#chat's actual character is under appreciated imo

[gnomey22]

Fish Tank

I haven't done anything on here except textpost memes and reblogs for a while, and I was just thinking about the scene where Chat shoots Shrimp out of a cannon after hearing her Love Song, and now I have the sudden urge to write about why it's one of the best scenes in the entire season. The title is just a team name I made up for these two, those are obligatory when Chat shoots someone.

Firstly, I think this scene is the single best showcase of Chat's real intentions when shooting someone from their cannon, unless they have pre-existing beef with the person they shoot - they're trying to show their appreciation/love by team-attacking with them, and this is their only way of doing so. It might even be an attempt at a compliment, means that the person is strong enough for the collision to do enough damage to the targeted enemy! One of my favourite things about Chat as a character is how they have zero normal methods of showing their love for someone, and the methods they choose make it very easy for them to come across as forceful or annoying. This is prominent in all of their character relationships, but just before they shoot Shrimp from their cannon, Daniel Failboat establishes the lore that Chat's insane amount of eyes are a terrible combination with Bo's inability to make eye contact, and that seems like a perfect example for my point, because despite that giant setback, Bo is arguably their most positive relationship in the series. Back in the Realm of the Fey, their constant insanity (and lack of Failboat to balance it out) forced Bo to take some responsibility, even though that's the last thing she wanted to do, and that was the first step in lifting both her confidence levels, and her personal connection to the team, which are integral to her character arc. Chat's love language is as unconventional as they get, but even towards someone who is logically completely unprepared to handle them, it can actually work. They're a nonsensical being, and they have very little idea of what could actually harm someone (they are still a child, who don't really know how to use their literal artillery), but as long as their intentions shine brighter than their methods, you can see the heart behind the insane things they do.

Secondly, since I've talked for so long on how this builds Chat's character, I'll talk for even longer about how it builds on Shrimp's. Specifically, how carefully she reacts to the situation at hand, considering her newly budding friendship with Chat. She's aware that they can do this, and she's been rooming with them for a decent while, so she has a closer understanding of their personality than ever, and she's already prepared for the possibility of being shot. However, she is caught completely off-guard when they ask her to get in the cannon, though - not because she's surprised that they'd ask that, but because they preface it with declaring their love for her (Strictly platonic, obviously, as the Love Song ability suggests). Shrimp hasn't made a lot of friends in her own age range, considering the bullies she faced back in the ocean, and most of The Incident being adults, so she has to make a lot of guesswork on whether Chat's actions of friendship with her are okay or not. She's more experienced with live chats than anyone, so they really get along on a surface level, but more complicated situations like this are hardly her expertise, she literally ran away from home when confronted with one- but Chat is the furthest thing from those bullies, they fully believe in her talents, and they're actively trying to push her into the limelight! The attack actually saves someone's face, too! Shrimp is physically hurt by the proceedings, though, and everyone has made it clear to her that her pain does indeed matter. These contradictions mess with Shrimp's head, so for a brief time, she tries to ignore them. She also ignores Chat by extension, choosing to hype up Bill for the rest of the venture, and only confronts them when they get back to the Inn, during which she does the only thing she can think of - set some boundaries. Nearly impossible to do with Chat, but she can't completely rely on Bill to moderate her actual live chat, she needs to take responsibility as well, and it works! Chat's belief in her extends to her somewhat-light-hearted threats, and even though they move to Failboat's room shortly afterwards, their friendship with Shrimp has obviously benefitted from this. They even picked up some of her singing skills, and Shrimp's made her first steps in navigating a friendship with someone who isn't an authority figure for her. Chat never meant to hurt her, and since this is the first time, she doesn't hold any hard feelings towards them. That's a waste of her emotions.

Thirdly, and most obviously, the scene is fucking hilarious, and makes perfect use of Miitopia's mechanics. Daniel Failboat's own laughter is infectious, and the immediate juxtaposition of the character's attacks, only to increase their bonds in the end, is only possible through a vessel as absurd as the Miitopia video game! I can't imagine a world where anyone could sit down and intentionally write that scene, it has to happen of its own free will, and Failtopia in general makes perfect use of that idea.

[dipendenteconad]

Some LiuHan/BiKang headcanons for MY soul (SFW) pt. 1/?

From some chats I had with a friend

So, for instance, I'm well aware of Bi-Han's nasty attitude towards everyone, and I'll try my best not to write something ooc. Tho I can't help but see him more like the bratty type more than the dominant one (or better, a brat who pretends to be a dom iykyk); he wants to appear mighty, but he's not as cold as he presents himself to be. In fact, I think he might warm up under the right attentions, but they have to be from the RIGHT PERSON and them ONLY. He actually looks for someone who can keep up with him, either because they're on the same page as him or because they can predict his moves;

I think Liu Kang is perfect for him because they're so different, yet they can understand each other to some extent (opposites attract each other type of trope). I'm pretty much disappointed by Bi-Han's writing in MK1 because it gives too little explanation to his actions in story mode, this way I don't have much to work with and I have to let my delusions take the lead. But I can say that imo both Liu and Bi-Han are lonely souls who are looking for someone to fill that gap in their hearts. Liu would find amusement in trying to tame a beast like Bi-Han, and the latter would come to appreciate being taken care of;

Liu Kang can be very sweet and caring, but he's not afraid to impose himself, and I imagine Bihan to find enjoyment in messing with him, just to see for how long Liu Kang is willing to put up with him (spoiler: for eternity). Not used to affection, Bi-Han tends to destroy his relationships before they can hurt him: this way, he shields himself from eventual disappointment (see the outcome it had with his family, for example). Liu Kang knows what he's trying to do, and he promised himself not to let Bi-Han win this easily;

At first, Bi-Han would find Liu Kang's love annoying (even if he's hungry for it, he just doesn't know it yet). Whatever he does or says, Liu Kang has the right answer and the right solution for it, and no matter the situation he'd always try to understand Bi-Han so that he can be on his same side and support him. This would initially send Bi-Han on fire (eh) because he somehow came to think that he doesn't deserve/need any of that trust. He'd swear to hate Liu Kang due to his forgiving nature and his gentle approach towards everyone, but later he'd realize that what Liu Kang is offering him personally is way more than that: it is not courtesy, rather unconditional love;

So, the more Bi-Han tries to build a wall between them, the more force Liu Kang uses to demolish it;

People like Bi-Han, with such complex feelings, tend to contradict themselves: Liu Kang's presence morphed, with time, into a source of comfort. At last, he tried to focus more on enjoying what him and Liu Kang were having rather than destroying it before it had the chance to grow. Easily his best ever decision, because Liu Kang spoils and worships him in unimaginable ways;

Ever since he became a Titan and he lost his Kitana, Liu had been by himself. And I imagine him as someone who has so much love to give. Do you think he would really lose the opportunity to drow Bi-Han in it? Absolutely not;

Bi-Han would rather die than act all romantic, but fortunately for him, Liu Kang is enough for the both of them: each night Liu has the chance to have Bi-Han in his bed, he cuddles him and caresses his cold skin with warm hands, also enjoying the feeling of Bi-Han's body trembling under his touch at the sudden change of temperature. He would cover him in praise between each kiss, which can sound a bit cheesy for someone external but for Liu this is their moment and he wants to to make the most out of it; he also isn't shy when it comes to praise because he means every word of it (he would never say empty words to Bi-Han, he wants to gain the man's trust after all);

He compliments his body, his skill, his character, and Bi-Han doesn't really know how to react because he had never heard someone say such things to him before. One part of him wants to cringe, but the other wants to hug Liu tighter. Also, knowing that Liu Kang believes every word excites him even more;

So imagine Liu Kang's surprise when, after months of them being together, Bi-Han finally gives a compliment back. Maybe even a simple phrase said awkwardly, but still sincere and genuinely loving. He would cry, if those bioluminescent eyes of his were capable of such a thing (can they, actually?).

So what I like for this ship is a touch-starved Bi-Han with way too little relationship experience and an overly romantic Liu Kang who would do anything for him to make him feel loved again, even close an eye to more than one red flag.

Additions to this are very welcome

[marley-manson]

Finally watched the Xena finale, thanks to the fanon episode order treating it as a midseason soft finale that gets fixed by When Fates Collide lol.

And man, it really was a hot mess. I could barely follow the plot, and many aspects were very arbitrary and like, revealed off-screen. The most hilarious of course being Xena suddenly announcing, like a minute before the end of the episode, that oh actually apparently she has to stay dead, sorry Gab, xoxo

It is VERY Xena though to have a plotline where Xena anticlimactically dies in the pre-credits scene at the beginning of part 2 and both you and the characters assume for the rest of the episode that she's going to come back to life like usual until the tragic twist lol.

Akemi was... resoundingly mediocre as one of Xena's exes. Her only personality traits were 'proto-Gabrielle' and 'wants to kill her dad.' Also like... was there incest subtext there? Like it was implied that the little creepy afterlife she was in was like, her dad's ghosts' personal brothel or something? But like I said, the plot was very hard to follow.

The themes were also a mess of course, it's been said many times but yeah ignoring the central theme of the show (atonement is pointless if you're doing good now) in favour of redemption thru death was dumb, the set up was dumb (we're blaming Xena for 40k deaths because she set a couple dudes on fire in self defense? Man at least give me an actual deliberate atrocity here), and choosing death over Gabrielle was like a dumb reverse Ides of March. Also Gabrielle just going like, 'damn okay I guess, bye forever,' was unbelievable. Even if Xena wants to backslide, I'm pretty sure Gabrielle would force her to come back to life anyway, fuck those souls. Like, it's not even clear how Xena's death helps them? Killing Akemi's evil dad again freed them from torment or whatever, who cares if they don't get avenged? What is a state of grace? How will they be lost, if she comes back to life? People go unavenged all the time, deal with it.

That said, I'd been under the impression that somehow Xena's death here contradicts the whole reincarnation thing, but I didn't get that at all? Idt there's any stipulation that she has to stay in the Japanese afterlife, just that she has to be killed and stay dead, and it does make sense since in their next lives Xena is a lot older than Gabrielle, so she should logically die a few decades earlier.

On the more positive side of things, it was very fun to see Gabrielle shining as ~the new Xena~ Love to see her kicking that one dude's ass twice, and the moment she catches the chakram is super cool. The non-Xena chakram-catch has always been framed as an 'oh shit, this woman's gonna be hardcore as hell' moment in the show so I love that they use it to show how far Gab's come.

And of course, gay gay gay homosexual gay. Like, season 6 is the point where I would say it is textual if only the show didn't go out of its way to scream "IT'S STILL AMBIGUOUS" a couple times lol (reporter's question in You Are There, fans in Soul Possession saying "yay Xena and Gabrielle are finally together" when they hear Harry and Mattie are married, eg.) "If I only had thirty seconds to live, this is how I'd want to spend them: looking into your eyes. I love you, Gabrielle." Like goddamn. I appreciate this cast and crew so much. Plus the incredibly thinly veiled makeout scene <3

Finally, while I think her chatting with Xena at the very end was meant to be more metaphorical or symbolic rather than literally Gabrielle talking to herself, it was an unfortunately funny image and a pretty terrible final scene imo. I do like the 'I hear they're in need of a girl with a chakram' reprise though, I gotta admit. Go kick some ass babe <3

And despite very much not liking that Xena dies in the finale, I would still read/watch the shit out of Gabrielle's now-single adventures as a just-as-invincible gay hero, kicking ass, fucking women without ever settling down with anyone, telling stories about Xena and becoming even more famous herself.

[goosewriting]

Blorbos and unresolved feelings

summary: your favourite character from the show you’re watching just died. F in the chat for blorbo 🫡

relationship: Rise!Leo x GN reader (can be read with any turtle imo)

warnings: mention of fictional character death, angst?/comfort

word count: ~970

A/N: i have no other explanation for this other than 1. i desperately needed something to get out of my writing block, and 2. i recently binged all of clone wars and the bad batch, and i have A Lot Of Feels that idk what to do with. enjoy :’)

(english is not my first language. constructive criticism and grammar corrections are very appreciated!)

— — —

It was a Wednesday night, and all that could be heard in your apartment was the ending theme song of your show, and your sniffles.

You were all wrapped up in your blankets on your bed as the credits rolled, with your laptop on your lap and an empty snack bowl at your side, as you religiously had been for the past weeks, watching the new episode to your current favourite show every Wednesday. You thought this would be just like any other episode, where after it was finished, you’d revisit all your favourite scenes, analyse some frames, and then you’d spend the next several hours rambling and fangirling about it on your blog.

What you had not seen coming however, is that your favourite character would die on you; unjustly murdered and left behind like a sack of potatoes. Another wave of sobs came over you, which you desperately tried to choke back. Closing the laptop, you snatched yet another tissue from the box and blew your nose.

Sure, this character wasn’t the main protagonist, but they were important to the story nonetheless! How dare they do that to them. To you. Tears streamed down your cheeks as you inwardly cursed the writers.

Sadly looking at the now empty bowl, you mentally ran through the items in your pantry, deciding which snack would be worthy of this occasion and could somewhat ease the pain in your heart.

As you were about to unwrap yourself from your cocoon of warmth, you heard your living room window softly clicking shut. Weird, you thought to yourself, Leo doesn’t usually come over on Wednesdays.

You heard him softly calling your name as he peeked around your open door.

“Hey babe” he said, holding out some chocolate and a family pack of your favourite chips. “How we holding up?”

You knew Leo didn’t watch your show. But you also knew you had rambled about it to him so much, so often, and so intensely, that he probably wouldn’t even need to. He was also very aware of how much you loved this one character, not only because of the amount of merch and posters you had of them in your room.

Looking up at him from under your blanket pile of misery, and meeting his gentle and understanding gaze, all the feels came back to you and hit you like a freight train. You leaned back into the bed, unable to hold back your sobs, and pulled the blanket over your face. You were conflicted on whether to give in to the pain and be pampered, or try to keep some dignity in front of your boyfriend.

“Oh no, it’s okay!” Leo comforted you and went to sit next to you, moving your laptop and the snacks to the bedside table. He held you as you all but ugly-cried under the blankets, his hand rubbing your arm up and down soothingly to the best of his ability, given how curled up you were.

“You know, I actually follow one of your mutuals’ blogs” Leo admitted with a sheepish smile. “I checked it this morning, and I knew you’d only be able to see the episode late in the evening avoiding the internet at all costs, so I wanted to come prepared.”

As your sniffles died down, he gently pushed back the blanket from your face and was met with your red, puffy eyes, and tear streaked cheeks. Suddenly his face became very serious as he looked at you for a moment. You questioningly raised a brow at him.

“I am so sorry for your loss” he spoke, and then saluted into the emptiness of your room. “F in the chat for our fallen soldier.”

You couldn’t help but giggle at his silly comment, the back of your hand coming up to rub against your face in an attempt to wipe away your tears, but they just wouldn’t stop. You laughed, cried, giggled, sobbed, and cried some more, all the while Leo was there and just let you get it all out.

After a while when you finally calmed down, you sat up to lean on his shoulder, and he hugged you, giving your temple a kiss.

“Feeling better?” he asked, reaching for the chips and handing them to you. You only nodded, mumbling a ‘thank you’ and taking them from his hands. As you were about to rip open the package, you stopped in your tracks. You leaned back slightly and looked up at him.

“This is ridiculous though, isn’t it?” you asked, more at yourself than at him, really.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, here I am, in this state, over a fictional character…” You could feel the tears stinging at the back of your eyes again. “It’s kinda pathetic, really. I don’t know how or why you put up with me—“

You were shushed with a quick kiss to your lips, which was very efficient. Just as quickly as he had leaned in, Leo pulled back again with a stern look, which softened immediately though.

