#but i really did get a separate ask about ep11

[odd-kid-42]

I like talking about Dndads with other people, so no, none of this came across as rude. I’ve sat in the fandom since roughly May 2021, so it’s understandable that months of thinking about this have caused me to draw different conclusions about how s1 went than other people. I’m not viewing this as an argument but trying to explain what I mean past publishing a draft I had typed months ago out of frustration. It’s ultimately a silly podcast and no one has been hurt in real life, past when the cast has been rude to fans. I’m not trying to make people hate the series or cast. However, I feel that they deviated from their main storyline/emotional core of four dads trying to rescue their lost sons in the way Nick and Paeden were used narratively, to the extent where I am now critical of their writing abilities. If the conclusion of this conversation is that we both still disagree, then I still got to talk about a show that I enjoyed the majority of and you know what I was referring to and what a few other people were bothered by.

I’m going to explain my opinion on Paeden first since I think this is where you and I are diverging the most in our interpretations and the situation is the most clear cut to me. Also, I think if we disagree about Paeden, we’re not going to agree on Nick, so that will save me time as finals approach.

My core belief is that Darryl should not have asked Paeden to break the bowl.

1) In ep 65, Darryl acknowledges that they still have to break Paeden’s body as the housing of Frank’s soul, so Darryl still remembers the conversation with Erin O’Neil in ep 37 after ep 64 events. What the differences between soul, memories, and personhood are in-universe is never really discussed in full, but Erin in ep 37 describes a) how Paeden is separate from Frank as ‘a homunculus of confidence and urine’ via superimposed boyhood and his own memories but has Frank’s soul sans Frank’s memories (Frank’s soul in Paeden is ‘pure and unburdened by decades of memories’), b) Frank’s memories are in the bowl and can be accessed as easy as drinking liquid from it, and c) A daddy magic ritual can be used to separate Paeden— defined as Paeden’s memories— from Frank’s soul in Paeden before the bowl is broken. Henry is the first to suggest a Pinocchio situation to separate Paeden from Frank, and Erin agrees that daddy magic could be used to separate Paeden’s memories from Frank’s soul akin to what Willy did in the first place to Frank. The only barrier is their power in daddy magic. The conversation with Erin though sets the goal of eventually using daddy magic to break the anchor without hurting Paeden. All four dads are aware of this information.

2) While relistening to ep 37 to make sure I was getting the phrasing right for soul vs. memory vs. person, Darryl says, ‘Honestly, I don’t even think [breaking the bowl] is a decision an eight year old boy can make. No offense, Paeden… I don’t think we need to destroy Paeden’s brain right now either.” Which ties into my second point— Paeden cannot make decisions on his own mortality with proper autonomy. a) Practically, he has been in a child fighting chain for an indeterminate amount of time. He is eight years old. His earliest memory is Willy verbally abusing him and leaving him at the chain. His first fight was against a puppy who ripped three of his fingers off (Walter & Paeden one-shot intro). He is 0-278 (ep11) in fights in a bar where a child not dying in several hours is a new record (ep10). He has done things in the UFC that he purposely doesn’t bring up so the dads don’t view him differently (ep48). Undoubtedly being a homunculi that cannot be destroyed when he once was around regular deaths of children his age plays a role in feeling like he can’t die (ep37, 64) and will be able to fight Frank’s memories to be the dominant personality (ep64). Practically, Paeden does not have a normal childhood to judge his own mortality. Practically, he is a young child being asked by his “daddy-son” to break the bowl while the three other adults he trusts watch and Paeden’s adoptive father is not around to stop them (Walter & Paeden one-shot as source Walter would have stopped them past ep34 when he directly tells them not to break the bowl and they promise). b) Paeden’s reflection on possibly being erased by Frank’s memories is, “When I think about the future, I don’t have much to think about because when I was in the UFC, before you all met me, I didn’t think I had a future. I assumed my life would just be waking up, getting the piss beaten out of me, convincing myself that I didn’t get the piss beaten out of me, and getting up to do it all over again. So it’s… I don’t know. I’ve kind of got this feeling like every day since I met all of you has been like a gift. And if you keep getting gifts, at some point you’re going to have to return some of the gifts. Because it’s too many gifts for your house.” So gratitude for not being beaten on a daily basis is the motive for Paeden to say yes.

I’m pausing half a second to say how goddamn sad this is. Not getting the piss beaten out is a gift? That’s a gift that the eight year old putting his life at risk “psychologically fighting” Darryl’s father needs to return? They are going to let Paeden go on a suicide mission with Frank to at minimum die of heart failure in the end? And Paeden is going to be the last consciousness left in the body, reassuring the dads that he is okay with the situation.

I’m not upset that Glenn’s prison sentence happened in a way that violated human rights. I’m not upset that oakson isn’t canon (lol). I’m not upset that Paeden was given such a sad backstory. I’m upset at this— four dads listened to an eight year old say how he feels like he never had a future past unrelenting pain, knowing all the previous things I listed out, and Darryl asks at the end of the speech, “Do you want to break the bowl now?” and all our protagonists watched. These are our dads at the near end of the season, presumably overflowing with daddy magic, watching an eight year old do what they asked of him.

3) Darryl didn’t give Paeden a choice. a) Darryl told the other dads that he thinks he is ready to break the bowl after time travel (The time travel where he cried in showers working customer service for six months, which hey yeah customer service am I right? But not great mental state upon return), Henry starts to say how “all kids need to grow up at some point” before calling the situation a land mine and backing out of giving advice, and Ron supports Darryl’s decision before crying during the conversation with Paeden. So dad group is really premeditating about break or not breaking the bowl before asking the eight year old. b) Darryl approached and told the eight year old who trusted him(ep64), “I can’t tell you to break this thing. I just know that we’re getting to that time and now is better than ever, so I just want to know how you’re feeling about it and if you want to talk about it.” That’s not giving him a choice. Rhetoric 101, Darryl is proposing the right answer and offering Paeden the options to express how he feels and to talk, not to say no. Paeden reverses it back to Darryl after talking about the UFC by saying, “If it’s going to make you and your son safer, and if it’s something that you think is the right thing to do...” This isn’t Paeden choosing. It’s Paeden having Darryl as the adult choose because Paeden trusts him to decide.

But of course, the dads knew from the beginning that Paeden would agree. Paeden is an eight year old from a fighting bar. Paeden had a normal life for two weeks with Walter before sneaking away to be with them. Paeden doesn’t think he will die or lose out to Frank’s +50 year old memories compared to his 8 years of memory. Paeden trusted Darryl to choose for him, and Darryl chose with the three other dads watching.

4) Raise Dead wouldn’t apply to Paeden (homunculus, unwilling soul of Frank, damaged heart) and Zombie Paeden wouldn’t be antagonistic if they followed 5e rules, but they don’t. This last point is just here because people bring up Zombie Paeden like he is Paeden virtually unchanged, only big now, and Walter rolling a nat20 to stop him instead of being killed by him was engineered by the cast instead of random chance. Walter just as easily could have been killed by the mentally disabled version of his son, and they would have had to deal with the narrative they created. Instead, Walter drawls him away from danger, out of battle, to figure out off-screen how to care for a fifty foot tall, mentally changed version of his son because Walter was always going to care for Paeden after every dad had left. The four dads just never thought of him as a father like them though.

Does all of this make sense involving my problems with how Paeden was treated in the narrative and the disconnect between the story hook and the characters’ actions? If we’re on the same page on Paeden and you are interested, I’ll explain my interpretation of how Nick was erased by the narrative. But I think disagreeing about Paeden means we’ll disagree about Nick. Regardless, I enjoyed analyzing Dndads albeit Paeden in ep64 hurts.

I genuinely wish the cast well and I’m glad what they are doing is clearly working for them (measured by Patreon income and subscriptions), but to this day, I still cannot wrap my head around why five professional writers thought killing two kids in a story about dads rescuing their sons made any sense.

It would be completely different if it was random chance, but mechanically, Anthony erased Nick’s sense of self, and deliberately Matt as Darryl killed an eight year old.

