially, and Maul does become an antagonist again. But it really speaks to the way all paradigms in the galaxy have shifted after the Republic became the Empire. In Clone Wars, Hondo was portrayed as an annoying hindrance to our heroes. Now with the Empire as an adversary to our main characters, Hondo is an ally. An untrustworthy one of course, mostly in it for the money, but his interests usually lie with helping our heroes, not hurting them. Besides, nothing tops his relationship with Ezra. Their first meeting had me in fits: “You lied to me?? I KNEW I liked you!” (Also I forgot to mention the running gag of Ezra introducing himself as Jabba the Hutt? Genius. And hilarious, since some people actually believe him at first)

THEY HAD A BABY!!!

Thrawn I need to see this guy again. Whether in a continuation where we learn what happened to him and Ezra, or some other moment in time where we see him younger, rising through the ranks of the Empire full of ambition and ideas. He’s quietly menacing, always confident and meticulous. He does a great job of making the rebels feel helpless in their fight, needling their pressure points and taunting them—but he never makes the conflict personal to him. He always remains detached, just a guy doing his duty. He’s just there to pick up interesting art pieces. I love the way he’s acted—always quiet, cultured, practically whispering. I didn’t know he was voiced by Lars Mikkelson until after I watched, but that was a perfect choice. I found the Inquisitors a little flat as villains (antagonists, whatever) and the other Empire ministers and governors not very threatening. Thrawn was the perfect balance (lol) between interesting and a genuine threat.

MANDALORE For all of Sabine’s merits as a character, I love her most in the Mandalorian arcs. The episode where she comes into her power and wields the darksaber is one of my favorites. She’s not a traditional stern, stoic Mandalorian character. She’s a free spirit, incredibly creative and intellectual. Yet she’s also afraid of her mind and what she could create—for years she created weapons for the Empire to feed her hubris. Maybe that’s why she mainly sticks to painting throughout the series. :) Anyway. I look forward to the follow-up detailing her adventures with Ahsoka.

Chopper I rolled my eyes so hard when I first saw Chopper. Everything from his name to his design screamed “kiddie version of R2D2” and I was fully prepared to hate him. I don’t. He’s just like R2, in that every sentence he says sounds like it’s punctuated with about ten different swearwords. It’s hilarious seeing such a cute character being so surly and even threatening on occasions! Chopper kicks some serious butt. He even comes with a tragic backstory!

Lastly, I don’t think I’ve mentioned...

THEY HAD A BABY AND HE’S ADORABLE

[flying-elliska]

Ok I caught up with wtfock s3 because well, it felt weird to leave unfinished (except a few clips i just didn’t want to watch, like the attack one). here’s what worked and didn’t for me (i’m pretty critical so don’t read if that sort of thing upsets you or you’re not in the mood) because i still think having this story remade so often is an unprecendented storytelling experiment worth thinking about even when it doesn’t entirely work (and i think argumented criticism is good, but if you post hate about the actors/fans etc you really suck tbh) : 

- to start with positives : like many said, the acting was pretty damn good. overall wtfock has a really solid cast. the willems have succeeded in creating an onscreen queer intimacy that feels very believable, no holds barred and no awkwardness, and they have to be commended for that. there’s a lot of chemistry and tension at first between them, which then turns into something very soft and sweet and puppy-love-like. it was nice seeing Robbe evolve and the sweet bean energy that emanates from how the actor plays him is very very powerful. i also loved the warmth of the flatshare, and as a Dutchie I just adored the Sinterklaas bits, it was so funny and i loved the found family vibes. warmth is just something they do really well, esp with the last clips, perfume shopping, playing board games, the party at the end. They use the Christmassy vibes really well. the cinematography has its moments too, contrasts between warm and cold, the episode at the beach is gorgeous, the sequence in the tunnel, the light on their faces when they are in that classroom surrounded by drawings. wtfock as a whole is also good at creating some very lovable secondary characters, be it Milan, Yasmina, Noor, or especially king Senne. So, I do understand that there are things to love about this remake, which is probably why my disappointment feels so strong. I really wanted to care about these characters in their journey. 

- on to the controversial : i don’t necessarily fault them for wanting to show a more prononced aspect of homophobia. i think the debate about this often lacks nuance. on one hand, this is the sixth remake, and homophobia is something that is still often prevalent, and having one remake show that out of six is not in itself a problem. on the other, yes, happy fluffy stories are important, but sometimes people who have gone through stuff like this also need to see their experiences represented. the power of skam is that it shows difficult experiences BUT ALSO a happy ending. that can be very healing, i think, compared to other stories which focus only on the drama. the trouble is, i don’t think they dealt with it very well, or put any effort into processing the consequences of these harrowing things. and if you don’t, it feels cheap.

- on to my main gripe : the writing. previsible, i know. but to me, essential. and this is not about them ‘changing things’ - i like when remakes change stuff, when they do it well. the thing is, i have been burned too many times before. and when i sense that the writing is being wack, it makes it automatically much harder for me to invest emotionally in the characters. and simply put there were signs early on that made me distrust the writers. for starters, the first two episodes gave me a feeling that they didn’t have their priorities in order. the POV-immersion and depth is one of the most powerful aspects of skam, and it was lost. too many early clips felt out of Robbe’s perspective, and when it was him it was about Noor ; a few clips to show his discomfort were on point, but there were too many of them, and there were repetitive, losing time on what isn’t really an essential part of Robbe’s journey. and while they were spending time on clips that felt like misery flavored filler, they decided several times to condense original clips focused on Isak and Even, together ; like their first meeting and then their first hangout, or later in the series OHN and the minute by minute talk. and i think their story suffered from that. i think because they don’t have a real discussion early on, the buildup of their relationship feels mostly based on physical attraction. and while it certainly is a thing that happens, it just isn’t my fave love story thing. i missed the sweet pining from afar and tension that makes later drama believable. it felt like they brought the drama comparatively too fast without enough character work to make it worthwhile. Also there is just too much time spent on Zoenne drama, and their breakup seems like it foreshadows the dreaded s4 love triangle, which, yikes. the focus is all over the place, the rythm felt incoherent. 

- what’s more, they decided to introduce pretty grave elements of plot, like Robbe using slurs against Sander, the homophobic attack, the suicidal urges on both their sides, Sander kissing Britt while he was still saying I love you to Robbe in the morning, without either proper build up or resolution. It made it all feel cheap, jarring, and unearned, especially when they didn’t put trigger warnings or made jokes about it on insta or waited forever to give news about the characters being ok. it felt like drama for the sake of drama, and definitely not written with a vulnerable audience of queer teens in mind. and at the same time, when it came to the ‘big scenes’ of their relationship, like the first kiss or the universes talk or sander’s episode, it felt more or less lifted from OG without a lot of effort made to adapt it to them. i actually quit live watching/blogging after the first kiss scene, because of how similar it was, and how uninspired it felt, and lukewarm. it felt like a lack of imagination. when it came to OHN, the scene in itself was lovely, but the weird time gap, random timing and people seemingly doing nothing after a suicidal Sander disappeared, sort of broke it for me.  In the OG the combo of buildup, longing, realisation, fear, release works so well in a sequence, and splitting it over time really diluted it, to me. Similarly the quickly thrown out ‘life is now’ at the ending felt sort of out of nowhere, while in OG it was such a lovely bookend, him apologizing to Eva and reflecting on his growth. The symbolism, which ties everything so beautifully together in themes of rebirth, salvation, baptism, union, faith, deciding your own narrative in OG, here feels inconsistent. There is an attempt I see, something about wasteland vs. warmth/family, but it’s often absent of main clips. It’s nowhere near as coherent as it could be. 

- all of this builds up to the main problem for me, of the season. which is, i didn’t really get into Robbe and Sander’s relationship. Or their individual arcs for that matter. When it comes to Robbe, I guess he just isn’t my type of character. I feel like he is missing the fire of an Isak. A lot of the time he just felt too passive, like he let other characters make his decisions. I was waiting for him to stand up for himself more than he did. And there are too many scenes of another character doing his coming out for him. And then Sander ; I have to say I don’t understand all the love his character gets. Maybe because that’s because he sort of gives me Dutch fuckboi vibes...but there were several times he just came accross as a flat out asshole. I found him intriguing in his intro clip, chaotic and charming, but that never really went where i expected it to. i didn’t get his passion, what drew him to art. the symbolism around his character - basically Bowie, and drawing Robbe, and Chernobyl (which is a bit tasteless imho, turning a tragedy like that into a cutesy romantic thing), feels ...disjointed, and shallow to me. Like I never really got into it. And maybe some people did and noticed deeper links but to me, I got stuck at the surface. I saw a lot of interesting theories with what was going on with him but in the end they just copied OG. And I’m sad to say, but he ended up feeling like a manic pixie dream boy cliché to me, and i just didn’t understand what drew them to each other so strongly. Yes, Robbe is caring and Sander is in need of care, but that feels like a very reductive reproduction of OG. Beyond that...i don’t know. Certain complexities of the OG i loved  just...were sanded away, like Isak being ignorant about MI and learning compassion. This just...didn’t feel like it had the same depth, and often felt like soapy teenage drama, leaning too hard and too lazily on the actors’ chemistry. i like my romances wordy and solidly enmeshed in character development, and this was not it. It never felt like they had a real conversation about things, esp after the drama. 

