#big mistake. huge mistake to rewatch that show

[scatteredcloud]

….. looking at old videos and photos is a bad idea

Why would she leave her sweatshirt, the one that’s from the show we met at, the show that was the most successful our ensemble had ever performed, that I designed the back of, on the couch, laid out flat, so I could see it when she moved out?

I know that we’re done like it’s been joever this happened months ago at this point but it’s just such a pointed rebuke. She couldn’t have said anything to be more hurtful.

I rewatched a recording of our finals performance, (like a sick and sorry asshole) and I forgot that recording starts when we take the field not when the performance starts and so you can clearly see her come over to wish me good luck. It was before we started dating but she had convinced our director to adjust the choreography so she would start closer to where I stood. Shortly after finals our ensemble went to nationals as a field trip even though we weren’t competing. She assigned roommates specifically so that I’d be with her. She admitted later that her plan was to ‘there was only one bed’ me, but another one of my good friends got added and so I elected to take the pull out couch. It was a weird night for the two of them sharing a bed, but she stuck by me for the rest of the trip, even though she had good friends amongst the others.

It hurts to be reminded of when she wanted me. Not for what I could provide for her, just wanted me.

Throughout last year she kept trying to emphasize how much she loved me despite all my many flaws which she enumerated often, and that I was lucky that despite my many flaws someone would deign to partner me, and I finally realized that I was being used and that if she did love me she’d actually show it by doing. Anything. To support and care for me the way I did for her.

I’ve known this. I’ve accepted this.

What hurts is being reminded that there was a time when she would do anything to be closer to me. Like our director was a hardass that wasn’t like, a minor thing to do it affected everyone else’s dot

And so she left the team hoodie from that show. The one that I designed. The most direct and pointed relic of the time when we first started dating. Out in the open where I would have to see it.

She took everything else. It clearly wasn’t just forgotten.

Way before she moved out she asked me if there was anything she could do about the pilling on the inside lining cause it was becoming a texture she couldn’t stand. I don’t think that she was lying then but she’s mentally detached this sweater from her wardrobe a long time ago. It wouldn’t hurt her to see it the same way it would hurt me, and I can’t believe that she’d be unaware of this. Her manipulative ass? Ain’t no way.

Maybe she was too bothered by my name literally being on it (image credits) If that’s the case she should unfollow me on instagram. Not like I’ve had the willpower to. What else is that app good for except keeping tabs on people you’ll never see again?

After our first date she gave me a hoodie, (granted, not this one) but it became a thing. She’d give it to me, it smelled like her, and I’d trade her back another one like a week or so later.

This doesn’t smell like her anymore, because I’ve been wearing it since then.

[twilightcitysky]

Everything Is Meant (long S2 analysis, part 3)

Part one

Part two

There's SO MUCH excellent meta out there right now, and I'm going to try not to reinvent the wheel too much, but I want to keep going with tying the episodes/ elements up together because on first watch it wasn't entirely clear how everything fit. I also strongly recommend a rewatch, no matter what you felt about the ending... if you need to stop it 10 minutes early, do that, but you pick up so much more the second time around.

So: Maggie and Nina. I spent most of my first watch wondering why we were bothering with them, honestly. Later in the season Nina, and then Maggie and Nina, gave Crowley some insightful advice, but their actual relationship didn't progress despite all the meddling, and the amount of emotional investment BOTH Aziraphale and Crowley had in making them get together was frankly strange.

I started thinking in terms of mirror couples, since that was such a big deal in S1 and that's clearly what they were set up to be, but I made the mistake that all of us made on first watch: that Nina was Crowley and Maggie was Aziraphale. It still wasn't really coming together.

Then I put the psych hat back on and started to think about displacement. Displacement is a defense mechanism, and it consists of satisfying an impulse (usually an unconscious one) with a substitute object. At the beginning of the season, Aziraphale and Crowley aren't really in a good place, and I think on some level they know that. Aziraphale is trying to SHOW Crowley that he wants to take the next step through all the casual touches and phone calls and inviting him in, and feeling frustrated because Crowley doesn't seem to be taking the bait. (I absolutely think that Aziraphale tried to get Crowley to stay with him at the bookshop instead of living in his CAR, and Crowley said no. That's a whole other meta.) Meanwhile, Crowley, I think, is waiting for a Grand Gesture. Where did he go, as soon as Aziraphale brought up trying to get two humans to fall in love? Romantic tropes. Getting caught in the rain under an awning. A dramatic kiss that opens someone's eyes. That's the sort of thing he's always done, right? Big rescues, impassioned pleas on the street, fancy dinners, "give you a lift anywhere you want to go". He's defensive and guarded and unlikely to let someone in unless he's CERTAIN he won't be rejected, and Aziraphale's approaches are just too... quiet. No one's fault, they just don't speak the same language.

Then, they're handed the opportunity to make two humans fall in love, and they're both All In immediately. Look at Crowley's face when he summons the rainstorm. This is HUGE for him. Why? Because of displacement. Look at Aziraphale arranging the ball and being borderline deranged about it. They're both desperate to demonstrate what they think it takes for two people to move past their misunderstandings and fall in love. They can't do it for each other because the stakes are too high, and if either of them shows their cards unequivocally the vulnerability feels life-shattering. They're codependent and terrified of rejection and also, importantly, have no idea what they're doing when it comes to love. "Saw it in a film", Crowley says. Aziraphale's read about it in books. But they have zero practical experience.

Instead of learning to communicate, they try to say what they want to say through the medium of Maggie and Nina, up to and including the questionable moral decision to exert control over people's actions and thoughts during the ball. If I can just make this come out right, they both think, then things between us will be alright too. It HAS to come out right. They're attempting to gain some control over their own lives, over something that feels so overwhelming and shattering they can't look directly at it.

It doesn't come out right. Nina's relationship falls apart, but that doesn't mean she's in love with Maggie. While Crowley's stress-cleaning the bookshop to the music that played when Aziraphale got his books back in 1941 (just fuck me up David Arnold), they come in and tell him so. "I don't understand", says Crowley. Because it should have worked. Why didn't it work?

They tell him, of course. "You need to talk to each other. Say what you're really thinking." But here's the thing about communication: you have to learn it. You need to get the hang of expressing your feelings without blaming your partner, and separating intent from impact, and staying away from getting defensive and lashing out. No one has ever taught Aziraphale and Crowley how to do this. It's like Maggie and Nina put Crowley in front of a loom and asked him to recreate the Bayeux Tapestry. He doesn't have the skills; he's always going to get it wrong, even if he tries his hardest.

And he does try. But that's where Maggie and Nina the mirror couple, rather than Maggie and Nina the displacement relationship or Maggie and Nina the Greek chorus, come in. Aziraphale, as Nina, has just ended an incredibly toxic, invasive relationship with Heaven. A relationship that invaded every facet of his life, isolated him, and prevented him from being close to anyone else. "Rebound mess," Nina says. Aziraphale is a rebound mess. He's transferred the responsibility for his emotional wellness to Crowley. Crowley is the person he calls when he's in trouble, or (and this is key) when he wants to report a clever/ good thing he's done, or when he's bored. (At no point did Crowley reference Aziraphale calling him for a solicitous reason-- another problem.) Crowley is meant to take care of him. He forgets, I think, that Crowley is a person with his own wants and needs, just like Maggie and Nina are people with their own wants and needs who don't appreciate being messed with. (I think things would have been much different had Aziraphale BEEN THERE for Maggie and Nina's talk with Crowley, but he wasn't.)

And Maggie-as-Crowley? Lonely. Behind on rent, at risk of being evicted (it's important to note that Aziraphale saves Maggie from losing her record shop, as he couldn't save Crowley from losing his flat). Pining. Awkward. Revolving around Nina like a planet, to the extent that we don't get much of an impression of her otherwise. They realize, there at the end, that they both need to round themselves out before jumping into a relationship. Aziraphale and Crowley need that too. They need to take time apart and learn to be healthy on their own. Unfortunately they don't have the skills to get to that conclusion in a healthy way, so it all explodes in their faces and everything falls apart.

Aziraphale tries to teach Nina and Maggie to dance as a substitute for communication. Nina and Maggie try to teach Crowley communication as a substitute for the dance they've been doing around each other. That's the reason they're a part of the plot: they exist to demonstrate the way Aziraphale and Crowley might have succeeded in forging a better dynamic. Sadly, the boys' dance is too practiced and they got sucked right back into it.

It's okay, I think, that Nina and Maggie's storyline never really went anywhere. It wasn't supposed to. It's an allegory, not something that needs to stand alone.

[bbyboybucket]

Okay okay, now that I’ve had time to actually think about all this and get the evidence and do the math: imma give y’all a little ted talk on Bucky’s Stockholm Syndrome.