[yujachachacha]

I've seen peeps angry about how Dia's episode this season and Yoshiko's last season seem to mean nothing since they're still calling them "Dia-san" and "Yoshiko" respectively. What do you think? bc I personally feel that the point of the episodes had less to do with how they were addressed and more w/ a feeling of belonging in the group

I agree! I think that the issue with these character-centered episodes has to do with the fact that the audience is misunderstanding the point of them.

This might be easier to understand if I first explain how they’re structured. IMO, the LLS character-centered episodes usually follow a certain formula that goes something like this:

The central character has a certain flaw or worry that makes them go through a period of self-doubt. (Examples: Yoshiko wants to live a normal high school life. Dia notices that she’s the only third year in Aqours who isn’t referred to by a familiar suffix.)

The central character believes that they have to act a certain way to resolve this issue. (Examples: Yoshiko thinks that she has to abandon her “fallen angel” routine to be accepted by her peers. Dia thinks that being called “Dia-chan” will make her closer to the rest of the group.)

With the help of Chika - or in the case of Chika herself, the others in Aqours - the central character realizes that there is another solution they didn’t consider because they had misunderstood the root of the problem. (Examples: Yoshiko realizes that she should find friends who accept her as she is rather than trying to change herself. Dia discovers that her title is given to her out of respect rather than distance.)

The problem is resolved and the central character regains their confidence. Hooray, friendship saves the day! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

See that bold section in #3? That’s the part that a lot of people miss - ironically, this means that these people are making the exact same mistake that the main character of the episode is making.

[FML my meta posts are never short so the rest is under the cut]

The point of S1E5 wasn’t that Yoshiko wanted friends who would call her “Yohane”, but that Yoshiko wanted friends who would put up with her demands to be called “Yohane”. This is even apparent at the final confrontation of the episode:

Yoshiko: I’ll spew a lot of weird stuff.

You: That’s fine.

Yoshiko: I might start performing ceremonies and stuff sometimes.

Riko: We’ll deal with it.

Yoshiko: I might tell you to be my little demons!

Chika: Well, um… We’ll say no if we don’t want to!

Let me repeat that last part because it’s hella important: “We’ll say no if we don’t want to!”

What Yoshiko needed wasn’t a group of girls who would hang out with her only because she got rid of her fallen angel routine, or little demon lackeys who would obey every edict she issued. What she needed was friends who would be realistic about her antics, but would stick with her until the end. Friendship isn’t about agreeing perfectly with each other - you’ll have different tastes, and will sometimes fight over those differences. True friendship is being able to accept each other despite these differences.

You might have noticed that it’s not Mari and Ruby, the pair that tends to play along with the “Yohane” thing the most, who are seen as Yoshiko’s closest friends in the anime. The pair that is the most associated with Yoshiko is, in fact, the duo that complains the most about Yoshiko’s behavior - Riko and Hanamaru. They tease and scold her about her quirks precisely because they’re so close to her. It’s because these two are so attentive to Yoshiko’s well-being that they moderate her weirdness. Thanks to their friendship, Yoshiko knows that despite their occasional harsh words, they mean the best for her.

So with this in mind, is it really all that crucial to refer to Yoshiko as “Yohane”? While it would be nice of Aqours to do so, I think that would be missing the point. Accepting “Yohane” doesn’t mean accepting that as Yoshiko’s name. Rather, it’s accepting the concept of Yohane, that Yoshiko happens to be a high school girl who occasionally says some off-the-wall occult things that she can’t help because she loves the fallen angel thing and oh god she knows it’s weird but at this point it’s so ingrained in her identity that there’s nothing she can do about it please all she wants is to stop feeling so lonely -

…you get the point. The important thing isn’t calling Yoshiko by her preferred name “Yohane”, but that the existence of “Yohane” is accepted rather than shunned. Yoshiko had been so caught up in thinking that the “Yohane” persona was a black-or-white “if it pops up I’ll lose my friends / if I hide it I can have a normal life” situation that she never stopped to consider a balance between the two: friends who didn’t necessarily have to indulge her fallen angel antics, but would always support her in times of need.

Fittingly for a series called “Love Live!”, an important theme of the work is about love - that is, self-love, and giving your all at something you love to do. The charm of school idols, Chika insists to Yoshiko, isn’t that they change themselves into whatever they think is popular or that the audience likes best. Rather, it’s the fact that they have a part of themselves that they love, and are happy to share that with everyone.

Consider this - do Yoshiko fans like Yoshiko despite her fallen angel shtick, or do they like her because she throws herself so wholeheartedly into it? I’m sure you can guess the answer by now. We admire people who are passionate about what they love. Chika’s words make Yoshiko realize that “Yohane” isn’t something to be ashamed of - rather, it’s something that she should embrace.

Again, this is a crucial lesson echoed throughout the “Love Live!” series: embrace the time you have now, and put everything you have into something you love. That’s when you truly shine, because there’s nothing more beautiful than someone who’s doing their best and enjoying it.

With Dia, we have a similar theme of friendship being tied to a certain name. However, the circumstances are quite different.

Now, I can understand why people were a bit upset about Dia’s episode turning out the way that it did. After all, Dia spent nearly the whole time making a fool of herself just to hear Chika tell her, “We like you just the way you are, Dia-san!” µ’s even had an entire episode dedicated to having the members address each other with “-chan” to break down the seniority barriers.

But let me point out something important: Dia refers to Kanan and Mari, her childhood friends, as “Kanan-san” and “Mari-san”. Do you think that this means Dia isn’t close to Kanan and Mari?

Recall the scene where Kanan and Mari spill the beans about Dia to the rest of Aqours. They talk about how they’ve always seen Dia as somewhat “above them” because of how talented and formal she is. With everyone expecting Dia to act the part of the refined lady, Dia slowly took on that role until it became an actual part of her identity. If Dia was just a normal high school gal, she’d probably refer to Kanan and Mari as just that - Kanan and Mari, no suffixes needed. But because Dia’s been raised to be well-mannered, she automatically refers to them as “Kanan-san” and “Mari-san” despite her close relationship with them.

This shows that Dia’s way of referring to people is simply a matter of her upbringing as a Kurosawa heiress rather than her trying to distance herself from others. If you need more proof, just listen to how Ruby refers to other people in the early episodes of the anime and in the audio dramas - apart from her sister and her childhood friend Hanamaru, Ruby refers to nearly everyone with “-san”. Ruby has the same habit, but is a lot more lenient about casting it aside as she probably doesn’t feel as pressured as Dia is to stay prim and proper. That’s why the spotlight is solely on Dia for being out-of-place about how she refers to and is referred to by others.

Here’s the mini-takeaway from this episode - what’s important is not the words itself, but the meaning behind them. I’m gonna illustrate this with two different takes of a scenario. Imagine that Aqours is chilling in a dressing room, waiting to be called for their performance in a school idol competition.

Take 1:

Mari bursts into the room holding a venti Starbucks latte in one hand and a set of very expensive-looking car keys in the other.

“What’s up, bitches?” Mari sings.

Chika and You cheekily salute and parrot back the greeting. Everyone else ignores her (except Dia, who looks like she would be strangling Mari if she wasn’t occupied with covering Ruby’s ears).

Kanan sighs. “We love you Mari, but get your ass in here. You’re late.”

Take 2:

A rival school idol group that has been sending condescending looks towards Aqours all day bursts into the room.

“What’s up, bitches?” Girl A sneers.

Since Dia is too busy covering Ruby’s ears, Kanan is the first to rise up in anger. However, she’s interrupted by the sight of Mari popping open the lid of her latte and splashing its still-hot contents at the intruders.

“Don’t you dare speak that way towards my friends,” Mari hisses.

