#even the FIRST episode is a slam dunk

[christianborle]

it’s crazy how whipped i am for ted lasso the character. it’s crazy how he’s fictional and yet i’d do anything for him. the first episode ALONE already has so much depth to it and his character you just want him to be happy so badly. like he’s your old buddy and you want the best for him. how did they do this to meeeeeeeeeee

[darlingdaisyfarm]

to the past, with love (and glitter!)

★ mullet!stan & dipper & mabel. based on the episode “the time traveler’s pig” (s1ep9)

there are a lot of ways to mess up time travel! you can, for example, go too far back and get eaten by a dinosaur. or too far forward and see the singularity when robots overthrow humanity (Dipper’s fear). or worse, you can land smack dab in the middle of your own grunkle’s life. . . before he even became your grunkle

there were a lot of things Dipper was prepared for when he woke up this morning. fighting gnomes? sure. dealing with Stan’s weird scam-of-the-week? totally. getting dunked on by Mabel for being a huge nerd? unfortunately, yes.

what he wasn't prepared for was that the Blending Blanding's time machine would throw him back several decades into the past. . .

they don’t mean to mess up the timeline. well. Dipper doesn’t. Mabel is like 60% on board with it, because time travel is fun! and she’s already accepted the fact that messing with the past is basically inevitable

“well,” Mabel said, dusting herself off as she stood up. “that happened.”

Dipper groaned, pulling himself out of a pile of garbage bags. “yeah. thanks, Mabel, for tackling me while i was holding the most fragile piece of technology in the universe!”

“excuse you, i was trying to stop you! so really, this is all on you, mister i-think-i’m-so-smart!”

Dipper opened his mouth to argue, but then he actually looked around and— oh. oh, no! oh no no no no! this wasn’t the Gravity Falls they knew.

they were near the Mystery Shack, but. . . it didn't felt right at all. it was scrappier and messier than usual. instead of looking like a wildly successful tourist trap, it looked like someone had just slapped a sign onto a creepy old house and hoped for the best

Mabel popped up beside him, a grin splitting her face. “let’s do it again!” as she tried to steal time machine from her brother's hands

“do what again?” a gruff voice barked. before either of them could panic properly, the shack’s front door slammed open.

Dipper had exactly 0.5 seconds to process this before Mabel screamed an excited. “OH. MY. GLOB.” before clutching on Dipper's shoulders, shaking him like crazy. “DIPPER, LOOK AT HIS HAIR. LOOK AT HIS HAIR RIGHT NOW. LOOK AT IT.”

Dipper did not, in fact, needed to look at it. his brain was already in overdrive because oh no. oh no! they’ve gone way too far back!

“. . . oh boy,” Dipper whispered in fear. “Mabel, i think we just traveled back to the eighties.”

“hey! who the hell are you two and why are you screaming on my porch?” holy crap. their grunkle Stan! but. . . not. this Stan was younger, his face had fewer wrinkles and somehow his nose looked less like it had been broken five times, and oh god, Mabel is absolutely right, his hair!

Mabel was losing it. “YOUR HAIR. YOUR LUXURIOUS, BEAUTIFUL HAIR. CAN I TOUCH IT?!” and without Stanley's response, she lunged.

“Mabel, NO—“ but it was too late as she grabbed the mullet with both hands and started petting it.

“oh my GOSH, it’s SO SOFT. IT’S LIKE PETTING A DREAM.”

Dipper, ever the voice of reason, nervously gripped the time machine. “we shouldn’t be here, we shouldn’t be here.” but before he could get it working, because of squeezing on it too tight, something snapped under his fingers and a very small, very important piece of the machine rolled right into a crack in the floorboards. Dipper panicked.

Stanley flailed backwards, nearly knocking over a rack of off-brand Mystery Shack merch. “HEY, HEY, HANDS OFF THE GOODS, KID! KID!”

Mabel ignored him, still enraptured. “it’s so full-bodied. so wavy. Dipper, this is like- this is like a perfectly made pancake, but made of hair!”

“i— i don’t even know what that means,” Dipper said weakly, still trying to reboot his brain from the horror of whatever this situation was.

Stan rubbed his temples. “listen, unless you two are here to buy something, get lost. i don’t do babysitting.”

“okay, first of all, rude,” Mabel huffed, putting her hands on her hips. “second of all, we are time travelers from the future! we can totally tell you your future! in fact,” she elbowed Dipper in the ribs making him groan in pain. “bro, tell him something cool! but not anything that’ll mess up the timeline, like the butterfly effect or whatever.”

“Mabel, literally everything we could say would mess up the timeline—“

Stan stared at them meanwhile. then he burst out laughing. “pffft— HA! oh, man. time travelers? that’s a new one. that’s some grade-A sci-fi geek nonsense right there. sixer would have loved it!” he wiped a tear from his eye. “you kids crack me up.”

“just tell him something small! like, um, he gets. . . even richer in the future!” Mabel threw up her hands in excitement.

Stan immediately perked up. “oh yeah?”

“uhhh, yep,” Dipper said weakly, avoiding eye contact. “definitely. totally. you, uh, you make tons of money. so much money.”

“alright, you kids talk weird. plus, ive never seen you around here before. you’re not from town, are ya?”

oh, this was bad. this was really bad. if Stan got too suspicious, they’d be in huge trouble.

“uhhh,” Dipper said, scrambling for a cover story. “we’re, um, lost. we’re just two normal, average, completely inconspicuous children! yeah!” he was trying very hard not to freak out because oh god they were literally talking to Stan before he was grunkle Stan.

Mabel was staring at Stan's hair all the time with very wide smile and that made him pretty uncomfortable “kid? hey, kid, stop drooling at my hair. it’s weird.”

“how do you get it so fluffy,” she whispered in pure awe with her pupils dilated.

Stanley ran a hand through his glorious locks, looking smug. “it’s called not wasting money on shampoo. just the rain, kid.”

***

Stan was very much done with these weird time kids. his hair had been fluffed, styled and glitter bombed. his red jacket was now covered in rhinestones. but worst of all, they had somehow managed to charm him. and if one day, he had a niece with enough sparkle to fill a thousand sequins, maybe he wouldn’t be so bad at the whole family thing after all.

Mabel had been telling him about all the ways he could make “big bucks” in the future, mainly by selling even worse bootleg merch, which he had to admit was genius.

“and guess what? your shack becomes the best tourist trap ever! people come from all over to see your weird stuff.”

Stan’s eyes lit up with a mix of greed and hope. “you don’t say. maybe you kids aren’t so useless after all.”

“yup! and you’re a total legend!” Mabel gushed and Dipper shot her a warning look.

“Mabel, maybe we shouldn’t—“

“nah, tell me more, i like this kid,” Stan interrupted. “how do i do it? what’s my secret?”

“uhhh, hard work?” Mabel tried and Dipper gave her a thumbs up for the safe answer.

“and um, believing in yourself?” Dipper added, though he knew present-day Stan would probably gag at that advice.

Stan laughed. “believe in myself, huh? easier said than done. not like i got anyone else to believe in me.”

Mabel’s heart twisted a little. she reached out and patted Stan’s arm. “well, we believe in you. and you’re gonna do great things. pinky promise!”

Dipper, however, was acting weird, too suspicious, always stuttering, sweating and Stan was no fool. he could smell a kid with secrets from a mile away.

“so,” he said, watching Dipper fidget. “spill it, kid.”