So I’m gonna preface all this by saying that this probably wasn’t an intentional choice from the writers of TFATWS. For two reasons, one cause the show overall had a ton of writing issues beyond just Bucky and was kinda a mess as a whole. And two, to actually make that claim firmly, I’d have to do a rewatch and I don’t got time for all that. That said, as a viewer, choosing to look not just TFATWS, but at all of Bucky’s appearances from the perspective of him having Stockholm Syndrome, makes a lotttt of sense. It adds a lot of depth to his actions, words, etc. Also even if it wasn’t intentional, if you chose to look at it through this lens, the narrative of TFATWS being contradictory towards him can actually be a reflection of what’s going on in his head. The way the show is sometimes sympathetic but other times judgmental can be a reflection of how he sees himself and his inner conflict regarding his past. Again, I don’t think the writers intentionally did this, but it’s cool way to look at it and repurposes their mistakes.

Now, I just wanna point out that Stockholm syndrome can develop within merely days or weeks, so it’s almost kinda silly to think that it wouldn’t occur if someone had been held hostage for decades. It’s practically undoubtable that Bucky had Stockholm Syndrome for at least some part of his captivity, but I think he’s still dealing with the remnants of it. Zemo was right when he said there’s something still in Bucky and he can’t get rid of hydra. But it’s not that he’s some evil killer at heart, it’s that he has leftovers from Stockholm Syndrome.

In a very simplified summary, Stockholm syndrome usually happens and works when captors cause immense pain to the victim and then treat them well afterwards. The captor shows them some form of kindness, flattery, mercy, etc. back to back with harm. Also a big factor in it is the victim becoming dependent on them for basic needs. Seriously, learned helplessness is a huge factor in Stockholm Syndrome. All of it causes a “bond” to form. And the more this occurs over time, the stronger it gets because the victim is constantly exposed to them, they become their only source of interactions and relationships. Stockholm syndrome is thought to be a complex trauma response, a defense mechanism for surviving during cruel and terrifying conditions.

Think of it like the victim disassociates the perpetrator from the abuse and then emotionally bonds with them, so that they can lessen their fear and feel a sense of security. Also with Stockholm Syndrome (especially within cults), not only does the victim bond with their captor, but being isolated from the rest of the world causes them to adopt their captor’s views and lifestyle. They get completely indoctrinated and start to think the same way as the captor.

Now think about what we see with the Winter Soldier. Even from the very little that we know, it’s a cycle of Hydra severely hurting him but then giving him praise, encouragement, validation, etc. All for manipulation ofc, but a broken mind isn’t going to see it that way. He would be relishing in the fact that they’re making him feel like he’s needed and wanted, like he’s done good, etc. Especially since that’s the only affirmations and positive reinforcements he receives, and is otherwise forced to suffer. Those moments of praise and “kindness”, are so so so heavily weighted against everything else.

While he was captive, while Hydra had him, he likely thought they cared about him. It probably felt close to love. Now ofc Bucky, as a free man with a clear head, knows it wasn’t love or anything at all except being viewed as a weapon. But I bet there’s still a part of him that desires that again, even if he knows it was fake, especially in the wake of becoming lonely and left with his own negative thoughts. Because like I said before, the affirmations were fucking heavy weighted. During those 70 years just the slightest bit of praise or mercy probably felt like the world’s greatest high. Especially when it was given in the midst of pain.

These manipulative affirmations also result in the victim justifying their abuse. This happens in a lot of abusive situations but especially in Stockholm Syndrome. Think about the scene where Pierce is praising the winter soldier so he can convince him to do what he’s told. What immediately follows? He slaps him. Then he electrocutes him. But the winter soldier doesn’t resist either, doesn’t complain, etc. He takes both, which is definitely a conditioned response, but it’s also likely due to the thoughts of “I’m disappointing them, I deserve this punishment for not behaving.” And to play devils advocate, let’s say he didn’t feel as if he deserved it. Even so, without speculating his thoughts, his reactions to the abuse and the fact that he’s been conditioned to deal with that at all, are still signs of Stockholm Syndrome. Because the captor’s behavior has become normalized.

Also he very well was dependent on them for his every single need. For food, water, shelter, hygiene, human interaction, and probably things he didn’t need but was manipulated into believing were necessities. And that, especially with the learned helplessness and with him likely being in constant survival mode, reinforces that feeling of dependence. The feeling that he needs them. The feeling that they’re Hydra isn’t so bad because they take care of him. The dependence also circles back into kindness thing. Providing for him could easily be seen as small acts of kindness, further making him feel like Hydra cares about him.

Another huge huge huge part of Stockholm Syndrome is that the victim shows resistance and anger towards those trying to help them or that try to oppose the captor. Look at how the Winter Soldier reacts to Steve, various times throughout the movie. With almost everyone else, he’s mostly objective, just fighting anyone who stands in the way of Hydra. He’s brainwashed but he’s not stupid, he knows Steve had another motive. He knew Steve wanted to help him in some way or separate him from Hydra. And that made him fucking livid. He wasn’t just irritated, like he was when Natasha shot his goggles. He was fighting with full on rage, because didn’t want to even think about a life outside of Hydra.

Now, I don’t think it’s full blown Stockholm syndrome anymore now that he’s a free man. That’s why in my initial post I said it’s to certain degree. In remission is maybe a way to word it. He can’t have full blown Stockholm Syndrome, because if he did, he wouldn’t acknowledge that hydra was bad at all, he’d straight up defend them. However, he clearly has some level of it since he considers himself to have been hydra, to have been one of them, rather than just their captive.

But this all plays into Bucky’s overall-mcu characterization and the way he has conflicting views on his time as the soldier. Because Bucky knows what happened to him was fucked up, that it wasn’t actually his fault, but he still feels that way because he was indoctrinated into their culture and his psyche was completely altered by them beyond just trauma. The degree of his stockholm syndrome is what makes him having stressful, conflicting, confusing feelings on it. It’s cognitive dissonance. In case anyone doesn’t know, here’s a quick definition: cognitive dissonance is when you have two conflicting thoughts/feelings at the same time or when your actions conflict with your thoughts/feelings.

Cause we know he has cognitive dissonance from his actions as the winter soldier. We know he has extreme stress, shame, and guilt from the fact that he killed people despite it not being in line with his morals. BUT if we’re talking about Stockholm Syndrome, it unravels other areas of cognitive dissonance. It’s why he struggles so much with accepting his own innocence and forgiving himself, and rarely acknowledges what was done to him. He knows he was a victim yet he was also a perpetrator. Those don’t align, they contradict each other, he can’t see how they can be simultaneous, it doesn’t neatly make sense how the perpetrator could also be the victim, especially from his perspective. A lot of times, the way people deal with cognitive dissonance is by ignoring one of the feelings/beliefs. His way of dealing with this is to put the blame on himself, because even though it still feels shitty, it’s less confusing and easier to accept that than the fact that multiple things can be true at once. Or more accurately from the outsider’s perspective: the fact that his innocence outweighs his guilt.

That’s why he shuts down anyone who points out he’s not to blame. He’s avoiding the feeling of victimhood that conflicts with his beliefs that he’s at fault. It shakes everything thing up and makes him feel even worse than just the guilt alone does. Which also is due to the fact that it’s easier to believe you’re the problem than it is to acknowledge you were helpless. And to deal with the cognitive dissonance he’s choosing the more manageable option, being at fault. But all this cognitive dissonance just completely feeds into his guilt and self esteem problems.

(Side note, no I absolutely do not think his guilt is boiled down to just this. This looking at one little piece of the puzzle, it’s wayyy bigger than this. I’m just sticking to the context of this post right now.)

He didn’t want to do anything Hydra made him do, he never wanted to be with them, yet he accepted Hydra as a home during those 70 years and some of their practices linger in his head. It’s inconsistent to have not wanted to apart of it but adopted the lifestyle anyways. The stress that inconsistency brings is not easy to resolve. Especially because he likely doesn’t understand why he felt any kind of attachment to something that caused him and others so much pain. Think about the line “Hydra was my people”. We all hate it. But….if you look at it from this perspective, it’s not necessarily wrong. He spent 70 years with them. 70 years of having nothing but Hydra, having to rely on them, having to endure all the things that cause Stockholm Syndrome to develop. He didn’t have a choice in the matter, but it really was his home in his eyes. An abusive, nazi nightmare of a home but still, sadly….his home. They were his people, because they forced themselves to be. They were his only people. Again, that’s where the cognitive dissonance comes in: he hates them, he wishes they weren’t ever his people….but the fact is that they were. And that eats at him.