…this illustration was probably a lot more vulgar than it needed to be, but hopefully you get my point. It doesn’t matter that Dia is referred to as “Dia-san” - what’s crucial is the intent behind it. Chika brings back the lesson from Yoshiko’s episode here: you shouldn’t try to change yourself just to make friends. Aqours doesn’t hate her strictness, so there’s no need for Dia to try to do away with it. Dia is referred to as “Dia-san” because everyone respects how much work she puts into making sure Aqours isn’t a complete mess, and thus they refer to her with an appropriately respectful title. In a way, it’s actually a very affectionate title that shows Dia’s unique position in Aqours - you could even think of it as the equivalent of “Mom”.

If you’re still thinking, “Oh come on, how hard is it to just call her ‘Dia-chan’?!”, let me illustrate with something that’s actually happened to me. At Thanksgiving this year, I met a family member who’s around my mother’s age. She’s a distant relative of mine, but because we live in the same area, we’re pretty close. I was helping her with the dishes when we had the following conversation:

Relative: Hey Yujacha, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.

Me: What is it?

Relative: You know how you call me “Aunty”? I want you to call me “Grandma” instead.

Me: …I’m sorry, what?

Relative: I want you to call me “Grandma”. I’m serious. I really, really, really want you to call me “Grandma”.

Me: I, uh…

Relative: Call me “Grandma”!

To give you some context: my family tree is kind of messed up (I think it had to do with some kind of early/late marriage), so somewhere along the line the branch with my relatives became a generation above mine, despite us being the same age. This means that the relative above is technically a grandmother to me despite being around my mother’s age, and her children (who I usually refer to as my cousins) are technically my aunt and uncle - even though they’re younger than me.

I could’ve said yes. It was a request from an elder, and she genuinely wanted me to use the title. Plus, what harm was there in simply saying a different name?

Instead, I replied, “…I’m sorry Aunty, I can’t. It sounds weird to me. ( ; w ; )”

I was so used to saying “Aunty” that I couldn’t break the habit. It was also a matter of respect - even though the relative herself wanted to be called “Grandma”, in my mind, I would be lowkey insulting her by implying that she looks a lot older than she actually is.

I could be completely off the mark here, but personally speaking, I think that this might be part of the reason why Dia is always referred to as “Dia-san” by most of Aqours. As stated above, Dia is revered as the Kurosawa heiress and the brilliant student council president of Uranohoshi. Even though Dia herself wants to be called “Dia-chan”, to the rest of Aqours, it would feel like an insult if they didn’t refer to her respectfully. At that point, they’re just so used to calling her “Dia-san” that it would feel weird to say anything else. Communication is a two-way street. Don’t forget that a title shows a relationship between the receiver and the giver of the title.

I know that some people are still going to be upset about the “Dia-chan” thing, which is fine - Dia deserves the love! But the point of the episode, despite what it seemed, wasn’t just to get Aqours to call Dia something different. Rather, it was Dia’s clumsy way of opening herself up to the others and admitting that she wants to be their close friend. While the lesson might not have been so clear due to all the slapstick shenanigans going on, I think that we did see Dia succeeding on that end. No matter what she’s called, from now on, Dia knows that she’s appreciated by Aqours and is considered a close friend.

tl;dr: Chuunibyou high schooler and stern StuCo prez awkwardly try to make friends, and learn that friendship extends beyond appearances and titles. What needs to change isn’t their behavior - it’s the way they think about their behavior. By casting aside their self-doubt, they can begin to love themselves as they are, and renew their confidence as the school idols of Aqours.

While we’re on the subject - I’m sure that with this talk of controversial character episodes, you might be wondering why I’m not bringing up the two most controversial episodes, i.e. S1E9 (the KanaMari episode) and S1E11 (the You/ChikaYou episode).

I think a lot of meta writers who are a heck of a lot more talented than I am have already covered Episode 9, so I don’t really feel the need to bring it up. At this point, there have been enough rallying cries from the “Kanan Protection Squad” that most people should be a bit more forgiving of Kanan’s actions. As irrational as they were, you have to also consider that Kanan was just a fifteen-year-old girl under a lot of stress and self-inflicted guilt. There’s also the factor of miscommunication, and…well, again, this has already been analyzed, so I won’t dive into this one.

As for Episode 11, I actually received an ask about it, so I’ll be sitting down and thinking about how to answer that one! I’ve already got a couple of ideas in mind…

[thisisasupergoodidea]

lots of ppl focus on the second half of uncle tong’s speech at the end of ep11: you might think one man cant change the world, but the world cant change a man like me either

but the part that stuck with me more (especially in terms of pat and pran’s hard-earned freedom) is the first half: you asked why i didnt quit what im doing. it might not be able to change the whole world, but it surely changes my attitude towards this world

i need to talk more about this, because like… this is all over the show as well. they choose each other over and over again; they never stop gravitating towards each other; they don’t break apart but build each other up instead; they work to understand each other’s feelings, flaws, fears, dreams, and when they’re not on the same page they work out compromises that can satisfy both of them.

this is not a case of letting the world change them. the world is what made them confused and afraid of their love for one another. this is them choosing to change themselves, and their attitude towards things, for the person they love, in order to become even better at loving:

PAT becomes more tidy and hygienic. he reflects on his actions more often and recognizes when his impulsivity leads to trouble. he stops concerning himself with reputation and the masculine image his dad wants him to exude- in fact, stops needing his dad’s approval so much after the truth is revealed. he learns to find the little joys in loving quietly and having pran all to himself

PRAN slowly but surely opens up until he is just as fierce and brazen at pat. he’s much more relaxed, bickers out of fondness rather than stress, doesn’t worry as much about being a little sloppy (like burping, talking with food in his mouth, etc). his smiles no longer look like they‘re being weighed down by shame or embarrassment, and he is finally able to express himself fully and openly and loudly

that’s why i don’t see ep12 as them forcing themselves to hide again. they’re really, really not hiding. their story began with them not telling anyone that they even knew each other, hesitating to even act friendly with each other, feeling cornered and hopeless at every turn by their affection for each other all because they were burdened by the ever-looming scrutiny of the world

but in ep12 they’re not lying out of fear anymore. all they did was tell their friends and families a convenient fiction in order to avoid being anyone’s public spectacle again. their love is between them and whoever they choose to tell. they chose this together! they worked for it together!

i know pat wishes he could be more open and have their families acknowledge them. but any hope of peace between their parents is totally out of his hands. ming and dissaya are the ones who need to resolve their own issues, not their kids. if their parents (mostly ming) would rather continue to live the lie rather than act like grownups and face the truth, it’s neither pat nor pran’s burden to bear anymore. and what the two of them do to keep their relationship separate from family stuff is merely a polite kindness, a gesture of consideration and compromise. it literally doesn’t stop them from making noise at home. not caring who can hear them crossing the rooftops to get to the other’s room, and laughing loudly, and playing music together. just because they’re not able to talk about it with their families doesn’t mean they’re silencing themselves either

[disaster-j]

As a south asian woman, I need y'all to stop using "but it's realistic of that culture" as an excuse to tell people they're not allowed to be mad/frustrated/disappointed about ep11.

Yes, it is extremely realistic that they have to abandon their own needs and happiness for their parents' selfish reasons. I grew up in a culture where physical and emotional abuse is seen as necessary for raising "good, obedient kids." Where generational trauma exists in pretty much every single household but is never acknowledged. Where a child exists to fulfill their parents' every wish and those who go against these norms are seen as deviant, as disappointments. I got lucky because my parents were a lot more open-minded and frowned upon these toxic "traditions." I got lucky that I never had any unreasonable expectations to fulfill. That I was always free to make my own choices in life. That I was accepted unconditionally even when my mental illnesses made me act like a mess or when I came out as bisexual. But most people don't have that. You know what most kids get? The life choked out of them for one average grade. Banned from touching art supplies because they're going to be an engineer. Their novels taken away and thrown out because they must not have hobbies. They get forced into marriages with strangers because they dared to have hopes and dreams. And the really unfortunate ones? They get killed for loving the wrong people.

And yes, every single one of these examples are things I have personally witnessed.