“First of all: no self-deprecating comments on my watch” he stated, and booped your nose with the tip of his. “And second: your blorbo might be fictional, but your pain is real. So you gotta process it in a real way, and that’s okay. I mean, you’re literally grieving them.”

“They deserved so much better!” you squeaked, as your tears came back, streaming down your face. Gosh, you would be so dehydrated after this. You didn’t even bother to wipe them away this time, unabashedly crying into his plastron.

The rest of the night went by with you in Leo’s arms: him being the perfect boyfriend he is, holding you and bringing you drinks and snacks and comforting you, until his warm embrace finally lulled you to sleep. Before drifting off completely, you managed to mumble out a ‘thank you’ because really, how did you deserve him?

— — —

(A/N: *hits chest twice with fist, then holds out peace sign* this is for you fives. you deserved so much better orz)

[noblechaton]

so. the ml movie huh. hm (big ol post with spoilers under this cut btw)

so after almost 10 years of being on this bug and cat train they finally get a big ol expensive movie and I think it was. fine? maybe? there's a lot going on here and while I don't think I can call it good and mean it I don't think it was the worst thing ever. a 6? out of 10 feels kinda right for me. got a lot to say here fwiw so buckle in if ya wanna read it all lol

main issue I feel is obviously them trying to adapt 5 seasons, each of which was dozens of hours at least, and a near decade of storytelling into a movie that doesn't even hit two hours. no idea why - I imagine the money ran out tbh - but running through the entire thrust of the series in ~1h40m movie just. was never gonna work man. feel like there had to be better options out there, like just adapting Origins with some episodes from S1 thrown in between them getting their miraculous and Hawkmoth revealing himself or something. idk. I ain't a writer

but then also I felt despite the short runtime that it sorta dragged on at times? like it got stuck spinning wheels here and there. Marinette constantly needing her confidence boosted even after being Ladybug for so long was weird. it's so strange bc they flashed through a dozen akuma - some of which looked kinda cool btw, be neat if they made the jump to the show - and yet it felt like there'd been no progress made? like the flow of time in the movie just. didn't work. a lot of stuff just sort of happens at you and you gotta hang onto whatever ya like and hope it doesn't just vanish in the river of events

voice acting in English was like. pretty solid honestly. maybe the best performances I'd heard from that side of the dub tho I have no idea what they were thinking with the singing voice for Marinette at least. couldn't really tell if Adrien's was still Bryce (I don't think it was but it wasn't as jarring) and I know Keith sang for Gabe's songs but whoever they got for Marinette just. wasn't even close to Marinette's normal speaking voice and it's super distracting. really weird choice. no shade on the singer tho she was solid imo just like. no connection to Marinette's normal voice really took me out of it

also the songs were kind of nonsensical most of the time and there's way too many of them. some are kinda good - Gabe's, Chat's and tbh I kinda liked the one over the credits to name a few - but like. they were not good enough for there to be what felt like 6-7 different songs in a movie that doesn't even crack 2 hours lmao

they made a ton of changes in terms of the story and general world and I actually kind of liked some of them - Ladybug learning to swing through the yoyo (which had a neat redesign) and doing so using that Ladybug vision was cool, I appreciate that we get a reveal and how it's done even if the end card was brutal, the miraculous seeking them out felt more like nice compared to just having the weight of the world dropped on them by some ancient man lol - but then there's others I didn't. Ladybug just never uses the cure until the end? I guess? she also doesn't purify the first akuma I don't think and like. nothing happens? Adrien's just sorta out and about? going to the school already? he gets a really understated intro imo. Gabriel sort of doesn't get an ending. I'd assume he's in jail? we get almost none of Adrien's perspective on getting the ring which is really weird

and that sorta extends into my feeling that somehow we did not get enough Gabriel in this. really weird saying that after having enough of that bum for the last 4 years of my life but his motives are carried hard by my knowledge of the show, and even then they're not really shown enough - he's not shown enough, and I don't feel Adrien is either. neither is the school setting or side characters, heck I'd say Adrinette gets kinda shafted overall since most of the development they get is in a montage sequence. there's a lot chopped out of this for the sake of a brevity that doesn't feel all that brief?

there's some good stuff in here for sure. the animation is undeniably pretty and slick even if some models are kinda wack. most of the action was fun and cool, the final sequence with Chat running up the tower and such was neat. I loved the Ladynoir something fierce honestly, the bantering and the sparring and the getting closer and closer. missed them being like that a lot tbh, someone on staff clearly did too. couple of jokes got me too like the opener with Chloe getting a single drop of coffee on her shirt lmao

but then there's a lot of stuff that really didn't work for me. Plagg being reduced to a fucking fart joke kind of made me mad lmao. them being super inconsistent with their powers was so weird. no lucky charm?? WHAT?? did I miss something?? no side character getting any focus beyond Alya was disappointing too and even Alya just dips out of the story after a while. breaking out into song once every like 15 minutes got old kinda quick too regardless of song quality (tho it was funny that Marinette seemed aware of the fact that she'd just participated in a musical number at one point lol)

Fu opens the movie with some really weird monologue and basically dips after the first akuma and they just. never find him again? he plays zero role beyond that point? Adrinette's first meeting is kinda cute in an understated sort of way but it's also sort of nothing and doesn't feel like a lingering thing for long afterwards - it ain't no umbrella scene dude. also Chat Noir seemingly drops the "my mom died btw" thing on Ladybug like she'd know that and she just sort of goes "Ah. Sorry, Chat." and that was. super fucking weird lmao

like I said. there's a lot going on - tho I gotta say for sure the writing was not consistently good. there were moments, flashes, Ladynoir is the strongest thing in the movie imo but there's so many fucking craters in terms of quality that it makes me so happy we get what we do in the show

on the whole I felt the movie was somehow way too condensed and yet too long at the same time. it felt like it was made by someone who really likes the surface details of the series but not the whole thing and like that's fine but I wouldn't say it was a good representation of the show. like the things I like about the movie are kind of all things I've liked about the show, and I like them more so because of that but also like I can't say the movie was good just bc I like the show lol

shallow is a good word for it I think. a flashy, expensive hour or so with little more beneath the surface which I feel sorta betrays the show it's based on where it's cutesy on the surface but has more going on under it. which like this feels very much made for the younger demographic and those that aren't into the show, like sort of an ad for someone's ideal version series even if it sorta strays really far from the show itself. as if someone perhaps in charge of this movie was clinging to what elements of their flagship series that they thought were keeping their company afloat and foolishly believed they could do it better than the creator or any other actual writer. wonder who that could be. anyway

as an adaptation of the show I don't think it was good overall and as a movie on its own it was like. fine. imo. wouldn't sway people into picking the series up but definitely not the worst movie ever made. super safe and super shallow, really messy with a few bright spots thrown in. a cluttered Ladynoir reveal fic where the Ladynoir bits are good and the rest is not. etc.

I like it but mostly bc I love the show - I would not introduce someone to the series with this and might not even urge casual fans to watch it either tbh. real mixed bag imo

also what happened to the "Awakening" subtitle? I kinda liked it and it's just gone. weird

[smilingperformer]

Discussing the good and bad of Pokémon Journeys: Part “Chloe”

Time to discuss about the character that is still keeping me on board with watching Pokémon (2019)/Journeys despite having, cough, some issues with it. Let's talk about Chloe, also known as Koharu.

TLDR; I like how Koharu is handled so far, even if I somewhat wish there was more of her, and I believe I know what the intention with her is, and that is to show that the journey to finding your dream goal can be an exciting one and with possible obstacles on the way towards it. More under the cut, Journeys abverted as JN.

So. Let's start with how I became to like her character the moment JN002 aired, but also how her debut in JN001 has become interesting part of how Koharu used to love Pokémon, but then grew out of it. Which to me, reminds of people who grew with playing Pokémon games, cards, etc, but then as they got older, they grew out of it.

Anyway, as we all probably remember, both Gou and Koharu attended the Okido Camp as kids, where BOTH of the eventually meet Mew. From the very beginning, we're let known that Koharu is a daughter of a promising Professor Sakuragi, who's acquainted with Okido.

And we're also let known that the two are friends from before the camp, and I assume their games at Sakuragi's Lab involved playing as Pokémon or other stuff. She most definitely loved Pokémon and her dad's work back then.

But then when we fastforward to the present day as Satoshi, Gou and Koharu are all 10 years old, we see that this attitude has changed in Koharu. She's no longer interested in Pokémon that much, and the only Pokémon she accepts near her is their family 'mon Wanpachi. For me, this was very interesting approach, even if the "not interested in Pokémon" was done before with May/Haruka back in Advanced Generation series.

Even with this interesting approach, she was a side/supporting cast instead of main cast, which honestly felt weird to me as she definitely had a story to tell. But as I've been watching other shows lately, I kinda came to realise her approach reminds me of mid-season additions to cast, even thou her appearances nowdays are just a BIT more frequent, when before her joining the Research Fellows, she appear very seldomly.

Anyway. In JN011 we finally learn that, she pretty much has issues with people's expectations and how everyone assumes her to be very much involved with Pokémon just because of her dad's work. Truly, this would end up affecting her affection towards Pokémon, thou it's possibly not the whole reason for losing interest. She even admits here she's not sure of what she truly wants to do yet.

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of goal finding journeys, as they are very relatable to me as someone who took 20+ years to find out what I truly want to do for living, so Koharu wanting to find something instead of other people deciding it for her is very good lesson.

So what exactly is the approach with Koharu from this ep forward? Showing her see Pokémon in different, totally new lights, figuratively speaking. She's shown to take care of a Pidove who broke its wing in a runaway flight, helped her lil brother Sota's friend, Nami, attend to a small children's Contest, and went to a Fossil Exhibition with Satoshi and Gou to learn about fossils. And I feel like that, this fossil exhibition event is what truly rekindled Koharu's interest in Pokémon again. As we all remember, she truly enjoyed that trip, and she, for the first time, got to see Gou bond with a Pokémon, that was rampaging just moments ago. And this episode, accompanied with JN050, are why I am currently thinking Koharu's end goal will end up being related to fossils. It certainy would be an interesting approach for a female cast character, and I wouldn't mind her having a chat with some other character who's also involved in researching fossils... (cough Gary/Shigeru cough)

Anyway. All of this seemingly lead up to Koharu finally meeting her very apparent soul mate: Eevee. I know, that most people were somewhat (or even totally) annoyed by the fact that yet another pokegirl receives Eevee as their Pokémon, and that this is just boring. While I understand the sentiment, considering Koharu's character: Eevee is the only Pokémon that actually fits her. Koharu is out there still figuring out what she wants to be. What she wants to do. And Eevee is the most relatable Pokémon for that kind of character: Eevee can become eight, and I repeat, eight, different evolutions. That's pretty much the same as having different paths to choose from when deciding your goal. And this specific Eevee has also not yet decided what it wants to do. It refuses to evolve. While in-game one could say this is because of the g-max factor, I highly believe this is purely done for the purpose of making Koharu and Eevee relate on a very, very personal level. So instead of Eevee having the g-max factor disabling the evolution (because let's face it, it's only done so people won't accidentally evolve their Gigantamax Eevee), Eevee is kind of, constantly pressing the B button to prevent it.

Now: what has Eevee exactly given to Koharu's character? A lot actually. When before Koharu would try to deny interest in something or try to say she has something else to do instead of a trip, Eevee is there to push her forward to try things out.

Like in JN050, Koharu is trying to priotize her School instead of a Fossil trip to Galar, but thanks to Eevee, who wants to go, Koharu gets the needed push to go and try out new stuff. I very much adored this scene in this episode, due to encouraging the "try out new things" approach in life. From this point forward, we then see Koharu join in on other trips like the Diglett Farm (where she definitely shined in team leading and got to experience the farming and team leader approach) and the Glimwood Tangle trip, that Koharu herself prompted to her dad and the boys, instead of being asked to join. Which reminds me of something else btw.

While Gou is shown to be very knowledged with Pokémon, Koharu is shown to know more about other fields like how plants grows, and what kind of soil is good. This is from either school lessons or from her experience with taking care of the school flowers. She could possibly be considered a good student, and btw, I very much like the approach of not making her a school dropout once she started joining in on research trips, and instead takes homework to accomodate the fact that she's missing out on lessons. This isn't unusual in real life, so I'm glad JN is actually showcasing this approach with both Koharu and Gou. Thou with Gou, he's pretty much always absent, haha.

Now, her latest episode with Kikuna was an interesting one. While Koharu's main point in the episode was kind of to be the angel of love for Kikuna (which failed horribly, love you Kikuna <333 ), I'd say there was another reason for her being in that episode with Kikuna: it was to let her learn of the possibility of meeting possible pitfalls in one's dream goals. That lesson was in Kikuna's story about how she almost gave up in becoming a researcher due to a mess up with an important presentation for a conference, but found the strenght to try again. It's part of reaching your dream goal a lot of the time. Even Koharu's mom, Yoshino/Talia, gave her the story of how she originally wanted to be a mangaka, but gave up on the dream and instead approached something similar. These are all very important life lessons in how working toward one's goal can either fail, or come accoss obstacles. It depends on the person whether they'll end up switching the goal to something else, or strive to go forward to get past the obstacle. As someone who had exactly Koharu's mom's experience longside having to take a long while to find one, I appreciate that Koharu's journey has been about learning the good and bad experiences of working towards a dream goal.

Now: has this storyline been executed well? Imo, it has, but it ain't perfect, as there are some parts where I'd like to see some improvement on.

One of them is with how it's sometimes unclear as what kind of character she is counted as. Is the a main character alongside Gou and Satoshi now? Is the still supporting cast? Is she a lower tier main character that won't appear every episode still? The latest option would appear to be the case, but it's not often that simple to see.

There's also the case of Wanpachi seeming like it was teased to be eventually becoming Koharu's first partner, but instead it ended up being Eevee. I think for most, before JN049 aired, people assumed Wanpachi didn't belong to anyone exactly and thus was free reign. But, as JN049 confirmed, Wanpachi belonged to Sakuragi himself. Which is sorta funny, as Wanpachi clearly loves him the least, haha. So, what exactly do they intend with Wanpachi? I think, that in time it'll eventually switch owners to Koharu, as it clearly loves her the most, but the journey there is still on-going.

Now, here's something interest to think about: I think Koharu not being in every episode has actually been benefitial for her, as she never gives me the feeling that she's taking anyone's time for herself, and her involvements in stories fit quite well. My current favourites for her are definitely her team leading in Diglett episode, which is JN052, and the Galarian Ponyta episode (JN055) where she clearly showcased that she's able to handle herself in sticky situations. Which is quite a beautiful detail, at least to me.

Now to quiiickly note her dynamics quickly, let's talk a bit about how she is a big sister. Like, for real. She's got a baby brother in Sota/Parker, and the two do seem to have good relationship going on. However, I really want to see more of this! There's way too little of it going on right now, and it's mostly been typical siblinghood. I'm so glad there's still full on family aspects in JN, which is what I loved in Sun & Moon so so so much, but I want to see more. MORE! MORE-

I already talked about how I enjoy her dynamics with Gou and how their childhood friendship is showcased so well, and yet I still grave to see more. The two know each other well, and Gou always, ALWAYS respects Koharu, while Koharu ain't afraid to tell what's on her mind to Gou. Thou, she also knows that Gou would judge her if she were to ask about Pokémon bonding tips. Dyamn.