Dipper froze. “s-spill what?”

“whatever’s making you look like a kid who’s about to confess to breaking a window.”

Dipper gulped. “. . . okay, hypothetically speaking, if we did know something big about your future, would you want to hear it?”

Stan frowned, trying to keep his face emotionless. “d-depends.” he stuttered and immediately hated himself for it. “is it about my brother?”

the whole shack went silent. Dipper and Mabel exchanged glances, both wide eyed and shocked.

what?

[somedayillbepeterpan]

I demand a Polinyear. Or a Polinlifetime.

For Bonus Polinweek Day 7 | Favourite kink + Love confessions S3E8 | Into the Light The Butterfly Ball confession scene

I have not abandoned my Butterfly ball deep dive series. It's just taking a while to write. And I also was enjoying creating content for Polinweek as it's my first time participating. But I will definitely finish that series.

One of my favourite things about Bridgerton S3 is how real/authentic/genuine it was in portraying Colin and Pen's Friends to Lovers journey. I was rewatching tonight and I burst into tears when the wedding scene was on and I was uncontrollably sobbing by the time Episode 8 rolled around.

The very first time that they finally see each other equally, the very first time that they finally are aligned, the very first time that they decided to grow and mature together is the very first time that they said I love you to each other. Throughout the show, it was just one saying it and the other accepting it with no direct reply.

But the one above was them on equal grounds, on equal playing field saying that the love they feel for each other is more than lust, more than shallow emotions, more than codependency but just pure, unadulterated love.

It's that look that they give each other that even without words says, "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. Because you are deep inside my soul and I understand what love is because of you."

(Why am I crying while writing this???)

The sensation of falling in love is so intense that sometimes you forget yourself. And when you forget yourself, the sensation of love becomes corrupted. There is something that I always remember my husband said to me while we were in the first throes of our love story-- that it takes two people to fall in love. To add to that, it takes another person to grow out of yourself.

Both Colin and Pen were lonely souls, even with the amount of people around them. Since both of them desired deep connection (Colin's journal and when Pen was talking to Debling about love), they have unintentionally isolated themselves with the people around them (Colin going on his travels and when Pen couldn't answer her mother's question of who she was protecting herself from when she started writing LW). The circumstances that pushed them to their loneliness kept them from positively maturing, rendering them stuck in their pasts.

This is why their love story becomes so beautiful to me. In the process of falling in love with each other (or understanding the deep connection they have), they are offered the chance to grow out of the versions they have been stuck on. And isn't that what love should be and do to you? To help take you out of your blindspots and help make you understand that life isn't made to be lived in isolation.

The scene above perfectly ties up that evolution. By looking into how their I love you's progressed-- from Pen's botched confession on S1E8, to Colin and Pen's reciprocated "you are special to me" declaration, to the fallout and subsequent rebuilding of "friendship" via courting lessons, to realising and accepting that they cannot live without each other on a carriage ride to Colin saying I love you for the first time (but with a little push from his big bros and a dash of his hero complex default), to Pen's "I have always loved you", to Pen's three "I love you's" (but with a dash of angst and desperation to get that actual sentiment in Colin's head) and then to end up here, in the Butterfly ball, them saying I love you to each other for the first time without any other hindrance other that it being the truth.

No expectations but just pure love. Luke and Nic's delivery was yet another slam dunk in this scene and I really do believe it's why most of us cried. Not only that Colin's confession before that was so beautiful but it's this mutual acceptance, mutual seeing, mutual embracing of each other's authentic selves that made this scene so satisfying.

And for my personal indulgence, I really love it when I love you's are said just as it is, with no "too's" or "more's" because love is unquantifiable. I try never to say "I love you, too" at all as it never sounds right to me.

Much like my post about my favourite quote, this again is an example of how such simple lines where elevated by the story and Luke and Nic's performances.

I really can't move on from S3. Consider this as my love confession to the season too.

On a side note: Thank you for the bonus Polinweek. I've yet to be done with this season so I hope you can all continue to ride this wave with me.

[maxwell-grant]

I'm seeing several popular react to the Penguin show with "God I wanna see Batman kick his ass in the next movie". Which, for a show about a Batman villain, is probably an indication of succeess

Are you kidding me it fucking rules, there's no "probably" here, the show couldn't possibly have achieved what it set out to do harder.

I've talked with people, as Episode 7 was coming out, that they've managed to strike this perfect balance between making Oz the fun engaging protagonist to watch, and making him a villain that we'll want to face justice, opposite Sofia who tread the line between his Batman Villain arch-nemesis as well as the closest the show has to a hero. The camera loves her, the costume designers and hair stylists love her, the showrunner calls her the hero of the show, production folks who go on the podcast talk about how she was their favorite character to work on, while Oz, the protagonist, only grew darker and more despised and more fucked-up as the weeks passed, as we sit through 8 hours chipping away at all of his fun and charm and wacko comedy antics and motivations and all the scruples and principles that he turns out to have less and less of, that become less and less useful to him, until he butchers them all in the very end along with the heart of the show.

As I saw it around week 6, by the time this thing was over, Sofia would demand to be received with tragic applause and heartbreak and whooping cheers and love, but Oswald would have the children of the world booing and hissing and throwing eggs and tomatoes at him, and then asking him to come back so they can do it again. AND I WAS RIGHT, and also I WILDLY underestimated the degree to which that would be warranted, and I certainly didn't expect that, for the first time in my life, I would be unconditionally and enthusiastically on the same side as everyone who posted that Arkham scene, where Batman picks up Penguin and smashes him against a mirror, as something Battison has to do in the next movie. I couldn't believe what a stab to the heart that last episode was.

I'l get into the specifics of why this worked more on the Episode 8 breakdown and, granted, it's a lot to conciliate still, it's genuinely a strange feeling to be onboard with everyone else who wants Penguin to be flattened and crushed and humiliated, to truly hate him as a loathsome monster for the first time ever even as I love him in so many new fucked-up ways. This is, make no mistake, the good version of the Joker's Asylum one-off, Pain and Prejudice, Bullies, all those modern stories that are ultimately about nothing more than reminding you of a super-duper serious evil bastard this funny little man is, stories I generally just find too dumb and reductive and ugly and tasteless and trying so very damn hard to be scary without working for it. This was Lauren LeFranc slam dunking everyone who's picked up this character since Jason Aaron in 2007, including Jason Aaron himself, and wherever they take him in the next movie, or if they can justify another season of this, they've fully set him up more than ever as a guy we will want to be exploded by the Batmobile, that he not only fully deserves it, but must, be defeated for good.

Beyond impressed, don't think I could have ever anticipated how much I wanted this.

[canmom]

Ping-Pong The Animation: eps 1-3

So Masaaki Yuasa [AN12, AN28, AN150] can do no wrong, right? OK, well, I'll admit Ride Your Wave was kinda mid, and Devilman Crybaby goes hard as hell at the beginning and end but sorta treads water in the middle, but... generally speaking! No-one does it like Yuasa.

For reasons I don't really remember, I didn't get very far watching Ping-Pong The Animation some years ago. It should be entirely my shit: Yuasa pulling in a gang of wildly creative animators to put their unique spin on something. However, the first episode didn't entirely hook me, and I never got round to trying the second before something else punted 'watching Ping Pong' out of my brain. ADHD, y'know.

