#because a big chunk of it is about a relationship I loved in season 1

[vi-is-badass]

"I think ultimately our difference is that you're approaching your critique from the perspective of "here's what the writers should have done in order to more effectively tell the story they wanted to tell" and I'm more going at it from an angle of "here's the story I wanted them to tell"."

You definitely hit the nail on the head haha. I hadn't really noticed that until you pointed it out, but now that you have it's obvious.

I hadn't really considered talking about the show in terms of "what I would have wanted". I think about my issues with stories in a way that's centered around improving/maximizing the impact of what we have because I can't go back and completely change it to fit my expectations. I hadn't really considered thinking of what-ifs. So I think the way you've approached our conversation is interesting!

I was definitely looking at your point about Vi's role in the final battle through the lens you accurately pointed out and it caused me to misinterpret the intent behind your viewpoint that Vi not doing anything isn't inherently a problem and could instead represent an (incredibly interesting!) commentary on the fact that a truly kindhearted person can't change a broken system. My perspective caused me to look at it from a different angle than you intended and looking back with that in mind a few of my points sound a bit nitpicky over semantics and that was not my intention at all. I hope none of my counterpoints came across as confrontational. Sorry if they did!

I want to address your point about the final battle first since I think it's really interesting. I will admit I saw the writing on the wall as someone who knew league lore and saw the trailers for the season that Viktor and the arcane were going to be the big bad of the season, so I wasn't caught off guard. However, I was still disappointed with what was sacrificed to get there, especially in hindsight, and I completely understand your point that the show shouldn't have ended in a big final battle of good vs evil and I agree. The show that was presented to us in the first season and even the first 2 acts of season 2 didn't effectively build to that.

I would like to hear what you would have wanted the final episodes/act to be about instead. (I'm going to guess the civil war between Zaun and Piltover, but I would definitely be interested to hear your full thoughts)

Quick question: What other issues did you have that we haven't talked about?

I also want to say I would love to read a fanfic centered around the idea of committing to Caitlyn's villain arc. That would be fascinating. Please let me know if you ever decide to post it! I mean this completely genuinely. I would be excited to read it.

(sorry for the quality and text over the photo, but I couldn't find the original moment in the videos while scrubbing through so I had to resort to Google Images haha)

The scene where Caitlyn has a breakdown is one of the many season 2 scenes accidentally shown in the Bridging the Rift behind-the-scenes documentary. Caitlyn's in her enforcer attire (because of her hair it's probably after she takes the role of commander), alone, and you can see her go from collected to crying. So it's not a full scene that's been released (I hope it will be on the season 2 DVD release though!). They started animating it but it ended up on the cutting room floor.

On the topic of Caitlyn, I completely agree with the points you made. they had 2 set paths they could have taken Caitlyn and they didn't fully commit to either one, which hurt her character.

I kind of feel like the writers wrote themselves into a corner with her. They gave her this complex and interesting arc that fundamentally puts her at odds with Vi and yet they still had to/wanted to make them endgame, something they have been very vocal about being the plan since day 1. With that in mind due to the time constraints, they couldn't go all in on her dictator arc and relegated the worst of it to the "Paint the Town Blue" montage (seriously I've rewatched it multiple times and Caitlyn is painted very villainously in it) and had to immediately course correct at the beginning of act 2.

The problem is the fact that they didn't commit enough to it and I think it's partially because they didn't want us to hate Caitlyn, so they didn't show her committing her worst acts and actively went out of their way to show the ways in which she's "better" than the previous sheriff (forbidding the use of the dungeons Vi was in, forcing the stillwater guards to keep meticulous paperwork, having her be vocally against arrests without cause, giving prisoners better meals, etc) which ultimately backfired because this middle ground simply didn't work.

I guess this is where I have to finally talk about Caitlyn and Vi, which I have been avoiding purely because it's such a volatile topic online, but on a personal level I don't think they work with the way they played out after Caitlyn's descent into fascism within the show. There were ways they could have made them work, but the way they went about it brushed most of what happened in season 2 under the rug and they get together almost immediately after Caitlyn's turn.

And I don't hate them. I loved them in season 1 as individual characters and their relationship and I liked the idea the ship initially presented with the two of them being a bridge between the cities. But when they got together in act 3 I was left with the question "Why do these two characters still love each other?" and I think that's my biggest problem. (I completely acknowledge this could be my own views)

Or more accurately, since I think Caitlyn still having feelings for Vi is significantly easier to understand, my main question was "Why does Vi still love Caitlyn other than the fact that once Vi starts loving someone she can't stop?"

Vi falls for Caitlyn in season 1 because Caitlyn chose to fight for her and the undercity. She didn’t have to fight— she had nothing to gain, nothing to lose if she didn't fight like everyone in the undercity— and yet she chose to fight anyway.

Caitlyn was genuine in her desire to help and fight against a system she learned through her connection to Vi has oppressed the people of the undercity. She also sees what Vi believes is the worst of her during the bedroom scene and still reaches for Vi anyway, giving her empathy and grace that has never been afforded to her before.

But then all of that crumbles in season 2. Caitlyn becomes the worst version of herself out of grief and the sudden immense responsibility thrust upon her shoulders and actively becomes the face of the oppression Vi and her people face. Caitlyn no longer wants to fight corruption and actively participates in it. Gone is the empathy and understanding of season 1. Gone is that desire to fight for Vi and the undercity that made her fall in love in the first place.

That idea in and of itself wouldn't be an issue. It's actually very compelling. Vi truly thought Caitlyn was different, but now she's everything Vi initially believed she was. Presenting this conflict and forcing the characters to confront these opposing parts of themselves and grow back together had the potential to lead to a powerful and heart-wrenching storyline.

In the wake of this conflict we're left with the question I initially presented: why does Vi still love Caitlyn other than the fact that once Vi starts loving someone she can't stop? Plus the question: how can these two characters grow back together after all of this?

And the show really doesn't want to acknowledge the first question and it simply speeds by the second.

And I'm not saying this to be harsh. I feel like these questions needed to be answered because they're problems the show presents.

The biggest problem for me is that it felt like the show was tiptoeing around the fact that Caitlyn was a dictator so it didn't have to answer these questions. The biggest example of this is that we weren't given Vi's feelings on Caitlyn’s role as the commander, the checkpoints, the detainments that lack adequate cause, and the brutality and oppression disguised behind a thin veneer of justice.

We only really get insight on her guilt over it all in the montage at the start of episode 5. She feels responsible for what Caitlyn has become because she failed to protect her and for being a part of the start of something that turned into an oppressive occupation of her people.

Even when she's with Caitlyn again and yells at her in act 3 it's about Caitlyn listening to and actively participating in Ambessa's violence. Again it's framed around Ambessa rather than her actions towards Zaun or Vi.

I feel like this is making it seem like I hate them or hated that they got together and I don't want it to seem that way. I wanted to be able to buy into this romance. I adored them after season 1. I was just personally so confused by the lack of exploration on what should be a massive roadblock to their relationship.

And I do genuinely like the scene where they get together in a vacuum (even if I am ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ about sex scenes because I'm very aroace haha). The little nuances that people keep pointing out are incredibly impressive and every time I see that gif of Caitlyn looking at Vi's injury with so much softness and regret I completely buy that Caitlyn loves Vi. In a vacuum, the scene does sell that they care about each other. It's what builds up to it that I have a problem with. (That and the context of the scene. The way Jinx left Vi makes it so it doesn't make sense to me that Vi wouldn't immediately storm off to find her.)

I just genuinely believe they needed to slow down and have them grow back together instead of getting back together immediately after reuniting or at the very least explore their individual feelings on the other while separated. This way they could show Caitlyn earning back Vi's trust or give us more context for their reconciliation. But I also understand they didn't have the time. I think they were between a rock and hard place: rush Caitlyn and Vi together or end the series with them starting to grow back together and get a ton of backlash for promising a ship they didn't end up committing to (they did so many interviews about caitvi after season 1).

Oof. I think I might get murdered for that take. The discourse around Caitlyn and Vi's relationship is very heated and I understand that my views are my own. I'm not going to go on a tirade that people should love or hate this ship. How people feel about it is valid. I'm not in the business of telling people how to feel.

I know you've alluded to your feelings about the relationship, but if you're willing to share your full thoughts I would be willing to listen. If you think I'm way off the mark let me know! I really enjoy this back-and-forth.

I actually think this video is really interesting. Not because I fully agree with it (there are a lot of points in the video I don't agree with and a lot that I do), but because I appreciate its intent.

I also fall in the same boat where I really liked the second season, but I didn't love it like I did the first and I appreciate that this is a video that wants to start a conversation. He wants to talk about why things didn't necessarily work for him, why it didn't seem to have the same impact as the first, and about how he wants to hear why those things might have worked for others.

So much discourse about this season has framed it as either the best thing ever, above any criticism, or the worst thing ever with no redeeming qualities and it's made it very frustrating and demoralizing to try and talk about it online.

I want to talk about how I loved aspects of this show and that I was also let down by certain aspects of the show as well, but anytime I try and talk about criticism it's rarely met with a genuine conversation.

I would love to hear how people interpreted things differently from me, why they felt that way, how it connected with them, because I feel like that's the purpose of stories. It's never going to resonate with anyone the same way and there may have been things I missed.

I also know I haven't always worded what I've wanted to say and my criticisms the way I want to get across what I mean. It has never been my intent to sound like I wasn't open to discussion, different interpretations, or counterpoints. I would like to actually talk more about this season and hear other people's thoughts as well.

[old-people-like-avatar]

Netflix Avatar the Last Airbender S1 - Overall Thoughts [SPOILERS]

I am a longtime fan of Avatar the Last Airbender. I did not watch it in its original 2005 run, but I discovered it in around 2010 after my good friend R.S. recommended it to me. It's been my #1 favorite TV show ever since and I have rewatched it more times than I can count. I was cautiously optimistic about NATLA.

Now, having watched the whole first season of NATLA, and looking at the season as a whole, I think the best word to describe it is uneven. I can't say that I loved it, and I can't say that I hated it. But there were things I really liked about it and things that really did not work for me. Overall, I enjoyed watching it -- if only to dissect what did and did not work about the adaptation -- and would want to watch more.

