#are we just forgetting the first season is her fucking someone so she can actually feel something remotely exciting

[chaoticnerdsstuff]

“Omg shauna doesn’t love jeff is canon, they said it an interview!”

Bestie I recommend a rewatch if you actually needed someone to confirm it outwardly.

[w2soneshots]

Over the years -W2S

warnings: mentions of pregnancy.

summary: your and Harry’s relationship each year from twenty-sixteen to now through instagram posts.

notes: hello lovelies! For once this isn’t a request, thought of it all busy myself🙂‍↕️. I used Bella Hadid for the face claim (I usually don’t use just one person but it made sense for this)🫶🏼. Also, omfg did this take ages… one thousand photos and a week later I’m finally finished! Don’t forget to reblog and enjoy💞✨

2016... the year you became boyfriend and girlfriend

Liked by miniminter, zerkaa and others

y/username: love youuu @wroetoshaw

-comments-

wroetoshaw: love you more

-> y/username: 😋❤️

tobjizzle: ay! happy for u 2!

-> y/username: ty Tobes!!

y/nfanpage21: cuteeeee oh my gosh🫂

user: my two worlds colliding

y/username posted a new story!

2017... your first big holiday as a couple

wroetoshaw posted a new story!

Liked by wroetoshaw, freyanightingale and others

y/username: Italy🍝✨🇮🇹

-comments-

callux: looks sick, hope you had a great time!

-> y/username: we diddd! best pizza ever😌

y/nfanpage21: this is adorable💞

user: Harry in the unicorn floaty lol

2018... festival season

Liked by calfreezy, behzingagram and others

y/username: drunk, covered in glitter and hot, but ready for some bangin music!🤸‍♂️☀️🍺

-comments-

wroetoshaw: definitely hot😉🔥

-> y/username: lmao smooth

reevhd: vibes = immaculate

y/nfanpage21: outfit on FLEEK🤭

user: she's so perfect for Harry omg

y/username posted a new story!

2019... London and the boys

wroetoshaw posted a new story!

Liked by tobjizzle, mollymae and others

y/username: 19 you've been good to me, see you all next year!!🎆

-comments-

wroetoshaw: ⛷️

taliamar: gorggg!💓

-> y/username: mwah😚

y/nfanpage21: I live for y/n with the sidemen boys

user: she's the original icon⭐️

2020... the virus

Liked by ksi, wroetoshaw and others

y/username: haven't posted in awhile, here's a few very uninteresting photos from my week🥞🤍 stay safe everyone and please STAY INSIDE!

-comments-

calfreezy: daily runs entered the chat

-> y/username: running buddy 4 life🏃‍♀️

y/nfanpage21: ahh we've missed you girly!!😭

user: Harry and his biohazard bag against the world

y/username posted a new story!

2021... new beginnings

Liked by behzingagram, taliamar and others

y/username: a random dog turned up on our front step today (he has been safely returned to his owner dw🐶), pleaseee can someone convince @wroetoshaw that this is a sign we should get a puppy😫🙏

-comments-

wroetoshaw: brilliant, now my dm's are filled with people asking if your pregnant (also no puppy)

-> y/username: omg shit, forgot to specify that that's my FOOD baby vs Faiths ACTUAL baby🤣 (we're getting a puppy)

faithlouisak: love u wifey

-> y/username: 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

y/nfanpage21: she's so unserious lmao the first and second pic

y/username posted a new story!

2022... the year he finally popped the question

Liked by sidemen, joeweller and others

y/username: we're engaged!! enjoy this dump from our week away, where I had NO idea I was going to become a fiancé hehehe💍💓

-comments-

wroetoshaw: only took me 7 years

-> y/username: not bad for you tbf babes😌🫶

tobjizzle: congrats again guys❤️

freyanightingale: AHHH! unbelievably happy for you y/n🥹💝

y/nfanpage21: our fav couples growing up

user: HE'S DONE IT!!!!

y/username posted a new story!

2023... bride and groom

Liked by chrismd10, wroetoshaw and others

y/username: random photos from my week + wedding prep commences!💫💝

-comments-

faithlouisak: SHE'S GETTING FUCKING MARRIED!!!🥳

-> y/username: hehe thank you once again for the cake girl, smashed the brief

callux: exiting stuff😯

y/nfanpage21: makeup... ate. hair... ate. cake... they ate it.

user: I can't WAIT to see what dress she picks

y/username posted a new story!

2024... the year you became mummy and daddy

Liked by wroetoshaw, dualipa and others

y/username: counting down the days until we meet baby girl...🎀🌟

-comments-

ksi: can't wait to spoil her😁

-> y/username: uncle JJ incoming...

faithlouisak: your GLOWING mama💕

y/nfanpage21: the book🥺

user: two youngest sidemen having a kid before the others lol💁‍♀️

y/username posted a new story!

2025... the life you've always dreamed of

y/username posted a new story!

Liked by zerkaa, faithlouisak and others

y/username: right where I want to be💌

-comments-

wroetoshaw: my beautiful girls

-> y/username: love u����

taliamar: brill, got Mushu trying to eat my strawberry😂

-> y/username: he stood there for a good ten minutes, bless him. maybe next time buddy🥲🐕

y/nfanpage21: oh... to have her life

user: fun fact: this was posted exactly nine years from their first couple post, how cute❤️‍🩹

[chipthekeeper]

Today I had the displeasure of reading the words “we get it vel is sad and gay can we move on” and several other similarly ridiculous things on twitter a website not to be named, so I spent my whole 45 minute drive home just absolutely fuming with the need to defend my girl. Most of you know I've already done this in a broad sense before (defending her as a character and as half of a complicated relationship on her appreciation Friday), but let me focus in on what we’ve gotten from Vel so far in season two for now. Because yeah, it might not have been exactly what I was hoping to see, but it’s meaningful as hell and Faye is doing a fucking incredible job and deserves to be applauded for it.

Look. Even if all she was doing was being sad and gay, I would be here for that. You know this. Those are two of my most favorite qualities of her. But let’s not pretend that all she’s doing is “mourning her gay situationship” and forget why we’re seeing her in this arc in the first place. She’s Mon’s cousin and closest confidant, and she’s Chandrilan. Stuck between these two facts is a conflict for Vel. She HAS to be at this three-day-long heteronormative child wedding from hell because someone she loves needs her support, but she hates every second of it. She hates this place, these people, this culture, probably even the clothes on her back. She looks uncomfortable just about every second she’s on screen in this arc, ESPECIALLY in the third episode.

See?

Something you may or may not have noticed – even I didn’t really register it until I started thinking about all of this because watching three fucking episodes all in one night made them all blur together – but Vel DOESN’T ACTUALLY SAY A WORD IN THE THIRD EPISODE. She has no lines. Vel’s extreme stress and discomfort are conveyed only through Faye’s body language and facial expressions. To complain about this and cry about her only being “sad and gay” is a huge discredit to the performance and I simply won’t stand for it.

Like yes, she’s sad and gay but why can’t we take a second to think about what that means? Look at her circumstances, even leaving out the Cinta of it all for a second. This is a person who must have realized at a very young age that she was not only different but very likely going to either live a completely miserable life or be a disappointment to her very wealthy family and her society at large, and being back here in the middle of it all for an occasion like this hurts fucking deeply even if it’s a weird tradition and she wants no part in it. I can tell you this for a fact because I have fucking lived it. As a gay person, I have no desire whatsoever to take part in a traditional religious marriage or wedding ceremony like the one my sister had a couple years ago, but being at her wedding and the party that followed was overwhelming and painful because I spent so much time thinking something along the lines of “even if I had someone in my life to do this with, these same people – my family – would never celebrate my love this way.”

Now, is that what Vel’s thinking about as she stands next to the other unmarried women (i.e. teenage children) watching her niece’s first dance with her new husband? Perhaps not. But the way she breaks down after seeing Cinta sure looked an awful lot like how I looked sitting outside in the dark and the rain, drunk as I’ve ever been, while my sister’s reception carried on behind me.

And this, to me in particular, is what’s so great about Vel as a character – as a STAR WARS character – and why I will never ever complain about seeing her be “sad and gay.” For the first time ever in my favorite franchise, I get to see myself so clearly. She’s sad and gay, yes, but she’s also fiercely supportive of her family (the part she likes, anyway) – she takes Mon’s hand in support when she needs it, and she seems ready to snap at Kleya for even being around and creating the possibility of trouble at this function. She’s sad and gay, yes, but she’s on the front line of a fucking rebellion. Just because you don’t see it in this arc because that’s not where the story is focused doesn’t mean that’s not still true, and we’ll see that again come next week I’m sure.

I don’t really know how to wrap this up, but the point is if you’re tired of what’s happening with Vel in this show, you’re probably not paying enough attention. I want more of her and more for her to do as much as anybody (that’s a lie, I want it SO MUCH FUCKING MORE THAN ANYBODY, fucking try me), but there’s already a whole ocean of her character to explore with just what we have, if you only bother to stop and consider it.

[jaewritesfic]

Everlasting Trio DP x DC Nobody Knows AU Part 7

Part 6

The door Sam knocks on is in a much nicer building than she expected.

She and Tucker are visiting Danny for dinner - and boy did they both nearly burst with excitement when he shyly extended the invitation - and frankly Sam had expected an apartment building in the Narrows or Park Row.

Danny was a teenage runaway less than a decade ago, for God's sake. Forgive her and Tucker for assuming he'd still be getting his feet under him and scraping by.

This? This is not that.

Sam has half a mind to think Danny is sugaring. He certainly wouldn't have any trouble - the Danny that disappeared from Amity was cute, but small and awkward in that teenage way. The grown up Danny they've been reconnecting with? He's tall, lean and positively gorgeous.

She wouldn't have a problem with that, per say. But the Danny they knew was also too nice for his own good and starved for positive attention. If someone was taking advantage of that Sam would kill them. 

Separation did not quell her instinct to wrap Danny up and protect him from the world, it would seem.

There's a slight commotion after the knock before Danny himself is yanking the door open with a grin that's happy and nervous at the same time.

“Guys! Hey! Come in!”

He ushers them inside with all the energy of an overgrown puppy, something that hasn't changed one bit since they were kids.

Sam shivers a little as they enter, assuming there's an AC unit blowing over the entryway at first. She smiles at Danny's back as he babbles at them.

“I kind of lost track of time, so food isn't actually ready yet, but then I thought - hey! Who cares! We can cook together and it'll be fun! I got all vegan stuff too so we can make a meaty pizza for Tuck and a different one for you, Sam-”

The apartment they walk into is a spacious open floor plan, furniture in blacks and grays. She shivers again. Seriously-

“Your AC on the fritz or something?” Tucker asks, rubbing his arms a little. “It's like fifty degrees in here, man.”

Danny freezes for a second on his way to the kitchen space before turning around and beelining for a wall - the thermostat.

“Shit, sorry! Sit, sit! I knew I was forgetting something,” he grumbles as he flaps a hand towards the black bar stools at the kitchen island and fiddles with the thermostat. “I like the cold, I always have it too low for most people in here. Sorry about that, it'll get better soon.”

Sam and Tucker exchange bewildered looks as they sit at the kitchen island. There's liking it cool, and there's fucking freezing.

“Guess I don't have to ask your favorite season,” Tucker jokes, and Danny offers him an apologetic grin as he lopes back over.