Now: I want more of Koharu and Satoshi. The two def seemed to have a bit of a "uugh who are you don't talk to me" approach, but it naturally faded as they went on their first trip to Nibi City's Fossil Exhibition. And they've been in good relations since I'd say.

Also to quickly note, I love how Koharu has been mentioned in couple scenes as being the character who's taught them first-aid or told about jealousy and how one should take Pokémon's feeling into consideration (even if this latter one should be obvious to Satoshi but, I digress, Satoshi was way too focused on Riolu and just assumed Pikachu would be fine since they've been buds since forever).

There's also so much more I still want to learn about: how exactly did she meet Gou and why she decided to be friends with him, does she have other friends besides him (because I would assume so but she's never shown with anyone else), give us an episode that's focused on Koharu & Sota, let her see Satoshi battle as well (afaik, she has NOT), let her meet Alola Squad + other past companions, and oooh there's so much I want her to do and I see so, so much potential in her character and I really really REALLY hope the writers don't screw her up.

Now is that all I wanted to talk about regarding Koharu... I guess so. As you might have figured out by now: I almost have no issues with how Koharu is written. She's enjoyable to watch and, suprisingly, I find the pace of her story-telling pleasant and not too fast nor way too slow. Could it do well with a bit faster pace? Possibly, but due to me seeing her as sort of a mid-season addition akin to how Precure or Digimon do them, I'm fine with this approach. Considering the current pace, I think she'll end up finding what she wants to end up working towards to by the end of this year, or early next year. And, despite how many might fear, I highly doubt it will be Contests. As it's pretty clear JN isn't out there to promote mainline games feature-to-feature, but instead cherry picks stuff it wants to do. I'm still quite certain, that she'll end up becoming a professor of her own fields, possibly of fossils (which, considering DP's Underground feature, could fit very well in promoting this feature of the remakes). Maybe even become a team leader of a fossil researching team, as she definitely showcases the skills for it, for knowing soil, fossil digging and again, team leading. And I totally didn't figure this out while writing this post. :'D (I totally did.)

So. I believe I'll end this post here, as this is already quite long by now and, honestly, there's not much left to talk about. It really feels good for me to talk so positively about a character in JN, as it's no secret that I ain't the biggest fan of the show. However, Koharu's approach speaks to me personally, very well, and I so, so look forward to seeing how her journey ends up going, and where it will lead her.

So who's up next on the list of discussions? I think you guys can guess it.

And it's gonna be a doozy one. Oh man oh man.

Thank you so much for reading if you came this far, have a fantastic evening/morning/whatever, and take good care of yourselves!

This was Smiling Performer aka Aleira, signing out! PEACE!

[by-kilian]

Ugh I don't wanna get too emotional but like, I kinda use fanfic to cope, I was abused and I love reading fanfic where the mc was also abused just to get that sweet ass comfort and validation after all the angst 😅 idk if it's a weird thing to say though 😬 it just really hits the spot when they reassure the mc that it wasn't their fault and then they show it by treating them better 😭 That's why I'm really looking forward to the next chapters because it's gonna be all comfort between Levi and Killian and I'm deadass going to apply those scenes to my real life (even though what I went through is nowhere near that bad lmao I just have a narcissistic parent- seeing your best friend get murdererd and then being kinda forced to become a hit man as a child is a whole other thing 💀) byee this is kinda embarrassing 🤭 but I low-key feel like a lot of people can kinda relate to this so I might as well say it 😩

But yeah anyway I hope you're doing good!! Sorry for this random ass message I was just thinking about LDBS because as I said, it's one of those fics that live in my head rent free 😐 and I think it's an interesting topic lol

- 💍 (yes it's me again, I promise I have a life sorry 😭❤️)

Hey 💍 anon! You have nothing to apologize for, first of all. It's always so nice to hear from you (this goes for all of you)!

I'll answer this under a cut since it mentions abuse/coping, etc. ❤️

TW: abuse

Firstly, thank you so much for sharing that with me. I'm sending you and anyone else who has experienced/or is experiencing that so much love and hugs right now. Also there's nothing wrong with using fanfic to cope, imo. You don't have to relate to the exact scenario as the characters themselves, but it can be comforting to see that other people (even if they're fictional) going through those things because it can actually validate your experiences. That yes, abuse does happen and while that isn't okay at all--it means you aren't alone and sometimes that's really comforting. I'd argue that it's even more comforting to see those characters heal from their abuse because it can give you hope to one day hopefully do the same. ❤️It's very complex but there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm sure many people do relate to that.

And it's so inspiring to see characters who've had tough lives comforting one another or finding happiness because you almost get to live vicariously through them. And as I said, it can give you hope. It's beautiful in its own way, and we all cope differently. This is one of the reasons why I am so picky about dark content and how it's written because I feel like most people *overly* romanticize it rather than write with care and tact; one reasons I dislike how most of it is done is because it's much harder (imo) to find the latter and you mostly find the former which is concerning to me (for personal reasons). But you're definitely not the first person who I've seen say this--that it's comforting to see people be validated in their experiences because it mirrors yours (in a way), and it's also really, really comforting to see those characters experience comfort because cathartically, it almost feels like you are going through it too. I think that's actually a very powerful thing to do mentally in a way, and I also think it shows your own courage/strength because you can acknowledge that you've gone through what you've gone through while also somewhat looking ahead for healing.

Thank you so much for sharing this with me, I really do appreciate your vulnerability. I am sending you so so much love, and like I said, you have nothing to apologize for. I love you! Enjoy your day :3 you can always come in my inbox and chat. ❤️💍

[marvella15]

Astaire & Rogers Rewatch Part 8: Carefree

• Ah Carefree. Another film with a lot of weird, extraneous crap in it that detracts from what we’re all actually here for: Astaire and Rogers together and dancing. 

• Surprisingly, this odd movie has a song and dance I especially like, “Change Partners.” It also has the first on-screen romantic kiss between Astaire and Rogers. But we’ll get to that. 

• Our character/actors: Dr. Tony Flagg (Fred Astaire), Amanda (Ginger Rogers), Stephen (Ralph Bellamy), Cora (Luella Gear)

• I’m not up on Ralph Bellamy’s filmography but in every movie I’ve ever seen him in, he’s the guy who loses the girl to the bigger male star. 

• Now I’m no expert but it seems like if your fiancé breaks off your engagement three times, there might be some actual issues in your relationship. And I don’t think those issues boil down to just “the girl I like won’t marry me.”

• For the first time in one of these films, Astaire’s character isn’t a dancer or musician by profession. He’s a psychiatrist… who used to be a dancer. Gotta have some reason why he’s so dang elegant and talented. 

Not a fan of his notes on a patient that indicate she’s a “typical pampered female” who doesn’t need a doctor but rather “a good spanking.” 

Right after this, he describes Amanda, whom he hasn’t met, in very unflattering terms, including that she probably doesn’t have a brain. Here’s a diagnosis, Dr. Flagg. You’re a misogynist. 

Already we can see some issues with Carefree. 1938 may have been a different time but nothing about Astaire’s character is charming, kind, or anything we’d want Rogers to be paired with.

• I do like that as usual Rogers’ character doesn’t stand for any crap. She doesn’t give one single eff about his questions or his attempts to chat with her and then she storms out. 

• Astaire spent two weeks rehearsing the golf solo (aka "Since They Turned 'Loch Lomond' into Swing"), during which he did a thousand swings. The actual number took two and a half days to film. 

Surely it helped that he was an avid golfer already. In addition to horse racing, it was one of his favorites hobbies. 

It goes without saying that he hits a golf ball better in the midst of a dance than I could on a driving range. 

It also probably goes without saying that the only reason Tony does this number is because his ego is insulted by Amanda. 

• Rogers looks particularly fab in her shorts during the bicycle scenes. 

• Amanda begins to warm up to Tony after seeing he has talents besides psychoanalysis and insulting women he hasn’t met. But she only truly starts to like him after he makes an idiot of himself by crashing his bike into a bush. 

• Cora thinks that Tony sent her a gigolo?? And she’s totally on board with it?? And she drinks something this random man (who we know is Tony’s assistant) hands her???

• “I Used to be Color Blind” has a lot of potential that it doesn’t live up to imo. As you might guess by the song and the way the scene is filmed, this sequence was supposed to be in color. But, depending on who you ask, either the studio felt it was too expensive or the color tests looked horrible so it was scrapped. Either way, it’s a shame. Audiences had to wait over ten years to see Astaire and Rogers dancing in color.

• I’m also not wild about the slow motion, which seems a bit goofy. However, it does let us better appreciate the talent and mastery of Astaire and Rogers. For example, when he lifts her in a spin, her feet don’t touch the ground again for a while and they both make it seem effortless. 

• Soooo the Kiss. I know I’ve been banging the kiss kiss kiss drum for a few movies now. But this almost isn’t that satisfying? Now, I would say that this could’ve been intentional on Astaire’s part since he (and maybe his wife?) was the one opposed to any on-screen clinches and preferred the romance and intimacy to be in the dances. But, Astaire wasn’t comfortable with even this finished product, according to both his account and Rogers’. The slow-motion made what was really just a peck on the lips seem like much more, which he felt made up for all of the kisses he hadn’t given her in their previous films. So it seems unlikely he had any hand in intentionally making it unsatisfying. 

More likely, it’s that of all of the scenes, songs, dances, and movies for a kiss to happen, this isn’t the one I would’ve picked. A peck on the lips during “The Continental” would’ve been perfect, or a delicate kiss after “Cheek to Cheek” or a passionate one after “Never Gonna Dance.” Just a few places I wish we’d seen a kiss rather than (or in addition to) here.

All of that said, I will say that there’s something very fitting that in the scene Rogers is the one to lean up and kiss him rather than him being the proactive one. That’s very fitting for their off-screen dynamic too where he was far more shy and reserved. And I do like that it’s clearly an intimate kiss, as evidenced by the way she wraps her arms around his back. 

• Two years before she would win her historic Oscar, Hattie McDaniel appears in Carefree in an uncredited role as a maid.

• When Amanda next meets with Tony, she is conflicted about telling him about her dream where she was very clearly in love with him and not boring old Steve. Her sweater conveys her struggle. It has arrows piercing an embroidered heart over her actual heart. 

• Amanda’s invented dream is insane but who hasn’t made up ridiculous excuses to stay around their crush? But kids, don’t go so far as being put under anesthesia. 

• The whole period where Amanda is still drugged and acting weird is absolutely something I typically skip, even though Rogers does a good job with the slapstick.

• “The Yam” harkens back to previous numbers like “The Piccolino” or “The Continental.” Even though it feels almost a bit outdated at this point, it’s a fun, upbeat number in an otherwise somewhat dull film. 

• I like that Astaire drops the acting after a few seconds. He’s just himself for most of this dance and looks like he’s having the most fun he has at any point in this movie. Rogers is also all smiles and looks marvelous. 

• I also like that they dance around so much of the lodge and use much of the scenery as part of the number. 

• Some fun lyrics:

“I didn’t come to do the Charleston” - Rogers got her start in entertainment by winning a Charleston contest when she was 14.

“I didn’t come to ball the jack” - Five years later, Judy Garland will perform a superb number called “Ballin’ the Jack” in For Me and My Gal with a promising new musical star: Gene Kelly. 

• Gotta give it up for the EIGHT times they do the move where his leg is up on the table and she leaps over it. 

• She is undoubtedly whispering something to him when they start to slow dance. 

• Rogers is a really wonderful actress. She does a stellar job when Amanda tells Tony she’s actually in love with him.

• Look, I get that Tony’s trying to find a way out of a situation wherein his friend’s fiancé has fallen in love with him and plans to break it off with his friend, but telling Amanda she’s imagining her feelings is pretty crappy of him. Hypnotizing her so she’ll hate him and marry Steve instead is pretty stupid. 

But once again, Rogers does a fab job in this scene. Hypnotized or not, she’s obviously devastated and cries even while pretending to be in a trance. 

• “Kiss her, you dope!” is what I’ve been saying for seven movies. 

• Some light gun violence humor here in 1938.

• I assume it’s an in-joke that the judge’s last name is Travers, which was the last name of Astaire’s character in Gay Divorcee.

• We already knew Steve was hapless trash but refusing to allow Amanda to choose her own future and instead leaving her hypnotized and getting a restraining order against his friend to prevent Tony and Amanda from ever getting together is a new low.

• Unsurprisingly, the most enduring song from this film is “Change Partners,” which was nominated for an Oscar. It’s also one of my favorites and frequently gets stuck in my head. 

• At least Steve’s stupidity is used against him. Tony literally sings exactly what he’s going to do (“I’ll tell the waiter to tell him he’s wanted on the telephone”) and yet Steve still falls for it. 

• For the third(?) time in this film, Rogers must pretend to be in a trance, this time dancing to Astaire’s hypnotic hands. But not long in, she clearly breaks through a bit because she becomes more of a participant. She grabs his hand when it’s on her waist and melts into his arms when they embrace. 

• “Change Partners” as a dance is incredibly intimate. That’s not so unusual for Astaire and Rogers’ romantic duets but it’s a tad unusual in this particular film where, despite that kiss, they’ve hardly had any romantic interactions. And yet in this dance, they are frequently very close together, his lips hover near hers more than once, and it’s all very slow. In fact, they very nearly kiss a few times. To me it’s further proof that as long-awaited as the earlier kiss was, there were and are better places for it, such as right here.

• Amanda really gets a raw deal. Sure she gets to marry the man she actually loves. But in the process, she nearly shoots him and others, gets arrested, is subjected to a variety of psychological experiments, and then gets punched in the face on her wedding day. 

• During this rewatch I’ve been surprised how much I’ve enjoyed certain films I don’t watch as much, like Gay Divorcee, but Carefree is pretty much how I remember it. Very little worth rewatching, except “The Yam” and “Change Partners.”

• Up next is the last RKO production Astaire and Rogers made and the end of their partnership… for now. It’s The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle.

[mysticalmuddle]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but what got into asoiaf? Also, did you like Arya and Jonrya from the first read or did that come later? What do you think of Jon as a character? What are your top 10 favourite characters and moments? I aplologise for this avalanche of questions but I just couldn't help wanting to know more of my favourite asoiaf writer. PS: I adore your aesthetic, your blog and writing gives me an otherworldly feeling.

Hey no worries! Ask away <333

but what got you into asoiaf?  I’ve always been into quasi-medieval fantasy, and picked up asoiaf a looooooooong time ago, when I was in middle school. It was so engagingly written that it never really left my brain since? That’s like, ten whole years rent free I’ve been thinking about these characters. What recently spurred me into like, engaging with the fandom/writing/etc was the lack of action in the Jonrya tag, and more specifically, the lack of stories updating that I was interested in, so I decided to make my own 😅

Also, did you like Arya and Jonrya from the first read or did that come later? Re: liking Jon and Arya right off the bat--Okay, so when I first read the series, I was Going Through It IRL, and identified a lot with Jon and his storyline? But I was also so not past the age of “girls going on insane dangerous adventures and being brave despite that” being massively appealing and all the Arya chapters were a satisfyingly more adult version of that genre. I’ll say I liked them both from the get-go, and it’s never really died down since, and I just learned over the years and rereads to appreciate more of the characters. (If I’d been a little older on that first read, I probably would have glommed onto Tyrion instead, and my fandom interactions now would be...vastly different  😂😂😂)

I guess I sort of shipped it from the moment I read ADWD. Like, I was super into Jon&Arya before then--that level of devotion is one of my fictional relationship draws--but ADWD really got me into it. There was just something so compelling about how often they think of each other, and how badly they want to be reunited again, in Arya’s chapters especially. But the whole passage with the Pink Letter just Fucked Me Up emotionally, and suddenly I was like, “They should reunite and kiss”.  Over the years, my enthusiasm for the ship has increased, as my very old slushpile of unpublished fics can attest.