And like I mentioned before, Stockholm Syndrome involves indoctrination and adopting the ideals of the captor. It would be hard to completely remove that if it’s what you spent decades living by. Hydra’s world view and practices probably still slip into his mind a lot, but they don’t align with what he truly believes is right, they’re not who he is as a person: again, more cognitive dissonance that’s causing him distress.

All of this is also probably a factor in why he wants to make amends, not only because he wants to right his wrongs and make up for his sins, but he wants to act on this cognitive dissonance. Because amending does align with his feelings of being against hydra, of not wanting to be a part of Hydra. And acting on that might help push away those other feelings of being one of them.

Also think about how he never argues or defends himself when people speak down on him and his past, he never corrects anyone when they say he’s hydra, he never has any rebuttal against negative comments about him. Which of course, is due to his low self esteem, and again, guilt. But also it goes back to the Stockholm Syndrome and cognitive dissonance that fuel those feelings. He can’t argue or defend his character to anyone else, because he can’t even convince it himself. Because for any excuse, any explanation, any proof he has of being good….he has something to contradict it with. And how can he truly say he’s still a good guy and not at fault when even he is confused about what’s true? When he still has uncomfortable, lingering attachments to Hydra that he hasn’t shaken yet?

The point is, his head is fucking mess, which we all already knew….but looking at it like this just makes you realize how much more confused and lost he is, how his thoughts are literally at war with each other all the time. And when you look at the narrative as a reflection of his feelings, it makes sense why it switches up every second. If it’s confusing for a viewer to see the seesaw go back and forth from “victim” to “criminal”, then imagine what it’s like in Bucky’s head.

Now I do feel like there’s a lot more here, you could go way deeper and I’m probably missing some stuff, but it’s a place to start. Just some fuel to get the motors running.

[puhpandas]

out of curiosity, what would you want out of revamped gregory and vanessa models?

oh dont even get me started. I think my number 1 want is literally just. fixing their faces. they could keep everything else the exact same and I'd be fine if they made their faces not weird and alien looking.

Cassies hw2 model was designed after her ruin cutouts. theres 2 pieces of Gregory official art in ruin that I think they would (and I would want them to) design his model around, which are the missing poster and cutout with cassie comforting her. i think they're closer to how his face is supposed to look

and he also doesnt look overly young in them. cassies new model just looks like 'kid' and not like, mistakeable for an 8 year old or something. they're supposed to be 12 and Cassies remodel rlly captures that. I really want Gregory's remodel to make him look older, bc I think they didnt know his age yet when they made his SB model, but they should now with all the ggy refs. making him look similar to Cassies models level of age is a big one for me too

another one is HAIR!!! they upgraded cassies hair in the hw2 model by adding extra strands and changing the shape and style and stuff! making Gregory's hair look less like, stiff and clay and sims 4 maxis match would be awesome. and this applies for vanessa too. her ponytail is so rigid lmao and she uh. doesnt have much hair on her model let's just say

as for vanessa, besides fixing her face, I think restoring her old proportions in her art pre-SB is a big deal. their modelers modeled her body to keep the big muscular chest but only in her boobs 😒 giving her back her muscular bulky frame would be huge! and it's not that big of an ask bc they changed Cassies proportions in her hw2 model to look better

also obviously a new outfit. she can't wear her security uniform post-game lol but that feels obvious. I'd die if we got a new outfit for her but I'd be satisfied if they just kept her purple flannel outfit at the end of sb. this also applies to Gregory too. if we got a new outfit for him in a new model I'd pass away. even if it was just a jacket on top of his sb outfit I'd die and throw up and descend into hell

also I already said this but giving vanessa more hair is big. plz give her more bangs and strands and an actual top of her head I miss her tailcoat ponytail

and also I kinda want vanessa to look older. like I absolutely love her smokey eye smudged mascara 'I've been wearing this makeup for 3 days look in sb, bc it gives off a lot of 'I'm going through it' vibes and I think it aids her character in a way her sb face doesnt. i rewatched an animation the other day and was like damn vanessa looks like 16. she was I think 24/25 in FNAF AR. not even counting security breach era and whatever amount of time would have passed since security breach by the time they appear again. she isnt old by any means but shes not super young either! let her immense amount of stress shes experienced show with making her actually look her age 😭

[sapphic-luthor]

i forgot to post when we finished s6 but final thoughts from The Great Rewatch are finalised as such:

when [Newfoundland] appeared on screen after lena was not in the show for THREE WHOLE EPISODES gf let out a huge sigh and was like “okay surely this is just her first step on the way to ireland. finally.” lmao

said she can’t imagine who the whole newfie accent scenario must have been worse for— katie who had to grin and bear it while people put on the worst lucky charms accents on earth to her, or the poor people who were forced to do these terrible accents directly to an irish woman’s face

when the courage totem was explained as “giving people nearby unbridled courage” gf very conspiratorially said ‘imagine if lena got the courage and kissed kara or something’ WHICH IS I THINK HER FIRST TRUE UNPROMPTED MOMENT OF SUPERCORP SHIPPING (it only took us 6 seasons to get there)

IMMEDIATELY clocked dansen was going to adopt esme and omg did she love esme. “this wee girl is so delightful, usually when they bring kids in they’re awful and annoying but there hasn’t been one moment i don’t love her”

was actually fuming when she thought cat grant wasn’t going to make an appearance, but then was sooo so happy with all the cameos in the end

was REALLY pleased to see kara not end up with anyone romantically in the end and thought that was a pretty big step for them to take

“what was the purpose of lex at all this season?”

is still sad about poor kelly who took a header off the catco balcony in s2. exact words were “don’t worry kelly i will never forget you even though ALL OF THESE ONES DID”

and so it all ends again. finishing it was actually properly sad and i’d say we’ll be rewatching the whole thing again before too long bc gf already said we should just start it straight over lmao

and to anyone who has not rewatched the show since it ended, i really do actually recommend it. having the deep love for the characters but slightly fresher eyes make it all so much nicer and more palatable imo and yes they made loads of mistakes but i have to admit it was a lovely show all told

[dorizardthewizard]

Galactik Football season 3 rewatch, eps 25 - 26

The final let's go!

Episode 25:

Mei has a plushy awwww

Announcer: And now, here are Callie, Nork and Barry! Artegor: And Artegor ☝.

LOL he says it so calmly. The disrespect tho

Sonny: Still looking for the multi-flux bomb. Clamp: Let's just hope they find it in time. Otherwise Akillian will share the same fate as the Shadows planet in the last GFC. And the Breath could disappear, definitely not what we need right now

Yes Clamp, the Breath disappearing is the main concern if there is a big explosion on your planet

Remind me again why Sonny and the gang don't run over to Akillian to find the bomb? Or why no one alerts Akillian authorities at all? Shouldn't we get SOMEONE other than Aarch and Norata to look for it?

Aww Tia getting Mark to open up, she's such a good captain and friend to everyone <3 She's come far from her more distant self at the very beginning

Mark: Thanks Tia, maybe you're right. It must be my imagination!

Mark how on earth did you come to that conclusion from what Tia just said

So on Sinedd's integration in the team...

While everyone else, even D'jok, seem to have accepted Sinedd back well enough, Mice still hates him and literally gags at the idea of him being on the team. I kind of wish his objection was taken more seriously in the writing – the narrative acts as if D'jok is the main person that has to settle his scores with Sinedd, but forgets that Micro-Ice was Sinedd's main target for years, and according to that flashback, they used to be a trio (although from the flashback you could also say Sinedd didn't care for him back then either lol). His reaction is pretty understandable and although he should still be keeping it professional, they shouldn't really expect him to forgive him. That dynamic could have been interesting, but we never get a confrontation or any closure between the two because Micro-Ice as a character is just there to be laughed at this season.

When Maya calls D'jok she kind of makes it sound like they should accept Sinedd because he's had it hard, which I'm not a huge fan of. First of all because in this season they had her act more as a guardian to Sinedd than D'jok, who also lost himself down the wrong path for a while there, but also because I think the reasoning for accepting him should be that he has swallowed his pride and is genuinely trying to be a better person. Otherwise it sounds a bit like “having a sob story is a justification for acting out”. I know that wasn't the intention, but still, it's in the details.

But Maya is right that D'jok and Sinedd are parallels of each other. Both grew up without their biological parents, both are extremely competitive and put huge importance on their ambitions and success, both are prone to lashing out at others when distressed. But D'jok was luckier and had an adoptive mother, and ended up with good friends who could keep him in check. They turned out differently due to different upbringing but both made mistakes and hurt others – D'jok knows this so is more humble and doesn't give Sinedd a hard time. Sinedd also saved his life, so there's that too.

Rocket: Even if D'jok and Sinedd are rivals, they're still like brothers.