“Yeah, probably a safe guess,” he chuckles on his way to the fridge. “You guys want drinks? I have a homemade sangria if you want. Beer, wine, you name it.”

Tucker opts for a beer. Sam asks for the homemade sangria, curious. Danny pours two glasses and takes an ice cube tray out to pop a couple of ice cubes in.

When the glass is set in front of her - “they're the stemless kind you can't knock over. Cool, right? Look at ‘em wobble, they're just little guys.” - she raises an eyebrow.

The ice cubes are in the shape of little ghosts. Tucker snorts when he sees them, taking the bottle opener Danny offers for his beer.

“Ghosts? Really?”

Danny blinks like he'd forgotten he had a novelty ice cube tray, then grins and shrugs.

“I mean. What else is being from Amity good for if not inside jokes?”

He turns away before she can respond with any form of bewilderment - Danny had been known for disappearing during ghost fights, after all. He was terrified of them. She hadn't expected him to want any reminders of ghosts or his ghost hunter parents.

Sorry - Jack and Maddie.

With two resounding thunks, Danny slaps store bought dough onto his nice dark counters. He at least remembered to leave them out to rise. 

“Alright! While I roll this out, it's time to pick your toppings lady and gent - go wild, go ham. Let me show you my selection.”

He opens the fridge again, pulling out meats and veggies and cheeses abound. Sam notes vegan cheese alternatives in the mix with a warm fondness in her chest. She's stricter about being vegetarian than vegan, but the fact that Danny went that extra little mile? 

Yeah. Yeah, this is still her boy. She missed having two of them. She and Tuck were never meant to be without a Danny, and she can see on Tucker's face that he feels the same way.

Smiling and standing to start looking through the options, Sam sips her sangria. 

It’s delicious, and the little ghost ice cubes smile back up at her like they're as glad as she is to be here.

Masterpost

[hot-on-my-watch]

An "Always the Grown-Up" Rant

I know that a lot of fans are angry at Moffat and Gatiss for a lot of things, and most of all for Season Four.

I personally am mad at them for a few things. Mostly things that I can easily let slide given the immense enjoyment I've had and continue to have from their BBC Sherlock series.

But THIS FUCKING LINE!!!

A woman's wedding ring is dirty even though the rest of her appearance is carefully curated? I'll handwave it and maybe google when we started using soap.

Man wears same large thick coat outdoors in all seasons? Fine. It's England. And I have an old (autistic) friend who actually does this.

John's eyebrow says that he hasn't rung his sister, and Mary's a bread baking disillusioned Guardian reader with a secret tattoo? Hahaha why not?

Sherlock has to use his incredible mind over matter to restart his heart but also "it was surgery"? Bit much, but I'll overlook it. For you.

Evil genius simultaneously hacks every screen in the country? Eh, ok.

Secret island prison? Sure. Let Sherlock live his pirate fantasy. Let John point his gun at someone. Let Moriarty play Queen while dramatically disembarking from a helicopter.

Predicting multiple terror attacks at lightspeed from Twitter? Well, we've come this far.

I do not watch Sherlock for 'slice of life' realism and dear lord I hope no one else does. I do not WANT realism. I want to forget that I am vast majority bedbound and that people are out there having coffee and going for a pint and working at normal jobs with payslips and lanyards and spreadsheets. And generally speaking, BBC Sherlock has helped a lot with that!

But WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK were they THINKING WITH THIS LINE???

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!

Sherlock is barely a fucking grown-up on his own, but I'd allow it. Especially after the "baby" jokes John, Lestrade and he himself have previously made at his expense.

But COMPARED TO MYCROFT?!?!

WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK. LADS?????

WERE YOU HIGH? WERE YOU OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MINDS? WHAT THE FUCK???!!!

See, after I first heard this, I quickly recon headcanon-(is this a thing? Is there a name for this soecific thing?) -ed it into Mrs Holmes the mad genius being completely out of touch with the social reality of her children- especially as she's been so harsh to Mycroft in this scene and not massively had to look after adult Sherlock herself. Because, y'know, Mycroft was doing it!

Then I complained about it on Reddit.

To my HORROR, another user told me that Steven Moffat had said in an interview that it was meant to be taken as true. But y'know, we're all just randoms on the internet and people get things wrong.

Then another user told me they theorised that Eurus had reprogrammed her parents to favour Sherlock, which is an interesting theory.

But clearly in the script, everyone... including Sherlock and Mycroft... just quietly agrees.

What....

What is the reasoning for this?

I know some will say "mate, welcome to all of season four" or even "three and four" or all of it.

I know some people consider Mycroft a bully, but I really don't. Certainly not after the scene on the plane and the 'Redbeard' reveal.

I'm open to persuasion though. If anyone has any thoughts on this, feel free to share! I might well not agree, but I won't attack you either.

Or the writers. But again, if I ever end up trapped with them in a lift or some such... I WILL have questions!

/rant.

[cerise-fille]

you know, i never thought about it before, but now i can't stop thinking about it.

shauna has like lots of serial killer's traits. and for some reason nobody talks about it. so i will.

so let me just give you a bit of a warning that all of that is my opinion and "but shauna is very traumatised" won't work. because... most of serial killers was traumatised at some point, which doesn't mean that i deny shauna's traumas or that murderers are responsible for their actions just because i pity them.

so let's get started! (there will be examples for some of the traits, so SPOILERS AHEAD!)

1. LACK OF EMPATHY

this is not the easiest one to start with, because i can't fully claim that shauna has no empathy. instead, i will prefer to say, that shauna - like many psycopaths before her - in a defensive mechanism suppressed most of her emotions through out the seasons. mostly, because of the image she created in the shadow of jackie and jackie's personality she mostly imagined at the very begining.

so we can say, that shauna does have empathy, but somewhere very very deep inside her most of the time. (+0.5)

2. LACK OF REMORSE

should i even tell you about that? shauna never felt bad(or at least showed) her guilt about what happened in the wilderness, neither in adult nor teen timeline. actually, shauna is mostly doesn't care about all that, instead worriyng about what will happen if this surface. it's not remorse for her crimes. it's fear of being caught on her crimes(quite logical, but still). (+1)

3. IMPULSIVENESS

shauna is impulsive. she snaps rarely in seasons 1&2 and quite rarely in season 3, but with lots of consequences to deal with afterwards. (+1)

4. GRANDIOSITY

i really can't say shauna has some of that, but i guess it can be said that she gaslightes everyone(not very succesfully) that she does it for them and for the team they are. yk, bullshit. but in the end i still wouldn't count it in. (+0.5)

5. NARCISSISM

shauna is not that narcissistic i guess, that's not the word i would use. shauna thinks she knows better, she thinks she's above others. the "the person i was back then. not a wife or a mother. i was a warrior. i was the fucking queen." phrase from the last episode summs it up pretty nicely actually. because shauna never was a queen. fpr the group, she was a tyrant with a big ego. shauna never was a real queen, cuz people still listened to nat or even lottie. so here i would rather say that this trait does fits shauna. (+1)

6. SUPERFICIAL CHARM

well... shauna is charismatic i guess. there is something in her that pulls you in. i can easily empathise with shauna most of the time when i'm not angry at her at the moment or if i'm not seeing her in actions = when my mind intentionally forgets about who shauna shipman really is. and judging by tumblr, most of people do the same thing. (+1)

7. MANIPULATION

shauna is a big manipulator in s3. with the group and melissa specifically. from the ecamples we can see the trial(tho it was more of a simple threat than manipulation), and jackieshauna's and shaunahat's fight. but in the first one shauna aimed to hurt just as badly as jackie(unintentionatly hurted her) and in case with melissa she was simply gaslighting her. (+1)

8. ADDICTIVE PERSONALITY

shauna doesn't have alchohol, smoking or drug addiction, but she does have this thing for the thrill of the hunt or just violence. i guess we can count it too. (+1)

9. LUST FOR POWER

c'mon, ladies, i'm not explaining that, just watch whole season 3. (+1)

10. THE MACDONALD TRIAD

this is the only trait i would frankly say no to, shauna doesn't have it.

if someone doesn't know what is that it's three traits that usually assosiated with violent tendencies: cruelty to animals, obsession with fire-setting and presistent bedwetting past the age of five(don't ask me, ok). shauna has shown kind of love to animals in the adult timeline, she was afraid when the cabin was burned down, and we know nothing about bedwetting, so... no. simply no. (+0)

and if we follow the original list then shauna's result will be 8/10. that's quiet a lot.

but i would add to that two more.

11. SADISM.

through out the season 3 shauna constantly shows sadistic tendencies. and yes, it is different with 'lack of empathy', because sadism means enjoying violence and not just not caring. if you want examples - okay. shauna clearly enjoyed beating the shit out of lottie(in the 1 or 2 season, but okay, we can igonre this one), she enjoyed the fear when everyone surrended to her will at the trial, she enjoyed when lottie blow the tourist's head with an axe, she enjoyed when melissa pissed her pants after the shot, she totally enjoyed when lottie started to count to 30 in the last episode.

12. HIGH INTELLIGENCE

shauna is very smart most of the time(when she doesn't give way to her paranoia) and it was confrimed many times in the show. i don't know what else to say about that. she is.

and that gives us 10/12. not all of them, but still more than two thirds. 🤷‍♀️.

so i won't tell you anything about her being a psycho(i'm sure y'all already know it), but i just really wanted to rant about it. because i do find it creepy.

i'm open to any opinions too...

[genericpuff]

Just saw your response to someone asking about plot points you hate. Can I ask why you don't like Athena/Hestia? From what I remember (take this with a grain of salt because while I've read the whole comic it's more in a junk food, read and forget til next time kind of thing)

From what I remember it's not a huge plot point? Like its just kinda.. there? It doesn't really impact much of the story at large.

Also I agree with the hades/thanatos thing, that's kinda odd and it doesn't make hades any better or more sympathetic of a protagonist. If I remember right, doesn't he abandon thanatos or push him away?

I have issues with the Hestia x Athena plotline the same way I have issues with the Hera x Echo plotline. It all feels shoehorned in for the sake of seeming 'inclusive' towards gay relationships, but gets next to no actual development or screentime aside from the odd lip service meant to benefit Rachel.

Especially when Hestia and Athena were already embraced as LGBTQ+ icons to begin with and didn't need to be shipped together to make it possible. Rachel has a really hard time comprehending aroace identities and this is present even back in her Tumblr days-

If Hestia and Athena are still supposed to be at least ace in LO then we haven't seen any indication of that. So it just makes them look hypocritical as fuck for running the "virgins only club" that is TGOEM (and even going so far as to punish Persephone for being around Hades by confiscating his gift to her) and that unfortunately makes them look like really terrible people which isn't a great look for the only lesbian couple in the story (at least until Eros and Hera were established but whether or not they're an actual couple now or if that was just a one time kiss scene remains to be seen). Like even the reveal that they're together is Artemis figuring it out and then being pissed that she's the "only one following the rules", not them coming out about it on their own terms.

Also no, the Hestia x Athena plotline wasn't as big as the other plotlines, but it was one of the ones that felt so out of left field and forced when it was first established. Plus I'd just love for them to be aroace rep again, there are characters who are legitimate gay icons that got erased so that Rachel could retroactively shove it into other characters without any reasoning or relevance to the plot.