What do you think of Jon as a character? I think he’s an incredibly complex character, which is my favorite type of character! His struggles in the series against his own desires versus his sense of duty, especially framed in the narrative by popular thoughts about bastards, and how that affected his self esteem--he has to be more honorable, more clever, more dedicated just to make up for a facet of his own existence that he didn’t control and can’t change!--is something I just find so compelling. And, of course, his deeply intense love for Arya always gets me like 😍😍😍😍 I don’t have any huge takes on him though--I’m not a very thinky type person and everything I think about characters seems so hard to articulate unless I’m pouring it out into a fic (so I’m sorry if you wanted Takes! This Bitch Empty!)

What are your top 10 favourite characters?

Arya

Jon

Daenerys

Brienne

Tyrion

Missandei

Oberyn

Bran

Asha

Sansa

What are your top 10 favourite moments? Alright, these are in no particular order of preference, just listened as I remembered/googled exactly what books they took place in

1. When Brienne rescues Willow from the Bloody mummers, despite knowing that they’ll kill her for the attempt, AFFC-Brienne VII. No chance and no choice gives me chills every fucking time

2. When Arya kills Dareon and walks off with his boots, AFFC-Cat of the Canals. This moment has implications and speaks to Arya’s inability to let go of herself, even when all that being a Stark means in that moment is the gruesome work of justice, but I’ll be honest--I just like it because of how nonchalant and almost sassy she is when taking the boots afterwards, and how it speaks to her practicality. 

3. When Jon reads the Pink Letter and loses his shit, ADWD-Jon XIII.  I want my bride back … I want my bride back … I want my bride back …"I think we had best change the plan," Jon Snow said. Ohohohohhhoo!!! Juuuuust fuck me up GRRM!!

4. When Daenerys has breakfast with Missandei in Mereen and Missandei chides her into eating more, saying Daenerys is very small, ADWD-Daenerys VII. But also every Daenerys & Missandei interaction ever. Every time they speak to each other, you can just tell the level of care they have, and how they see each other as family over time!!!

5. When Arya travels with the Brotherhood Without Banners and gives water to the northern prisoners before watching as Anguy mercy-kills them, ASoS-Arya V. It’s a facet of Arya’s personality that imo, I think is ignored in metas and fics. She considers them her pack, and despite her disappointment in them, and her disgust at their crimes, still gives them water and finds them a quick, merciful death.

6. The dinner with the men of the Nightswatch and the discussion Bran and Robb have afterwards, about riding to the Wall to see Jon, and about whether their family will come back, AGoT-Bran IV This moment, I think, speaks to Robb’s characterization in a way that Catelyn’s POV chapters don’t touch very well. He’s so very young, despite everything, and trying his hardest, and well aware of the dangers his family is in, and how he’s falling short of saving them and there’s nothing he can do about that. 

7. Oberyn during Tyrion’s trail by combat, and his arrogance and his rage, ASoS-Tyrion X. His demand that the Mountain say Elia’s name got me tearing up the first time I read it, not realizing what the cost of that justice would be for Oberyn himself. So much of ASoIaF deals with grief, and the consequences of obsessive grief, and this fit into the series so impeccably fucking well

8. Every single thing about Daenerys freeing the slaves at Astapor, ASoS-Daenerys III. One of the things I really didn’t appreciate in the show is how they changed the tone of that scene, very much altering it from Daenerys and her joy that she can do this thing, a balm after the horror she felt seeing the slaves and learning about the brutal training the Unsullied go through, into a moment that was just her being badass and powerful. 

"Unsullied!" Dany galloped before them, her silver-gold braid flying behind her, her bell chiming with every stride. "Slay the Good Masters, slay the soldiers, slay every man who wears a tokar or holds a whip, but harm no child under twelve, and strike the chains off every slave you see." She raised the harpy's fingers in the air . . . and then she flung the scourge aside. "Freedom!" she sang out. "Dracarys! Dracarys!" "Dracarys!" they shouted back, the sweetest word she'd ever heard. "Dracarys! Dracarys!" And all around them slavers ran and sobbed and begged and died, and the dusty air was filled with spears and fire. "Dracarys!" they shouted back, the sweetest word she'd ever heard. "Dracarys! Dracarys!" And all around them slavers ran and sobbed and begged and died, and the dusty air was filled with spears and fire."Dracarys!" they shouted back, the sweetest word she'd ever heard. "Dracarys! Dracarys!" And all around them slavers ran and sobbed and begged and died, and the dusty air was filled with spears and fire. [Bold mine] The moment on the show was momentous, but this was-----vastly superior and far more indicative of her character.

9. Catelyn stopping the catspaw from killing Bran, AGoT-Catelyn III. Watching Catelyn emerge from the haze of her grief only to go full fucking ham feral and brutal protecting her child was like *chef’s kiss* There’s just such a cool contrast between her losing her shit talking with Robb a moment before, and then the actual fight, and then her busting out with:  "The circumstances did not allow me to examine it closely, but I can vouch for its edge," Catelyn replied with a dry smile. "Why do you ask?"

10. This exchange:  Alliser Thorne overheard him. "Lord Snow wants to take my place now." He sneered. "I'd have an easier time teaching a wolf to juggle than you will training this aurochs.""I'll take that wager, Ser Alliser," Jon said. "I'd love to see Ghost juggle." AGoT-Jon III. That’s the moment I knew I stanned Jon Snow irreparably, forever.

PS: I adore your aesthetic, your blog and writing gives me an otherworldly feeling.  No u! For real, anon, that’s so fucking sweet of you to say  🥰🥰🥰 Hope I answered everything to your satisfaction, and feel free to come back and chat if the mood strikes ya!

[nathalie-sancoeur-assistant]

Felix

Here are my thoughts on Felix, spoilers below. 

As the episode starts, I can’t help but be reminded of a story

There’s a story about a man who cleaned his wedding rings I read online. Now, I hardly think that the story is going to 100% relate to Gabriel Agreste, but I found it a bit ironic that shortly after I read this story, I see Gabriel taking the time to also clean/polish both his and his wife’s rings. (the story was about a man who is quote “a ‘guys’ guy” and was constantly told no one cared about how clean his ring was and it didn’t matter but he did it anyway)

Look here, how at first he was so careful and gentle. Carefully placing his wife’s hands back into place. Before his talk with Adrien in the near future, might I add. And with his “soon, Emilie” comment, there’s so much emphasis on these rings in the beginning of this episode. We’ve had some mild emphasis before with how much Gabriel has fiddled with his. So what’s up with them? What’s their significance? I have nothing but I hope someone else can answer. 

Aw, she’s watching him. And he’s staring at his mother’s statue. Exactly how many depictions of Emilie are there? There’s more of her than anyone else. I mean, sure. There are a couple paintings/pictures of them all, as a family, and a collection of Adrien’s photographs throughout Gabriel’s office but Emilie is everywhere, it seems. There’s a whole statue of her there. This reminds me of Disenchantment even more- the statue of a the child’s mother being one of the only things for them to remember them by while the father desperately tries to get hold of an all-powerful magical object(s) for seemingly selfish reasons. 

I just love this scene.

Look at those heart eyes! I said it before, get you someone who looks at you the way Nathalie looks at Gabriel. That is such a pure look.

Oh my gosh that smile. Okay, I love this. He’s seeing Nathalie smile like a love-struck puppy at his dad. And that makes him happy. This is an example of some of the things he’s been noticing between her and his father- and if he is capable of picking up on these subtlety's....well, he’s far from oblivious. Just confused (with Marinette). He’s happy to see them standing together though, and to see Nathalie gazing so fondly at his dad. Even if we didn’t get confirmation on him shipping them in this episode, this would have hinted at it pretty well. 

They already act like a mother and son- this is so cute. This is the kind of interaction I’ve been wanting to see more of. Especially from Nathalie, I know it’s small, but she’s a stoic “emotionless” character and she did something cute and wholesome. It just delves a little more into the relationship they have. 

I’m hardly one to fawn over family dynamics but this show brings it out in me. 

“It’s been one year; the longer you keep him in the dark about what you’re doing, the harder it will be on him when he finds out.” So this tells me a few things. 

1. Adrien’s 15th should be coming up soon

2. They’re both aware that when Adrien finds out he’s going to be hurt 

3. They know that it’s inevitable for him to find out

and 4. They’ve had conversations about this before. The way she just brought it up like this, they’ve likely had a few conversations about telling Adrien what’s happening under his roof. And she’s encouraged Gabriel before. Now that it’s the anniversary of Emilie’s disappearance, she’s nudging him more because you know, what better day to tell your son that you’re a supervillain and his mom’s in the basement than the day you lost her to begin with (which, makes it sound bad but it makes sense to tell him on this day, if they were waiting to tell him.)

---

“Little kitty on a roof, all alone without his-” “Adrien” Gabriel decided right then and there to go tell him. To tell him.

Okay so this is....actually really good.  lot of parenting things I’ve read/watched will mention getting down on the child’s level, especially if it’s for a more serious topic or something they need to understand without feeling like they’re being talked down to. It’s a good technique to use and it’s also kinda showing Gabriel opening up just a bit because...well what else is he going to do with what he’s about to tell his son? (I mean of course him sitting down by him isn’t going to make up for everything he’s done, nor does it make him any better of a parent- but it does go to say that he does know a little more than I initially thought)

Also, with the way this is set up, you can’t blame Adrien for the way he reacts. It really sounds like the way to set up a conversation on how a parent has found someone new to love with their child. 

Also, “I think about telling you every day, but I don’t know how to find the right words”- so in other words he actually WANTS to tell him. This isn’t something Nathalie is pushing him to do because she thinks it’ll be best, this is something she’s ENCOURAGING him to do because she knows he wants and needs too but is to scared to actually do it on his own. But the point is that he was actually about to tell Adrien that he is Hawkmoth. Which would mean he would have to explain why he’s Hawkmoth, and lead to him showing Adrien his mother, maybe he could have even met Nooroo and Duusu. Then again, Adrien might be very reluctant to go down and see his mother in that state. That might just be something that was an offer for if he wanted to see her. And at least if he found out this way, he wouldn’t have to shout, ask “Why” so much or rush his own father and be punted out of the ceiling. Different approaches call for different reactions. This one would have led to something likely still bitter and betrayed, but with a clearer explanation and more emotional attachment. It wouldn’t all be hitting at once, they could go as slow as Adrien needed to process it because it wouldn’t be in the heat of battle. But it would have to be approached cautiously otherwise I can see Adrien transforming right then and there and allowing his emotions to take over again. But none of that is what happened. 

“I think I already know father” 

“But...how?” no amount of panic in his voice...just a genuine question. There’s panic in his eyes yes, because 1. How does Adrien know 2. Does that mean he’s slipped up at some point? Who else could know? Who else could find out? but no fear in his voice because 3. If Adrien already knows, and just says so in such a calm manor, if he were going to tell anyone else he already would have.

“I’ve noticed how close you and Nathalie have become” 

Gabriel’s face “W h a t? What is he talking about- oh, that’s what he’s talking about....”

“If she can make you happy again...” well I can’t say Gabriel has necessarily been subtle with his grief *cue Parisian's screaming in the background”, but still, that just tells me that there’s a noticeable change in Gabriel’s behavior from before Emilie disappeared. People act differently when they’re unhappy. 

“....then as far as I’m concerned, she’s already part of our family” this boy loves her so much. He looks so happy talking about her to his dad, that he seems to be opening up a bit and talking to him, and at the idea that the hole in their lives will be filled, not even with someone new but with someone who has already established their place in the household. Someone who is already a chosen part of their family (As I like to say, family is chosen.). It’s so pure- whenever they have this talk again in the future I hope it goes well. Because with the way Gabriel reacts, they’re going to need it. 

Also, I’d like to say that I greatly appreciate their relationship actually being spoken about aside from it being exclusively from Nathalie or between Nathalie and Duusu (which btw, we didn’t get a conversation between Nathalie and Duusu in Chat Blanc or Felix discussing her feelings which tells me that either we’re going to get a flashback scene in season 4, or Duusu was able to sense Nathalie’s emotions and based on my interpretation of body language and stuff from the finale, Gabriel may be very aware of Nathalie’s feelings for him already but I’d like to wait for English Miracle Queen before making that assumption whole) 

*Gabriel Agreste has hit a rage*

“As long as she is still in our hearts, she lives on.” Not the kind of thing you’d expect to hear from someone like Gabriel IMO. And as folks have said, he never got mad at the idea of being with Nathalie- he got mad at the idea of moving on from Emilie. And I have to admit, him saying “No one could ever replace your mother” yeah, I mean, I understand that. But here’s the deal- moving on from someone, doesn’t mean you never loved them, or even that you don’t still love them even while loving someone else. Getting remarried isn’t ‘replacing’ your original spouse. 

Moving on from someone you love is hard as heck. Sometimes, it might even feel impossible to do, but in some cases, it’s necessary for you and those around you. Moving on isn’t going to slander their legacy, it’s not going to somehow invalidate what you had with them previously- and again, it’s not replacing them. It’s a natural human feeling to...want to have someone by your side. Your spouse being put into the kind of state Emilie is in is going to leave a gaping hole beside you in that sense, in your family dynamic and etc. and a new spouse and relationship can help fill that, stick by your side for the remainder of your life and still not replace the person you first loved. Gabriel was mad not at Adrien, but at the idea of moving on from Emilie, and just can’t seem to grasp the idea that moving on is not that same thing as replacing. Him and Nathalie won’t be able to get together until he realizes that. That being said...

Adrien’s blank stare is priceless. “If that’s not what you were gonna tell me then what is it? No need to get so mad...why are you mad? You could have just said no...” like he can see the pointlessness in this anger but still understands the reaction...but still he probably wants to know what on Earth his dad was talking about if it wasn’t in reference to his relationship with Nathalie. Idk. 10/10 reaction, Adrien. 

Then typical Gabriel comes back out and he just storms off. Geez the kid just wants you happy and to have a mom, calm down. 

---

They have him crying a good bit lately. He could really use a hug. 

NOW THE PARTY DON”T START TILL I WALK IN

Now we have Amelie...and I gotta be honest, I know some folks already really like her but she’s just the type of person I can’t stand. Just in her personality. She just seems to be everywhere at once, taking up so much space and attention. Nathalie seems to just fade into the background and go unnoticed, in comparison. So no matter Amelie’s intentions, her grating personality would probably make me dislike her anyway. 

And as Gabriel is explaining Adrien just looks so confused

 Like his first reaction was that it was his mother and not the more logical “Mother’s twin sister” and it takes Gabriel actually saying that it’s his Aunt for him to realize exactly what’s going on. 

And of course I’m sure you’ve all processed the puppy-dog like expression that comes over Adrien’s face when Felix walks in. He just loves his family even though it seems to just be filled with bad people. Then Amelie goes into her thing about Adrien and Felix fooling Gabriel and Emilie for a whole weekend and she says “We laughed so hard”- did Gabriel laugh too? She says “we”....does that mean everyone but Gabriel or does that mean that Gabriel wasn’t always quite so tightly wound? 

I always feel so awkward when we get these close-ups of their butt..