There is a reason realism is a genre separate from other genres of fiction. Realism exists to uphold a mirror to society, especially the darker parts. But realism tends to exist merely to call out, not to fix. Fiction exists to give hope to those who need it. People turn to fiction, especially romance, as a way to escape reality. To indulge in the fantasy that things could be better. That one could escape that cycle of abuse, that love can set us free. To take that fantasy away from your audience after dangling it in front of their faces for 11 episodes is an absolute betrayal. If a show is made to be realistic it should uphold that realism throughout. By treating the show like a silly romcom for ten episodes and then yanking the hope away, they've effectively hurt a majority of their audiences.

And on that vein, you know what else is realistic of that culture? Homophobia. The show doesn't exist in a queer norm setting. They make it very clear homophobia is still a thing in this universe. Yet, when it came time to acknowledge the repercussions of Wai's forced outing of PatPran we are told to not take it seriously bc it is a silly romcom. That because they don't face homophobia what Wai did is not supposed to be some insane betrayal. We are forced to watch the victims of his actions beg him for forgiveness. And they say it's okay don't take it too seriously it's a romcom. But it stops being a silly romcom the second the issue between the families gets in the way? Because being outed by your best friend isn't a big deal but upholding your family's abuse is paramount to all else? In what world does that make sense, in what world is that a good story to tell?

(This rant brought to you by an ask sent to @ohmpatwat and @lettucebeshrimp's addition to their answer, which you can find here)

[one-strugling-bean]

Random thoughts on HTTYD RttE S4 (Ep8-13)

Ep8 - Shattermaster, the best dragon, is back!!

I'm guessing by the end of the episode she's going with Dagur - I feel a little bad for it, but I never really expected Heather to stay

"Ruff and I are the best booby-trap sniffers that have ever sniffed a booby-" Ruff glares at him "... trap"

The twins are fun

Dagur is being too pushy about this, but I guess it's a bit understandable - still, I feel for Heather, the girl is torn in two

Aw, c'mon Dagur, let the kids kiss!

Btw, are Heather and Fishlegs even offically dating? We never got a conclusion to that

You go, Fishlegs! Show them all what you can do!

That biatch really is just asking for Ryker to betray him. Assuming he's too intelligent to make such an easy to see mistake, I wonder what are his plans there

Fishlegs... I feel bad for him, but we all knew this was going to happen eventually

Meanwhile, Shattermaster is showing how amazing he is

Byebye Heather!! Until we meet again, probably by tge end of the season

Ep9 - Nerds will be nerds

Snotlout is just jealous, admit it

"Oh, here it comes, another Hicclegs love fest" I think I once read somewhere that Snotlout was the one to come up with the Hiccstrid ship name. Guess he's moving on to Fishlegs and Hiccup now

"I have no idea, but Hicclegs just got veeery interesting." I stand justified

It seems Hiccup's peace-making attitude is starting to rub off on Astrid

:000 Fishlegs looks superb with those shoulder thingys

Pfff, poor Snotlout

Problems in paradise for Fishlegs and Hiccup it seems

Astrid and Throk are gonna get cooked at this rate

Never thought I'd ever see Toothless willingly putting Snotlout on his back

Also, I just cannot understand how Toothless's flying mechanisms work - how does Snotlout simply being on top of him make a difference? I thought he had to be guided and stuff, and Hiccup would be the only one that knew how to do it

A yay for the little red dragons for saving the day

Throk's gonna die?!

Ah no, forget it, big old Eruptdon saved the day, yayy

Snotlout has the heart of a shipper inside

Ep10 - To be fair to the twins, their twintuition has helped the Riders more than once

"Ugh! See what I'm dealing with?" Poor Tuff, wailling in the background

"Wouldn't it be great if there was a place like that? Where you could go to at anytime and you'd be provided with the best medical care available?" "Pfft, forget it, you'd die waiting in line." "True." Why does that sound like a 4th wall break commentary?

I love how Hiccup just leaves without explaining anything to the others

Where did the twins leave Barf and Belch?

Once again, Ruff being the big sister, and once again, the twins separated and fighting for different causes - so so satisfying to watch, I'm loving this episode

Tuff's offended "Oh, my goodness" when the hunter called him a girl was super funny

Is the biatch seriously trying to break apart the twins? So who's gonna break it to him that not every set of siblings is like him and his brother?

"Take your best shot pal." Oh. My. God. Ruffnut, I love you so much, that was so badass!!! :DDD

Tuff's worry, escalating to a hundred when he heard biatch and Ryker mentioning they had Ruff was great

Tuff went into a similar rage to the one he goes into when an enemy cuts his "beard" in httyd3

Soo, even dragon-proof chains can be broken, you just need a loooot more fire power than what a single dragon possesses

Nice, they made Macey a funeral

"You never listen, do you brother?" He hasn't done anything else the whole show!!

Ep11 - "We've dealt with way worse" "Snotlout doesn't count" pfff, poor Snotlout, Astrid doesn't miss a single opportunity

Snotlout's little appreciative stare as Fishlegs lowered the clubhouse's door - child has a crush

Why did Stormfly fly away when Astrid got hit? She's her rider, she should protect her at all costs right? And if it was just dragon instinct because of the blast, which is what I'm guessing, why didn't Toothless run away too? I'm being nitpicky again, I know, feel free to ignore this, but it's just that if it were Toothless with Hiccup in that situation, the Night Fury would not retreat and cover Hiccup immediately

I dunno, it just gives that feeling that Toothless has more conscience than the other dragons, I dunno. I'm thinking too much probably - he is the main dragon of this show, it's normal he's shown more and in a more humane way, if that's the right word, and they probably wanted Hiccup to rescue her, but still.

This was a long venting comment, I apologize

"Of course, Toothless is right there, everything's peachy for you" Okay, now I feel kinda bad but I was gonna mention that too, Toothless got to stay in the clubhouse but the others didn't

And it can't be about size because if so, at least Meatlug could've also joined them

I'm gonna give them the out that it's because in an emergency, Toothless couldn't fly away and escape from danget like the others

On a brighter note, the twins and Snotlout are worried for their dragons and I appreciate the worry

Ohhhhh crap - now I feel like I cursed Astrid when I predicted way back in S2 that this show was gonna like to hurt her

Hiccstrid crumbs yayy

Was the whole "I'm putting my foot down" supposed to be an amputation joke for Hiccup? Because I kinda understood it like that, but I'm not sure

Oh, it'll be interesting to see the riders trying to deal with each other's dragons

And the Hiccstrid crumbs keep falling

"Of course she's not gonna hide. She's Astrid" Yeah you should've seen that coming

I appreciate that she's listening, albeit a bit reluctantly and obviously it's Hiccup she's listening to. But, in the beggining of the show, I'm not so sure she would've - it shows that Astrid's also come far

It's moments like that one where Hiccup tries to comfort Astrid that remind me of much of a good relationship these two have - also, they almost kissed ahhhh

I'm really liking these concepts, are there any fanfics out there that explore this episode further? The riders dealing with each other's dragons or Astrid coping without her sight?

Honestly, knowing the way Snotlout and Hookfang work, you really should've managed out your wording better Fishlegs

Astrid continues being a badass, I continue to love it

Also, Stormfly gives me avian vibes - is it just me?

So this is how they get together?? Man, so much happens in this show that connects Httyd1 and Httyd2

A very similar scene happens in httyd2 btw: the two talking feelings and all, sitting on the edge of a cliff, bathed by sun light, while Toothless and Stormfly play in the background - I'm guessing it's probably intentional

Ep12&13- Ew, Spitelout

But hey, Heather, Dagur, Stoick, Gobber, Gothi, all the good peeps!! Glad to see you - but I'm surprised the Defenders of the Wing aren't there too

Of course it's not real

I mean, with friends like theirs I get why Astrid would try to hide the relationship for a little while, but at least try to hide it properly guys

Is this thrashing the masked man's doing? Or did Ryker finally rebel

Okayyy I was not expecting Biatch to be hiding

Yeah, Ryker's gone rogue, that's no surprise

Aww, baby Eruptdon is sho cuteeee

:0 Snotlout said it! He said the thing! (Hiccstrid is the thing, btw)

I have no idea what Plan Shell Fire is, honestly

I'm expecting Hiccstrid to reveal their relationship in a reeeeeally dramatic way, like, one of them is gravely injured, and the other wails at their lover with a huge love confession thrown in, because they were just so worried about their most loved one, they completely forgot there were people looking at them

Either that, or they'll just get caught in the worst possible moment

Isn't Yakitty Jorgenson the yak Snotlout saved all those episodes ago when he and Hiccup and Stoick went to look for Spitelout? It's cute he kept it

"He's weaponized a dragon, Astrid!" Uhm, isn't that what every single one of you does?

