#does she deserve the dignity of choosing her own end? the loyalty of trying to save her (yet trap her)? and what about after?

[merge-conflict]

wip wednesday

“Being haunted by Johnny is one thing, but being possessed?” She shook her head. “There’s no cutting they could ever do to get him out. They’ll never trust me again. They’ll say the person you made that promise to is dead, and they wouldn’t be wrong.” She smiled crookedly. “I don’t want that, Goro. I never wanted that.”

He hadn’t thought she would ever actually say it out loud. She’d spent all her time shacked up with Takemura telling him what he wanted to hear and being an obedient little cog. Maybe she did have some backbone after all, even if it was just looking for an excuse to die. At least she wanted to do it on her own terms. He could work with that.

Takemura, on the other hand, looked like he’d just been slapped. “That will not happen.”

“If I survive whatever it is they plan to do with me, I’d be a lab rat for the rest of my life. They’re never going to let the only halfway successful test of the relic tech walk free.” V was calm and detached, like she was talking about someone else.

“V–“

“The decision is made,” she interrupted, standing abruptly. He could have held onto her, but he didn’t, letting her brush off his hands. “You can either accept it, or not.”

She walked away without waiting for his answer, although if Johnny had to guess she didn’t want to hear him either way. That was why she’d said it like it was some verdict handed down from God: the decision is made. More corpo doublespeak bullshit. Her favorite technique for distancing herself from everything she didn’t want to think about.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

i like how r*kep*ck was introduced as this cool, badass, mysterious & skilled cursebreaker but at the end of y6 (not even the end of the game) she gets her ass kicked by a 17 y/o who wasn’t even in their last year of school then & also gets deceived by them if we choose to do so. i mean she gets made a fool of either way, she pretty much has no dignity left when she gets tied up & shut up by a spell (cast by another 17 y/o) lmao. i almost feel bad for her, i mean what a downgrade. but since she’s a total bitch, i don’t feel bad for her. she doesn’t deserve any of my condolences. 😒

But I love that so much, I really do. Because here’s the thing - it really doesn’t indicate anything about Rakepick’s decline as a character or force to be reckoned with. I mean, it emphatically does, but if we just take what the game is giving us, if we throw out any behind-the-scenes theories and force the game to be considered exclusively from the perspective of what this would mean in-universe...then it’s kind of awesome. Because there’s no reason within the story why Rakepick would fall so easily, no reason to assume this says anything about her. But it says everything about MC. I think that might be what they’re going for. That this is a marker of how much MC has grown, and become more powerful. Which is no doubt what R wants to see happen, but it could be a great or terrible depending on the path MC chooses to take. 

I mention these moments a lot, but I feel that they’re important and demonstrate this point. No matter what else Rakepick was, from the beginning she did try to teach MC, and hone their skills. Given what we now know about her, it’s very possible that she was grooming MC from the very beginning, to lead The Cabal one-day. Or who knows, maybe at one point, she had ideas about turning them into a weapon to use against them. I’d imagine her loyalty was paper-thin. Regardless, depending on dialogue choices, Rakepick can say that MC has not yet “scratched the surface of their potential” and that this is “frightening in many ways.” Combo that with her cryptic instruction to take the lead...I think she could see even then that MC would one day be a fearsome agent and leader among R if they were to choose that path. Whatever her agenda was, she could see that. I think that line about how it was “frightening” is telling...frightening for who? In what way? 

Well, here’s something that’s a little scary. In just a year and half, MC went from being unable to get a single spell off on Rakepick before she destroyed their damn wand...to overpowering her in a duel and making her look like a moron. And, depending on your choices, outsmarting her as well. Demonstrating a ruthless intelligence in trapping her, and the nerve to use that intelligence to destroy their enemies, unrestrained by the moral questions of doing so. Not even two years ago, Rakepick was this impassable, insurmountable wall. But as of Year 7? MC has settled things with her, and emerged victorious. She fell before them. You know, it almost reminds me of Star Wars: How the Apprentices who study The Dark Side invariably wind up killing their Masters to succeed them, but only when they’ve reached a point of surpassing them in power. MC has reached that point. They have slain the Dark Witch who was once their Master. And now? Well, now it’s simply down to MC’s choice if they’re going to follow in her footsteps. Again, the symbolism of MC polyjuicing Rakepick, literally turning into her...can’t be ignored. 