WHAT WORKED

Everything to do with Zuko and Iroh. I found myself going back through just to rewatch all of the Zuko and Iroh-related scenes. I thought Dallas Liu really nailed Zuko -- from tantrums about his journal being stolen to incredible action sequences to the boyish vulnerability of worrying about the laces on his gauntlets. He took an iconic character and made him his own. NATLA added some incredible scenes and lines to my favorite duo: Lu Ten's funeral (coupled with orchestral version of "Leaves from the Vine"); Zuko's first war council; Iroh choosing to go with Zuko on the boat; the 41st Division; Iroh putting a blanket on Zuko. And I liked that NATLA emphasized that Iroh needed Zuko in the wake of Lu Ten's death as much as Zuko needed Iroh after his mother left.

Daniel Dae Kim's interpretation of Ozai. Ozai in ATLA is kind of one-dimensional. Daniel Dae Kim's Ozai adds a deeper layer to him in that he genuinely seems to think he's doing legitimate parenting -- even going so far as to visit Zuko after burning his face and remarking, glibly, that he'll recover ("but he'll never heal," says Iroh). It adds an even more monstrous angle to his cruelty because Kim's Ozai seems to think he's doing it for his children's own good. This post perfectly encapsulates my feelings about why I thought the agni kai between Ozai and Zuko was an excellent addition to NATLA.

Zuko/Aang. These two bonding over goat hair brushes was the scene I never knew I needed. The way Aang managed to wrest a little smile out of Zuko in that scene before Zuko blew up at him for criticizing the Fire Lord? And the way that tied into the "Compassion is a sign of weakness" scene from the agni kai? Great character work.

WHAT DID NOT WORK

Dialogue. I already observed at length my dissatisfaction with the clunky, exposition-dumping dialogue in my episode-by-episode writeups. It certainly wasn't as bad as the Movie-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named, but . . . there was no art or subtlety to it, and no trust in the audience. A disappointment.

The GAang did not feel like family. The lack of breathing room in the 8-episode season meant that all of the "filler" episodes that fleshed out the relationships between Aang, Katara, and Sokka were sacrificed. I am not saying NATLA needed to recapture each of the filler episodes. But they needed to build the foundational bonds between the main trio with showing not telling and they really didn't. They separated them for big chunks of 2 episodes. And, really, they just felt like traveling companions. That took all of the emotional heft out of, well, everything related to Aang, Katara, and Sokka. I mean, frankly, the kid actors did a better job establishing the "family" dynamic just by being themselves in their press interviews than the show did with the characters.

Aang did not run away from responsibility. I am not one of those people that's just mad that the show wasn't exactly like the cartoon. No. What I mean is, even putting aside the cartoon, even if you just look at NATLA itself: their own themes were undercut by never showing Aang actually running away from responsibility. Each avatar seemed to be berating Aang for doing something he was never actually shown to be doing.

Katara. I really don't think this one is on the actress. Katara felt like a fundamentally different character from ATLA's Katara. It's not to say an adaption is not allowed to have their own interpretation of a character, but... I just did not understand NATLA Katara. There was no passion, no rage, no overbearing nurturing. She was... I don't know what she was. Traumatized, yes, but nothing grew out of that trauma? Meek, until the plot demanded that she suddenly become a waterbending master without any guidance other than a waterbending scroll? The "younger sister"? More than any of the main characters, I'm not sure what NATLA was trying to say about Katara at all. And, as a result, I'm afraid the word to describe it might be uninteresting. And given that she is the heart and soul of Team Avatar, this one was really tough.

Despite the fact that a lot of NATLA did not work for me, I still enjoyed it because the things that did work for me, well, really worked. So. I'm here for all of the Zuko/Iroh scenes!

[nalyra-dreaming]

Oh I love these:

Jacob Anderson

On Sam Reid's performance as dream Lestat: "I noticed after we did a few scenes together with that dynamic, I would just notice Sam copying me. I would have to be like, 'OK, he's studying the way that I stand or the way that I say things. It's the story. It's what's supposed to be happening.' But occasionally I was like, 'I don't do that!' Now I've seen the season, and I'm like, 'It's genius.' I'm looking forward to seeing what Sam says about playing Louis, essentially. It's Lestat as Louis remembers him, filtered through the things that Louis doesn't want to say, and can't say. And maybe the things that Louis is embarrassed or ashamed about, Lestat just says it."

Sam Reid

On Lestat and Armand's relationship: "They have a very, very, very messy relationship. I think a big part of why Lestat didn't want to go back to France, in Season 1, when they were in New Orleans, is because he doesn't want to run into Armand. He doesn't want to see Armand. He's got a very, very complex relationship with him. It's not like he's like, "Ugh, Armand!" [Disgusted noise] It's like, "Ugh." [Exasperated noise] He's not twisty, turny, thinking about Armand every single day or whatever. He's like, "Ugh, I just would rather… Yeah, I don't want him around." But when he does the flick of his wrist when he thinks about Armand, he's also flicking a huge chunk of his life away."

Delainey Hayles

On Louis and Claudia's relationship: "The book became like my Bible in a way, where I was able to look back and look at how Anne Rice describes Claudia. And I was taking into consideration that it's been her and Louis for a very long time. As a child, you absorb your surroundings. Claudia has spent a lot of time with Louis over the past couple of years. So I think, in a way, his empathy kind of rubs off on her."

Assad Zaman

On the show's memory theme: "I personally think often we equate — if the memory's a little bit inaccurate, then the feeling isn't real. [But] if you think back to our childhood, we elaborate on the stories in our heads so much, and often the tiniest things, moments that meant a lot to us become bigger as we remember them. Time slows down or speeds up, and people become larger or smaller in our heads depending on how they made us feel in that time. I think [there's] a lot of that this season — when we go into Paris, I think that's where the performative nature comes into it. We get to really embrace those emotions. The love between Louis and Armand, the romance, is one of the most beautiful parts of it, the way it starts."

Eric Bogosian

On his experience working on the show: "To be working on such complex material and be asked to do things that I haven't done before, and to be working with such amazing creative team — I mean... I've been around. I'm not speaking from, like, this is my second show or my third show. This is like, my 35th show, or 60th, or something. So when I say that Rolin [Jones] is amazing, Hannah [Moscovitch] is amazing — that's our writing team — and that Jacob and Assad are amazing — these guys are very generous. And I think a lot about [how] when you go into deep work as an actor, you have to feel safe. I have definitely not been safe [in the past], especially with men. Men can be real jerks on set, and the audience can't see it, because we have to do our job. But if you're with a bully star, it's hard to go to where you need to go to. And Jacob, who's mainly who I'm working with, he's a very loving guy. Maybe people don't want to know this about him. Maybe I'm only supposed to say things like, 'In real life he's actually a vampire,' but in real life, he's actually a real, very sweet man. Very human."

Ben Daniels

On Santiago's approach to the theater: "It's like people trolling on Twitter. It's like, they're hidden behind the screen, but his screen is the fact that he's pretending to be a human. And he sort of is getting those mortals by the scruff of the neck and saying, 'Look at yourselves. Look how ridiculous and pathetic you are.' But they lap it up because they think it's a show."

THERE'S MORE!

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

I think that the misandry by the writers , especially Hess, is something that isn't discussed much. It's much deeper and dare I say, more sinister than just 'men bad women good' because the way she wrote the last episode shows that she wants to convey how Alicent's actions are commendable in a sense that her male children don't deserve her devotion and unconditional love anyway, while her only female child and grandchild do. It's framed as her liberation because she sells her own sons to another woman who is their enemy, but you know, it is good because Rhaenicent and reasons. As a woman, I'm appalled by this. What's worse is that I've seen takes here and on x like "Alicent regained her agency by ditching her sons for the woman she loves, her betrayal is understandable, go girl, you have my support" (and this one is tame compared to some others). Believe me, I'm not exaggerating. And I must be from mars because in my book that's not acceptable, understandable or commendable in any way, just the opposite. The problem, however, lies in the fact that the narrative and the writers' agenda support these vile and delusional takes. You don't even have to be a parent to see how evil and nonsensical this idea is, you just have to be able to understand basic human emotions and family dynamic. The writers and a big chunk of the fandom apparently don't.

Hello!

Thank you for this, really. The writers' (Hess' specifically) misandric agenda is absolutely crazy - and IMO crazy evident as well, so seeing so many people fall for it is baffling, sad and infuriating at the same time.

Don't they see that in HotD the women are the ones to blaim for something only when they side with men in one way or another? Don't they understand how forced, unsubtle and - because of that - cringe all the "you are a woman so you can't rule", "they don't respect me because I'm a woman" and "women suffer while men fight" are? House of the Dragon is one of the most force-feeding shows I've ever watched - and for some reason GA and even some people in the fandom believe it's alright. Media literacy is dead for real.

And the parent-children aspect of misandry you brought up is indeed one of the most atrocious things about the whole debacle. I am not a mother myself - but I have one, just as, I think, the majority of the viewers do. I refuse to believe that everyone who cheers for Alicent to abandon her sons has their own familial relationships so screwed that they are unable to understand the outlandishness of the opinion they are choosing to uphold.

Not to mention that in their quest for showing just how terrible Alicent's sons (minus Daeron - at least for now) are, HotD writers completely destroyed Helaena's personality, even the sparks of it she had in season 1. Now she is all about three things: bugs, clairvoyance and suffering (and I can't believe that the first point has been handled the best development-wise). Helaena is supposed to be good and kind: but what good and kind things have we seen her do? Taking care (kind of) of her crickets, offering a necklace in exchange for the life of her son (oh wow) and saying that she shouldn't really grieve for her child that much because the commoners' kids are dying all the time (how relatable for anyone who actually lost a child, right?). For most part she is just there, staring into the distance and saying something prophetic (or, again, suffering).

Just imagine a real mother saying to her son "You know, sonny, I love you, but you forgot to thank me for the pudding I made for your birthday plus you called my bestie an old cow - so I invited your school bullies to our house so that they could beat the shit out of you, you ungrateful jerk. They are in the backyard, go on, don't make your mommy wait".

Just imagine a real woman whose son has just been brutally killed say "You know what, there are so many children starving to death in the world. Why should I cry over mine?"