This is a shame because even the very next episode seriously goes, as does the one after that. But also this anime isn't entirely what I was expecting (crazy sakugafest full of Yuasa weirdness). Not to say it doesn't do a lot of really unique stuff with its cinematography and animation, but these first episodes at least are more about like... dissociation! ennui!

But more on that in a mo. First I wanna continue the thread of 'how do you animate sports'.

So, ping-pong, or table tennis. Not a sport I know much about, I'll be honest. (To be fair I don't know a lot about sports in general outside of some very specific niches. The sports I've pursued so far are rather eclectic: swimming, fencing, tai chi chuan, and roller derby; I never got particularly far in any and it's been years since I've done them.)

I'll inevitably be drawing a lot of comparisons to The First Slam Dunk, the other sports anime I've watched recently. I do think it's a productive comparison though! Both of them bring something of the visual language of manga into their presentation in unique ways. I have not yet read the Ping Pong manga, but it's by Taiyō Matsumoto, otherwise known for scifi manga like Tekkonkinkreet (god tier movie, still need to read the manga) and Number Five. So that's a pretty impressive track record!

If you go take a look at some scans of Ping Pong, what will immediately jump out is the shaky, rough line style and unusual camera angles and compositions.

The stylisation is also very different from a lot of manga. Noses are fully drawn, eyes are realistically small, and in contrast, lips and mouths tend to get the emphasis - as well as hands.

Knowing this makes a lot of the creative choices in the anime make sense! It also adopts a shaky lineart style, and makes use of heavy line weights and spotting blacks to add definition. It also has a lot of crazy closeups and layouts, and it loves a visual metaphor. But most of all, the most striking element of this anime is how often it loves to split the picture up into little panels...

...which [eli]'s subs do a really good job of typesetting, incidentally, moving the dialogue to fit naturally into the split composition. And while this shot with 7 smaller shots is perhaps on the extreme end, splits of three or more are pretty frequent. It's a really interesting way to evoke the effect of seeing a whole page of manga

So, as you proooobably know, ping-pong is a game of bouncing balls off a little table and directing them into places the opponent will find it hard to hit them back. From watching this anime I picked up that there are a number of styles of holding the racket (e.g. 'penhold grip' and 'shakehand') and approaches to hitting the ball (e.g. 'chopping'). A lot of this pretty much went over my head, but honestly it didn't matter, since the narrative significance was pretty much always evident.

Compared to basketball, though, ping-pong is a pretty tricky sport to make visually interesting! Sure, you have the players running to and fro, and that can lead to some interesting poses, but how do you get the drama and tension into this?

Ping-pong additionally is all 2D, it doesn't have the sort of resources that Toei could throw at making the best looking 3DCG basketball game ever. It is limited to a TV-feasible drawing count. So it has to make use of clever limited-animation tricks to get the most impact out of fewest drawings.

Let's take an example sequence from episode 3. A minor character is about to get his ass kicked by Tsukimoto. Tsukimoto is something of a pingpong prodigy, and yet he is very emotionally closed-off and even standoffish; he doesn't particularly seem to like the game very much, and doesn't particularly feel inclined to flex on other players and get into the status games. But other players, like Wenge, have heard about him and want to see what he's got.

First we have the setup. Other characters are observing and discussing the game. Since ping-pong tends to involve very rapid exchanges, it can follow the classic shōnen model where there's a lot of talking, flashy fight sequence, more talking...

The cut happens in two steps, maintaining the vertical dividing line. This approach to cutting is used a lot in Ping-Pong, and it's quite a creative way to keep visual interest when it's using a lot of largely static shots. The panel on the right is more animated than the panel on the left, a naturalistic depiction of bouncing the ball off the table.

Things start moving faster here. A rapid pan on the image on the left disguises the fact that this anticipation pose is actually not moving at all. This then goes into a rapid, explosive moment as this guy serves.

The final pose is held for a couple of seconds while the voiceover line discussing his intended move finishes. This sort of elasticity of time is a very Osamu Dezaki type of move - it's something that Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata actually really disliked.

A sound effect hits as Tsukimoto appears on the right in silhouette, anticipating his reaction, and setting up the next shot which leaves the split picture and hides the background for just a moment, as if to put us in Tsukimoto's shoes: he only sees the ball.

Tsukimoto follows through and holds this pose - the ball is the only thing moving here. The ball moves mainly on 2s while Tsukimoto moves on 3s and 2s, and he and the ball move on alternating frames. He holds the pose as the ball zips off to the right (bouncing off the corner of the table), with a speed lines-like effect. At the end of the shot, the ball freezes in the air for the moment while the sound echoes.

The actual table-tennis round lasts just seconds, and the drawing count involved is pretty minimal, but it does a lot with those drawings.

We go back to voiceovers and reactions in the next few shots, returning to the split video as Tsukimoto's opponent thinks about how he'd really rather be at the beach...

Often, these comic-like compositions will change one panel at a time, and while one panel is animated another panel will be still, naturally moving your eyes across the screen. It is an approach similar to some experiments I've seen in 'animated comics' viewed in a web browser, where the panels do not appear all at once, but enter with some animation.

So this is the sort of animation technique that Ping Pong uses. It's effective! Elsewhere the cuts are used in a less direct, continuity-editing way and more in a juxtaposition/montage way. For example, Wenge's desire to return to China is symbolised by match cutting/fading to shots of an aeroplane.

And there is a recurring image, which I'm sure will be expanded on, of Tsukimoto hiding in a cupboard and wishing for a tokusatsu hero to come save him from his isolation. As Tsukimoto's feelings about himself change, the toku hero is replaced by a robot. At this points it starts to feel like an outright Ikuhara anime.

There is occasionally a little bit of CG, mainly when Tsukimoto uses a different type of racket surface, and the way the ball and racket make contact is the crucial thing that the shot is trying to convey...

It gets the job done, but I'm glad they stuck with 2D for most of it.

So I went in the first time expecting like, crazy elaborate sakuga - and to be fair, the OP, animated by none other than Shinya Ohira, delivers on that front - but if anything what I've seen so far in Ping-Pong is actually a triumph of storyboarding and limited animation techniques. I think back then I didn't have the eyes to appreciate it in the same way.

OK, that's the film nerd stuff, but what about the story? Ping Pong follows two school friends, Makoto Tsukimoto aka "Smile" (right), and Yutaka Hoshino aka "Peco" (left). Smile is defined by a flat affect and a standoffish persona. He's just going through the motions. He's very good at ping-pong, but to him it's just a way to pass time, and he's scornful about the idea of caring all that much about it. Much like Shinji with his casette player, Tsukimoto is pretty much always staring at a handheld games console rather than make eye contact with anyone.

Peco on the other hand is the more childish one - playful, kinda arrogant, very much an 'emotions on his sleeve' kinda guy. He sulks when he loses and gloats when he wins, and is constantly seen with bubblegum or other kinds of candy. He provides a lot of our commentary when he chats with the other players.

日本語上手 readers probably noticed the tsuki (moon) vs hoshi (star) symbolism thing they've got going on here!

High-school table tennis in this story seems to be a rather 'tough love' kinda world. Most of these players tend to look down on those who can't meet their level. Going easy on someone is seen as weakness, or cultivating bad habits, by almost everyone. Tsukimoto doesn't play at his full potential because he isn't as invested in winning as all these weirdos, but it seems that might be starting to change...

The coach is interesting. He's an old man and fairly disdainful of the club at large, and prone to speaking English randomly with a heavy accent. But he gets excited at the prospect of getting Tsukimoto to unleash his full potential, in terms that are repeatedly metaphorically compared to romance/marriage.