UMMMMMMMMM that's taking it too far. Sinedd running off to the Shadows wasn't what put them against each other, neither was the fact he dated Mei. He was already being unpleasant all the time in season 1 and it was implied it has been that way for a long time. D'jok didn't show any regret or whatever in season 1 - he had no problem responding to Sinedd's provocations with taunts about him not having friends LOL. If they were like brothers, it was way too long ago for Rocket to be making that comment

When bro grabs your wrist instead of giving you a normal handshake #nohomo

Anyway I like this convo between D'jok and Sinedd and how it ends, for all the reasons that they're parallels as I mentioned above. But the first few lines are a bit funny because D'jok actually HASN'T been fighting him lately, it sounds as if they're making up after fighting about Mei but that's... not really what's been happening? But moving on, this is functionally an apology from Sinedd, but again he should apologise to Mice too.

Also with Sinedd saying he wants to be a good person now so his family can be proud of him... ehhhh I still think his development should have started earlier. His whole problem was that his response to growing up without family was to put others down – so the solution is to... give him a family so he'll stop doing that? I'm simplifying it but I just think it would be more impactful if he tried to turn things around before meeting his actual parents. Sure, they can still be a motivation and encourage him, but yeah.

I mean it still works with him finding his parents, realising that love and affection was all he wanted and that he was wrong to take it out on others... but at least bring the parents in earlier in the season because as it is, it's just too rushed. Honestly you could just get rid of the fake parents storyline – it was done so we can see Sinedd at his low point, but you could already have him like that after the events of season 2. It would feel like a natural continuation and you can bring the real parents in earlier.

Last note: MAN does the voice acting suck here lol

SDJHSDFHJSDF AARCH AND NORATA ON THE SNOWMOBILE I LOVE OLDER MEN ACTION

Norata, watching Rocket use the jet ski is not the same as knowing how to use the jet ski. Wait why does Aarch call it a jet ski, it's a snowmobile. A jet ski is on water lmao – his mind is still in Paradisia. I get it, Aarch, I get it

Aw Dame Simbai stepping in to do the speech giving now that Aarch is gone, it's nice to see how much she cares about this team succeeding too. But a bit hyperbolic to say this is the most important match of their lives, as opposed to the other finals :P

Technoid's security is on maximum alert? So barely functioning then

Nikki-4's voice is so surly I love it lol

I was complaining about Aarch leaving the team but him getting to have galaxy-saving shenanigans with Norata? Iconic actually

Aarch: Holy ice age!

Ah so there's our expletive stand-in

Damn that was an intense face-off, Nikki-4 is so strong

Tia earlier this episode: Don't worry Mark you won't have to face off against Nina -> FAST FORWARD OOPS

GO MARK!

Why is there a cloud of dust every time someone gets thrown to the floor, do y'all not clean it

Why is confetti already flying? Must be reused footage.

Tia telling Ahito to pay attention but this goal? That didn't happen because he woke up too late lol, defence should have been helping more

Ayo why do other goalies not have protective gloves like Ahito? I guess most aliens can take it

In hindsight they should have really predicted there would be some sort of security around the bomb

I just wanna showcase this comment and all it implies:

Episode 26:

Oooo Aarch and Norata are using the Breath to fight this robot, I wonder if this will have consequences. Perhaps they would have shown it in season 4?

Yaaay Micro-Ice with the sick dribbling!

SDFJKDFSJK THEY'RE JUST CHILLING THERE LIKE THEY'RE IN A LOONEY TUNES CARTOON

Aarch pressing the big red button before Norata that's SUCH a sibling moment, reminds me of when my brother and I would fight to push the button for the lift

The players have been using the flux more externally lately, like shooting it at the ball instead of just using it to power themselves up. I feel like this has been happening more since the Paradisia final where they had to use flux to evacuate the planet, which makes sense

Bennett: Someone has activated the bomb, it's going to explode any second! Sonny: Did you hear him? Get out of there, now! Aarch: We're not going anywhere! Meanwhile, Norata: 🏃‍♂️💨💨💨

Honestly what a comedic duo I'm enjoying this

The solution is to just yeet the bomb into space ahhahahahha I know the Breath makes them strong, but THAT strong?

It's so funny how due to losing the Breath, Sinedd is just free-falling for like 100m but it cuts away to show the other players losing their flux LOL. RIP Sinedd, what a way to go.

Kind of interesting that compared to the Shadows last season, who physically didn't seem affected by the loss of flux (they just suddenly sucked at football. love that match), the Akillians are immediately drained physically and wiping out.

Wait..... being tired out.......... is Ahito gonna restore their flux because he's been storing it inside him?

Omg yes he is

Woahh!! He not only drew the Breath back to the Snow Kids, but pulled in so much it manifested in all flux holders around him! Ahito so powerful they had to nerf him with the narcolepsy

Sonja has the Breath! Wait so even before the glaciation and the ban on flux, only certain people could manifest it? Interesting

Maybe one day Sonny can just watch his son play in the GFC final without having to save the galaxy at the exact same time, but until then it's business as usual

Is it just me or does the Breath look like a deeper shade of blue sometimes in this season

Artegor: And he passes to Tia, who takes flight!

Yeaaaaahhh angel Tia imagery again

Y'know considering how much time D'jok spent with team Paradisia I feel like they should have had more moments of rivalry in this match but hey ho

I know it's just animation reuse but Sinedd scoring the final goal with the exact same move D'jok scored his first epic goal with is pretty poetic. And of course Sinedd generally being the one to score that point (but still, couldn't we get some new animation for the winning goal?)

The way they animate Harris really looks like they wanted him to be like the Joker

Mark jumping up to save Nina from falling – oh so NOW falling from a great height can kill them! Honestly there have probably been fatalities in this sport

Awww Tia getting them to all hold the cup, that's so sweet. I love her

Iconic last shot, I'm not crying you're crying ;v;

Yes one last Mice delight advert is exactly what this season needed in its finale /s

So looks like Mei and Sinedd are going ahead as a couple

They really settled the Team Paradisia stuff with one sentence about them being taken care of by Chief Maddox huh. I suppose they were gonna put the Mark x Nina resolution in season 4? Idk, Team Paradisia deserved better

So Aarch is back to coaching, but for Club Galactik right? Makes sense, he still wants the job but this will be less intensive and will allow him more time to settle down with Adim and their future child. The Snow Kids will be just fine on their own. Well, when it comes to football anyway. Can't make any promises about Pirate-related adventures :P

Aaaaaand there it is... ok I always knew this was coming even when I watched the show for the first time, but it must have been so insane to watch back when it first aired. Like, everything is calmly wrapping up and then SUDDENLY the holo-trainer goes weird and the kids disappear with Mei and Micro-Ice. We linger on this for a few seconds aaaaaand.... THAT'S IT! END OF SEASON! I would have gone apeshit too

This is like a transporter malfunction from Star Trek lol, although I'm wondering how that can even happen, like does the holo-trainer actually teleport people then? Anyway I honestly don't care THAT much about the ending if I'm honest, like I get that it was a last ditch effort to get the show renewed as the higher ups obviously didn't have much faith in it with that budget slash, so I can easily just pretend those last few seconds didn't happen and it ended with the Snow Kids happily going into the holo-trainer to help teach the next generation. It's not great, but it doesn't really ruin the season for me

Soooooooooo uuuuuuhhhh.... that was it! Yeeeah I'm not a huge fan of this season, but I don't hate it with a burning passion. Except at certain points. As a whole it's more,, disappointment for what could have been. I think I'm glad we have it, because it really is jam packed with interesting concepts and I think if the writing were better, it genuinely could have been the best season. The previous seasons certainly aren't ATLA-levels of writing either but the main emotional beats worked well, whereas here it's a lot more all over the place.

Generally I feel like the team behind this season had the ambition and the vision, I mean we have Sinedd redeeming himself, a multi-flux tournament, a non-Akillian joining the team, players leaving for other teams, Aarch deciding to retire and the Snow Kids being experienced and mature enough to handle that, a "main" couple not staying together since they were teenagers... all interesting things! It's not a soulless production that doesn't try to change the status quo, but I think they just didn't manage to pull it together. There was a LOT going on with a lot of characters but ultimately there wasn't enough time for the development to feel natural and stick.

Outside of that, some characters were flanderised, yeah. Looking at you, Micro-Ice. Wait, they never even finished that plotline about him, Yuki and Zo-leen! Wtf! On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised at how some characters were handled, like Mei. It would have been so easy to villainise her but they treated her with respect, which was cool. As for the other Snow Kids, a lot of it was just romance drama shoehorned in, which gets boring when the supporting cast don't have anything else going on.