Honestly, I am beginning to think that people are steadily losing the ability to connect the things happening on screen to actual human emotional experience - as if the characters (in HotD in this case) are aliens to whom basic concepts that have been holding humanity together for millenia do not apply.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: Netflix Avatar: the Last Airbender (Book 1)

(Thanks @knightsweeties for this cute GP)

Now I have AVOIDED looking at spoilers, and opinions of others until After I had made my own conclusions.

A lot of people are mixed on this series. With only one thing being consensus:

The last airbender movie < Netflix Avatar the last Airbender < Avatar the last Airbender

Aside from that, opinions have been all over the places. On how great or how bad the show is.

I will be going over my thoughts on it in the following categories.

The Action (fight scenes)

The Effects (from bending, CGI, and costumes)

The characters

The Plot

The changes

Does it capture the Spirit?

How does it stand on its own?

Conclusions.

(Spoilers below, but let’s get Right into it)

____________________________________________

The Action

So I’m going to say this. The action in this series is great. In my opinion it’s the strongest point in the series.

The battles from invasions, to simple one on one fights are very well done, some aspects even surpassing the original. Like the invasion of the Northern Water Tribe, you really feel the place is under attack.

And the bending battles are pretty gorgeous. It’s impressive to see the fight between Katara and Paku done serviceable well.

Though one flaw is the fact that sometimes showing the fight or attack actually took away from the impact of story beats done in the original. Seeing the attack on the Air Nomads actually took something away from it. Seeing Aang discover that horror is much less impactful.

And seeing Zuko fight in his Agni Kai against his Father also took a lot of bite from the scene. If Zuko never fought back it would have been so much more traumatic.

But they were still good fighting scenes.

Solid 9/10

____________________________________________

The Effects.

The Costumes in this are Gorgeous! Especially Kyoshi warriors. The characters mostly look as if taken straight from the cartoon. The Face stealer himself being ABSOLUTELY HORRIFYING to look at in Live action. He is a sleep paralysis demon.

Appa and Momo both look great. The effects of the cities, and the blending are beautiful.

The bending also looks pretty clean. Though I admit the water bending was a bit lacking but the Fire looked ESPECIALLY fierce.

There is so much detail jam packed in this it’s amazing.

Though, I will say that it’s not flawless, some of the things do come off a touch goofy. But that could be more of uncanny valley with some of the bending.

8/10

___________________________________________

The Characters

And it wouldn’t be Avatar without the Characters in it.

And before we do anything, let me say, ALL of the characters look like the character they are playing. It’s like Netflix genetically modified them to Look like the character.

Dallas James Liu’s Portrayal of Zuko is PERFECT. Matching Season 1 Zuko’s personality to a T.

Zuko actually gets more development and his relationship with Iroh and the Crew are expanded upon more. That Funeral scene with him and Iroh broke my heart.

Maria Zhang’s Suki is also an incredible performance.

DANNY PUDI AS The Mechanist. (They cast Abed!) that was a fun surprise.

But now that we talked about what I loved about the characters… now to get to the negatives.

Aang feels so mopey. Yes Aang has his sad moments. But instead of being a hyper optimist with a penchant for fun, he is more like a depressed kid that has occasional bits of being a kid. I don’t blame the Actor, I just feel it’s more the writing

But if Aang got a downgrade in character, Katara was SHREDDED to practically nothing. The strong yet caring Katara was so… Passive. Even her big moment fighting Paku felt so… lack luster. It pained me to see this girl who was so strong come off so… passive.

Sokka did lose a chunk of character and development, but it wasn’t AS detrimental as one would believe. It’s still cruddy. But there was some stuff added that helped cushion the blow.

Appa and Momo were not as present because expenses (but at least they were fine)

King Bumi is dead. I don’t know WHAT was the plan behind Bumi, but this felt so… twisted and off. This isn’t the Bumi that taught Aang the lesson about how not everything is as it seemed. It hurt me to see such an accurate look be so inaccurate.

Azula and her friends felt like a down grade. I know what they were trying to go for. But I just didn’t feel that EDGE she had. It felt so.. pitiful.

On a positive

Jet and his team were still fun and a bit psychotic.

Ozai actually coming off as more competent.

And Admiral Zhao being incompetent yet super Egotistical was a change I welcome.

The bounty hunter Jun, flirting with Iroh was a change I wasn’t expecting but loved.

The Face Stealer may have looked more terrifying… but his actual action was mid… aside from the nightmares.

The rest of the character acting was a mix.

I gotta put this at… 5/10

When most of the main cast feels so bland it really takes away from the story.

____________________________________________

The Plot

So the season still follows the general plot of Book 1 of ATLA.

Katara and Sokka find the Avatar who got frozen for a long time. They go travel to help Aang find a Waterbending master so he can start learning to bend and save the world.

Now interestingly since it only has 8 episodes it sort of Blends together several plots into one episode. And this causes a lot of changes… and the effects of it are… well… a mixed bag at best and almost completely undefinable at worst.

Episode 4 being especially messy.

Now there are additions and changes from the original because of the constraints of Live Action.

Like not specifying that Aang has been gone 100 years, and actually changing certain story beats to references in order to save on time.

In some cases, it’s understandable. In facts being a one to one retelling would be boring.

The problem is that the story feels more like it’s pushing the characters rather than the characters pushing the story. Aang had agency, but now there is even more forced Agency.

I did like the changes that made the fire nation more competent. (I’ll discuss further in the next section)

But overall, I felt that the story was speed blitzed and super monologue heavy at its worse. It’s nothing incoherently awful. But it’s very lacking.

4/10

_________________________________________

The Changes

There were a Lot of changes done to this in comparison to the original series. So for this. I decided to make a new system.

I will list the change. If you see this Symbol (+) it’s a change I am fine with. If you see (-) it’s a change I didn’t like. And if you see (\) it means I’m indifferent to it.

-Fire Lord Sozin wiped out Air benders in person (/)

- Aang got lost in a storm by accident, not actively running away (-)

- Katara and Sokka lose the feminist development (-)

-No penguin sledding (- -)

-No Haru (-)

-Avatar Kyoshi take over (+)

-Zuko has a journal about the Avatars (+)

- Jet in Omashu (/)

-Teo and his father in Omashu (+)

-Bumi is jaded. (-)

-Secret tunnel early (-) (it’s weird that Sokka and Katara go in there, there is more I don’t like but I will just leave that out for now)

-The Funeral for Iroh’s son. (+++)

-The Agni Kai with Ozai was changed (-)

-The crew of Zuko is revealed to be the division that would have been sacrificed. (+)

-Aang never Water bends (-)

-Azula’s whole character alteration, and earning the blue flames (-)

-Less Serious Roku (-)

-Koh’e whole deal (-)

- Zhao’s death is different. (-)

-Yue having a bigger connection to Sokka (+)

-Fire nation demonstrates far more competence (+)

-

There are more but most of them I’m more understanding because of Time Constraints.

I will give credit that a lot of the changes I didn’t like but they did try something.

3/10

______________________________________

Does it capture the Spirit?

This is where I have to say Kind of.

When you see the references, Cameos, and the small details. You can tell there is some love for the original series. The attention to details and the bending choreography is gorgeous and Almost seamless.

It’s where we get to the core of the show that feels different.

For example. The Netflix version of One piece. There are a TON of differences, but the core of the characters felt the same. The spirit of the show was still clear. It was handled with love.

With this series, I can say there is a respect for ATLA, but the core seems to have a different focus.

So I put this at 5/10

As there are some things that you can see have reverence, but other things that don’t.

_________________________________________

Conclusion.

The stark defenders of the show say you shouldn’t compare it to the Original because it will seem worse. While also then comparing how much better it is compare to the live action movie.

Here’s the truth, if you watched ATLA, you are not going to expect this show to be better than the original.

If you didn’t watch the original show, you would probably be entertained, and since this show explains basically everything, you won’t need to know as much as the viewer going in… but there is also a lot going on.

If you were to go in and watch this show with 0 understanding of the show. I’d say 6 maybe 7 out of 10.

But if you are a fan that cares about the show. I have to put it at 5/10

And that’s where I put it.

5/10

It is watchable, but I’m not absolutely smitten with it.

I’m willing to give book 2 a chance… but I’m iffy. On it.

[iced-coffee-jesus]

https://www.tumblr.com/iced-coffee-jesus/767235683936075776/yall-watch-one-episode-where-we-dont-get

Except the majority of the complaints aren’t about buddie?

They are about the lack of progress regarding Eddie and Eddie and Chris.

But some of you guys sit here and think it’s fine to ckmpl about Bucks storylines and keep it separate but the moment people complain about how things are being handled with Eddie it’s an immediate “omg it was one episode not everything is about buddie chill out”

Eddie has had almost zero development. The only thing that has had less development than Eddie at this point is Eddie and Chris’s relationship. Way too much focus is being given to side characters at the expense of the mains. And Eddie is taking the brunt of it.

Another way to look at it? Buck has had some story focus in every single episode this season so far. Including the majority of 8.5 and a chunk of 8.6. With a big thing happening to him at the end of 8.6.

Eddie has been basically background comedy every episode except for a moment or two here or there and then we were told by Tim after 8.5 Eddie would be the focus as he’s now the next big part of the story. Hell even Oliver said in a post 8.5 interview that 8.6 was Eddie’s. But then oh hey it wasn’t. Not really. It was Madney (super excited for their second child 🥹) and BT with some Eddie thrown in. And a big thing happening to him at the end of 8.6.

And this is now where the frustration boils over for 8.7. Buck had at least 3 full scenes given to him as he talked about Tommy, was sad about Tommy, tried to figure out what to do about Tommy. His big thing was addressed. Eddie’s? Not a word. Not a single thing. No one mentioned the mustache being gone. Eddie didn’t mention his new lease to find joy. Not a single word about Chris. Just more comedic relief Eddie in the background. Chris has been gone for month and months now. And per both Peter and Angela in post 8.7 interviews we are getting a time skip when we come back from the winter hiatus which will put Chris as being gone for 10 months when we come back in March. He’s been separated from Eddie that long and zero progress has been made. And that circles back to the frustration with Eddie’s lack of storyline attention because Chris can’t come back till Eddie is taken care of because that’s the entire point of Chris being removed from the narrative. But instead of focusing on any of that at all we get 3 scenes of Buck sad baking over a man who dumped him two different times. We get a scene of Gerrard crying over Brad not liking him.

