#as always the writing in the first season was meh but seemed like it could blossom with clear direction

[synthville]

the ‘raffi is so wild and impulsive and emotional and can’t handle her shit’ schtick has gotten real old tho can’t lie. like it was already stale when plcard told her she was being ‘too emotional’ literal seconds after elnor died (um hello sir have you ever heard of grief? you might not participate but let a bitch breathe! thank you!) but having worf (who im actually liking so far) pull the same ‘she’s irrational, violent etc’ thing is just like. eye roll. obviously the writing isn’t doing my girl any favours by cheaply and gleefully playing into it with cliches left and right but my goodness can they come up with something else!

[eggbertith]

asdfhsf ok i saw the ask about why does nobody care about jinx and vi's relationship (v rough paraphrase i know) and like. YES AGH. i am a newcomer like literally just started and finished arcane this week after having it on my watch list since it came out and so ofc i try to peruse through the tag to find some Good Takes and its just. mostly about viktor x jayce or caitlyn x vi. and (understandable) thirsting over sevika. this is i think the first time in a show were im pretty meh about the lesbian ship. i saw their chemistry and am pleased it went there because it worked and made sense story wise, but really im kinda hoping for them to stay separated? (at least as of s2e3, obvs my feels may change) which again, a first for me, but i think the most compelling things about the show center on vi and jinx, and caitlyn's character does a lot to help move vi's character towards A/The Point. and when the fandom at large seems to focus on the romance that is very much not. really The Point. its :/.

tho in the beginning i thought they were going to pair jayce and caitlyn which wouldve been disastrous for zaun lmao glad they didnt.

FOUND ANOTHER DOOMED SIBLING TRUTHER ^^ i think vi and jinx are so interesting in part because their interpersonal relationship mirrors the relationship between piltover and zaun on a grand scale (i could elaborate on this but i'd be here for 5 years so maybe later). you are lucky you didn't have to wait 3 years for season 2. i hope you've enjoyed the show so far, the writing for season 1 is immaculate, and season 2 is pending so i can't say much

i am a pretty big sucker for caitvi (i would be lying out of my ass if i said i haven't watched the kiss scene like 20 times already), it's just not my main focus right, so i think caitvi being separated really gives way for vi and jinx to have an opportunity to explore their relationship which is what i'm here for and what the show is about. as of right now with s2e3 i am VERY on the fence on whether or not i want vi and caitlyn to be together, it truly depends on how they handle cait's redemption arc

i think the heavy focus on caitvi from the fandom is fine. i don't judge anyone for watching the show for caitvi, i honestly think that's valid as hell because caitvi is great lesbian rep! (of course, i will always wish for more doomed sibling art, fics, etc.) not sure how to explain it, but sometimes the way people talk about caitvi feels completely removed from the show itself that they feel like completely different characters lol

i knew the second cait threw away the flowers jayce got her that they weren't going to be a thing lmao thank god. this turned very long and i'm sorry, alas i'm a chronic yapper :(

[nachosncheezies]

💋🎉🥰🤲

For this ask game.

💋 First kiss fics. Love em or hate em?

A fact about me, which may seem counterintuitive given my posting, is that... I'm actually not that much into shipping. I appreciate it, when done well, but it's not really the romance per se that draws me to things or drives my interactions with a piece of media. I don't really love OR hate first kiss fics; I suppose I would put them in the same category I put whump: if it's well done, and has some kind of plot or deeper introspection or something around it, something that helps the characters develop in some way, that's great! But just for its own sake? Meh.

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success?

It's cliche, but feedback, especially comments. One of the best I ever got was on the first fic I posted, where I'd put a stereotypical "I'm not a writer, please be nice" sort of nonsense at the top. I got a comment from a complete stranger that started with, "okay, 'not a writer,'" and rode those four words straight into the next two stories I wrote. If I've made someone feel something enough that they've taken the time to say so, that's pure gold, and a definite win.

🥰 How do you feel about reader interaction? Are you open to receiving questions about your fics?

I LOVE questions about them!! I love chatting about my shows in general, but tbh writing meta sometimes hurts my brain. My fics are almost all canon-compliant and usually express a headcanon or an interpretation of canon events. Sometimes I'm demonstrating why some part of canon that folks seem to hate or think makes no sense actually makes perfect sense to me. It's always so fun to chat about blorbos, I guess I'm just better at showing my thoughts on some things through fic than I am at explaining. :D

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

Bless you 💕 every time you do this you force me to look at another bit I've not worked on for a while and it sets my brain on fire with ideas for how to improve or expand on them. :D How about one not from season 8? Set in the reduxes, a scene I drafted ages ago for Scully and Bill Junior. I was delighted to later discover it has a lot in common with the deleted scene from I think it was memento mori? (also delighted that the deleted scene can't be considered canon, because what did air has him not aware of her cancer until much later, so my version could still stand :D I'll post it someday, probably)

"You're being rude," she stated. "I'm just looking out for you." "I know that you believe that, but you're also being rude." "Dana, I know-" he started, but she cut him off with a look. "I asked to speak to you, I would like you to listen," she said, and tipped her head toward the chair beside her bed. "Sit." His jaw flexed, but he acquiesced. "Look, I'm not going to ask you to like him-" "Good, because I don't," he interrupted petulantly. She gave him a quelling look. "I am not going to ask you to like him," she repeated, pausing between each word for emphasis, "and I'm not going to ask that you understand him. But I need you to respect me. We aren't kids anymore Bill, I'm a grown woman; I can make my own decisions. Please don't belittle that by assuming that I'm somehow being..." she searched for the right word, "manipulated."

thank you thank you thank you, a million times thank you for asking 💕💕💕

[scaredexpert]

Oof... I have to say that every single storyline in that episode was unsatisfying imo

Bobby waking up 30 mins into the episode and everyone just lightheartedly moving on?

Buck and Christopher didn't hug goodbye and Buck and Eddie also didn't hug?? This episode's Buckley-Diaz scenes were just kinda meh aside from Eddie telling Christopher goodbye (pls Christopher come back next season wahhh) and I liked seeing Eddie's parents be more supportive

Bucktommy scene was cute but there continues to be no chemistry between them so what's the point???

Madney taking in Mara in a truly flabbergasting series of events???? There's no way they'd be approved as a kinship home for Mara, and there is no possible way on this earth they would be licensed as foster caregivers that quickly. Also, if Ortiz's interference removed Mara from Henren, why would she not continue to interfere with Mara being placed with Madney? (As if such a person would even have influence in this situation in the first place.) I mean, I like that the outlook is positive now, so yay? This one might just be me because I work in foster care and I just know how things work, but it is so grating. Oh, also, there is no way Hen would be able to just march into the group home and see Mara. No. Way. A fabricated tale that doesn't exist. I know, I know, I know, it's tv. But they could have done a modicum of research :')

I thought we were supposed to get some kind of cliffhanger????? I mean, I guess?? I'm not feeling a lot of suspense lmao. Gerrard will be captain while Bobby figures out how to take the 118 back, there will be drama until suddenly it'll all be better again.

And lastly, Family Feud theory is bones </3 But if it turns out eventually that Eddie is queer, we will all know that Family Feud was always on our side lmao

Okay, I guess the one satisfying part was that Amir's character and intentions were finally made clear... he was so clearly innocent, just hurt. I appreciated his role in this season and the actor KILLED it.