Ultimately, Rakepick doesn’t matter anymore. Her role in the story is over. Her purpose has been fulfilled. She has trained MC in the ways of Curse-Breaking. Of exploration, investigation, and martial magic. In her own words, she taught them how to “attack” The Dark Arts. The exact opposite of Defense Against the Dark Arts, and probably the shadow of actually using them. It’s been teased many times that MC will eventually learn an Unforgiveable, and I can believe it. MC will have to have a choice to make, and R will either get everything they wanted, their gamble will pay off...or, MC will teach them a very, very painful lesson. Rakepick  may represent R itself, in the sense that on their orders, she mentored MC, but that backfired on her. The Cabal has invested so much into MC, but what will they do if, no matter what, MC refuses to join them? Still considers them a mortal enemy? Because they’ve given MC all of the tools needed to destroy them, and all the motivation necessary to burn them to the ground and not look back.

Rakepick’s done for, her story is over. Because now, in no small part because she mentored them for two years...MC is powerful enough to knock her out of the story. As she knew they would be. I’d say they’re starting to scratch the surface of their potential, wouldn’t you? The only question now is...how much have they unlocked? Just how fearsome could MC really be if they decided to go all out? 

[sepublic]

Over-Analyzing Boscha

           Given what we’ve seen about Boscha, specifically her mother… And how she ends up coming across as emotionally-clingy and needing, asking if she can join her daughter’s sleepover (while at the same time only learning at the last second and not even remarking on this), I’ve gotta wonder…

           This is just speculation, but maybe Boscha’s mother (and potentially father, or other mother) is someone who treats their kid more like an emotional crutch and somebody to take care of them, rather than somebody they’re responsible for. And obviously, this kind of thing has BAD effects on a kid (see my previous analyses). I wonder if Boscha was conditioned from a young age to see emotional openness and vulnerability as a weakness, and very toxic because of how uncomfortable it made her as a child.

          Perhaps to her, friends are people you should keep a certain distance from, lest they become clingy, overstep their boundaries, and start weighing you down with insecurities as they become overly-reliant on you. In her opening monologue from Wing it like Witches, Boscha apparently believes this principle applies to fans, since she thinks that being feared and hated is just another sign of success and supposed to be normal.

          Given how prior to their falling out, Boscha constantly followed Amity around and seemed to be almost fishing for approval at times… As pointed out to me by @theowlhouseheadcanons, I wonder if Amity was someone she actually admired and look up to, as a guide for how to act; Or at the very least, Boscha looked up to the façade that Amity put up.

          From Boscha’s perspective, Amity is cooler than her; Her own parents may have some status, but Amity always talks of her friendship with Boscha as a privilege she’s extending. Amity is the Top Student at Hexside for a reason, and the personal favorite apprentice of Lilith, Head Witch of the Emperor’s Coven! She’s aloof, while keeping people at a distance, and was always better at Grudgby than Boscha.

          To Boscha, Amity may have been someone she wanted to emulate; And with the distant, cold way Amity acted around her, always setting boundaries and maintaining a distance between the two, I could see Boscha legitimately thinking that; Oh, this is how friends should act! Because keep in mind, Boscha was basically ‘gifted’ her position as Team Captain, and all the fame that went with it, from Amity; And all because Amity felt bad for injuring her.

          Boscha seems very much like the kind of person who doesn’t realize that you can dislike a person, while still treating them with dignity and respect… So if Amity felt bad about injuring her to the point where she quit Grudgby, cold-turkey, at the height of her success? Clearly Boscha means a lot to her! I mean, why else would Amity choose to hang out with her?

          Which naturally, this leads to Boscha believing that her and Amity ARE friends… And that Amity’s cold, distant way of regarding her, always keeping each other at a distance while making sure to remind Boscha who’s the dominant one in the group, is how friends should act. Coupled with what I said earlier about Boscha seeing emotional openness as weak and toxic, and I can see Boscha being under the impression that people should be admired from a distance, even by their friends, and that maintaining that kind of distance is important and just a natural thing in a good relationship.