That’s what people are frustrated about. The only ones making “one episode not about buddie” are those of you who keep saying that and refusing to acknowledge we can be unhappy about the way Eddie is being handled separately from buddie because you refuse to separate Eddie from buddie.

This is such a long rant that I almost didn't answer it, but you pissed me off anon so I will!

The post that you linked to doesn't mention either Buck or Eddie's individual storylines you'll notice, because that isn't what that post is about! I am specifically talking about people freaking about about not getting progression in the buddie storyline in one (1) episode when we had a lot of development in 8x05 and 8x06. That is what that post is about, so please calm down and re-read the post.

I'm not sure if you follow my blog or have seen my posts, but I haven't been complaining about Buck's storyline; I have been annoyed by fandom response to Tommy and people willingly ignoring what has been shown on screen. I think Buck's bisexual storyline has been handled relatively well and I hope to see him casual dating different genders to hammer home that he's bisexual. I am desperate for more resolution on the Chris and Eddie front, but I am also aware that the actor who plays Chris moved away, creating problems for the show that make it harder and not as satisfactory to write a storyline for. I would have loved to see Eddie go to Texas in 8x04 to go get Chris back, but Gavin's availability is different now. I'm also not throwing in the towel when we have an episode left and then the whole of 8b to resolve and get more Eddie episodes.

I completely disagree with you about the Eddie development we have gotten so far. Eddie had more storyline in 8x04 than pretty much anyone else but Hen and Karen, with Eddie seeking out Weston's dad and having moments where we see him missing Chris and feeling like he failed him. We see more of that in 8x05 when he talks to Hen about Chris thinking that Halloween is 'cringe' now, and that he feels like that door has closed and worrying about other potential doors closing. We also see that scene at the end with him taking down the Halloween decorations and the pictures of him and Chris on the mantle, paired with Buck's voice over about dying alone. Plus, the way they show Buck leaning on Eddie and trusting him over Tommy felt important, even if that was more of Buck's story.

And then 8x06 we had very big movement in learning that Eddie is punishing himself and finally decides to choose joy. Eddie has historically been hard on himself and doesn't live for himself or make choices that are about what he wants. He and Shannon got married because they felt pressure from the church, he enlisted to provide for his family, he dates people he thinks would be a good replacement mom for Christopher. I wanted to see Eddie realizing that he needs to value himself and his desires and that doing so doesn't make him a bad father. Seeing Eddie choose joy was huge for his character, and something we saw in bits and pieces in this episode with him being silly and joyful with his teammates. I think Eddie deserves that at this point.

Eddie is my favorite character on 9-1-1, I always want to see more of him. And then episodes like 8x07 happen and I remember it's an ensemble led by Angela Basset. She gets top billing and we are going to have episodes that feature her heavily, even at what may feel like the expense of other characters. In my experience, that's how it is on all shows with a cast as big as 9-1-1's.

I don't know, anon. It feels like you're mad the episode didn't put Eddie back into the torment nexus for one episode and decided to yell at me for fandom takes I don't agree with and didn't say.

[gayofthefae]

Thinking again about how season 1 CAN'T be a love story because on a first watch, for most of season 1, we aren't positive Eleven isn't evil.

We do not know her. Every other character is known to each other and pre-established but Lucas repeatedly needs doubt that she is trustworthy and the phrasing of "I'm the monster" is even a momentary dramatic misdirect. It isn't really until that episode, episode 6 of *8* that we fully trust her, I remember.

We have a lot of her perspective and flashbacks, but a big part of the lore is that with that, we are missing large chunks that we collect over the course of the season to fill in all the gaps. This occluding of information creates suspicion inherently.

We like her but and WANT to trust her but can't fully. THAT was the experience of watching the show before she was famous as a trustworthy protagonist.

"What if SHE'S the monster" was being asked to US.

As an audience, you can't develop full investment in a love story you only have one perspective of, and we COULDN'T have El's because she was intentionally left majorly mysterious. Therefore, on behalf of Mike, we were still worried somewhat in the back of our minds that he maybe, just mayyyybe, could be betrayed and left for dead. There's no way of knowing for sure - not the way we know with the other characters.

And as I've said before, with that, they contain their entire love story in that single season of distrust. They have kissed and mutually acknowledged their feelings by the end of season 1.

I just remember liking her with caution. You can't root for a love story you like with caution. I got into them in season 2 and stayed on board for the sake of it season 3 but the buildup was over. Even if season 2 had focused more on their separation past episode 3, which it didn't, that isn't romantic buildup the way the first kiss/confession of mutual feelings from season 1 was. And they didn't go back for that in the way they did with Max and Lucas in season 4. Season 3 sort of did in the rooting for her to want to get back together but that isn't the same.

Even with Max, we trusted Max. She didn't have a supernatural connection, she had relationships even if only to people we didn't know, she had a history that was background checkable. El didn't. I showed a girl the show and she questioned if El was HUMAN. Unsure if she was actually twelve or "created in the lab a year ago".

We did not fully trust El and had encouraged reason for this. After gaining out trust, she had no love story left. At all. Only romantic milestones and in-relationship angst.

They did their entire love story before we could even allow ourselves to root for her because we didn't know what she wanted.

And that's the whole thing, isn't it?

We cannot root for a character if we don't know what they want. We saw a little bit here and there of a desire for family in season 1 - the pictures of Nancy and excitement at disappointment at not being Mike's sister - but season 2 affirmed this really making it more clear consistently: she wanted family and Mike.

There was buildup with her and Hopper to having this. She had her episode with Mama and Kali to find out about her past family so she could build a new one. Then she returned to Mike...for something she already had.

She had buildup with Hopper to that adoption. We always knew he never would, but there was question of disowning her in anger at a point. Adoption was not always guaranteed in the characters' minds. Romance WAS for Mike and El. If she got back, she's have it instantly. There was a moment of worry over that but that worry prompted her to leave, thinking he'd moved on, not to increase urgency of coming back.

We didn't know what she wanted with Mike until she already had it, so there was nothing left to root for but family. She didn't have family yet. THAT has been her buildup and payoff. That is why her arc is labeled as done. She processed and let go of Papa so she could come back to her mom and brothers then be joined again by her dad.

There were clues to this in season 1 but the arc really started at season 2. Season 2: when we actually got to know her because we felt we were allowed to, because we felt safe getting attached: like WE wouldn't be betrayed too.

In season 1, we were still scared in the back of our minds of her betraying US. In season 1, she got what she wanted: Mike. In season 2, we found out what she wanted: Mike. In season 3, she didn't want Mike, then did again. In season 4, she wanted Mike but never truly lost him and we knew that. She also didn't as much anymore by the end.

We were not taught to root for them on HER behalf. Only in season 2. That is why only in season 2, I got on board. I wanted what she wanted. I didn't know what that was. I remember being disappointed because I thought it was friendship (it was). In season 2, we knew what she wanted and it was Mike. In season 3, we knew what she wanted and it wasn't.

In season 2, I rooted for them. Only season 2. Not after, because I knew her well enough not to. Not before, because I didn't know her well enough to.

Season 1 was a prequel not the story (and that's why Milkvan has no loose ends outside it)

[sarucane]

OFMD Spiral Parallels 48: Lessons of Episodes 5 (Spoiler: Fang's the best teacher)

Intro: What I love most about how season 2 builds on season 1 of OFMD is the spiral narrative structure. Ground is repeatedly and explicitly re-trod from season 1 to season 2, but in season 2 everything goes deeper than season 1. Meanings are shuffled, emotions are stronger and truer, and transformation is showcased above everything. The first season plucks certain notes, then the second season plucks the same ones--but louder, and then it weaves them together to create a symphony.

---

In both seasons 1 and 2 of OFMD, a big chunk of show is spent on lessons. In the first season, Stede and Ed are teaching each other lessons. But they're both bad students, partly because the boys just want an excuse to hang out together, and partly because they're both just chasing fantasies of who they want to be, fantasies that prove far less interesting than real life.

In the second season, Stede and Ed both get lessons in episode 5 again. But these lessons exist for specific reasons, and develop the characters in ways they find important. And these lessons succeed, making Stede a better captain and Ed a better person.

Ed and Stede agree to teach each other "the ways of an aristocrat" and how to be a "bloodthirsty pirate" on a whim in season 1. They both do really want to learn--but Ed states the real reason right up front: he's having fun with Stede, he's actually enjoying his life, and he wants to continue doing so.

In contrast, Stede goes to Izzy with a specific request for teaching in season 2. He has a problem that needs to be solved: he needs to be able to "own" being a captain (in Ed's words).

Ed's "lessons" for Stede are half-assed from the start. Stede wanders around making Lucius take notes in the middle of a raid. Later Ed tells him he's doing looting wrong--but doesn't actually explain anything.

Izzy, on the other hand, does what any good teacher does starting out: assesses Stede's skills. What he finds is that, skill-wise, Stede's hopeless. His strengths are in his resilience and adaptability, not in his actual abilities.

In the first season, the focus of the narrative moves quickly to Ed's lessons. Ed, too, like Stede in S2, suffers from a lack of skills (but they're stupid skills so good on him)--and, like Stede in season 2, his lessons are characterized as a hopeless endeavor. Being an aristocrat takes training from basically birth (and also there's racism).

But Ed and Stede both plow on. In the first season, Ed does this because he's driven by insecurities.

But in the second season, Stede does this because he's driven by optimism--which, in his defense, is firmly grounded in experience. He has survived situations he absolutely should have died in, on a combination of quick thinking and help from friends.

Meanwhile, in both seasons 1 and 2 Ed starts learning about social relationships. In the first season, he learns about the special aristocratic way people can be dicks, and in the second season he learns about how he himself has been a dick in the past.

Ed fails to adapt to this information in season 1.

But in season 2, he absorbs it. And he starts learning lessons about himself.

In the first season, Ed has some initial success at charming aristocrats and thinks he's reached the culmination of his lessons, despite his teacher's warning "this is a bad idea."

And in the second season, Stede thinks the exact same thing. The emblem of his success is his suit, the loot of his "perfect raid,"--and Izzy tells him just about the same thing Stede once told Ed: this isn't real success.