Dang I'm just frustrated with this season's writing overall. Bi Buck is wonderful, but I can't say I enjoyed a lot else, but it seems like I'm in the minority idk! I understand it was only 10 eps though and I'm still glad we got the season. I'm a Buddie shipper btw, but if it doesn't go canon, I'll live. However... it seems almost like the writers themselves haven't even decided, and um... they need to decide and then they need to commit to what they decide. I've been saying that for a loooong time. Keeping it THIS open-ended and hinting around is a disservice to everyone at this point, I think. I just think they're scared to make a choice, honestly.

I'm relieved to hopefully not be thinking about 9-1-1 anymore for a few months, but I have to find a new lil hyperfixation for a while. Suggestions? Lmao and does anyone wanna talk about our feelings? 🥲

[ladymorghul]

The marketing tactics for season 2 is ridiculous. I get it, they pander to the majority of the fanbase and that majority is TB, but why increase the level of toxicity in this already extremely toxic fandom? Everything for the money, I guess.

And I find it funny that in the recent promotion material the TB actors, especially Corlys, Rhaenys and Daemon, are literally talking shit about TG, like, "we are better looking", "we are better people" , "the greens hate each other, and we are united" the cringe "we are the thoroughbred" by Matt... The actress who plays Rhaenys literally called TG characters a bunch of knobs lmfao. And all TG actors are allowed to say in their favour are things like "we have bigger dragons"😒. And where are Otto and Helaena? Rhaena is there, but no Helaena? Anyway, this could be seen as the actors simply having fun and making references to the "arguments" used by Twitter and Reddit fans, but given the recent reactions, they failed to pass the message. Or the writing got to the actors, too. Idk, I may be overthinking this, but I'm not even looking forward to this show anymore and have a bad feeling regarding s2. I think that the green fans who still fully believe that TG characters and storylines will be done better in the next season are set up for a big disappointment.

yeah, i saw the new promo thing... i felt it was a bit cringe but what bothered me was "we are better looking" and "we are the thoroughbreds".

the first one is such a bad taste comment and instant sideeye, especially considering that even actors must have heard about the gross ass hate that tg actors, esp olivia and emily, have gotten, and the second one is just dumb considering rhaenyra's children and mother.

and not to be the bearer of bad news because i already knew this, but there will never be much green promo from green actors. tgc has always shared tb stuff along with tg stuff and seems relatively uncomfortable with greens from a morality pov imo, and olivia mostly just does rhaenicent promo and that's about it.

i think the only person who had actually tried to get the green fandom a little pumped up in the past was ewan but there was not much to work with considering the lack of interest from the production.

tbh i'm currently in a very much idgaf phase so i'm like meh. i invested too much energy in this toxic fandom and ultimately none of this matters.

i will probably get back into it as we approach s2 but honestly people should accept this show IS good guys vs bad guys and IS rhaenicent centric and all the talk from the writers or actors is silly when we see the actual product on the screen.

waiting for dunk and egg though. hopefully we can move away from team discourse for a while.

[bumblesimagines]

I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL ANYTHING SO DID YOU WATCH THE LATEST BRIDGERTON??? I'M SHAKING

Yes I have!!! I'll write my thoughts below!

The B in LGBTQ+ stands for Benedict Bridgerton and I MANIFESTED IT BITCHESSS

Ahem.

The Main Stars:

Honestly... I didn't really care for Polin. I felt like their relationship and Colin's feelings for her were rushed. I don't really care for Colin in general. I was looking forward to a best friends to lovers with feelings slowly being realized but it seems like they rushed through it so that part 1 could end with a big shock of Colin proposing. My problem was that A) it felt rushed. Like.. Jiara type of rushed and B) a lot of Polin problems (and other issues) got resolved so quickly.

As for Colin, I find him kinda boring and I didn't understand why Pen said he 'returned different' when... he literally acted the exact same. Maybe it's because he was more of an afterthought in the previous seasons. Like he was always traveling and we didn't even know he was a writer until this season and even then we??? didn't even get to see a lot of it??? And while understandably he was upset about Whistledown, I hate how he kept bringing down Pen and the writing and then it was all resolved super quickly.

Nicola/Pen was amazing and I'm glad she advocated for being nude as a fuck you to those who didn't want her as a love interest due to her body type. She was amazing, stunning, gorgeous and I love herrr. She is also. So short.

(My) Main Stars:

Kate, Anthony, Francesca, and Benedict stole the show for me. I was more invested in them than in Polin.

Kathony scenes were so cute and lovely and they're having a baby!! I believe they have a few in the books so looking forward to proper dad Anthony and more of grandma Violet since we haven't gotten much of that with Daphne. They were so fun and Anthony was so head over heels. So sad we never got to see their wedding and such but alas, we might get dad!Anthony and mom!Kate.

Francesca!! I'm not sure if they're setting up for her being bisexual or lesbian but I'm going to assume lesbian. Fucking finally. And honestly? Slay. Her potential love interest was drop dead gorgeous and I'm looking forward to more of their story. She was such an interesting character. At first I assumed that she was like a different side of the same coin with Daphne where Daphne was looking forward to marriage cause of love Francesca was looking forward to marriage to get it over with. Her and Kilmartin are great. Their friendship is so cute and... I assume I'm going to be devastated in following seasons.

We all knew Benedict was bi y'all. We been knew. And!! High chance the next season will be setting up for his season (it'll possibly be Eloise's season?) or it'll be his season!! Benedict is such a puppy and I really really hope they make drastic changes from his book. I'm curious to see if they'll also change his love interests gender? Either way, I'm looking forward to how things will roll out for him.

Other things:

I was very meh about Violet, Danbury, and Anderson. I live for Violet and Danburys friendship and I'm always happy to see em but I did not care for a surprise family member lmao. But hey, at least Violet is getting her garden watered.

People were acting like the Mondrichs were taking up half of the season and it was like?? They've been appearing in scenes throughout the show since S1 like no shit they're going to continue appearing?? The way people talk and act about them has such undertones... Check yourself.

I was hoping for a Cressida redemption arc tbh... And also for Eloise x Cressida to happen ngl lmao. I really thought Eloise would end up being wlw (which could still happen! She could easily still be queer). As much as I like Eloise I do hope she will change how she views other ladies. A lot of time she's giving 'not like other girls' and this season she was doing better than that but still... Some of her comments were not it.

Season Ranking:

1st: Season 2.

2nd: Season 3.

3rd: Season 1.

I think we all know why these seasons got their rankings 😭. Anyways my little bi heart was very pleased with these outcomes.

[litcityblues]

Doctor Whoquest Part Six: Whittaker 2, Electric Boogaloo

Ok, y'all. I have heard complaints about the Whittaker run. I have heard that the writing isn't all that good. I've heard that the stories aren't the best. I've heard the acting could be better and you know what? After watching this season I have but one question: what the hell are people talking about?

Was this the perfect season of Doctor Who? No, and I don't expect I'm going to find one- every season is going to have episodes that just don't quite land or episodes that are kind of 'meh' and that's fine. But this season is a really solid season of Doctor Who and some of it is very, very good indeed. When you've been around for as long as Doctor Who has, it's tempting to play the hits and that's fine from time to time, but the real interesting thing to me is when they can do the hits (Daleks, Cybermen, etc) for instance and play them in a new and interesting way. The Judoon are back this season and they're so much better than before-- crisper, deadlier, sharper, still space rhino cops though. The Daleks do show up, but they're getting sneakier and quicker and actually think a plan through for once, but this season gets mad props for me because, for the first time in all the Doctor Who I've ever watched, the Cybermen- especially the Lone Cyberman is menacing as all hell.