I honestly wouldn't have been so salty about the Hestia x Athena plotline if it were just written better (and if it didn't reek of aroace erasure) and that goes for a lot of the queer relationships in LO, because so many of them are only given the tiniest ounces of screentime, enough for Rachel to take credit for being "inclusive" but not enough for her to actually have a diverse cast. Morpheus is the most consistently present character we've gotten for LGBTQ+ rep and now even she's been fridged :/

Anyways, as for Hades and Thanatos, yeah, the retcon that Hades was a 'father figure' to Thanatos the whole time seems like it was purely written in to make Thanatos look like a hypocrite for having very reasonable concerns regarding the special treatment being given to Persephone at work. But then Rachel had to actually resolve that plotline so in S3 she had Hades approach Thanatos in search of his brother just for them to have a weak 'heart to heart' where Thanatos took the blame for being a 'handful' and Hades trauma dumped and never really took accountability for everything. The fact that we're supposed to believe they have a father-son dynamic really makes the first season gross to read because the whole time Hades is legitimately treating Thanatos like scum. It absolutely does NOT make Hades more likeable, even with the attempt to 'redeem' him which really just made him look like an even bigger asshole u.u

[velvetvexations]

So my thing with TCW's Anakin is that he's a completely different character from the Anakin of the films.

TCW is a TV show told over several seasons and has to present Anakin as like, actually likable, which may have been what Lucas intended, but if you actually watch Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith it's hard to cite Anakin does that goes beyond occasionally not being an a weird jerk, and he achieves even that a lot less than you'd think. All I can think of offhand is that his first instinct when his clone wingmen are getting killed is to go back and help them, but Anakin's better nature otherwise basically vanishes after TPM.

And none of that is necessarily a flaw of the prequel trilogy. We can argue about the execution, and certainly I agree that if Lucas actually expected audiences to see Anakin as a poor little meow meow then, haha, no? But assuming both that it it was totally intentional and supposing that in another world it was delivered in a way that was more compelling than what we got, this as a faucet of who he is flows. Anakin Skywalker of the prequel trilogy is a immature, raging asshole who spends nearly every shot he's in mouthing off, complaining about how mean everyone is, throwing himself at a crush he developed before he was a preteen that makes him literally the worst possible choice out of countless Jedi to be assigned the job of protecting her, and just generally proving he was absolutely not ready to be knighted because he still acts like the world's whiniest douchebag teen to ever exist.

I mean, my fucking God, the fit he has over being not elevated to the rank of master. At the very least that's better justified from his perspective by the cut subplot of him wanting clearance for archival shit he thinks he needs to save Padme, but even then, it's cringe for him as a person because he's still going about it in the most childish way possible. This is, again, not inherently a bad presentation of his character because being childish and not in control of his emotions is kinna meant to be his whole thing.

So it's surprising then that TCW starts with him getting assigned a padawan, which I guess is how that works now. I saw someone say Yoda meant it as a "he'll learn from her as much as she learns from him" thing, and like, I guess I could see Yoda doing that? But the bigger issue is that the show then goes on to present Anakin as someone who is like, even a tiny bit competent at being a big brother-type mentor, which absolutely nothing in THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE FRANCHISE up to that point had ever portrayed Anakin as having the potential for being. TCW Anakin is simply not the Anakin that has public hissy fits even by the time of RotS.

The problem is that Anakin's fall is obviously shown in two movies so even though TCW comes between them there's no pressure to actually have to portray it because that's taken for granted as having been clearly depicted already, and thus the show is free to not have to do any of the hard work of depicting Anakin as someone who is maybe a bit of a jackass. They can have him be a very uncomplicated rational hero guy, they suppose, because his traits that are the exact opposite of that are displayed elsewhere.

Like, I like some of the Imperial March bits in TCW, but absolutely none of them have real consequences at all. Even Anakin force choking people is very quickly brushed off and never given any depth. Most critically, he's never depicted as being wrong for doing any of those Imperial March things. He's not having his secret darkness exposed when he force chokes someone to get information because it always turns out to be the right choice in the moment. It's just these little unconnected moments of "oooh see because he turns evil later" while forgetting to make him any percent of evil in the here and now.

Don't forget by this point in time Anakin has already murdered an entire village of people, and not just the men, but the women and children too! They were like animals and he slaughtered them like animals! So why is it so difficult to reconcile that with TCW Anakin? Like, hey, TCW Anakin, do you remember doing this really brutal and horrific crime against humanity? Are you really the kinna guy who murdered a ton of children and is about to murder way more? The answer is, no, he isn't, he's just like, a great guy who sometimes gets justifiably angry and is also okay with killing someone who is threatening to blow everyone up.

But like, that bit with him killing someone threatening to blow everyone up was a really good scene because it contrasted Anakin with both Saitine's pacifism and Obi-Wan's desires to live up to Saitine's expectations of pacifism and to prove Jedi morality, so it did not necessarily need him to be the worst person alive. But the fact that every Imperial March moment is validated and justified and never causes any problems whatsoever is an issue here.

And it just comes down to the fact that TCW frankly would have been considered completely unwatchable by most people if Anakin was actually 🎶 the worrrrrst 🎶 like he should be. Like the ideal way to have done it would be to make Ahsoka Obi-Wan's second padawan and Anakin view her as a rival so they sometimes get along but more often clash in a way that shows Anakin is still on his bullshit as he will be by the time of Revenge of the Sith. But at that point you're going for the kinna protagonist complexity that would not make for a good Cartoon Network show at all on top of the fact that TCW was already way more violent than you'd ever have ever expected from western animation back then. That's edging into being something like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, which you could do as a kid's show that keeps the edges just barely under the maximum sharpness they're allowed, but kids are still probably not going to watch it and executives are still definitely not going to approve it. And execution still may have fallen short regardless, even if it had been a show aimed at adults, given both the differences between things like that and grounded character study crime dramas that were getting massively popular around the same time, and, you know, the prequels.

[considerablecolors]

⚠️ SPOILERS FOR S4 & DISCUSSION OF SA ⚠️

hey so umm THEY NEVER ADDRESSED ALLISON TRYING TO ASSAULT LUTHER IN S3 WHAT HAPPENED HELLO. I KEPT WAITING WITH BATED BREATH TO SEE HOW THEY COULD POSSIBLY ADDRESS THAT TOPIC WITHOUT FUMBLING IT AND THE ANSWER WAS JUST. TO NOT EVEN TRY. I GUESS.

"everyone in the family is mad at me because i changed the timeline" ok yeah sure but I CAN THINK OF ANOTHER REASON TO BE MAD

and before anyone says any shit this is 100% not an excuse to be racist and sexist or to hold allison to different standards than your favorite white male characters. part of what made that scene in season 3 so disturbing to me was the fact that the writers chose to have the only black woman main character in the show do that to a white man. she's one of two women in the core siblings cast at this point. she's also a character that initially, while prone to making mistakes and abusing her powers, always loved her family. in fact, her love for viktor and insistence on not giving up on him even when he was hurting the others was one of the main themes of the first season.

why did we have her do that of all people. why did we have anyone do that at all. it was completely unnecessary to do (and to SHOW ON SCREEN) but to have the gall to do... that... and then not even address it and have allison and luther act completely normally to each other...

ALSO UM. luther canonically not remembering his first time having sex because he was under influence, getting mind controlled by his sister to almost get sexually assaulted, and then becoming a stripper despite showing basically no interest in the actual aspects of it... girl am i going crazy or is this not a coincidence, in a competently handled show this could be an exploration of the way sa victims will end up sexualizing themselves but no. instead we get jokes about him wearing thongs 24/7 and A FLASHBACK TO HIM AND HIS SISTER THAT TRIED TO ASSAULT HIM DANCING TOGETHER LIKE THAT'S CUTE. HELLO. ARE YOU THERE LITTLE GIRL ON A BICYCLE IT'S ME I JUST WANNA TALK.

also here's the deal. luther is also not perfect at all. none of the siblings are, that's the point, but specifically, luther was incredibly shitty and abusive to viktor in season one. but the show took the time to properly address it, have characters act differently towards each other as a result, have luther explicitly apologize to who he hurt and show genuine remorse, and throughout the next three seasons they took time to have him make up for it.

allison didn't get that chance, and that leaves such a bad taste in my mouth, and not even in the context of the show itself as much as the real life implications. im white, so i can't really give much of a genuine perspective and may be looking into things too deeply, but... the fact that allison consistently tends to be one of the most villainized characters in the show and portrayed specifically as manipulative and abusive and selfish... as the only black woman in the show since season 1 (unless i am forgetting someone)... feels so so so gross. (also having ray leave her and her child offscreen like come the fuck on)

everyone is talking about the treatment of five's character lately (and RIGHTFULLY so, believe me), but... allison AND luther i am sorry i am so so sorry they did this to y'all omg

[cxhleel108]

LITG S8 Thots for this week: Here we go again…

(Sorry friends a bitch was getting crunk the last two days so I did not have time to do this until today❤️)

• Ok before we even start why is he sitting like thiskdmsmsnsnd someone help me.

• So the customization…I told y’all I wasn’t trying to gag too hard when they first revealed MC and this is exactly why cuz once again why we only get braids for textured hair??? They’re not even free like y’all already pissing me off.

• So clearly this season is about zodiac because why else would we only be getting star sign tattoos?

• Meet Jaylin y’all😝😝😝 You’ll be getting all her info soon.

• Everyone hating this swim suit but it actually being my favorite. The others were just ok to me Idk sue me.

• Mind you it’s only been like 2 minutes and we already causing issues.

• I think we’re already getting married tomorrow guys Idk.

• And he has a lion tattoo so that means he’s most likely a Leo and my girl is a Gemini oh look how I ate this pairing up!

• Oh Theo stans I’m so sorry…

• I’m so glad I’ve never ended up getting the guy stuck in the “Day One” couple like I really would just end it all.

• The job options being the exact same…ok! I wanted her to be an athlete anyway😁

• Him assuming that he had a high chance of being picked when Oakley and Jin are present…I just busted out laughing.

• Yeah all this talk about compatibility and these dudes talking about being “magnetized” and “drawn” to us is def giving let’s compare our charts to see if we should fuck each other or not.

• Such a real bitch oh Claudia I love you already💯💯💯

• Sophie telling me to cool it around Jack like I want him…I just busted out laughing again.

• Our date with Theo just feeling like two people building a friendship and not a relationship was nice I would love for it to stay that way tbh (Him like 5 minutes later saying he was trying not to flirt with us can they not do this again like please).

• Jack’s date was a snooze fest who’s shocked? Also him having two moms just makes sense Idk why.

• I am gonna have so much fun replaying this season to do Jin’s route omg this man is too good.

• Yeah I already don’t like Emel. Girl who is bringing yo ass a bouquet at 8 in the morning??? Don’t piss me off.

• Uhhh cuz I’m badder than you, duh!

• Outfit time🥳🥳🥳

• These are cute!

• This is not!

• Right…anyways so!

• Yikes!

• Hehehehe no y’all don’t understand like she is already my bestie fr. Love when one of the girls is here for the fuckshit.

• The drama that be happening sometimes be so stupid like girl. Claudia sitting here telling me everyone was mad at each other on DAY FUCKING ONE because nobody wanted to be with who they were with…do y’all just come on here and then forget how the show works.