          Which, there are differences between setting healthy boundaries, and always keeping ‘friends’ at a distance from you, reminding them of one’s superiority over them, and applying this to fans and admirers as well. What’s worse is that to Boscha, getting injured by Amity may not have been something she held against her; Not just because it was a legitimate accident and Amity even gave up her position as Team Captain to her… But I could also see her legitimately thinking that it’s totally fine to injure your friends to achieve success, and that real friends should let themselves be hurt for the ‘stronger’ of the pair!

          Obviously, I can’t see Boscha letting herself get hurt for her other friends, nor do I necessarily think she actually hurt any of them either. Which leads me to my point that Amity, or at least the image she put up, was the only person that Boscha ever actually respected and looked up to for a while (given her lack of reverence for rules and the adults); That she was always content with being second-best because it was to Amity!

          Perhaps Boscha regularly followed Amity around, always trying to get her attention and ‘impress’ her, show her how much she was like Amity, while unintentionally being clingy in her own way like her mother. So when Amity, seemingly inexplicably, leaves Boscha behind for Willow… Boscha is now at the top of the friend group, but like with Grudgby it’s only because Amity stepped down.

          What’s worse is that Amity did it because she actively rejected Boscha for being a toxic person as well. She’s now at the top, but what does Boscha do with this position, having lost the one person she looked up to, now that they’ve been ‘corrupted’? Having nobody to look to for guidance, when her own parents were unreliable? Especially now that her position at the ‘top’, both in Grudgby and amongst the friend group, is becoming hollow as attentions diverts to Willow…

          (Not that I think Boscha’s friends necessarily intended to displace her with Willow, but to someone unhealthily competitive as Boscha it would definitely seem the case.)

          Being at the top is already lonely enough as-is, but considering Boscha’s outlook on life and the way she treats people, it’s only going to get worse. I can see her being trapped in a period of confusion, not sure what to think anymore, wanting to hate Amity but also realizing that a lot of the things she knows, she was taught by her; So can she keep operating by these rules still? And so Boscha tries to distract herself from it all by just throwing her entire soul into Grudgby, only to be left in despair when Grudgby Season inevitably ends, regardless of whether or not Boscha becomes THE champion of the sport that year!

          To Boscha, she HAS to be the best, because if she’s not, then maybe she’s a loser like her parents… And she has to distance herself from them. Boscha’s parents prioritized themselves over her, so she was taught that to have any real happiness in life, she has to put herself above everybody else at any cost, lest others try and ‘take’ that from her, that she has to keep a tight hold on what she has lest it be jeopardized. Everybody is a selfish enemy trying to encroach on her territory, so Boscha has to defend at any cost!

          Obviously, I’m not saying Amity is somehow a bad person, or that she’s necessarily ‘responsible’ for who Boscha is. Amity was distant from Boscha because she was forced to be friends with her and just genuinely did not vibe; Not to mention, she was also internalizing a lot of abuse from her own parents that encouraged Amity to be someone who was cold and closed-off, which when coupled with her loneliness in the situation… It’s no wonder she didn’t really interact with Boscha on a personal level. Really, I just see the situation as being the fault of both girls’ parents, for not being caring enough and leaving their kids confused and trying to navigate one another, and getting the wrong lessons in the process.

          Clearly Boscha has some issues of her own, that are of her own choosing and fault; She’s spiteful and petty to a degree that Amity has never been. But ultimately, I think it’s fun considering why she is the way she is, and what her relationship with Amity was like, in the wake of Amity revealing more about herself and thus re-contextualizing a bunch of interactions!

          Amity isn’t at fault here, she’s a kid who was forced to hang out with someone she didn’t want to, and it’s not her fault that Boscha got the wrong messages because of abuse from her parents. And if Boscha’s mother was a ‘lonely loser’ who was clingy and toxic to her, then I can see that influencing Boscha’s way of treating Willow and her outlook on lonely people as being ‘desperate’, ‘pathetic’, and deserving to be mistreated for being ‘parasites’.

          That they need to be taught to always know their place and maintain a distance from those who matter, lest such ‘losers’ drag them down with them as well. Similarly, I can see her bullying Willow almost as a means of garnering Amity’s approval, because obviously Amity seemed intent on telling Willow to leave her alone; So Boscha would prove her loyalty and helpfulness as a friend, by telling Willow to back off! Amidst her own narrow mindset, it must be incredibly baffling to her for Amity to suddenly be hanging out with Willow and defending her from Boscha, who had always ‘protected’ her!