The Master is back as well and Sacha Dhawan's portrayal of the character is the best I've seen in Nu-Who. Don't get me wrong: Michelle Gomez was an interesting twist playing Missy and she has her charms in the role, but Dhawan just runs with it- maybe to the point of chewing the scenery a bit too much, but it's obvious he's having fun with it AND he is menacing, villainous and imbues his performance with just a hint of 'mad as a box of hares' to make it a unique and memorable turn in the role.

Introducing a previously unseen incarnation of The Doctor in Ruth? (Jo Martin) Brilliant and more importantly, interesting.

Three Episodes I Liked

'Fugitive of the Judoon': I liked the Judoon when they first popped up way back when in 'Smith and Jones' but then they seemed to be a little bit flat-footed and got confused when someone contradicted them. These Judoon have a bit more of a menacing edge and definitely know what they're doing. (In a nice callback to this episode, the Doctor gets snatched by them at the end of 'The Timeless Children' and taken to jail- presumably because her mystery incarnation/Ruth is on the run for doing something.) I loved the introduction of the mystery incarnation- because John Hurt set the precedent with The War Doctor, so there's no reason why they can't continue it and put a new twist on it that opens up new story possibilities. Plus, Captain Jack is back with a warning for the Doctor, though he doesn't actually get to interact with her, which is a nice twist- 'Beware the Lone Cyberman'

'Spyfall': What a fun season premiere. Loved the return of the Master, loved the whole spy technology thing and running around the world, trying to figure it out, and then, bam! The Master's back with a new, fun face. Also, Stephen Fry shows up and I always appreciate Stephen Fry in anything he's in.

'The Haunting of Villa Diodati': The historical episodes of Nu-Who can be a bit hit or miss sometimes, but this one was great, exploring the origins of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Now, they unravel the mystery and find out that it's a Lone Cyberman that is haunting Vila and what he's after. Unraveling the mystery is done well-- they don't lift the curtain too quickly which keeps the mystery firmly in the territory of 'period ghost story' until the very end. Plus, as a personal aside, somewhere buried back in my family tree, I'm related to Percy Bysshe Shelley somehow. So, props to my ancestor of some degree getting a shout-out in Nu-Who.

Two Episodes I Didn't Like

'Orphan 55': This episode just didn't work for me for whatever reason. It wasn't bad, it wasn't good, it just... was.

'Praxeus'/'Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror': 'Praxeus' was an interesting idea that tipped over into 'preachy' territory a little bit too much- on the one hand, there is a crisis of microplastics in the environment and not enough people are talking about it, so props to Doctor Who for at least trying, but at the same time, learning about the microplastics crisis isn't why I watch Doctor Who. (Though to be fair, you always forget it started life as a children's program, so educational aspects/notes popping up now and again shouldn't be that surprising.). 'Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror' was largely just okay. Didn't really impact me one way or the other and it sort of faded into the background, which probably isn't what they were hoping for.

One Episode To Consider

'Can You Hear Me?': The Gang (Ryan, Yaz and Graham) get some time off in Sheffield to spend time with family and the Doctor responds to an alert from Aleppo, Syria in the year 1380, where she saves Tahira, the last patient alive in the bimaristan. First of all: the setting immediately grabs you- Aleppo, 1380 isn't Doctor Who's usual fare, so it stood out. Plus, did you know what a bimaristan was? I didn't before I watched this episode. Back in the present in good old Sheffield, The Gang is having dark visions and contacts the Doctor at the same time and they all figure out that the visions are somehow connected to the creepy guy whose fingers fly off and seem to be haunting their nightmares. Turns out, he's an immortal who manipulates the Doctor into releasing his immortal ally, Rakaya and the two go off to feed on the nightmares of Earth the Doctor and the Gang have to figure out how to stop them through the ingenious use of the creepy guy's flying fingers. What stood out for me in this episode were the immortals. I don't think Nu-Who has ever trod into this territory before, so it's another interesting choice in a season full of them.

Overall: I loved this season. Spyfall was a fun way to kick things off, the return of The Master was excellent. We saw the return of the Cybermen in a fun way. The whole 'Timeless Child' might be the only aspect of the season that seemed slightly out of place. I know they were trying to do something big with the mythology and Gallifrey, but in the end, it was vaguely interesting but just didn't land with me. The end of the season saw first Ryan and then Graham exit the Tardis, leaving Yaz and the Doctor to travel on alone.

I have no complaints about this season. Jodie Whittaker is doing just fine in the role. The writing was solid. Some of the episodes were really genuinely good and the writers took some interesting swings at things- some of them worked, some of them didn't. All in all, I don't think you could ask for a better season of Nu-Who.

My Grade: 9/10

[maya-matlin]

Hi Ashton, I love your blog and wanted to ask whether there are any ships that you WANTED to like and objectively know are good couples but which you just can't muster any actual feelings for? For me it's Brulian. Like objectively they're great at least starting in s8 when they suddenly rewrote Julian's whole personality and I love that Brooke found happiness. BUT they just don't spark anything for me when I see them on screen, their chemistry is meh, their connection feels forced, and what is with Julian's ongoing obsession with Brooke's high school life and the fact that she was "popular" even when they're in their mid to upper 20s lol! Another one is Steroline. Friends to lovers, personalities that should perfectly complement each other and so on, but in reality they were so flat, and the acting and writing never sold me on them being anywhere close to in love. And the biggest one: Joey/Pacey. Everyone I know adores them and I wanted to ship them, but they just go overboard with the nonstop bickering to the point where they almost never seem truly compatible to me, Joey keeps choosing other guys over Pacey for the final two seasons - even that Eddie guy and then some rando from NY - and I just always feel like there's this imbalance where about 90% of the time Pacey is a lot more into Joey than she's into him? Anyway those are my confessions re solid ships I wanted to love but just don't give me any real feels. I would love to hear yours!

Hi! 💜 Thank you so much!

So to begin with, I definitely agree about Brulian. Their relationship is fine and relatively healthy, but I find it impossible to care about their romantic relationship. It's almost unfair that I compare them to Brucas because objectively, Brooke's relationship with Julian had a much stronger foundation and he treated her better than Lucas ever did. I mean, Julian was in a much better place by the time they became a couple and didn't have Lucas's baggage. But at the same time, so much time was dedicated to Brooke's reaction to her first love betraying her with her best friend to the point she spent years avoiding love. Even when she seemed to think she'd found it such as when she dated Chase, eventually Brooke was forced to realize that it wasn't the real thing and likely just a rebound. I guess I wanted more from their relationship? The chemistry was fine, but nothing special. They lacked the rawness of Brooke and Lucas. Sometimes, chemistry isn't everything. But when the story is nothing special and it's so late into the series AND the chemistry isn't grabbing you, this leads to a situation where it's difficult to root for the pairing even when you want to. But yeah, Julian clearly had some insecurities regarding the fact he was the high school geek and romanticized the idea of Brooke and co's high school experience. Because obviously, nothing could ever be better than growing up in a small, southern, most definitely conservative town where its mayor murdered his own brother.