• Oh girl just stop like fuuuuck😭😭😭

• Outfit time again✨

• The panties did not need the sheer added.

• This literally being a swimsuit.

• Claudia’s outfit is so cute ugh werk!

• WHY IS THIS MAN BOOTY SO DAMN FAT LIKE OMGGGG😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

• He wanna compete with me so bad!

• I’m cryinggggg why we really living the storybook romance that Emel keep begging for.

• Me & Oakley: “Cheats are the lowest of the low”

• Also Me & Oakley: *Eating each other’s faces off outside*

• Yes please get Emel out of here before she takes Willow’s place and actually starts annoying the fuck outta me.

[disregardcanon]

after seeing the mid season agatha all along trailer, here's a few Thoughts

okay so. i thought that teen might have sealed away his own memories when he performed The Latin in the first episode, but he definitely didn't. he's fully aware

i wonder if he's JUST billy maximoff or if he still has memories of being billy kaplan and they kind of merged? like i feel like when kaplan was in that crash when he was 13 maximoff just... took up residence in a vacant body? but it might be a melding of both

i do think that he was giving agatha a chance until the end of the episode when he used that patented Teenage Snap Judgement and decided that he was WRONG to give her a chance, actually, and felt ashamed for having given her the benefit of the doubt so he was course correcting.

my main reasoning there is that before agatha kidnapped him and tommy in wandavision, she was nice. when she was babysitting them she actually talked to them and he thought it was interesting and cool that she was "quiet" on the inside. like everyone thought my MOM was the worst but she wasn't! maybe this lady isn't either! she seems kinda cool. i kinda like her and she definitely didn't kill her son for power. i need someone that knows how to do this stuff and she's a safe bet.

i am so excited to see them in all those costumes. lilia as glinda the good witch? rio as the mad hatter? death is COMING

the padded walls of the cell looked a lot like the first time we saw wanda and pietro.

i love how much DISDAIN agatha says his name with. like they were vibing! they were really, legitimately bonding and enjoying each other's company! and they're both course correcting soso hard now.

like agatha "betrayed" billy by refusing to be VULNERABLE in the wake of her accidentally killing alice. that whole experience was traumatic for her! she 100% did not want to kill alice and now she's left with "proof" that she can't be good and she and the others just want to keep moving and forget about it. but he's a kid and doesn't get the nuances of that! he just saw that they were being callous about killing their friend. if he had reason from any of them to believe that agatha didn't do it on purpose and that they all were upset about it (it wasn't and they all were!) he might not have gone Full Self-Righteous Teenager.

billy "betrayed" agatha 1. proving that he wasn't nicky and 2. rejecting her and witches as a societal group for not grieving the way that he thought they should be. agatha is holding on by a thread by the end of this trial after having to deal with her mother, being possessed, manslaughtering a friend, and being jarred out of all of it by her baby boy's voice and the confirmation that her mentee... isn't him. not only is billy NOT her son, but he's not acting like the kid that she's been growing attached to. that's her little fan boy to project her feelings about her dead son onto! that's her morality pet! she behaves slightly less like a dick and in return gets Affection and Praise From Person Who Likes Me. in her eyes if he had the audacity to prove once and for all that he wasn't nicky he could at least not throw away all her kindness and accuse her of being a purposeful monster. like ohhhKAY kid! you want me to be your bad guy, i'll be your fucking bad guy! which is not a healthy way to respond to a teenager having an emotional crisis. but this is agatha harkness! she doesn't hAVE healthy responses to things

i want jen to drown that hideous doctor in the most stagnant water they can find on the road

wonder how rio will respond when she gets done escorting alice's soul to the nether and sees billy jamming out to you should see me in a crown with a Suspicious Lack of Coven

[destinygoldenstar]

🌟This Challenge (And Episode) Is SUPER🌟 - Total Drama Viewer Reacts to Disventure Camp Season 3 Episode 13 “Dis-Vengers”

TRIGGER WARNING: BLOOD & GORE

Okay, this italicized part is an EDIT after the reaction. I need to put up a trigger warning for this episode as a reason why I might not show as many images as usual.

I don't think it's as bad as it could've been, otherwise I think OddNation would get demonetized. But to be on the safe side, THIS EPISODE/THIS POST IS NOT FOR THE HEMOPHOBIC.

I WILL put a TW in the tags as well so they don't see the post. But in case your account doesn't have the filter for this sort of thing, HERE'S YOUR WARNING.

Told you all I was gonna make a Hamilton reference.

Anyway, last time, the non-villains were petty. They lost. Then they rose. And then they still lost.

So the moral of the story is that if you're being bullied, TOO BAD. YOU CAN'T GET RID OF THEM.

(That was a joke ^)

Anyway, let us begin with THE EPISODE WITH THE UNLUCKY NUMBER. Geez, that's a bad omen.

"Aiden and Jake almost died to a wolf."

WHICH YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT BY THE WAY.

What if they DIED? Or got so hurt they needed to go to the hospital? JUST SAYING.

I love how Yul is outcasted from the rest of these guys.

FUCK YUL. WHY THE FUCK IS HE STILL HERE?!?!?!

How much longer do I have to put up with him? Seriously? I'm scared he might actually have a shot at being a finalist.

Oh Oliver got shoved out of a plane. What's new?

*Gets Grammarly Ad*

OH THAT'S NEW.

Fuck you Grammarly. Go get shoved off a plane.

Oh, we're right back to Trevor crying... okay?

Do we need a continuation of this?

"I'm such an idiot!"

"We can agree on that."

DAMN NINA!

I forgot she was here. I keep forgetting she and her puppet master are in this season.

"What are you doing here?"

"Marcus saw you in the cameras."

STALKING?!

"Why does Marcus care about me?"

Hey there's a solution for you! GO DATE MARCUS!!

Trevor x Marcus all the way.

"He cares about everyone!"

I... I mean sure, there's nothing to DENY that, but also... I feel like I'm being told not shown.

"Now, why're you crying like a little bitch?"

DAMN. POP OFF PUPPET QUEEN.

Demon puppet queen.

Cause like, dude, you are currently engaging in conversation with and being downplayed by a SENTIENT PUPPET.

That's how you know you've lost it.

"What's with you two? Krystal's not even all that."

You spent a whole season with her, what?

"Oh wow, didn't saw that coming."

First off, grammar error. Fuck Grammary, but like, come on.

Second, I hope that was sarcasm.

Because if you're stalking Trevor crying on camera, then I have firm reason to believe you were also stalking their conservations where Trevor has confessed to having a crush on Derek.

Nina's sentient. She should know this already.

"And now here I am venting my problems to a puppet- I'M SO STUPID!"

At least he's aware. XD

But that aspect also makes this, like, the most engaging scene with the intern characters this whole season.

Which sadly is a low bar. Because concerning his problems, once again, the amount of "I don't give a fucks" I can give.

"Well this 'puppet' is done with this crybaby. I'm going to bed."

YO NINA IS SLAYING HERE?!

10/10

10/10 Nina moment.

She may be a demon who killed everyone that one time, but I can acknowledge a slay moment when I see one.

Oh damn. They're WASTED.

YOU DIDN'T EVEN EAT THE FOOD!!! HELLO?!?!?! I SEE THAT FOOD STILL ON THE TABLE IN THE CORNER!!!!

THAT LOOKS SO GOOD!!! EAT THE FOOD DAMMIT!!!

"Lasagna? So out of date for an actress like me. Champagne IS the new lasagna!"

Why'd you smash that? That was a perfectly good bottle.

Someone's gonna come by later and step on that glass.

"Maybe that's my intention, Golden."

NO RIYA!

Oh they look like they're having fun though.

THAT BOTTLE WASN'T THERE BEFORE.

Oh look at that.

Allyson has an apple. Of course she does.

"I love my apples so much. They reminds me of the electronics I've been on withdraw of. Anyone wanna have an apple?"

"Nah I'm good."

"WELL FUCK YOU JAKE YOU UNGRATEFUL PIECE OF SHIT-!!"

"CHILDREN! PLEASE! I'M TRYING TO READ A BEDTIME STORY HERE AND YOU'RE RUINING IT!!"

Also where did Connor get a book from?

"So Aiden's a shy pee-er, huh?"

Connor, respectfully, shut up.

"Shut up!"

XD

Yeah what he said.

Do you NOT go to a private area when you're-

I don't even want to think about it or talk about it.

"And that's-hic-how I lost the audition."

First off, her hiccups are cute sounding.

What audition? She's lost plenty, right? The whole reason she joined the show was because she was failing.

"How come we always talk about me?"

Oh?

"I mean I know I'm awesome, but come on."

"You Alec. I wanna hear about you."

Oh! Okay!

Riya actually wants to get to know him and be his friend!

I mean, hey, they're drunk, can't really use any acting techniques.

"How's your family?"

"SHUT OUT OF MY LIFE."

Come on, that's a bad one.

"Do you not trust me?"

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

I mean, he has some proof why he shouldn't.

"I should have never come on this show."

Oh, Alec...

"I still think about them every night. I can barely sleep anymore."

Yeah...

That's why he's even doing all of this, because he's so lost and only sees himself as bad.

"Who?"

"Cheryl, my wife..."

Oh we got a name!

"My son, Daniel..."

We got two names!

"They were gone by the time I came back."

OH THAT'S INTERESTING.

He said in Season 1 he was going to divorce his wife himself.

But it sounds like they beat him to it and abandoned him. He didn't even get to state his case.

That's worse.

"After Season 1, I only communicated with Cheryl through her lawyer. She had been preparing to divorce me while I was competing... THAT BITCH!"

OH GOSH. IT IS WORSE.

Also, sorry Alec, no offense, you're doing great, but I can't stop looking at Riya's face being GENUINELY CONCERNED AND SORRY for him.

I wonder if Alec has some apathy disorder? Like a personality disorder? Cause there is a lot of evidence to that.

Like, he is unable to feel care and love towards others, and it sabotages the relationships he wants to have.

Is that a thing?

*looking it up*

Yeah, Schizoid Personality Disorder. That sounds about right. (Look it up if you don't know what I'm talking about)

This is my headcanon, anyway.

"I think you're had enough."

OH WOW RIYA BEING THE BIGGER PERSON HERE AND TRYING TO HELP.

She's not the worst friend? Hello?

"The divorce took everything! I lost my son, my job, and my passion for reading! I never even brought those damned books!"

Let it out man.

It's... it's not okay. But you know.

"I could have been a better father..."

You have a chance with Fiore I guess.

"A better husband..."

AIDEN GET OUT OF THE SHOT!!!

I DO NOT WANT TO WATCH AIDEN TAKE A PISS!!! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

YOU'RE RUINING THE SCENE!!!!

"I would give anything-ANYTHING-just to hold her hand one last time. You know what I'm talking about. Right, Riya?"

"...Uh... no."

But she might end up like that at the end of this season, we'll see.

"I still feel awful about Connor."

Awwwww

I knew it! I knew she felt guilty!!

"I remember the early days, when he was always there for me. He loved me even when I was nobody."

Awwwww

"Looks like we both can learn from our exes."

Exes? Riya and Connor weren't dating.

Maybe Connor had feelings? But Riya didn't feel the same about him.

They're more friends to me. A kindship type.