Production-wise, they did the best with the budget they got but yeah it does suck because the matches with all the cool moves were one of the selling points of the series. But here most of the games just felt like "A, B and C needs to happen, and for the rest let's just throw in some filler moves". Direction is not just down to the animation itself - types of shots, camera movement, transitions, music... all these little details were lacking so the matches ended up being kinda bland in comparison to the previous seasons. There were some creative additions though, like the Elektra's flux.

I think I've already expressed my thoughts on everything else during the commentaries, so yeah it's been fun! Hope they've been fun to read ^^

[emperor-kumquat]

One day, almost three years ago, I remembered a cartoon from my childhood, and I made the terrible mistake (for my sanity) of looking for it on YouTube. The first videos I got were shitposts, I then stumbled upon your videos...

We are obviously talking about transformers Prime and YOU! Yes, you, sir, made me want to rewatch it, and I didn't stop at that... oh- no, no, no, no...

I binged all the videos on your channel, I started (re)watching the shows, reading the comics, reading the novels because everything looked so interesting and promising... and it was absolutely worth it!

I thought I'd never draw mechas because "they didn't fit my style" well 12years old me was very, very wrong. I thought I'd never read or write fanfictions, and I was also wrong, lol.

So in conclusion, thanks to your hard work I got reeeeeally inspired and I rediscovered something I was very passionate about. Again, thank you a LOT. REALLY. I hope you understand how important and influential you are in this community, like- absolutely huge!

Also, Mercy is a suuuuper incredible project, and I'm highkey in love with it!!!!!

Please have a nice day/night, and I hope your pillow stays cool for a long time

Aw thank you for your kind words! I am happy that I'm making people passionate about this show and the franchise on whole. We are a small fandom and it's nice when people are giving it more love. That's a big reason why I talk about it so much—to give people more content about Transformers and excite people about it! To make videos that people can share and enjoy, and videos that introduce new fans into the fandom

Thank you for liking Mercy too, that's my big baby child hehe

[cheylouwho]

i’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and i want to hear someone from SPHS’s thoughts.

i know you’ve noticed the “tiktok” fan base- the ones that only watch clips of the show and then say they’re fans. i read one of your posts talking about these types of fans and making blatantly incorrect headcanons. that’s something that bugs me, but another thing that bugs me is the fact i do not believe south park is tiktokable. i’ll use family guy as a comparison for my points.

first of all, compared to family guy, the humor is different, pretty much everything they explained in the cartoon wars two parter explains what i mean, m&t are not fans of interchangeable jokes and are able to give characters emotional progression throughout the episode. that’s one huge factor, i hope you get what i’m trying to imply with that. m&t are passionate about their story telling and it pays off in their episodes. i know not EVERY SINGLE joke follows this, but there are jokes made better by understanding the characters and the circumstance of the episode. the episodes work best in their entirety. (that was difficult to explain so i fear it can be misinterpreted easily)

the characters are another thing i want to mention. i watched the episode TSST with two friends awhile ago, one of which who had never seen an episode and didn’t understand cartmans character. she kept asking questions about him, or said how weird his hitler obsession was. the other friend hadn’t finished south park and said he hated cartmans character and it’s hes one of the bad pieces of the show. i believe even if you don’t like cartman as a personal preference thing, you should at least appreciate him as a character and his placement, it’s hard to understand him (despite us watching an episode that really dives into him, they still didn’t know much about him before). with family guy, one episode is enough to grasp the character, hell, even a single scene is i’d say, while m&t are very good at developing and fleshing out character personalities over time. it’s why they can pull off making sad episodes (like kenny dies and assburgers), heartwarming episodes (like tweek x craig and even bits of episodes like in raisins) all while still being a comedy show. they understand how to make the characters react in a way that can make you feel something while maintaining a good amount of jokes in the episode.

i dont know, theres more i could add but i’m just writing whatever comes to mind first so it might make no sense or it might be wrong. also, i’m by no means an old fan. i’ve rewatched the series quite a few times, watched commentaries, researched through wiki pages and am constantly trying to better my knowledge of the show, but i know i’m not quite there yet and could just be making a mistake GAHAH

No anon, I actually totally get this and agree 100%. SP as a show is not something that works well with out of context clips (and even then, the ones that do work are usually from very early in an episode before the plot fully gets established and stakes as drawn). Until pre s18 when they started soft continuity (and then s19-21s full continuity, after that is a whole other discussion entirely), the shows syndicated nature did make it easier to hop into any episode and watch it in its entirety and enjoy it without much prior knowledge of the show or it's characters. However, even then, you really needed to watch the *whole* episode to get the big picture of it's message.

And I get it, SP full length episodes are not as accessible as they once were. People these days don't know how or aren't willing to pirate things if they don't have the streaming service SP is hosted on, and beyond that, south park used to be free to watch on their website. Like, that's how I ended up catching up on the show when I finally decided to take it all in other than a handful of episodes and scenes I'd seen during my childhood back in 2013. It was all entirely available (save for Super Best Friends, 200 and 201, which I had to go track down on other websites) for free, with ads unless you used an ad blocker, right at your fingertips. And that's how M+T wanted SP to be consumed, because they explicitly noted that they didn't care about making money on streamed episodes, they cared about getting their show out there. (I will have to go find that interview, I know it's somewhere).

But still, regardless of that, you're right. SP is not something that you can consume short form as a brief tiktok video, and that's why I think we have newer fans with such big gaps in knowledge that seem like they would be easy to fill in. It's not that they're being willfully ignorant, they're just being fed a very piecemeal version of the show through social media, which is how we get people thinking Pip is a he//llpa//rk OC (augh!!! dont get me started) instead of realizing this dude was actually in the fucking show, or headcanons that are very easy to contradict with canon itself by watching like 3 episodes. That's not me knocking HCs btw, go wild and do whatever you want, but these people don't even know it's ooc, and that's a little troublesome. I've made some outlandish character decisions in the past but I at least KNEW they were not evidence based.

What that means for the fandom down the road I don't know, and its made a lot of discussion and analysis more shallow-- it's so hard outside of my SPHS friend group to find good breakdowns these days. I'm hoping maybe something will change, but who knows.

TLDR fuck tiktok and its watering down of media

[mermaidsirennikita]

listen yes the diana ghost was stupid as fuck and i do agree with some of the cast being miscast (although i feel the real issue is they are not given enough to do) but idk man i was compelled. and more importantly entertained. god season 5 was so boring. maybe it's just that i had such low expections going in and i'll feel different on rewatch but i thought these episodes were a lot more focused, better paced and written compared to season 5. not perfect by any means but good bordering on amazing. i thought the acting was also very strong. i even feel like they handeded diana's death well and i'm impressed morgan didn't just totally repeat himself since he already covered these events in the queen. the shift in perspective helped i think. so yeah that's just me. i've seen the season getting a mixed response and it's definitely not on the level of seasons 1-4 but i thought it was still very very good.

To preface: I don't want to imply that you're wrong for liking it, there are totally my opinions alone.

For me, the ghost went beyond stupid--it's offensive. I know it wasn't a literal ghost, that's not even the issue. Peter Morgan softened the relationship Charles and Diana had in order to lionize Charles, which has been a huge part of s5 and s6 imo. Diana and Charles weren't like... good... when she died. She wasn't good with Elizabeth II either. Even if the ghost is idea is supposed to act as their projections, I don't think the general audience is necessarily going to get that in the way it was conveyed. Dianas would not like... lovingly usher Charles and Lizzie 2 through grief; and even the implication, however unintentional it is, goes into this idea PM has pushed that Diana didn't feel that badly to the monarchy, she didn't mean what she said in the Panorama interview, she was confused!!!!

And it's a part of invalidating her emotions, using her mental health especially, that is also a consistent part of the Windsor mythologizing of her in recent years especially. She didn't hate us. She was manipulated.

Diana was smart; she was abused by the Windsors; and I think she would've done a lot worse if not for William being the eventual heir. Compare it to Harry and Meghan--Harry clearly still has a kind of emotional attachment to his father and whatever he thinks his family is. Meghan has obviously ceased to give a fuck about them and did a while ago. When you weren't raised in that family and were treated like an outside as a married-in, I think your capacity for forgiveness probably goes away, especially when you're not financially dependent on them (see: Fergie, who stayed more loyal ultimately and is financially dependent on Andrew and by extension the royals).

And aside from that, I find the handling of Mohamed al-Fayed, a controversial man with controversial opinions, whose outspokenness and anger towards the royal family is totally valid--but who did have extreme theories that were used to invalidate the solid points he made at times. The other thing used to invalidate him was the concept of the Angry Brown Man who just Wants Revenge on the Rich Classy White People. The show has VERY MUCH played into that. And you can absolutely portray whatever Mohamed did to influence Dodi and that relationship (and I won't deny that he wanted them together) without playing into that stereotype.