Meatlug and baby Eruptdon playing with the lava QwQ

Yeah I hate everything about this "alliance" except the notion that it will offer me more and more moments of Biatch speaking, and his voice is really nice to hear

And it seems Ruff and Tuff agree with me

Snotlout's self-preservation instincts are the best

"There's no crying in Maces and Talons" why does that sound like foreshadowing?

Ryker's laugh sounds a liiiiittle deranged

Did... Did Snotlout just set the stables on fire with Viggo in them? Is that what happened?

Ah no, the stables caught fire and Snotlout just left Biatch there to burn along with them. Not a whole lot better, but sure

Viggo's teaching everyone new vocab, that's nice of him

"It's the gambling losses, this isn't really him." Lmao, Snotlout this isn't the time

I don't think Viggo was gonna stab him, but I do think he staged himself to look like it on purpose purely for the drama of it all (because he knew Astrid was tailing them) - to keep up the mistery of his true intentions, whatever those are and put everyone on edge. He likes to play games, after all

"More Dragon Riders?!" What are talking about, they're always the same group, how have you not fixed them by now??

Aw, Hiccup finally called him brother back!

Imagine Dagur becomes the owner of both Mr. Triple Strike Pokémon and Shattermaster - imagine the sitcom material right there

Yeah, obvious betrayal there

Okayyyy, that was the quickest, randomest ending ever - the last 3 minutes felt like a speedrun of the possible series final. There's still 2 seasons to go tho, so let's see how this goes

For the record, I don't believe either Ryker or Biatch are actually dead - no one dies in these shows, not like this at least

And that's the Season 4 finale! I watched S4 so fast, it's irreal. I'm sad to know this journey is closer to ending tho, I'll miss it :/

[yasminsqueendom]

Antique the Vamp Geek Pt1 Ep11

CW: The usual stress, anxiety and anger and crying, add a little complicated family dynamic and fear of starvation.

A/N: Tique’s family makes an uncomfortable appearance and she takes it the best she can...by panicking. But also coming up with a plan of what to do about it.

W/C: 1661

Hey y’all. I know it’s been a while since you heard from me. Life has been somewhat of whirlwind. I left off with all that crazy shit happening with my bitch ass roommate snitching on me. Thankfully, my other roommate is a saint sent directly from heaven. But anyway, back to the story……….

I woke up at some point the next day, showered and all that shit. 

I am lucky enough to have my own private bathroom.

Anyways, I sat on my bed, and got stuck in my thoughts for a while. I eventually realized that something was bothering me about the day before, but I couldn’t remember what it was. So much of it was still a fog. Then, it hits me. MY FUCKING DAD CALLED ME. HE NEVER FUCKING CALLS ME!!!

I went scrambling to get my phone. And sure enough, there were 5 missed calls and voicemails. All of my panic from yesterday started bubbling up in my stomach. Had something happened to my little brother and sister? Did my mom finally decide to speak to me again? Did my father stop being a little…? Anyway, I started hyperventilating because I couldn’t figure out why he would call me, for any reason, at all. 

I really can’t overstate how odd it is that my father would call me EVER. 

At some point the night before, my roommate had passed out in her own room. I could hear her snoring a little through the wall. She doesn't snore loud, I can just hear extremely well. I focused on that sound for a moment. I wanted to wake her up and ask her to help me figure out what to do, but it wouldn't be a fair thing to ask. 

I had to get my head together. I wouldn't know why he was calling until I listened to the voicemails. So that's what I did.

Vm1: “Antique, answer your phone. It's your dad. We need to talk.”

Vm2: “Antique I know you see these calls. You always on your phone. I know you see it so call me back.”

Vm3: “Antique, it's your mother. I know you hate me and think I'm a terrible person, but honestly you need to grow up and move on. We need to talk to you. It's important.”

Vm4: “Tique? It's me...Mom and Dad made me call. Um...are you ok? They said something is wrong with you. Are you sick?”

The bastards got my younger siblings involved with this. They have my baby sister scared, calling me about me being “sick”. I swear…

Smh. But that's not what hit me hardest.

Vm5: “Ummmm. Tique. I'm...so...sorry. I think this is all my fault. I heard your voice. One of my friends from school listens to your show. I'm so sorry.”

Well there it is. I was right about my brother knowing what I was. I know I mentioned it before during a q and a. Let me explain, I always text my brother and sister “ Night y'all.” But a few weeks ago, my brother's number started sending back the texts telling me that “block” feature was in use. And then, I couldn't see his social media anymore. The sudden isolation threw me off, so I called my little sister and she said that she was scared. She is 10 years old, so sudden changes in her life make her panic really bad. My brother (14) told her I had turned into a monster and I was going to eat her. 

Let it sink in how fucked up that is…..

This little nigga has made my baby sister terrified of me. But she's a real one so she let me talk to her and calm her down. She was clearly uncomfortable with the growing conflict, but she was cool about it. I told her to put him on the phone. 

This was our conversation:

“Hey, bro. What's going on? Why aren't you talking to me? Can I make things better between us?”

“No.”

“I'm sorry, man. I would like to hear from you. Are you sure I can't make it up to you. Just tell me what I did. I promise I'll try to explain.”

“I don't want to talk to you Tique. You aren't my sister anymore.”

And then he hung up. So yeah… The fucked up level is reaching critical for me. 

So, back to the present moment. I already know that I am not going back to my family’s home. They could have me arrested or institutionalized. It's better to try to get this situation under my control. Or at least, deal with it on my terms. 

I call them back.

Don't ask what came over me. I truly have no clue. 

The phone barely had time to ring before my mom picks up.

“Antique, baby, is that you?” 

Now I feel the need to emphasize the fact that my mother has never called me “baby.” She never showed affection. She seemed determined to be my enemy since I hit puberty.

“Um. Hey ma. Y'all called me?”

“Is that all you have to say? ‘''Um hey’ is the best you can do?”

“I don't want to fight Ma. Let's not. You said you wanted to talk to me?”

“I want you to come home.”

“I am home.”

“You know what I meant. Don't be disrespectful!”

“Ma I'm on the phone with you right now. Just tell me what you need to speak to me about, please.”

“I didn't raise this thing you've become, Ms. Grown-Ass. You never used to talk to me like this.”

“I lived with you back then. Listen, I don't want to do this right now.”

“No I decide what you're about to do!”

“......”

“Oh what you don't have anything to say now?”

“I'm going to hang up. I can't do this right now.”

“Don't you dare-”

I hung up. I wasn't interested in the bullshit anymore.

She called back, but I didn't answer. I needed to make sure I was as safe as possible. She still had access to my credit card and savings account, but when I found out I had been turned, I opened a checking account. I had been slowly putting my money there. I had to accept that a few hundred dollars were going to be a loss. Oh well. 

I already had everything of value from my old room. My great grandmother had left a bracelet and ring to me. I took them when I left for college. Most of the shit in my room was bought for me by people that didn’t know me that well. I didn’t care about it at all. 

I sat in the middle of my bed for a minute, trying to remember what else I needed to do. I already knew that the chance of me getting my birth certificate and social security card were slim now. My infection status changed everything. Suddenly, I wasn’t a separate person anymore. The government required that someone else manage all of my business. I needed to name someone. Fortunately, that someone didn’t have to be a family member.

The main issue was figuring out who would have my power of attorney? Bae or my roommate? But, I really didn’t want to have to choose anyone. Experience had taught me that trusting people was a bad thing, but the government didn’t care about my experiences. 