          I don’t know why Boscha’s mother is like this, or if her other parent is complicit as well. But generally speaking, a parent usually doesn’t resort to asking to hang out with their own kid if they aren’t lonely; So I wouldn’t be surprised if Boscha’s other parent is also distant, and responsible for her mother being emotionally needy… Which then causes Boscha’s mother to rely on her own daughter, making Boscha uncomfortable around those kinds of people, and causing a chain of events that result in the messed-up fourteen-year-old we see today!

          And again, Amity’s not responsible for Boscha, and she’s still busy trying to heal herself as well and definitely has worse self-loathing issues- Amity has never been truly selfish, mainly doing what her parents want; Which of course, she confuses as being what she wants as well. Obviously I don’t want to compare abuse, but at the same time it has to be acknowledged that Amity REALLY needs to prioritize herself and the friends she’s actually chosen for once.

          Amity is NOT a hypocrite for calling out Boscha on her bad behavior and indicating she’s more mature than her, especially since she’s never been an active bully and already made clear that Willow is to be respected. She’s still unlearning the abuse from her parents that makes Amity believe that kids like her are supposed to ��be mature’ at an early age. She never planned to be Boscha’s friend, and Boscha was clearly more interested in the façade she put up; And even then, the image that Boscha had in mind wasn’t entirely accurate to Amity’s façade either!

          Boscha’s idea of what Amity was supposed to be like no doubt contributed to the pressure Amity had to be someone she wasn’t. It’s best for both girls that they separated, honestly- So that Amity can finally be free to make her own friends and not be beholden to someone she was forced to be with, and so Boscha can stop using Amity’s fake self as an unhealthy standard to follow, stop participating in a one-sided and unhealthy ‘friendship’, recognize where she’s messed up, respect others’ boundaries, and hopefully become kinder to others.

          Maybe then, Boscha will stop almost projecting her insecurities and needs onto Amity, looking to her almost as someone to depend and rely on, without considering who Amity ACTUALLY is and what she truly wants; Because Amity isn’t some stoic emotional crutch, she’s still a kid with her own insecurities and needs, just like Boshca. Boscha can perhaps stop looking at Amity for who Boscha wants her to be…

          …You know, the way her mother treats Boscha herself.

[artsy-alice]

TREMONTAINE Season 3, Episode 4 Reaction + Review

This episode is mostly an episode to set up things to come, but that doesn’t mean that there was no tension present. The focus is more on our younger characters this time, and how they are starting to grow into their own roles and take charge of their actions. All in all, more good development stuff.

Tremontaine S3 E4 is out NOW in the Serial Box website! New to the series? The pilot episode is available online for free!

Spoilers under the cut!

It’s like yesterday I was reading about Rafe and Kaab getting stupid drunk together while Micah cringes at them... Now they’re all grown up: having normal conversations with a guy without seducing him... yelling at trespassers... and holding family meetings to plan on how to avoid the entire clan’s downfall... Yes, my children are grown.

Before delving into my usual character-focused reviews, I just gotta say it was interesting to see the Night of the Flames festival as some kind of Halloween thing in the Riverside universe. I think the “caught your ghost” thing is their version of Trick or Treat? I live in the Philippines where Trick or Treat has never really been a thing (until recently, and mostly exclusive for kids in the upper middle class and above who live in more well-off neighborhoods) so the vague idea for me was that.

I expected a bit more mayhem from this chapter because it IS the Night of the Flames so it was surprising that it was as... relatively peaceful as it turned out to be. The mayhem was still there, I suppose, but the focus turned to the more subdued moments and it’s still effective.

Let’s do RAFE first because consequence-wise I feel Rafe was the most chill this episode.

Our boy takes a stroll around the City lamenting about his school. Yes, he’s got a goal now but he still feels Will’s loss deeply. What is the point in his school, a dream he shared with Will, if Will was not there to witness it happen?

Luckily, he gets a distraction in the form of our favorite Chartil Ambassador, who entertains him with interesting conversation for the meantime. It was amusing to witness Rafe’s train of thought as they started engaging one another in pure friendly conversation and he realized that he didn’t want to jump the Beautiful Unicorn Prince Charming Ambassador in front of him.