I also found the way in which Dodi was portrayed, or really the lack there of, really disappointing. Dodi was given a really flat characterization over both seasons, which is a big missed opportunity to me--Dodi obviously died too, and his tragedy was really lost in the shuffle of the immense reaction to Diana's death.

To me, the attempted lionization of Charles and Camilla has really been distasteful. The were human. They made mistakes. Nobody is perfect. But the idea of Charles as this handsome grieving pseudo-widower who just wanted to be with the love of his life is so... off. Camilla as his loyal trusty partner who is ready to step up is... off. Camilla didn't want to be queen, at least not at that point. She slept with both Charles and her husband (among others) for years. She loved her husband. Charles saw other people. That's all valid, tbh; but I've never liked this idea that they were these consistent, steadfast lovers thwarted by fate and a more attractive, more popular woman. Camilla wanted to be his mistress, lol. Being queen or princess came with obligations that she (understandably) wasn't interested in signing up for. Charles kinda pushed her into that.

So yeah, idek. I don't find the writing any more compelling than s5, personally. I feel like the first four seasons did a great job of acknowledging the humanity of the royal family while also admitting to them being fundamentally shitty. Philip and Elizabeth have their weird failmarriage where they actually do love each other; and they're incredibly cold parents who scar their son. Margaret is a woman who wants her own individual identity and is mentally tormented by it; she's also an incredibly spoiled and self-absorbed asshole. Charles is the kid who wanted mom and dad to love him; he's also an emotionally abusive husband who is incapable of not wallowing in self pity.

I mean, I'd say this extends to people the show didn't see as shitty, too. Even Diana--she's got a good heart and is a good and loving (if not perfect) mother, and she soaks up the attention (while paradoxically hating it at times) and isn't very mature.

To me, it now seems like PM has failed to realize that he doesn't have to make Charles and Camilla seem like better people than they are to make them seem like people. Perhaps he feels he had to overhaul after the very negative reaction to them in s4. But the reality is? Those negative feelings were already there. Many people made up their minds about Charles and Camilla a long time ago. While I'm sure some people genuinely went "oh it's been long enough, we like them now" (particularly royalists) many, many people... still hated them lol. They just didn't think about it. The show gave them something to talk about. PM didn't make the royals look bad in that season; so much as he reminded everyone of why they were so, so criticized in the 90s.

(And he def gave a soft touch to some people before s5--good ol' Uncle Mountbatten's pedophilia accusations were never mentioned.)

So yeah, it just seems like they lack depth, and are more flattering portrayals of the monarchy versus even... well-rounded fictional people.

[autisticandroids]

cliff notes:

- everybody loves a clown notable miss from john shiban. NOT a good ep

- i've rewatched bloodlust so i have less thoughts, however: hey amber benson and rachel miner have kind of similar voices huh 😳🥴

- oh so children shouldn't play with dead things is about the THEMES huh. love it when dean came back wrong ❤️ he's a walking corpse ❤️

- i liked simon said :) you can tell it's the first edlund because of its charm and also because it has zero grasp on consent whatsoever. sam worrying that maybe he's eeeeevil didn't even harsh my mellow that's how much i liked this ep

- i didn't hate no exit actually! the misogyny is unpleasant but the shakeup of jo being there is honestly worth it. it's really fun to see them actually hunt a case with someone else, not hurriedly inducting a terrified civilian or like, working with their dad, or teaming up for a big season ender, but just busting a normal-ass ghost with another hunter. the only other time that's happened so far is in home with missouri and it was also really good there. i would also like to have lingered a little more on the idea that john caused bill's death by screwing up. i was thinking earlier about dean saying that john doesn't make mistakes or leave hunts unfinished in something wicked and how crazy that is, the kind of deranged deification it points to. i think that would obviously have changed due to dean's new perspective on john but i would like to see it play out please. i want to sit with that, to watch him process it. oh well you win some you lose some

- HUGE fan of the usual suspects being a human perpetrator that fucks. also i wish the theme of salmondean being on the run from law enforcement had stuck around for longer in the show it was like so good. also: liked the cop lady

- crossroads blues: finally some listenable music instead of the butt rock crap this show normally pays through the nose to license. the first half is really solid, the artist who sold his soul in particular is really compelling and i wish we had spend more time with him. the creature design of the hellhounds is of course absolutely stunning, a great example of spooky spn minimalism, but my favorite part was actually the cold open where we see that from the outside, the person being ripped apart by hellhounds appears to simply be having a seizure. the guy who sold his soul for his wife was nothing though. i know it's about themes but they should have saved the artist instead. that guy's lackluster performance makes the whole back half of the episode worse, although dean interacting with the crossroads demon is INSANE. she calls him edible <3

- and lastly croatoan. i really liked it :3 it's very funny that they're worried about sam being evil when dean is just straight up murdering people. he came back wrong <3. sarge is also a standout side character for the season. his whole meeting with dean, the "what's going on with everybody" part, is like, just really really fun and a standout for me. also dean's craziness... yes babygirl kill yourself about it. they managed to cram both the sibling crazy and the general crazy into one bottle quite succintly

[kasunex]

Honestly in repose to your fate hot takes I’ve become more supportive of Shirou x Saber on each successive rewatch of the anime. Let me start by saying I’m not a huge part of the fandom Tsukihime, Fate Stay Night and Today’s Menu For The Emiya Family is the limit of my Nasuverse knowledge but on my first watch of FSN I also thought Saber x Shirou was forced and seemed to come out of nowhere to make the final fight more dramatic but on my last watch I honestly changed my mind. In the anime at least a big theme of Saber’s route seemed to be that she didn’t ever want to be King Arthur and her goal at become a servant was to go back in time and not become King Arthur because she failed, I think this is meant to contrast with Shirou whose idealism in becoming a hero is so strong as to make him purposefully pick fights he can’t win and fight them anyway. They’re actually pretty interesting mirror images of each other in that regard like other ships I’ve liked, then after Shirou starts to learn from the mistakes that turned him into Archer he becomes obsessed with saving Saber from herself since he thinks she did everything she could during her life time and wants her to choose a second life with him, something that the admittedly non canon cooking manga spin off shows that she really enjoys being a housewife in Japan as opposed to being king, but I digress at the end before the final fight against Kotomine Shirou and Saber end up with a common goal to prevent the grail from materialising again and plan to win the fight even though doing so will keep them apart and end with Saber’s death but Saber I think at that moment understands Shirou’s father and Shirou understands why Saber will never consent to shirk her duty as king which I understand was your main problems with the ship but I think are covered in canon at least implied to be resolved.

Yeah, I think most would more or less agree with that take.

My issue with the ship is the concept of pairing a shonen with the ghost of a pre-medieval King of England. I struggle to see how the two could ever really be on the same level, and nothing I've seen of the pairing can move me past this impression.

Seeing a badass, legendary, ancient king reduced to a blushing mess by someone as plain as Shirou just doesn't sit.

It also doesn't help that Fate/Zero establishes Saber pretty much hated Kiritsugu, Shirou's adopted father and role model. That they have such dissenting views of the most important figure in Shirou's life is a conflict that's never really addressed, and just further gets in the way. I don't know how much of that is on Fate/Zero and how much of it is on Stay Night, but even in Stay Night, Saber makes clear in Heaven's Feel that she was not a fan of Kiritsugu.

I think there's a lot of comparison to be drawn with my favorite Fate pairing, Nero x Hakuno. Why does that work for me when Shirou x Saber doesn't? I suspect part of it is the tone difference, Stay Night is much grittier and more grounded compared to the more over-the-top Extra. Part is also that Nero is established to have never had a geniune bond in her lifetime - her own mother tried to kill her - so it makes more sense why she'd attach herself so strongly to Hakuno.

Artoria, on the other hand, had a seemingly normal childhood, friends and allies in Merlin and the Round Table knights, and even Irisviel as a close friend in Fate/Zero.

I get why Shirou x Saber has some appeal, but personally I just don't see it.

[alexwatchesshows]

big pinned post with all the important stuff (for now)

This is a new account, so thanks for checking this out :)

The premise of the account is more or less what it says on the tin (for as long as my username is alexwatchesshows). I want to watch a bunch of shows and write about them. I plan on doing episode-by-episode posts, season wrap-ups and introduction/final thoughts posts. I will try to be vaguely analytical in nature (getting the most out of my ongoing english degree and all that) but I will never pretend to be objective (made that mistake before). A lot of the focus will be on my thoughts/feelings, which are obviously hugely subjective.