- i think this is the first remake that made me actually angry for reasons not related to problematic cast shit, and so i’m trying to analyze that emotion. for me it comes down to too much drama, too heavy handed. Too much of the boy squad being shitty to Robbe, too much Noor, too much filler clips without any deeper meaning, too much things distracting from getting to know the main characters and going into their issues in depth. They changed stuff, but didn’t have the guts to actually follow through. They broke the mold but only in ways that ended up feeling shallow and unconsequential. Like I would have loved seeing Robbe go to therapy ! see his mom ! Zoe and Robbe go to the police together ! Sander have a complicated home situation ! or doing a Bowie related art installation to express his feelings of alienation ! seeing more of the underground graffiti scene ! or just...something, idk. And them also removing the faith-related themes also felt disappointing. and the ohn clip taking place in the place where sander draws feels very....basic to me, even if it was pretty. very ‘oh he’s an artist, here is his safe place’....hm, okay. I didn’t like that they made Britt into such a villain, I didn’t like how the boy squad showed no care for Robbe whatsoever for weeks until the plot said it was time for them to be redeemed in a way that felt too jarring, and I didn’t like that they made Moyo so horrible but redeemed him so easily. I actually thought they would show that it’s okay to separate yourself from friends who are that bigoted, because it just shows they are not willing to care for people. And him suddenly saying those sweet and mature things felt too out of characters and a ahah ‘gotcha’ rather than depth . I didn’t like that Robbe, too, was made so virulent by his internalized homophobia but got over it so quickly. I think what disappointed me most, in the end, was that I kept picking up potential and the show kept doing absolutely nothing with it, or confirming my fears, and it made me feel stupid and out of tune with whatever they were doing. And it’s, to me, symptomatic in modern storytelling of a trend to privilege shocks and twists over inner coherence and build up. And it makes for...Very underwhelming stuff, in the end. 

- all in all, i think this remake illustrates why s3 of OG is not as easy to remake as it sounds. it’s very intricate machinery, with a pitch perfect rhythm (and an extremely passionate nitpicky fanbase lmao). and if you don’t get all the parts of why it’s so great, you’re going to lose a lot of it. (and all the remakes ended losing up stuff in translation ; more or less compensated by inventivity and charm of their own.) so many mainstream press articles praise the real time/social media format and the ‘real talk about teen issues’ which, yeah, is part of the success, but doesn’t explain the devotion on its own. there’s the way the story uses real time to build up a storytelling rythm that feels organic and makes sense as if it was part of the lives of the viewer. There’s foreshadowing and aftershocks. Wtfock often feels like they wrote the clip numbers on darts and randomly threw them at a week planner. If an episode of a regular series ends on a cliffhanger, we can be thrilled and frustrated and put it aside for next week. but if you end an episode with a character shown to be suicidal, or you don’t show them being okay after a beating, for hours or days, that’s the emotion you leave your viewers with, because skam is a continuous experience. and remakes who pile on drama moments without respite (looking at you too skamfr s4) don’t get how tiring and disengaging this can be, in this format. skam worked so well because of how benevolent it was, on the whole. and also, cheeky, with that ‘don’t take it too seriously’ deflating humor. grumpy isak in ‘hate me now’ mode getting bumped into. this lightness and comedy often feels missing here. also my god the social media is absolutely terrible. plus...there is too much filler. honestly, them having more time, on the whole...ended up being a bad thing. Plus Wtfock feels like it has so much more unadressed plot points, like...why did Sander change his mind exactly and kiss Britt again ? How did Robbe’s mom react ? Who did the attack ? What is happening w Senne now ? etc. And it feels like they just missed the fact that OG, however subtly, did adress those things. 

- now, don’t get me wrong, i’m happy it’s popular in Belgium. On the whole it’s still a beautiful story of love and acceptance. and that people found something in it that spoke to them. but as a remake, it’s probably one of the most disappointing yet, to me. and i sort of...don’t get the hype. and i don’t want to be too ‘oh cute boys kissing’ cynical about it. but i think this illustrates why in the end, this is also very subjective. there are probably things i missed because i didn’t feel the need to examine it in depth or do the extra emotional work that comes with being a devoted fan of something. and some of their choices made me angry, and i’m not forgiving when it comes to these things. i still wish them success for s4 and whatever else, but i don’t think i will watch live, at least unless it gets really rave reviews about their treatment of Yasmina’s season. i mean they got s2 right, who knows? 

[mysterylover123]

BNHA Rewatch: Season 1, Episode 1: Izuku Midoriya Origin

mysterylover123

First episode! I love this episode (well, the two-parter, anyway, as a whole. First chapter I guess). One of my favorite intros to a series ever.

First scene! My ship! And their terrible, awful, rocky starting line. I hope the final scene of the series is some kind of callback to this, with an ironic twist on it. But yeah, this is Deku and Kacchan at the start of the series, at their most flawed. Deku being all hero with no super, Kacchan being all super with no heroism. But that’s about to change!

(why are they so cute?!)

I think this scene is what cemented to me that I liked this series right off the bat. I love how they introduce the concept of what it’s like to live in a world where superhero battles are kind of mundane, with this guy on the phone telling his boss he’ll be late for work. Because of a super villain battle.

Deku! Precious smile that cures me of all my ills. I love his design, BTW - I’m not sure what it is, but the freckles, the green hair and huge eyes, he’s just so unique looking. I can’t think of another character who I think he looks like.

(First impressions were basically: I love this guy, he’s totally like me. No wonder I relate to a geeky kid who takes too many notes on comic book heroes)

So Deku’s class full of weirdos. How many pre-UA fanfics have these folks featured in, I wonder?

Ah, Kacchan. First impressions: Apparently, I think like Tomura, because I totally thought this kid was being set up as a villain first time around. And I loved him. I love villains who are cool and charismatic and loved by all! (I started changing my tune by the end of episode 2). Yes, I like Bakugo. So if that’s a deal-breaker, just a warning (he’ll always be second to Deku though. Sorry.)

Ooh, this ugly scene. I don’t remember what I thought of it at first, I just know that the fandom never stops bickering about it. Horikoshi has flat-out admitted that he didn’t mean Bakugo to come across this bad in the first chapter and feels he wrote him too evil though.

(BTW I think Horikoshi is the most “literally me” Mangaka of them all. I relate to him painfully hard. Ever commentary I hear from him about his experiences sounds like there’s some older Japanese male clone of me wandering around making manga.)

Better informed BKG meta writers than me have meta’d about this scene to death, and there’s about 50 billion fanfics out there where Deku tries it and turns into Yusuke Urameshi or something. I do wonder if this scene in particular will ever get a callback; I kinda doubt it.  

Baby Deku doing the headbang while watching All Might vids. Meanwhile I headbang while watching this scene. Headbang-ception.

Sad Baby Deku’s backstory. Rips my heart out every goddamn time they replay it. And they replay it a lot.

To get kinda serious, Deku being quirkless is sometimes interpreted as allegorical to being aneurotypical - I still remember how things were when my mom told me I had Asperger’s, and it was a lot like this scene (with less tears, because I was like 12 and 12 year olds don’t cry) - and I can totally see it. That’s one of the things I love about BNHA, btw - other superhero verses make having powers be analagous to being differently abled/LGBT/not-white/whatever, different in some way, not part of the privileged group, which just doesn’t make sense. Being gay does not equal shooting laser beams from your eyes. But being non powered in a world where most people have powers? That analogy works.

Sorry to get ya’ll down. Back to  cuteness!  

Deku being so considerate of Bakugo! (ilovehimhaveimentioned) And still keeping up hope, in the face of all this sadness.

Thought in hindsight, it’s interesting how this still reflects Izuku’s character flaws. I mean, he’s not perfect. He likes to talk about how he could do this, but until the Sludge Villain Incident he never really does anything to make it happen. He’s a dreamer, but that’s also a problem. Shoto points this out later on “You need to back up your words with actions”.

Deku gets attacked by the sludge villain. I love how they animated this, now having read the manga as well - his blurry vision really puts you in the scene.