"Maybe one day, I'll find the one."

Oh I love that for her.

At the very end of all of it, all she wants is companionship in her sad little lonely life.

WHAT THE-!?

*chokes on breath*

OKAY. OKAY. I DIDN'T THINK HE WAS GONNA DO THAT.

UH... ALEC, WHAT THE FUCK?!??!

I know I said I shipped them, BUT I SAID THAT AS A JOKE THINKING IT WOULDN'T BE A THING!!

HOLY SHIT.

You miss your wife but you're hitting on Riya? Okay, sure.

Consent? Is there consent? I don't know.

OH MY GOD THERE IS!

WAIT SHE ACTUALLY DOES WANT HIM! OKAY!!

"Alec!"

"Did I... do something wrong?"

"No, it's just... we can't. I'm sorry."

Oh I get it. The game.

She doesn't want this to ruin the game for her.

Also Riya again being the reasonable one in this scene.

"No one can know about this!"

Why not?

You're on TV anyway. What's the stake of the campers knowing? You two still have all the power.

"Goodbye, Riya..."

Aww. I guess my previous thoughts on their dynamic weren't for nothing.

OH AND AIDEN SAW IT. OF COURSE HE DID.

So much for keeping it a secret.

"The kiss was... fine. But I can't do romance in this game. I'm here to win!"

Yeah. I get it.

*Gets Grammarly Ad*

AGAIN?!?!

FUCK YOU GRAMMARLY! GET OFF MY SCREEN!!!

"Should I tell Connor? This could destroy him!"

He's already over her, so...

Maybe he's upset Alec is into her and... "You told me to leave Riya behind because you were planning to take her yourself?" That sort of thing?

I can see him getting upset about that.

"Uh, what the hell are you wearing?"

"My swimsuit."

"And the finger."

"A-and there's nothing you can do about it!"

YES! FINALLY! TELL HIM!!

AWWWW GABBY HELPING?!?!?

Oh I love this already.

"And if you don't like it, maybe we should... break up."

THANK GOD!!!

THANK GOD I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SINCE EPISODE ONE!

"Yeah sure, okay."

"I said okay. You win."

???

I thought you needed her to be convinced you are a thing so you had an advantage in the game...?

Fuck Yul.

"Look I'm happy for you and that lesbian behind the tree."

Oh he sees.

"THAT'S MISS LESBIAN TO YOU!!!"

"I can finally find a woman who can treat me well."

I hope you never do.

She did everything for you! AND YOU DESERVED NONE OF IT!

"And you? Well... this isn't exactly good for your image."

I, who exists, will say the opposite.

"Wait, no! I didn't mean we should break up-"

GRETT NO! YOU WERE DOING WELL!!

"Please! I'll do anything!"

DO YOU NOT SEE HE IS NOT WORTH A SHIT?!?!

IT'S COMICAL AND EXAGGERATED HOW ABUSIVE HE IS!!

Me too Gabby. Me too.

"So you'll stop bitching?"

"Yes, I'm yours forever and ever."

FUCKING HELL.

I hate this ship with a passion. I want it off my screen. Oh my god.

Grett has been flanderized to literally just be the abuse victim who can't get a clue.

"Now go get some fruit and get out of that disgusting outfit!"

The blood in my veins that are BOILING RIGHT NOW 😡

I FUCKING HATE THIS MAN!!! WHY IS HE STILL HERE?!?!?!?!!

I'M GONNA GET YOU A POISONED APPLE!!!

I'M ROOTING FOR THE POISONED APPLE!!!

"This woman..."

ME TOO GABBY.

"Fucking hell lady. I'LL DO IT MYSELF THEN! I'LL BREAK HIS LEGS!!!"

"I can't let Grett hang out with that vegan carpet muncher anymore."

I THOUGHT YOU WERE FINE WITH DUMPING HER-

Inconsistency in the character as well? Why am I not surprised?

He's not even interesting, he's just a douche for the sake of being a douche.

"I know what you did."

I-I don't think this is a good idea, Aiden.

"Depends on what you mean by that. I have done multiple showing in my time. You could be talking about my very existence for all I know.

"Huh. Whatever."

Oh wow. She didn't lash out.

"So you won't mind if I go tell everyone?"

No. Makes no difference if you think about it.

All it will do is hurt Connor's feelings. And if you think about it, that puts you in a better position because the opposing alliance's moral compass is gone.

And you throw Alec under the bus.

Sure that's shitty, but hey, she's a villain.

"Go ahead."

OH WOW SHE ACTUALLY HAS MY MINDSET.

"This could be the leverage we need to finally get the heroes back on top."

How? I feel like this will just destroy one of your members.

"That... little... BRAT!!!"

XD

Riya's version of SCREAMING IN A PILLOW.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

Shoot? You want to kill her?

"Do you feel like you like him?"

"I just want to enjoy the moment."

"Growing up, I never went on dates. I was just so focused on school, trying to impress my dad. I... I never had time for boys."

And this is why Krystal is the best of these host characters.

"You better treat her well!"

Oh damn. This man is her adopted dad right now.

Ah whatever, you know? Happy for Krystal. I support this ship.

IT'S VR!!!!

OH MY GOD IT'S VR!!!!!

YES!!!!!!

THEY BROUGHT THIS BACK! I'M SO HAPPY!!

And they're fully aware they're in VR this time. They're not being psychologically tortured into thinking they've been surviving a month in a zombie apocalypse.

"And one of the questions were in regards to what type of super power you would want."

OH!

OH I CAN ALREADY TELL THIS CHALLENGE IS GONNA BE GOOD.

Oh we get to see.

"I've always wanted to be a shapeshifter!"

YES QUEEN! THAT'S A GOOD ONE!

"Lord, give me strength!"

LAME.

Come on, strength is like, the most boring one you can come up with. At least flying can defy gravity and it's cooler to look at.

"Electricity, so I could charge up my phone and I can tase some annoying kids!"

Jay, Master of Lightning, is ashamed to share his power with you non-consentually.

"Super speed!"

Basic, but okay.

"Telekinesis."

OKAY THAT'S JUST BROKEN.

And would be a nightmare to control in real life. Everything you think about just moves?? Ow.

"Fire control, so I can literally burn my enemies to the ground."

HEY QUEEN 👑

She also has fiery colors on.

"Water bending."

Oh wow, opposites.

"Imagine all of the third world countries I could help out of a drought."

Aw, Grett is a hero?

"-and then post it on my Instagram!"

XD

No.

That is something Grett would do.

"Elasticity."

No. That's a nightmare educing one.

"My original Twitch tag was Elastagirl."

Of course it was.

"That's a dumb question. Next."

Oh-

Wait what?

"Wait, so what's my quirk? Do I not get one?"

"Uh, they're called powers, and you decided to me a smart aleck, so no powers for you!"

OH!

😂

OH YOU ARE FUCKED, MAN!!

That's hilarious.

Watch Alec win this. Despite having no powers.

Okay, I get these challenge rules.

"You can also take each other out as you so desire."

Can I watch Yul die then?

I MEAN THEY HAVE PERMISSION NOW!

"Any questions?"

"What's VR?"

BRUH.

Alright, Connor's disqualified.

LET'S GO!!!

*Gets Hankook Tire Ad*

DAMMIT! IT TOOK ME INTO AN AD! NOOO!!!

What is that color palette?

I don't like that on her, I'm gonna be honest.

OH MY GOD THAT'S HORRIFYING!!!

Am I the only one who thinks elasticity as a power feels like something out of a horror movie?

That design's even more ugly.

Why would you make grey his primary?

OH DAMMIT WHY DOES YUL GET ONE THAT ACTUALY LOOKS GOOD?!

OOH OKAY GRETT!!!👑

Bit generic, but well done Aiden.

OH MY GOOOOOODDDD!!!!

❤️👑

I'm in love.

I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS OUTFIT. OH MY GOSH!!

The fire shoulders with the dark reds on the limbs? I LOVE IT.

OH MY GOSH GABBY ALSO LOOKS GOOD!

Purple looks good on her. Who would've thought?

"Wish we could trade powers. Must be nice flying everywhere."

You can fly with fire.

"I WANT TO STAY HERE FOREVER!!!!"

YAAAAAYYYY!!!!

I love Gabby so much. She's just so delightful.

"Find the villains. We need to remove all heroes from the challenge, so they can't win immunity."

Yep. Sounds like a plan.

"Wait, you mean we-"

"Burn them? Maul them? I don't give a fuck, as long as they're dead."

XD

Riya already gets the game.

AND IT'S VR. COME ON. YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY KILLING THEM.

And Gabby wanted to kill them before she even knew about the VR, so...

YEAH SHE NODDED XD

"SAY NO MORE! I'LL DO IT!!"

I was worried for a minute there she'd be out of character and go "bUt i DoN't WaNt To KiLl AnYoNe!"

But no. She's on board. She's not above aggression.

Oh hi Alec.

Alec has NOTHING XD

He's so fucked. Oh my god. He's a sitting duck. XD

"I haven't seen anyone in hours!"

You showed up like a couple minutes ago, what?

"Listen, Riya, about that kiss-"

"Let's not talk about it. We were drunk, and we did something stupid. That's all."

Fair enough.

"Just to be clear, I don't have feelings for you."

"Oh. Alright. Same here..."

Why does Alec sound disapointed?

Why did Riya return the kiss then? Unless she's just desolate or something.

"Aiden was spying on us."

"Oh no, please don't tell me Connor knows about this!"

He probably does at this point.

WHAT IS THAT DESIGN?!

Okay, it's fine, but like... why does he have that chin piece? That's ugly. That's ruining the whole look.

Wow. Jake is terrible at this. When he probably has THE MOST OVERPOWERED ABILITY HERE.

You give the character who thinks with his head THE LEAST, the power to control things with his mind.

I see what you writers did here.

"You're welcome."

Oh hi Aiden.

BANANA 🍌

Allyson comes around the corner screaming, "BANANAS?!?! HOW DARE YOU! WHAT ABOUT MY APPLES YOU BASTARDS?!?!?! MYYYYYYY APPLLLEEEEEESSSSS!!!!!"

How are you gonna kill with speed anyway? Gabby can turn into a predator NO NOT THAT KIND OF PREDATOR. Riya can burn shit. Jake can slam things and crush you. What is speed gonna do as an offense? Run on you???

"Wanna see me run to that big rock?"

"And ditch me?"

"Wanna see me do it again?"

What?

*Rewinds*

Okay. A point where lazy animation is explained by the story why that looks the way it does. Props.

"The villains are probably gonna try to kill us before any of us reach the volcano."

LITERALLY.

NOW IT'S ACTUALLY LITERAL.

"I'm not Quicksilver, but I'll give it a shot!"

Crashes into something immediately.

Yep.

XD

Freaking called that.

"Well, guess you gotta train more."

Bitch, you can't even ACTIVATE your powers! You have no room to talk!

"I missed the lifting people class."

"Guess you gotta train more."

XD

Okay that's good.

OH MY GOD THAT LOOKS HORRIFIC STILL.

OH MY GOD I HATE HER POWERS.

"This doesn't hurt, does it?"

"No. It's like I'm made of bubble gum."

Yeah cause she's basically rubber.

"I dreamed of owning this VR tech ever since I saw the Season 1 cast playing it!"