“Felix you know your uncle’s never been the physical sort” because it’s how he shows affection. With how much that has been emphasized at this point, it HAS to be a story-telling element. Why, outside of just showcasing different personality types and comfort zones, have someone that’s so adamantly against physical contact? I mean they could have chosen anyone for this, but they chose Gabriel specifically then turn around and have him and Nathalie being very physical. From what I can tell, it’s a part of the show and character specifically for the Gabenath element of the story. 

Also I find it funny how she says this in front of his son just because....if he’s never been the physical sort, I doubt Adrien would be standing there.

Someone at some point is going to photoshop Nathalie into this frame over Amelie aren’t they?

I don’t know. They way she’s so enthusiastic about everything gets on my nerves- then again, I have plenty of characters that are enthusiastic that I like very well. It’s just the way she pulls it off, okay I’m done knocking her personality because that’s just a personal thing and this fandom has enough salt- This scene just grinds my gears. I’m sure she has her good qualities too, and other’s probably quite enjoy her enthusiastic attitude, but I feel like she just seems so entitled...let me explain. 

She knows she looks like an exact replica of Emilie and, while I understand the sentiment here, decides to come over to the Agreste house on this day anyway. I know the way she looks is far from her control, and she deserves support just as much as the rest of the family on a day like this, however, would it not be hard on Gabriel (if she was honestly thinking about him) to see someone that looked so strikingly like his supposedly deceased wife in his home, walking around like there’s nothing wrong, on the very day he lost her? Her hairstyle is even the same- but I could understand the sentiment if it didn’t seem like she was just using this vulnerable day for them to try and fish out something she has no right to (to our knowledge). 

It’s the rings. She’s not in the house five minutes before she brings them up. She greets them, gives the boys time to greet each other, then casually brings up the topic to get down to business. 

“You’re still wearing your wedding band! You must have Emilie’s too I imagine, you never replied to my message about that. I’d still like to get the rings back, you know.” 

“These rings are obviously very special to me.”

“And they’re very dear to me too, Gabriel. Those jewels have always been in the Graham De Vanily family, not, the Agreste’s.” *smiles*

Well girl wtfrick is your name rn? I can only assume atm that you took your husband’s name too. You may still be up and walking but the rings belong to Gabriel now. 

“I’d still like to get the rings back..” so did you give them to them then? If they meant so much to you why would you give them to them as wedding rings if so? If you wanted them so desperately you don’t give them up like that- you wouldn’t be asking for them if Emilie was still there, would you?

And here’s the kicker, in the end we realize that she wasn’t even trying to get them for her, or sentimental reasons, or even a feeling of entitlement- no, she was getting them purely to give them to her bratty son. It doesn’t matter if she gave them to them or if they were passed down to Emilie. 

Tell me, where is it okay to ask a grieving, lonely man to give up what you believe to be the only connection he has left to his marriage (besides Adrien but that’s beside the point)- where is it okay to ask a man to give away his wedding rings just because his wife died? Especially if you’re not going to do anything with them but give them to your spoiled son? Those rings mean a lot to Gabriel, they were his wedding rings- I don’t know what significance they hold for the Graham De Vanily family, but regardless of that they belong to Gabriel and he’s obviously taken good care of them. 

What makes me even more upset about this is that....she wanted them for Felix! Not because she’s potentially the only sister Emilie had and therefore outside of the boys is the only living heir of the Graham De Vanily family and therefore thinks that since she’s the most direct descendant she should have them for traditions sake or whatnot- but because Felix likes them. 

Adrien is just as much a Graham De Vanily as Felix and has just as much right, if not more so, to those rings. 

He and Felix may be on equal ground when it comes to blood relation to the family, but even if Amelie didn’t take her husband’s last name and Felix is Felix Graham De Vanily, they were the rings for Adrien’s parent’s marriage, they belong to his parents now, therefore he is directly in line for that inheritance and deserves it every bit as much as Felix. Amelie has no right to take that away from him just because Felix likes the story behind them. 

Then after that Gabriel says “We’ll discuss it later” 

Which you know is code for “I’m not going to have this conversation” so he can just keep them without having to worry about her trying to give context. 

---

Also, I’d just like to say that Marinette’s video-confession sounds like she’s being a supportive and emotionally-open friend. Sure it’s a declaration of love, but it by no means sounds like a confession of romantic love. I can easily see Adrien taking it as a platonic “I love you” and being like “Aw, Marinette. I love you too, you’re such a good friend.” She tries so hard. Alya’s excitement over it though is great.  

---

Dang! Look t that layout! I love the structure of this house. and if I’m right, there are two floors below it too...but is the butterfly window on the back of the house? Wouldn’t people notice a giant butterfly window constantly opening and closing? I don’t know, but I do like how the walls on the sides have doors so that you can walk out on them. Imagine Marinette serenading Adrien while he’s standing out on one. 

---

“I’m sorry I didn’t come to your dad’s funeral...” dang, man. That’s heavy. How did he know that’s exactly what he was upset about? And that was actually another good move on Gabriel’s part....it would have been hard on Adrien to go to his uncle’s funeral given how close in death dates Emilie and his uncle seem to be. It might have been good for Felix to have the support of someone who understood, but Gabriel had to think about Adrien, not Felix. 

“You have every right to be mad at me”

No, he has every right to be upset about it. But not be mad at YOU for something that was out of your hands. 

“He’s very...protective of me.” For some reason I like that line. It was very soft.

Well that was a jerk move. Snoop. And yikes. 

Felix taking his anger out on Adrien for something he couldn’t control? Man, not cool. He really had this planned out too didn’t he? Steal his phone, then knew he was friendly and welcoming enough to let him shower and borrow clothes- he was looking for a way to cause some sorrow in the boys life by stealing his phone. He got lucky with the video thing but if he hadn’t had that to work with he would have probably tied to get the address of some of his friends and dress up as him and go be rude in person or text them something nasty. The timing of the video was really good for Felix. 

....yikes...but Plagg is right. What a petty act, squashing cheese under his pillow for not going to a funeral he likely wanted to go to to support Felix. It’s pretty standard for people who are grieving to act differently or lash out, but it’s not a valid excuse for the behavior. People cope differently but after a while, if that’s how you cope...maybe it’s time for some therapy.  

It’s good to see a softer side of Chloe. Shows how underneath all that condescension and bratty attitude, she’s still an actual person and can care for others. 

Nyoom

---

Also I like how Gabriel immediately recognized that it wasn’t his son on the video. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. As a matter of fact I like how Nathalie, even when Adrien is pretending to be Felix and convinces Alya Rose and Juleka that he is Felix, Nathalie is still adamently like “Adrien s t o p”

---

Nino and Marinette too, they’re both positive it isn’t Adrien and have faith in him. Even after the video is confirmed unaltered. Kim actually has some logical reasoning, which, honestly I feel. I hardly ever consider someone a friend until I’ve known them for at least a year (there have been folks I’ve known longer than that and never considered friends- because you only know so much about a person. You never know what they might pull) so his reasoning that they’ve only known him since they got back from the summer? Totally valid. And this?

Okay, so I realize that he probably shouldn’t be akumatizing people that are going to go after Adrien, and if he were going to should have moved him BEFORE akumatising them...but he’s taking action to keep Adrien safe from the akumas that are upset with him, and even took his phone into consideration. He hasn’t done that with some previous akumas. And this also tells us that the weapon phones can connect to normal phones and therefore must have a number. Can’t be the same as their normal phone’s number, otherwise when Ladybug and Chat text they could recognize them- so does that mean that Nathalie could potentially have a contact in her phone (Finale spoiler: in the finale she calls Hawkmoth by the press of a button) that calls Hawkmoth? Imagine if Ladybug got hold of her phone and pressed the number while Hawkmoth was active. That could end badly. 

Confused Nathalie is cute. It took a second for her to realize which was which, which of course is realistic. They look really similar, it could take a moment for it to register. 

Juleka: Which one of you is a cruel and inferior copy of the original? 

Me @ studios that rip-off more popular movies/shows to make a quick buck. 

Rose pointed her weapon at Adrien and immediately Nathalie just 

These spot the difference games are getting hard.

She’s protecting her angry boy. 

Don’t make mama mad.

Shes-a gonna getchya. 

Okay, how strong is she? Or how light is Rose? I know for a fact that even if you’re just a naturally strong person it’s not easy to just pick up someone that size and throw them. I can hardly throw a 40lb child. Rose is at least 100 and Nathalie doesn’t even break a sweat. Is it the adrenaline? This has me in as much awe as when Kyoya Ootori dents the hood of a car with his fist out of frustration- I’ve tested it out just to see and denting the hood of a car is hard with just a fist without hurting yourself. Likewise it’s pretty hard to yeet a highschool kid. I now head canon that she works out along with Gabriel. 

That’s determination in her eyes

Friendly reminder that she’s doing this in heels.

If I felt like editing this some of these screenshots could be sent into the funny miraculous screenshots blog. 

Also Rose’s “Ow ow ow” after kicking shins humoured me.  

Catch me over-analyzing Nathalie’s fight scene, she jumped pretty high though. Okay, that’s enough on her fight. Also, the fact that not only Nathalie, but Felix too, can hold their own against 3 akumas at least for a while...I wonder if any akumas have been defeated by skilled civilians before Ladybug could show up.

Moving on, I think it’s really cool how they allowed Ladybug to be able to punch Felix in the face even though he looks like Adrien, and how they had her be like “No” even though it seemed like Adrien was trying to kiss her. And the music, it’s all soft and romantic at first then it goes all distorted and creepy...very fitting. 

That utter rage...man, 15/10. Good content. I like seeing girls be able to stand up for themselves. And then she immediately knows it’s not Adrien.

“Felix, smash it in half and this nightmare will be over” “What makes you think I want it to be over?” Dang. That’s some Azula-level stuff right there. I like that, I want more of that.  

“Hawkmoth, can you hear me Hawkmoth!” 

Yes, yes, I like that. They’re able to communicate through the akumatized people too...I like that very much. Oooh boy, I can’t wait for Felix to come back in season 4. I quite enjoy seeing people willing to work with Hawkmoth and not be as annoying as Lila. What if FELIX is the new Hawkmoth and is working to...idk, bring his dad back? And Lila is his Mayura...or vice versa...that would make it so interesting.

And here I like how Adrien is telling Felix off but still somehow able to be completely soft with it. He’s upset with him and wants to make that clear but he’s still his family and doesn’t want to completely discard him. 

And Felix...dang, I like Felix. He’s got the acting gene. He can lie and manipulate and actually do it well. He seems genuine. Lila, you can always tell she’s acting, that she’s never sincere- but she’s able to manipulate situations. Felix on the other hand...he’s able to go with the flow and adapt quickly. He’s a fantastic actor and if you couldn’t see the hidden context at the end, you’d actually be able to believe him. 

And the one time Gabriel actually extends a hand to someone outside his immediate family or isn’t blind and needs someone to guide them (we see Tomoe with her arm wrapped in Gabriel’s once in a while)....he gets robbed of a prized possession. Dang. Don’t expect him to open up to Felix anymore for a long time. 

*internalized screaming*

I think it’s pretty obvious to her that he stole it. He never had any opportunity to talk Gabriel into giving it up and he’s likely known for being able to pull things off like that. 

I understand that she wants her son to be happy and that he likes the story of the rings, but she should make him return it...but obviously her little angel always gets what he wants, why should she make him give back something he “earned”? She should be asking more questions, he had no right to take it right off Gabriel’s finger. *more internal screaming* I don’t care how many wrongs Gabriel has made, I know this is part of karma coming out to get him but two wrongs don’t make a right. This isn’t math, the negatives don’t make a positive. It just makes more negatives. 

“I’m glad it’s back in the family where it truly belongs” but it was never out of the family! Gabriel IS your family! Adrien is your nephew- he was your sisters son, oh my gosh you make no sense!! *deep breath* Okay. The only thing I can think of that would have allowed the ring to stay with folks named Graham De Vanily would be if 1. All their ancestors had sons who’s wives took their last name, therefore they were passed down from son to son so as to keep it not just in the family, but in the name or 2. Graham De Vanily was the name of Amelie’s husband and for some reason, her husband gave Emilie and Gabriel the twin rings instead of using them in his own wedding...which...no. 

So Gabriel has to now wear Emilie’s ring

And he doesn’t even bother to put her hands back into place. 

Might he have been a little more thoughtful about that, if Adrien at the beginning hadn’t made his comment about him and Nathalie? Or was it just his anger making him forget?

---

Overall the episode was fantastic imo and while Amelie grinds my gears it will definitely be interesting to see more of her and her boy (after all, why introduce a character so interesting if you won’t bring them back?)

[cherubchoirs]

Spoiler for P5S, i will admit i wasn't too disapointed in Shadow!Joker or akane. The boss battle were more interesting than others (my personal favorite is the #2 and #4 boss, least favorite would be #3). But i feel that Sophia Just having the Kasumi treatment (And her second's awakening (pandora) has a simple design)

MAJOR P5S SPOILERS UNDER THE READ MORE!

that’s totally fair and i think the disappointment factor for me (and for many other fans) was because we went in with these big assumptions, namely the idea of a shadow joker. again, i wasn’t as sold on that as a lot of people were, especially since joker is a silent protag and so...how would they do that exactly? also the design seemed too plain for it to be something like that and esp for a joker that was a jail king (the speculation that joker would have a proper jail was too far out for me to believe tho honestly - again, silent protag. him having a jail would require WAY too much characterization in game where you still get to pick his name lol) i definitely agree it was a cool boss fight tho, i loved the one on one aspect, especially in a game that’s real time action fighting. if i hadn’t been hoping for an evil joker, i think i would have thought akane’s jail was really interesting and that the shadow thieves were a super cool addition. i can’t comment on my favorite boss fights tho lol, i didn’t actually see too many of those sjdfshg

but i agree on your next point for sure: i too was hoping for...a lot more for sophia’s story. a lot of people in the chat were mentioning how p5s seemed very similar in plot to p5r, which i can see, and i feel that was sort of true in sophia’s case as she does have a lot of parallels with kasumi. the thing is, i did feel for ichinose and her backstory, i like the idea of these jail kings being sympathetic and the idea of people being caged behind trauma, but i think it’s a problem of treating the same theme of p5/p5r in similar ways. p5 is very focused on the idea of granting wishes - the holy grail and then takuto accomplished that in vanilla and royal respectively, so again we have emma doing something similar...but while people said it was a rehash of takuto’s story, it was closer to yaldabaoth’s imo emma was tapped into the whole of society, takuto was not. emma functionally trapped people in the same way yaldabaoth did for the most part too and she became the demiurge, almost like a splinter of yaldabaoth’s power. again though, i haven’t spoiled everything for myself - i like to experience the complete game on my own, so i generally just look for major spoilers or watch the parts i’m particularly interested in. and i honestly haven’t watched the demiurge boss fight scenes lol i was just too disappointed, so maybe i’m wrong about it being more similar to yaldabaoth, but i watched literally ALL the lead up to it (i went to bed like...five minutes before the demiurge showed up since it was pretty much solidified that yaldabaoth wouldn’t be returning sjdfhs) 

BUT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE TALKING ABOUT SOPHIA. SO. honestly very disappointed sophia was not related to her gnostic counterpart whatsoever, especially as the demiurge is present in the game. she really was just a prototype ai of emma that was scrapped, lost her memories, and then wishes to grow and gain a heart, which she eventually does. a very standard sort of plot for her, which, again, would have been no problem if i had believed this game to be a spin-off, not a sequel. i just feel so much more could have been done with her - keep the amnesia angle, but have her be the gnostic goddess, have the hard truth they have to learn be the fact that she created yaldabaoth after she’s fought with them as an ally, have her grapple with how her creation harmed humanity, her new friends, and especially joker. she wants to see humans thrive, she wants to facilitate them, but her child nearly forced them all into unthinking subjugation, and so she has to overcome that guilt and the fact that the metaverse is being used again against humans to save them this time. BUT YEA as for pandora, i thought her design was...okay? i agree she is plain tho and also i just feel she doesn’t suit sophia aesthetic-wise sjdfshdf like sophia is so cute and has a sleek + heart themed motif while pandora is...???? i don’t even KNOW like boxes and...a bare minimum amount of clothes??? she could fit really well with a character that matches her personality/aesthetic, but she and sophia don’t mesh well imo

but i’ll say again that i think my disappoint is due to expectations, not the game being inherently bad. in fact, knowing it’s much lighter in tone/story, i feel better purchasing it on the switch! i got a switch light for christmas, which can’t play games on a tv, so i was struggling with whether i wanted p5s for the ps4 (better graphics, big screen) or the switch (can just play it wherever!), but now knowing what the game is like, i feel comfortable picking the switch version. for a game like this, i prefer the convenience of being able to play it wherever i want than worrying about better graphics. my feelings have already kind of softened (i’m a quick turnaround lol), because i’m thinking it more as like a fun new adventure with the pts, and 40 hours is great for a spin-off to give you plenty of content without growing tired of it. i appreciate the fighting system too, because i think it’ll give us unique fighting styles for all the thieves, which i love for characterization. overall, it’s not a game i’m completely, 100% thrilled with, but i think i’ll have a lot of fun playing it for myself.