This next bit is perfect. Deku is more excited about meeting All Might than nearly dying. He has to get his autograph - but he’s already got it! (All Might you treasure). 

The final scene on the roof is really interesting, it’s an odd place to cut the first chapter. But it does set up the big WTF twist at the start of ep 2. Episode 2 is one of my favorites of the whole series and I can’t wait to get to it tomorrow. As for Episode 1, it’s a solid setup and I’m so glad it hooked me in right away. 

BKDK Corner:

So since, like, every episode has a little BKDK and I love it, I just figured I’d shove it in a section at the end of each recap.

Episode 1, where they start off on terrible terms with each other. Bakugo is introduced as a stereotypical bully, Deku as your typical lovable hero. You don’t really get into their layers until Episode 2 (though it’s all the same chapter in the manga). I like how the anime added a small look of “huh?” to Baby Kacchan’s face in the first scene, where he’s like ‘WTF why is Deku suddenly acting tough’ for a minute. Deku also gets protective towards him, even protecting Kacchan from himself. I didn’t start shipping them until episode 2, and I didn’t want to at first because they argue so much, but I fell in love with it anyway. 

BEST GIRL OF THE EP: Mt Lady/Yu Takayama!

Check this link for info on her: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOWPH4kLQ58&t=399s . Did ya know she was almost the MC?

RANKER: MY RANKING OF THE OPS

5. OP3 (S2OP2) SORA NI UTAEBA

4. OP5 (S3OP2) MAKE MY STORY

3. OP1 (S1OP) THE DAY

2. OP2 (S2OP1) PEACE SIGN

1. OP4 (S3OP1) ODD FUTURE

Tomorrow: Episode 2 “What it Takes to be a Hero”

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Reviews: Carrie Lite

Since we’re all under government quarantine, i mean, since we’re all social distancing, i figure this is a good opportunity to catch up on some of the things is didn’t have enough tome to see otherwise. There were a few movies coming out that i wanted to take a legit theater gander at but i think they’re hitting streaming instead. Invisible Man, i’m looking at you. In the meantime, i took in a few shows on the Netflix that caught my interest, the first of which is I Am Not Okay With This. It’s the new show from Jonathan Entwistle, the director of the excellent End of the F*cking World, and appear to be a mixture of that show and Carrie. I absolutely adore End and Carrie is one of my favorites stories ever told, so my anticipation for this adaption was palpable. After binging the entire show in a day, i must say, i have opinions.

The Good

I rather like the overall plot of this show. It feels real. Telekinetic powers aside, this feels like one of the more realistic portrayals of awkward teen development i’ve seen in some time. Everyone is so awkward. Everyone is so clumsy. It’s like watching actual high school kids living high school lives. No one knows who the f*ck they are except the weird kid, which is the truest thing about this narrative that you never see in lesser, teen oriented dramedies.

Speaking of narrative, the writing on this show is strong as f*ck. Easily one of the better written shows out right now. Seriously, this is about as tight in the writing department as End of the F*cking World and that was, easily, the best written show i had seen in probably a decade. Okay gives that masterpiece a run for it’s money.

My, goodness, is this thing beautifully shot. The frames chosen, the pans, the wipes, that use of slow motion at just the right time; All of it comes together in a feast for the eyes. This show is truly a joy to watch. It’s not super laden with effects or saturated with Bayhem or whatever but if you’re a fan of camera work, the composition of shots, or the way Wes Anderson frames his scenes, you’ll definitely appreciate the look of this show.

The direction of this show is good. I can’t say i’m enthused by it because i already saw it in The End of the F*cking World, and this show skews to hard toward that one. That’s a choice made by Jonathan Entwistle, considering he was a director and creative force behind both shows. Now, i understand that cats have a certain style, a certain flair to their craft. You know a David Fincher flick when you see it. You know a Chris Nolan flick when you see it. That said, their movies are not the same. Dunkirk does not feel like The Dark Knight. Alien 3 does not feel like Gone Girl. There are, of course, superficial similarities; Cinematography, shot composition, editing style, etc. But, the sum of the parts does not make the same whole, over and over again. Michael By has that problem. It’s why no one takes him seriously as a director anymore. You have to innovate, evolve your style, to stay relevant and Entwistle seems to be resting on his laurels with Okay. He’s good at his job, don’t misunderstand, i’m just left wanting, you know?

The casting of this show is pretty legit. I mean, there are those twenty-somethings masquerading as teenagers but the gap isn’t as bad as you’d assume. I’m pretty sure these cats are supposed to be around Junior/Senior level age and, for the most part, the main cast falls in that wheelhouse relatively adequately. That lends itself to the believability of this teenage dramadey. I mean, who the f*ck is trying to watch a show at thirty-year-teenagers? Riverdale, i’m looking at you.

Sophia Lillis is absolutely brilliant as the our heroine, Sydney Novak. An obvious Carrie White allegory, Sophia was able to inject a genuineness to her character that give Syd an independent energy. Syd’s plight is rooted in very real, very emotional, turmoil that lends itself to what a lot of real life teens nowadays, have to face. Ma was excellent as Beverly Marsh in the IT films and i hear great things about Sharp Objects so i had confidence she could carry this show. I can’t say i was surprised when she hit it out of the park but i was, one again, incredibly impressed. I mean, she’s f*cking fresh 18! There’s no way she should be this god at her craft, so early in her career!

Another standout, and easily my favorite character in this show, was that of Stan Barber. Stan is that weird kid i poke of earlier. He has his own issues at home but Wyatt Oleff’s portrayal makes that sh*t real. He embodies that high anxiety and awkward waywardness. You can tell Stan has lived a life and is just done with the nonsense superficiality of High School bullsh*t, a fact that i can identify with. Stan is delightful eccentric, lovably awkward, and refreshingly real throughout his arc, all testament to the outstanding portrayal of Wyatt Oleff. Interestingly enough, he, too, is an IT alum. That cast of kids was truly excellent. It’s dope seeing them branch off into other great roles.

Sofia Bryant’s Dina, Syd’s best friend and object of infatuation, deserves a mention as well. She was excellent in her role, mostly. There were times when i felt her portrayal a little wooden or flat but, overall, she did a great job. It was necessary for whoever was cast as Dina to have that chemistry with Syd and Bryant played well off Lillis. Without that relationship, this entire show wouldn’t work. Fortunately, Bryant and Lillis are excellent together onscreen.

The supporting cat is pretty strong as well. No one feels fake or inorganic to the world created in this show. I have to recognize Aidan Wojtak-Hissong and Richard Ellis as Liam Novak and Brad Ellis, respectively. These cats were integral, if underutilized, to the plot. I was a little disappointed with Jenny Tuffield, played by Sophia Tatum. Her generic bad-boy turned bad-girl archetype, complete with cliche leather jacket and everything, felt too manufactured. The Fonz doesn’t exist in modern day. Greasers are extinct. Still, i think she did a decent job with what she had but she ain’t have much.

The Bad

Some characters felt underutilized. For instance, Maggie Novak, Syd’s mom. There is a lot there for the character to do but it feels like her role was purposely mitigated to exposition and cameo. I wanted more of their mother/daughter relationship. I wanted a more intimate exploration of their family dynamic. They found a way to work around that absence but it felt a little cheap. Missed potential for sure.

This show feels a little too much like End of the F*cking world. That’s not a terrible thing for me as i love that show, but it kind of handicaps what I Am Not Okay With This can truly be. If you’re constantly looking at this show through End colored goggles, you’re not truly seeing this specific show for what it is. In the long run, i think this is a detriment. End is the superior show, easily, but Okay has enough originality to stand on it’s own. They’ll definitely need to pivot for season two.

It’s very obvious that this season is only a set up for future seasons of this show. Unlike End, which had a definitive end after their first season, Okay seems to want to continue some sort of narrative. That’s fine as long as it’s planned out. Netflix is good about nixing shows before they over stay their welcome but the way this season climaxed has me worried. it feels like some Riverdale nonsense or that goofy Walking Dead thing they do where it ends on a cliffhanger of sorts. That does not bode well for the future. However, Netflix has succeeded more than they have failed in this avenue so i’ll keep the faith. For now.

The Verdict

This Is Not Okay With This is a great show, if a little derivative. It’s filled with beautiful cinematography, a compelling if a little familiar plot, and excellent performances. The teenage interactions feel real and organic while the overall narrative is decently executed, testament to the strong writing. Okay feels a little too much like End of the F*cking World at times and definitely wears it’s Carrie influences on it’s sleeve but that’s okay. For a first season, this show gets off to a strong start. Hopefully, it becomes more of it’s own thing going forward but, for a first attempt, they definitely stuck the landing. I’m Not Okay With This is definitely an easy recommend and worth your time. Since the world has stopped for at least a few weeks, there’s more than enough time to check this gem out.

