#apparently it gets better and more interesting as the season goes on

[mynameisbillandimaheadcase]

-_-

[chiisana-sukima]

nine people i want to get to know better

Thank you for the tag, @slutsons-blog! Starting a new post because I'm autistic and therefore mostly only care about the "Current Obsession" question, and want to ramble excessively as usual in that one.

Last song: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team: Pokemon Square because I'm currently playing Pokemon Mystery Dungeon with my daughter. Otherwise I honestly couldn't tell you. Whatever was on in my car.

Fave color: Purple

Currently watching: Star Trek Discovery

Last movie: Knives Out

Sweet/spicy/savory: Sweet, tart, salty

Relationship: married x 27 years

Last thing I googled: the word "dependent", for spelling assistance. which is a good thing because I spelled it "dependant".

Current Obsession: it's been spn since 2016. Truly we are the Hotel California of media franchises. I did recently play Disco Elysium twice in a row in quick succession, and I follow the DE tag. I can't recommend the game highly enough.... but I can feel my Special Interest-level obsession with it fading already. Spn has never faded even a tiny bit and I wonder if it ever will.

@slutsons-blog I feel after reading that you're watching spn for the first time, that I did you a bit of a disservice with my Sam takes to you before in that I mostly talked about Sam's evolution as a character as the show goes on and very little about him from the first five seasons.

Gotta be honest and tell you that although I liked both brothers all along, I was a Dean girl until the end of s6/beginning of s7, when the balance of who gets whumped the most started shifting and my subconscious suddenly decided to switch allegiances. It's not that I liked Dean any less; my id just loves a sopping wet pathetic kitten of a man who has been sexually abused, and Sam got suddenly way more kitteny and pathetic after the Cage. So I don't actually have a ton of takes on "what to love about Sam in the early seasons". I do love early seasons Sam too--she is my beautiful baby princess--but my early seasons takes are a lot more inchoate.

I count myself lucky about my id's sudden defection though, because I think we have limited control of who our blorbos are, and having Dean as a blorbo is a tough row to hoe as the later seasons go along. You know how you noticed that in s6, Dean suddenly gets a lot more assholey without apparent reason? Unfortunately he never gets better again, and in fact keeps getting worse and worse as the years go by, until by the last seasons he is openly far more abusive to their joint child(-in-an-adult body) than John was to him and Sam. It's a realistic picture of what can happen when trauma keeps piling up on people, but it's also honestly pretty distressing, especially if he's your blorbo.

If one is in it for the ship, there's some good destiel content in the later seasons, but if you're in it for Dean, you're left either 1) dealing with the fact he's got extremely significant interpersonal problems that he never gets much of anywhere on solving and that negatively impact his chosen family in profound ways, or 2) pretending he's the same character he was in s1 and Sam is the same Sam from s1, only more boring, and Dean is just trying to put up with him because he was brainwashed by John (or ig 3- something in the middle between those two. But that seldom seems to happen in practice for whatever reason). These two versions of the show are poorly compatible, and that's how the Sam girls and the Dean girls end up in isolated silos. A few people manage to live in both, but not many.

Anyway, I feel like without the context of how Sam and Dean change in the mid to late seasons, the two fics I recc'd as Sam character studies are going to seem insanely Dean-critical, so if you haven't read them yet, you might want to wait until s10. In the meantime, the general recs are fun reads and hopefully do a good job of showcasing both characters earlier on.

Tagging (but I would be a huge hypocrite if I didn't specify there's no pressure to respond, since I almost always fail at responding to tag games myself): @adihildilid @aliusfrater @quietwingsinthesky @sammygender @ardentpoop

@peanutbutterandbananasandwichs @schizosamwincester @normalbrothershow @jellybracelet.

[rocknbkdk]

i’m so disappointed with the mha ending, but horikoshi is a man after all.

how can you end the manga 4 months ago so beautifully, just to ruin it with THAT. we waited for 4 months for something exciting, but it a rushed ending of whatever the hell that was. it’s literally queerbait and i stand by it. horikoshi wrote such a beautiful relationship between 2 characters, with OBVIOUS romantic undertones. what happened to katsuki being the main funder? the rest of their lives? their feelings become one? he could’ve written THE shounen with a hinted lgbtq ending. IT HAD THE POTENTIAL.

mha had the most typical shounen ending. THE FIRST ENDING WAS SO MUCH BETTER. no unnecessary love interest for the main character, izuku finally won katsuki over, a (not so) friendship between 2 guys who were the plot and it still had a nice ending without izuku having a quirk. BUT NO. horikoshi had to ruin all of that. he also said he was disappointed with naruto’s ending just to end HIS manga the same way. hypocrisy at its finest???!!!

i actually had so much faith in horikoshi because of how beautifully he wrote himiko and ochaco’s development. himiko learning that love goes both ways, learning that the heroes DO care and ochaco learning how to accept her (in short). & with katsuki and izuku is the same. katsuki learning how to love himself along with learning how to love izuku. wanting to be the reason izuku doesn’t become a hero to being the reason izuku becomes a hero, and i could go on and on…

i feel so mad FOR katsuki, he never got to achieve any of his dreams. he spent 8 years on that goddamn man, to be is forced to be with a woman whose dead girlfriend convinced her she’s straight. AND APPARENTLY HE WAS THE ONE WHO ENCOURAGED IZUKU TO TALK TO OCHACO??? horikoshi wtf.

ochaco’s character development is completely watered down. her learning how to be herself, but she’s just a love interest to horikoshi. she very obviously moved on from izuku… just to fall in love with him again? after 8 years? izu//ocha was obviously very one sided. izuku showed completely no interest in ochaco before, so i don’t get how he randomly started crushing on her. yes, he blushed around her before, but he blushed around other girls as well because he never talked to girls before.

also, i don’t get why HIMIKO was pushing ochaco to talk to izuku? when she was clearly in LOVE with her.

ochaco admitted she dreamt of himiko, we had a togachaco scene just for it to be watered down by horikoshi making izuku appear and then them starting uncontrollably blushing around each other. all of it was completely unnecessary. he forced the underdeveloped ship so badly like even their relationship is underdeveloped and rushed because of, it literally does not make sense 😭😭

honestly sorry for izuku, katsuki, himiko and ochaco because they HAD TO BE WRITTEN BY THIS EVIL MAN CALLED HORIKOSHI.

LIKE LOOK AT THIS PANEL. how is this handhold peak romance?!?! it’s so stiff… and empty… they’re just grabbing each other’s hand. it’s so empty

also the toya situation? his abuser is roaming freely around. he never got any justice, even after death. but that’s another story. HORIKOSHI WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR WRITING SKILLS

ps don’t get me wrong at all. izu//ocha is such a cute ship, but it’s so bland it doesn’t have enough seasoning for it to become canon

(i’ll probably edit this a few times because i feel like i have more to add that my brain hasn’t realized)

[five-flavor-soup]

This is technically in response/as an addition to a post on the supposed ‘double standard’ in the fandom between Zuko and Jet as Katara’s love interests, but it’s been so long since it was posted and I figured the OP would be entirely uninterested in my word vomit, especially after like one and half years—so, separate post. I added a link for those interested. There's a cut because this got quite long lmao.

In short, the post supposes the argument that though Jet would’ve made Katara kill people (something Zuko very much Did Not Do, no matter what you think about The Southern Raiders), he cleaned up his act after this. Zuko, on the other hand, did lots of Really Bad Things to Katara & Co. with far more frequency than Jet did and got redeemed after a multitude of episodes doing Various Things Moste Evile. To then slap Jet with The Toxic Ex-label and see Zuko as the ‘healthier’ and ‘better’ option creates a Double Standard(™) within the fandom, which is supposedly bad and not an arguably incorrect reading. 

But the differences in fandom perception between Jet and Zuko as Love Interests for Katara (one of which canonically, and the other potentially and apparently talked about in the writer’s room) are easily explained, as can the Supposed Double Standard—just by thinking about it from Katara’s viewpoint, or even the audience’s. Because, well, the worst things Jet ‘almost’ ended up doing didn’t happen because of outside interference only. 

That’s the important bit here. He 100% would’ve drowned an entire village just to get rid of a handful of Fire Nation soldiers, had Sokka not managed to evacuate everybody. He 100% would’ve grievously injured two people who, as far as Jet and everybody else were aware, were refugees who might not even be firebenders — considering nobody else saw Iroh heat up his tea, he could’ve been wrong — in an attempt to prove his own hunch. Had the guards not been there, had Zuko not been able to fight back with swords, Jet would’ve genuinely attempted to wound them for as much as a puff of smoke. And Jet consistently involves bystanders (innocent or not) in his desperate quest to harm and defeat the Fire Nation: the Gaang (and particularly Katara, through explicitly manipulative means) and the villagers in Jet; Zuko, Iroh, and the people in the teashop in City of Walls and Secrets. Additionally, we don’t see more violence from him because he’s not a main character like Zuko is—though it’s implied that Jet beats up villagers who are supposedly in cahoots with the Fire Nation often, only agreeing to turn over a new leaf when he, Smellerbee, and Longshot decide to move to Ba Sing Se. 