I can't speak for Stefan/Caroline yet because I've still only seen the first season of the show, but I understand why you feel that way. I've seen that sentiment expressed before. On paper, they're my type of ship, so I'm curious how I'll respond to their romantic relationship. Because so far, I'm really enjoying Stefan's relationship with Elena and hating the inevitable Elena/Damon thing.

Yeah.. I can't agree with your Pacey/Joey opinion at all. But I will say that Joey really suffered writing wise because she needed to be a possible love interest to both Dawson and Pacey. So Joey needed to appear as though she loved Pacey and was committed to him. But at the same time, there needed to be enough doubt and ambiguity that whenever the writers were ready, they could pull the plug and act like it was always Dawson for Joey. Which is basically what happened for like a season. As a result, Pacey appears more into Joey because he had no reason to be conflicted in universe. IDK. I promise I'm not trying to change your opinion. Just trying to discuss what I think went wrong LOL. Anyways, I'm sorry you weren't able to invest in their relationship!

I think my actual answers are likely to be a disappointment, but I'll try.

Fiona/Imogen (Degrassi): Maybe it's because I wasn't super into Fiona's story lines during this time. Maybe I just struggled to care about any relationship that wasn't Zig and Maya's in season 12. But for some reason, I never cared about these two. I acknowledge they were sweet and overall healthy. If I was watching for the first time now, I'd probably be on board. But because I already know how their story line plays out, there's no excitement for me? So I don't see my opinion on their relationship ever changing.

Dallas/Alli (Degrassi): I blame my disinterest on the fact Alli went from boyfriend to boyfriend for multiple seasons. The writers' favorite pastime was luring Alli into a false sense of security before her latest relationship blew up in some brutal fashion. Dallas was boyfriend #5, right after Alli's abusive (brief) husband. It's obvious to me Dallas was truly in love with Alli and treated her the best out of all of her boyfriends, but I never bought it on Alli's end. I feel like Alli settled for Dallas after her marriage came to a shocking, traumatizing end and entered a relationship with him while she was still healing from that. Besides, I think this story line was done even better with Dave, someone I actually believed Alli loved, following her first two terrible relationships. The writers not so subtly traded one, black main character for another and pushed Dave out of the show the minute Dallas gained prominence.

Clay/Quinn (OTH): Overall, the later seasons weren't as well written as the early ones. I feel like there was a certain pressure to immediately establish Clay and Quinn as the couple to root for. Before we were familiar with their individual characters, they were being shoved into scenes together, confiding in each other over Clay's dead wife and Quinn's failed marriage. It didn't work for me? I mean, I felt more watching the flashbacks to Clay and Sara's romance than I ever felt with Clay and Quinn in three seasons. They were fine. It's nice they made each other happy, and they were a cute family with Logan. But I was indifferent to the relationship itself.

Tim/Lyla (Friday Night Lights): To be fair, I've only seen this show once. Everything indicates they'd be a couple I'd like. The chemistry was there. It's hard not to invest in the "guy falls for his best friend's girlfriend/ex" story line unless it's Archie and Betty. The actors were gorgeous together. Tim brought out a more fun, lighter side to Lyla. But I couldn't bring myself to care about them, and I'm not sure why. Something didn't feel right.

[weekend-whip]

Hello a bunch of questions if you don't mind and you totally don't have to answer them if you don't want to! Which Character from the show do you not like or find annoying? When you write Do you start your chapter at the beginning or imagine a specific scene? I don't really understand some of Garmadons motives could you maybe explain them? How did you get into the Ninjago Fandom? And I think I read somewhere that you're not going to include the wildbrain seasons so is the stuff with Aspheera and Nya merging with the water and stuff gone?

1. I don’t really find any character annoying! Sure there’s some I’m ‘meh’ about but nobody’s ever really aggravated me (outside of that being the intention of their character). I guess Dareth in the first half of Season 6 would count but that’s low hanging fruit :P 

2. Depends on the chapter, though most of the time I start with a specific scene and then build around it as needed. Sometimes the beginning is the last thing I write! 

3. Can’t fully clarify just yet, there’s a couple spoilers in there, but if it’s not clear by the end of this story I will definitely smooth things out. Just know that Garm’s torn by his rage at Wu, his own ambitions, and his love for Lloyd and they’re constantly at odds with each other. He’s bitter but he cares and then he’s bitter because he cares and he can’t afford to care while he’s full of evil and that makes him feel bad all over again—thus he’s stuck in a very dark loop which maybe Lloyd will break one day. He also just really likes messing with people, and acting on opportunities that may help him further down the line, even if it seems counterproductive in the moment. 

4. I’ve always liked Ninjago from the very start, and been off and on with it until the Wildbrain seasons kicked in (and then I fully started paying attention). But around the time of the 9th Anniversary was when I was like ‘whoa, I gotta do something for the Big 10!!!’ So I integrated myself slowly into the fandom for like a year, mostly watching from the sidelines while I worked on Book 1, and then once I posted it I became a lot more active and now I have some very nice people as friends and I’ve been here ever since <3

5. The reason I don’t want to fully rewrite the Wildbrain seasons (except Crystalized) is the because there’s not a lot I’d change about them. They’re very self-contained and truly do have some solid stories already (with exceptions). That being said, the stuff that happens within them is definitely not gone! For now it’s just a lot of Call-Forwards, but once we hit Season 5 some more of the future influence will come into play. And hopefully, if I play my cards right, I can set up everything I need to without having to write an extra five seasons snksnksnk 

[lorenlily]

U WATCHED WEDNESDAY?!? omg thoughts???

this has been in my inbox for a couple of days I have so many thoughts but idk how to write them down and I always feel like this after watching something but i'm gonna try my best to write what I think under the cut

(also I literally knew nothing about the addams family before watching this)

the short version I did like it (it got spoiled for me which is annoying so I knew who the "monster" was but not anything else) I think it's got a lot of potential but it depends where they decide to take the characters

the characters I loved the most were tyler wednesday and bianca!! ALSO ABSOLUTELY LOVE THING!!!

I love love tyler and I really wish we had gotten another episode after the reveal to show him getting manipulated and tourtured by the normie teacher because when we get his reveal and then the way the next episode started it felt so rushed and we only got a glimpse into how the hyde was activated in him (I think I would've realised it was him after they kept pushing the narrative it's xavier because that felt like a red herring) but I liked his personality and then the switch to the hyde!!

I love wednesday I love the way jenna talks about her in interviews and I hope they don't change her too much like now she's got a phone that's alright but I don't want them to make her too emotional or anything because she's fine the way she is and her developing platonic bonds is enough for me

I love bianca I love her rivalry with wednesday I thinks she's very misunderstood and I really want to know more about her and the sirens and the cult her mom is apart of

enid is great tooo like there's nothing that's not to love about her and the fight with wednesday ended up doing good for them both!! her subplot with ajax was just meh to me tho

but I find xavier annoying he's the typical jerk of a teenage boy who thinks he's angsty and I don't like his dynamic with wednesday (it's very pulls the girls hair because he likes her) I hope he gets more development in coming to terms with his emotions and I hope that dynamic ends up being just platonic

in terms of shipping I only like three outcomes either wednesday and tyler in a romantic relationship (I could talk about them a lot!!!) or they make wednesday canonically aro and show she's got platonic bonds with the emphasis her bond with enid is the strongest or they end up making wednesday and enid have a romantic relationship

there's a lot I could end up nitpicking lol (cgi of the hyde for one) I know jenna helped a lot with choosing to avoid some lines which I'm glad and I hope the writing keeps getting better (I don't want another teen wolf on my hands) and it's got a lot of potential to be great and I think for a first season it was good and I kinda wish they didn't kill off principal seems because gwendolyn is amazing also wednesday being so tiny next to her is so cute omg!!!!

what's your thoughts?