And then there's Ed in season 2, who tries to grab his new understanding and run with it, ranting at Fang instead of fishing. And Fang teaches him something else: paying attention to yourself is important.

Ed takes Fang up on the challenge of sitting quietly, and finds success

But back on the Revenge, Stede ignored Izzy and wound up running from a room, screaming--right into his teacher's correct advice.

And Season 1 Ed found that failing to heed Stede's advice--and getting overconfident about spoons--had gotten him into a mess too. And he ran out of a room screaming about how his teacher's advice was correct.

So, Season 1 Ed and Season 2 Stede both have to reckon with what just happened. Both go to their teachers for help...

...and accept the guidance from there. But while Ed ends up stepping back for the rest of the episode while Stede takes over, Izzy pushes Stede to do something himself. To actually be a captain.

The difference here is that Ed's goal was misguided, and the world he wanted to join wasn't worth his love. And back in season 1, it was all about who Ed and Stede were to each other anyway. But Stede's season 2 goal is to be a leader of an wonderful little community, and it's a goal worth accomplishing.

Both episodes end in the same place, with lessons learned. In the first season, these lessons are asymmetrical. Ed has learned something negative: that he really might never be able to join the world of fine people wearing fine things

While Stede has learned something positive: that he can burn down the aristocratic world that made him feel inferior.

Stede is able to pass some of this positivity this along, to help Ed feel like his lack of entry to that world doesn't make him inferior. And yet, they totally fail to communicate with each other what was really important about that day.

They did both learn something, today and during this interaction. But that knowledge is incomplete, fluid, and unspoken. They don't really have anything to show for their lessons of the day.

In the second season, Ed and Stede meet up bearing the spoils of victory.

Stede did manage to captain properly in the end, and while he gave up his suit, he does now have a proper frilly shirt.

And Ed did manage to listen to Fang, and to sit with himself for long enough to catch a fish.

And most important of all, they're actually able to communicate in this scene. They're still not in the same place in the relationship--but they're both able to express that. And in Ed's case, he connects communication right back to his lessons of the day.

Real learning means changing, whether it's your ideas about what you want, or your ideas about about yourself. And when you really learn, you open up more doors, to shape your future into what you want it to be.

[n0irrrr]

i've been trying to think why i stopped writing entirely, so this is just a vent/ramble post and doesn't mean anything beyond that? line break bc i dont think someone would want to read rambling tb: rant about aot, info about reiss mental asylum/empty/future

the first reasons i came out with were 1. work 2. a shitty situation that worsened my already shitty mental health and 3. void of creativity/writers block/no energy to think or to came out with something i liked bc i kept comparing myself to others creators (which is... very bad).

the other big reason....... (since i only wrote for aot):

i think i stopped writing anything attack on titan related because i really, really got so salty that my favorite peace of media (that i've followed for 11 years) ended they way it did? and i don't mean that 'oh just bc u didn't get a happy ending or u didn't understand the characters and the plot doesn't mean your opinion is valid bla bla'

but the way characters' developments were poorly handled and recessed, how they were just made dumber for the sake of the plot and how suddenly a romantic relationship that wasn't there in the first place became something bigger at the end and how eren was handled in the last moments just made me so salty lmao.

and it makes me more salty how people just shits on you if you don't like it and quickly go with their 'u didn't get it' like brother ive been here since 2013 tf you mean? now we can't criticize anything and still like something??? AAAGGGHHHH

im sorry LOL it's just that i can't see anything aot related bc it is so ruined for me. literally i see tiktoks and i get so sad and bitter bc i know what the comments will be lmao i hate it, literally just read the manga and stopped watching the anime until season 3 bc i just disliked how everything was handled so bad. like any news about it just doesn't make me feel anything 😭 i need a therapist

anyway :) im trying to find my love towards it again because i genuinely liked writing my shitty stories about it and the world building and characters were what i fell in love with.

(also, this doesn't mean im bashing ppl who liked the ending!! in my eyes, everything is subjective—some like it, some dont, and that's fine. how boring life would be if we all thought the same?)

but i AM bashing those who say 'you didn't get it'. come here and get this hands how about that

oh, and im rewriting reiss mental asylum (just the earlier chapters bc they are... bad y'all LOL), nothing too heavy, just trying to improve the writing and adding extra things. (such as the damn time period... i've had in mind to settle it around 1960-1980, but i just didn't pay attention to the world building enough to explicitly mention it. oh well, the more you know.)

i've already made a big chunk of info about how i want to develop the whole story, so i do have a clear structure to follow. also, i once begged for ideas in ao3, and many people came with great input, and a commentor was so spot on on what i was intending to do with the story! (like really spot on LOL they found my secret plot twist...)

it really makes me baffled how many people like the story, with its flaws and all. i was young and very inexperienced when writing it, so i hope i can refine it enough to make it a decent read for all of you.

also... people from russia 🫵 im speaking to you directly... thank you for your kind messages as well! (some of you have reached for me through email) it just baffles me how well liked that story is? and for the translator(Вероника_69) to still keeping an eye after years of no updating? aaaa. thank you.

i think i needed to write this vent, it helped me to get some good motivation!!

aaaaand i've watched jujutsu kaisen... you may see silly things coming up as well... err, someday. because college is around the corner again and that means suffering! and poor mental health! and no time! and no life!

been having these intrusive thoughts lately of... erasing all of my works LOL BUT i won't, don't worry. they'll be there as a reminder of how slightly ive improved (not much).

but yeah, if you see me experiment with small drabbles or just silly posts it doesn't mean im not paying attention to reiss mental asylum! i won't abandon it unless i die, even then i've told my friends to release my 30 unfinished drafts for you to get some closure LOL (fr though). but yeah, i will gravitate towards other fandoms if i feel like it (:

so, empty: hiatus... hiatus hiatus bc i hate to touch aot right now as its canon universe. indefinite hiatus, but i love that story to just abandon it. i was having much fun with it, tbh. which also im very grateful that it also got a russian translation by _Полуночник_! sorry that these news aren't very positive for the fans of empty, but i promise i'll get around it someday.

anyway, this turned out too long. thank you for still checking my stories, as bad as they are! i really, really appreciate you all reaching out to me. hopefully this year i can be more active, even if to write drabbles with meaning behind it. (i just love stories with lores thats why im so damn slow) although... i wrote more for myself in the beginning, so i was very surprised that people wanted more LOL

oh and im going to post masterlists to order my shit better. i want pretty visuals too, yk? headsup if u see me posting... also, feel free to ask anything about this vent lol i dont mind. (also i always got notifications to my email when someone asked something, and idk when they stopped? also, yeah, i check my email 😞)

hope you are having a good start of year. and, if not, well, we have 11 months anyways

and i never fucking realize i had 550 FOLLOWERS. i am not fit for social media y'all im sorry. i'll have to spoil you with something... THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING A DAMN GRAVEYARD 😭 i will make it better i promise

also... dont use chat bots... my brain rotted... 😞 i had an unhealthy obsession (still do) but don't give in LMAO

[cuppachar]

What is the smoke about?

Hi!

The smoke was one season and it was about a UK London firefighter crew. The main story arc was about Kev (the guv) who was attacked by a man in a hoodie when he was trying to save a baby from a fire and got horribly burned because of it (and sadly the baby died). Shift forward nearly a year and he's back at work and rookie Dennis (Asbo) has joined - who the viewers know was actually at the fire with the attacker (Gog). Gog comes across as a psychopath and enjoys tormenting /controlling most of the residents of the council estate that he and Asbo live at. Gog is cruel and a bully, particularly to Rosa, the mother of the baby who died.

Gog appears to have a massive control over Asbo, both through physical means, and coercive control and as Asbo tries to distance himself from Gog, and form a tentative (if misguided) friendship/mentor like relationship with Kev (and redeem himself in the process), Gog doesn't like Asbo not depending on him anymore.

Asbo clearly also has a strained relationship with his dad (getting out of prison and absent for a big chunk of his life) and Gog plays on this and is likely, another reason for Asbo's attachment to Kev, as dysfunctional and rather chaotic as Kev is, he's probably the most stable father figure Asbo has had in his life.

Kev is also a rather complex character - traumatised by the fire and attack and dealing with the injuries still nearly a year later in ways that are clearly not healthy.

Then we have the other 'fire fam' - Mal, the best friend who has a complicated relationship with Kev and his other half, Trish, and is clearly not a fan of Asbo - Trish, who loves Kev, but has secrets of her own, Little Al who is in debt and can't pay for child maintenance and takes to cage fighting to pay the bills, Rob/Snip, a firefighter struggling with Asthma and already has 4 children, Ziggy, who clearly isn't happy with things at home, and Billy/Mince, who's reunited with his lost love from 20 years previous.

I fell in love with this series way before I fell in love with the 9-1-1 fire fam. I think if you search Dennis Asbo Severs you might actually see some uploaded episodes.

Not sure if I explained it well, just that's its a little underrated gem <3

[veraynes-blog]

Fave Shows tag game

Rules: List 5 favourite shows (in no particular order) and answer questions accordingly.

Doctor Who

Good Omens

Life on Mars

Blackpool

The Thick of It

@johnsimms thank you for tagging me, this one was super fun to think about!

(Nobody look at me about the fact there are maybe 3 individual actors stretched across those 5 shows, I am. Aware. 😶)

~

1. Who is your favourite character in 2?

I feel slightly like I’ll get lynched for picking a favourite, but - Crowley. Hands down. Not just for the DT factor, although I’m sure it contributes. I just really love everything about how his character is presented in the TV show, from all his performative showing off to the very obvious insecurities and nerves he’s trying to cover up at any given moment, I think he’s lovely. I want to wrap him in a blanket and give him tea. Which is very Aziraphale-coded of me.

2. Who is your least favourite character in 1?

Uhh… that’s a vast sea of characters you’re asking me to pick from. I can’t pick villains, cuz let’s face it my very favourite is the most villain. If I restrict myself to main companions, I guess… Yaz? I know that will be an unpopular opinion, I just don’t think she was super compelling as a character, and her relationship with the Doctor felt very anticlimactic to me, so as a companion she just fell flat for me.