Zuko explicitly and frequently doesn’t harm people: that, or it isn’t important to the plot. He doesn’t burn down the village on Kyoshi, he literally only manages to lightly singe it. He threatens people with violence frequently but never actually goes in for the kill. I’d argue that the most explicitly violent thing he does in Book 1 is breaking Aang out of the Pouhai Stronghold—for his own ends obviously, but if it’s spelled like treason and sounds like treason, it’s probably treason. When he thinks of robbing the pregnant couple while he’s on the run, he stops himself of his own volition; when he considers using Appa to catch Aang (this was a point made against Zuko in the post), he’s unaware of what Appa’s been through prior to that point and sees him as no more than an animal used for travel, much like the ostrich horse he stole earlier in the season. 

Zuko’s schtick throughout Book 1 and 2 is that he doesn’t want to think of the consequences of his actions. His plans are never fully complete. He doesn’t think of how he’s going to get a chained, notoriously slippery little eel of an Avatar to the Fire Nation, and he doesn’t think about what would happen to twelve-year-old Aang after they got there—which is horrible of him, but it also shows an odd, ignorant kind of innocence that you’d associate with a kid who’s got a hard time telling right from wrong. Like, I love Zuko dearly, adore him even, but kiddo doesn’t think ahead until the Book 2 finale and even that’s debatable. He’ll eventually start thinking ahead a little bit but for the most part, he doesn’t. Not saying that takes away responsibility, because it absolutely doesn’t, but it is telling of Zuko’s character: he’s an ‘act first, think later’-kind of guy, all ‘fuck around; find out; maybe success’. His sole goal throughout Book 1 and 2 is going home, without even thinking on how to get there beyond like, Avatar in my custody => back in Fire Nation with Avatar => dad loves me again. And he says that his only intention is to go home too, in Ep 2 of Book 1:

Aang: If I go with you, [He holds his staff in front of him as an offer, making sure Zuko understands that he does not wish to continue fighting.] will you promise to leave everyone alone? [The camera cuts to a side-view of the area, Zuko's men still surrounding him, spears poised. After a brief moment of hesitation, Zuko erects himself and nods in agreement. Aang is apprehended by Zuko's men, who take his staff . . . ] Zuko: [Boarding the ship up the walkway. Determined.] Head a course for the Fire Nation. I'm going home.

(Added emphasis for my point)

Zuko is not the Big Bad. He’s not The Largest Threat. He never is. In Book 1 it’s Zhao, in Book 2 it’s Azula, and in Book 3 it’s Ozai. Zuko is a consistent threat, yes, but not a particularly large one no matter how good of a fighter he is. Because he’s presented to us as a disastrously hurt and traumatised little brat who we, the audience, are supposed to feel sorry for, and slowly grow fond of. Because we learn in The Storm that the notion of “caring for others is weak” has literally been branded into him. Because he keeps getting back up to fight, but consistently holds back. We are shown that he knows, on some level, that what he’s doing is wrong: the text suggests that Zuko is actively suppressing his morals. And by the time Zuko hires an assassin to ensure the Avatar is dead, we know that Zuko is incredibly unhappy with his choice(s) and is desperate to be safe; that he’s uncomfortable but wants to be comfortable; that he’s incorrect about the source of his fear while he’s back in the palace. The audience is shown this explicitly. 

By contrast, we’re shown that Jet is fully aware that those villagers will die. He’s fully aware that, if he manages to prove the two refugees are firebenders, they’ll be arrested and probably mutilated (if the hand-crushing is any indication). I love Jet and his character, but he’s supposed to be the example of poisoning yourself with your hatred, anger, and hurt. He’s revenge that goes too far, because he doesn’t allow himself closure. He knows the consequences and isn’t shown to care for them, as long as his goal is furthered.

And there is the small, but significant, difference between the two characters: Zuko initially just wants to capture the Avatar, is purposefully remaining unaware of what will happen when he does so, and is clearly shown to change, while Jet just wants to punish firebenders and is very aware of what will be necessary for him to do so, with a handful of lines of how he ‘stopped being like that’. And honestly, Jet is far more mature than Zuko is for quite some time, regarding the violence of war—basically as mature as Zuko eventually becomes at the tail-end of his redemption arc. But Zuko’s maturity is at that point healthier, because he doesn’t want to genuinely do harm. 

In regards to their separate relationships with Katara, there’s these fantastic points that @sokkastyles made in reply to the post:

The fact that Zuko actually did change and Katara actually forgave him makes ALL the difference. [ . . . ] The thing about Jet is how manipulative he was with Katara. He not only almost made her kill innocents, but he lied to her about the man he attacked having a knife when he was called out, so that Katara would see her as righteous. Someone who is willing to lie in order to make themselves seem good and someone who says they are going to change but then does the same things doesn’t have a good track record, and that’s a more troubling relationship dynamic than someone who acts as an upfront enemy but then sincerely changes.

And: 

I do think it makes sense to focus on manipulation being worse than being a cartoon villain when we're talking about personal relationships. I think many people can relate to having someone like Jet in their lives who seems nice but who lies and manipulates to justify their own bad behavior despite repeatedly claiming that they will change. Not that many people will experience being tied to a tree by someone who wants you to tell them where the Avatar is, and it is completely reasonable for people to be more forgivable of things Zuko did as a villain than things Jet did to Katara when he claimed to be a friend.

I actually don’t have anything to add to this, lol. It’s succinct and well-worded.

Lastly, in addition the relatability and the relationships being different (the manipulative, emotionally hurt, and self-proclaimed anti-hero versus the initially childish, explicitly confused and desperate cartoon villain, plus the girl they hurt horribly), there’s also the problem of Jet not being a main character. Jet is a relatively well-written side character, whilst Zuko is very quickly established as a main-ish character with his own POV (as the writers decided during the conceptualisation that he’d be joining Team Avatar eventually). Zuko’s troubling, self-destructive nature that has been forced upon him and his Tragic Childhood is shown in high definition. The audience is supposed to eventually be okay with Zuko and hopefully like him, slowly adding puzzle pieces to complete the picture of a horrific earlier youth and treatment by nearly everybody he knows except Iroh. Something like this isn’t necessary with Jet, not just because he was already incredibly likeable and understandable from his introduction and onwards, but also because he’s neither a villain nor a main character. 

There’s multiple reasons as to why Zuko is often seen as the ‘better’ option, just like there are multiple reasons why Jet and Zuko are compared so frequently—they’re both traumatised teenage boys who ‘rebel’ to get some semblance of control back, but we see Zuko change into a kid anyone would be a little bit proud and fond of and that doesn’t happen with Jet. Double standard or not, Zuko and Jet are different characters who the writers also treated very differently, on purpose. It makes sense to me that the audience would think Zutara is the ‘less bad’ or far better option. We know far more about Zuko than we know about Jet; and Jet’s redemption arc, if we can even call it that, halts permanently when Zuko’s is reaching the height it for him to go into a freefall, ultimately culminating in a genuine redemption. We, the audience, know this. So does Katara.

[butterflydm]

rings of power, s2 eps 1-2

So there are things I know about how this season will end (specifically, I know a couple of pretty significant deaths), and that will definitely impact my thoughts during my watch of the season, so I'll set those out now.

spoilers below through s2 of rop and probably some lotr spoilers

Things I know will happen by the end of the season: Celebrimbor will die; Adar will die; and Sauron is going to stab Galadriel with a black crown (Morgoth's crown, I think). I also know we're gonna get blonde elf Sauron who goes by the name Annatar.

I have also been thinking about what Galadriel said a couple of times in s1 -- thirst cannot be quenched with seawater (paraphrased). It feels significant in a way that I'm not quite certain of, in the same way that Adar saying 'only blood can bind' feels significant. So I'm just going to place it here for me to think about. It was used by Galadriel to essentially mean that an inferior substitute cannot replace what you really need, mostly in the context of revenge, iirc, but yeah. It's sticking in my head for some reason.

episode 1: I enjoyed Gandalf with Nori (and I am glad that Poppy joined them!!) and it's intriguing and I'm interested in seeing more.

I like the Harfoot stuff but never seem to have much to say about it.

Now, Sauron, I can apparently talk about forever.

I love how ep1 of season 1 was us learning Galadriel's fateful road to meeting Sauron and now we see the other side of the story! We watch Sauron's road to meeting Galadriel!

Starting with his encounter with Adar and the orcs. Now, I am spoiled about how Adar dies, so I know that the season is going to bookend between Adar killing Sauron at the start, and then Sauron killing Adar in a very similar way at the end. Knowing that... I mean, you can see the murder in Sauron's eyes when he's forced to kneel and place his feet by Adar's feet. Even if Sauron didn't already plan on killing him (he did), that moment would have sealed Adar's fate (just as the old Sauron loyalist sealed his own fate by being an asshole to the imprisoned Halbrand).

I do find it very interesting that Sauron, while being Halbrand here, is also still doing good by his people -- he arranged for the enslaved Southlanders to be freed as part of his deal with Adar.

I really liked seeing that whole backstory, because we really got to the heart of why Sauron failed to redeem himself -- being good is not a single act (he is fully capable of doing singular acts of goodness -- he does one here by getting Adar to free the enslaved Southlanders as part of his bargain) but a choice that must be made over and over "until it becomes your nature". Arondir talks about this too, when the Southlanders were considering surrendering to Adar (and some of them did) -- that going to Adar and submitting to him turns back all of the progress that their people have made over the centuries to rid themselves of Morgoth's influence. Falling prey to the temptations of power makes it more difficult to unwind that temptation from yourself later on.

The Sauron and Adar scenes were so good. First, we had original recipe Sauron's failure to convince Adar to go along with his plan (because it was obviously selfish and putting Sauron and his desires over everyone else's) vs Halbrand's success at getting Adar to go along with his plan (because he was able to frame it in a way that meant he was going to be meeting Adar's desires and helping Adar destroy his old source of fear -- by using "Sauron" as bait, which was hilarious)!