[actualaster]

Alright, so, Thoughts on Lightfall.

Overall I enjoyed it quite a bit, though it's not without issues. On the whole I feel it did more right than wrong, and I can very much admit that several of the things I find to be flaws may very well just be down to personal taste in writing choices rather than objective problems.

So, in general, it's mostly positive with some discussion of areas that I think might have been better handled.

Naturally spoilers abound below.

Also discussions of new/revamped gameplay mechanics in addition to the storyline stuff.

Going to be a bit disjointed and achronological because my brain does not vibe with the concept of time in general.

So, first of all, NIMBUS. I love them. They're a great character. I want to see more of them in the future. Canon on-screen nonbinary rep in a character who is great, who has speaking lines AND is a major character in the expansion, AND doesn't just get killed off? YES. It seems like a previous Cloud Strider, Stargazer, may also have been they/them? There's definitely another they/them as an average citizen in the lorebook AND somebody who seems genderfluid.

So Neomuna just casually embraces being nonbinary and it's NOT just a Cloud Strider thing it's just a normal part of their culture. Love that~

Alright, now for everything else.

I really enjoyed the new aesthetics of Neomuna! Very pretty~ I especially love the sparkly, glittery stone (or whatever) ground and caves, that's just such a pretty thing and it's always a top tier design choice. Also really love how they made the Cloud Striders so dang tall! Makes sense with their augments and whatnot, but still, great choice~

Still haven't poked around all the Lost Sectors but I loved the arcade (and the Goblin just... scanning a game cabinet lol. Absolute favorite Vex right there, a shame I had to kill it)

Haven't messed around too much with the new weapons and such, so I can't speak to how I enjoy the new perks or anything yet thought I like the aesthetics of them again.

The re-worked mod system is pretty solid, IMO. It streamlines a lot of stuff. Could use more tweaks, I miss some of the older mods and such, but the team will absolutely be monitoring things and adding new mods and tweaking existing ones and such as we go. It's a massive overhaul so it'll take time for things to fully settle, and I'll probably tweak things around further in the future.

I do prefer the perk system for the seasonal artifact as well, by the way, less of a pain than trying to slot mods into your gear and sacrificing stuff. Still struggling with stunning Champions but that's mostly because I'm still getting used to the new setup and fiddling with weapons and such.

Loudout system is great, no more needing to change up mods or appearances when you swap classes lol.

I do wish they'd maybe increase the slots we have for weapons, or something. It's getting hard to juggle and energy slots between what i need to complete bounties, what I need to stun champions, and what I run for everything else, especially if I've got an exotic catalyst or two I'm trying to work on...

Also, while Strand is fun, it feels... Slower for abilities to recharge, somehow? Might just be because most of my other sub-classes have ways to recharge themselves in PvE faster and all. Especially the loading time on the grapple grenade. I very much get why it's like that but also since it doubles as a movement mechanic and not just a combat mechanic it's a little... Tedious. But there's not really a good way to adjust that, I think, because it's not like destiny has a dedicated "extra movement method" button or anything.

Anyway that might feel a little less clunky as I unlock aspects and try to put together a decent Strand build. Need to find a decent high-stat Exotic to pair it with, tbh, the one I'm running now is just kinda.. Meh, it's what I've got on hand lol. So that might very well be coloring my opinions on it, I can fully admit that's a strong possibility. (But, also, I fully expect Bungie to tweak Strand going forwards as more and more players get their hands on it and they can see on a large scale how it's working and where it's struggling).

ANYWAY enough about that! ON TO OTHER STUFF.

So, overall, I liked the story they told. I do wish we'd delved more into the what the Veil is, however. It's obvious by the time you're doing some of the post-campaign stuff that not even the people of Neomuna have a solid grasp on what it is, and I would have liked to see that explored more... I know they're probably going to drip feed us some of that info over the seasons but I feel like that's extremely relevant to THIS expansion and I feel that expansions should balance being self-contained and setting up the next part of the story (unless it's a standalone expansion in which case it should be entirely self-contained).

Lightfall... Felt like it leaned a little too heavily on the "setting up for the next part" side of things. It wasn't bad, but I feel like we could have explored a bit more in the expansion itself. Maybe not part of the main campaign, but as a post-campaign quest or something to learn a little more about the Veil, and such.

I don't want to describe it as "filler", because it's not, but it did... Hrm... How to explain it... Like, obviously it's the link between Witch Queen and The Final Shape, that's just kind of what the expansions are--continuing the story and linking the entries that came before with those that came after. But Lightfall... It felt a little more like it was meant to just be a bridge and less like it was taking itself seriously as a full story in it's own right.

It's not bad, exactly, but it felt a little... Off. Like it wasn't quite able to come into it's own as an expansion outside of it's role linking WQ and TFS. An excellent effort was made, and that is a fine line to walk so I don't want to give the devs too much grief over it! But it does feel like it managed to fall a bit short on that.

Some of it was the pacing. The pacing felt a little... Inconsistent? Like some areas, such as Rohan's death, felt kind of rushed--we barely had time to get to know or care about these characters before he's sacrificing himself for us! And others felt like they dragged a little--Strand mastery, mostly. That somehow manage to feel like it both took up too much time and too little time.

I think that part is more... It felt like it took forever to get to the serious training to master it, and once we hit that it came very rapidly. I think that maybe if it had been a focus for one more or one less mission it would have felt better paced.

But also part of that might be less to do with the actual Strand and more to do with the content of the missions themselves. I did notice several of them had extended "no respawn" segments which were... Grueling, if you weren't very well-prepared and that can absolutely be coloring my perception of the pacing. It's hard to pull them apart, really.

Battles in segments did seem to drag on a bit, and some of the new stuff you do in Neomuna (the "terminal override" activity) seem to drag on, becoming more of a test of endurance than anything else.

Now, some of this is undoubtedly because we're all still adjusting to the new mod system and we all started out at low light compared to the recommended stuff with the new expansion and all. As we all start to get up there in light level, get better gear, get a handle on the new system, etc. I suspect these will start going faster.

So I don't want to be too hard on that aspect because, y'know, we just came off a "we've got YEARS of experience mastering the system and we're at the top of our game" in terms of gameplay so there's gonna be a learning curve for many of us again and I don't want to ding the devs on that too badly if it really just feels tedious due to needing to get familiar with things and better gear and such.

Plus, like. I know I'm not as big a fan of the battlegrounds style stuff because they take longer and I prefer quick, intense bursts of combat rather than extended firefights, so that's likely also my personal taste coloring how I feel there.

That said, not all the battle segments seemed to drag on--and several of those that were longer absolutely made sense and it really added to the emotional feelings of the mission with how they lasted longer.

Like, the run-up to fighting Calus?

When Caitatl shows up to fight alongside you with her troops through wave after wave of enemy? It felt like that fight took forever--but that worked great because it really fed the sense of "shit, fuck, NO, we have to hurry, we don't have time for this!" and that sense of "can we make it? No, we have to! We have to endure!" desperation that really, really fit the "the enemy is about to fucking win we HAVE to stop them!" that was being built up.