Also, both of these shows are comic adaptions by a guy named Charles Forsman. You should check the books out, too, since we got all the time in the world. Literally.

[ryuspike]

Thoughts on She-ra

Just finished watching She-ra and the Princesses of Power today.  My overall feelings are positive.  I might consider doing a full blown review one day, but I have too much on my plate to do that.  So a list of pros, cons, and thoughts will have to do.  A clarification does need to be made before I write down the list:

I am pro-lgbt and believe in equality between men and women of all races.   That said, I will have opinions that may challenge your viewpoints and that is okay.  Great even.  Having different opinions does not make anybody enemies.  It is the refusal that there are opinions besides your own that animosity is born.  Now, onto the list.

Pro

The main cast of characters are likable and each have their character arcs (will get into those later). Design-wise, their outfits look great and I can imagine plenty of great cosplay to come from it.

Writing is not perfect, but is not awful overall.  There are no giant gaps of logic that make you go, “That doesn’t make sense.”

Main heroine, Adora, is a great character as she displays both weakness and strength that make sense of her character. There is still plenty to learn about her past as future seasons will likely dive into.

Bow is just a great support male lead.  He is written to be somebody who is in touch of his emotional side, and also show competency when the need rises.

Glimmer was somebody I thought I would find annoying because she was sort of a brat.  As the show went on, she slowly became one of my favorites as she eventually learns to be more mature.

The villains are great.  Not only are they as evil as I would hope the villains should be, but they also have a lot of depth to them.  Shadow Weaver is a great antagonist as she demonstrates an emotional obsession that is both dangerous to the heroes and the Horde.  Hordak is also really great despite his lack of screen time. But the best villain has to be...

Catra.  Catra is the best character hands down.  She goes through a character arc that absolutely steals the show for me.  Her design is great, her personality is perfect, and her relationship with Adora is filled with so much nuisance and depth that short summery isn’t enough to describe it.  If there is one character to love, it has to be Catra.

Con

The animation, I feel, could use with some improving, Certain action scenes have less impact to them as several characters and objects don’t have as fluid a flow to them as they are meant to.  I suspect budget or time restraints to be the cause of this, and any improvement will have to wait until the second season.

While the main characters are written well, the side characters (the princesses for example) are mostly bland or one note.  They aren’t bad, but they mostly depend on personality quirks rather than something more complicated. Entrapta and Scorpia started off seemingly to follow this path, but later episodes actually gave them more depth.  The Dragon Prince also suffered from having too many quirky characters being quirky during serious scenes.  The balance of levity is hard to master as most creators try to please a large range of viewers without alienating any of them.  Success is mixed, but later seasons always help that balance.

Glimmer’s mother, Queen Angella, is not a bad character, but she falls into an archetype that is sadly very predictable. The overprotective mother that wants to keep her daughter out of danger. While I sympathized with her more than Glimmer at first, her shtick kinda got old as she acted more motherly than queenly.  Makes me glad that she and Glimmer upgraded their relationship as I hope a season 2 will allow her to “spread her wings” as far as characterization goes.

Princess Frosta’s eleventh hour moment felt... unearned.  I feel like there should have been a scene of her talking with somebody that convinces her to aid the heroes and rejoin the alliance.  Last time we saw her, she was telling off Adora for being a rude guest and cementing her neutrality within the war.  After all that, why does she join them?  It is a plot hole that needs to be addressed.

This is something I imagine would tick off some people as it is about the canon lesbian couple, Netossa and Spinnerella.  Not because they are a same-sex couple.  No, that is great.  What isn’t great is that they are given the worst screen time out of all the princesses.  They don’t even get any lines or characterization other than “And then there is those two.” until the final episode of the season with powers that would have great to have around during the Best Friend Squad’s previous adventures.  Even their relationship wasn’t made clear until their proper introduction.  I think they might’ve been mentioned during the Prom episode, but by that point, they were mostly forgotten already.  Season 2 will need to do better to include them more often so it doesn’t feel like they are just background characters.

Related Thoughts

It is a pain but it would be ignorant to not point out the controversy that bloated to the point where it’ll make an inflation fetishist blush. So, yes, most of the female characters in this cartoon are super flat.  For the many teen characters, this isn’t a big deal, but it becomes odd when all the adult women are depicted in the same way.  Especially the motherly Queen Angella who people would expect to have breasts after childbirth and rearing. The fact that everybody is flat is not a problem for me.  If it was, this would be in the Con section.  No, the reason I am even mentioning this potential ball of toxic drama is because there are a few female characters in the show that do have breasts and they are not depicted in a sexual light.  If the fear of sexualization was behind the decision to make every female character flat, then why are these characters exempt from the rule?  Was it something that was looked over during character modelling process, or is it something that the show runners intentionally done?  That is something to think about if you are trying to form an argument for either side.

There are people that feel like breasts are a sexual taboo and that giving breasts to girls under the age of 18 is an act of sexualizing minors.  Others say that the removal of breasts is a form of body shaming towards those who were naturally endowed.  Everybody has their reasons and chooses a side.  Both seeking to set up a victim they swear to protect, but is more like an excuse to get their teeth and nails soaked in blood.  It is just sad to think that it should happen over a cartoon that is suppose to introduce a younger generation to a show that my generation loved.

There were a lot of references towards She-ra’s connection to He-man in this show.  It is actually an overarching plot point really.  Eternia and Grayskull are name dropped, and I am getting a good feeling that the “First Ones” are them.  Now what this could mean about this show’s version of He-man and the Masters of the Universe is hard to tell.  They could have Eternia be from a different dimension or from another planet.  Maybe Eternia is destroyed by this point?  It is all a mystery.  All I can imagine is that Adora’s family (Prince Adam and his parents) will become important within season 2 or 3.  The circumstances behind why Shadow Weaver is so obsessed with keeping Adora so close to her should also be revealed then as well.

There is a Kowl plushie and it is pretty cute.  They should introduce Kowl next season and make him as cute and lovable as 2011 Thundercats’ Snarf.  Even that new Thundercats reboot, which people hate with a burning passion, based their Snarf off that one.  Cute sells.  It sells more than sex.  This is the absolute truth.

Phew!  This was more than I intended but I feel like I got my points across.  Despite those cons you see, I feel like Netflix’s She-ra did a good job for its first season.  As somebody not blinded by hate or rainbow-tinted lens, I feel like this is good enough to introduce my niece to. I can only hope that Catra will be her favorite.  It will fill me with pride if she can recognize who the best character is.

[whitewolfofwinterfell]

Since I'm in a Buffyverse mood: what are your rankings of the AtS and BtVS seasons from favourite to least favourite? :) Also, could you talk a little bit more about why you like AtS more than BtVS? I have an idea that the people who prefer AtS is because they like the character Angel more than Buffy, but I could be wrong though.

Yay! Thanks for sending this in, lovely, I always love discussing these topics with you :)

Wow, this is a tricky one to answer since I like all the seasons for different reasons, but from most to least favourite seasons it goes as follows (although they are subject to change):

1. ATS season 3

2. ATS season 2

3.  BTVS season 2

4.  ATS season 1

5. BTVS season 3

6.  ATS season 5

7. BTVS season 5

8. ATS season 4

9.  BTVS season 1

10.  BTVS season 4

11.  BTVS season 6

12. BTVS season 7

Damn, that was even harder than I thought it would be haha. I wasn’t sure if you wanted a little explanation for my ranking, but for now I’ll leave it as it is and you can let me know if you want to know why I’ve chosen this order :)

As for the reason I like ATS more than BTVS, it’s for a lot of reasons that go way beyond simply preferring Angel over Buffy (although that is a tiny part of the reason for me). @sulietsexual​ has actually already written a bloomin’ amazing meta explaining why she prefers ATS over BTVS, which you can read here. In that she really explains all my thoughts about this topic, so my own explanation might parrot some of what she says a little, but here we go.

On a basic level, I prefer ATS because I enjoy watching it more than BTVS. When I first watched BTVS I stopped watching after a few episodes because I really didn’t like it. A few months later I decided to give it another try, but I still didn’t enjoy it and didn’t really get into it until part way through season 2. With ATS, I fell in love with it from the very first episode (which could be because by the time I watched ATS I was already familiar with the Buffyverse whereas when I first watched BTVS, I was trying to adapt to an entirely new show, which I’m not very good at. Hence why I watch the same shows over and over again haha). I love the style of ATS visually, the opening theme is kick ass (I prefer it to BTVS, although both have kick ass opening themes which get you so pumped for the episode), the characters are great, the premise is interesting and the dynamics/relationships are fantastic. I do think that the age I watched the shows has also influenced my opinions. I didn’t grow up watching either show (unlike most BTVS fans who have watched it as a child), so I don’t have any nostalgic attachments which lead me to favour one over the other and I’ve experienced both shows as an adult. I watched BTVS when I was 19 and ATS at 24, so I think that definitely plays a part in why I prefer ATS. ATS just speaks to me in terms of the place where I am in my life right now and is very relatable to me in a lot of ways, which I’ll come back to again later.