[awkward-marinette]

Unprofessional “Desperada” Recap

It’s been a day after “Desperada” aired and I decided to do a rewatch of this episode. I’ve watched it 3 times already and I’ve changed opinions about many scenes that initially made me mad so that’s why I’m doing a recap. Be prepared because it’s going to be a long one. It’s going to contain unprofessional, sometimes blurry screenshots, Luka praise and grammar mistakes but... let’s get to it. 

- Lukanette in this episode was kinda ruined by how Marinette considered Luka her second chance choice. I know it's related to snake miraculous but still... My boi deserves better. Hell, MARINETTE deserves better than being written like that and those are main reasons why I was so pissed after watching "Desperada" for the first time

- girls (Alya, Alix and Mylene) are noticing Lukanette only now? I thought it was obvious that the chemistry is there - but also, I agree with their opinions with my whole heart

And I'm also starting to see that girls are getting tired of Marinette's obsession which Adrien which is understandable. They help her all the time trying to get her with the boy of her dreams and nothing happens. Yeah, I would be pushy and annoyed as well. But it makes me worried for one of next episodes which title I can’t remember but in the description it said that Marinette’s friends will be group akumatized because of something that Marinette is going to do. 

- quality Adrigami right there - I need to double check correct episodes order (by production number) to be 100% sure but I'm convinced that this episode is before "Ikari Gozen" otherwise I don't see the reason why Kagami is so distant towards Marinette again. But I appreciate scenes with them, especially when they rebel against their overprotective, overcontrolling parents

- about this disastrous greeting Adrien and Kagami scene - it's not easy seeing your crush laughing and being comfortable with someone else and we see it on Marinette's face. And yet again she decides to interrupt it by getting in their space. Doing and saying stupid things because of her skyrocketing nerves caused by Adrien's presence. Without thinking leaving Luka’s side to run to her crush like she did a bad thing. During my first watching, I didn't notice just how nervous she was until everyone started to look at her after Kagami's comment implying Luka is Marinette's boyfriend, waiting for her reaction. We know that for most of the time Marinette is not doing well under the pressure from other characters and this scene is no exception to that. No wonder she messed up later too, being looked at from all sides makes you super nervous. I can sympathize with that

Also, wow, Kagami, you don’t need to cling that much to Adrien. It’s not like Marinette is gonna attack him or something. 

- "he's just a friend" - Marinette, you're definitely spending too much time around Adrien. As the blond is doing the same with his feelings towards her vs. Ladybug, she openly denies her feelings for Luka despite having them. That's why she brushed off what Alya said and will continue to do that until she realizes it herself. It’s as if those two didn’t know that you can have multiple crushes on people

- Jagged/Anarka scene - there's some backstory here and I need to know more! I don't think it was just playing together in a band and there were some romantic feelings involved. Although I don't like the idea of Jagged being Juleka and Luka's father (that would be lame), it would definitely be an interesting plot to explore for the sake of Couffaine family story arc. Especially after seeing Anarka's steel refusal and Couffaine siblings being shocked that their mom was once working with their music idol

- Jagged having a soft spot for Marinette is still one of the cutest things ever. Mere concept of an international music star acting as a cool uncle for ordinary artist girl is awesome. I really like that he always seems to actually listen to what she has to say and doesn't treat her as a kid who don't know anything. And asking her if she knows some talented guitarists although he probably has lots of connections in the industry just proves how big that soft spot for her is. He visibly perked up at her sight and started playing happier melody!

- nominating Adrien for new guitarist disastrous scene - OH MY PLAGG, I don't know what to say about the scene everyone is talking about. This is definitely one big triggering scene and if I was annoyed at Marinette when she dropped Luka to greet Adrien earlier, this one made me: mad, sad, embarassed at the same time. Cringefest at its finest.

You know what I mean? Look at everyone’s reactions: 

BRUH. 

Plus: 

Even Rose was shocked! Yeah, Rose who always seems to be in her own little world!

It made me regret that she didn't decide to give up on Adrien in "Puppeteer 2.0" (yeah, I know episodes are not in the order and it seems that "Desperada" is chronologically after that). I mean, girl, even being under the pressure is not gonna save you this time in my eyes. You had the right to be super nervous around your crush and babbling incoherently when you didn’t expect to see him but trying to impress him by recommending him for skills you know he doesn’t have? Your feelings for that boy are not healthy for you and you need to see that. If Adrien visibly has doubts and says he's more of a pianist AND JAGGED STONE HIMSELF IS QUESTIONING THAT CHOICE AND POINTS AT LUKA, it should give you a signal that you're not in your right senses. I really want live to the day that in one episode she finally realises that and will start to move on. I bet it will improve her character and relationships with everyone around her. And I can't believe that writers decided to include that scene - there were probably few different ways that this scene could go without making Marinette a fool blinded by her love.

And man, I was feeling so sad for Luka there. Being overlooked like that just because the girl he likes nominated a guy she loves when it's clear that he's not suited for the job must be hard to accept. And how does he manage to make me like him more every time he shows up? He handled that situation with levels of maturity he should teach main charactes about.

- Desperada - it was this rare kind of episodes when we didn't get akumatised character's backstory first, that's why sometimes I thought this episode had quicker pacing than usual. We got more information from the villain herself this time and it was a nice change of routine. Also, Desperada was so cool! Her design is absolutely fantastic (one of the best in the show imo), her powers were deadly, she had amazing voice and she was competent enough to create such a threat that it forced Ladybug and Chat Noir to reach for miraculous that could mess with time. And it wasn't obvious she could be this dangerous at first glance! The only thing I didn’t like about her is why she was akumatized - REALLY, JAGGED?! Come on, dude! 

I would totally cosplay that if I wasn’t a complete disaster with instruments.

Her trumpets made funny noises when she shot from them, it cracked me up a little. And I need that guitar axe for... reasons...

- yo, Kagami proving she's worthy of dragon miraculous! She charged at Desperada without hesitation although she just met Anarka! 

- Rose went through a surprising change in last two seasons - I never expected to see her do things like shielding someone from the villain. On second thought, she was protecting her dear Juleka so it shouldn’t be that surprising. But it is, at least for me. 

- Marinette realised she wasn't in her right mind after all - well, better late than never, right? What Tikki said about her having a troubled heart - I want to believe it's something that will make her rethinking few things and will be a spark that will eventually ignite character development. I hate seeing her like this when she proved many times she’s better than that

- Lukadrien - you know, on one hand it's good to see two male love rivals being on good terms with each other (although I wonder how long it's going to last after Adrien gets to his senses regarding liking Marinette as more than JuSt A fRiEnD), on the other it's depressing when you look at how girls are treated, all hating each other (well, except Marinette and Kagami now). Why can't we have nice things... Also, Lukadrien was strong in this one.

- Luka proving he deserves to be a hero - it's not usual for civilians in this show to willingly put themselves in villain's path to help heroes but it's always appreciated when it happens if that civilian isn't hurt in the process. Luka managed to distract Desperada so that Ladybug could corporate a plan that helped trio to escape her.

- Ladybug, Adrien and Luka in sewers - so she gets the message to go to Master Fu for new miraculous, meanwhile we continue with Lukadrien scenes. They find a locker room for employees and Adrien finally can separate from Luka to transform into Chat Noir. I'm surprised that Luka didn't hear door opening and closing again despite being right next to it. Or maybe... he did since I suspect he knows Ladybug’s identity so him knowing Chat’s identity would be pretty funny. 

- snake miraculous - Master Fu said that this miraculous is really powerful (duh) and must be used by wise person who can resist a temptation to abuse its power. Kinda foreshadowing for what's going to happen later, isn't it? I've got no idea how Marinette could think Adrien was suited to be a snake. It doesn't fit him at all. There must be other miraculouses in the box that would be more fitting for him. I need to do a research.

- Adrien gets his chance with Ladybug - well, he wasn't against the idea of her giving miraculous to Adrien despite his identity crisis (cue: “Onii-chan” and the scene where Chat Noir lands on the billboard with Adrien’s commercial on it). It's clear he didn't think about risking being discovered as Chat Noir and jumped in this train because he was blinded by the opportunity to finally get his Lady to love him as Adrien. After rewatching the episode I've changed my opinion about this moment and I think that it was somehow needed at this point in the show. It can be treated as a simulation what would happen if the reveal happened right now, when Adrien/Chat Noir is blinded by his love for Ladybug and Marinette/Ladybug is being blinded by her love for Adrien. And it does not end well.

I can't at Plagg when he realises that Adrien is going to use new miraculous offered by Ladybug so quickly and willingly. When PLAGG drops his usual behaviour and channels his inner TIkki by saying serious, wise things, you should know that this is a huge mistake, Adrien. Just look at his face:

And I suspect that Plagg has some history with Sass because it's not the first time he acts weird around snake kwami. Yet again, I want to know!

- Adrien is (temporary) a character with the highest amount of magic transformations - and, tbh, Aspik’s transformation wasn't very good. His suit looks weird in motion, although I understand choice with a cowl to not look similar to Chat Noir. But Aspik's final pose is so ridiculous it hurts - even Kim's wasn't at that level. 

But maybe, it was another element that proved Adrien wasn't the right choice for snake miraculous. 

Also, him acting oblivious to what kwami is and "What am I supposed to do?!" were priceless. Very subtle acting, Adrien. A+.

- blinded by love - this is the theme of this episode. But this time it was from both sides. We got used to it coming from Marinette in most episodes and fandom has made many creative works with how it could happen from Adrien's side, and we finally could see it in cannon. Since we know how it is with Marinette when it comes to Adrien, I'm going to focus more on him and Ladybug.

  So Marinette as Ladybug makes mistake twice in this episode. This time with more serious repercussions since it concerns miraculous and success of the mission. Focusing more on giving miraculous to Adrien and his presence by her side, she isn't able to focus on defeating akuma at all. 

She compliements him for the smallest things (like choosing his hero name), laugh at the joke that was so Chat Noir, looks at him all the time. She even went to that extreme as saying that they don't need Chat at all! BOI WASN’T HAPPY: 

Ladybug has always been the responsible one and always puts the mission first. But here, she wasn't even caring for her own safety by checking her surroundings, something that you thought could never happen.

As for Adrien, he knew how powerful snake miraculous is. But because he prefered to woo Ladybug instead of eliminating akuma threat first, he failed to prove he was the right guy for the job as Aspik. 

And failed miserably. I won't go as far as saying that he deserved to end up with PSTD syndrome after failing to save her so many times but if he was smarter, he could pull himself together much sooner and fix it without hurting. He had a tool that could cut his pain and suffering of losing Ladybug short. But his determination/obsession made him overlook that simple fact. I mean, dude, it took you THREE MONTHS to realise it's not working?! And what irked me is the fact that despite all those chances he had, he was still prioritizing flirting with Ladybug instead of defeating Desperada. 

I'm sorry but after that confession, he lost another points in my eyes. Also, it showed that he is more like his father than we gave him credit for with that unhealthy determination to achieve his goal. It's downright scary.

But one good thing emerged from this horrible montage of his failures: Ladybug’s reaction to the reveal he’s Chat Noir. In spare of few seconds she went through all package of emotions - confusion, shock, bewilderment, comprehension, anger. It was delightful. 

After thinking about it for some time, I came to a conclusion that this plot is kind of a warning from writers. We, as a fandom, want The Reveal to happen, some of us want it now, others (like me) don't want it fastforwarded and now I see why it's not a good idea. Adrien and Marinette are at that moment that both still have an unhealthy perception of love and their feelings are more like obsession. They're both putting other one on the pedestal as a person completely rid of flaws and ability to make mistakes. They have tunnel visions and don't see anything around but the person they love. So if they knew each others’ identities now when their feelings are in such underdeveloped stages, they would fail as superheroes because those feelings would got in the way. And it's something that they can't allow since Hawkmoth is getting stronger and is plotting something big. The message is clear: don't expect The Reveal to become cannon now because it's not the right moment.

But I'm not trying to give writers enough credit - at least, this time. I want to see characters learning from events that took place in this episode. I want to see them actually realise that their concept of love is flawed and decide to be better than they are right now. I want to see Love Square finally going somewhere rather than being constantly stuck in nowhere. That's why I have high hopes for the rest of season 3 and have big expectations from season 4 (because, if Love Square developing will happen, it's now or never).

Ok, let's continue.

- Sass - poor kwami was active for months, didn't get a snack, had a short break in the box and was summoned again very quickly (although refreshed). #letsassrest2019

- Luka being the chosen one - ok, as funny as it sounds, there's no better summary why Luka got snake miraculous in the end. When he reentered the scene, he witnessed some serious talk between Ladybug and Adrien, the latter obviously crying, both visibly down and disstressed and, blessed his soul, said he's glad that Adrien was found because he was worried (Lukadrien fans must have gone wild at that). Adrien looked at him and made this face:

The face of realization. Because, as he experienced, snake miraculous requires to be used wisely while keeping a cold head. Something that he couldn't do. And before him stood a guy who's really calm, collected but brave and caring (Adrien's words). Fortunately, Adrien didn't continue to pout but immediately suggested to Ladybug to give Luka a miraculous. After saying goodbye (with bittersweet Ladrien moment), Ladybug turned to confused Luka and it was his time to shine. And boiii, he shone alright! I mean, look at those majestic screenshots of his transformation:

Sidenote: this tranformation was probably the longest one but it could give Chloe a run for her money in fabulous department.

- new trio of Paris - and we got cool trio of superheroes to deal with Desperada (who was still laying down in sniper position on Eiffel Tower, lol) who were working very well together. Main duo was back in their game and overall I'm here for Chat Noir/Viperion bro ship.