There were “having an almost offensively civil conversation" hahahah RAFE MY BOY WE’RE PROUD OF YOU.

Then there’s Florian. Ugh go away, Florian. Rafe is making a nice friend. Go away, don’t flirt with Reza either. Ew.

Reza thinks Rafe is interesting too, and recognizes loss in him as well. And it’s like some recurring theme now that everyone but Rafe knows that Rafe can do better than Florian.

If the haunted young man didn’t have the sense to keep better company than the popinjay who had spirited him away, however, then no matter how much room he had in him, nothing of any worth would fill it.

Even Reza, who was just at most a passing acquaintance at this point, knows. I thought this would go on for a while, but as it turns out, Rafe does find that sense in him not long after!

I guess the promise of enlightening conversation is more enticing than whatever Florian had in mind (we all know what he had in mind).

YES RAFE JUST LEAVE THAT MAN AND HIS DIRTY ALLEYS. PLATONIC CREAM PUFFS WITH THE AMBASSADOR IS BETTER. A++ WOULD RECOMMEND.

Again. Proud of you, son. Keep it up!

.

Now, for TESS. I said in my previous episode review that the siege’s conclusion would have an aftermath and we see the beginnings of it here.

Tess feels the guilt of having made the decisions she (and her “council”) made last time. Which is... yeah, I guess she should. It was a pretty nasty thing. While Shade might have deserved it, it wasn’t the nicest message of solidarity, wasn’t it?

Yes, Riverside would stick with you, as long as you’re willing to die for Riverside too. Otherwise, you have no friends here. It’s all for Riverside in the end, even above your family or lover. It’s a pretty clear-cut but cruel ultimatum.

I also mentioned her reputation most probably getting a boost because of the Salamander openly displaying a form of allegiance with her, and we see that this episode too.

She prevents a gang of street urchins from getting them all in trouble, but still sends them off with a more ‘harmless’ plan, and puts a more responsible and sensible leader in charge. I want to see more of Charlotte! And they do succeed, and her message was received. Now they’ll have to wait for how the rest of the City replies.

While Tess’ loyalty to her home and her people is admirable, and it is one of the things I adore about her, I do think she is still being very extreme about her views here. It’s becoming clearer that for her, it’s almost a black-and-white situation. Riverside Against the World. She might have to reconsider this because I feel like this unchanging stance of hers might not be useful when she needs to make choices on the gray areas.

On a side-note, I live for Tess and Reza’s little friendship thing. Reza asking if he could visit from time to time is pure. <3

.

MICAH is still precious. She continues to be precious. That is why IF SOMEONE HURTS A HAIR ON THIS CHILD’S HEAD I WILL RIOT.

I love that Micah is simply happy to be herself. I loved that she admitted that she once wanted to be like everyone else, but then quickly thought what if that someone else didn’t love Math? Nope. Micah without Math is not Micah.

SHE IS A PRECIOUS. MY DAUGHTER. I WANT TO HUG HER (BUT ONLY IF SHE WANTS ME TO).

And again. I do truly love Diane and Micah’s relationship. Micah comes up with a revelation and she had to tell Diane. She goes to visit Diane’s bedroom, doesn’t find her there, and climbs up to Diane’s... room at the top of the house (what is it called again? HELP).

Diane sets aside her work to listen to Micah as she tells her about her latest project. I do think it speaks volumes about their relationship with the whole conversation about how nobles are always faking their interactions and yes, Diane knew it was horrible and yes, Diane doesn’t really always enjoy these parties as well. And Micah is now allowed to call her just Diane!

It was endearing, and reading from Diane’s bit near the end, she truly does think Micah is delightful company, so far.

And then someone breaks and enters and SCARES MICAH.

Davenant, I SWEAR, I WILL END YOUR GOONS AND THEN YOU.

.

Finally, on KAAB’s side, the pressure is on.

I can only imagine how hard it was for Kaab to reel in her emotions while they held a Kinwiinik funeral ceremony for Saabim. And then, in the family meeting that followed, she is faced with more pressure with the tough decisions to be made.

Kaab, who has always made her decisions using her heart, now trying her best to evaluate her past actions and make the proper choices. She said it determinedly last time - No posturing. Only results. But what if posturing is needed for the results? What if the posturing needed for the results goes directly against age old tradition and the memory of your late mentor who you’re trying to do good by?