And when Tsukimoto gets sick of it, he challenges him to a game, with the stakes as...

Cue Makima/Beatrice images here I guess.

Tsukimoto de facto wins when the coach collapses, but this episode marks a change of heart. He starts to think of himself as a robot - the affect of a robot replacing the affect of the toku hero in his fantasy. And in this way he does what people seem to want and plays ping pong with mechanical precision, expressed once again in visual metaphor (shot here from a cool transformation sequence)...

What if I just dissociate harder? This is gonna end well.

So it really is one of those kind of like 'ennui of being a teenager' kind of stories - c.f. say FLCL. 'Boy with complicated emotional landscape' is Yuasa bread and butter, but the particular variant here seems a little unusual for him - they tend to be a little more earnest. I'm curious to see how Tsukimoto develops.

I am definitely enjoying the arrogant Chinese player Kong Wenge. Dude's got a lot of screen presence, and while I'm sure he'll get shown up sooner or later, he makes for a very fun antagonist of sorts.

In comparison to Slam Dunk... one thing that's significantly different about table tennis is that it's an individual rather than a team sport, which means it's harder to have an ensemble cast all contributing to the protagonists' eventual victory - instead it's about a lot of individual arcs interweaving with each other, individual duels. Besides that, it does seem like it will be following a similar arc of a character in an emotional hole (grief for Ryota, depression for Tsukimoto) finding new meaning and purpose through sports - though I can't be sure how things are gonna go for Tsukimoto here!

The tone however is quite different. Even when it's silly, I feel like Slam Dunk is a very sincere story. There's little detachment or irony, or false consciousness - with perhaps the major exception of Ryota's mother, who lets her own grief and trauma get in the way of understanding her son. But ultimately 'why would you care this much about basketball' is not a question that anyone would ask in Slam Dunk. Even the judo guy in the manga who's trying to recruit Sakuragi is just as hot-blooded about his own sport of choice.

There's a difference in like, general affect about the players as well, which has something to do with the sport itself. Yeah, Sakuragi's superpower is his 'genius' ability to predict rebounds, and there is plenty of strategising in Slam Dunk - but basketball is still a sport that very much emphasises physical power, and as much as Slam Dunk will work hard to sell you on a clever trick pass, the visuals are also emphasising the speed that players are dashing, the height they're jumping, their physique. Table tennis by contrast seems to be a sport that's more about prediction and mind games.

That said it is equally just like Matsumoto's style being different from Inoue's. Now I know it's by the guy who wrote Tekkonkinkreet, a lot about this series falls into place! There's a sense of tension here, of being fundamentally at odds with the world. The autismfeels. This is reflected also in the drawings - the characters don't entirely seem comfortable in their embodiment.

So if that's what I'm getting from just three eps, I'm very excited to see what the remaining 8 have to offer. This series is probably too long to cram into Animation Night format, but we'll see...

[oneatlatime]

Sokka's Master

pleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegood

Strange choice of master but we'll see where this goes.

The meteor shower animation is quite meditative. I wouldn't mind it as a screensaver.

How to describe something exceptional to your blind friend: "You've never not seen anything like this." It's amazing the quality put into even the tiniest of throwaway jokes.

Are meteor strikes flammable?

I love how whenever Sokka's disappointed he gets noodle arms. A surprisingly consistent characterisation.

Momo butt skate.

Iroh. The fuck?

ok. So he's playing a part for the guards. Why?

Pretty.

Funny to think about, but as a former WWE character, Toph's probably had more hero worship than the Avatar.

Lots to say about this! First, I stand corrected! i honestly thought that Sokka would be immune to this specific insecurity by virtue of him not being a bender. I was wrong! Second, I love how, as soon as Sokka expresses that he feels that he isn't as talented as the rest of them, the others respond by listing his actual, invaluable talents, without which the group would be completely at sea. They don't respond with "no you're perfect!" they respond with "no one can read a map like you can" and how he keeps their spirits up with jokes. They're not using false praise. They are using specific facts. I love that an episode that looks like it's going to deal with a character feeling down on themselves establishes from the get go that the character is invaluable, actually. So often, the 'low self esteem stock episode' puts the affirmation of the character's value at the end. Which means the viewer spends the whole episode being convinced that the character in question might actually be useless. Here, we're told from the start that the character is invaluable - the problem is that they do not perceive themselves to be so. Quite on the nose for a show that deals so much with identity.

OMIGOD IT GETS BETTER!!!!!!!!!!

Validating Katara sweeps in and a) validates his feelings, while b) clearly explaining that his self-perception is not in line with how the others see him, which c) doesn't invalidate a) !!!!

Katara has such emotional intelligence when she chooses to use it.

Nuanced intelligent discussion of the complexities of emotions and self-perception in a Sokka episode I am so happy I am blessed the gods are shining on me today I'm sitting here twirling my hair and swinging my feet and doodling hearts on the corner of my journal

SHOPPING!!!!!

btw that's the same face he makes when he says SUKI!!!

"Reinvigorate my battling" this boy. just. this boy.

He lasted a lot longer than I would have with nun chucks.

Aang the Happy Meal toy.

Some say that Halberd is still spinning today.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present: the 45 degree Sokka.

Some Foley artist had the time of their life with this weapons sequence.

Why thank you for that exposition, Mr. Exposition. Now walk away and we'll never see you again.

Toph does NOT move ONCE this whole scene and it's ever so slightly freaking me out.

Toph tells you she learned from Badgermoles and no one wants to discuss this further?!? We're going to gloss over that?

So this episode has a training montage theme.

Sokka goes freestyle on those door knockers.

That's one hell of a castle. Must be dark in there though. Tiny windows.

Which explains the several hundred candles. This show. Set up with one hand; slam dunk with the other.

This guy's reciting Sokka's s1 introduction on Kyoshi Island.

Sokka: Actually. I am a dumb. The Master: Sold.

The face of someone who is definitely picking up what you're putting down.

It's been ages since I watched the episode, but is some of what the Master saying here about swords an echo of what Zuko says to the kid in Zuko Alone when he's decapitating sunflowers?

A Sokka-less Gaang. Depressing and they know it.

The way Katara's voice actor says "oh everyone's a critic" is gold.

Multidisciplinary education vs. kid who's never been within a mile of the box he's being told to think outside of. Fight!

Yikes that was a meaty hit. Does Sokka have a nose left?

They're wearing beehives on their heads.

Was Sokka always this short?

The greens in this episode are such a delight.

The way he says "I'm finished!" Sounds like "Am finished" and you can actually hear the smiley emoji he throws in.

He's good.

What do they FEED him?

Sokka's voice actor had a great time this episode. All the voice actors had a great time actually.

Sokka invents the La Z Boy

Katara inadvertently invents a fandom war by attempting a joke.

They're all so useless and it's wonderful.

That was all only one day? That's a lot of outfit changes for one day.

"You mess things up in a very special way." Compliment? Let's go with compliment.

Sokka is so very Sokka this episode.

A reason to live is coming!

*thundering herds of shippers in the distance*

That's clever. The inciting incident gets smelted. Haven't seen that before.

This whole Iroh gets buff montage has been completely dialogue free on Iroh's part. Crazy levels of inner peace, that he'd doesn't need to snark back at the guard.

Seriously. What are they FEEDING these children. Also how is that door that shiny.