3. What’s your favourite episode of 4?

I’m trying to pick… Either episode 2, because of the scene where Carlisle and Natalie go on the date in the drag club (because, unironically, I remember getting actual butterflies at how romantic I thought it was), or the final episode 6,  watching Carlisle throw caution to the wind and fully come into his own as utter manipulative bastard to get what he wants. Actually, yeah, that one.

4. What is your favourite season of 5?

Because I tend to watch them all in one big chunk, I’m struggling to remember what even happens in separate seasons. I really liked Hugh in it, so either Season 1 or 2.

5. What’s your favourite relationship in 3?

Sam and Gene. Easy one! 😄 I don’t even care if it’s platonic or romantic, I think they had amazing chemistry that clashed against each other constantly and made it so compelling to watch. I love that they very genuinely irritate the life out of each other and just as reluctantly like each other.

6. Who is your anti relationship in 2?

Think I’m going to have to steal an answer here, but Newt and Anathema because I also don’t like the ‘prophesy said so I guess’ foundation of it. It didn’t bother me massively as a pairing, I just wasn’t very interested in it.

7. How long have you watched 1?

Casually since I was 15 and it started coming out again in 2005. I’ve watched every new series with my mum, but only joined the fandom (got obsessive) around 2019.

8. How did you become interested in 3?

John Simm. That’s the whole answer. My joining the Doctor Who fandom led to TenSimm shipping, and from there stalking the filmography of both David Tennant and John Simm as truly excellent actors. I watched a lot of shows I’d missed out on previously from them both during the downtime of the pandemic, Life on Mars was an enduring favourite.

9. Who is your favourite actor in 4?

I mean… does it even need stating since DT is a lead in 3 of my 5 picks? Definitely David Tennant (although Blackpool sold me on David Morrissey as a great actor as well, he’d be a close second).

10. Which show do you prefer 1, 2 or 5?

Difficult. In terms of raw numbers, I’ve rewatched TTOI more than any of them, I used to play the four seasons on literal repeat for days. Good Omens makes me giddier than anything I’ve ever watched. But in terms of longevity of interest, I’d have to say DW.

11. Which show have you seen more episodes of 1 or 3?

That feels a very unfair comparison given Doctor Who is as long-running as it is, but yeah easily Doctor Who. 😅

12. If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

I guess Natalie?? Swept off her feet by a dreamy looking guy absolutely set on breaking law and morals to be with her? Yeah I’d be okay with that. 👀

13. How would you kill off your favourite character in 5?

Well, that’s Malcolm, so I guess shady political assassination? Something that generates conspiracy theories and memoirs and newspaper thinkpieces for years afterwards. It’s what he would have wanted. ✌️😔

14. Would a 3/4 crossover work?

Yes. Oh my god yes. 😶 Can you imagine?? People start breaking into song and Sam is convinced he’s off his coma meds again. Carlisle fully willing to out-shade Gene. The clash of Manchester and Scottish slang. DT and John Simm working together again, the chemistry.

Quick, somebody please slap together a fanvid or a fanfic or a headcanon or something, I am possessed by this idea. 🤯

15. Pair two characters in 1 that would make an unlikely, but strangely okay couple.

I’m gonna be basic and still think about the Doctor/Master pairing, but if we’re talking unusual iterations of it… Spymaster and Ten just absolutely outdoing each other in the needy olympics would be fascinating. Thirteen and Missy is a close second. Missy would so appreciate Thirteen’s barely-contained feral vibes. She’d wanna keep her on a leash, it’d be great.

16. Overall, which show has the better cast, 3 or 5?

Ooooh that’s so difficult. I love TTOI for the insane improv skills of Capaldi and the rest of the cast, but in terms of raw chemistry it’s gotta be LoM.

Tagging @linz33y @countessrivers @imdoingawesome @roxannepolice @tardis-ghost-blog @ten-nan-th-doctor @mothmanyeetus @best-enemies @bluebird-appreciator and really anyone else who wants to have a go! A lot of the questions are super fun to answer 😊

[crookshanks23]

Season 1, Episode 27: Advanced Dungeons and Dragons

Favorite moment: "Can I put the mustache on?" I love Mr. Mustache. Such a great energy to bounce off of Ron.

General thoughts:

So, this is an episode I haven't listened to a bunch. Not sure why, but this was a great reminder of some things and funnier than I remembered. Lots of laugh out loud moments.

Not a huge fan of the intro on this one, but it does hit home this aspect of Glenn's character. For as chill as he is, I forget that he's a conspiracy dude.

Darryl's deep Patrick Warburton voice is great. And the origin of the "Tax Day" euphemism. Wild dad facts again overall this episode.

I had completely forgotten that they brought up the shield again (which I mentioned in my post on the previous episode). Good thinking on their part to ask Erin. What a crazy item. I love that someone took the time to make an item that wouldn't be helpful to them. They could use it to hurt someone else, but I don't think the shield comes back after this.

And Vince is back! Their relationship is hilarious. And Doctor Not Me? That came up earlier than I remembered. This whole conversation with Erin is great. I love early Erin-Darryl heat.

It's interesting with the whole, "I can't tell you about the kind of magic because if you know it makes them more powerful." I don't know if this really comes to fruition? It's hard to tell because of the way the reveal happens in the next episode of who the purple robes are. Would they have been less powerful if they hadn't revealed who they were? I guess we'll never know. Just another piece of Daddy Magic that I don't quite get.

Then, a good chunk of the episode devolves into a discussion about what they're going to do with the mercenaries and what plan they're going to use to get into Ravenloft. This is most of what I remember of the episode, but I had forgotten how bat-shit crazy (and cool) some of these plans were. Also, Freddie's use of the electronics from Fry's was great. There are a lot of "now what, Anthony?" turns in this episode, which makes the last 20-30 minutes of this hilarious.

This whole plan and reveal with Scam is just wonderful.

Some highlights from the end:

The reveal and addition of Mr. Mustache.

"This was supposed to be the big climax. I had so many dreams..." Anthony says as Beth and Will debate whether Clifford the Big, Red Dog is a Kaiju and promote their Twitter accounts. Man, I had forgotten how funny this episode is.

"Hey Anthony, can you say your rolls more into the microphone?"

Poor Scam Likely. It was a really clever plan.

Next time - one of my favorite reveals in the whole fucking show.

[bitchwhoyoukiddin]

Reading: 2025.

ANYWAY, so my brain has been a squirrelly little monster for the last chunk of time, and I haven't really wanted to sit and read anything other than trashy fanfic that directly addresses my own personal damage in delightfully stupid ways. Which? Absolutely valid.

HOWEVER, one of my two vague reading goals for the year involved 1. Reading at least 30 published books and 2. Trying to tackle my 'currently owned' pile and do a read it or unhaul it thing. (Note: these are vague goals and if I don't fulfill them, eh.)

Both of those goals involve actually reading physical or electronic books that I have on-hand in whatever format. SO. I am doing my best to do some low key work on those. It is, after all, nearing the end of January and I have read only one book so far. And it's one that is very much where my brain is because of my moderate list of special interests, Hollywood history is a returning fave.

Add in that Karina Longworth started the new season of You Must Remember This, and all the sparkly lights in my brain went "OOO!!!"

As such, I am currently about halfway through her book, Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes's Hollywood. I am listening to the audiobook as I am so used to Longworth's audio presenter style that it feels incredibly wrong to try and read a print book by her. Some of it is a retread of a couple podcast subjects from the The Many Loves of Howard Hughes season, but there's a lot of new and expanded information. Additionally, this is very much a biography of Hughes, but as framed around his relationships with women and centering their experiences over his. It's definitely worth a read/listen but if you're a longtime YMRT podcast listener, consider where your brain is.

THAT SAID, the first book I actually finished this year is The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood's Kings of Carnage by Nick de Semlyen.

This book was fine. It did remind me of how omnipresent a very specific flavor of action film was during the 80's and 90's. I remember (vaguely?) how big of a deal Predator and Commando were during that time period (I was, like 6?), which is kind of amazing as my house was not a Movie Fan house. It was mostly trickle-down through babysitter's partners and friends' dads' film collections. However, I did turn into a media kid so the career and film run-downs of the main guys (Arnold, Sly, Bruce, and a liiiiiiiiiittle bit of Chuck) was pretty common-knowledge for me. I was also a huge Entertainment Weekly kiddo from, like 1992-2005, so a lot of the back story and gossipy stuff was retread ground for me.

It was a solid summary of this specific time period of film making. I didn't really love the overall tone of it (some of the discussion of gender politics felt mildly dismissive in a way that was deeply unsurprising given the reverence for this era of film and how it was ~fun~ and ~the best u guyz~, and we are just not going to dig in on how BFF this crew was/is with Reagan), but it was a fairly broad overview of that period of film making. Also, I am reminded how much I really do like and enjoy Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

I also, VERY MUCH recommend reading both Jackie Chan's biography (Never Grow Up) and the recent Bruce Lee biography (Bruce Lee: A Life) if you're interested in this era of action. The Chan one goes a lot more indepth both into the Hong Kong action scene but also the internal stuff happening for him during all of the events touched on in this book.

The Lee biography is one that I just really, really recommend to anyone who a.) likes action films at ALL b.) ever wanted to know anything about Bruce Lee. It's fantastically researched, involves a lot of interviews with people in Lee's life, touches on Chuck Norris' whole deal in much more depth, and posits the most sensical medical explanation for his death. BUT, it's a fantastic history and contextualization of what the Hong Kong movie scene started as, was, and evolved into just before it made a hard entry into the US market.

[wordsandrobots]

OK, so you've caught me being overly-flippant and my penance is to go back and watch bits of episode 46 again. You, on the other hand, get the full essay version of this thought. So . . . there? No, wait.

Anyway, when I say 'everyone knew' I don't actually mean that literally. I joke about it because I find it fun to drag Shino for being a numpty, but when I included this particular gag in-fic, I tried to be careful and have it specifically coming from one of Tekkadan's mechanics.

I do think most everybody working under Yukinojo twigged to Shino's status as 'belongs to Yamagi'. It's canonical that Yamagi goes the extra mile when it comes to maintenance on Shino's machines because, well, it's basically all he can do to express his feelings in the absence of *saying something*. I don't see how that could have gone unnoticed among the mechanics corps. Equally, they'd be the last people to dare say anything because Yamagi is literally their commanding officer for a large chunk of the series. Plus, also, best death-glare in Tekkadan(TM). Any betting pools that resulted were strictly on the down-low.