“If our little bee wants to destroy this family with her impetuous behavior, that is her right.”

In the end, I think Kaab still does follow her heart, but this time with a dignity and determination supported by logic, which showed much growth in her part.

“If this family is willing to pour out joy to welcome a man—whoever he is—while we still mourn the loss of our mother in this land,” she said, slowly, deliberately, “then perhaps it ought to be destroyed.” 

The choices were Impress The Batab With Our Family’s Strength vs. Show the Batab How Much We Value Tradition. And maybe she did, in her way, manage to choose both.

But that was only the beginning, and the inspector had said as much - he was still not satisfied. Kaab has to do her best now because more trials are coming, and I am rooting for our girl.

Okay, now off to make Challenge #4!

[mdwatchestv]

The Walking Dead 7x16: Zombie Space Princess

Last week I came to the realization that I had simply raised the bar of my expectations too high for this show and perhaps greater enjoyment would come through lowering them. Therefore my only expectation for this episode was to see Shiva kill and eat one person. My expectations were gloriously met and smashed as Shiva killed and ate TWO people. It was amazing and fulfilled all my hopes and dreams for the season finale. See you guys next year.

Kidding, kidding, kidding, I have MUCH more to say about the finale than that. First of all after a year of being teased with Chekhov's tiger, seeing Shiva fly through the air onto that guy just in the knick of time was pretty damn satisfying. Even if so many other aspects of The Walking Dead are kind of a train wreck right now, that moment was still pretty "Yasss"-worthy.

Overall the finale was a reflection of the season as a whole: some excellent moments standing out against a largely predictable backdrop with a villain who just isn't working. This episode also acted to serve two functions: as a culminating stand off between Rick and Negan, but also as a farewell episode to Sasha.

The Sasha storyline was the stronger of the two, so let's get into that first. The fact that Sonequa Martin-Green has been announced to star (although CBS did not officially confirm it until after Sunday’s episode of TWD) in CBS All Access's reboot of Star Trek, coupled with the time honored tradition of a beloved regular eating it in the final episodes of a season, meant that it was fairly obvious going into this episode that Sasha's time had come to an end. So I appreciated that this episode didn't set up her death as a shocking twist, but rather from the very first frame made it  clear that this was a Very Special Sasha Goodbye Episode.

I always enjoy when TWD does something a bit off the beaten path (see Tyreese's  Very Special Goodbye Episode where he too is visited by ghosts of Walking Dead past) and thought the missing scene with Sasha and Abraham was a nice narrative closure for both characters. I also liked that Sasha's reminiscences transcended her romantic life to include Maggie, her close friend, general symbol of hope, and goddess of nature. Although I was not surprised by Sasha's death itself, the manner of it was pleasantly unexpected. Sasha giving her life and becoming a kamikaze walker in order to take one last shot at Negan felt honorable in its way. It was tragic yes, but made sense in the arc of her character. Sasha had often struggled with the line between life and death, and having her choose to enter the grey space between to try and protect her loved ones was fitting . Sasha has not always been the strongest or most dynamically written character, but Sonequa Martin-Green always carried her with dignity and she putting the acting pedal to the metal during her final outing. While Sasha will be missed, I look forward to seeing Sonequa as First Officer Michael Burnham this fall. To infinity, and beyond! (That's what they say on Star Trek right?)

Moving on to the standoff we have all been waiting for...

Is anyone surprised the werido trash people turned out to be not that trust-worthy? I was surprised trust-no-bitch-Rick was so quick to hand them both guns and the keys to the farm. Like everything they did was weird from rolling in dump trucks, to smoking cigars to speaking with weird accents (why???) to carrying Schindler's List umbrellas - I did not get this group. But now they're mostly dead so BAI.

However despite the betrayal of the garbage tribe and Rick's flesh wound, this was a showdown that lacked any real tension.  After an entire episode dedicated to lovingly putting Sasha to rest, it seemed extremely unlikely that Michonne (or any other fan fav) would be killed without ceremony or fanfare. The only real tension came from finding out whether or not Negan was going to finally meet his maker. That is not to say the fight itself wasn't entertaining as all get out- Daryl got to let his badass flag fly high and proud (um where did he get that gun of the future??), my beautiful Maggie charged in like a noble unicorn to save the day and even Carl managed to do something right and helped turn the tide of the fight (no one was more shocked than I). But a conflict is only as good as it's antagonist and well...Negan has ceased to cut it for me.