- plan to take down Desperada - as I said earlier in the recap, Desperada didn't seem that threatening at first but she quickly showed that I was mistaken. It was no overexaggeration when Marinette said that there is no room for error with her because of variety of weapons she used. That's why they needed to plan their ambush from A to Z and that's why snake miraculous was better for this mission than, for example, rabbit miraculous. It's good that Viperion wasn't hit during those chances because they would be screwed and Hawkmoth would probably win.

As I predicted, Viperion needed considerably less time to figure out how to get the upper hand in the fight. And although it was strange that both Ladybug and Chat Noir struggled more than usual with defeating an akuma, it was nice seeing other hero forming a plan in the meantime. 

Now I wonder if Viperion's lyre has the function to distract opponents with its melody or it was the fact that Desperada was just sensitive for hearing music in general. Also, lyre can be used in other ways:

- I need a confirmation that those two are officially together (and Fang is their pet)! Pleeeeaaaaaseeeee!

- Vivica is so cute! And I love that heroes always do "pound it" next to confused victims

Luka is so freaking tall here! And I thought that Adrien got taller this season! He looks so small compared to Viperion!

- oh yeah, with that look he gave her, it's pretty much confirmed that Luka knows Marinette is Ladybug. Otherwise it wouldn't be shown like that.

- Kagami giving Marinette an opening for fair rivalry is something you don't see everyday. Kagami encourages her to make up her mind with all that Adrien-Luka thing - another motivation for Marinette to push her character development ahead.

Alya chimes in saying that boys also have to decide. We know what Luka thinks but Adrien still needs more time to clarify that. And waiting for that is going to kill us all.

So that’s all, folks! TL;DR, thanks for coming to my ML Talk! Man, why am I doing these only when an episode creates a lot of fandom salt?

[comicteaparty]

July 13th-July 19th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from July 13th, 2020 to July 19th, 2020.  The chat focused on Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R by snuffysam.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R by snuffysam~! (http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until July 19th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?

2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?

7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?

8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

carcarchu

I'm only 5 pages in so far, but this comic has a great sense of humour i've already laughed out loud at some of the jokes

Deo101 [Millennium]

god yes the jokes all hit so well

carcarchu

i noticed an error on tapas, page 42 and page 45 are identical

Deo101 [Millennium]

oh no

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

@carcarchu fixed, thank you for pointing that out!

carcarchu

i'm 63 pages in now and i'm really enjoying this comic so far. it's solidly paced with an interesting cast of characters. the banter is really fun to read and i'm loving how the world building expands with each new character introduced

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

glad to hear it!!!

shadowhood {SunnyxRain}

Damn I feel bad for only reading this now

I love the comedic pauses in between the jokes, and it makes the situation more awkward and hilarious for me!

Also fourth wall breaking and lampshades

Feather J. Fern

I really like the line "I can't hear you from over there." Lampshading why people monologue but they are stepping away from the listener

I really enjoy these types of jokes, this comic has really good comedic timing.

Also It is long, but easy to digest, so I'm speeding through quite easily.

Also Sir Pokes a Lot!! My favourite character, and you killed them! (I love the animated parts of the comic too)

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

thank u!!!

and yeah, sorry about sir pokes-a-lot

Deo101 [Millennium]

Can not wait for y'all to meet my fave

shadowhood {SunnyxRain}

Wait WHAT SIR POKES A LOT DIES WHAT THE HELL

Oh yes, the animated parts always get me by surprise and I love them too

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

imo, there's an even sadder death in book 2...

RebelVampire

I like that the beginning just has a lot of comedy even while establishing the exposition parts. So you don't really even notice you're learning about characters, the world, and so forth, because the jokes just really make the entire experience vastly entertaining. My favorite moment in the comic is probably now when all the governors show up and Electric Zebra to fight the demon. Cause it was like a party of badasses, had lots of great comedy, lots of great fighting, and just all around it was nice to see everyone else embrace Mizuki's strengths too. My favorite character is a tie between Electric Zebra and Sword Warrior/Taci. Electric Zebra because I love that he works for the gov but also hates the gov while also moonlighting as a musician. He just all around is a fun character for me who could do no wrong. Taci I like because he's simultaneously arrogant, smart, caring, and selfish. I also like that he just blatantly announces his plans to become dictator. As for the art, I really love the colors. The entire comic is just a really colorful experience without being over-saturated, and I really think that makes it stand out, regardless of the other 3D aspects and such that make it stand out as well, of course. I like in the current book it explores the nature of making friends. Since Mizuki is trying hard to make friends with Stella, and Stella isn't having that. So I enjoy this exploration in terms of kind of what do you even do in those situations and how can you peacefully co-exist and overcome that grump gap.

As for the overall related content and the comic's strength, these are one in the same for me: the comedy. This is by far one of the few comic's that clicks for me in terms of comedy. Not only does it have fantastic timing, but a lot of it is really smart with lots of callbacks to things that happened - and damn do I love that sort of continuity. It's not even just the one-liner jokes though. Sometimes it's just the stories overall way of solving problems in comedic ways that is the best, so all in all, just a great entertaining comic.

Krispy §[Ghost Junk Sickness]§

The dialogue is so funny to go through, I love the way Snuffy characterises and just has fun!

also the cell shaded rendering is so cool! I love the aesthetic and design !

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

@RebelVampire regarding continuity stuff, this is basically the ending of book 2 lmao(edited)

mathtans

Hm, so this is somehow a trickier one for me to analyze since I've been reading it since the first CTP. Admittedly I fell behind after Book2 (busy months) but I just got caught back up (SpaceMySpace...) so I guess I'll do some further pondering and check back in later. ^^

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

ok so i finished re-reading my comic the only joke that made me legit laugh out loud this re-read was the dancing in panel 3 of this page: http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/255 just because i completely forgot i put that gag in there lol

tbh my favorite character in the comic is taci. like, before his introduction, the comic was incomplete, in a sense. but with him in the picture, all the writing just fits together. (even past the fact that books 3-5 wouldn't happen without taci being a total weirdo who mailed hundreds of letters to the galaxy knights under fake names, lol)

Deo101 [Millennium]

taci is also my favorite,,, as you know, aha

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. Given the comic’s emphasis on comedy, what was your favorite joke insofar? What made it stand out to you compared to the others? In what ways does the comic’s comedy stand apart from other comics?

10. What do you think of Mizuki’s tactics for using magic? Is she crazy as many characters imply, or do you think she’ll continue to make it work far into the future? How will this decision affect her skills as a strategist?

11. What do you think King Zebugu is doing participating in Galaxy Knights trials? Do you think he’s finally changed his ways, or is he up to something? Also, will this help Taci achieve his own goals?

12. Do you think Mizuki will be able to become a Galaxy Knight? If so, what other trials will she have to work through? Additionally, what will become of some of the other characters such as Stella, Taci, and Pejiba in the trials?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

Deo101 [Millennium]

Okay my favorite joke so far was DEFINITELY this one, it's the first one I think that really made me like, fully laugh out loud. I dont know why it got to me so much. Also it made me love cahe very much as well.

SPOILER

Also I think Mizuki's magic probably IS something to do with her abillity to copy other's magic really easily, and probably more efficiently.

and kinda combo of 11 and 12 but I hope they all become galaxy knights and be friends :)

(including king zebugu)

back about the magic thing I KNOW weve been told anyone can do any magic, it's just very draining and hard, so they use their own magics always... but People have also commented on her ability to actually utilize other's magics SO i feel like theres more to it than just her being incredibly stubborn.

RebelVampire

I'm sorry Cahe. You used to be my #2 fave character, but then Taci.

Deo101 [Millennium]

LITERALLY SAME

RebelVampire

My favorite joke changes each reading, but right now I'm gonna go with Book 2 when Mizuki is remarking about forgetting something important and then we see Enetoro still stalling for the talent show. It was such great timing since it was long enough most readers probably forgot about it in the front of their mind but still recent enough you're like oh yeah. And I just like that long ass joke setup for the entire book. As for how the comic's comedy in general stands apart, just superior timing. A lot of comedy is about timing, and this comic is just spot on everytime. As for how Mizuki uses magic, it's probably a bit of both. She is crazy, but she will probably make it work for a long time to come just out of sheer force of will and stubbornness. But I think her having to learn so many abilities and find ways to utilize them together can only increase her skills as a strategist, since it allows her to assess the full potential of every ability and command others to reach that potential. King Zebugu is probably up to something again. I don't think he's as evil in the first books, but I def think there's something going on that he isn't telling anyone that he'll reveal towards the end and say, "Well good luck Mizuki peace out." I don't think it'll help Taci though. I think Taci will just wind up getting roped in and never get even one step closer to becoming the dictator he always wants to be. I do think Mizuki will become a Galaxy Knight. As for other trials, I'm not entirely sure. I imagine there's gonna be some sort of tournament arc though cause otherwise how is Stella supposed to say something about how this is a true contest for warriors. I think Stella will befriend Mizuki, and Taci will at least win something he can brag about. I think Pejiba won't win though, but I also think Pejiba would be content to try again and just go back to skipping around with Cahe.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

There's... somewhat of a tournament arc coming up? The structure is gonna be weird compared to other tournament arcs, but it's definitely one of the more interesting chapters I've written lol. So... have fun speculating on that for the next three years lmao

Regarding some of the other questions - there's currently enough information in the comic to figure out all the 11th-hour plot twists for Book 3. I won't say there's enough information to easily figure the plot out, lol, but you could figure it out. Though - there is absolutely something going on that King Zebugu isn't telling anyone about (it's kind of a habit at this point, lol).

mathtans

1. You know something I like about the beginning? The links to the original artwork. It's just a subtle thing down at the bottom, but it simultaneously shows the progress made by the artist, and allows anyone thinking 'wow I could never do anything like that' to realize that it didn't happen overnight.

Also the gradual world building is really well done. You don't get too much at once.

2. I think my favourite moment remains how Mizuki defeated Zebugu near the end of Book 1. It was just really clever in terms of reincorporating something subtle (the comic's good at that in general) to turn the tables, and played off his personality more than his magic, which was also clever. There's lots of other great moments too, but that one stands out over time, I think because we were looking at a climax there.

3. Favorite character is probably Zaxaty. Yeah, yeah, mathtans going for the major lesbian, big surprise, but hear me out. She's connected to the King, a major antagonist, but has her own personality and I don't think she's afraid to slap him down if needed. She might even end up connected to the major protagonist (because of reader ships). She's into art, there's that whole bizarre roller skating thing just to point out she's not normal. I possibly enjoy hairstyles like hers. And she sustained major injuries in the big Book 2 battle but sucked it up and still did what she could. So there.

(Before Zaxaty it was probably Pejiba. She seemed smart and capable.)

4. Character interaction... possibly Mizuki and Taci, simply because I tend to enjoy their interactions with everyone else in the cast. So when they get together, whew... possibly related, Mizuki has a tendency to be oblivious due to inexperience or failing her perception checks, while Taci can be oblivious because he's so full of himself. Their battle and the Sword Warrior revelation was another good moment overall.

5. Again, I'm hardly a person to be commenting on art. But the rendering effects and the occasional animated panels kind of blow me away.

(Not the first person to remark on that, admittedly.)

6. I'm not great with themes either. Perseverance is probably one, based on what/who Mizuki has to put up with. Also friendship, which Rebel referenced, and can even be seen in the earlier bits with the group coming together (Cahe and Pejiba taking it to the next level). And how those in power aren't necessarily the best at decision making (is that a theme)?

Then there's mystery, like what are peoples' goals. Is that a theme? I don't know what I'm talking about, let's face it.

7. Something about the story and content is how much development's gone into it. I don't know if the side stories were started in part due to StArt Faire, or if it provided some perpetual motion, but for example Gynu and Suzigu have this entire childhood backstory in there, and we never saw that much of them in Book 1. (Maybe that one was to highlight more Galaxy Knight stuff? But there's others that expand on otherwise minor characters.)

Then there's the cast page, which seems to be constantly updating, and includes extra random trivia and even what seem like really really minor characters (like the Ferryman).

I have no clue how snuffysam manages to do all that stuff and yet continue to update multiple times in a week. With, as Rebel pointed out, very good comedy too, both situational and connected to character personalities.

8. Comic strength is I think at times doing the unexpected. Like throwing in animation, or referencing someone new or something that adds new pieces to the magic dynamic. Like you want to keep reading to know what comes next because even if it's what you think it might be, there's probably some new aspect you didn't expect that will be there too.

Anyway, there's some thoughts, and for all I know it's similar to stuff I already said in a previous chat. If so, whoops. More tomorrow. I type slow.

(Incidentally, related to the stories, the "wingwomanicon" story won't load for me... it's a blank pdf. And the link in the story proper for when it first went up seems to link to the wrong story.)

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

@mathtans I really should test my links lol... the story should be fixed now

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

mathtans

9. I'm not sure I could pick a favourite joke. Mizuki's habit of breaking the fourth wall tends to be cleverly done. Coruby's wit matches well with his character. I'll echo what Rebel said about the timing too; there's effective use of beat panels and the like too.

10. Mizuki's probably crazy, or perhaps it's more her obliviousness, but she's very good at working with what she has to minimize the drain. She also must have a really good memory. I think the main problem with her ability to strategize is she's not great at long term planning, everything seems to be more "in the moment".

(I figure you've got a lot going on as is there. ) Sorry, must scamper again, back later. Should we comment on ships too here, or is that mostly covered by the comic itself?

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Hey, you can comment on ships as much as you want!

mathtans

Zebugu and Taci might be a ship. Can't be that much animosity without deeper feelings somewhere, right?

RebelVampire

I can't decide how I feel about Zebugu/Taci. That is a ship that makes sense as much as it doesn't make sense. I am stuck in a loop.

I am looking forward to more Taci because Taci. There can never be enough Taci in the comic, and I think I just really enjoy how he works off Mizuki because it offers lots of beautiful comedic potential. My final words are just amazing comedy comic that everyone should check out.

mathtans

11. I think King Zebugu is in the trials in part because he doesn't like that his wizard and his accountant were former Galaxy Knights. Maybe it's the ace they play to get him under control at times, maybe they don't need to, but I think he's trying to gain more power over his underlings, and by extension the planet. He's always got an angle. As to Taci, for him it's probably more ego driven, but he does have two abilities so maybe he wants to see how he compares off planet. I don't see either of them winning, I see them potentially cancelling each other out so the other guy doesn't win.

12. I think Mizuki could become a Galaxy Knight, but I don't think it'll happen in Book 3. In particular Bily is being set up as an antagonist against her (she has a similar ability to duplicate the spells of someone else, though she does need to touch them AND she has a beef with Mizuki over being the one to knock her brother out of contention). Other trials, I'm not sure... there might be one where they have to team up with someone else. Mizuki and Stella would be an interesting situation, as would Taci and anybody. I don't think Motorcycle Man or Willpower-Copy Lady will get far since the cast page only gives them minor character status. But then that could be part of the joke in the end.

Rebel's analysis regarding the others looks pretty good, actually. I'm not sure how hammer guy fits in, is one thing.

Fun that Stella's officially out now, incidentally. I don't see her going for shorter women though. Also, I wonder what constellations she might have that are in no way tied to the stars as we know them? And for that matter, she made a "Frozen" reference, which is usually Mizuki's domain. Perhaps she's also aware of the 4th wall (or "Frozen" went international there on 'SpaceMySpace' or something). Anyway.

13. Well, that last Starstuff Story is only one page long, so potentially looking forward to reading the rest of that. Seeing how the tournament plays out will be interesting... I'm more hyped about it than the gatherings plot of Book 2, maybe it's the extra title drop, dunno. Also vaguely curious about what's happening with everyone back on the planet during this time... like, if the King's away, who's running the place? (Zaxaty?)