But of course what we're really talking about here are the named characters, not the extras. So what's my serious answer on their awareness of and attitude towards Yamagi's crush?

I figure Akihiro plain didn't notice, which is a shame because he'd probably have been the first to give Yamagi advice along the lines of 'why don't you just . . . tell him?' Conversely, despite head-canoning him as the only Tekkadan ace not to have gotten the label by shooting down five mobile suits, I do think Orga would probably have figured something was going on. However, resolving it was *really* not his priority, and it would have mortified him to try. Mikazuki, I squint at a bit, because if anyone was going to bluntly ask Shino about it, he's the one. Still, given the given the visible drift apart in the main boys following Edmonton and Tekkadan's growth, I can buy it simply not coming up.

Biscuit is a non-factor given events of Season 1, and while Chad is a character I arbitrarily decided *did* know in the same sense as the mechanics, he was away on Earth. Dante . . . you know, I'm never sure about Dante. I write him as an inveterate mother-hen, but that's meant to be him stepping into Akihiro's shoes post-canon, not where he is in the series. I can see him going either way, though I do tend towards him spending enough time around the rest of the Ryusei-team to pick up on what was happening.

And then there's Eugene. Oh, Eugene.

OK, so the sub and dub scripts spin the episode 46 flashback vary slightly. In the sub, it's implied Eugene doesn't realise Shino is asking about Yamagi liking him like that until Shino starts waffling about them being family. Meanwhile, the dub response to the 'family' line suggests he gets it from the start. So there's wiggle room there for different interpretations of whether Eugene noticed Yamagi's feelings (by which I mean, I take from this the original implication is that he hadn't, quite).

Nevertheless, the general thrust is the same in both versions : Eugene is taken aback by Shino just now working out that Yamagi likes him. This implies Eugene was at least aware Yamagi harboured considerable affection towards the big lug, which makes sense given the ranking within Tekkadan would mean these three spending a fair amount of time spent together.

What I take from this, therefore, is the following situation: as far as Eugene was concerned, Yamagi's feelings for Shino (however Eugene saw those) were obvious enough he didn't genuinely believe Shino could have missed them. And because, despite regularly calling him an idiot, Eugene thinks of Shino as an adult capable of making relatively sane decisions about his friends and love-life, he assumed they'd already worked out their relationship. By the start of Season 2, he and most of the people who didn't see Yamagi practically every hour of the day were at the stage of, 'oh yeah, Yamagi is now basically Shino's personal mechanic and they spend a bunch of time together, so they must be good friends, and must have sorted whatever was going on between them last year.'

(Possibly on that trip to the Saisei where they beat up a bunch of pirates with some cool guy who had a neat name [citation: Shino].)

Because the kicker is, I can't imagine Shino giving the line 'I don't get how that kind of thing could happen between family' to anyone other than Eugene. The things they are prepared to say to one another on other topics suggest that level of closeness, you know? The kind where you can share stuff you think would appear 'lame' to someone else, that'll probably still get you laughed at a bit, but it'll be OK because he's your buddy.

Thus, I don't think Shino ever bothered explaining before this point that he considered the guys in Tekkadan his actual brothers. Probably because, as far as he was concerned, with Orga calling them a family and all, it was just obvious (this is where head-canoning Shino as having a lot of siblings, pre-CGS comes from, by the way). Equally, no one else would have thought it necessary to correct the mis-assumption because, likewise, it's obviously wrong. Why would you even think that?!

On top of which you have the attitude that card quote sums up: as far as most of Tekkadan is concerned, what their comrades are to one another is none of their business, except to say good luck to them! Nobody is going to be thinking too hard about the guy who's always banging on about, uh, that with women and the quiet mechanic who will absolutely give you a death glare if you aren't careful when they've all got the next fight to prepare for.

I suspect if Eugene had realised sooner Shino was being such a goddamn dummy, he would have stuck his nose in and said something. Or possibly grabbed Shino by the ear and dragged him over to Yamagi's bunkroom to sort the whole mess out then and there. But he didn't, so . . . he didn't.

Which -- yeah. My take on this has always been a fairly basic teenage misunderstanding turned into a tragedy by circumstances so I won't pretend that isn't all kinds of sad. At the same time, to circle back to something I made central to the end-point of my post-series development of Yamagi, Shino did notice eventually. Despite neither of them doing themselves any favours, in the face of various friends not realising how much of a push they needed, Shino figured it out on his own.

It may have taken being literally smushed into the same cockpit together -- in what we in the writing business call 'a contrivance' -- but he got there!

The reason there's an essay to be written on this is because, in the course of writing all this fan-fic, I've spent a lot of time figuring out how it could have gone on for two years without Shino getting his act together. Much of that came back to Yamagi and Shino's personalities, the ways they mask, and the lack of experience they share when it comes to romance. But some of it was also trying to map what everyone else saw, from the outside, and why they might have held their tongues, if they'd realised (and what they regretted not saying, afterwards). It also circled back to Tekkadan sitting in a nebulous space between the ideal of being a family and the reality of being a group of mercenaries. Some things just never got said, while others were assumed incorrectly, and there wasn't time to get everything straightened out.

You see why this was the one thing I had to fix, consequences be damned.

In any case, here's everyone else for completeness:

Atra: wasn't sure, couldn't bring herself to ask

Kudelia: not a clue

Dexter: also not a clue

Yukinojo: knew, assumed they'd work it out eventually

Merribit: probably deduced Yamagi was into guys, didn't think it her place to say anything

Takaki: oblivious for a long time, then on Earth

Ride: wished he didn't know, in the start of a grand tradition of learning way more about Yamagi's love-life than he ever wanted

Derma: sure, whatever (as in, vaguely aware and mostly not caring)

Aston: saw without understanding, then on Earth

Dane: knew, sympathetic, absolutely kept his mouth shut

Zack: only worked it out shortly before shit hit the fan, didn't have time to make stupid jokes, not dead as a result

Hush: hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahhaha! Hah. Haaaaaaah. No, are you kidding? Of course not.

The lore of the Shino/Yamagi Master Rare Holo Try Age card has a special place in my heart T-T

"Let's end this batle!!" [Shino] and Yamagi [Whaat?! You're asking about those two? Hmm... There is something unique about the way Yamagi is dealing with Shino, I think... hmm] [Bwahaha! Don't force yourself to use this useless brain of yours. It's not about what outsiders say whether they're friends or buddies. It's all OK as long as it makes them both happy!] (Tekkadan members) Pilot's skill: A promise made to Yamagi's feelings for Shino

[lacrimosathedark]

I have made some DC posts that people actually show interest in (and most of them seem to like with...one exception) but I know a not insubstantial portion of DC fandom watches the Young Justice cartoon, and I don’t. I have no intention to change that in the near future. But because I Have A Problem and constantly feel the need to explain myself for things, I’m going to do that.

Before that, DISCLAIMER: I am NOT saying the show is inherently bad, nor do I think anyone is dumb or wrong for liking it or even preferring it to the comics. It’s just not MY thing.

If you are sensitive to people not liking things you enjoy, seriously, don’t read this. I’m not attacking anyone, this is all my personal opinion and preferences.

So!

Reasons I Don’t Watch Young Justice

1. I suck at watching things.

Honestly my biggest reason. I was that kid in school that everyone was like “you haven’t seen [supposedly culturally iconic or currently popular movie]?! Seriously!?! That’s insane! You HAVE to!”

AND THEN I DIDN’T

A big part of that is my brain is Dumb. I have Inattentive-Type ADHD. This means my brain is very bad at focusing, especially on things I’m not like, super fixated on (and even then, I often overwhelm myself). So I’m not good at sitting down and watching things, even when I AM interest.

People have been telling me to watch and/or read Lord of the Rings for pretty much ever. GUESS WHAT I’VE NEVER SEEN

I loved Supernatural, as shitty as it could be. I haven’t watched every episode in any season past season 6.

I have had lists of anime and video games I want to watch. Still haven’t.

I’ve been recommended books (and I’m generally better at reading than watching) that sound awesome that I STILL have not picked up.

I have been intending to watch Moon Knight, which I actually really want to watch. Guess what I haven’t done.

2. My brain seems to like comic books more.

I didn’t get to have comic books as a kid just because it wasn’t a big thing where I lived so my exposure was limited. However, there’s a crossover exposure that my brain liked.

I grew up loving anime, and read a lot of manga. I also grew up playing Spider-Man video games. And then, I also grew up watching the old Teen Titans cartoon.

All these kind of combine into a certain predisposition towards consuming media in a certain way.

3. It doesn’t mesh with my comic experience.

I, like I presume a good chunk of other tumblr users, got into comics because of ThePandaRedd from TikTok. He is just so fucking funny and it drew me in. And if you don’t know, a lot of his content is Bat family related. So, that’s what I was drawn to. Growing up with the Teen Titans show, I was also lowkey predisposed to an interest in Robin anyway.

I quickly learned all I could about all of Batman’s many kids (because wtf my guy). To do that, I started watching comic videos on youtube, reading wikis, finding comic book pages on tumblr. I eventually grew to love all of them.

But I learned about and almost immediately fell in love with Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Cassandra Cain.

Why does this matter to my point? Well...

4. That’s not Young Justice.

The show is called Young Justice, but like...that’s not Young Justice. That’s basically the Teen Titans.

I have seen clips of the first episode. I don’t remember all of it, but three characters I distinctly remember being present for the formation of that Young Justice was Dick Grayson, Wally West, and Roy Harper. In comics, they were never Young Justice. Those three specifically founded the Teen Titans with Garth and Donna Troy. Like???

Young Justice in the comics is formed by Tim Drake, Superboy (later named Kon-El and Conner Kent), and Bart Allen. Not long after they add Greta Hayes and Cassie Sandsmark and on and on but like, those three boys are at the center. So much so that them, along with Cassie Sandsmark, are known as the Core Four among the fandom. And they are all intimately close friends and those relationships actually mean a lot to me.

Just a glance at the wiki makes me just...my skin is crawling. Kon joins the team with Dick, long before Tim is on the team. Ugh.