First of all, what is his logic for letting Rick live?? Rick has now told him, TWICE, to his face, in a scary whisper monologue, that he will stop at nothing to kill Negan. Kill him Negan! Put someone else in charge! Create a puppet government! It works REALLY well (so I hear). Not only does Negan not have the sense to shut down the guy who is determined to end him, he also does not. shut. up. Disappointing to find that Negan is nothing more than a bad guy, in a long line of bad guys, defeated by his own monologuing.

Negan: I'm going to kill Carl.

Me: Great.

Negan: Gonna do it in one swing.

Me: Sounds good.

Negan: I'm sad to do it, but I'll still do it.

Me: Let's get to gettin.

By the time Negan finally made it to the wind up, King Ezekial had enough time to mount the hill, get out his training clicker and treats, and direct Shiva at a target. Lord have mercy does Negan talk, and the more he talks the less intimidating he becomes. Yeah, I know guy, you want to fuck your bat.

As promised the season did not end on another disastrous cliffhanger, but Negan (and Steven Ogg thank god)  did survive to fight another day. We end instead on a somewhat hopeful note as our survivors patch each other up and prepare for the war ahead as Negan rallies his formidable troops. I was glad that the finale didn't attempt to wrap up the entire Negan story in one go, but I am also tired of Negan and anxious for his storyline to be done. However the 'war' plot is at least a focussed direction for the story to go in after a season that sorely lacked real forward momentum.

On a final note this episode acted not only as a goodbye to Sasha and Abraham, but also to Glenn. As Maggie notes in her final monologue, Glenn was the inciting action that set the series as we know it in motion and he also acted as a moral center for much of the show. Initially a lot about Glenn's death frustrated me, I felt as if it was a gratuitous way for a beloved character to go, presented in a way that felt as if it was meant to punish the audience for their loyalty. Although a bit heavy handed, I was glad at least Glenn got the eulogy attention he deserved. The moral is, Maggie is the best, long may she reign.

On a side note I started this blog to see if I could blog an entire season of The Walking Dead and I DID IT. Thank you everyone who read all of my complaints and encouraged me to keep going even though I longed to fall over like a barnacled beach zombie,

XO MD

[thegirlintrovert]

The Lying Game

From the women I have connected with in the past year, I’ve learned some exception to not being able to leave a current relationship, such as children, assets, abuse, and/or waiting for your legal papers to be finalized so you can reside in the USA. But, in this entry, it is the mainstream reasons without the extenuating circumstances. 

Define cheating?

Do I really have to? I guess there is no clear cut definition of cheating. Cheating is difficult to define because people differ in the type of contact they feel it is appropriate for a partner to have with someone else. All in all, this is how I define cheating: If you have to sneak to do it, lie to cover it up, or delete it to keep it from being seen, then you need to be single. 

Cheating doesn’t mean you have to kiss, meet, or have sex with someone else. Once you find yourself deleting messages so your partner will not see them, then you are already there.

The cheater.

We all know that secret and lies kill any relationships. No matter how careful you are, you will eventually get caught. So why risk all? 

In most cases, men are believed to be natural born cheaters or at least highly predispose to cheating, as if somewhere in their DNA, a genetic mutation took place that caused an aversion to monogamous relationship. But how could this be when other men are able to be faithful to their woman? Ha! It’s because there is never an excuse to cheat. This is why a cheating behavior always correlates a negative punishment. 

Remember: They cheated because they wanted to. They lied, because they could, and now they’re sorry because they got caught not because they are wrong. It’s always about them. If you cheat on someone that is willing to do anything for you, you actually cheated yourself out of true loyalty.

Why do they cheat?

Cheaters are cowards that are tempted to chase the fantasy of what could be, instead of courageously addressing their own self-destructive and cultivating what is. He is someone who is just too damn selfish to chose one side or the other, but instead demands to have his cake and eat it too.  

I’m not happy with my current relationship. 