Sauron really paid attention to the cost of his original failure with Adar & the orcs. And learned how to manipulate him better this time around.

We also saw his first meeting with Galadriel from his PoV and, yeah. He definitely saw something in her from the very start. I don't think he knew what -- I stand by what I said about Sauron in my s1 wrapup -- he's an opportunist. He took the pouch of the King of the Southlands because it might be useful someday. And I think he could see something intriguing in Galadriel and was curious about it. I don't think he had any particularly concrete plans at that time. Given his conversations with the old man (Diamand?), he was interested in the concept of redemption for himself, but I think the actual day-to-day hard work of it was something that he found daunting.

We also finally really got to see more hints of him using his powers. First, there was that huge blast of power when his body 'died' -- creating a frozen wasteland at that fortress location that is still there all these years later (that's the frozen fortress that Galadriel visited in s1e01!). Holy shit, he was holding a lot of power inside his form. Brings back all the shit that the wizard ladies were telling "Sauron" (Gandalf) that he was capable of at the end of last season. Plus the actual rebuilding of a different mortal form for himself, by consuming life along the way (that poor random girl). He really is something akin to a demigod and we got to see it in this episode.

We also appeared to see him commune with beasts twice -- it seemed like he was talking to that giant sea monster (also, it seems like there's no reason to worry about Sauron ever drowning, because bro did not seem to have any worries about being sunk down in the water for a while) and he communicated with and befriended the wolf that he then used to kill the old Sauron loyalist (no, I never bothered to learn the man's name. And now I don't need to know!).

In the Elven rings storyline: Elrond was absolutely right. The rings were whispering to people from the second they were completed. The rings actively resisted being thrown into the waters and seduced Cirdan into putting one of them on instead. The rings are dangerous. Maybe a portion of Gil-galad's point is correct, now that they have come to this turning point -- if Sauron had not come back to Middle-Earth, if the mountain hadn't blown, then Gil-galad might be arguing here that they should let the matter of the rings go and leave Middle-Earth. But now that he does believe that Sauron is here, he believes they are obligated to stay to fight him (aka exactly Galadriel's reasoning for refusing to leave in 1x01!).

That one of the Rings leapt out to choose its owner (Galadriel) and called to her to put it on... that is One Ring bullshit if I've ever seen it. The Rings want to be worn. They want to be used. They promise everything that your heart desires... through them. And that's the same damn promise that Sauron gives everyone. "I can give you the power to solve your problems. Just... listen to me. I have the answers and I am willing to give them to you. Let me rule you fix it for you." And he tailors that pitch so well to the person listening, if he's had a chance to get to know them (and isn't distracted by thoughts of his upcoming glory, lol).

I noticed that Galadriel didn't confess to who Halbrand truly was until she was cornered and essentially had no choice. I understand why she hesitated -- she knew that Sauron wasn't wrong when he said that she would be blamed for bringing him back. "How will they react when they learn that Sauron lives because of you?" She knows how they'll react. And that's why she didn't tell.

He was counting on that. That if she wouldn't come to his side, she at least wouldn't want to reveal how badly she'd miscalculated in trusting him. And in doing so, she enabled him to continue his plans.

And now that the rings exist, they resist being lost. They whisper a thousand promises of power to their bearer. The elven rings may not be touched by Sauron's hand, but his promise lives in them.

In the end, not even Frodo could bear to actually destroy the One Ring. When it came to the final moment, he decided to keep it. It was only his earlier actions that created the situation that led to its destruction.

Great opener! Looking forward to the rest of the season.

My mom's big takeaway was being awed/horrified over how Sauron was able to reconstitute himself from just the blood/goo that had been left behind, and she kinda despaired/marveled at how difficult someone like that is to truly defeat. We've decided we're probably going to rewatch the LotR movies after we've caught up with s2 of RoP.

episode 2: Okay, I'll tackle Gandalf's storyline first. Once again, it's good but pretty straight-forward, so not a lot to say. I do think it's important to have on-screen, because Gandalf is the rising foil to Sauron, the Maia that we can contrast against each other. Sauron is of many names and Gandalf the Stranger is currently of none.

I think part of what we have here is the continuing paralleling of the growth between their powers as well -- Gandalf calls a duststorm but cannot control it; Sauron calls a rainstorm and controls it to perfection.

The other parts of the story are all about the continuing rise of Sauron and how he is putting pieces together to create what he views as his masterwork.

Trouble in the dwarven mountains, trouble that was caused by the volcano erupting in what used to be the Southlands. A problem has been created for the dwarves. A fear has been created.

Now... now Sauron needs to make himself the solution to that new fear that the dwarves have. He needs to make his rings the solution to their deepest fears, just like he did for the elves when he learned that they were fading.

The family plotline that we had going on with the two stubborn Durins was good, and I continue to love Durin (III) and Disa's relationship. <3

With the elves, it becomes even more clear to me how connected the elven rings are to Sauron, even if he wasn't the one who crafted them (check out Halbrand's look of joy when he's telling Celebrimbor that the elven rings have "worked wonders" -- he is thrilled that the elven rings are being used). Galadriel touches the her ring and is distracted by visions about Sauron. Gil-galad hides his own ring from sight at the implication that the rings could be dangerous. And Cirdan attempts to make the argument that limitless power is fine in the hands of the trusted and the wise... an argument that the elves are sadly aware is incorrect by the time of the LotR. The rings are dangerous because the rings are Sauron's realized promise to save the elves from fading from Middle-Earth. They are his.

Elrond is the only one we've seen so far who resisted the call of the rings. He continues to have so much moral integrity - stands up to his friends, stands up to his king, keeps his oaths, and is wary of incredible power even if it rests in trusted hands.

I note that Gil-galad is careful to redirect any... failings of falling for Sauron's deceptions to Galadriel's feet. He hides his ring when the subject comes up. It's Galadriel who is a risk, not the rings. Never the rings. This section here was also set-up for how Halbrand manipulates Celebrimbor later on -- we learn in this conversation that it's said that once Sauron deceives you fully, then he can make you see and feel what he wants. That is what he does to Celebrimbor in this episode.

Gil-galad and Galadriel are both being granted visions by the rings. Where are the visions coming from? We didn't see Gil-galad's vision but we saw Galadriel's.

In her vision, she was granted access into Sauron's plans. Seven rings for the dwarf lords. Nine rings for the mortal men. And Celebrimbor... the Celebrimbor in her vision... he blamed her for Sauron's rise. Or gave her the credit. Depending on how you look at it. In her other, shorter vision, she was shown Halbrand in Eregion. Who is showing her this? Is it truly something that her ring has unlocked inside her, as Gil-galad suggests?

We also got to see how the memory of what she shared with Halbrand still preys on her heart. "He never left," Elrond says. So, yeah, heartbroken and ashamed and certain that it must be her destiny to kill Sauron (because only that way can she prove to herself that he isn't still in her heart?).

So, you know. Galadriel is going through it right now.

Over with our boy the Deceiver... continues to be doing the most at all times. He tried to make it work as Halbrand for quite a long time, honestly. He tried to elicit sympathy and understanding and he got it... to a certain extent. But then he hit the wall of Celebrimbor's arrogance about elven superiority vs men or dwarves (but especially "corruptible" mortal men).

And so Halbrand becomes Annatar in the most over the top way anyone could imagine, holy shit. That's what Celebrimbor wants. Not a collaboration with a lowly mortal smith or king of Men. He wants to believe that the Valar, that the gods themselves think that he's the best fucking artist in the world. So good that they sent a personal envoy to give him instructions.

The way that Sauron crafts himself to fit into what his audience most desires of him is... impressive and, you know, I should say terrifying, but honestly, it's kinda hot. Fictional con artists are very attractive to me. And Sauron defaults to being a con artist before he picks violence. He prefers manipulation. He's very good at it.

My mom's feelings: she feels like he looks "more evil" as Annatar and is relieved about it, lol.

[whataboutsimple]

Let's talk about 'Blue Character Tragedy'.

Apparently I've been talking about this a few times before, but very briefly and not as a full 'post'. Before anything, let me state that this is purely my opinion and some interesting things I've noticed.

Anyway! The 'Blue Character Tragedy' is actually quite popular thing in media, since Blue is often associated with something sad, depressive and ect. (good example is Lapis from Steven Universe), but! They can be as well portraited as quiet energetic and funny characters (for example Genie from Aladdin).

Here, in MCSM, we have not only a little mix of both, but also two different paths of characters fate depending on the Season.

Let's remember characters that are associated with blue: Petra, Gabriel, Vos and Fred. Not a lot of them, but still a good variety for one media. However, there's a thick line between them: season two characters are dead meanwhile season one characters are pretty much alive and well, if you can say so.

Let's discuss First Season.

We have both Gabriel and Petra seen as 'Warriors', strong part of the team. Only fight, no flight.

However, there's a similarity between them: loneliness.

The difference is in timelines: Gabriel is shown as someone 'lonely' after his team fell apart, while Petra is shown as someone lonely before she even got herself a team.

Remember that small moment, when Jesse was forced to choose between The Amulet that should've fell down or Axel&Reuben, who needed help? Gabriel and Petra react differently depending on Player's choice.