Actually, honestly, the more I think about it... The more I think that may have been the point all along with the combat segments that felt like took longer? To build that "we don't have time to be wasting here" sense of impatience to hurry and try to stop the Witness from getting the Veil.

But, also, again, they may have just taken longer and feel too long because I'm not totally used to the new system and still building myself up again--and I would imagine that the same could be true for others who also felt they were lengthy.

Calus' death, though, that was great. The battle was annoying because I was still trying to get a hang of swinging around with Strand and kept getting knocked off, but that was a skill issue not a game design issue lol.

I liked how in the end he became desperate, and his death just... Felt fitting. He met the end he was always destined for. Honestly a of the imagery around Calus was great, they did a great job of showing that while he gives service to the Witness he's still not actually satisfied and that his "gains" are just... Hollow. Empty. Just like him, really. All superficial opulence with no substantial filling.

His Chalice, a beautiful thing that was never filled, was a fantastic metaphor for Calus himself.

Speaking of interesting things, though.

The Cloud Striders vs the Guardians. One that chooses a life cut drastically short, not as a tragedy, but as a joyful sacrifice to protect and serve their people, a heavy mantle but one taken up willingly by those who are passionate about the cause. And one that has immortality thrust upon them without warning, without consent, and without any sort of purpose innate to the lifespan change.

They're a fun little twisted reflection of each other, and something I hope gets explored further even if only in the lore--that's a really, really neat concept that has a lot of fun potential for compare/contrast, you know?

AND, ON TOP OF THAT, the Guardian hesitates to cut their own existence short--the choice to shoot their Ghost, to save everything? (Or at least delay the Witness' plan)? And they hesitate, they can't quite do it in time (and once it's over there's no point). It's understandable, Ghost is your friend, somebody you care about and I think it makes perfect sense that we'd hesitate. I mean even outside of the narrative of "they can't have us kill Ghost because then we wouldn't be immortal anymore and that would really kind of screw with the whole 'players are immortal beings who come back over and over and over and just Get Better from grievous wounds on the fly'" thing. It just makes sense in general.

But there's also, there, that moment of hesitation in the face of sacrificing their immortality--when Rohan chose to cut his already truncated life short without hesitation to the same end.

It's not that I think we were wrong for our choice, or that his sacrifice was better or anything.

I just thing they're fascinating inversions of each other--parallel lines traveling in opposite direction.

And I think that was really well-done.

Also, speaking of well-done, the cutscene at the end of the new exotic quest for Deterministic Chaos, where the remains of Sagira's shell are enshrined in the Hall of Heroes right behind Rohan's monument/server. That was such a good touch, it was so perfect. It just feels right.

I just.

Yeah, the expansion had it's issues (what doesn't?) and things I would have changed up a bit but overall it was very enjoyable and did some amazing stuff with imagery, metaphor, and implied parallels for players to take note of. My biggest gripes are with gameplay, and those will very likely be lessened as the new mod system and subclass get tweaked and we all start getting more experience with them and such.

A fun time that deserves some criticism but really doesn't seem to deserve the more vitriolic hate I've seen.

So, on the whole, I'd give it a very solid 8/10.

[platinum-iridium]

Now that you’re done what’s your favorite era of L&O? Seasons one to 11 will always be classics imo but on my first watch the first 3 seasons weee my faves but now it’s the Rey seasons. I know he’s unpopular and he’s definitely a loser who I don’t care for but his and Lenny’s dynamic was excellent and the cases were mostly nuanced and well written. I also liked Claire a lot at that time it was like she was coming into her own. The Abbey seasons aren’t bad either. After that it’s mid. Or maybe Serena’s wishy washiness just makes me forget everything gets blurry around her time and after lol

it might be recency bias but the last 3 seasons of original law and order have some of my favorite episodes. i like connie a lot especially after jack gets promoted bc with him she was a very pretty lamp but then she gets to actually come into her own with mike. and i also really like lupo lol. he's really quiet and broody but he's also kinda awkward and goofy and that combo just does it for me. and him and bernard make a good pair. not my fave cop pair but a solid one and a very beloved da pair. it's a real shame because the final seasons are better than the ~5 or 6 preceding seasons so a lot of people never make it that far.

a very close second is the first 3 seasons. it also has some favorite episodes i love ben stone and paul robinette. i love ben so much as a character. i do think that robinette is really understated but his later episodes add a richness to his character and make his time as a DA deeper. and of course adam schiff. i like mike logan and greevey together. not a cerretta fan. and of course briscoe joins in season 3. i think his first season isn't his best bc they hadn't quite settled on his characterization but a classic character nonetheless.

the serena seasons dragged so bad. fucking terrible. and there's so many of them. i liked the abby seasons. she pissed me off but she was still generally a good character. could have been better, but entertaining. i liked claire and jamie a lot too. will not be wading into the emotional minefield of claire lowkey having a coming of age in that fckn episode just to die. i realized i like the DAs way more than the cops. like i rocked with lennie the same way you rock with the old dudes in your office just bc they're there even though they aint shit and you wouldn't interact outside of the job setting. rey was mostly a good guy but then he cheated on his wife lmao. like yes it was a crazy day but like go home to your family my guy. i mean clearly dick wolf has a cynical ass view of marriage lol like we couldn't even have the one good guy. he was SO self righteous but it did make for a good contrast with briscoe. i liked green a lot but i wish they had let the black characters be black characters and not just characters who happened to be black. robinette got better treatment in his guest appearances. but van buren and green ... like the storylines were kinda there esp with van buren's suit against the nypd but it seemed like the writers hearts weren't really in it for any of her storylines. and their final scene together kind of alluded to it but again the writers aint wanna commit. they kinda try harder in the new law and order but it's ... meh. anyway i could quite literally write a dissertation on the characters but i think this is enough 💀

thanks for giving me another excuse to write a l&o manifesto

[kyliafanfiction]

hi! I would love to hear your thoughts on the Criminal Minds characters because honestly I don’t think any of them had well-defined personalities other than maybe Reid and Hotchner. Like Emily Prentiss is totally all over the place as a character (a nerd, a wild child, a rebel, a rule follower, I could go on re the sloppy writing and blatant contradictions!) and JJ is such a generic, flat character with no personality other than to be blandly perfect I guess? I’ve really liked how you analyze characters in the past so I would love to read your thoughts if you ever want to share them. I do like aspects of the show, just not really the characterizations :)

I don't have a lot of detailed thoughts, since I don't really analyze the show much, it's just easy background noise and easy watching, like most crime shows.

That said, I don't agree Emily or JJ were entirely flat or all over the place, or at least, not in a way that was atypical for the show as a whole.

My thoughts, off the cuff as they are, is that Garcia gets old fast, and her antics re: Nicholas Brendan's character whose name escapes me are fucked up. She fucks up his interview with the NSA, hacks his email to find out he's proposing to her, turns him down, they break up, and then tries to get back with him and has the gall to be upset he's starting to move on.

Her whole flirtatious with everyone bit is funny for about 5 minutes, and not much beyond that.

Gideon is boring and annoying, and Mandy Patinkin's logic for leaving was baffling and I don't get it at all. There was no glorification of serial killers going on. He's allowed to leave a show he's uncomfortable with, but wtf.

Rossi is fun, Hotch needs to relax and Derek Morgan is a hypocrite and a jerk half the time. He gets all pissy about Emily holding back secrets from her Interpol days as if she was allowed to just spill, but Morgan isn't exactly an open book, and he's a complete jerk to Reid when he drafts him for the FBI baseball team and in general for the fact that Reid has nerdy non-sports interests. Morgan has this weird U-curve, where he's good at first, sucks in the middle, but improves by the end.