I did the only logical thing: I googled “PoA Vamp Form,” printed it, and walked it into my roommates room. Since time was an issue, I didn’t have the opportunity to call Bae up and ask for them to show up after work. I needed this taken care of now. And, yeah I know online PoA’s are bullshit, but time was was running out, and I couldn’t afford an attorney.

After some nagging, and begging, and promises of food, I managed to get my roommate up and dressed. Using my phone’s GPS we found notary nearby and paid the fee to get a seal on our form. 

Now, in the midst of all this, I ignored several more calls from my parents. They even tried my younger siblings numbers. But, as guilty as I felt, I needed to find a way to protect myself. I couldn’t do a damn thing for them until I had all my shit in order. 

I needed to figure out a way to get the originals of my birth certificate and my social. I needed to close down my one credit card. Open up another in my name that my mother wouldn’t know about. Thankfully, I was over 18 so there was only so much my parents could do. It worked out in my favor that I was renting, and didn’t own anything worth going to court over. 

The last issue was that they knew my address. They didn’t really help me move anything, but obviously I had to tell them where I was going. My mother showed up a few times to criticize how my place looked. No one else ever visited. 

Outside of that, I couldn’t think of what else I could do. I knew that I needed to come up with a plan to get my documents. My mother had all our documents in a safe deposit box, and I knew where she kept the key. The only chance I had of getting that key was going home. And home was the last place I wanted to go. 

There had to be a way for me to get in there. I knew my younger siblings’ schedules well enough. They always would be in the house before our parents would. I felt incredibly guilty about it, but I had to use my siblings to get access to what I needed.  

So yeah, my life’s fucked up level is over 9,000 these days.

I’m tired. 

Anyways, stay moisturized and hydrated. 

Love Tique.

[cosmospoons]

House MD series 1

30 second episode recaps from someone whos just watched em for the first time and has bad recall

ep1: house saves a patient who was a kindergarten teacher played by theresa lisbon actress and made his fellows housebreak for fun, told foreman he hired him for his criminal record and told Cameron he hired her for her looks

ep2: house cures a student athlete who recently got engaged without telling his parents and played lacrosse and also won a bet on the paternity of the kid by stealing the parents DNA surprise surprise he was adopted

ep3: house cures a dude who didnt have two separate things but one thing but he worked it out eventually and blames pharmaceutical companies and people who care too much

ep4: house saves some babies but actually not all of them and cuddy yelled at him when he literally flipped a coin to decide which baby got which treatment when trying to eliminate the one that wouldnt work (spoilers neither did)

ep5: House didn't screw up like everyone said he did actually and he is the one who realised the nun had a v old birth control implant that she was allergic too even after cuddy took him off the case to stop him killing the patient

ep6: it was houses bday and cameron kept telling him about it, the schizophrenic patients son had so much shit together it was impressive, house worked out it was cancer and then realised she wasnt schizophrenic and saved the day twice

ep7: turns out cameron has a tragic backstory, wilson may or may not b dating some1 in the hospital even tho hes married n either way house is gunna fIND oUT and grilled him after asking him to come stare at a patients breasts with him,, the patient had a bad case of sleepy night night and would have preferred death to admitting she slept with her husbands friend but they worked it out anyway and the husband left her

ep8: the mother of all PTA mums is really tryna control whether or not house can save lives and also he should probably stop making people break into places just saying, also there's a horny old lady who's in love with house and Wilson reads her love poetry loudly in the lobby it was hilarious

ep 9: house proves the other doctor wrong even tho no one believes him and he has a restraining order filed against him that dont let him near the patient,, not only does he fix the pneumonia but also the paralysis and gets the patients legs back

Ep10: I FIGURED IT OUT BEFORE THEY DID HAH the patient was a homeless woman who foreman who didn't care about and then cared too much about, Wilson has a secret brother who's been missing for years and they couldn't save the patient, it was a tragic episode

Ep11: cuddy bets house he won't last a week without painkillers ((except actually it was Wilson who's a sneaky bitch (i love him))) and house realises hes an addict but it's nOT A PROBLEM JAMES and also he makes people dig up a cat to solve the case of amanda seyfrieds boyfriend and it's not lupus ffs

Ep12: wow that man's arm really snapped and he's real brittle. He's also famous and a recovering addict. Wilson is a lying liar who didn't go to the monster truck rally

Ep13: Juni from spy kids got cursed by an ouigi board, chases dad is an areshole who has cancer that he's not telling chase about, house was gunna but realised he does actually care about things and junis dad was a Liar™

Ep14: house lied about a patient's psych condition to get her a heart, Wilson suspects and probably knows this, cuddy suspects also chase found out and volger is a dick

Ep15: volger is a fucking dick honestly I'll kill him but at least the gay gangsters brother bought house a shiny new car, sidenote house in a labcoat is wierd

Ep16: I've said it before n I'll say it again volger is a PENIS he's tryna make house fire a fellow, what a bastard. Also there was a lonely lonely child who was sick but dw house cured her n they didn't cut off her breasts

Ep17: Volger blackmails house into doing a speech and Regrets It, Chase is a snitch and the black politician whos running for president didn't have aids

Ep18: Wilson tried to save houses job from primo dick man vulgar so vulgar tried to kick him off the board and he got FIRED essentially and I'm SO MAD JC FUCK U VULVA also the patient has cancer n didn't want chemo to save her foetus n everyone misses Cameron who quit at the end of the last ep but at the end it was all ok cus cuddy stood up to volvo and Wilson came back and they all drank together so

Ep19: The 12 yr old was pregnant, there mUSt be a reason Wilson has to sit in on house interviews, there was an epidemic in the hospital which made it crowded n busy and Cameron told house she'd only come back to work if he took her on a date

Ep20: sulus here and he likes to be choked, chase tried his hand at being a dominatrix and failed, everyone's teasing house about the date with cameron, house blackmailed the parents, the date was super awkward, I really love Wilson just a lot tbh he's so protective of house

Ep21: Stacy is here in the now but more importantly house is giving a lecture and we're getting Backstory and some fantastic interactions this episode is so good and also tragic, how could stacy do that to him what a bitch ass move jc it's HIS LIFE, HIS LEG damn you

Ep22: well it opened with house drugging Stacy's husband and honestly that was a bit of a theme he just kept drugging him against his will but he did save him in the end so oh well, sidenote stacy needs to back off and leave house alone this is bad for him

Season 2

[ragnarssons]

I always got the feeling Jason wants to push the show away from "love", I don't know why, love isn't a bad thing and is what keep them alive. I know it's a show about survival but after 4 seasons fighting to survive, I also want to see them fighting to have a life. I mean, yes they love each other, they sacrifice for each other but I also want to see hope, humanity... I want to see them living a little bit more. Do you think we could see this in s5, even if it's not on a large scale?