Gabriel puts the task above his people, having previous experience with Old Order Of The Stone. Because Soren was too afraid for them, he used c. block, putting people above the task, which lead to lies about EnderDragon battle, Ivor leaving the team, creation of WitherStorm and the whole situation he's now put in. He praises Jesse if they choose The Amulet, and act a bit grumpy if they chose their Friend.

That doesn't show him, as a bad person, but he has his own experience and traumas to deal with. Being too devoted to Old Order, he missed the line where he should've stop them and think about their actions, so he doesn't want Jesse to be as blind as he was back in days.

Petra, however, puts people above tasks, because previously she probably didn't have a moment where she actually needed to choose badly between those two things. She hasn't been in situations where this choice actually makes difference, so she acts like her moral compass tells her to. Obviously she praises Jesse if they choose their friends and acts a lot more grumpier, than Gabriel is, if they choose The Amulet.

She had never had a team before, so in situations like this she reacts purely on something she thinks is "right", not counting any dangers that can came in with her choice. Inexperienced, she doesn't know yet that sometimes it's better to choose task above people.

He's hurt, because he had a team, she's hurt, because she hadn't.

However, in Season Two we clearly see Petra can't stand being put in one place even if her team is there. Just like Gabriel after WitherStorm, she goes into traveling and if Jesse joins her: it's good. I'm pretty sure when Ivor found Gabriel, our Warrior didn't hesitate for a moment to forgive him.

They need teams even if they don't want to admit it: Gabriel is still as devoted to Old Order as back in days and Petra still wants someone to be near her there.

Second Season.

Here things are a bit more.. complected because they both are dead. Yeah, not very funny. However, the funny is that both were just as lonely as Gabriel and Petra. Fred thought Romeo can get better and was clearly alone in that, meanwhile Vos spend his last days alone in a cage.

We can't say too much about them because of the circumstances, but we still can make some points from what we saw and heard in-game from other characters, Romeo's shapeshifting and Fred's recording.

Starting with Fred, let me put it clearly: even he technically had a "team", this very didn't felt like one. Romeo with his whole "world domination", Xara clearly wanting to beat the shit out of him and Fred being the only one who wants to put it all in trashcan and have his friends back. He couldn't freely talk to Xara, he couldn't freely talk to Romeo, he needed to decided between them, he needed to create a weapon that eventually will destroy his friend and he was killed by that very friend.

The thing between him and Season One dou is that his team never felt like one. Couldn't felt like one. It just didn't work as long as Romeo had his powers. He was mentally left by them long time ago.

Last but not least: Vos. Depending on how Romeo acted and what Jack&Nurm were saying, clearly Vos kinda was the same like of the rest of our blue team. Because Sammy is also a missing detail here, I can't say for sure, how their relationship was going, but I can assume it's one of the healthiest among others. It's not like they had unspoken words between them, need to go separated ways or feeling like they're not even a team.

And still though just like the rest of Blue dummies, he was lonely. The difference is that he was forced to be left alone psysically. I can't quite get it why exactly Jack left both him and Sammy at the Temple, he could've at least hire a team or smth, ask the Order for help, but the fact is the fact: Vos was left alone psysically.

Loneliness.

They all felt loneliness because of different things.

Gabriel forced himself to leave the team.

Petra forced herself to be without a team.

Fred was left alone mentally.

Vos was left alone psysically.

[blorbologist]

look, ima just say that yes, the cast understands their characters best - but they are not writers, and might not know how to best get those traits across to their audience.

My brother is like, the ideal target audience for a new fan. Big nerd into anime and mature animation already, a fan of several of the VAs and has a smattering of D&D experience. He absolutely loved seasons 1 and 2! In fact, his favorite characters in s1 were Grog and Keyleth, and I believe that held true in s2 as well.

While live chatting to me watching s3, he was so frustrated by how stupid and childish she was acting. He's completely naïve to C1 (but has endured some C2 when my dad and I would watch together). Without me to explain the complexity and depth of her in the campaign, he's gone from absolutely loving a character to loathing her appearance on screen because the writing did her so dirty in ways that are, frankly, easy to spot and easy to fix. Telling him how Keyleth was in the campaign was heartbreaking - he found it so cool! That was the character he found so interesting!

But whoever she was, she wasn't apparent in s3 Keyleth.

He also called Raishan 'the worst schemer (archetype)' he' ever seen, and enjoyed bitching about episode 10 with me more than he did watching it, soo...

I use Keyleth as an example because she' the most relevant one, as a favorite of my brother’s and having been done so dirty this season. But it applied to... a lot. From the friendships to the character choices to just the whole structure of season 3.

It's one thing to know Keyleth is strong, and angry, and feels responsible for her people, and doesn't trust Raishan. It's another thing to communicate that effectively - and this goes for everything and everyone else this season too. You just hear more vocal complaints from fans who know the show because they have, right there, a blueprint for how these inner conflicts and personalities were shown very well, and so have easy examples for how it could have been done better.

But hey, how dare we engage with s3 as a work of art on par with s1-2 instead of turning our brains off, right? The campaign will always be there - as a reminder that this season definitely lost new fans and those that stay will walk away with carricatures of the characters compared to what they were in s1-2. Look - genuinely beautiful battle sequence! 😍 I have no concept of storytelling or writing and clap in delight at the third Ripley fight of the season! Wahoo!

(Ignore that all that gorgeous animation and score were not enough to keep my brother invested when he, a member of the target demographic, started getting annoyed by the writing. Nothing is worse for art than being annoying.)

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

PHIA SABAN INTERVIEWED BY DECIDER MAGAZINE.

RYAN CONDAL TALKING ABOUT HELAENA.

"Whatever this ability that she has, she’s learning to wield it, or to pay more heed to it, or she’s learning how to interpret it better."

Condal said, before elaborating that the trauma of watching her son be murdered and the stress of living during a war was affecting her abilities.

Nevertheless, he cautioned that it’s not a switch Helaena can just turn on and off.

"She’s not just gonna, from the beginning of her life to the end, have the same sort of level of grasp of this ability."

"We’re seeing it certainly change."

WE'RE TOLD HELAENA HAS BONDED WITH DREAMFYRE, BUT SHE HATES RIDING. SO HOW DO YOU SEE THAT BOND, THAT CONNECTION BETWEEN HELAENA AND DREAMFYRE?

"Yeah."

"Sometimes it’s too sad for me to imagine."

"[pauses and giggles nervously] I mean, think that we see about Helaena, that she has an affinity sometimes more to creatures than she does to human beings."

"So I think that we can safely imagine that it’s a very loving, sort of, soul-connecting relationship."

"I don’t know."

"I always feel like, isn’t it about horses?"

"They say that they’re so relaxing to be around because they’re like pure empathy?"

"I can only imagine that a lovely dragon would be the same way."

"Yeah, I’d like to see Helaena and her dragon, but apparently she’s not into that."

APPEARING IN DAEMON'S VISION IS SOMETHING NEW. HOW DID YOU INTERPRET WHAT SHE WAS DOING IN THAT PART OF THE EPISODE?

"Yeah, it’s a really interesting one."

"I think sometimes I can get away with abstract thinking because, in my mind, it’s not entirely clear to Helaena what her powers are."

"In my imagination, I think that since her massive trauma this season, she’s spent more time disassociated from the real world."

"Maybe that’s led to a greater association with this other realm of feeling, but maybe she would be constantly trying to kind of push it away because it makes her feel uncomfortable or it’s inconvenient or it widens the gap between her and other people in her life."

"I think something to do with her disassociation, from her trauma in the real world, has meant that she’s staking more of a claim in that other world."

I don’t think that means that world would suddenly make sense to her and she’s like, 'Oh, this is how it works,' and the mechanics of it.

"But in my imagination, I think that she had a sense and a feeling that there was someone else that she’s connected to in some way."

"That had sort of, like, opened the door to this sort of dream world."

"So she kind of went there, too."

I do think there’s a question about how much of Daemon’s vision that includes Helaena is his own projection and how much is actually her there being like, [ominous voice] 'You know what you must do.'

"[giggles] So I don’t know about that."

"Because I think that in the real world psychology of dreams, it’s often that when you see someone else in a dream, that’s actually an aspect of yourself that you’ve given the face of someone else."

"You know, in order to have a distance."

"So I don’t know."

"I guess all I’m saying is it’s all very up to interpretation."

IN THE FOLLOWING SCENE BETWEEN HELAENA AND AEMOND, I DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER SEEN HER SPEAK SO CONFIDENTLY AND CLEARLY ABOUT WHAT SHE'S SEEN, OR EVEN JUST SO DIRECTLY TO ANOTHER CHARACTER. WHERE DID THAT CONFIDENCE SUDDENLY COME FROM? LIKE THE POWER DYNAMIC JUST COMPLETELY GOES TOPSY-TURVY BETWEEN THEM IN THAT SCENE.

"Yeah, I know."

"I think it’s the most eye contact she’s ever made in both seasons of House of the Dragon."

"She saved it all up for the balcony."

"I think that she’s used to, in many ways, being a pawn, and she’s used to, in many ways, doing what is convenient to people that she loves, despite the fact that it’s not in her comfort zone."

"But I think that — with what I was saying before about the disassociation and maybe more of the embracing of this otherness that she has — it is a step too far for Aemond to ask her to kill people."

"I think that he also catches her at that moment where she’s just been quite empowered in her sort of 'mind palace' or whatever you’d like to call it."

"So it becomes extremely serious and direct."

"Almost like, I need to meet you on this energy that you’ve got just to tell you there’s absolutely no use pursuing what you’re doing."