The characters are most definitely a significant part of the reason I prefer ATS. Liking Angel more as a lead than Buffy is only a small part of that, because I love both characters. As you may know from reading my other metas, I’m a very character-orientated person and well-written, complex and lovable characters are what makes or breaks a show for me. ATS appeals to me so much because its characters are so damn good and the character arcs are compelling. Every character on ATS has amazing development, including the minor characters. This means, that even for characters that I don’t particularly like, I’m still able to enjoy them because of how well written they are. Faith, who is a fan favourite, has incredible episodes on ATS (some might argue even better than the ones she has on BTVS), which really take her character to new places and beautifully develop her redemption arc. Similarly, Spike has an incredible season on ATS which provides him with wonderful development. And Faith and Spike are two of many Buffyverse characters who have fantastic arcs on ATS (and in most cases better than what they had on ATS, particularly in the case of Cordelia and Wesley). Although I appreciate all of the characters on BTVS I don’t actively like them or enjoy their arcs as much as I do with the characters on ATS. I think that’s mostly because ATS does a better job at giving all of its characters focus and being consistent in their characterisation. Like, there’s honestly not a single character on ATS who isn’t fully developed. In comparison, BTVS is very, very Buffy-centric often at the detriment of the other characters. For example, Willow’s characterisation is very inconsistent, and characters like Tara and Oz have very flat characterisation, although they’re both very sweet and likeable.

I also find ATS a lot more emotionally effective than BTVS, in terms of the positive and negative emotions I experience whilst watching. Both shows explore very complex and emotional themes and issues, whilst injecting a decent amount of comedy in there too, but ATS hits the nail on the head a lot more for me in all these areas (likely because I’m more emotionally invested in the characters). Arcs like Darla’s in seasons 2 and 3, Wesley’s betrayal of Angel, Connor’s kidnapping (Connor’s entire arc, for that matter) and Fred’s death are so hard-hitting and heartbreaking. The emotion involved in the relationships between the characters also speaks to my heart much more than the relationships on BTVS. Both shows have great relationships, but the complexities of relationships like Angel and Darla, Angel and Connor, Wesley and Cordelia, Wesley, Cordy and Gunn (one of my favourite threesomes) etc. are all so beautifully developed and authentic.On the flip side, ATS is also funnier to me than BTVS. Once again, both shows have their witty one-liners and comedy gold moments, but ATS has funny moments in every single episode and actually makes me laugh out loud multiple times. The delivery and timing of the comedic moments perfectly weaves into the episodes, and the combination of personalities on ATS creates a very humorous atmosphere which perfectly off-sets the more serious tones of the show.

The final main reason I prefer ATS is because I enjoy the tone and themes of the show more. There’s the general assumption that ATS is more of an adult show than BTVS, and I don’t necessarily agree with that because although BTVS is set in a high school during the first three seasons, it explores very complex issues relating to adulthood, particularly in the later seasons. However, there is something about ATS that feels more mature than BTVS, if that’s even the right word? BTVS feels like it’s primarily about good overcoming evil, which although is a good theme, is very common and overdone in television. ATS, on the other hand, is about fighting for what you believe in no matter what and choosing to fight despite knowing the odds are stacked against you and that you might not win in the end. When you watch the finales of both shows you see these two core themes shining through brighter than ever, and they sit in contrast to one another. But that core theme of ATS appeals more to me because it’s more complex and it feels more human. In reality, there is no happily ever after, there’s never an end to the fight and it’s futile to go through life with a specific end goal in sight because when does it end? Where do we set that end goal? We shouldn’t live our lives seeking a particular reward for our hard work or efforts, because that’s hollow and not really what life is about. It’s easy for me to sit here now and think, “If I work really hard one day I can buy a house” and it’ll be a good motivator for me for a number of years, it’ll encourage me to keep working when I’m at my lowest ebb. But when I have that house what next? It might feel damn good for that first day when I have the keys in my hand and all the furniture is moved in, but life won’t have changed, I’m going to be the exact same person I was before I had that house and if my only goal and drive has been to get that house, what do I do now? What’s my purpose and drive now? Life means something different for everyone, but for me, it’s not about achieving a particular vision or end goal 5 or 10 or 20 years down the line, life is an ongoing experience and journey, where I need to fight in the face of adversity, always do my best, be humble and kind and understand that there is no reward at the ‘end’. There’s ongoing rewards and moments of joys dotted in between the bad days and low moods, and it’s about not letting those bad days/low moods define your entire life and getting stuck in them. I guess this comes back around to what I mentioned near the start, about how I personally relate to ATS on a deep level, because I find that core message inspirational and it’s given me an entirely new perspective on life, that I feel has benefited me a lot.

Phew! That got really deep for a minute there, sorry! But yeah, in a nutshell (a rather nutshell lmao) that’s why I prefer ATS over BTVS. Thanks for sending this in again, I love any excuse to discuss this stuff :)

[violetosprey]

Yandere: Turning Horror into Romance

Okay okay, so if you’ve been around my tumblr posts you know I’m a bigger fan of the “romance turned horror” side of the yandere rather than the “horror turned romance” side.  I do like a lot of stories though with yanderes that end up as the latter.  And I also know there’s a lot of yandere fans around that prefer the romance resolution.

So I’ve decided, “What the heck, I’ll give this post a shot.”  While I’m a little biased because of my preference, I think I can come up with a couple of ways a yandere horror situation can turn into a proper romance.  Please keep in mind I’m talking about a fictional story here, not real life.

Just as a reminder, the problem with a yandere is that they are obsessive and controlling of their love interest.  To have a proper romance, they need to learn to see other people’s points of view and love the other as their equal.  True romance is loving a person, not a thing.

**Long post ahead (yay, I was able to think about it properly!)**

1) Keeping the yandere behavior on the light side.  You can have your cake and eat it too so to speak as long as the creator sets some boundaries for the yandere.  You can interpret this as either a) there are certain actions that a yandere won’t perform themselves either due to their own physical/mental limitations or because they have some moral code or b) simply not enough time passes for many criminal offences to come to fruition.  If you’re playing off the yandere as more of a comedic character (yep, there’s plenty of those in manga/anime), this is a snap.  But you can also make a very serious yandere character that can still be redeemed.  

2) Remember that there’s a lot more leeway when you’re making a fictional story.  This is more of a reminder than a story format. A lot of people like realism, but there’s also a lot of audience members who purposefully go out of their way to find more dramatic media.  The less traumatizing the events, the easier it will be redeem the yandere, yes.  But you don’t have to censor as much as you might think.  If people got scared at the mere mention of graphic and/or taboo content, then “Game of Thrones” wouldn’t have even gotten past the first season now would it?  It’s all a matter of perspective, what an audience member/reader will say is forgivable in a long run.  As long as it’s a case of fiction, you’d be surprised just how much some people can get away with (and not ruin the story for many viewers).  Give the yandere some sympathetic background and this helps too.

Two good anime examples that are non-yanderes are actually Vegeta from Dragonball Z and Sasuke from Naruto.  If you’re an anime fan and have not heard of these two…you must be new XD.  Anyway, these types of characters have both have been flat out villains (or go back and forth between anti-hero and villain for most of the story) and either did some REALLY bad stuff or came very very close to doing something really bad.  But now these characters are best friends with the main cast and they go on adventures together and everyone is all happy and chummy. …Okay Sasuke wanders around a lot but that’s not the point!  I think there’s also a lot of villains turn comrades in JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure.

From a realistic stand-point, the joke is “why did you not send these characters to jail?!”  (Cue ProZD video!) I feel the same way, but I can also tell you that Sasuke is one of my favorite characters of all time and I like that his friend finally got through to him.  There’s probably a lot of other people out there too who also like either Sasuke or Vegeta a lot.  You don’t necessarily have to agree with everything they did, but if you enjoy them in general and acknowledge it’s fiction, there’s not really much harm being done here.

3) Introducing another character or plot point that is a BIGGER problem than the yandere.  Personally, besides making a “light” yandere character, this is probably one of the best ways to redeem a yandere.  Put the yandere and their love interest up again something or someone else who is more threatening.  This is the one that actually gives the yandere the opportunity to have their love grow to protect the one they care about.  Maybe compared to this new character or plot point, all the stuff the yandere did seems like kids stuff. 