Elle was... meh. Emily was honestly a lot of fun in a lot of ways. The Seaver I think is not as bad as the fandom seems to think, but she was working uphill against a lot at the time. Blake is interesting and I like her. The character played by Aisha Tyler (I'm only mid-Season 8 on a rewatch rn, but I did see past her) is pretty good. But in general the show suffered from having the rotation of female team members after Emily left, but that is not atypical for TV shows like that, where the actresses often get short shrift.

Straus seems to just sort of... be there, half the time.

Overall, Criminal Minds is an easy, low-energy watch crime show. I like that it both shows sympathy for a lot of the criminals, shows how many of them were failed by everyone around them in a lot of cases (though hardly all of them), how society failed these people, but they're still killers and they still need to be dealt with.

But it's not a show I get super fannish about.

But John Curtis was, is and always will be some fucking weaksauce.

[musicallisto]

2, 11, 24, 39 <3

sorry that i took one hundred million years to answer this!!! i'm finally on break, like a real real break, and that means i'm gonna be compulsively reading again<3

2. what is the worst book you've ever read? I don't think I've read many books that I genuinely despised, but off the top of my head I can think of american royals by katharine mcgee (really annoying characters, mediocre writing, predictable plot and uninteresting romances, and generally american entitlement and self-centeredness that left a bitter taste in my mouth) and don't turn around by michelle gagnon (just really really boring and cookie-cutter YA thriller written by someone whose experience with computers ends at opening microsoft word probably)

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11. what book do you want to read but haven't? there are 200+ books on my tbr right now so... a lot 😭 right now though I'm in a spooky season mood so i think i'm going to focus on thrillers and horrors through the month of november! i really want to get around to reading the secret history next <3

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24. what book to movie adaptation do you dislike? okay so usually any movie adaptation i don't like is because i didn't like the book either (divergent), and if i like the book i'll typically enjoy the adaptation, but i guess i was disappointed by the guernsey literary & potato peel pie society? I really really loved the book but left the movie feeling kinda meh, i guess the epistolary charm of the book didn't translate at all on the big screen.

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39. favorite quote from your favorite book? i can literally open this book at any page and pluck a banger, which is why i carry it around with me at all times... but i will always remember the first time i read this following paragraph; I closed the book and had to let it sink in because it was just so profoundly beautiful and resonating with everything I am, and everything I long for, that it's to this day my favorite literary description in the world. (for context, the author's flying his plane at night over the atlantic ocean) "The first stars tremble as if shimmering in green water. Hours must pass before their glimmer hardens into the frozen glitter of diamonds. I shall have a long wait before I witness the soundless frolic of the shooting stars. In the profound darkness of certain nights I have seen the sky streaked with so many trailing sparks that it seemed to me a great gale must be blowing through the outer heavens." (Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) my favorite quote as in quotable quote though is from The Little Prince (by the same author) and it's "You're beautiful but you are empty. No one could die for you."

bookish ask memes!

[lilyginnyblackv2]

Tiger & Bunny 2 - Cour 2 - Various Thoughts Post - SPOILERS!!!

I've watched Tiger & Bunny 2 Part 2/Cour 2 and now I want to write up some posts with my thoughts on the cour. Of course, SPOILER WARNING FOR TAIBANI 2 PART 2 / COUR 2! All thoughts will be placed under a Read More.

First, I'm going to start with the smaller thoughts that I have. I want to get the more misc. thoughts up first before I forget them, I'll likely also talk about the plot stuff here, since for me the action and actual plot stuff isn't as important as the thematic and character focused elements of the series.

Then I want to talk about the handling of familial relations in this part of the cour, similar to how I talked about it in regards to cour 1.

The final post I'll get up will be my thoughts on how they handled relationships in general, and how I feel about the ending.

I'll likely also discuss where I think they could take the series if they were to continue it, though, I will say right now, that how they ended this second season makes it so that I feel they could just comfortably end it here as well. Even though I would want more. Not an endless amount of content, but just a bit more. If they never do that though, I'll be okay too.

So, no to the more misc. stuff under the Read More!

1. I love how they opened with an interview with the top duo, just like they did with cour 2 for Season 1. They also focused quite a bit on FireSky this season and I loved how we got to see more of Nathan's business. Also, I fully expect a bunch of FireSky!Secretary!AU fics after this, lmao! I loved that.

2. Seeing all of the heroes working together and using their own resources and smarts was really nice. T&B also handles exposition and explaining plans and ideas in a very interesting way. They don't explain anything mid-battle like a battle shounen would, but they don't do a complete all show, no tell approach either. They give you, the watchers, all the clues first, then set up situations where explanations need to be given to other characters within the show itself, so those who may not have figured things out on their own (for whatever reason) could be caught up at the same time as the characters.

3. The series did a great job of avoiding deus ex machina. Aurora easily could have been this. But they worked around that. That being said, I do feel that Barnaby's injury being okay after using Kotetsu's suit. It seemed like too easy of a fix, and a part of me really did want to see both Kotetsu and Barnaby retiring from being superheroes in the end and/or the idea of Barnaby dealing with a debilitating injury, since that is a very realistic scenario and could have provided some interesting commentary. But, I do also understand the direction they wanted to take the series in this regard. I'll talk more on this later.

4. I didn't really have any interest in the whole plot for this cour. The stuff with Gregory Sunshine and stuff was kinda meh for me. Like every time he was on screen, I just wanted him to be off it, lol. I *did* like his interactions with the Ouroboros lady (though, her backstory did feel a bit rushed and wasn't that well done, but it was sufficient enough for me). The way they handled his sexist actions and remarks, and kind of had the two characters in a power struggle with each other, though, was quite interesting and well done to me. We need more anime that do this to pathetic, gross, sexist pervert characters:

Like, please! It's also in these moments that you can really tell that the director is a woman this time as opposed to S1.

5. Agnes not ending up skinny by the end of the season was beautiful, I loved it! I also love how, like with S1, Agnes pulled through for the heroes at the end, but, like always, she isn't doing it because she necessarily cares about the heroes (though, I do think she does on some level), but because of how much blood, sweat, and tears she has put into HERO TV, lmao. It's honestly so refreshing to have an adult female character in an anime have this sort of personality.

6. I really liked the inclusion of these plush toys:

It reminded me of the toy bears from Season 1, though this time Kaede likes them too (she has one on her phone).

I also got teary eyed at Barnaby responding “Maybe,” when the doll asked, “Are you happy?” That may not seem like a positive answer, but for Barnaby it is. I feel that answer is what gives me hope that we might get some more T&B in the future. And I'll talk about that some more in a later post.

7. I'm so, so glad that they *finally* addressed Karina's crush on Kotetsu. I'll discuss this in far more detail later, but just, thank goodness. It was like they had to spell it out to all the dudebros out there that Kotetsu only ever saw Karina as a child that he cares about. He related himself to an uncle, so he views her like family - like a niece, and that is *never* going to change.

“I’ll be like your uncle that says, “Have fun, but bring her back before her curfew.”

8. This part of S2 really said ACAB. Especially when they have Agnes being like, "You're shitty ass apology and realization, and eventual help, doesn't negate the fact that you basically sabotaged the heroes and caused a lot more harm than good." She didn't say it quite like that, but that was what she meant, lol. I loved it.