REALLY.

YOU ENJOYED WATCHING THEM SUFFER IN A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE THINKING IT WAS REAL?!?!

People on TV are getting traumatized and brutally murdered, watching their loved ones die one by one, with no idea it's even fake. They think it's real. They think they're gonna die at any minute. Even today, most of them still have PTSD and are seeing therapy-

"I WANNA JOIN ON THE FUN!!!"

"Maybe we can rest here for a bit."

Rest? You're in VR. You have superpowers. Bro.

*Gets Old Spice Ad*

Okay that's just insulting Connor.

"I need to rest so I can put on my OLD SPICE!!!"

"So how have you been getting with your abilities?"

He can lift shit.

That's it.

It's lame.

"How do you think the guys at your company feel watching this?"

Is that supposed to be a peer pressure statement?

That's not your business.

"You think they'd want their boss to be scared of a little video game?"

Ever heard of his employee named Nunya?

OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT. COMING IN THIS CAVE WAS A MISTAKE. I TOLD YOU!

He didn't lift that. He punched that.

"Aiden, is everything okay?"

"Why?"

Yeah, Jake genuinely showing concern for him.

"I... saw something last night."

Oh he's gonna tell him.

"What am I doing telling you?! You're terrible with secrets!"

Uh...

I was gonna argue, but yeah.

"I saw Riya and Alec kiss."

"They're both evil and attractive. Of course they're gonna kiss."

XD

He's not surprised XD

Alec's not really that attractive though... or maybe it's my lesbian brain talking there.

"Connor might freak if he finds out."

"Isn't he over Riya?"

Yes and no.

Think of it like this. Someone you thought was your friend give you sage advice to leave your partner because they're abusive to you, but then behind your back, that someone goes and hits on them behind your back? That's the betrayal there. Regardless if he's over her or not.

OH.

OH SPEAKING OF THE QUEEN.

YOU GUYS ARE DEAD.

OH THAT'S A GOOD SHOT!!!!

"She burns things, right?"

JAKE.

JAKE.

COME ON MAN.

CLIP SAID SHE HAS FIRE POWERS. BLASTS YOU WITH FIRE. IS SURROUNDED BY FIRE. HER DESIGN IS FIRE.

"DO YOU THINK SHE'S FIRE POWERED? I CAN'T TELL!"

I love you. BUT YOU ARE A DUMBASS.

AND HE'S THE ONE WITH THE MIND POWERS TOO!!

"EVERY THOUGHT IN YOUR MIND IS DUMB."

YOU BOYS ARE FUCKING DEAD.

Oh Aiden's gone XD

"Better him than me! BYE JAKE!"

"Wait what-?" *Dies*

OWW!!! YEAH THAT HURTS!

Okay I'm loving this fight.

"For my next showing, I will be hosting a super hero grill out with the finest meats to share with all my villains! AND THE MEAT WILL BE YOU!!"

NO RIYA AT LEAST SEASON IT!!

OH MY GOD XD

"THE FUCK?! I'VE BEEN DEFEATED BY BANANAS?!?!? YOU CAN'T EVEN COOK THAT!!!"

Also why is one banana not filled? *Look closer in the screenshot if you don't see it*

You can't hide from me. I saw that.

"Take my potassium bombs of fury!"

Bro. You could've done alliteration. 🍌BANANA BOMBS.🍌 COME ON!

OH AND HERE'S ALEC.

DAMN THAT WAS A ROCK TO THE HEAD. HE'S DEAD.

"Prepare to die."

He said that so monotoned XD

😲

BITCH WHAT THE FUCK-?!?!

OKAY THAT CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD!!! WHAT THE FUCK!?!??!?!?!

"Uh.. Aiden... did you just-?!"

HE JUST KILLED A MAN!!!

WHAT I SAY BEFORE? "HOW IS SPEED OFFENSIVE?!" AND AIDEN GETS THE FIRST KILL?!

Boy is traumatized.

Sounds like a Boys reference.

Oh. Fire removes blood. Sure.

XD

SHE'S ON A MOUNTAIN OF BANANAS!! XD

"MY NEXT SHOWING IS ME AND MY ARMY OF BANANAS!!! SHIELD ME POTTASSIUM!!!"

THEY'RE DEAD. SHE HAS THEM SURROUNDED.

"Jake, try to lift her into the fire!"

"I told you, I can't lift people!"

YOU HAVE THE MOST OP ABILITY AND YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE IT!

COOL HEAD MAN. COOL HEAD.

I know you're surrounded by fire. But you know what I mean.

OH.

OH NO QUEEN!!!

THE QUEEN IS DOWN!!!

HOLY SHIT THEY BEAT HER.

"I couldn't lift her, but I made her a tomb."

Smart AND sweet of you.

"Rest in pieces, asshole."

"Amen."

"Aw, thank you for the blessings. I shall rest in bananas." 🍌

She died a banana queen. 🍌👑

Where did Yul and Grett come from?

Kill Yul. Please.

I had to watch Riya die. Watching Yul die too is only fair.

Okay. Strangle him. I like that.

GRETT FUCK OFF! LET HIM HAVE THE KILL!!!

OH MY GOD!!!

THAT'S HORRIBLE!!!!!

YUL FUCK YOU!!!

Though shouldn't Allyson be immune to this cause she's elastic???

Aaaaaaaannnnddd I told you Connor's powers sucked.

OKAY THAT EYE TRANSITION WAS REALLY COOL!

Is Allyson dead?

AGAIN, SHOULDN'T ALLYSON BE IMMUNE TO THE ELECTRICITY BECAUSE THEY ESTABLISHED SHE'S ELASTIC AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE A LIVING EMBODIMENT OF AN INSULATOR????

JUST SAYING.

If they, say, shocked Connor and snake bit Allyson, switched the two kill methods, that'd make more sense.

Oh so five of them made it.

"Hold off on killing each other while I explain."

MIND CONTROLS YUL OFF THE CLIFF.

"Now we're even!"

"I thought every superhero needs a CGI monster to fight."

Oh really?

...actually that's kinda accurate.

"So meet Ned!"

Oh he has a name?

Is that just Riya as a monster? He rose from the lava.

"SEE EVEN IN DEATH, IT WON'T STOP ME! FOR MY NEXT SHOWING, I BECOME REINCARNTED AS A LAVA MONSTER!! TO SMITE YOU ALL AS REVENGE!!!!!"

Every villain gets a monster transformation. So proud of her.

"NOW YOU SHALL DEAL WITH ME OL PRINCE! AND ALL THE POWERS OF HELL!!!!"

"Disvengers... assemble!"

Nice reference, but it's wildly inappropriate for these guys.

"I propose a temporary truce."

They're gonna throw you off the cliff.

"I'll get him easy!"

I hope you fail and die.

XD

IT DOES NOTHING.

Predicting Yul's Torture Counter: 6

Ned Not Riya is like "Really bitch?"

WHAT WAS THAT ROAR?!?!? THAT SOUNDED LIKE A DYING CAT!!

"The water is working!"

Idk how.

"HAVE A DRINK MOTHERFUCKER!!"

"With Grett distracted on the monster, I can finally draw boundaries with Gabby."

Why would you want to do that? Gabby is on your team.

The hell are you trying to do?

"How is a monster this size managing to stand on this volcano?"

It's VR logic.

OH WAIT NO IT BREAKING IT.

"Yo butch lover!"

"Grett is distracted so she won't see me deal with Gabby." SCREAMS BUTCH LOVER.

"I'm gonna say this once. Stay away from Grett."

"...no."

Your motives are all over the place. You hate her, you want her gone and are fine with it when she threatens to leave, but now you're possessive? What?

"If you spread any kind of agenda to Grett about me, I'll make you regret the day you were born, so back off!"

Grett a few feet away from them. "I CAN HEAR YOU!!"

"Make me."

KILL HIM GABBY.

Uh, move. MOVE. MOVE.

How the hell did you not get hit?

Oh that was pathetic Gabby. Come on.

"Yul! What are you doing?!"

YEAH SHE CAN SEE ALL OF THIS SHIT.

"Just focus on the monster bitch!"

BITCH, she has another hand.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

NO NOT THIS AGAIN!!!!

STOP IT!!!!! LEAVE HER ALONE!!!!!!

YUL I FUCKING HATE YOU!!! STOP IT!!!!

GRETT DO SOMETHING!!!

AIDEN AND JAKE GOT THE MONSTER, JUST DO SOMETHING!!!

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLPPPPPP!!!!!!"

*Gets Grammarly Ad*

HELP ME!!!!! HEEEELLLP!!!

OH FUCK YOU GRAMMARLY! YOU RUINED THE SCENE!!

*I rewinded ten seconds*

"LEAVE HER ALONE!!"

YESS!!! GRETT!!!!! GET HIM!!!!

OH MY GOD IS THE MONSTER COMING?!?!?!

MURDER HIS ASS. MURDER HIS ASS. MURDER HIS ASS. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!!

"Oh crap!"

I would say "Why are you just standing there?"

But also, "Nah. Let the monster have him."

"What the hell was that?!"

"My resignation letter."

😭👏

THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU GOD!!!!

THANK YOU FOR HAVING GRETT FINALLY GET OVER IT!!!

"We agreed you would listen to me!"

"There's no 'we' anymore."

YESS!!!!

"Is this your pathetic attempt at defeating me?"

Gets murdered by the monster.

PLEASE.

"Nope. But this is."

KILL HIM. KILL HIM!!

KILL HIM!!!!

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!

🤣👏

YESS!!!!! YEESSSSSS!!!!!

I GET TO WATCH YUL DIE!!!!!

THANK YOU!!!!!! 😭🙏

Yes, hitman? I have a target for you. I want this fire crop top man DEAD.🔫

There's no gun emoji. Only a water gun.

Sure, kill him with a water gun. I don't care how you do it. MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!

IT ACTUALLY CAME TRUE!! NED WAS MY HITMAN!!! (Now the hot colors he has make a lot more sense)

AND WATER WAS INVOLVED!!!

Also:

Predicting Yul's Torture Counter: 7

Thank god.

What could be better than this? Eliminating him.

"Oh Grett... you saved me."

I know right? You'd never think she would from their previous relationship.

"The volcano! It's collapsing!!"

OH YEAH.

Yeah maybe you shouldn't have buried Riya. Now she has the fire control over the lava. She's gonna get her revenge.

"IIIIIIIIIII SHALL HAVE MY REVEEEEEENNNGEEEE!!!! IIIIIII WILL BURN YOU ALL ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVEEEEEEE!!!!!"

NO RIYA!!!!!

OH NO THEY'RE ALL DEAD!!!

GABBY?!?!?

JAKE?!??!

ANYONE?!??!!

OH GOD!!!!!

JAKE!!!! LIFT THEM!! BUILD UP TO THIS?!?!?!

JAKE?!??!

YES!!! JAKE!!!!!

👏

OH THE BUILD UP TO THIS?!??!?!

ACTUAL PEAK?!??!?!?

Even though the peak is on the ground at the moment. LITERALLY.

"I... guess I did it!!"

I'm so proud of you my boy.

"And with that, Aiden and Jake are the ones to beat the monster and win this challenge!"

OH SHIT GABBY AND GRETT ARE DEAD.

I get they're villains. Still. Kind of shitty of you Jake.