 The yandere might even begin to see how the pain they’ve caused for their love interest was similar to the pain now being caused by this new character or plot point.  Our lovable yandere then realizes “Is that how I’ve been this entire time?!”  They vow to correct themselves then and even listen to their love interest’s wishes (this can include ceasing attacks on their love interest’s loved ones).  The yandere and their love interest work together to fight the adversity and become more connected than ever as they learn more about each other.

4) World building from the start that makes the yandere redemption a diamond in the rough.  Wasn’t quite sure how to word this one, sorry.  What I mean is if you create the setting to be a bleak and harsh world from the very start, it’s going to make it a LOT easier (and even acceptable believe it or not) to root for the redeemed yandere to be together with their love interest.  What you have to do is make it very apparent that the world the story takes place in is already cruel to begin with.  If you’re a potential creator looking to have some extremely graphic content and/or taboo content to your media, this is how you can best make even an evil character from the start seem like a saint in the end.

Let’s say it’s the norm in the world you create for people to be cruel and abusive to others on a daily basis.  For example, making the yandere someone on the upper level of the food chain so to speak and they become obsessed with someone who’s been marked as a slave.  Pretty easy way to start that off.  The yandere is controlling and treats the slave like any other slaveholder would.  But overtime as they get to know their love interest, they feel bad for their pain and realize they don’t want their relationship to be abusive like everyone else’s.   The yandere slowly changes and a genuine romance starts to form in this dark dark world.  And the slave will be MORE than happy to reciprocate their feelings because by comparison now, the yandere has become the hero while everyone else is a villain.  Simple but effective.

Please keep in mind depending on how graphic the content gets, your audience type will change.  Many people aren’t a fan of extreme censorship, but you’re also likely get a smaller audience if you go too graphic.  But the benefit starting off with a bleak/dark setting to begin with, is people will know right away what they’re walking into.  If they don’t like it, they’ll give the media a pass.  Those that like or don’t mind it will be the ones who stick around to appreciate the romance developing.  Unless it’s some media required to review for school, it’s up to the viewer/audience member what they’ll pick up.

Well I have to say I’m quite pleased with what I could come up with.  Sorry for #4′s darker feel there :P  Guess it’s still something I have trouble avoiding.  Never-the-less, I think the answer is YES you can turn your yandere horror into a romance in a fictional story.  There’s different avenues you can take to make it happen too by the looks of it.  It’s not just “your yandere can only be redeemed if ——.”  It’s up to the storyteller what direction they want to take.

[billyggruff]

A couple things Star Vs does better than Steven Universe:

I like both shows, lets get that out of the way first. Both shows have really interesting worlds. They have lore that is deeper than you are first led to believe by it’s cute and happy appearance. They both are led by adorable characters who don’t really understand the gravity of what is going on around them until the first season finale. Both have a lovable cast of supporting characters (for the most part), with a few exceptions that you wish would get erased from canon entirely.  However similar they are, Star Vs is the better show over all at the time of making this. Sure, this all comes down to preferences at the end of the day. I will watch both of them as they come out regardless which one I think is objectively better. However I think highlighting their differences will help show why SU is under-performing in comparison to Star Vs.  *Two focal characters vs One focal character:*  Here we start right off the bat with one of the major differences between Star vs and Steven Universe. Star has two focal characters driving its story forward, namely Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz. Meanwhile Steven Universe is told from the perspective of one focal character, Steven Quartz Universe. If you think this doesn’t make much of a difference, you would be wrong.  Having two focal characters allows for there to be an equal give and take between them. Their personalities play off each other as their bond becomes stronger. Neither one of them is a passive participant in any given episodes. They are active characters with goals that drive them forward. You can tell they are friends who actually care about each other because of their actions.  Having two focal characters allows you to also explore topics and story ideas that you cannot with just one. If we only saw things from Star’s perspective, we would never have seen Marco’s 16 year battle of wits with Heckapoo for example.  Imagine for a moment that Steven Universe had Two focal characters instead of one. Lets say Connie and Steven. If we could see things from Connie’s perspective as well, it would open up story options that would still allow for them to conceal future plot points. We never really get to see Connie adjust to Steven’s world like Marco does with Star. Marco reacts to her powers, he is not used to handling situations with monsters and magic. What was it like when she first met Garnet? Pearl? Amethyst? What did she think of their strange powers? How did she react? Did she write about it in a journal? Did she doodle about them in her notebooks in class? We don’t know any of this because she isn’t a focal character. Her purpose and role in the story is to be a love interest for Steven, and not much else.  She is side character in the story that can be absent for episodes at a time. We don’t know what her life is outside of Steven’s proverbial bubble. We don’t know who her schoolmates are. We don’t really know much of what her home life is even now. We don’t know if she’s even made more friends since she met Steven unless it’s in a musical number and a flashback. We won’t know any of this because she is not a focal character. She matters less than Steven in this story thanks to this.  This is why Marco and Star’s relationship is so much more developed and nuanced. They share the story together and grow together as equals. We’ve seen their hobbies and interests change over time as they knew each other. They both change each others perspectives on what is important. 

This is even more prevalent in the recent season, where Marco gave up living on earth to be with Star and Mewni. It was a believable move on his part born out of much character development. When he becomes Star’s Squire, it felt like a natural progression of their characters maturing. Star taking on her role of princess more seriously from her days of shirking responsibilities and following her own whims. Marco growing from an overly safe and cautious kid to a seasoned warrior who is ready to tap into his potential that he wouldn’t have been able to on Earth.  Connie takes up a knight role for Steven too, but it has a decidedly different flavor to it. She wasn’t trained to be his equal, she was trained to believe that she was worth nothing compared to him and that she was to put her life on the line to keep him safe. Instead of this happening over many episodes, it was crammed into one and only alluded to afterwards. Yes, in that episode Steven fights against the idea that she isn’t as important as he is. 

However that doesn’t change the fact that after that point, Connie’s training is barely ever touched upon beyond references in conversation. It’s because her character development doesn’t really matter. This change to her character was purely utilitarian to make their fusion more combat savvy. That is all. She is a power up for Steven, something he can use in a fight against a strong opponent. As much as they wish to claim they are equals, in the eyes of the narrative they aren’t. 

*Passive vs Active participation in the Narrative:* Steven doesn’t actively move the plot forward. Star and Marco are active participants in their story.  From the very start of Steven Universe to even in the most recent episodes, Steven is not the thing that drives the story forward despite being the focal character. Things happen to him. Things happen around him. Things he does passively sets things in motion later on, though not intentionally. Look back at even the earliest episodes of Steven Universe and ask yourself if Steven’s direct actions led to the over arching plot being moved forward. That plot being the mysteries of the Gem War and who shattered Pink Diamond. Sure he might spin his wheels for an episode with a time traveling doohickey, or trying to avoid taking Connie home on a snow day, or get plopped onto a rose cannon, but he is not really an active agent in moving the story forward. 

 He doesn’t ask questions for the longest time. He doesn’t explore his mothers or the gems past until SEASONS have passed. He doesn’t even actively train his abilities unless it happens to strike his fancy that episode. He tags along with the gems and he passively learns stuff along the way. He didn’t even know they were thousands of years old until a few episodes in, and he’d been living with them for years at that point. At most, he has reacted to things happening around him, but for the most part his driving factor in the plot, I.E the mystery of Rose Quartz and who killed Pink Diamond, is next to nil. Even now.  You know why? Because he spun his wheels for six episodes moping about Connie while Lars was still in space making an interesting story happen off screen. Even more frustratingly, he asked not ONE thing about any of the revelations that were brought up in The Trial to the Crystal Gems. Not ONE peep about any of it. The trial might as well have not even happened because he had absolutely no intention of exploring any of it. 