9. I like the way they hadbRyan deal with Gregory Sunshine, since that was a personal matter for him. I also like that they didn't have Kotetsu use the drug. I was never a fan of that theory, because there was no way I could see it working with Kotetsu's personality without either a *very specific* set of situations or with him just being OOC. It also felt redundant and a bit pointless, since the drug was just to enhance preexisting powers, not magically fix them. So I am a big fan of how they had Kotetsu go into berserk mode instead and lose his powers completely that way. It just personally works better for me.

10. The stuff with LL Audun was okay. His character seemed a bit cheesy, but like that fits. He was like a mix of an actual X-men (appearance-wise) and that old school superhero cheesiness that we sometimes think of. The English dub gave him a voice that really fits an older era as well. It was a nice touch.

11. That being said, I didn't really care for how they had him come to the realization that the heroes were good and that he didn't need to punish them. It felt a bit like lazy writing, but I also think they did a good job of making it clear that this particular character wasn't all quite mentally there anymore.

12. Having Kotetsu confront the truth of Mr. Legend! YES! I have a lot to say about all of that, and it will be in my post on familial relationships in this cour.

13. There was another time skip and you can really see that in Kaede and her friend. They both look older and just the way Kaede was talking and corresponding with Kotetsu - so much growth on both of their ends. I’ll be discussing this some more in another, later post.

14. The angle of Gregory's powers being perceived as an unknown contagious disease was quite a choice and made me think of two things: COVID and AIDs (especially given the fact that Cour 2 takes place in the 80s, specifically 1981, which is the same year that the AIDs epidemic started). 

15. Karina, Nathan, Pao-lin, and Lara all have a very physical and visible reaction when they hear that Gregory's powers are supposedly activated via hugging (all agree with the power being odd and they all mimic hugging themselves). None of the male characters do this. It's something I've never really seen before in an anime, but I appreciated that small touch. It's a small detail that I feel really highlights how a female perspective was directing this season.

16. Mattia with Saito killed me! lmao I feel we’ve all been in a situation like that, where you have trouble understanding someone, but you feel silly or embarrassed about that, so you just kinda nod your head and go with it. But Mattia is legit trying to answer Saito’s questions and it is a mess, haha.

17. Speaking of Mattia, I really like how they wrote the situation with him. It was really creative to have him be the “betrayer” character, but also not at the same time. Also, the way they incorporated him working with Saito afterwards was nicely done.

18. The main news channel spreading misinformation, discontent, and hatred...As an American with two parents who love a certain Faux News Channel (and watch a certain podcast - all a bunch of stuff that just spews misinformation everywhere)...That really hit close. Also, if I’m not mistaken, the news caster was Lara’s mother’s tennis rival (and ex-friend), which added an extra element to it. Especially when Lara’s mother told her that she was going to be changing (which I’m going to talk about more later) while her rival seems like she is just going to stew in a hateful way of thinking and viewing the world.

Finally, to end on a sweeter note, let’s talk about the flowers in the new ED (which is beautiful and has a gorgeous song to go with it) :

The flowers are daisies. 

The General Flower Language Meanings: New Beginnings, Love, Hope, Affection, and more. 

 White: Purity, Innocence 

Yellow: Friendship, Joy, Get Well 

Pink: Gentle Admiration, Affection, Adoration 

All of these meanings fit Kotetsu and Barnaby’s bond and the themes of S2 Cour 2.

That’s it for this section. I’ll have my post on familial relationships and then the buddy relationships (and other relationships - looking at you Antonio x Agnes) up later. So keep an eye out for them. Also, feel free to add your thoughts to these posts, as always, and thanks for reading all of this! <3 

[lordeasriel]

What don’t you like about the tv show version of Marisa

Well, it's not Marisa, for one thing. It's a very crude and poor attempt at bringing her on-screen. Talking about what I dislike about her means this gets intrinsic with the show's greatest flaws, because they are a big part of what is wrong with her portrayal.

First issue I have is that she is a very washed down version of what Marisa is. She's soft, purposeless other than "Lyra is my daughter" and overall she is a dull character. Had Book! Lyra ever met her, she would have found Show!Marisa boring.

Marisa's lack of purpose is deeply tied with many narrative problems, such as shallow worldbuilding (the non-women scholar bullshit from season 2, for one, and the lack of daemons) and even with Boreal, they played it very safe and boring. When Marisa deals with him in the books, she is power-playing and very strongly too; he isn't a nobody. In the show is very meh, Boreal is almost on even grounds with her, which makes her scheming silly and uninterested. Worse than that, she whines and cries so much in front of him (in episode 5, season 2 specifically, and this is where I left the show and I do not intend to come back lol) that it makes no sense. Marisa's vulnerability is only seen in specific moments of the book — with Asriel at the bridge, then later at the abyss, once with Lyra in the caves. There is a reason why she is vulnerable in those instances, and only then. Making her open herself to Boreal is utter garbage, plain and simple.

Second issue I have is how they set the tone for her to be a scorned mother. The show plays, again and again, the "I've always wanted you Lyra but--" card. They make it seem like Asriel stole Lyra from Marisa's throbbing chest and disappeared into the night, and oh! how desperately she has looked for her beloved child. Honestly! All the fucking books, even TBOD, show how she didn't want Lyra then and when she finally did, it was out of self interest and vanity. Only later, in TAS, is when she finally warms up to Lyra. They erased her character development for the sake of some motherly tears and I loathe it.

This pair's with Sami's latest post which just proves what I've been saying since season one: they took a great, leading character female character and they made it all about motherhood. It's insulting. Marisa is so much more than a mother. She never wanted to be a mother.

Third issue is the "She is bad because of how oppressed she has been" issue. Northern Lights, chapter four - Lyra dines with the women and the master and you have a whole discussion on female scholars and how Lyra felt pity for them and so on and how Mrs. Coulter was very different. Like, anyone who had actually bothered reading the novels could tell you that Lyra's world is a patriarchal world, but the women still find their way around, as they have since forever in our world.

Now for the show, this pisses me off on many levels, but my main issue is with how they try, so hard, to have Marisa say - and this is important, it's never shown, it's only ever said by her - how men get the better end of the deal, how she had to work so hard to get where she was and blah blah blah. Honestly, this is very true for the show; they bothered very little to write meaningful women into it, the one change I would have appreciated very much, but as in regards to the truth of the character, it's just nonsense. This whole shenanigan could have been fixed with Hannah Relf's presence, because she alone would prove that Marisa's cruelty and malice are innate traits, not a byproduct of her world being sexist. It makes no sense.

If you're looking for more insight into that, I recommend Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss which is an analysis of episode 5, season 2 and this patriarchy business on the show. It's very good and insightful and more reasonable than I will ever be discussing the show lol

There's no excuse for Marisa's poorly written character. It's a waste of Ruth Wilson's acting and a damn shame for a studio that so often claimed to have learned from the movie's mistakes (which they, very very obviously did not as Marisa from the show and the movie are very, very similar). That's why I've only stuck with books since season 2, because while Philman sometimes does stuff I don't entirely agree with, he has a great grasp on the woman he wrote, which is why I leave you with Madame Delamare's own words about Marisa, something the show writers failed utterly to understand and therefore could never truly bring her to screen:

"Delicately and subtly," she mocked "Marisa would know how to show some force. Some character. She was all the man you'll never be."