"Because I know what the truth is and the truth is that any desperate attempt isn’t going to change the course of destiny."

That directness is because she feels like, 'Oh, I just got this rush of clarity and I’m going to spend it now.'

"And then I don’t imagine that she’s then going to go off, around, and use that energy the rest of the day."

"It was a moment that she could go, 'Boom!' Then it’s kind of over."

I WANT TO DRILL DOWN INTO THE IDEA THAT SHE DOES NOT WANT TO KILL PEOPLE. LIKE SHE SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY TARGARYEN WHO'S NOT WILLING TO CROSS THAT LINE, NO MATTER WHAT. WHERE DO YOU THINK THAT MORAL CLARITY COMES FROM?

"I think, partially, because she’s not engaged with politics."

"In politics, people are statistics and numbers and ways of getting what you want."

"She’s developed more of a kind of humanist approach and I think she values life."

"She sees beauty as separate to how useful someone can be to her."

"Yeah, I think it’s just a line for her."

I also think that her being asked to step that far out of her comfort zone, after the worst thing that’s possibly happened has happened to her son, she’s like, 'I’m trying every single day to not think about what happened to my baby. You can’t ask me to go and sort of get my hands bloody as well.'

"That’s a step too far."

"But yeah, I do think she just has a sort of innate value for [life]."

"What she loves is serenity."

I ASKED YOU ABOUT THE 'HELAEMOND' RUMORS, AND YOU WERE SAYING HOW SOMETIMES YOU AND EWAN WOULD DO A TAKE FOR HELAEMOND. DID ANY OF THESE MAKE IT INTO THE SEASON? WAS THERE ANY LITTLE GLIMMER OR MOMENT WHERE YOU COULE LOOK BACK AND YOU WERE LIKE, 'OH, ARE WE HAVING A LITTE FUN THERE?' OR IS IT ALL CUTTING ROOM FLOOR?

"It’s interesting."

"I think that when we said that, we probably got people too excited that we were going to hold hands or, like, make out or something."

I think that what we felt more when we were like, 'Oh, we’re doing time for Helaemond,' is like we so rarely get to be even in a room together, you know, let alone a scene together.

"From the beginning, before there were any rumors online or anything, we decided very early on in Season 1, we had a strong feeling that they have a sort of connection, or like a knowingness to each other."

I think that when we say, 'Oh, we’re doing it for Helaemond,' or whatever, I think what we really mean is that we just get really excited to play that dynamic together.

"We’ve just come to call that Helaemond, but maybe not in the sense that people on the Internet call it."

"I want to ask another very hyper nerdy question."

"I remember watching a video that you had done with the other cast where you were asked trivia questions about the lore of the show."

"The question of Daenerys’s dragon eggs came up and you knew about the rumor that Dreamfyre might have been the mother of those eggs."

"There’s been some debate whether or not Rhaenyra’s kids have the dragon eggs this season, whether it’s still the Elissa Farman story… What’s your personal theory on where the eggs came from?"

I was just sure that I’d read on my 'Dragon Wiki'…

When I got the part, I was like, 'Oh, what’s Dreamfyre like?'

"And I was sure that it said on the Dragon Wiki that they think that her eggs were the descendants of Daenerys’s dragons."

So when I answered that question, I was like, 'I’m gonna get points for this and no one else knows!'

And they said, 'No, it’s from Rhaenyra.'

"So I don’t know."

"Maybe it’s…who knows?"

"I’d like to think that Dreamfyre’s in there somewhere."

"Maybe it’s a big Maester cover up."

"That’s what they like to say as well, isn’t it?"

ASSUMING ALICENT'S SCHEMES WORK AND THAT YOU GUYS COULD POTENTIALLY ESCAPE, WHERE WOULD YOU IDEALLY SEE HELAENA WIND UP?

"I think she’d quite like it on that lake that Alicent went to last episode."

"That’s lovely."

"I want to go there."

"It’s a funny one."

I think that partially when Helaena says, 'Where would I go?'

It’s a completely genuine question of, like, 'What have you got in mind?'

"But I don’t think Helaena has seen evidence of a life that she would like for herself, really."

"So I think that a big part of her growing up has been like trying not to yearn for something else."

Because she’s like, 'It’s just not out there. And I can create the world, the life I want for myself in my hands with these bugs.'

"So the idea that there could actually be somewhere else that she could physically go when she’s kind of spent her whole life coming to terms with the fact that this is the hand she’s been dealt, I don’t think she can possibly imagine it."

"I mean if it were up to me, I’d like to go to Harrenhal because I love the vibes over there."

"And Alys Rivers and everything."

"Actually, maybe it might be quite cool for Helaena to have just a moment with Alys Rivers."

"Yeah, because maybe she could feel an affinity with her or something."

IN THE BOOK, AEMOND SEEMS TO THINK ALYS IS THE ONE WHO TOLD HIM THAT HE DIES AT THE GOD'S EYE.

"Oh really?"

YEAH, MAYBE THEY HAVE SORT OF A FRIENDSHIP GOING ON.

"That’d be nice."

"Yeah, they kind of, like hang out."

"They go and have their dreams and, like, hang out in between."

"That would be so nice!"

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE ONE ON SET OR A FAVORITE LITTLE INSECT EASTER EGG?

"On set, Helaena’s bedroom is beautiful, and there’s loads of — I can’t remember what it’s called, the insects with the pins in them, which I like to think they all died of natural causes."

"On set, the live insects I got to work with were tiny little crickets in a cage."

"They kept making little escapes and jumping out, which was so fun."

"It was just really fun to work with real animals."

"So, yeah, on set, crickets and in real life, spiders."

"Actually, it’s not an insect, but in this room, yesterday, was a bat."

"So that was really fun as well."

[coraniaid]

buffy/faith for the ask game

(Reverse unpopular opinions)

Easily my favorite Buffy ship and one of my favorites in any work of fiction. I think the main reasons it works so well for me are:

The way it resonates so strongly with what's going on in the rest of the show the season Faith arrives. I mean, Buffy comes out to her mother (as a Slayer), which is treated by the show as ... well, as Buffy coming out ("it's because you didn't have a strong father figure, isn't it?" / "have you tried ... not being a Slayer?" / "I've tried to march in the Slayer Pride Parade...") and a handful of episodes later Buffy meets another girl who is also a Slayer and who she starts spending a lot of time with (because they have a connection -- "it's kind of a Slayer thing" -- which she doesn't have with her other, non-Slayer friends). And while they're busy patrolling cemeteries and looking for vampires every night, this other Slayer is keen to (1) talk to Buffy about sex and quiz her on her love life; (2) repeatedly tell her that "all men are beasts" and "losers" who can't be trusted; (3) suggest that Buffy should be more open to having sex with the people she spends her nights hunting vampires with (like ... who, Faith?); and (4) is delighted when Buffy breaks up with her boyfriend (and later furious when she gets back together with her previous ex) and immediately suggests that she could replace him ("You're still going to that dance, right? [...] Why don't we go together?"). If this was deliberately laying the ground work for an explicitly romantic arc, it would feel pretty heavy-handed. The fact that it apparently wasn't (at least not on the part of the showrunner or of most of the writers) almost makes it work better, in some ways.

The way that Faith is, from the very beginning, very deliberately written as a foil for Buffy, a person Buffy might have been if things went just a little differently in her life -- because she goes through things very much like things the audience has already seen Buffy go though (living alone in a small place in a strange town with no friends all season the way Buffy did in Anne, panicking and starting to pack to run away in Faith, Hope & Trick in the same way Buffy was accused of doing just the episode before, killing a person the way Buffy thought she had in Season 2's Ted, the way her fear of Kakistos mirrors Buffy's fear of the Master in When She Was Bad) and because she is so aware of the fact that she's always being compared to Buffy and coming up short, either by other people or herself ("you get the Mom, you get the Watcher ... what do I get?") it's very easy to tie Faith's arc across the show back to Buffy and to her feelings about Buffy. Faith wanting Buffy to accept her becomes Faith wanting this idealized version of herself to forgive her failings. And likewise Buffy recriprocating Faith's feelings and admitting to herself that she is attracted to Faith becomes Buffy accepting that Faith (and the things she represents) really are an integral part of Buffy herself; that Faith isn't entirely wrong when she says that Buffy enjoys being a Slayer and that being a Slayer is something she should be proud of (or, again, being "a Slayer").

Apparently this wasn't the original plan for the character (if there ever was anything like an 'original plan'), but the fact Faith's arc in Season 3 so clearly mirrors Angel's in Season 2 -- and the fact she is so very weird about Angel all season (and that Buffy is equally weird about how attracted to Faith she just keeps insisting Angel must be) just naturally suggests that Faith might have a similiar role to Angel in the narrative beyond just the circumstances of her betrayal of (and later not-quite-being-killed by) Buffy. And Angel is -- for the first three seasons of the show at least -- primarily cast in the role of Buffy's doomed tragic love interest who she has to (metaphorically) kill but will later be reunited with. Which makes Faith ... well, something.

Even if not all the writers were on board, the fact that Eliza Dushku was deliberately playing Faith as attracted to Buffy (and that SMG was playing Buffy as alternately frustrated by and protective of and tempted by Faith) gives their scenes together a chemistry that I don't think most of Buffy's (or Buffy's) canon relationships ever managed. Whether that's the Amends porch scene or Buffy kissing Faith in the hospital in Graduation Day or any and all of their various fights across the show. And those fight scenes are all great, which is another thing I love about the ship: is it really a proper enemies-to-lovers arc if one of the people in it hasn't tried to kill the other one and left them in a coma for months?