"I never though I'd say this, but... we make a great team."

I know, right?! You finally get along and work together!

Oh dammit, Yul's alive....

Ah well. I had my fun.

"Look, I thought about it, and... I'm willing to give you one last chance, but you have to apologize and stop hanging around Gabby."

HELL NO.

I HOPE THEY ELIMINATE YOU.

"I regret everything, Yul! I regret every meeting you, I regret ever joining this show again, hoping it would be different! I hoped I would have someone who finally saw the good side of me, but clearly I was asking for too much! You're a narcissistic, misogynistic pig!"

YES! YES TO ALL OF THAT!!!

Oh my god I feel so bad for you Grett... ❤️

You deserved SO MUCH BETTER in this season.

Also shoutout to her VA. That line delivery hit me right in the heart.

"And I can't wait for this to air because everyone will know what a prick you've been all season and your career will be over!"

AND I LOVE THAT!

Yeah you didn't think that through, did you bitch?!

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! Is that what you want to hear?"

NOPE. TOO LATE.

IT'S TOO LATE FOR AN APOLOGY.

"Yeah, and take your mild abs with you!"

XD

I love Gabby.

Live laugh love Gabby.

"These losers think they can get rid of me?!"

I HOPE THEY DO.

THAT WOULD MAKE THIS EPISODE PEAK IF THEY ELIMINATE YUL.

"I worked so hard to keep this villains alliance together, and it all blew up today."

Yeah. The non-villains didn't have to do anything.

The threat was Yul all along.

*Gets Pie Adblock ad*

Why the fuck am I getting so many ads?

Is this to mock me cause I've gotten the Grammarly Ad how many times?

Please. PLEASE LET IT BE YUL!!!

IT'S BEEN THIRTEEN EPISODES!! I WANT HIM GONE!!!!!

PLEASE!!!! 🙏

'YUL'

*audible gasp*

OH MY GOD.

'CONNOR'

CONNOR HASN'T BEEN BACK LONG ENOUGH.

THIS IS IT!!!

'CONNOR'

OH MY GOD!!!

'YUL'

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!

'CONNOR'

IT'S HAPPENING!!!!

'YUL'

OH MY GOD IT'S HAPPENNG!!!

'YUL'

😭🙏

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

😭🙏

*tears and laughs of utter JOY*

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

😂👏

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

HE'S GONE!!!!

HE'S FINALLY GONE!!!!!!

OH MY GOD YES!!! YEESS!!!!

ABOUT FUCKING TIME! GOD I HATED HIS CHARACTER SO MUCH!!

(As though that was any secret)

Happy endings. Happy endings to everyone here.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY AND SATISFIED WITH AN ELIMINATION SINCE HEATHER FROM TDI.

🎵"NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED!"🎵

Okay I gotta calm down, I gotta calm down.

Thank god. THANK GOD.

"Ugh, I fucking knew it!"

FUCK YEAH! GO FUCK YOURSELF YOU FUCKING PIECE OF FUCKING SHIT!!

"You did this to yourself Yul."

Absolutely.

"Any last words, loser?"

GABBY FLIPPED TOO. SHE FLIPPED.

SHE CAUSED ALL OF THIS!

"Alec, you're an insufferable nerd."

Oh great, here we go...

"Riya, I've seen adult videos with better acting."

FUCK YOU.

"Connor, you're old."

FUCK YOU TIMES TWO.

"Aiden, you're a twink."

FUCK YOU TIMES THREE.

"Jake, you're a twink part two!"

😂

...okay that one was good.

"Ally, I left some of those hate comments."

GEE THAT WOULD'VE BEEN NICE TO KNOW!!

"Gabby, fuck you bitch!"

FUCK YOU TOO BITCH.

"And finally, Grett... I'm going to personally make sure that you do not win these three million dollars! You'll be hearing from my lawyers!"

Wow. Such an empty threat. So sad. /s

The bus is over there.

"At least you made the merge this time."

😂

GOT HIM!!! RIGHT WHERE IT HURTS!!!

😂

The fucking finger.

"Aww, right back at you darling!"

😂😂👏

THAT'S AWESOME!!!!

*Finger*

You know what? Me too. *Finger*

Everyone give Yul the finger. Line up. Single file.

"After all this time, I never knew that I needed someone like Gabby. I treated her like absolute shit and yet... she was there for me. I think I finally found a real friend."

❤️

BLESS.

BOTH OF YOU DESERVE HAPPINESS IN YOUR LIVES!!!

"Maybe I can tell everyone about the kiss between Riya and Alec. That might be what completely sets off that villains alliance and destroys it once and for all!"

I highly doubt that. I think the opposite is what's gonna happen. But sure.

OH MY GOD...

I feel... GOOD.

I felt so good after watching this.

This might actually be, no joke, one of my favorite episodes of this entire show.

If not my favorite, definately in the top three.

Everyone was utilized. Everyone had some sort of moment.

We saw human sides to the villain characters that was actually interesting.

It was paced really well.

The animation was the prettiest it's ever been.

The intern sublot that I don't care about overall had its best scenes.

Allyson was actually tolerable in this episode.

Jake and Aiden getting payoff to their dynamic thus far.

The build up to that moment where Jake saves both of them was so well handled.

The challenge was so unique and so much fun from start to end.

Grett finally stands up for herself and has her best moment in this season thus far.

AND I get to watch Yul die in VR?

AND we get Yul eliminated??

That elimination alone is going in the Top 10 most satisfying eliminations.

YEAH. I LOVED THIS. THIS WAS A REALLY GOOD EPISODE.

Even if none of those other stuff were true, I'd still love it cause Yul is gone after thirteen episodes. Was it worth it? Honestly, yeah.

I mean I've made it zero secret that Yul is, by far, my least favorite character of this entire show.

You can see this post where I do explain why (Go to the end)

He was just a mouth of slurs and not much else. Doesn't help that his 'arc' is him saying that's all there is to him. And he was responsible for my girl Grett's derailment. And there's no backstory to explain it either.

It's just a sore thumb when you have all these other complicated interesting characters in the season, and then you have this one guy who is just so comically hateable.

Yeah I'm so happy he's gone and I don't have to deal with him anymore.

AND YUL GETS NO MONEY!!! YAY!!!! THERE'S NO WAY FOR HIM TO GET ANYTHING ANYMORE!!!!

Also, I will say, despite all of this and my extreme hatred towards the CHARACTER, ZERO OF IT IS TARGETED TOWARDS THE VA.

He did so much better in this season than in Season 2, probably because of better direction. He absolutely nailed this role as the whiny non-aware abuser. There was so much more range and energy in his voice than in Season 2 that honestly did make me tolerate him a BIT more than I would've otherwise. Massive props.

I hate your character, but you did a really good job making me hate him in intentional ways.

I don't know where Grett goes from here though. Her story is kinda... over? Maybe it's not, but I feel like they did what her arc was, standing up to her boyfriend. Gabby is my winner pick and a major player in this game. Even if Grett goes, she's still gonna have stuff to do.

Yeah. This was peak. I don't know what else to say. Things are looking up.

[piebingo]

There’s an important detail that gets mixed up sometimes about the decision to put August next in line after Wilhelm and I think it’s a very important detail to get right: Kristina was not the one to put August next in line, it was the royal court.

She tells August about the crown’s decision and he says thank you, to which she replies something along the lines of "it’s not my idea" (in the English translation she says "Well, you should know it wasn’t my idea" and in the French translation she says with as much sass as she can, "It wasn’t my idea. Obviously." She then tells him she will stand by her son first and foremost but it is what it is.)

Why is that distinction important? Obviously, it does show that the Queen doesn’t agree with what August did (now, whether it is mostly because of the negative impact on the crown or on her son’s life is questionable, I think it’s a mix of both). Whether she actually stands by her son isn’t the point I want to focus on tho.

No, what’s important is that the Queen wasn’t the one to make that decision. We don’t know how it went, maybe she could have fought harder against the idea, but she does not have that much power to take the decision. And why is that important? Because it is exactly the type of thing Wille will have to deal with as a King. This detail of Kristina telling August —and thus us the public— that she didn’t want to put him in line for the throne but that what she wants doesn’t matter is there to show us that her hands are tied. I am sure she does have some decisional power on certain things, but still. This is an important decision that favours a criminal, and what other things like that have the court done during her reign? And before her? And if what the Queen wants doesn’t matter, which in this case is very reasonable —don’t put a criminal in line for the throne— then what Wille wants does not matter either. Because the royal court does not care.

This is the path that Wille is being led on right now. He will be in Kristina’s place once he is King. Was Kristina always so focused on the crown first family second? Was she once just like Wille, a bit rebellious and wanting what’s right, only for the royal court to mold her into what the Queen they wanted? Because if this is the case, if this is how it went for Kristina… what’s stopping anyone from trying to do this to Wille? And sure, he will have Simon by his side (they are endgame okay, thank you) but realistically, it’s important to note that Wille isn’t immune to this, and that Simon does not want that either. He loves Wilhelm but the royal court already fucked him over many times and it’s been what, 5 months? It could happen to Wille, because the royal court seems to have a lot of power. They already started with Wille.

So this detail is really important yes to show that Kristina stands by her son (although she does loads of questionable things, I have never doubted she loves her son but I have doubted that she stands by Wille first and foremost. we will see next season whether that’s true but it is interesting that she says it when Wille isn’t there to hear it. it makes me think she will try (succeeding is another thing entirely) to stand by him). But most importantly, this detail is there to show us the inner workings of the royal court, of the role and power the Queen/King holds, and show us how it will be for Wille. Of course, Jan-Olof is at the head of the royal court and putting someone with more humanity in that role would probably make the royal court more human, thus changing the monarchy, but yeah. I think it’s interesting and important! Kristina says word for word that it wasn’t her decision and it bugs me when people forget that because it’s important in so many ways that the decision comes from the court.