Now for some more specific stuff:

Structure: I will follow one show at a time, with an introductory (non-spoiler) post covering the plot, themes, genre and all that to start with. I will then post episode-by-episode analyises. I will try to do one post per episode but due to the nature of most shows these posts will probably vary hugely in length. At the end of a season I will also try to post a general wrap-up. In the episode and season analyses I will spoil up to and including that episode/series. Then, to finish, I will to a wrap-up post with my lasting thoughts and feelings on the show and how they've changed. There will likely be a spoiler and non-spoiler component to this post.

For each show I will be posting about it on a rewatch. I'll watch it for fun the first time then post about it after I rewatch each episode. For some of the shows I'll be posting about them on my 3rd/4th/etc. rewatch.

Where else to find me/what else do I do: I'm also under bookshelfmonkey on tumblr. This blog serves as a general blog for reblogging pretty much anything, but I also post about books on there (search for the tage "my posts books" to see them).

Bookshelf.monkey on instagram is my bookstagram account. I post book reviews and reading wrap-ups somewhat inconsistently on there.

alexander.j.m.writes on instagram is my writing account. I basically never post on there but I keep meaning to be more active on it.

I might also try to write a little bit about music at some point but that's pretty vague atm.

[ramblingdisaster73]

I like that we're seeing a petty, asshole-ish side of Carlos. He needs to have flaws. I just don't like that we're probably not going to see a resolution to it. TK was clearly beat up (emotionally) by both himself and Carlos in 4x03 in order to up the drama, like you said. But there is no way it's going to be addressed in 4x04. There just won't be time. They're gonna show Carlos's ordeal, TK finding him, and then an emotional reunion. And then we move on to Marjan's and Grace's storylines in 4x05. And then we're probably not gonna see much of Tarlos until we get them happily planning their wedding (possibly with some lingering health concerns for Carlos). Like every single time TK and Carlos have fought or had problems, Carlos's actions will be swept under the rug. Idk maybe I'm wrong, but this is my prediction based on 1) the amount of story left to tell and the amount of time left to tell it, and 2) the track record of the show's treatment of TK and Carlos. And it's kind of depressing.

I totally get that. I felt the same way about how they totally romanticized Carlos buying the loft as a “surprise”. I also agree that we won’t get an on-screen resolution to the attitudes/treatment, at least not in 4x04. I totally agreed with TK that it was a power move, however well intentioned it had been, it was a power move (which I have thoughts on too – especially in light of him being legally married at that time).

I think that there is a possibility of Carlos saying something to someone other than TK about it, or maybe a reference at some point by the 4x08 “Control Freaks” episode. Similar to how TK worked through the break up (well blaming himself for it only) in his coma dream – I think we will get Carlos admitting his mistakes to Andrea or someone like that. I could be wrong – but this show LOVES it’s parallels, and that would be a good one.

It sometimes takes me several rewatches of scenes before I can truly appreciate them. I love 3x13 – it is a beautiful episode that truly showcases their love and growth, but some of the scenes were harder to watch for me at first – we just hurt for both of them, because we care about them. But, after doing my analysis, picking the episodes apart piece by piece, truly dig into the characters and their motivations, then I truly enjoy them.

That is how I was Tuesday night watching 4x03. I knew going into it that it would be rough. And it was. But I have watched it several times now, I appreciate each scene for what they are – more pieces to this big puzzle that is Carlos Reyes.

The hard part about loving these guys so fucking much, is that we want to see EVERYTHING, but they can only give us glimpses of their life with the occasional larger treat – but like Ronen has been saying there is way more Tarlos this season than ever before, so maybe we will both be surprised and get something on screen – but if not, then I know that myself and a bunch of other writers will be filling in the gaps with all the fics we can dream up.

I wish the show didn’t put so much of the blame for pretty much everything on TK, but another show I am a huge fan of, did the same thing with one of their main characters for 7 seasons – it didn’t matter who else participated in them, who else helped make the choices – this one character took like 94% of the blame for every decision made. It was maddening, there were never any good choices, so all decisions kinda sucked & had shitty consequences.  I have just accepted that TK is that character for this show, as frustrating as it can be. At least we have Ronen to portray him as wonderfully as he does.

[talenlee]

How To Be 2024: The Covers

Each month of the year I make an article about trying to translate a character from general media to the comparatively constrained boundaries of Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition. This originally started out as a project to try and address a claim I saw about how that game system was limited and on rails, and any given character feels just like every other character. Since starting that project, I have written 55 articles about it, and in each article, I have included a splash image that shows the ‘book cover’ of that character’s book.

Presented here are the eleven book covers I made this year, nice and clear so you can look at them closely and check out the jokes that you may or may not have missed, presented with some notes for the articles in question.

First up we have Power from Chainsaw Man. I like this cover a lot because it addresses a ‘real’ problem with these graphic designs, where the character has to be subordinate to a huge title bar. That means vertical art of the characters tends to be crushed down into a square spot, with usually, some cheeky graphical lies to fill in the very top bar.

Power, also, is a huge dumbass and I like the idea of her confidently posing thinking she knew what she was doing, and in the process making a very obvious mistake.

February brought with it Smooch Month, which meant trying to find something that fit the theme of romance and character relationships. I think this is the first year where I realised that a couple could be a good hook for this kind of thing, and that led to this consideration of the extremely girly Rapunzel and Cass from the Tangled tv series.

What I like the most about this article is the way it tackles the nearly impossible question of Rapunzel’s hair as a weapon and how to capture the feeling of working like that, with all the magical power it implies, alongside a much more down to earth character.

Do you like the Owl House? I like the Owl House. It’s a really good TV series. I’ve already done a character from Owl House (Amity Blight, which in hindsight is just such a fantastic name), but I wanted to revisit it and talk about the character of Eda Clawthorne. This was a build where the mechanical hook to interest me was the question of how you represent a big monster person who mode-switches.

It’s a build begging for the druid, really!

When I tackle things in April I try to focus on media that I know I care about a lot and which is deeply important to my personal story. I have a small cache of things that I think I should focus on in April, characters I really like where I also have some mechanical idea that tangles in a space I enjoy.

I really like shapeshifters. In part I really like shapeshifters because I grew up reading Animorphs, and oh hey look at that, we’ve got the natural outcome of those two things relating to one another.

I don’t know who Tsubaki Yayoi is. It was a suggestion from a friend named Paco, and that made it a very different kind of How To Be article. In order to write about the character I had to learn about the character in the context of their game, and then the context of what the game meant and then a greater context of that game in the landscape of games like it. I had to learn what The Neutral is for the article on May from Guilty Gear, and I did also touch on Bridget, but those did not prepare me for learning about Blazblue.

Anyway, cool paladin lady with a book hammer shield!

I use June to make something that references a favourite of Fox’s, and Fox had just rewatched all or most of Astro Boy so that made an article about him pretty much an easy choice. What made Astroboy such a challenging character is that he is both a robot and he flies, two things that can be very challenging to do all the time.

That’s where this article came from as well! I don’t know much about Metal Gear at all, because it looks to me like a kind of library of gibberish, an enormous task to understand and a result that looks broadly like ‘oh I guess that’s fine,’ at the other end of the storytelling experience.

To make this article about Raiden, who is, in the end, just a guy with a gun or a sword, I had to delve into the fandom wiki for the Metal Gear franchise. This is such a ridiculous place that the table of contents has a scroll bar.

Meanwhile, Persona is a step-fandom of mine. I’ve started Person 2, 3, and 4, but never bothered to finish anything in the franchise space, probably between resistance and lack of interest. The fact that most of Persona 3 feels like I was grinding my way through chores hoping the game started at some point was probably a bad sign.

But the trailer for Persona 5 is really cool, and that’s all I needed to get started on that wiki and learning all about Joker. There was an intention, originally, to pretend the article was going to be about Joker, the specific one that has become such a symbol of tiresome, tedious dudes online, but that guy sucks and even joking about him feels tedious.

Alright, we’ve done some wiki nonsense, some malarkey that needed me to investigate a bunch of stuff, how about we instead pivot to something that I just unequivocally love to bits and don’t need someone else to explain things to me. Time to go back to Tha Old Me in the form of long form Hotline Miami articles.

Graceful Wicked Masques is the title of a classic Exalted book about faeries, incidentally. And these are Jenna Moran faeries, so not ‘whimsical pixies’ but ‘will eat your name sexy unsettling lion boys’ faeries.

October! Halloween! Dread month! Woooeeeooweeooo! Spooky stuff! I think horror monsters are a great source of material for How To Be characters but they have to be characters where you can identify what makes them interesting and spooky all at once. And hey, it’s not like Multiversus didn’t do anything to diminish the horror elements of this wandering fridge of a man.

This cover is a little meh honestly: the poses I could get for the character don’t really relate to the space he’s in, it’s all very contained, and he’s such a square dude that I couldn’t make him interact with the trade dress.