Faith's return to Buffy in the last five epsiodes of the show is one of the last season's saving graces, and it helps that by this point the writers definitely seemed to be playing up the ship deliberately ("Willow said you needed me: didn't give it a lot of thought" / "Defensiveness and weird mixed signals ... I've got Faith for that" / "Deep down you've always wanted Buffy to accept you. To love you." / "It feels like it's mine ... I guess that means it's yours"). Even without ever being canon and without wandering what happens post-Chosen, it feels like there's a real narrative arc to their relationship, from their initially rocky start through to "just good friends" to bitter enemies through to Faith seeking (and finding) some measure of redemption and Buffy cautiously letting her back into her life. Faith isn't in the show much (or even mentioned in the show in most episodes), but it feels like she has a genuinely meaningful connection to Buffy that most characters who appeaer in less than a season's worth of episodes can't manage.

The thing that made the ship work for me, rewatching the show after several years back in 2020, is the fact that Faith is -- even at her worst -- incredibly sympathetic precisely because she is such a loser and hates herself so much. She boasts about being a great actor despite the fact we see her awkwardly telling the sort of transparent lies that ... well, normally only Buffy manages (compare "There's this big party ..." in Amends to Buffy trying to tell her old crush Ford that "there was a cat ... and then there was another cat, and they were fighting"), she wants people to think she's cool so badly but only manages to fool Xander and Willow, she tries to act as though she's happy without friends but we only ever see her alone sitting watching old tv shows or lying listlessly on her bed, she insists she doesn't need a Watcher and "has a problem with authority figures" but she is so openly desperate for any sort of parental guidance in her life that she sides with first Mrs Post then the Mayor. She ties Buffy's mom up so she can have someone to listen to how sad she is that Buffy's moved on to a new guy in college and "dumped" her. The scene in the church in Who Are You? where Faith-as-Buffy furiously attacks Buffy-as-Faith while screaming through tears that she's "nothing ... disgusting ... murderous bitch" is, I think, a strong contendor for the best scene the show ever produced.

As Doug Petrie said, the reason Faith works as a character -- and the reason that Buffy/Faith works as a ship -- is that Faith is incredibly unhappy. If Faith was the cool loner she tries to pass herself off as -- and which some of the fandom seems to think she is -- the ship wouldn't be nearly as compelling to me. Faith isn't just the part of Buffy who loves Slaying and pushes back when other people give her orders, and she's not just another verison of Angelus. She's the part of Buffy from Becoming who lost everything and ran away from home, only unlike Buffy she never got to go home again. As Angel asked Buffy in that episode: "no friends, no hope ... take that away, what's left?". Well, Faith is what's left. Of course Buffy would see herself in Faith, right from the beginning. Of course Buffy would want to protect her. As Buffy (Sunnydale Class Protector 1999) tells Angel, Faith is in pain ... she's somebody who "some people ... protective-type people" are naturally drawn to. The show is very consistent about the fact that Buffy's type is friendless losers who look good in leather and can fight alongside her in battle (but not quite as well, so she can protect them and look after them when they're hurt). And what bigger loser in the show is there than Faith?

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I wholeheartedly agree with you that all signs point toward season 6 a soft reboot of the show. there’s this general consensus that “of course they’re going to deal with everything that happened in the season 5 finale” but i can’t help but get the terrible underlying feeling that a lot of the original plot of the show is going to be considered collateral damage to the writers rather than a plot device by the end of the season.

Fandom is expecting this to turn into an angst fanfiction… but ultimately, it’s a show for 8 year olds.

I’m also entirely disinterested in Lila being the main villain, because the “all 14 year old girls hate each other and come up with schemes to rip each other down” is now taking center stage instead of being reserved for a B-Plot. It’s just a big bucket of “cool, I don’t care.”

(Post this ask was in response to)

Never say never, but I will be genuinely shocked if we get something even remotely close to a satisfying resolution to anything that has happened in the show so far. The writers spent seasons four and five establishing a clear pattern of ignoring big plot points or resolving them in the least satisfying way possible. I don't know why that would change now. The last "satisfying" thing the show gave us was Chloe's "damnation arc." While I will always disagree with calling it that, at least we got to see her setup to fall and then fall. Everything after that has been a lackluster nothing burger.

The temp hero identity reveals at the end of season three might as well have not happened

Chat Blanc apparently has no impact on Marinette (but somehow does on Adrien?)

Alya getting her Miraculous full time led to nothing

Marinette being the guardian didn't change anything

Lila's lying disease confession meant nothing and she still had all her power

Season four could have been cut and season three could have just ended with Gabriel escaping with the miracle box since he already had it and only lost it because of a random power we'd ever seen before (naming a new guardian)

The list goes on and on. I don't expect perfection from any fictional work. Everyone has a bad book or a bad episode or even a bad season, but this goes beyond a minor blip in the road. Seasons four and five retroactively ruined many elements of the earlier seasons by making it clear that there was no master plan for those moments. Or if there was, it's an impressively bad one.

I also fully agree on the Lila point. I cannot stand her or the way her character influences the rest of the cast. Her episodes feel tailor-made to drive me up a wall and I have no interest in watching a show where that writing is the new standard. I'm fascinated that people expect her writing to somehow improve now that she's the big bad after multiple seasons where she consistently drags the show to new lows.

This is a formula show for little kids. Every plot and plan will have to be established, carried out, and resolved in 20 minutes. That makes it impossible to write her as anything more than a petty brat. Just look at how poorly Gabriel came across! He had the power of being a highly-influential adult and still ended up looking completely incompetent most of the time. How is Lila supposed to be better? My plan is still to not watch, but please let me know if the show somehow surprises us all and gets good.

[eolewyn1010]

Downton Abbey Fashion 18 - post-war evening dresses

I feel like all the dresses I personally find beautiful are the ones that are not allowed to come back for another season. Unfortunately, this applies to a large part of Cora’s early wardrobe.

Interestingly, while I’m pretty sure she wears this champagne evening gown at least twice, I think she never wears it without the dark brown velvet robe. At least I don’t remember having seen the sleeves of the dress. The colors are a nice enough match, but nothing on either piece points to them having been made as a set. The dress is embroidered in crystal or glass beads, the coat apparently in pearls. But anyway, this dress is lovely!

More velvet, this time in plum over a pink silk base layer. Plus a little white lace trim. So far, so nice, although I don’t know why they made the sleeves of yet another fabric instead of working out something similar to the deep cowl collar. But fine, the beige works as a nice backdrop to a little flower embroidery.

Cora can’t keep off the velvet this season – time for some black. It’s fashionable black, not mourning black, so Cora can afford to pretty it up with netting on sleeves and shoulders, tassels on the sleeve hems, a big brooch in the front, and some gorgeous lace gloves that I desire with a vengeance. Despite this being a quite heavily decorated dress, I think the neckline would invite a discreet little necklace. Ah well.

*sigh* This red silk work is quite an iconic look, and one that stays into season 3. I’m gonna level with you: I think it outstays its welcome. I don’t like this one. Oh, it’s a fine dress in theory; the embroidery is lovely, the red shades coordinate well with the golden shoulder straps, I’m a fan of the fluttery sleeves. But the cut of this bodice isn’t doing Cora’s figure any favors. Is there any reason to make her waist look so disproportionately short without really hitting the Edwardian empire waistline?

Much better. This goes a lot more into 1920s styles with the drapey chiffon top, and I think the hip overlay (sash?) looks very pretty. It’s the only heavily embroidered piece, which seems unusual for the muted coloring of the dress, but it merges very nicely into the wide sleeve cutouts with the jewel trim.

Yay, black dresses with embroidery are keepers for season 3. Okay, this is not the worst of them; the gold thread with beads makes for a pretty cute look, but why does Cora wear a sleeveless dress for Christmas? Or is this a shirt? The skirt is greyer, so it might be separate.

--------------

There’s something with this season and brown dresses. It doesn’t always work in the wearer’s favor. I mean, I like this pleated wrap style, but the head scarf really washes out Rosamund’s beautiful ginger hair and the dress doesn’t give any other color pop either.

Hey, look, it’s a black dress with golden beading. You know what this means: It’s spectacular enough to stay into season 3! I’m getting very tired of this, but I can’t just bitch. The chiffon sleeves are cute, and there’s this style of little grape bundle earrings that pops up here and there across the show.

A black dress I find remotely interesting? Can only be here for one season. See, this one pulls off the empire waist Cora’s red silk dress didn’t want to commit to. And the top is basically just one big stretch of gold brocade (plus or minus some black chiffon for the sleeves). Damaged brocade, by the look of that second image. Is this an original? Is that why they couldn’t keep it around?

One of the subtler favorites of mine: The use of these black scallops is just delicious, how they open to diamond shapes on the arms (over barely visible chiffon that has exactly the color of Rosamund’s skin) and are held together with actual diamonds. I love it, it’s wonderful despite not having made a spectacle out of it.

These shots are not great, but this is rather a lovely dress, albeit one that is in Edwardian style and is thus beginning to look out of fashion. The skirt is some silverish blue velvet that pairs nicely with the paler-colored top, all crepe-work wrapped in a V over a simple light blue base layer. Also, behold the trim. It sparkles!