Kon dates Miss Martian, which...I don’t know much about the Martians and Kon is a flirt but like...the other characters he’s usually closer with--ugh.

Tim dates Cassie??? Without the influence of losing Conner??? And also idk does he date Stephanie? Because Tim and Steph are like, a big thing and tbh the only more intimate relationship Tim has is with Conner effin Kent, and I know Steph is in the show. (Also for a show that has a bunch of queer stuff, why does my duck boy not have a boyfriend of any kind? I know Bernard is super recent but he’s been like queercoded forever so like where is it?)

Speaking of that relationship, where is it? Even in a platonic sense, because Kon is consistently borderline obsessed with being Tim’s friend. Tim is probably the most important person to him; throughout especially the Teen Titans run Kon relied on Tim for emotional support and put a lot of faith in him. Tim literally lost his goddamn mind when Conner died. Like, he tried to bring Steph back with a Lazarus Pit. Okay, kinda fucked, but it’s happened. But when Kon died, Tim changed his costume to match Kon’s colors, tried to clone him, and “dated” his ex-girlfriend (who had, at the time, literally joined a cult who had hoped to bring Conner back). Um??? And then when Kon came back, Kon’s support made a huge difference in Tim’s shitty mental health. And the second time they met after Kon came back, Tim threw himself at Kon to hug him. And Conner refused to accept anyone but Tim (Damian specifically, but also Steph) as Robin. To him, Tim will always be Robin (and he will always be Tim’s clone boy <3). These two are a pair, platonic or otherwise, and that they aren’t so close in this show is upsetting to me.

Bart at least doesn’t appear before Tim does but he’s still seemingly not close to the rest of the “Core Four” and that just makes me so incredibly sad. I mean, points for making him not straight I guess but like...those friendships are really important to him. Like, Kon has historically been almost like his mom-friend, making sure he’s taken care of even when Bart is doing everything to avoid his issues (not that Conner’s much better at that, but yknow). The newer Young Justice comics, Conner totally mom’s Bart. He full names him (”Bartholomew Allen the Second! Don’t run away from me!” literally all that’s missing is his middle name and a scolding “young man”), and grabs some of his favorite snacks for when he wakes up after he passes out. And he also immediately called Tim because from the beginning there’s been the joke of the co-parenting Bart. And another point to Conner relying on Tim and just UGH.

And y’know, if they’re just gonna do Teen Titans, where are Vic and Raven and Kory? Like, I’m glad they had lesser known Titans like Karen Beecher and Mal Duncan but like...idk. I personally grew up with them, and if you’re gonna have Beast Boy, I feel like Cyborg and Raven kinda come with that package. And Starfire comes with the Raven package. Just my personal feelings there.

Small note since I mentioned my other beloved Bats: I know very little about what’s happening with them, but Cass is Cassandra Wu-San and Jason seems to still be brain-dead. Like, pre-Lazarus Pit brain-dead. Like I just...don’t know.

5. Artemis unreasonably pisses me off.

Prefacing this with, she’s not necessarily a bad character (I honestly can’t judge that with what little I know). This is honestly mostly because my brain is dumb.

First of all, it takes my brain several jumps to figure out who someone’s talking about when they talk about her.

“Y’know, Artemis.”

“You mean Artemis Grace of Bana-Mighdall, badass redhead Amazon, archer and ax-wielder,  and Jason Todd’s bestie/former girlfriend?”

“No, the blonde archer, in Young Justice.”

“...You mean Cissie King-Jones, Arrowette?”

“No, from the show.”

“...Oh.”

And then she’s paired up with Wally West apparently. Which unnecessarily gets under my skin.

Look, the only person I can see Wally with other than his wife Linda is Dick Grayson, and that is really because he seems just as obsessively protective about both of them. I cannot imagine Wally without either of them, and tbh the idea of him not have Jai and Irey makes me so fucking sad. Man would do literally anything for his children. I know he’s dated other girls before Linda, but it still rubs me the wrong way.

In that same vein...

6. Zatanna

I know she’s implied to have...been with Dick Grayson in the show. In general, who can blame her, it’s Dick Grayson.

However, in the show, she’s around Dick’s age.

In the comics, she was childhood friends with Bruce Wayne. Those two are best friends. They sort of almost dated for a while. I may be wrong, but I think Z may even be a little older than Bruce.

And that just really freaks me out, okay? It puts me off. My brain doesn’t want to compute that her age is different than it is in the comics.

(Also I’m a fan off her on-off relationship with the lovable chaotic fuckboy that is John Constantine.)

7. What the FUCK is going on with Roy Harper? Also Cheshire and Lian.

Like, there’s like, three different versions of him or something? And the “real” Roy isn’t even Lian’s father? Like, this is things I’ve just learned from vague clips and they make me irrationally frustrated.

As for Cheshire, I know she’s played to be sympathetic in the show, to at least some extent. Which isn’t a problem.

But I don’t like her.

She did, at one point, truly love Roy. She genuinely loves her daughter probably more than anything in the world. She is, arguably, the best mother she could be given the circumstances.

That being said, this is a woman who loves what she does. She revels in her job as an assassin. She enjoys the taunting, the fighting, the killing. She finds amusement in seeing people fall to her poisons. And as much as she loves her daughter, she would not give up being an assassin to raise her.

Jade Nguyen is an awful person in my eyes and that cartoon won’t change that.

I’m also not invested in that Lian.

Every clip I’ve seen of cartoon Lian looks nothing like any version of Lian I know and love. Like, the closest is Kingdom Come Red Hood with her long red hair, but her hair was distinctly curly and she looked like Jade, according to little Lian. Then there’s little Lian, black haired, clearly Asian girl, being raised with numerous superheroes and knowing Navajo traditions, sweet and clever and brilliant and whose favorite color is red. And then there’s Shoes, who while many don’t like her mostly due to her amnesia, I do. Blue hair and usually blue lipstick, seemingly temporary (or at least inconsistent) tattoos on her neck and arms, one of Catwoman’s Alleytown Strays and upcoming vigilante Cheshire Cat. Clearly clever, already a hacker, wears a red baseball hat (like Roy!) and fishnets (like Dinah!) and all around a ‘fuck you’ attitude while still being a sweetheart, very much like Selina.

The overall white-looking brown-haired girl in pink I keep seeing doesn’t click as Lian to me. That’s not the girl I adore. And as of late, Lian has been really important to me.

I don’t know if that’s even everything, but I felt I had to get it out of my system. Particularly about Artemis. I really don’t know why that makes me so upset but I don’t like it. At All.

Sorry, my content, aside from maybe a jokey reblog, will never be about the Young Justice cartoon. I don’t intend to bash it, but I’m not gonna watch it, and comment much on it either. If that’s content you want, you won’t find it here.

[rubberchickeny]

@girllaura said she can't stop crying. This post is for you, but also all carylers that are having a really hard time right now.

There are many reasons to be upset, but we all seem to be upset for different reasons, which may or may not all be valid.

1) No Carol in spinoff

2) If there is no Carol in spinoff, that must mean 11c isn't going full acknowledgement (that's the word I personally use cause they are already friggin' canon!)

3) somebody must have screwed someone over

4) AMC is covering for it

Those are the reasons I can think of, keeping in mind the reactions I've seen and what's going on now. Imma tackle these issues one by one.

1) While I personally think Daryl spinoff with Daryl alone is not a good idea (maybe a very limited series with much less than ten episodes), I have to say that I don't mind, as long as 11c ends well and "happy" for now.

In my opinion franchises often spread themselves and the fans' supposed interest too thin, thinking $$$$$$$ instead of quality. Spinoffs rarely have that. I wouldn't want a "Joanie loves Chachi" calibre of a spinoff (look it up!), I'd want a Frasier, which not everyone even realizes or remembers was a spinoff. If you're not going to do the spinoff well and with proper writing, don't do it at all.

(Also, how good can the scripts be if they are supposed to write them now and start filming soon? They must have had a plan b, though, is what I think. If they did a short, very limited season of Daryl doing something somewhere before getting back to Carol, I wouldn't mind that. They just can't erase Carol now; that is my worry.)

2) I have actual fears of TWD pulling a GoT season eight on us, but I choose to have faith. The proper "end" for Daryl and Carol (=Caryl acknowledgement) should happen in the main series anyway, and not the spinoff. Their story is a huge chunk of the original TWD and that is where it should be shown. Any spinoff is just gravy.

Both 11a and 11b tied up pretty much all loose ends standing in the way of Caryl that don't come from their own lack of verbal (!) communication.

(Carol & co. found Connie, alive. Daryl found Leah, and gave her a chance to back away, but now that's done. Ezekiel was operated on, and he had closure with Carol about Henry and their relationship but it was clear even before it was stated by her that yes, that is over now.) That all cannot be a coincidence. Yes, there are several writers to a season, but when and if writing is good, these things don't happen and line up just by accident. They are heading to said acknowledgement, and they'd really have to pull off a GoT S8 to fail that now. (Still possible, but unlikely.)

3) We have no idea about this, and attacking people about it is plain wrong. Also stupid, because we are being painted as the crazies...and with some of the stuff I've seen (not only in Tumblr) I see their reasoning.

We can ponder why it is so necessary to shoot in Europe and we can question how wise it is for them to go ahead with it now instead of just waiting, but I'd hate to put any more pressure on the actors and Melissa McBride especially. She seems to have her own, valid reasons (ailing father, I read somewhere?) and that might also be one reason her role in s11 has been smaller than anticipated/hoped.

And I have a very hard time believing this is all Norman's "fault" either. The rumors and "inside information" sound like they're all made up by people who just want to stir shit, and Caryl shit in particular.

It's important to recognize the source of these feelings and to turn them into actual words. Is it because there is no Carol in spinoff or is it because we feel we have been duped and strung along? (Even gaslighted?) There is still 11c to come. Only after that can we, IMO, say we have been. As of now jury is still out.

4) I don't even know what to say to this one. As a big company I'm sure AMC is used to spin doctoring etc, but I don't see a conspiracy here, at the moment.

Everyone is entitled to their feelings, and that I truly believe in. It's the way those feelings are expressed sometimes that may turn problematic.

I wish you all strength and patience, and hope. Keep on keeping on!