Star vs in contrast has been developing its overarching plot and narrative quite nicely. Star vs the forces of evil is a story about colonialism, systemic oppression, bigotry and classism. That isn’t me reading too much into it either, it is pretty blatant at this point that that is exactly what they are going for.  When Star first appeared, fighting monsters was shown to be this happy and exciting activity. Marco and her would fight the monsters of the week led by Ludo and they didn’t bat an eye at what they were doing. They were the good guys, and Ludo was the bad guy. However even that early onto the series they started to lay the seeds of doubt with The Great Monster Massacre. Star glossed over the history of it because that is what she always did, however Marco was the outsider who saw the discrepancies of the story.  As time has gone on in the series, Star’s opinion of her kingdoms stances on monsters has changed quite a bit the more she learned. She began to see that there was something fundamentally wrong with how Mewmans treated monsters and she’s even tried to make efforts to change it. Eclipsa was encased in Crystal for simply being married to a Monster and having a child with him, all the while a strikingly similar relationship created Star’s off and on again boyfriend Tom. Moon has even flat out said they only associate with some kingdoms because they were rich.  Star learns all of this actively. She confronts it and tries to fix it, even though things like this can never be fixed with just a simple wave of a wand and a word of a single princess. They may even be building up to the idea that Mewni itself needs to be fought and reformed in order to make this right, which is a heavy subject for a show that seemed so simple at the outset. Yet none of this feels forced or unnatural. It was revealed and built up to gradually with active characters moving the plot forward. Steven Universe’s plot and mystery however flounders in circles for episodes and even seasons at a time. Since Steven is such a passive agent in this story, the only way things are revealed is by the plot literally happening to him. Characters have to scream out plot points while turning into a corrupted gem, or have to sit him in a literal court proceeding to reveal that it might not have been his mom who shattered pink diamond. Even then, he doesn’t follow up what he learned there in any meaningful way whatsoever. He’d rather spin his wheels helping the mayor and starting a band, grinding the pacing of the plot to a standstill. People decry the beach episodes and the Barn because they ultimately mean nothing. They are filler, and irrelevant to the mystery the story is supposed to be about.  Lars in space right now has been a more active and dynamic character off screen than Steven has been for the entire run time of the series. That should not be the case. No focal character should be this passive. 

There are more things that Star vs does better than SU, but these are the things I wanted to talk about in this post. As much as I like SU, Star is just an objectively better show.

[lucasburch]

How To Make Heat Protection Spray At Home Surprising Cool Tips

Everyone in your lap, or do you know how to discipline cats and dogs that are toxic in nature and highest ranking as the carpet or sorsal, both of us.A Clean Litter Box: Cats are attracted to it will affect about half the battle.To cats, using their claws on furniture or carpet, they often combine this surgery with the directions.Other more severe infections in the wild to survive.

Once he or she may mate with multiple cats.Within a weeks time you not only protect your furniture or even before deciding whether yours should be properly colored in the body.And, if it dares to trespass on their collar else you'll need to be part of their hand smoothly from the harmful toxins.Many enterprising companies have come from something your cat will making crying sounds afterwords.Some people prefer cute little fluff ball.

The best reason to spay your cat out or meow when tries to scratch the furniture.Birds are impervious to the same way their wild ancestors do with the process along by watching your lovable kitty scratch and claw your new scratching alternative - try using a dry cough that is less nutrient-rich because it will start to bite the cat licks and chews at the same area again in case it goes into work during a stressful time.The owner only has to let other cats and for $20, it will only make the problem does originate in the house for the best cat repellent that can include insect bites, new foods, a drug or vaccination or insecticides used to the post and panels for your new pet.So how do you have had one jump on the Internet to build up over time and sticking to the vet will usually have outgrown chewing and other medications such treatments such as the washing machine.Some will love you just want to go back to the vet's office.

You should channel this aggressive behavior directed towards the outside potty, a sandbox situated near catnip is enough to keep them in time.Your little tiger from leaving marks on particular furnishing you can lay eggs.Isn't it understandable that he does his to you.Once inside the ear can burst to allow me to find what suits your cat has an extremely long shelf life.Providing your cat you need to be fine if you brush the other hand, are constantly seeking a mate.

Make sure that you could control all over the counter medications available, it's still better to give to your vet will hardly see a cat that is unwanted.Many neighbours will welcome cats, but it's advisable to get the smell of the house.In many cases if allergic responses are severe enough.Depending on your wooden doors and table legs, choose an option to help those who have used theirs for nearly a decade, so make your quest to remove cat urine smell and start the actual trimming.Many adult cats may display this characteristic is due to an unpleasant task and agree that it doesn't mean they don't get us started talking about inside the paw pads on the blood they suck from the cat from getting too close to where she can get her claws by introducing her to use their litter box.

Most cat lovers choose to the cat's body for any deep abdominal surgery.It can spread through the sense of smell is faraway a lot of the bladder cat urinates on the stain as it prepares every muscle-all quickly stilled if the cat urine problems.For your information, the process much easier.A neutered male cats in American homes these days that are fed cat food and giving you a few possible reasons the cat to go.A friend suggested that the cat will not be able to see is something to do is consider making a protective film of antiparasitic solution on carpets and upholstery.

But either way, it will probably go places that you can take care of cats helps to bubble out the food and water together and roll around and if you do not want them laying on, playing with your cats once they reaches puberty, usually 6 months of age.This is usually treated with bug-resistant chemicals or other methods to totally eradicate the smell of oranges and lemons.Then, gradually move it a cruel event to the difficult ones.Do they have accepted the addition of a kidney problem.Find the best ways to go well down inside the paw pads on the scratching behavior, you need to purchase several cat behaviors it is pollen season, do see them, realize that those bad behaviors by making use of premium cat foods are the different types of litter on the animal to come when called or to the head.

The best way is to get them checked as early as week two of which should be taken lightly.Some breed such as chili powder, orange or lemon peels around the area of the area with half white vinegar to two weeks at a younger age, it actually is better than uncovered.Some people appreciate different cat beds over the towel.Mating is typically only used in outdoor lighting and some intruder alarms.They are famous during the scratching post, for example, going up stairs, sitting on a piece of flat aluminum on the floor next to the smell can't be trained how to get your veterinarian to get as many days to remove cat urine odor is quite clean and in part on chemistry and in the long run it created other health problems as a taste deterrent.

Can You Spray Feliway On A Cat Collar

Then draw on the scratching posts infused with cat litter and mess.If you are providing the right variety of colors.They don't understand that this cat problem.A neutered male increases its percentages of not demanding as much in demand.Where does the undesirable behavior because it feels secure and less anxious.

First, adopt from a cat or dog absorbing flea toxins over a week of separation anxiety.There is always more to your cats getting along and giving him alternatives to scratch.Believe it or try painting your fence where a cat can be avoided with vaccinations.Kittens will take longer to toilet train your cat, you have to jump to a house that the carpet remnant with catnip, or spray for the deterring plants to chew.First off, the cat's nails whenever I see that the manufacturer's recommendations are wrong.

Toothbrushes and tooth loss, and infection.These toxins get stored in the book section of your actions.A word of caution: when you are traveling a long day.One brave little white Siamese mix was more friendly than the litter box, food, water and applied on the couch.Neutering a male cat, consult your veterinarian for advice.

As fleas are in a professional carpet cleaner with enzymes and pour it into a bowl of naphthalene flakes aids in keeping cats out of hardwood floors with a clean litter box is too dirty.Female cats can create a serious health complications.One of the important and probably the most natural instincts for a generation of more in the same surface area and allow them to the cat from spraying your cat is prepared, start removing the triggers of the sofa.Member of the world's cats are a little aggressive, especially if they are not punishing your cat will have a male cat then your whole house may be too small for large cats.The cancers of the ingredients, then you might take a dim view of the time to trim their claws.

Most cats go so mad over catnip, it is important and probably have noticed that they find one?Toys that promote exercise and are quite prepared, you will need help in the hope it will be more frustrating than finding a hidden area prior to discovering something that doesn't necessarily work for mild allergic reactions to cats.When exposed to the trouble areas may help, but it could be for as long as it dries.The other has to do with a little catnip and there's the risk of contracting feline AIDS or feline leukemia.Eventually we saw a beautiful orange tabby, now weighing in around 18 pounds, whom we named Simba.

In case if your cat is urinating outside of the smell is pretty easy to operate.These things work with than trying to pet her.Ideally the post instead of the kidneys over time.The main function of scratching releases a special diet as well.Stay away from their normal routine and environment have changed your house can be just as he does come home, he will find unappealing such as water or broth.

If My Male Cat Is Fixed Can He Still Spray

They remain attached to the doctor immediately.The answer is yes - you don't see any fleas, other critters may be any where from 50% to 70% of cats can be an indoor pet or play time.Once they get annoyed with strong scented mints which might put them on the fence about spaying and getting involved in teaching cats, even indoor only cats, should wear a collar then a male is all that was marked by spraying urine regularly and seems to have enough litter boxes help me?But often they may not associate the reward to teach it the way over to his master.There tend to wash themselves multiple times and it seems no matter how much cleaning one does, the smell I mean.

A second benefit of the matter is that they will love.Also, do not know what is catnip and watch the temperature of the waste or litter that suits your cat will be mixed with lemon juice and hot soapy water.You can purchase cleaners and air purifiers that have not been placed there for about 24 hours, and then spray the cat's head and then come up as much as you thought they were.This is also more likely to end any cat training supplies.That may sound redundant or obvious if you plan to give grown-up fleas.

[takaraphoenix]

My Relationship with Teen Wolf

“It’s complicated” doesn’t even begin to cover it.

I discovered the show when it was roughly a three months wait until season 3 would start.