Look it’s really been my problem for s4. I don’t know if what I was writting between s3 and s4 is still available somewhere but I had HUGE hopes of seeing the characters being hopeful and wanting to be hopeful and living. All that because JRoth said stuff like “but there’s hope this season” (lol where? When they all die on ep10 or when they all die on ep12? *shrugs*) It’s annoying to me how focused on the plot this show is. The plot isn’t everything, and the only way I’m able to love some characters on this show is because of the actors. Tbh, so many times I’m like “?? bitch I only care about Bellamy and Clarke!” (yes not even the rest of the squad) because they are THE ONLY ONES having real depths. Like, okay, Raven is amazing too, she’s amazing because she has all these badass moments - but outside these badass moments and her use TO THE PLOT, she doesn’t exist to the show. As I said, when Bellamy says that he won’t be inside the Ark she’s like “wokay cool idgaf” (and people are expecting me to relate to their friendship?) I mean, her moments with Luna were soft and cute, but also… coming from nowhere? Kinda like her moments with Murphy,,, so they’re friends now?? Let’s talk about Murphy eh “he grew so much” bitch where? In the mittle moments where he comes back for Monty? Well maybe but that’s not enough! Bellamy was treated the exact same way as them on s3 and we know what happened - it’s clear they gave extra attention to Bellamy’s journey on s4. But hey, where are the others? Monty was there, just there, being badass for the plot, pointing guns even tho he sucked at it on s1 and that’s why it was Jasper’s job (also: *puts glasses on* so Monty, what about when you killed your mother?? Will that ever be adressed? O I guess not…). But his storyline? They had plenty of times to show us Monty trying to reach Jasper (not only on eps2 and 4) but they didn’t. In the end, sure, Monty is a bad friend because he didn’t even tried to understand his bff and he was like “FOCUS JASPER WE’RE GOING TO DIIIIIIE!!!!” and that’s it. Idk even Octavia, ugh, she’s annoying but she literally had a WHOLE relationship with Monty and Jasper on s2 and… where has it vanished? Did a black-hole swallowed all the characters’ relationships before s3?? And they haven’t come back yet? Why introduce new characters when they can’t even deal with the ones they have already? Wtf talk about useless, let’s bring Ilian, aka white devil’s minion *sigh*It was one of the major critics on s3, where are the characters going, why, why are they like this, why are they traumatized all the sudden, how, wtf? Sometimes you don’t even understand why this one takes the Chip and that one, doesn’t. I’m really tired when I think about s4 and how they lost SO MANY episodes with Grounders shit stories no one gives a fuck about (and that are always focused on war because even tho Roan says “we’re not savages” hey it’s not the plot that will prove it!), and that they are STILL unable to understand that their strenght is their actors/their characters. Science/plot SUCKED this season. “aww this bunker doesn’t work” hey one episode lost on that! “aw roan is pissed” TWO episodes lost on that, “grounders politics grounders politics” i mean?? Three episodes lost on that? Fucken ep10? Ugh ep11? Ep6? Good Bellarke episode but dammit, why couldn’t they have the fucken hydrazine he?? All that to create a drama to get Clarke into a Nightblood to create a fake “mystery” around her being the Commander on ep9 (also, surviving Praimfaya yes, but it could have happened under different circumstances)? Even if their intention wasn’t to let the Sky People be able to create Nightblood for everyone, why waste A WHOLE episode on the hydrazine? So many times, these little moments were used to build Bellarke (list on ep3, clarke stressing about bellamy on eps4/5, bellarke almost confession on ep6, bunker on ep11 and the whole drama ending on their separation on ep13). Of course JRoth is going to acknowledge they’re the center of the story - FINALLY - because they’re the only ones who have been decently treated this season. Damn Anon, I’d LOVE to see these characters catch a break and try to live. It’s what I live for even tho it NEVER happens. Three months time jump? Well suck it it was still war during that one. I guess once they’ll open the Bunker doors, everything will go to shit. *sigh* It’s really something I hate about this show; it’s the imbalance that exists and literally push the characters aside for the plot. Why?? Who fucking CARES about your plot, JRoth?? We literally had a whole season of nonsense-y plotlines that ended up in them going to space- all of which was “miraculously” solved in ONE episode, because Raven is super smart. Good for her, still unlogical and annoying! You can bet yo ass that the ones in space didn’t catch any break, neither did the ones in the bunker, and s5 will be “plotplotplotplot + unexplained characters’ developments + plotplotplot + conflict out of nowhere + plotplotplot” I have literally no hope regarding that on s5. It’s sad but at least I won’t be disappointed: as I said on a previous ask, watch Monty, Harper, Murphy, Emori, being the exact same people as they were on s4 even tho it’s supposedly been 6 years (in terms of characters’ traits). The mere fact that they feel they can make a SIX YEARS (SIX TIMES more than their actual plot until now) timejump and be able to reconnect their characters from that, shows how much they don’t fucken care about their characters. You know they can’t ask their viewers to come back and watch a show about totally different characters, so yes, they will be somehow, the sames, and that’s unlogical. Everyone I saw was pumped for the time jump because of the plot, and some other people having too much expectations regarding the characters. I used to have some as well for previous seasons, and I’ve always been disappointed. We just have to accept that The 100 isn’t a show driven by its characters… *sigh* At least Bellarke is the only relationship/the only characters they really DO put work into.

[tayegi]

I'm curious as to whether Jimin has picked up on all this stuff happening with Jungkook and Y/N. I know he has his own insecurities about the relationship sometimes but surely he must feel like Jungkook is 'phasing him out' on an emotional level

Anonymous said:He's gonna kill them both I swear he's crazy. Jungkook is going to kill the oc and Jimin dead!!

Anonymous said:I have a feeling Jimin already knows about Jungkook and Oc but he's just pretending not to know to keep up the relationship just so he can stay with JK. Like from how JK always ends up spooning Oc every morning and from that scene whereby Oc was helping JK with his assignment.

Anonymous said:I read the few first chapters again and I was shit he was SO possessive back than how I didn't notice? but that night in the club only with OC he puts her needs before his by only making her feels good. I think the only way to help Jungkook is to end these threesome (right now!! It's getting worse - ep11)and if OC would truly loves and takes care of him. Teach him how to be less egocentric and selfish. He never care about anyone and was a savage jerk. He is still young and he listen to OC well.

Anonymous said:Swear jimin has been giving us hints about jungkook since chapter 1? The phone call was something that really stuck with me because it just made me straight up uncomfortable but im surprised the —”Has he been abusing you for sex?”"How many blowjobs has he bullied you for already?""Don’t let him pretend to sleep or whatever bullshit he usually pulls. " - hasn't been brought up again? Reading it again just makes me feel sick.. maybe chims been suffering the most, and was warning us way back in ch1

Anonymous said:I'm 100% convinced Jungkook poisoned Jimin at this point tbh he wanted y/n to come to his graduation alone so it would feel like it was her and him in the relationship

Anonymous said:WAIT. If Jungkook made MC promise not to touch Jimin/let Jimin touch her because she's "his", then who's to say he hasn't said the S A M E S H I T to Jimin? He'd have the upper hand on the entire relationship omfg

Anonymous said:Lu, I have a theory for the first time. I think Jk won't trust Oc and will come home early from his trip, will maybe assume that oc 'betrayed him' with Jm and go absolutely cray cray(if it's even possible). Yeah, not really a strong theory but at least I tried. Anyways, loved this chapter. When oc looked at sleeping Jm, it was so heartbreaking, like she really truly loves him. Story is coming to its end and the chapters get more and more intense. Thank you for writing and sharing with us.

Anonymous said:DAMMNNNNN I DID NOT EXPECT THAT!!! Like At first i was rooting for jungkook in equilibrium but now I'm scared he might kill jimin,since he is the "wall" between them. ASDGGHJKL OMG BTW I REALLY LOVE YOUR WORKS💜💜💜💜

Anonymous said:If I was the reader I would break up with Jimin and Jungkook... It's such an unhealthy relationship and Jungkooks getting so possessive it's actually kinda scary (I legit feel like Jungkook is gonna kill someone)

Anonymous said:Literally can all three of them just like break it off and go to 3 VERY separated places, VERY far from each other... and get therapy, like they need it BAD. Just everywhere you look it's just like "Here's an example of how NOT to have a healthy relationship!!" And honestly I'm just waiting for one of them (probably Jungkook) to snap so badly that they just... kill the others, or at least one of them. But I'm totally feeling the "we're all crazy af so imma kill them and then I'm going down too."