[davekat-sucks]

lute x adam is better than davekat and chaggie. they both sound killer singing together.

also just like wish's "villain", I find no fault in adam's reasoning, sinners such as rapists and pedos should be eradicated. i dont give a fuck about how apparently there are random kids in hell to emotionally manipulate the audience, for all we know that could be a grown ass man pretending to be a kid, and maybe that could have been more interesting: to see a hell's citizen take advantage of vaggie's kindness. it'd explain her trust issues & lute's bizarre reaction to actual mercy.

whats up with modern shows/films these days and their weird morals...

Adam x Lute is better than Davekat and Chaggie. Funny enough, Vivziepop confirmed that pedophiles, Nazis, and racists are already wiped out after they died. Like, human pedophiles/Nazis/racists who die, don't go to hell, limbo, purgatory, or heaven. They just get erased from existence. Angels have nothing to do with it. The Hazbin/Helluva universe already does its work. Of course, imps and hellborn creatures like hellhounds or the Sin ringleaders, can still be pedophiles, Nazis, and racists. But they are exempt from extermination. So the only sinners that do get sent to Hell to just do the same old shit would be murderers, con artists, human traffickers, rapists, and those who commit slavery, are still around. Which makes me question where does child murderers or those who lead child human trafficking and slavery fall in. Do they get wiped out from existence too if they didn't touch the child in that way? Do they get wiped out from existence for harming a young soul? Or do they get straight sent to Hell because murder is bad, regardless of age? Probably doesn't help that Heaven already admitted they don't know the requirements of people getting into Heaven, so it's a mystery on who is even checking since apparently at this point, even innocent souls who likely died of accident or bad circumstances, get sent to Hell regardless. It probably will be answered later on by some bullshit means, but it raises more questions on when in point did that become a thing. People pointed out that Angel Dust's sister, MOLLY, is there. What point in time Heaven allowed others to get in before it all changed with the extermination? Does even something small as when you were a kid stealing from the cookie jar, count as a major sin to be sent straight to Hell and that's why the child is sent in? Who the fuck knows. Maybe it will get answered in finale. Maybe they will hold it off for season 2 since it is confirmed and they are already recording the lines as we speak. I think the reason for these weird morals in recent modern media, just only goes for the straight black-white mortality, but hide it differently in these recent times as an act of justice that we won't make the same mistakes like we did in the past. Unfortunately, they are but are too ignorant to see it. Also in the case of how Hazbin Hotel is presenting with its rushed pacing, people, audiences and creators, would rather get to the heart of the matter fast and immediately than to build it up on how to get there. Why the fuck should we know about Camille and her backstory when all that matters is that she is a protective mother and that's it? No need to build up sustenance, all it matters is just the emotional factor to pull at your heartstrings for one moment like a quick sugar rush. No need to show the slow burn romance of why Vaggie likes Charlie. All it matters that she is now cute lesbians with her and its a good rep for LGBT. TL;DR of that is people are impatient.

[lucysarah-c]

Hello, I’m the bad Oc anon. I get it but she doesnt have the cheeky femme fatal attitude she’s just a shallow cold bitch for no reason. Like in transactional i was excited to read but she’s so rude in her head to Levi often it makes her really unlikable. I wanted to say it not bc I wanna be a bitch to you, but bc your stories are good but your ocs ruin most of it.How you wrote her in the flirting skills is even worse. 

Hello!

I understand if you don't like the MCs, as I mentioned in your first ask. It's alright—not all MCs are for everyone, but while you may not like them, others do.

I don't intend to drag this out more than necessary, but I will explain a bit. The MC in "Transactional" is mean to Levi in her head because she's not in love with him; she doesn't know him, she's not even a scout—she's an MP—and Levi isn't known for being a ray of sunshine in general, especially not to MPs. Not all main characters are going to be madly in love with Levi for no apparent reason. I'm not saying it's bad to write MCs who are in love with Levi; it's just that in the particular fics you chose, the MC isn't in love with him. The MC in "Transactional" isn't even interested in Levi—the joke of the fic is that (as the title implies) it's a mere transaction. She doesn't love him, and he doesn't love her. He has something she wants, and she offers herself for the promotion... Nobody in that fic is in love; it's not about love, it's a plain smut fic.

Furthermore, she keeps repeating in her mind that she's "expecting" Levi to behave in a certain way because that's her perception of him, and he turns out to do the opposite. This indicates that she clearly has no idea who Levi Ackerman actually is. The joke of the fic is that dynamic—the lack of feelings, her expectations, and what actually happens.

The same goes for Levi's horrible flirting skills. The MC is not in love with Levi for most of the fic; she doesn't know him, they barely talk, and she has other boys who are into her. To her, he's just Erwin's Captain. Not every girl inside the walls is deeply in love with Levi—that's the joke of the fic: him trying to make her fall in love and failing. I do have fics where the reader is in love with Levi from the start, etc., but these two in particular aren't like that. I understand if it's not a dynamic you enjoy.

Some fics do well here (Tumblr) and not on Ao3, and some do well on Ao3 but not here. The audience is different; I've even considered that there are writers better suited for Ao3 and writers for Tumblr. "Holy Ground" doesn't do well here but does there, and "Not in Season?" wasn't much of a success here but did well there. I'm not saying "Transactional" is a masterpiece—it was just an idea I had that I wanted to write. What did I want to write? An MC who needs a promotion and sleeps with Levi in exchange for it.

There's no feelings, there's no love—just plain "transaction."

I hope this helps, and if you still don't like them, which you're free to do, perhaps those are not the stories for you, or maybe none of my stories are. I don't expect to write things that please everyone. I write what I feel like, what I like, and what I want, because I don't see a single penny out of this.

Have a nice day.

[pink-pavlove]

Big fucking spoilers babe

Okay I need to dump. I’m actually gagged Rosie is holding alastors leash. Like GAGGED! I would have never guessed in a million years. Rosie x alastor friendship has been popular in the fandom, ive seen it in so many fics and fanarts. Although when i first watched the series i thought the relationship between them was more of a friendship of convenience and mutual interest (cannibalism, power, murder) more than it was that they actually enjoyed each others company. That being said i still would have never guessed she was such an important character. Now that im over the initial shock lol, im pleasantly surprised.

Alastors backstory. First of all the way it’s presented to us; Alastor going to ask a favor from Rosie and being bitchy about it; is *chefs kiss*. I can’t tell you how much I love seeing this side of al. He’s vulnerable in a way I didn’t expect to see but also stays true to himself trying to smooze or intimidate to get what he wants. Love that for him! I loved his human version. Idc what ppl say about the mustache, *captain holt voice* “that mustache was ERA APPROPRIATE!!”

Oh no, he’s hot! Maybe it’s just cuz his voice doesn’t have the staticy overtone anymore (or maybe it’s cuz he just sounds angry) but his voice is HOT. Human al is a maniacal hottie and I will not apologize for saying it!!!

When Rosie laughs about him getting shot and killed the day after making their bond, and he goes “oh hahahahHaHHAHAHAHAHA! Yesssss… SO! funny…” all sarcastically???? Babe… I’m done. His character is so naturally hilarious they don’t even have to do too much with him.

I’m so excited to see more Vox this season. I love him deerly (haha… ha?) Him absolutely trashing the hotel and making Charlie’s life hell is a great plot point and I honestly want to see it the most. Besides a few quick glimpses of him, there was a storyboard with al and angel dust tied up, apparently Vox kidnapped them. 🥵 girl I’m too twisted to think normally about that. I’ll just leave that one alone….

All the scenes of heaven made me SO MAD!! I hate them fr. Tbh it’s such a great and intelligent commentary on our society and how we treat people we deem worthy/unworthy, (An arbitrary concept that is based in opinion not fact) and how we often let our emotions get the better of us. The way they immediately assume sir pentious forced his way into heaven, that it’s a “trick”. They refuse to acknowledge or even consider that their way of thinking, the things they have been doing, the beliefs they’ve based their society on, might be wrong. They would rather make it almost impossible for new souls (worthy or not) to enter heaven out of fear. Fear that the people they’ve oppressed and abused might fight back, and fear that there actually might be consequences to their actions (if one can be redeemed, than it would be right to assume one can also fall (they even have an example that this is already true, Lucifer!)). It’s disgusting to watch them act this way, but only because it’s so REAL! This is really how people are and it just confirms the theory that the people in heaven aren’t that different than those in hell.

I think all this backs my personal theory that people don’t end up in heaven or hell because of what they’ve done in life, but instead they end up where they THINK they belong. Sir pentious went to hell because he never forgave himself for not coming forward when he should have; for not saving people when he had the chance. So when he did have the chance to save his friends, and he acted on it selflessly, he in his mind believed he had atoned for his past mistakes. Therefore! Landing him in heaven, redeemed.

Further solidifying my theory, he hates it in heaven! I fully believe people end up in hell most of the time simply because they would have more fun there than in heaven! Heaven lowkey sucks. Having to hangout with LUTE? Or stupid fucking ADAM?? Yeah, no, fuck them! Heaven might be nice, but no drugs? No porn? Yeah I’d perfer hell too 😅🤭

Lucifer being a guest at the hotel is also an interesting addition I didn’t expect. The dynamic of the show seems much different than the first season, definitely more intense imo. Didn’t see much or any of angel or husk, (I think there’s a leaked Angel song somewhere but I haven’t found it yet) although I caught a glimpse of cherri bomb curled next to Angel on the couch and I’m really hoping that means we get to see more of her!

Anywaysssss I’m off to look for more spoilers, I’m finding all of the leaks on tiktok btw! I wanna hear you vent so come talk to me about it in the comments or dms 🫶

[thetarttfuldickhead]

The call connects and there’s Roy, seemingly back at his own house, seated on a grey couch and wearing a scowl dark enough to match his t-shirt and jacket.