So you’re unhappy with him or the overall relationship? Then, why do you have to stay unhappy with him/her instead of leaving? Why do you have to cheat when you can leave? There’s no right reason to cheat on someone, unless, you’re forced to do so at gunpoint or with a dangerous abusive partner. I’ve noticed that they refused to leave their current partner because he/she is afraid to be alone.  They choose to cheat and juggle both parties, because they want a win-win result at the end. If it doesn’t work with person A, then they still have person B. It’s the matter of being a victor and having a safe haven to fall back to.  

Don’t cheat! If you are unhappy just leave! Oh wait, you’re NOT unhappy, you just want to have your cake and eat it too, because if you were that unhappy, you wouldn’t put so much effort into hiding your cheating from your partner. 

He’s my soulmate, the timing isn’t right. 

Ummm… no! Overlapping will never result in anything good. For my Christian/Catholic ladies… Just in case you’re  confused. God will never send you someone else’s husband or boyfriend. 

Why settle for half-a-man when you have your own man? If he’s cheating with you, then he will cheat on you! Karma is real, so please give the next woman’s relationship the same respect you’d want her to give yours. No matter the reasons are, do not be the other woman. Leave him. The second you take him back again will be your fall. 

Don’t mind being the other woman and think the one being cheated is the fool? 

If you succeed in cheating someone, don’t think that person is a fool. relative that the person trusted you more than you deserved. If your boyfriend cheated on you, maybe it’s worth exploring a second chance, but if you start a relationship being the other woman, you will never be the only woman. Well, being the other woman does not make you special, it makes you a runner-up. Don't play this game, you will lose! 

If you continue and become an active participant despite his failed promises, don’t expect to get treated like number 1 while playing the role of number 2.

If you agree to be the other woman, you’re worse than him.

He said, he left her, then next thing you know they’re still together. You hated her more. You wanted him back (as a single man). You wanted to win against her, even though every conceivable prize worth something had already been lost. It was ugly, and you are ugly for engaging it.

Part of you will always believe, even if you find the overall concept a bit ridiculous, that this has something to do with karma. You don’t think that it has a 1:1 ratio, or that you necessarily deserved what you got, but you do believe that something of what you put out in the world does come back to you in some way. Though this isn’t the reason you shouldn’t be the other woman. 

Something truly ugly happens in people when we feel that we’re losing something we love, something that we put in the work for and cared for, such as our significant other. This happens to all of us, but it is so often amplified between women because society as a whole is eager to see us fight. To paint us as good and bad, Madonna and Whore. And the woman who was slighted is filled with irrational hate, with jealousy, with a desire to have some kind of victory over the other. The other is hateful of the girlfriend because she represents everything that she cannot be with any trace of dignity. Both of them are robbed of their respect, of their empathy, of their sanity.

It brings out the worst in us, and makes us distrustful of the very same love around which we base so much of our happiness. It creates rivalries where there should be understanding, even friendship. And though both parties can end up doing ugly things, there is only one of the two who makes the choice to enter into and complicate things. You are not a homewrecker, you are not the sole wrongdoer. You are not the reason why it isn’t working between them. But you are making a choice to hurt another woman, to pit yourself against her, and to make her unable to trust again for years after it’s all over. You are stealing something from her, and it’s not her boyfriend. It’s not her husband. You are stealing her innocence, her desire to see the good in people, and her ability to be calm-headed about the problems in her own relationship. You are going to reduce her to someone who only sees in betrayal and lies.

There may be a million things wrong with her, but no one ever deserves this.And none of us should ever be the other woman, the one who drives the both of you past the limits that you had always prided yourselves on having. It’s not fair to her, and it’s not fair to you. And even if you think you love someone who is in a relationship, it’s always better to love yourself more. If they really want to be with you, they’ll leave and start things the right way. And you know it.

Sneaking around requires more work than working on the relationship you’re already in. For once in your life, please use your brain.

There’s a quote that says, “A cheater’s punishment is to live a life of mistrust because they live in constant fear that the person that cheated with the, will also cheat on them. Some cal it poetic justice, but I call it Karma.”

A woman who sleeps with another woman’s husband/partner will say anything to try to justify their actions. “His woman is crazy, his woman is a bitch, he doesn’t love her anymore.” They never stop to question the man who cheats on the woman he vowed his life to. They never stop to wonder if perhaps his wife/partner is a crazy bitch because his cheating ass made her that way. And they certainly never stop to think that maybe someday he might to the same to her.