Anonymous said:Well damn, Jengkolc is getting scarier every chapter, next thing u know he's gonna pull some yandere shit and kill Jimin or the oc

Anonymous said:Omg thank you so much for updating. 💓💕💞 I literally have a full page of theories that I'm planning to ask about later.🌟 And bro what Jungkook said sounded really threatening. It gave me the chills and I'm worried for the oc and poor Jimin. Bro tell me why when i found out that Jimin had food poisoning, I was like "did jungkook did it" I'm probably wrong though. Anyways thank you for writing for us. Have a beautiful day you beautiful person 💗🌟

Anonymous said:Jimin and the OC are pretty bad people bUT JUNGKOOK IS FUCKING PSYCHO WTF????? OC GIRL RUN OUTTA THERE HE GON KILL YOU AND JIMIN

Anonymous said:Holy shit I can't wait until when Jungkook finds out that the readers is in love with Jimin this whole time, homeboy is gonna lose his shit and I'm so hear for that *maniacal laughter*

Anonymous said:See, this is what I predicted after that last chapter. The second he admitted his feelings for the OC, Jungkook was going to stop giving a shit about Jimin in the relationship and he'd exploit her anxieties about their relationship. I strongly feel that not only are she and Jimin gonna fool around while he's gone, but Jimin is going to at least find out that Jungkook "loves" her enough to ban them from touching. Which going to lead to a clusterfuck emotionally.

hahahah i LOVE hearing about your predictions! thanks so much for reading and taking the time to think about the plot so thoroughly! love you guys

[thatgirl4815]

Cinematography & Mood - VP

(Ep 12 Meta - *Love Scene* 1/2)

Ah, so they finally did it. Idk about anyone else, but while the sex was in line with my expectations, how they got there was not at all what I expected. Yes, I’m talking about the hedgehog, but I’m also talking about Pete. We’ve talked so much about agency and needing to see Pete claim that for himself, but here we actually see him take it. It’s quite simply glorious. 

Anyway, idk who the anon is that asked for a shot by shot breakdown of this scene, but I’m going to try to provide as in-depth of an analysis as my conscience will allow. 😅 Let’s proceed. (Minor **TW** since I will be referring to the torture we’ve seen previously.)

**While writing this post, I realized that I have way too much to say to cover so many topics, so I’m going to make a separate post about lighting and color specifically, which you can find here: Color & Expression.

Exchange of Control

Before I get deeper into the cinematographic aspects of this scene, I want to defer attentions to a few specific posts I’ve made about agency for VP, because the exchange of control is what ultimately defines this scene. The metaphorical exchange is assisted by a range of shots designed to frame our characters in specific ways. More on that in a moment. 

The links: “You’re a psycho,” Boundaries, KP First Time Vs. VP First Time

The critical factor I would like to highlight is this: Vegas could force Pete, but he doesn’t. Pete could resist Vegas (or, at least, make attempts to fight his advances), but he doesn’t. Vegas gives control to Pete so that Pete can give it back to him. The physicality of the scene is really just a metaphor for the vulnerability of their relationship and the boundaries they’ve formed. In my opinion, that’s precisely what’s elevated all of KinnPorsche’s love scenes so far. It’s not about the sex, it’s about the emotions behind the sex. I’m a firm believer that most sex scenes in television are completely unnecessary, but in KinnPorsche they are always intended to highlight the characters’ emotional states. That’s incredibly apparent here, as Vegas is knee-deep in his own despair. 

One final note here to keep in mind: Even though it seems like Vegas is the one in control for the majority of the scene, it’s all Pete. Pete subtly gives permission even before the sex scene begins. 

Cinematography

This analysis ultimately demands a discussion of Vegas and Pete’s placement in the scene, which is undoubtedly designed to establish a power structure. We see Vegas start to hurt himself, Pete jump to stop him, all of which is followed by this^. For a moment, we see Vegas sitting on the side of the bed looking up at Pete; from a viewer’s perspective, this puts Pete in the dominant position. Additionally, film usually shows characters moving from left to right, as it is the natural course of the eye’s movement. It makes sense that for this interaction, Pete would be on the right side of the screen while Vegas is on the left. I also think that Pete being on the right is a bit of a power move, because Vegas is the one coming to him.

We see both Vegas and Pete in the same frame for much of this section, and it’s incredibly tight on both of their faces. Even though they’re shown together for the majority of these shots, the camera flips back and forth between them in a way that reminds me a lot of their first torture scene back in Ep11. The show seems to acknowledge that former negative tension through the music choice here (which I will get into more later). 

The camera does an interesting maneuver after this, when things are first getting heated. I wish I could find a GIF to capture it, but I’ll just describe instead: it pans down and up with their movements almost jarringly--which seems to describe the majority of the camera choices in this scene. The pace is quick, never slowing down. Contrast this to the slow deliberation of KP’s love scene in Ep4. It all feels very intentional to represent the inherent differences in these relationships. It is rather interesting to me, however, that the show portrays a dubiously consensual love scene between KP as entirely romantic, while a scene that is consensual is incredibly intense and--I might even go so far as to say--negatively charged.

Moving on. The camera focuses on specific body movements: Pete grabbing the chains, clothes being removed, etc. Like the camera movements, focusing on their bodies creates an atmosphere of lust rather than romance. Personally, I don’t view this scene as very romantic at all in the traditional sense; it’s certainly packed with emotion, but I see the sex as an outlet for their individual pain. The kind of individual pain they can only let out with each other. Vegas treats Pete so tenderly in this scene precisely because Pete is the only person that sees him beyond all that brokenness—that acknowledges who he could be without all the hurt piled on his shoulders. It’s more about Vegas right now, but I think we’ll see more of Pete’s side soon.

Again with angles, we have a low angle shot over Pete’s shoulder staring up at Vegas, placing the power in his hands. I’ve notice they seem to have put a slow-motion effect on the section where Vegas binds Pete’s hands, perhaps to emphasize this submission of power. It’s then emphasized even more with the close up of Vegas kissing Pete’s fists--an acknowledgment of the power Pete has submitted to him, and a promise, of sorts, to respect that sacrifice. (Now, if you’re like me, you’re asking yourself why Vegas of all people should be trusted with that kind of power, but that’s what’s so poignant; things are messy when Vegas takes control without permission, but when that permission is handed to him, he respects it...when it comes to Pete, anyway.)

The proceeding camera angles are really unlike anything we’ve seen before from this show. KP’s Ep4 love scene opted for intimate angles that were relatively straightforward. But here, the camera tilts at angles, all to accentuate the positioning of Vegas and Pete as the dominant and submissive, respectively. It also makes everything feel a bit uncomfortable from a viewing standpoint which, again, seems to be the point.

Notice also how the camera never stops moving. The scene is constantly pushing forward, and we’re not given a moment to even stop and breathe through it. 

The two predominant camera angles at this point seem to be one just behind Pete’s head--again, showing Vegas over him, thereby giving him power--and one showing a side profile of both of them. My main takeaway from most of the side profile shots (positionally) is that even though Pete is under Vegas, Pete is still in a very powerful position because he gave Vegas that permission in the first place. These dominant angles are intercut by smatterings of close-ups, again placing emphasis on the bodies. For a brief moment in there, we get to see Vegas and Pete’s expressions. For the most part though, their faces--when shown--are cast in shadow. 

I do want to briefly mention the light kiss Vegas gives Pete before laying back, because amidst all the pulse-pounding lustful energy they’re feeding us, this shot is especially tender.

Until...

We get to see Pete’s smile specifically here, but the ending highlights both of their expressions. It’s interesting that they end with an upside-down shot, but I suppose that could be a reference to how upside-down their situation is. I don’t think Vegas ever expected anything consensual to happen between him and Pete, and I think that could be part of what we see in his contented expression.

Final note on the cinematography: positionally, their foreheads are pressed together, and they’re on the same level now. They’ve just had a willing exchange of power, but there’s a new sense of intimacy here. Someone like Vegas seems like the kind of guy to neglect things like aftercare--just an assumption based on his use of sex as manipulation--so for the show to lean into this after moment at all is significant to me. 

Music

There are a lot of synth tones in this scene, even at the end, when the tension should dissipate. I personally think it would’ve been incredibly effective to see that music fade out for these final shots of them. Honestly, I’m still trying to sort out my opinion on it. I don’t think a slow romantic track would’ve worked well (definitely not the instrumental theme song), but maybe something more sinister and less intense? It made me feel anxious throughout the scene, which might be the intention, but I’m not sure if I liked that aspect or not. 

Anyways, that’s my thoughts on the cinematography. For more KP meta, look here: KinnPorsche Analysis Threads.