[markantonys]

i'd watched the first 2 episodes of ROP s1 when they first came out, but i found them boring and so didn't continue. however, i've been hearing that charlie vickers is eating and leaving no crumbs in the new season, and that is my sweet boy guglielmo pazzi from i medici (2019) and i've Got to see him killing it in a huge role, i'm so proud of him!!! always a delight when a previously-unknown actor from an obscure show you love ends up making it big

so i decided to give it another shot and dove straight into 1x03 after reading a summary of the first 2 eps to refresh my memory, and idk if 1x03 really is that much more interesting than 1&2 or if it's just that i happen to be in a different frame of mind now that's more predisposed to getting interested in this show, but WOW i am loving it!! i'm an extremely casual LOTR fan (in fact i wouldn't even rightfully call myself a fan, more just "i've watched the movies a few times and like them" haha) and so whatever complaints the fans have about ROP obviously are not things that bother me. i'm just here for a good time, and i'm having one!

the galadriel & halbrand plotline is definitely my favorite (heck, if the numenor stuff had arrived in ep2 instead of 3 i might've been on board with the show the first time around). i already know he's sauron, of course, so i was like "i won't get attached to halbrand since he's not a real person, just sauron's disguise" but fuck, i'm attached, and it hurts!!!!! loving a character who starts out good and turns to the dark is one type of pain, but loving a character who was never real at all because they were evil the whole time and this "character" was never anything more than a facade - it's an entirely different and perhaps even worse type of pain! i can't even soothe myself imagining an AU where halbrand never turned evil, because halbrand was never real! genuinely in immense anguish over this. but once i reach s2 and get to the Unabashedly Evil Sauron Era, it'll be so sexy that i might immediately go "oh no! anyway" and forget all about my anguish jdkjfg

............wait a moment. do i now know how show!rand must be feeling post-s2? attached to someone who was never real because they were always just an evil person's fake persona? oh rand honey i'm even sorrier for you now!

speaking of WOT, it really has broken my brain because i try to polyship everything all the time nowadays. why did i go "wake up babe new polycule just dropped" during that scene when galadriel, halbrand, and miriel had a meeting lmao girl you KNOW this bitch is sauron! but i already knew people were shipping him and galadriel, so i went in to my new watch expecting to see the vibes, and indeed seeing them, and i ALSO unexpectedly saw vibes for galadriel and miriel (two leaders overburdened by duty, oh it's my kryptonite), so how can i help creating a polycule? oh well, i'll enjoy it while it lasts and then once galadriel finds out he's sauron i will instead get some angst to enjoy! and she will still have her girlfriend to comfort her (as long as nothing happens to miriel.........i haven't heard any spoilers about her, so we shall see!)

back to halbrand, the "he's the lost king of the southlands" idea is such a clever misdirect because it allows halbrand to demonstrate unusual skills in combat/diplomacy/manipulation that we wouldn't expect a seeming peasant to have, but provides a cover for it and so we think this one "identity reveal" is all there is to it, and aren't suspecting a second, bigger identity reveal! and actually, as far as i can remember, he never actually confirms that he's the lost king, he just plants a clue to lead galadriel to believe it and then responds to her assumptions in ways that seem to confirm them but don't actually. very aes sedai of him! and hey, if the southlands used to serve sauron, wouldn't it technically be accurate for him to be considered their lost king? very aes sedai of him x2. liars who lie without technically lying are the best kind (gen from the queen's thief also). anyway, because of this misdirect, i don't think i'd be suspecting him of being sauron at all at this point if i didn't already know. on the other hand, there aren't really any other sauron candidates except adar who clearly isn't him. but back to the first hand, the show never set up a "one of our major characters is sauron, who is it?" mystery so i might just be assuming he was hanging out offscreen yet to show up, if i didn't already know.

i'm enjoying the other plotlines too! i remember feeling that the hobbits & the stranger plotline was the weakest link in the first 2 eps, but totally changed my tune now, nori and the stranger (who i'm guessing is gandalf, but i'm not sure, so don't tell me if you know) have the most wholesome friendship, i could die!!

or rather, the second most wholesome friendship after elrond and durin, which i remember was my favorite storyline the first time around. they are so pure!! and disa is a delight! she and elrond have impeccable sibling-spouse energy (yes we've got another polyship in the house, of course we do)

i'm trying not to get too attached to bronwyn because i know they kill her off between seasons due to the actress leaving the show, but i really like her :(( her son's kinda annoying, but he's an angsty teen, so i can't hold it against him. and arondir!! what a man, i'm swooning constantly over everything he says and does. i really like how in the most recent episode i watched they had a Good Guy (bronwyn) genuinely consider giving up her principles of honor and going to swear fealty to the bad guys in order to survive, it feels more realistic and it really sells us on just how desperate and hopeless the situation is (and on how sauron is able to get supporters by creating such situations).

it's also a visually gorgeous show, very decadent (i was practically drooling the first time they showed numenor haha i love white stone seaside cities, and the ancient greek aesthetic vibes are the cherry on top!), and the MUSIC!!!!! you guys know i'm a tv soundtrack fanatic, and my god, this is the best tv soundtrack i've heard in a LONG time. i'd put it as second to WOT because it's traditional fantasy orchestra whereas WOT's soundscape is so different and unique. but "traditional fantasy orchestra" isn't a knock here, because it's done INCREDIBLY well, so it does feel unique instead of generic like other, lesser Traditional Fantasy Orchestra soundtracks do. it's sumptuous, it's lush, it's rich, it's got very distinctive Themes for each character/location that always play in the appropriate contexts (which is one of my favorite aspects of WOT's soundtrack too). i'd been listening to the s1 soundtrack for quite a while before now, so i'm well-primed to recognize all the different themes!

my favorite has gotta be the halbrand theme, i have a character in my WIP who's a sad mountain prince (and a gawyn knockoff <3) and this theme just reminds me sooooo much of him, i cry. but if we dispense with the halbrand pretense after s1, we might not get to hear this theme anymore!!!! it's also the southlands theme, though, so hopefully we'll keep it, and i did hear it crop up briefly in a track from the s2 album. also, shoutout to the fact that the halbrand melody is an inverse of the sauron melody, bear mccreary you son of a gun (the sauron theme is another one of my favorites, the first time i heard it i assumed it was his theme from the original movies because it just had the feel of an Iconic Villain Theme, but no, it's new to ROP!)

anyway! i've watched up through 1x05 now. pacing's definitely still a bit slow, but i'm enjoying it nonetheless, and it's picking up now that galadriel & co are headed for the southlands. and i've heard that s2 is a big step up in many respects (a la WOT s2), so i'm excited to get there!

[mdhwrites]

Do you think the show rewards Luz’s Selfishness too much?

So I normally frame Luz's decision to self martyr herself and stay in her own world as not wanting to bother with the effort to fix her mistake. Let's shift that a bit so we can talk about why the show couldn't have Luz tell ANYONE this deeply selfish choice. A choice that by all means, Camila seems to think is just a bad choice for Luz and for no one else.

But... Luz chooses that her pain and angst is so bad that she doesn't want to help Amity reunite with her siblings. Or to make sure they can live in a world where they're safe. Gus' dad, Willow's parents, Darius, etc. All of them can rot as far as Luz is concerned. She even explicitly states this in For the Future. "Once Eda and King are safe, I'm going home."

No one else matters. LITERALLY no one else matters to her but the people she has chosen to care about and there aren't many of those. This is framed even worse by the fact that by the end of this episode, Camila will effectively say that Luz has NEVER done anything wrong. That trying to critique her at all, to try and give her life skills and friends with the camp after she put people's lives potentially in danger (snakes and fireworks are not meant for school for a reason), was wrong. That Luz just needs to be 'understood'. Part of understanding Luz, especially in S3, means that unless someone attacks her about it, like the dream sequence, WHICH ISN'T HER OWN MIND BUT A FABRICATION AND LIE, she isn't going to think about others. Just her adopted family and herself. And even then, maybe not even her adopted family since they sure as shit didn't matter in Thanks to Them.

BUT. we are supposed to sympathize with her and believe she did nothing wrong, just like Camila. Do not question her motivations, or her efforts, just believe her words.

This is emblematic of the show as well. The first two episodes talk a big game about fantasy vs reality and like Luz's selfish motivations, warped way of looking at things and her learning to be a human being, not a walking, wanna be protagonist will be interrogated. But... Not really. She repeatedly does things that are mirrored in her favorite series. Her final battle line will be a reference to that series and her delusions with that series. People might get briefly upset about her actions but most of the time she either doesn't have to do anything, like Reaching Out or Adventure in the Elements (where she gets a glyph BEFORE making up the fuck up she did) or show how special she is like in Lost in Language and Covention. I can only really think of like one episode after the first two where Luz fucks up and genuinely has to take the brunt of punishment for it, Winging it Like Witches, and even in that one, she is saved before anything bad happens to her before winning with the same trick that hurt her friends, just... Now it's okay because they're all on the same page about it I guess. Couldn't have had Willow come up with something herself because Luz actually was willing to listen to Willow and not force something onto her. That'd be too much work.

It's part of why the more you interrogate Luz's intentions and motivations, it gets BAD. So much of what she does could be easily grafted onto a kid trying to play hero or not learning anything from past mistakes. Don't ever forget that Teenage Abomination says "Listen to your mentor about their specialty," then The Intruder says "Don't take shortcuts to magic" before then in Adventure in the Elements, Luz takes a shortcut for magic while also not listening to Eda and almost gets people killed for it. GREAT JOB LUZ! Much development, such depth.

And yes, lots of shows will have characters yoyo and the like but these are within HALF A SEASON of each other. It usually takes a little longer for most animated shows to straight up start repeating lessons. Hell, yes, it is theoretically a problem for Amphibia too with stuff like Bessie and the hibernation episode both featuring Anne's impatience but also S1 is genuinely about how Anne is fighting between the lessons she's learning and her growing empathy versus how she used to be with her selfishness and laziness. Also, both episodes might be about her impatience but they genuinely tackle it in different ways, with one being about disregarding the rules because of overconfidence and the other one is out of boredom. For TOH... It's just that Luz wants the magic she thinks she should have, as easily and as fun as she thinks it should be instead of weird and actually taking work, and fucks it up because of that same motivation.

That same motivation that doesn't treat reality like reality. According to the show though, that's just the best way to be. Follow your own version, fuck everything else. That's what Luz gets to do in the end after all and she's the one literally blessed by God to be correct.

So yeah, I think her selfishness might be a touch rewarded.

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[zvtara-was-never-canon]

why do you think azula told ozai that zuko had killed the avatar? did she actually want to genuinely share the glory with zuko? or did she always have a suspicion aang survived and wanted to make sure she wasn't the one on the line if this failure came to light? or like a mix of both?

While I'll die on the hill that Azula loved Zuko and did do a lot of stuff because she thought it was what was best for him, that incident in particular is 100% her throwing him under the bus.

Azula might be in denial about Ozai being unfair and an abuser, but she knows her father. It doesn't matter that she conquered the impenetrable city and essentially won them the war and that she brought Iroh (the guy that was actually supposed to Fire Lord) back in chains. Ozai is gonna focus on what she did wrong and and forget all the rest.

Ozai, the guy that already disfigured and banished a child for SPEAKING OUT OF TURN, would potentially find out that she failed to kill the biggest threat to their nation, and was walking around for a whole month like there was no issue because she didn't even realize she had failed.

Azula didn't want know what her father would do to her for it. She was likely terrified... and oh, would you look at that? Her fuck-up of a brother, the guy whose role in the family is being the escapegoat, is right there.

The same brother that KNEW there was a possibility the Avatar was still alive and didn't tell her, even though she had just brought him home like he so desperately wanted it (because remember, we literally see on the first episode of season three that Azula didn't start suspecting something was off until Zuko fixated too much on "I didn't capture the Avatar" which would have been irrelevant if Aang truly had died, so she brought him back with no ulterior motives).

Now, don't get me wrong, Zuko was not acting out of malice here and betraying someone who had helped him so much - we'd have to look at what he did to Iroh in Ba Sing Se if we wanted to see him stabbing someone in the back. This time Zuko can, at most, be criticized for being too focused on his own anxieties about what would be the reaction of his abusive father once they were face to face again to even realize that keeping this secret could screw his sister over.

But once again: Azula is in denial about Ozai being abusive and unfair. She's not gonna be mad at her dad for focusing on her one fuck up and the inevitable overreaction - doing so could put her in danger.

She's gonna be mad at the who brother who, in her eyes, either stupidly or maliciously, was going to let her make a fool out of herself. And thus she'll make him take the fall for her - and if she starts to feel any guilt over it, she'll just remind/convince herself that Zuko did it first, and she just "turned the tables on him."