Trent smiles, though carefully not too wide. “Hello Roy. Thank you for agreeing to this.”

Roy grunts. “Better you than any of the other wankers,” he mutters.

Trent makes an effort to hide his grin. Visibly gloating about having the sort of access to Roy Kent that other journalists – independent or disgraced or otherwise – can only dream of isn’t likely to get him the exclusive comments that he needs from Richmond’s head coach on today’s kerfuffle.

“So,” he offers smoothly, “what do you—“

He’s cut off by the loud bang of a door slamming shut on the other end and a startled fuck from Roy and then there’s Jamie Tartt’s head coming into view as it flops down on Roy’s lap. He must have thrown himself down onto the couch.

“It’s all such fucking bullshit, man,” Jamie pronounces dramatically as he – Trent’s eyebrows rise another inch – grabs Roy’s arm and pulls it over his chest, claiming half a cuddle. “Did you know—“

“I’m in the middle of an interview, you twat,” Roy barks, but he does not, Trent notes with increasing interest and incredulity, remove his arm.

“Since when do— ?” Lifting his head from Roy’s lap, Jamie blinks at the screen. “Oh! Uh. Hi, Trent! How you doin’, you good?” His grin is wide, easy, with no hint of embarrassment, and Trent finds himself smiling back. Jamie has always been charismatic, but the last few years have seen his swagger turn into a good-natured charm that’s surprisingly hard to resist.

“I’m fine, thank you, Jamie. And regarding the news this afternoon, how do you—“

“No,” Roy immediately says, shifting to push Jamie off his lap in spite of the younger man’s indignant protests. “He has no fucking comment. He’s not part of this conversation. He’s not even fucking here.”

“The fuck are you on about, mate, he can see I’m— “

“Go to the kitchen,” Roy interrupts. “Get me a whisky. If I have to listen to you complain about wankers on Twitter or split fingernails or whatever, I need a fucking drink.”

“You’re an arsehole,” Jamie tells him from out of the picture, but he doesn’t sound particularly upset. “I haven’t even got any split fingernails.” And then he must be off because he doesn’t say anything else and Roy turns back to Trent, glaring like he’s daring Trent to say it.

Trent, with equal parts cunning and self-preservation, says nothing at all. Waits.

Eventually, Roy’s shoulders drop a millimeter. He lets out a huff. “Jamie’s fucking needy, all right? He needs fucking hugs and shit and he turns into a moody bitch prima donna if he doesn’t get them, so.” He presses his lips together, having apparently said all he intends to say on the subject.

Trent had noticed Jamie’s fondness for hanging off anyone's and everyone’s shoulder during his season with the team. He hadn’t known and would never have imagined, though, that Roy would ever be willing to indulge the tendency, especially not to this degree. And that rather begs the question...

“Roy,” he says carefully. “You know that, if the two of you are—“

“We’re not.” And Roy closes his eyes, shakes his head. Opens them, looking resigned, but looking a little bit wry too. “Be less fucking weird if we were, wouldn’t it? But we’re not. It’s just… “ He pauses. Shakes his head again. “It’s Jamie. Just… fucking Jamie.”

“Except you are not,” Trent says, just to be clear, just because being a bit of an asshole is a habit, and fun.

“Except I’m not,” Roy growls, and looks like he’s about to add something more – something scatching and imaginatively insulting, Trent assumes – but then he lifts his head, turning towards someone offscreen. “What— ? Yeah, we’re fucking done. Bye, Crimm,” he adds, and then the screen goes dark as Roy abruptly ends the call.

“Bye, Roy,” Trent tells the silence. “I’ll just text you the questions, shall I? You can get back to me when you’re done giving Jamie Tartt a cuddle.”

[spaceorphan18]

If you had to cast the Bridgerton actors into glee 09-15 as special guests stars, have you any thoughts on who any of them could be? I could see Jonathan Bailey as a cousin of someone, maybe Blaine (and bring back Cooper) or Rachel. Or pick a Bridgerton actor as love interest for any of the glee characters? Or a mother figure or mad teacher?

So. I thought about this all the way to and all the way from my doctor's appointment today. And the more I thought about it, the more fun I had with it, lol! I have soooo many thoughts, so you're getting a whole bunch of ideas, Nonny!

Btw, I realized that the Bridgerton actors are, on average, younger than the Glee cast! Isn't that wild? Mostly because it's been so long since Glee was on the air.

So, I came up with story lines for a hypothetical Glee Season 7 -- that takes place solely in New York, and ignores about half the plot points of Season 6, lol. Oh, and I decided the Bridgerton actors are playing characters with the same or similar names because I'm too lazy to create new character names for this kind of thing.

Oh. And. Apparently, Glee makes everything just a smudge gayer, lol.

I hope the five of you who don't mind me continuing these crossover things enjoy this <3

*****

Nicola Coughlan...

... (as a season long guest star) plays Penny, a quirky, fun loving, gossipy student from Ireland, come to New York to study script writing. She and Kurt take the same class, and Kurt thinks she's the greatest thing ever, and the two become joined at the hip (much to Rachel's chagrin; Blaine doesn't mind one bit). She and Kurt decide to work on a project together -- writing a play about a drama school -- it takes them the whole year to do (and of course, they put it on at the end of the season/year).

And I mean -- I'm not out here advocating for people to be in Ryan Murphy productions -- but if anyone could really sell one of his bonkers characters, it'd be Nicola Coughlan.

2. Rege-Jean Page...

...plays Simon; a hot, young TA for stage combat and movement, and every one has lined up to take the class.

3. Pheobe Dynevor...

...plays Daphne, a young girl whom Quinn is mentoring. She ends up pregnant and alone, after her boyfriend dumps her. Quinn takes her under her wing, and helps her figure her life out.

4. Jonathan Bailey...

...as Tony, Cooper Anderson's just as neurotic, weird, and attention seeking roommate, who also wants to be an actor. The two of them have a ridiculous love/hate relationship, which makes staying with Blaine (and Kurt) question whether or not they might actually be in a relationship together. (The answer is no, but Tony is gay, and he and Cooper are ultimately fond of each other)

(if there's another person who could also really go all in when it comes to eccentric Ryan Murphy characters -- it'd be Jonny Bailey.)

5. Jessica Madsen

...as Cress, a waitress at the same bar where Santana works. She's has a fiery streak about her, and goes toe to toe with Santana. She's also a lesbian. There's a regular enemies to lovers thing going here.

6. Claudia Jessie

...as Ellie. She's the student director of the all-female play that Rachel is starring in. She doesn't really like Rachel, and felt somewhat forced to have her in the production, but deals with her anyway. She's smart and clever and really opinionated and very direct, and she and Rachel butt heads a lot. But Rachel becomes a better person after being in the production and having Ellie really help her get her shit together.

7. Adjoa Andoh

...as Mercedes's favorite aunt, Agatha. She's in town and helps Mercedes decide how to move forward in her life. (And also shows up to attend the wedding between Mercedes and Sam.)

8. Luke Thompson

...as Ben, Tina's new boyfriend. Who figures out he's bisexual when he does a play with Blaine. Blaine helps him figure out his sexuality (not personally - Klaine is still very much a thing) but it's alright, he does actually like Tina, too, and they stay together. :)

9. Yerin Ha

...as Sophie, Mike's girlfriend-turned-fiancee. She is not at all in the entertainment industry, and Tina decides she doesn't like her. Until she meets her, and thinks she's great. It gives Tina and Mike a chance for some real closure.

10. Golda Rosheuvel

...as Char. She takes over NYADA after Carmen Tibideaux retires, and she makes Carmen seem kind and charming.

11. Hannah Dodd

...as Frannie. Artie sees her in a coffee shop once and becomes obsessed with her -- wanting her to be the star of his movie. He searches the entire city for her, only to find that she works in the building next door as an accountant (who loves her day job). She won't star in his movie, but she does agree (eventually) to go on a date with him.

12. Victor Alli

...as Johnny, Brittany's new best friend, a rich, handsome, world traveler, who is using Brittany's intelligence to help him in his scientific work. It's a season runner -- where she always mentions him, but everyone thinks it's just Brittany just being Brittany, until he shows up at the end of the season to be completely real.

14. Martins Imhangbe

...as Willy. He runs the piano bar they all go to (and Santana works at). He doesn't really like theater, and finds the kids annoying, but hey, it's a living.

15. Simone Ashley

...as Katie. She rides a motorcycle, and frequents the piano bar, and Santana is obsessed with her the whole year. Santana finally figures out how to talk to her, and the two hook up, but Katie does not have time for Santana's bitchy shenanigans, and puts Santana in her place.

(I don't know why my brain wanted this to happen, but my brain wanted this to happen.)

16. Luke Newton

...as Colin, Elliot's younger, half-brother, whom he hasn't seen in years. He's in New York to try to reconnect with Elliot (and hey, why not form a new band and bond through music). Kurt hates him. Mostly because he's way too distracting to Penny, and my god, they have to get their script done!!

(See...tying it all together ;) ... also, things I never knew I needed - Luke Newton to work with Adam Lambert.)

17. ...and Julie Andrews

...as Kurt's Grandma Hummel. Because it's what Chris always wanted. :)

Alright, I know I didn't get everyone (Sorry Ruth Gemmell, I just couldn't think of anything!) But man, now I want/wish we had all of these things. :D