Sokka really has it in for those door knockers.

Apropos of nothing, the clouds in this episode are all so yummy. All these soft slate colours and misty layers.

Meteoric iron is actually a thing, right?

Ok but aren't mold made swords crappy?

HI YUE

I love how they managed to made a crafting montage where the character who does the least work is the one who looks like he's working the hardest.

"I saw a heart as strong as my garden decor"

"No it certainly wasn't your skills. You had none."

Creativity, versatility, intelligence, meat, sarcasm.

You've known him like two days and you can already tell he's more worthy than any man you've ever trained? Sounds like you had poor taste in students.

"No. This is my fight. Alone." Bro you are going to DIE. The first time you held a sword was two days ago. You might need the avatar on this one.

Guard who never shuts up actually kind of has a point here. He's a dick about as usual, but it's entirely possible that the rank and file of the Fire Nation army view Iroh's actions as a betrayal. Does anyone remember in Star Wars movie number 7, or maybe 8, when that Trooper sees Finn after he's switched sides and yells "traitor!" and it's the best part of the movie? Yeah, like that.

This episode throws the concept of linear time out the window. In two days, Iroh gets swole and Sokka masters sword fighting.

Do you think Sokka's realised yet that this is his final exam?

Yummy yummy clouds.

One in a million pocket sand shot.

One in a million stick placement.

So this master is like a sword spirit or something. He can't be human. There's no way he could get the scabbard to fly on perfectly without seeing.

"Try Lee, There's a million Lees. There's a tea shop in Ba Sing Se that has a super cranky waiter called Lee."

This guy's just this side of committing treason and I love it.

I see this Master is a devotee of the 'Hakoda school of shoving outrageously over the top compliments into Sokka's thick skull in the hopes that 1% of them will stick.' I approve.

This last scene has gorgeous hills and skies but you'll have to take my word for it because I've hit the image limit.

Sokka's been inducted into the super secret boy band!!!

He saved space earth for Toph! He's so considerate! He's fuelling the ships!

Let's compromise and call it space dirt instead.

Final Thoughts

This episode every two minutes: Sokka, you are currently flawless and you're about to get better. Me: Yes. Yep. Yeah. Seconded. I concur.

I like it! It's great! It's 24 minutes of the writers and characters fangirling over Sokka! Of course I like it! It made me criminally overuse exclamation marks! What else can I say?

Hands down my favourite episode is Bato of the Water Tribe. For Sokka's story, this episode is Bato of the Water Tribe part 2. Of course I'm going to love it. This episode was lab grown specifically for me.

Now let's see if I can say something about this episode that isn't poorly disguised squealing.

I love how the characters respond to Sokka saying he's not special with an evidence-based refutation rather than blanket reassurance.

I love how shopping cheers up Sokka. I love how Katara knows that shopping will cheer him up. This must be something she's learned since the show started. I don't think there were malls in the South Pole. So Katara was paying attention when Sokka and Momo went through the bag saga.

I love how much the master is baffled yet impressed by Sokka. He seems almost charmed by this breath of fresh air. I think it's hilarious that, when Sokka first approaches him, he's expecting early season 1 Sokka. He'd better send Suki a thank you card.

I also really like "The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation." It seems obvious to us, but in a world where there are weaponisable skills that are quite literally inseparable from the nations their wielders inhabit, it's probably something no one in the Gaang has ever heard before.

Obviously the episode is a little rushed - half hour kid's show and all that - but it's still pretty crazy that you can apparently impart a solid basic knowledge of swordplay in two days.

Toph going all tsundere is funny, and makes Aang and Katara unapologetically desperate for Sokka's company twice as funny as it already is. Toph's like "whatever" and the other two spent the day making a welcome home banner.

I love how Sokka's happiness is always so loud and shameless. It makes it contagious.

This episode highlights what Sokka's actual strengths are, by instructing him in what he thinks his strengths are. If that makes sense? Sokka is brain, which he's finally starting to realise by attending brawn lessons.

He's also heart, and I'll die on that hill.

Iroh getting swole was honestly just a thing that happened. No comment really, except it was interesting to have a reminder from the guard that a character we perceive as the good guy is currently perceived as the bad guy by everyone but us. When the Fire Nation does inevitably get defeated, a whole nation is going to have to reset their worldview and that will not be an easy process.

More like this please!

[majosullivan]

Since it has been on my mind lately and I’m in the mood to ramble, I present to you: why I believe Lenore’s spectre is going to be a Phoenix/Phoenix themed.

Before I go more deeply into this, I want to cover the most agreed upon detail of Lenore’s possible spectre: Lenore having wings. This really seems like a slam dunk at this point. Lenore so far has had a clear association with birds, specifically ravens; with one of the Poe works she is based on being The Raven, her talking to and seeking out the Raven in Nevermore, the cane we see her using in her and Annabel’s memories having a Raven skull as the handle and her family crest having a pair of black wings a part of its design.

Additionally, there’s also the detail of Nevermore’s logo. Nevermore’s logo is comprised of a beating heart and a pair of black wings. Since Annabel’s spectre has a heart shaped hole in her chest, Lenore’s spectre having wings would make up the rest of the logo, with the logo symbolising our pair of deuteragonists.

Furthermore, there is also the scene with Lenore and The Raven, with him mockingly asking Lenore if she has a pair of wings under her blazer after she tries to stop him from leaving in episode 35.

Honestly, this panel might as well have a massive sign titled ‘FORESHADOWING’ in blinking lights attached to it when we take into account everything that we’ve pointed out. So, while it seems very likely that Lenore will have wings, why do I think she will be a phoenix specifically? With her connections to ravens, surely it make more sense for her to be a raven? Well, this is because of one word: rebirth.

Just to have a quick explanation for the basis, a phoenix is an immortal bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. Being associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by rising from the ashes of its predecessor. Some legends say it dies in a show of flames and combustion, others that it simply dies and decomposes before being born again. Throughout the comic, there has been a lot of links to Lenore and the ideas of rebirth. Specifically, there are three examples where Lenore has gone through a death of some form, before being reborn/brought back to life in some form.

The first time we see this after the accident with the tree. With the death of Theo, who was seemingly the only person in Lenore’s life at the time who genuinely cared about her, and being locked away in the attic for years after being deemed as never being able to recover from her injuries, along with her parents no longer seeing her as any respectable use since they wouldn’t be able to marry her off, we see Lenore go through her first ‘death’. Forced to live a lifeless existence hidden away in shame, with her ripping away the wallpaper being the only real change that occurred during her time in the attic. All of this leads into first time Lenore is reborn/brought back to life when she first meets Annabel, which allowed her to be freed from the attic and form a genuine connection with someone in years. Lenore even says so herself, describing Annabel as the one who brought her back to life long before she died.

The second time, and the one that arguably has the most obvious link to the ideas of Phoenixs, is when Lenore faked her death to go after Annabel. Here we see her in the process of disguising herself as a man, before finishing her packing and setting the house on fire so everyone will assume she died in the fire and she can assume her new identity without suspicion. Here, I don’t think I have to go too in-depth to point how through her actions, Lenore arose from the ashes of the house fire as Leo Vandernacht, leaving her life as the disgraced daughter of the Vandernachts to burn away in the house fire, just like a Phoenix arising from the ashes of its predecessor (side note quickly but Lenore I swear to fucking god you better actually have a cousin named Leo or I’m coming through the screen to shake you like a maraca). The parallels here are pretty clean cut.