Then finally we round out the year with a character in the true spirit of No Effort November, someone I know down to the ground and could write a guide to without checking the source material (but I did anyway). I talked about Pantyhose Tarou from Ranma 1/2, who is a huge butthole who turns into a huge buffalo, sort of.

You can see here another example of ‘cheating’ the verticale part of the image. Tarou’s wings don’t reach that far above himself in the manga panel I edited to maker that cover. On the other hand I do like the way the black and white manga panel translates to a threatening book cover with the splash of colour on it.

On top of all this, if you’re curious at all, I keep track of the gender breakdown of characters I select to do How To Be about.

At this point, as of 2024, the gender breakdown of How To Be subjects is 24 male characters, 25 female characters, 5 characters who can be either or both, and 1 character for whom it’s not required at all. This is immaterial information, but it is interesting in the context of what I draw from as inspiration. For example, this year, there’s no Black characters. Even the non-white characters are primarily Anime characters and therefore the mukokuseki means kinda white.

I still like making these, so I’m still gunna keep making them~!

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 5 Week 9: Rewatch

Hey y'all. Back for week 9 and I'm gonna say that just like season 4, this is still one of the strongest top 4s that we have ever had as well as one of the strongest semi-finals that has ever been on this show. Each couple is redoing two dance styles. So yeah, let's get started.

Ballroom Round

Marie and Jonathan- Quickstep (Judges' Score=29, My Score=10)- This was so much fun and the best dance that Marie has ever done in this competition. She finally hit on all cylinders. It was a brilliant dance. And the costume was brilliant because it hid some of the moments that were maybe a little iffy.

Mel and Maks- Viennese Waltz (Judges' Score=30, My Score=10)- This was the actually the Viennese waltz that made me fall in love with the dance. And it is still one of my all time favorite dances. The turns were amazing. The rotation was great. The technique was perfect. And those series of splits? The amount of strength it takes to pull them all off in succession without falling behind the music is incredible. This might be my favorite dance from this couple, period. And that's a hard feat.

Jennie and Derek- Tango (Judges' Score=28, My Score=10)- This is also one of my favorite tangos on this show. I feel like a broken record at this point, but season 5 was such an amazing season with amazing dances. Jennie locked in and didn't allow herself to get distracted by the few problems that did arise (the hair, the shoe and the dress). It speaks to her growth over the season. Also, her frame was so strong for this dance. Her posture has been a constant critique from me, so that was a HUGE thing for it to be as good as it was.

Helio and Julianne- Foxtrot (Judges' Score=30, My Score=10)- Like I said, this is one of the strongest top 4 that we have ever had. Everyone really came in here and knocked their first round dances out of the park. This was the perfect dance for Helio. He was so charismatic. He was so on top of everything. There were a couple of almost mistakes that he fixed right before they became mistakes. His frame was really good. Wow. This round was similar to the semi-finals Latin round of season 4.

Latin Round

Marie and Jonathan- Mambo (Judges' Score=27, My Score=9)- This was such a huge improvement over their first mambo and it was Marie's best Latin dance of the season. Her hips were moving. Her technique was much sharper and her posture was a lot better. The performance and energy was, as always, top notch. A few things though. She lost some control here and there which led to some funky posture moments and misplaced feet here and there. Otherwise, it was a great dance.

Mel and Maks- Paso Doble (Judges' Score=30, My Score=10)- The fact that these two managed to top an already perfect dance was incredible. Especially if you consider the fact that they were rushed onto the dancefloor seconds before they started dancing. Mel was working that whip. Her footwork was Sabrina-esque (probably the top comment I can ever give to a celeb). The attention to detail here was beautiful. Honestly, this was amazing. Their first paso was more iconic, but this one was so much better.

Jennie and Derek- Cha-cha (Judges' Score=30, My Score=10)- This is the last dance for these and honestly, it was amazing for them to go out with such a huge bang. It was so clean and tight. Jennie was confident. The spins were amazing. Hips were great. Her posture was good. Her feet were so precise. It all came together in such a big way.

Helio and Julianne- Cha-cha (Judges' Score=30, My Score=10)- First of all, I wanna say that I think that this was the best Helio ever looked on the show. This red fit? I need is for myself and have always wanted it. Anyway, the dance was several notches above their first cha-cha. Helio was sharp. He performed it incredibly. Julianne's choreo was so so so good. I am just in amazement of how good this semi-finals was. Two amazing semi-finals in back to back seasons? I see why DWTS became as big as it did. This is competition that you just have to see unfold in real time.

My Rankings and Scores Out of 60:

1 Mel and Maks- 60 (30 for both) = Jennie and Derek- 60 (30 for both) = Helio and Julianne- 60 (30 for both) 4 Marie and Jonathan- 57 (30 for quickstep, 27 for mambo)

As I said earlier, Jennie was the celeb that was eliminated. And while it's sad, it would've been sad for anyone to go. No one deserved to go. Everyone had a legit shot at winning. This is the first and maybe only season that any of the final 7 couples could have won and I would have been 100% okay with it. This semis was electrifying to watch. It is 17 years old and I'm still just as invested now. I might need to rewatch season 6 before I do this, but I'm going to write a post about the difference between the show now and the show back then. These rewatches have been the most excited I've been to watch DWTS in years. And it honestly has nothing to do with the nostalgia of it. It's just good. Anyway, the finals are coming up and I'll probably get those done tomorrow. I know season 5's finals were a bit underwhelming in comparison to the semis, but that's okay. I'm still excited to watch that bizarre freestyle from Marie.

[llycaons]

IWTV s2 ep1 (thank you vero!!!): a few thoughts

yayyyy new setting!!!! I love when shows set in warm places go to cold places. weirdly specific but when max and anne and jack black sails went to philadelphia I was clapping and cheering away. I love to see snow

I miss bailey bass but delainey hayles was really well cast. obviously she resembles bass closely, but she's also captured her character very well too. it ALSO helps that claudia and louis underwent a huge fracturing of their relationship at the end of s1 so of course things between them will be different. as of the time of this writing, she hasn't even looked at him. I imagine it's easier when they don't have to recreate the exact dynamic with a new person, but can build something new after a huge rift

speaking of, louis's recollection of claudia and his discussion of her losing faith in him and viewing him as someone she can no longer connect with is just devastating. my god

armand is REALLY annoying to me😭just so smug…and apparently he and daniel were a thing in the books which is really odd to think about at this stage but sure.

daniel is such a crotchety old bitch. you're going to whine about how a VAMPIRE talks about trying to avoid SUNLIGHT???? shut uppppp

THERE'S A REAL RASHID????

bringing lestat back, even as a dream, this easrly, was a mistake I think. he's a tremendously impactful and popular character, and by drawing out his first appearance a little longer, the show could have 1. reminded the audience who the show is actually about and 2. give lestat's reappearance some more punch

WHAT THE FUCKKKKK I gotta finish my rewatch of s1

I WAS WONDERING THIS TOO!! it seemed like a stupid misdirection bc daniel doesn't know armand's name, but in hindsight I guess armand doesn't want his name in there at all

EMILIA <3

THIS SCENE. EMMY!!!!

this song is so gd creepy

what the fuckkkkk

she's got the vampire aesthetic down SO well

WHY DID SHE DO THIS. like. why. like it truly doesn't compute at ALL. she seemed excited! she was talking about all the great things they'd do, all the pleasures!

oh their fancy bedroom looks so open and cold...maybe louis likes that tho. it certainly doesn't appear that armand has trapped him in a gilded cage and has control over all his food and movements like everyone was speculating after the end of s1. it IS a bit weird tho

I mean he doesn't seem unreasonable here, just cautious.

wow....marital intimacy. but unlike his relationship w lestat, they do rationally and respectfully have a discussion and both of them are satisfied with the compromise. also I don't think we've seen them speak privately about the interview yet!

omg so since the 50s...

this is so kjdhsfk. daniel's face! obviously I'm going to compare to his relationship with lestat again because THEY were so intimate in private while being more distant in public while armand and louis are the opposite, except that one big finale kiss, but just because that relationship was full of passion didn't mean it was good or healthy or louis's ideal scenario. maybe he likes this distance. maybe the physical separation and the independence is something he craved after being tied to a codependent, jealous, paranoid, melodramatic, maniacal abuser for decades. I don't think I could say with certainty he's unhappy, or it's armand who's making him unhappy

I hate 'stop feeling sorry for yourself' as a pick-me-up because it just makes an unhappy person feel WORSE. they're not feeling 'sorry for themselves' they're just feeling sad....man louis she just watched her dearly cherished hope throw herself into the flames 😭

end of the episode.....oof. me and you and me but LESTAT STILL THERE. HAUNTING THEM!!!!