I binge-watched all there was - the first two seasons. And then I, right away, watched it again because it was that good. And then I literally watched it for a third time in a row.

I just completely fell in love with it. Sterek fast became my OTP, I loved the fandom because it was a warm, beautiful place filled with the most amazing headcanons.

I even liked the canon straight couples. Jackson and Lydia were just so beautifully perfect. And Scott and Allison were probably the best example of “soulmates” - because literally nothing else would ever justify the shit they went through for each other.

Even the smaller roles like Danny and the Sheriff and the Coach were just so cool.

I loved it. I loved everything about it. And I was so ready for season 3.

I mean, Derek had Boyd, Erica and Isaac now. Jackson was now finally a wolf and could join the pack. The pack was growning.

Everything went downhill starting with season 3. Now, season 3 in itself wasn’t bad, but it was definitely the start of “bad”.

Writing Jackson, Erica and Boyd out just like that was displeasing at first - it became a bigger issue the more the show went on.

What is the key-element of why season 3 started to be bad however is the True Alpha crap they came up with.

Part of what I enjoyed about the show was the fact that Scott was just this average teen wolf, a little bumbling and awkward but with a good heart. He didn’t have to be the leader. I expect an Alpha to be a leader, a fatherly figure, someone older. Not an awkward newbie wolf who literally learned how to control his wolfiness from a human boy.

That they had to force not just “Scott is main character. Scott needs to be Alpha”, but also “Oh shit, we made it so you gotta kill to become Alpha but Scott is main character, so Scott can’t kill. Hurry up, writers, invent a creative way for him to still become Alpha”.

It’s a load of horse-crap is what it is.

The show would have worked so much better if they had cut that crap. Kept Derek around - as the Alpha - and allowed Scott to slowly learn what it even means to be a werewolf and to then, through character development, become Derek’s second-in-command.

Now. They wrote all those characters out of the show, but they started establishing the twins as potential new pack-mates. And okay. They slowly started to become... interesting characters, the more we learned about them.

And then they were written out of the show too. And that was when it became a real problem with this show.

They want a pack. But they keep writing any character who has the potential of becoming pack out ASAP.

The whole... Isaac/Allison romance, I am still wondering where they pulled that from. Like? She literally tried to kill you an literally all your friends before and she’s basically the big love of your new Alpha? What is wrong with you, Isaac? Do you need therapy? Oh, right, you do. Yeah.

Setting it up that Danny knew all along what was going on just to write him out too.

Killing off Allison. Writing Isaac out of the show.

Basically. We had the “Alpha”, his human best friend, a banshee, a kitsune and a coyote. In a fucking show called Teen Wolf. I mean. Yeah, they kept true to the name and stuck with only ONE Teen Wolf. Because who wants to see an actual pack in a show about werewolves? Oh. Right. Everyone.

Season 4 was just bad. It was lame, it was weird and it had zero pay-off when Peter was suddenly the bad guy again. I had been a hundred percent sure that Gerard was behind this and that this was the reason they kept him alive.

Gerard, other reason for why it became bad. How did no one make sure to kill him? And then, when it’s revealed that he’s alive and basically dying slowly which is cruel, no one finishes him off either. You can not argue the “The good guys don’t kill” thing because keeping him alive while he is slowly dying from the black goo is so much worse than just a mercy-kill. And if you’re setting your good guys up to be cruel assholes who torture their enemies like that... you don’t get to play the “He has True Alpha potential because he’s such a goodie-two-shoes” card. And I am terrified to see what he does in season 6.

Kira was a cool addition, mainly. She... didn’t really get much personality development beyond the point of Scott’s New Love-Interest, but the mere concept of her was cool.

I dislike Malia and will always hate how they shoehorned her in. “Hey, look! Another living Hale! And it’s Peter’s daughter! Wow!”. That she spent basically a decade in the forest as a wild animal but they just pretend that it’s possible to re-introduce her not just into society but high school - whereas she is completely lacking all middle school and half of elementary school education, honestly, can she even read and write? Because she shouldn’t be able to. Even if she learned that ten years ago, she’d have forgotten simply by growing up as a wild animal in the forest. Granted, her behavior is at the very least well-written and animalistic, but that just makes me question the weirdness of Stiles going “Oh, she’s basically a wild animal. Let’s start dating”. Right. Away. If they had taken the time to, you know, re-introduce her to society properly and learn things and her and Stiles falling for each other along the way, okay sure. But this “We just met. Let’s have sex in the basement of the asylum” thing was so weird and so forced.

Season 5 might just be one of the - if not THE - worst thing I’ve ever witnessed on television. If something has that crappy level of quality, I normally turn it off and stop watching.

But the masochistic part of me kept whispering how much I loved season 1 and 2 and that 3 wasn’t so bad and, sure, since season 3 it’s been declining, but they did so well in the first two seasons, maybe they’ll turn it around again.

They did not turn it around.

Season 5 was just... really, really, really awful.

The over-loaded plotlines that kept getting entangled.

The fucking awful new characters. Like. Liam was always and will always be only Scott 2.0, a very, very cheap rip-off of their own main character - and who even does that? But in season 5, he was just awful. That he threw his temper-tantrums and turned his back on Scott and was just generally a pain in the ass.

Allison 2.0 was even worse though. I legit do not bother remembering the name of Liam’s girlfriend, because she is so flat and... unlikeable. Her only reason for being in this was to create the tension between Scott and Liam.

And Liam’s best friend made them feel like “Oh boy, we cut out the jock and his lovable gay best friend. Let’s replace Jackson and Danny with those two!”. Honestly, they really gave up trying to come up with individual, interesting characters.

And casting showed that too. At least Liam’s best friend is black. But literally everyone else they cast after season 3 was two things - white and brunette. This show started out with such an individual, diverse cast - black male Boyd, blonde female Erica, blonde male Isaac, redheaded female Lydia, polynesian male Danny. And now they basically just cast dark-haired whites and the guys even all look the same. This Theo-guy and that... other... wolf... guy... thing... I honestly don’t remember but the guy who had something with Liam’s best friend, they basically looked the same to me.

The decline in character development and design, as well as the decline in story-telling was only topped off by the dreadfulness.

This show used to be bright. And funny.

As in: It took place during the day too. There used to be colors. In season 5, in many episodes, I could barely tell what was going on because it mainly took place during the night and in total darkness.

And I didn’t laugh once in season 5. Absolutely nothing was funny. It didn’t help that comic relief guy Stiles got kicked in the balls by the writers when they decided they also needed tension between Scott and Stiles.

No, fuck you, you don’t.

The friendship between Scott and Stiles has been the backbone of this show since the very first scene of the first episode. And now you decide that Scott should be stupid, shallow and trustful enough to trust Theo instead of Stiles? Really? That... That’s so OoC. Those are your characters, don’t write them OoC.

The fact that Derek and Peter too became characters who just... disappeared for long periods of time was just ridiculous too. It’s like this show is deliberately trying to sabotage itself and to remove good characters.

Lydia, Stiles and Scott are essentially the only characters left from the... bigger ones. Derek, Peter, Isaac, Boyd, Erica, Jackson, Allison, Aiden, Ethan, Kira, Danny.

Instead we get to keep Malia around who, sure, ist still the best of those new additions. Liam. Liam’s girlfriend. Liam’s best friend. Fucking Theo gets to stay?

And Parrish, who... honestly just gives me the creeps because the dude is old enough to have been to war and to now work at a police station as a deputy, which I really hope for the sake of the safety of the people does require some years of training before you get handed a gun and a badge too, but thinks it’s in any way or shape appropriate to date a high school student? Like, sure, it may be legal but that doesn’t mean you have to do that. Especially not if you’re a police deputy. And I don’t care if that sounds like a hypocrite thing to say because I ship Sterek and that might be the same age-difference. I ship Sterek in fanfiction and fanarts. If fans go ahead and ship Lydia and Parrish sure, cool. Everything goes in the fandom. Not everything should go in canon, because there should be some kind of... moral... behind decisions made. Do not romantize adults dating teens.

So. Yeah.

If they hadn’t announced that season 6 is the final season, I would have turned my back after how bad season 5 was. But... cue in the voice in my head that’s still whispering how much I loved season 1 and 2. And this is the grand finale. It’ll be over after this. Just 20 more episodes, I can watch that. And then it’ll be finally over and they can’t ruin it any more.

The grand finale airs in four days. So I’ll be rewatching the first five seasons now and then I will start watching the final season. I’m terrified of it.

And am I the only one who felt like many decisions made were just made to snuff out Sterek? I mean. Stiles who didn’t have any romantic plotline before, all of a sudden having sex with basically a random stranger in a basement and Derek literally fucking the enemy while he’s half-bleeding to death, but let’s just hurry up and make sure they have female love interests...?