Finally, we have her actual death and her appearing at Nevermore. While we don’t know the full details behind Lenore’s and Annabel’s deaths, whatever they are only have the possibility to strengthen the links to rebirth that have been clearly shown from the start. The whole conflict in Nevermore is the competition for a new life. With Lenore’s death and her arrival to Nevermore placing her in a competition for a second chance at life, she has once again been placed into a position similar to the cycle of a Phoenix, with this time following closer to legends where a Phoenix simply dies and decomposes before being born again. Additionally, Annabel’s complete faith in Lenore can also fed into this. We see in episode 41, how no matter what awaits them, no matter challenges they have to overcome, Annabel has absolute faith that Lenore will find a way to get them out of Nevermore. Not herself or any complex plan she has, Lenore is the one who will ultimately be the key to their escape. Lenore is the key to their second chance at life, to their rebirth.

Speaking of Annabel, the way she describes Lenore in episode 66 can add onto this line of reasoning. During the episode, we see Annabel describe Lenore as ‘ash the moment we met’, before going on to talk about how all madwoman die at least twice. First off, describing Lenore as ash already brings her back to the idea of being a Phoenix, with Pheonix rising from the dead through the ashes of predecessor. Secondly, the idea of all madwomen dying at least twice in relation to Lenore is yet another link to the concept of a Phoenix, with them going through multiple deaths in their cycle of rebirth.

To focus on some of the smaller details, the colours associated with Lenore can also strengthen the idea of Lenore’s spectre being Phoenix themed as well. As we all know well at this point, in very Romeo and Juliet fashion, Annabel and Lenore have clear colours associated to them, with Annabel often dressing in blue, in addition to other cold colours, while Lenore often dresses in reds, in addition to other warm colours. Considering this and Lenore’s already clear association to fire, like Lenore’s spectre having wings, it seems likely that Lenore’s spectre will also have fire powers. Now, what is something that has wings and it linked to fires? That’s right, a Phoenix. This small point can be strengthen by what we know about Annabel’s spectre. Annabel’s spectre is freezing to the touch, which matches up with the colours associated to her. Since White Raven’s spectres are definitely going to parallel each other, this detail increases the possibility of Lenore’s spectre having fire based abilities, and as a result, increases the possibility of Lenore being a Phoenix.

While there are still loads of other ideas about what Lenore’s spectre will be going around, to me at least, Lenore’s spectre being at least Phoenix themed is definitely the strongest theory I’ve seen so far. If anyone else has any other ideas about what Lenore’s spectre will be, or if you have any other evidence supporting the idea that Lenore will be Phoenix themed, I would love to hear it!

[slamdunk-headcanons]

Slam Dunk ep. 46: Hanamichi, Hot Dunk - an analysis

By far, one of my favorite episodes.

So, I was watching this episode yesterday and I started wondering about everybody's reaction to Sakuragi's dunk. Everybody is extremelly shook and I wondered why even Rukawa was extremely surprised. In addition, Sakuragi's reaction when he was sent off the court is one of my favorites parts, and I really wanted to analyse it to talk about character development.

Beginning with the audience reaction to Sakuragi's dunk. We cannot question that Sakuragi's dunk was on NBA level because:

Strenght: the whole structure of the backboard shook dangerously. Not even Akagi could make the backboard shake like that with his dunks. Even if it was a miscalculation of strengh, is still frightening, because Sakuragi showed all his arm strengh with that dunk;

Marking/blocking: Sakuragi didn't dunk alone: he dunked being marked by two Shoyo players, and one of them was Hanagata. Hanagata is 9 centimeters taller than Sakuragi and much more experienced. Also, Hanagata was easily thrown on the floor by Sakuragi, and we can feel that it was quite of a blow;

Jump: Sakuragi almost flew! He jumped far from the basket, doing an authentic air walk like Jordan! His jump is frighteningly powerfull, and being able to dunk with such a strenght after making a huge jump like that...

He made it: Sakuragi is shown during the show missing a lot of dunks because of his lack of space notion. He didn't have experience enough to know the important distances in basketball. He has to have a space notion to jump and dunk, doing the arm movement in the right timing. Jumping and dunking was a challange for him without being marked. It's shown that Sakuragi had struggles with the psychological pressure during his first "official" match against Ryonan. He also struggles with the fouls and the pressure they put on his shoulders, mainly during Shoyo's match. In this play, Sakuragi dunks in the last minutes of a super tense decisive match, he already had 4 fouls, he was being marked by two players that were taller and more experienced than him and he jumps too far from the basket. He literally overcomes all the limits he had in one single play!

Now about Sakuragi's reaction to his own dunk is the "cherry of the cake". The dunk itself shows his ability development, and to make a good character, this ability development has to happen with a character development.

I strongly believe that Sakuragi's loud behavior, specially during the matches is a defense mechanism against his own thoughts. Deep on his mind, I believe we could find lot of insecurities, that he tries to silence with his ORE WA TENSAAAAAI screaming. Maybe, watching Rukawa and the other players around him, made him think many times, deep in his mind, that he couldn't be good enough. So he put a goal based on Haruko's words about the play "Slam Dunk": if he could make it, he could beat Rukawa and own Haruko's love. However, on his way to make a slam dunk during a match, he found out that basketball is much more than doing a slam dunk. But he only get conscious of this discover when he finally does the slam dunk during an official match. Sakuragi realized, at that moment, that:

He could be good enough at basketball;

Basketball is fun;

He wants to stay at the court the whole game to feel more of that sensation he felt during the dunk;

To stay on the court the whole game, he has to cool down and be less impulsive;

That's when he says that to Ayako. He's starting to take basketball seriously because he's starting to like it. All his chaotic energy finally can be redirected to something he likes and makes him feel like any fight couldn't ever make.

I just love love how Slam Dunk shows in Sakuragi's development how precious and necessary is the virtue of order. If we can order our potentials to something virtuous (like a sport), we can discover meaning on our lives and walk on the marvelous and frighting way of self-mastery;

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Honestly the episode for me that proves they did not plan the Sentimonster shit early on is Feast.

Mayura is capable of sensing and threatening to remove Feast's Amok despite the fact that she didn't create it and doesn't have the original thing the Amok is tied to.

She should have been able to tell Chat Noir was a senti immediately, which would have instantly given him away!

(Also the entirety of Gorizilla doesn't need to happen, he could just order Adrien to give him his ring but you could argue that at that point that would have been a step too far for Gabriel and he hadn't gotten desperate enough beforehand so that feels less of a slam dunk)

Feast is weird and a little confusing just like everything about sentimonsters. My understanding of that episode is that Nathalie couldn't sense the sentimonster, she could only sense the amok that Feast had swallowed:

Nathalie: I felt an amok within. This isn't a statue, it's a dormant sentimonster. Very old and very powerful. Gabriel: Which means you can destroy it, or bring it back to life. Nathalie: But since I wasn't the one who created it, I won't be able to control it.

At the same time, if she can only sense the amok, then how does she know that Feast is a sentimonster? Why doesn't she think that it's just a statue with an amok inside? How is she able to awaken it, but not able to control it? If any peacock wielder can destroy a senti, then why didn't one of the guardians transform and do that when it was rampaging in the temple? What does she mean that she can't control it? Since when did that have anything to do with who created the senti? Isn't it just about who has the amok? None of this makes any sense.