Incidentally, the Galaxy Knights must be pretty well off financially. They set up housing and roommates for EVERYONE, then almost right away had a challenge and eliminated most of the people. Like, a lot of those rooms they didn't need.

Random question too, how DID the Starstuff stories get their start?

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

@mathtans I dunno how I keep screwing this up... anyway, I checked, and the newest story is now 100% fixed.

The original reason for Starstuff Stories was to flesh out characters' move pools for potential video game adaptations. Like, that's why Green Archer uses explosive arrows and chain arrows in her story, and why Chill Bro has ice armor in his. Though it evolved over time to just being interesting stories that I wanted to tell that wouldn't necessarily focus on Mizuki.

mathtans

Sorry, was needed elsewhere. Then read the story. I didn't expect ears to be a thing, and that poor woman is cursed. ^.^ That's a neat origin idea, I hadn't thought along those lines. Looks like the story has evolved too, there's been some scenes without Mizuki too (though I guess they were in some way related).

14. For final words, just keep at it I guess, you've got a very interesting world set up and do well at engaging your audience too, from what I can tell.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Zebugu/taci huh...? I can see them being exes or something

mathtans

Maybe that's the real reason Taci wants to kill Zebugu.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Zebugu forgot to tell taci they broke up, and stood him up!

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

That does sound like something Zebugu would do...

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

also, regarding something @mathtans said - Looks like the story has evolved too, there's been some scenes without Mizuki too (though I guess they were in some way related). yeah i had to rewrite book 3 like two times before I realized the story worked better if it didn't focus on mizuki all the time. like, book 3 introduces the most new characters out of any book so far, and i was completely neutering it by forcing all their arcs to relate to mizuki in some way. thanks to breaking that mentality, i'm able to include stuff like characters having rivalries with each other in ways that mizuki wouldn't even find out about, which helps keep the book from getting bogged down imo.

mathtans

It's cool that you draft everything out to that extent. And it's not out of the blue, she wasn't there for some of the big battle ending Book 2 either.

(Or at the talent show for most of the story. )

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R this week! Please also give a special thank you to snuffysam for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

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[wildpokemon]

ML Season 3 Rewatch: Animaestro

Production code 302. This was the first episode that I watched the day it aired lol, and man was it a tough transition from binging them all at once, to waiting who knows how long for a new episode. I think overall it gave me a greater appreciation for each episode as its own standalone thing.

Also, I feel the need to say that these rewatch posts will contain spoilers for the rest of the episodes of the season - EXCLUDING LOVE EATER AND MIRACLE QUEEN - I won’t spoil those AT ALL i promise. But a big part of rewatching these episodes for me is 1 getting a good order of events in my head, and 2 comparing the things that happen earlier in the season to things that happen later so we can look at how things are changing and moving forward. So if you haven’t seen all of the regular non-finale episodes and don’t want to be spoiled on them, maybe avoid these bc I can’t guarantee I won’t talk about them.

Rewatch thoughts under the cut!

ooo i forgot that they open with clips from the PV. the animation looks soo good!!

lmao ‘that is so not true. i’m not afraid of cats’

adrien voicing chat in the movie...... how did that even happen lmao. like did someone offer it to him?? was it his idea?? why did he say yes?? omfg i bet it was plagg’s idea or some shit

also, now im wondering who voiced laybug, hmm

tom’s voice when marinette says she wants to help!! “you want.. to be... a server..?”

sabine so snarky lmao, calling marinette out for only wanting to go cause adrien will be there

me at every scene with tom dupain ever: his hands are HUUUUGE!!

aklakjda marinette’s adrien impression “how could you know me so well when i’m so secretive)

have i mentioned that i love marinette’s room. i love marinette’s room. i want all the things in it

tikki just been sitting by watching marinette bake macarons without asking why for WEEKS lol

*ignores that the english dub is calling clara nightingale, laura*

tbh i like the thomas astruc cameo, and the great cameo’s we see later on in the season too

the whole concept of the reason for akumatization in this episode is so ridiculous lmao. all these people at a MOVIE premiere, don’t know who the DIRECTOR of the movie is or what a director DOES?? come on lol

“who would want to see ladybug and chat noir as cartoon characters?” 😂

her hair!!! and the outfit!!! her signature flower design on the apron??? i love her

i would just like to say that for any kids watching this show who actually don’t know what the director of a movie does, this episode does a really bad job of explaining it imo lol. they never really say what astruc actually does lmao

adrien agreste owns 1 (one) single suit. wears it to all his public outings.

“uh oh! she’s seen him!” gOD i love sabine

“adrien, you are so normal to me” lmaooo i love the way her sentences get flustered

adrien immediately wants to see why marinette is crawling around on the floorr

kagami’s outfit?? 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

ahh right. this is the episode everyone was mad about because marinette and chloe like ‘team up’ against kagami. at this point marinette doesnt really know kagami and unfortunately sees her only as a threat. but it seemed to me that she learned her lesson by the end of this episode and the jealousy really subsides. besides, she really only joins chloe once she thinks adrien’s future is in jeopardy, rather than just because kagami is a love interest for him. plus marinette and kagami’s relationship has developed beautifully as the season has gone on as theyve gotten to know each other, so im not mad that they had a rough beginning *shrugs*

also i love kagami telling chloe off lol. you go girl. stand up for yourself

adrien apparently knows every language known to man

*steadfastly ignores the english dubs choice to have adrien say hes a dog person*

chloe smashing the shit out of a trashbag full of macarons using a ladle ahahah why is this so funny to me omg

blonde Manon lookalike..bothers me...

“people do sometimes prefer things to other things” lmao

adrien panicking as he tries to find kagami somewhere to sit :(( he just wants to help :((

the plplplp sound effect when astruc gets coverd in pimples lolll

chloe only JUST realizing marinette has a crush on adrien lol. basically EVERYONE knows at this point. this marks the first time of the season where adrien almost finds out about marinette’s crush. i still think it’s a running theme throughout, she gets SO close so many times!!

i LOVE the mixture of the more traditional animation in this episode, its so fun and cool and looks so crisp

and the old timey sound effects?? amazing

classic chat getting hit in the head with the baton, ah my favorite. gets me every time

“just because it’s colorful and shiny doesn’t mean it’s not extremely dangerous!” oh mAN so many winking at the audience type lines like that in this episode

mr damocles still dressing up as the owl akdjalsd

and gorilla smASHING THE PHONE!!? ahdakd classic

hawkmoth’s face when she cuts the stream!!! aahhahha. and he SMASHES the ipad omfggg gabriell, calm down, get your shit togetherrr

aaaand civilian gabriel is now running around trying to get a glimpse of his supervillion. not going as planned today is it hawkie?

gabriel straight up monologuing on the streets as his civilian self. yikes lol

chloe telling marinette that theyll never be a team...if only she know how badly she already wanted to be on her team lmao

okay in terms of order of the episode, there wasn’t really anything i saw that places it later than the production order suggests. it’s obviously before all the other kagami episodes imo because there hasn’t been the development of her friendship with marinette that we see in Ikari Gozen, and marinette is pretty negative to her at the beginning of that one. and then kagami and adrien seem like they still havent hung out much yet here, so it feels like they aren’t as close as they maybe are in Oni Chan, and definitely not as close as they are in Desperada. Overall it definitely feels like an early season episode and i feel okay about it as number 2 for now. unless something happens later to make me believe something happened before this. (Oblivio has ads for the movie, but i guess technically those could be promotional for before or after it came out. more likely after though imo)

[notcatherinemorland]

ok i Had a bit of Fancy UpMyArse Analysis about ‘emotional horor’ as a (sub)genre but i then saw a fire emblem post so naturally ive forgotten every other thought in my head. 

i absolutely sound like an asshole, and i know nothing about any of this. but i have a lot of emotions and i like gothic novels so therefore im absolutely 110% qualified to wax lyrical on the failings of modern horror as a genre.

the book i read that had ‘emotional horror’ as a tag-along line was devil rock by paul tremblay (which, wonderful book but i preferred his other two) where the pivot of the fear element, if u like, was the fear of a mother who’s child had gone missing. 

every time i talk about horror genre i Have to do the thing where i define things for the imaginary reader bc when i talk about horror and terror, i fully subscribe to ann radcliffe’s definition. i’m sure ive mentioned it time and time again here BUT because i enjoy talking about it. Terror is ~ the feelings of fear and dread, the suspense of the horror, capitalising on the anxiety, .. the gothic liminal space effect, if ur me, where you Know you’re not safe, but you’re not face to face with the danger. the space in between. Horror is ~ confrontation with the monster itself, fits alongside sublime and grotesque, its shock and repulsion and the immediate threat, the adrenaline rush that comes with experiencing the horror element. 

i don’t say that to be condescending or to mansplain.. i say that so a) any poor soul who reads things i say (future me) knows what the fuck im on about when i talk about it & b) . i just really enjoy chatting about that. i just. like talking about the difference between horror and terror . idk why. i just dig it.  also here down ‘horror’ equals radcliffe horror, ‘horror genre’ = .. the genre of horror. horror as the noun.

anyway. ‘emotional horror.’ i remember it struck me at first because i thought huh isn’t horror as a genre based in emotion? - but with pure regard to modern horror, emotional horror seems to mean the provocation of empathy for the characters, or that the ‘horrific element’ stems from an emotional source - grief, mental health, a missing child from a mother’s perspective. 

i fully admit i haven’t watched/read enough what i could annoyingly call ‘horror-horror’ content, ie films that rely a lot of physical action and reaction to be horror - the shining with physical safety, that one film about the deaf woman being hunted in her cabin in the woods (great film, i hated the experience of watching it.) uhh. i’m a philistine so i’d shove literally any standard horror film under this banner. friday 13th, chucky, that kinda thing. i’m sure there’s really nuanced analysis of them about the themes they explore like omnipresence of religion and how god doesn’t matter in a world with free will and that kind of thing . but the annoying bottom line for me is that if it’s got jumpscares and gore, it gets shoved into ‘this is a film with emphasis on radcliffe horror and i will Suffer.’ so. i don’t watch them. i fucking HATE jumpscares. I am abolutely passing judgement on a genre i have no taste for or care to experience, and tho i therefore should not talk about it . this will not stop me . 

sorry, it’s 1am. where was i. emotional horror. 

modern horror is a very foreign ground to me, because i just. entrenched myself in a little pit of gothic lit for 3 years, discovered that ‘woah! this is a contemporary genre too!’ and then read 5 chapters of stephen king and lost my faith in humanity hjgfhhhj. but emotional horror? that’s a fucking fascinating catagory. but i really bloody wonder why it’s been segregated from pure horror genre. because imo. they Should be one in the same. whats the point in horror genre content if it’s not digging claws into proper emotional fears and making a story out of that. OH one book i loved reading was ‘the wrong train’ by . someone. where the fear is typical and very abstract until the very last lines (spoilers.. where the protagonist is set up to die offscreen) and it’s a Beautiful twist. it’s very strange because the kicker of the book was the very last part and left largely unexplored. but at the same time if a story was to start there and follow onwards.. i’d be likely to shove it in my ‘horror-horror’ catagory. depending on if it explored the emotional effects on the characters in a way that was more than physical. 

films - especially films, because unless the writer is doing a dickhead move and eliminating the character’s emotional depth from the narrative, tend to have superficial displays of terror, horror and overwhelming emotion. by limitation of the medium alone . it’s the show not tell thing all over again. film a woman screaming and crying in fear of the ghost hunting her.. or have the camera circle her, blur all the shot but her, make the shot of her as intense as the emotion the actress portrays. i absolutely sound like an asshole, and i know nothing about this. but i have a lot of emotions and i like gothic novels so therefore im absolutely 110% qualified to wax lyrical on the failings of modern horror FHIGBKEFH. 

it’s one thirty am and i need to STOP oh my god how did i write this much about fucking horror genre but i can’t write 4000 characters of a ucas statement. many reasons, mostly that a ucas statement is zero wasted space and this ramble is 90% dead air. 

anyway. emotional horror. im fucking fascinated . im appreciative of the segregation so i can find things i’ll enjoy. but. why push it into a niche when it’s fucking integral to what makes horror .. good/worthwhile (to be an asshole)/what i personally enjoy lmao

edit: i didn;t actually,, fuckign say this,, when i say ‘exploring horror thru physical means’ like the asshat i am, i mean hack and slash film, gore, onscreen bodily trauma. that kinda content. the things out find in season 4 of supernatural. where the film is very concerned with exploring the boundaries of the physical body ie . get grusomely dismembered. as opposed to ‘emotional horror’ .. like the babadook honestly. where the boundaries crossed are very mental and emotional. 

that.. that’s a whole different post and the one i was actually trying to make. fuck. 

also. i’m just a picky bitch. one kind of horror is not necessarily better or worse than the other, and we choose where we place our value in media. personal taste is paramount and im not here to shit on what other people enjoy. i just happen to be annoying about what i do. 

[graspingforotpstraws]

Spoilers and a long rant ahoy!

I waited for over a year for Jihyun’s AE and this is what I get??? I get it, he’s not the most popular character, but this is his AE. Why doesn’t he get actual, proper treatment like the other members? In the 4 hours it took for me to play his AE, he showed up for about 10-15 minutes.

Wtf?

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed every moment he was on screen. Even his last chat with Rika was fine because it felt like a good closure to their chapter! But you know, this was his romance, his happy ending with us, and you know what? It’s hard to feel connected to him when he shows up in the beginning and then towards the end only!

And don’t get me started with Rika. I’ll admit, towards the end, I softened a little, but I don’t forgive her actions. I’ll never forget them either. But from the copping out (Mika? God??? Wtf?) and then to the rigid choices, it just made the narrative weaker imo.

I don’t mind getting all this plot to tie up the loose ends, it’s great and I enjoyed it, but did I really need to witness all of Rika’s development? Sure it’s cool that god is a woman, but point is I don’t care. If I wanted to see her development, I would’ve played her actual dlc not Jihyun’s. Again, didn’t I pay for a romance with Jihyun???

It’s tiring whenever I get Jihyun content, I end up getting Rika as well. I know they have a complicated history and all, but is it really so hard to ask cheritz to tone that crap down?? I’m tired of having to deal with this when all I want is Jihyun. Is it really that hard to understand? Whenever cheritz remembers that he exists, he’s always overshadowed. Hey why not release her dlc on her birthday instead of her abuse victim’s AE??

Also, back to the endings, who the heck decided that? Seriously why does he have a “bad” ending?? What does cheritz have against him? Why should we, the player, be in charge of forgiving Rika? Again, I don’t care about her. I wanted interactions with the guy I’m going after, who’s asked me to wait for him and sends poetic love letters once in a while. Why are my choices not affecting that instead? I think many fans can agree that we’re not sadists who want to torture her, we want her brought to justice under the law and put into rehab. I understand that mental illness is difficult to deal with, but it doesn’t ever excuse your actions.

Honestly, I’m just tired of this BS. I fell in love with this game, with the characters and the plot. Jihyun brought me so much happiness and realization to love myself first. I honestly wish I could go back to being super hyped about just seeing the cg of him proposing. I wish the AE had been all of his interactions instead of this mess we got. I wish we had seen the reunion of the twins and then the happy family with Lucy at the end

To all the Saeran fans waiting for your AE, I hope yours is much better than this.

Sorry if I sound ungrateful to cheritz, I do appreciate their work into this, but I’m just really disappointed.