Because of that, I don't give it as an example to prove the retcon. The lore is just too unclear to go that far. Gorizilla is way more telling to me for the reasons you gave. I actually don't think that the "he hadn't gotten desperate enough beforehand so that feels less of a slam dunk" excuse holds water because canon never presents using the rings as an act of desperation.

We don't see a scene where Gabriel puts the ring on for the first time, lamenting that he has to use it. We don't see Nathalie question if this is the right move. We don't even see Gabriel get annoyed at Nathalie for undoing his commands, leading him to demand the return of the ring because she's putting Adrien at risk. They just randomly start using the rings mid season four with nothing to indicate why this choice was made because, as far as they know, Adrien's pretty freaking obedient even without the rings. We never even get the obvious setup of Adrien pulling some crazy defiant act that changes Gabriel's mind on Adrien being allowed his freedom. The rings are just here now.

Remember, this is a show for little kids and the writing is rarely subtle when it wants to get a point across. We get a whole season five episode dedicated to the fact that Gabriel's condition is worsening even though that was pretty freaking obvious just from looking at him. It's hard for me to believe that the writers would be blatant about stuff like that, but extremely subtle about the ring use being an act of desperation. That argument doesn't even have a throwaway line to back it up! It's just a logical way to write this, so a lot of fans have headcanoned that to be the reason even though the much more logical read of canon is that the rings aren't an act of desperation. They're just a retcon.

[venus-is-thinking]

DRDT Chapter 2 Episode 13: Initial Thoughts

We're back again! I'm probably just gonna do one of these for every new episode this chapter at least, just because there's so much to talk about in all of them!

Basically, I'm going to run through my not-live-but-sort-of-live-thoughts of the episode, then at the end I'll give my thoughts on any more overarching theories/conversations that are relevant.

SPOILER WARNING FOR DRDT CH 2 PART 2!

T/W: Murder, suicide, hanging

The Reactions

Knowing where Levi's explanation is going now that I'm rewatching, it makes sense that this is the first thing he'd think of in regards to the secret. It's not about the lives lost or his status of being a "murderer," it's the real, concrete consequences of his actions-- AKA, the law.

Just, like, 'cause, or...?

Honestly, this adds a really interesting flavor to when Levi does threaten Ace. He's like, "do you think I don't have limits to my patience?" The fact that there was any amount of patience in the first place is honestly pretty cool for Ace.

Also, I don't really have a good place to screenshot this, so I'll just mention it: the clock motif in the backing track is really cool!! Has that been there before and I haven't noticed, or is it new? I also definitely find it personally suspicious that we're getting clock sound effects while Levi is talking about murder (Eden killer/Levi accomplice moment??) but that's probably just my confirmation bias talking. It could also definitely be something about wasting time in the Trial, which a point is definitely made out of. It takes them a long time to start talking about the method, and Levi even mentions that he's sidetracking before he starts on this monologue.

Extremely funny reaction from Eden if they ARE in on this together btw. "Wait... you've killed, like, more people?? This isn't soul-crushingly deviating from the norm for you?????"

I get that this is the point, but lmao, Levi's really just saying these things like they're normal. Forget the murder charges, did you get in legal trouble for any of this stuff???

Oh Hope's Peak, always the shadiest people with absolutely terrible priorities. I feel like you could tell me Hope's Peak did, like, literally anything morally dubious in a fangan and I'd be like, "yeah, checks."

Shoutout to this anon for slam dunking it! The phrasing Levi used in the other scene makes more sense to me now that we know how Levi feels about all of this. The dialogue didn't imply any different feelings to Levi's father than the other members of his family because the fact that Levi killed him means, like, nothing to him.

Still, I wonder what actually prompted Levi killing his dad. Like, I feel like he must've been provoked, at least. Hopefully we'll learn why someday.

This episode had more of J being more vocally anti-murder than most. I still don't know if that's just because she's one of few characters who's both loud and has morals, or if it ties into some specific aspect of her character.

"I can't forget about the fact that Felicity died because of me under any circumstances ever!"

I hope Arturo and Levi talk more about their secrets in depth at some point. Totally get why they're opposites on the narrative foils thing.

"I mean, we all know why I tried to kill Ace."

Unlike Arei lmao /j /lh

(To be honest, though, I think David at minimum is upset about Arei dying though. More on that later. Eden too, possibly even if she did kill her.)

This is such an interesting thing to learn as a Levi accomplice theory truther. 'Cause like, on the one hand, it makes it more believable that Levi would do some thing that wild; if the other people don't really matter, it's easier to justify killing all of them. But, at the same time, if he doesn't care about Eden, either, why the hell is he helping her?

I'm gonna need to rewatch this episode once I know who this Trial's culprit is, because I am incapable of reading the Levi/Eden interactions as anything BUT horribly suspicious.

(Also, god, the good person jumpscare counter this episode was wilding.)

Nice to get a confirmation that Levi is still trying to be a good person, even if he doesn't understand what that means.

Wow. Didn't realize Ace was gonna throw some emotional vulnerability (???) into his fuck you Levi speech. Or that he actually genuinely believed they had more of a connection than he let on! Like I said to Accirax, he's such a tsundere that I didn't even realize he was a tsundere.

me believing you

*squints in Ace is canonically gay*

I hope we'll get to learn more about this guy at some point. I'd expect we will, if nothing else in the bonus episode that correlates with Ace's death (or in the main story, if he lives long enough to be a survivor). "His memory" definitely makes it sound like he's dead, though. Sad.

Shoutout to the AceVi shippers, though. This episode must've been a WILD ride for you.

Thanks for clarifying, Veronika! It's nice to have a character who likes to psychoanalyze the cast so that the writer can basically use her to clarify what other people are thinking. Useful writing tip.

This does provide some interesting context to that early scene where Arei manipulates and kinda makes fun of Levi, though. He really could've just decked her ass if he wanted to.

Oh my god. Has no one actually said that David isn't behaving like a good person anymore? Is Levi still following David's example???

If so, it's a really good example of how little Levi understands about other people. Like, damn. You can't even tell with David??

To be fair, maybe all the stuff about ending the killing game confused him. Teruko and David are arguing about whether or not Xander was a good person. If everyone else can't even decide, how is Levi supposed to know?

Ban her? I'm not a forum moderator, dude. Also, I hardly even know her.

(Idk if that was meant to be a reference or not but. Whit brainrot go brrrrr)

Thanks for the confirmation, queen!

okay I'm Running Out of Images so from here on out I'm including stuff as indented text and only doing pictures when I think the picture itself is relevant

Veronika: After all, my own so-called secret isn't even the worst thing I've done. Isn't that so utterly disappointing of the motive?

What have you done. Tell me.

I do wonder if this is somehow character commentary on Veronika. Like, let's say Veronika has also murdered somebody or something. Would this imply that this is something she'd be more concerned with others knowing, possibly because it's more personal?

I'm not really sure. It could just be that Veronika doesn't really have any secret she fears at all, so they were at kind of a loss.

David: Achoo! Ah-- Bless me!

what is he so funny for

David: Teruko. Own up to your goddamn secret already. You are the last person to do so.

I so think David knows Teruko's real secret. Like, there's no way.

Interestingly, though, I read Teruko's hesitation towards answering David as her trying to figure out which secret belongs to Min. It's easier for everyone involved if Teruko and Xander's are backwards rather than it being a triangle scenario.

Yay!!! Even if I still think it's partially wrong!

Eden: W... wait! Before we move on! I have to know. David... What happened between you and Arei?

I'm still inclined to read this as Eden having not believed Arei back when she declared she wanted to be friends. Eden is still trying to get at the truth of the matter, because she can't just have killed Arei without knowing how badly she fucked up.

There's definitely still an innocent reading out there, too, though.

Arei: If even a perfect inspirational speaker like you turns out to be an asshole, then there's no such thing as a "good person."

This was a really interesting direction to take this conversation, for both Arei and David's characters. It's true that they both lie about their personality often to get their way; Arei's lie is just WAY easier to see through. It makes sense that it's something they could bond over.

However, the INSANE thing is that this means that David probably actually cares about Arei. Like, to a meaningful extent. Maybe it's just the Kazui vibes, but I feel like if anyone actually understands David enough to see through him, that would be really impactful to him.

Also, the vibes on this scene were wild. The Arvid (????????) shippers sure could have a field day with this one.

But, of course, we can't forget:

...WHAT????

Okay, so first of all, I have no idea if David actually knows/remembers this or if it's just meant for the audience. But, either way, this thing is crazy.

The first thing I noticed was definitely the fork; is that the same fork that we see in the opening sequence?? The one commonly thought to be of when Xander lost his eye?

I know there's some LGI stuff with the fork too, but I'm not going to dive into that right now. I think Accirax is touching on this more strongly in hers.

The other thing is, I have NO idea what this says about Eden culprit theory. I definitely still think it's possible that this is a level of lore that's gonna follow Eden to her death and give her a reason to haunt the narrative, but this could also be something that we're going to explore later.

The main reason why I think this could lead into her death is because as far as we know, Eden doesn't remember anything included in this flashback. If Eden doesn't know about the lore, it's sort of weird if we, the audience, have this vague piece of knowledge about her that she doesn't. It's not a death sentence or anything, but I think it could still be in line.

I'll leave the speculation as to what exactly this means for another post/another theorist. Right now, my guess is that there might've been some kind of other killing game with this class before, or something. But, I'm DEFINITELY both alarmed and intrigued.

Arei: Even she must've made a mistake she couldn't take back.

The inclusion of "mistake" in this section is really interesting to me. Is that referring to whatever we see here? Was it a mistake she later came to regret?

Or, I also think this could actually be a reference to Arei. Not the image itself, but the mistake. If Eden genuinely believed Arei wouldn't change and killed her, only to realize Arei was being sincere, that's a mistake she couldn't take back.

I wonder if this is going to be Arei's last voice line (in the main series, I'd expect she'll talk in the bonus episodes).

If so, I think it's a nice way to end her character arc. Not only is she trying to be friends with Eden to be better, she's also able to reach out to someone like her and help them, too.

David: ...Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I didn't say anything to her, and she didn't have much to say to me either.

This was CRAZY. I was expecting we were all gonna have to play the "to what extent is David lying" game again, but instead, it seems like it all MUST'VE been real, because it came straight from his mind because he didn't even say it!!

It's funny to me that he says he didn't say anything to her, because from what we saw, that was... accurate, maybe?? Was David really just standing there bluescreening that entire time? Like, man loves his elipses, but goddamn, don't leave her hanging! /j /ref

It's also interesting that David is keeping this from the class, and more specifically, from Eden, who Arei clearly liked. Is it because the moment is personal, and he doesn't want to share it? Or, does he have suspicions about who her killer might be or how to catch him that would interfere with him sharing?

Anyways. Wild.

David: One hundred and one percent, I promise. Ace overheard everything, and what he told you all was the entire truth. Does that satisfy you?

I wonder if Ace stopped listening for real, or if there's a chance he heard all of this. If so, I wonder why he's not calling David out. Is he still coping too hard over the Levi thing?

Whit: Dang, we really got hung up on those secrets, didn't we? I thought you all would be on those for years. MonoTV: Years indeed. Some people had to wait one year and five months for you to get this far.

I KNEW MonoTV and/or Whit would make a joke about the time gap! Hope that one doesn't get lost in translation for the people who join the fandom after the hiatus, lol.

Teruko: They filled those jugs up with water and used them to increase Arei's weight.

Oh hell yeah.

Veronika: I'm not an expert, of course, but my intuition tells me that jumping off the top of the swing set isn't enough to break Arei's neck.

Whit: The way hanging normally works is that the victim is put in a noose with enough slack in the rope that they're unharmed. It's only when the victim falls from a high location to a low location that the rope becomes tight, and the noose strangles them.

Very interesting to have Veronika call attention to the fact that she's not an expert shortly before Whit goes into a long explanation of the mechanics of hanging, including with bolded words for emphasis/added ethos. I definitely think we're supposed to notice that he knows this for... some reason.

I know Accirax's theory is that Whit's mom might have hung herself, which is... dark, if true. Like, that means that after the fact, Whit probably hyper-researched how hanging works. Yikes.

Also, I honestly didn't get why people were saying Whit was so sus before the hiatus, but I feel like it's been cranked up afterwards??? Whit are you the mastermind I thought you were chill??????

Whit: It's not like you can grab the rope when she's falling to stop it at the right time. If she's moving at a speed fast enough to snap her neck, I'm sure trying to stop it would shred your hands.

Caught between "yeah that's why they used the stopper rope" and "IS THE USING THE GLOVE TO STOP THE THING STILL REAL???"

YEAHHHHH

Tape truthers rise up!

Teruko joins the murder diagram contingent!!!

Incredibly real though. You simply can't figure out what the hell happens in this thing and how it works without being able to See It.

Teruko: Now that we've actually discussed the mechanism of murder, I realize that I've seen this murder method before. Eden: You have? Teruko: That's right. And so have you.

Funny you remind us of that, Teruko.

YES! GYM MURDER METHOD ANSWERS! PLEASE TELL US WHAT HAPPENED THERE!

Wow. What an episode. We truly learned so much.

Theory Update/Analysis

Okay, so I already yapped about most of the character stuff for a while in here. Similarly, I don't think all too much changed for my murder theory.

I'm still tentatively on Levi accomplice, but firmly on Eden culprit. The way I see this going is towards a Nico bait that goes nowhere because they have an alibi, then eventually causing the class to realize the culprit has to be one of the people who saw Nico's original murder method (who doesn't have an alibi)-- Eden, Ace or Teruko.

From there, they can discuss the Arei murder method more thoroughly, eventually circling back to the fish. That confuses the time of death more than anything.

Eventually, the tape can be the damning evidence. Or that could happen before the fish, not sure.

In summary, I liked this episode a lot! It's exciting that we're finally starting to get answers to the murder method that we all went so insane over.

This was. A short theory update section. If you have any questions please feel free to send in an ask! I like talking to people :)

[zio1bod64]

Superhuman Physical Characteristics

Feline Physiology

Levitation

Stealth Mastery

4th Wall Awareness

Broadway Force

Personal Ambience

Imagination Empowerment

Cartoon Physics

Annoyance Inducement (Has a supernatural talent to make everyone he meets annoyed, no matter who the person is)

Mother Inheritance

Dimensional Storage

Precognition

Limited Shapeshifting (Can shapeshift himself whenever he wants, made his body stronger w/ muscle supplements, and partial change of appearance when Gumball and Darwin were looking like Richards for a few seconds ago in the "The Kids" episode and becoming temporary older in "The Finale")

Malleable Anatomy

Time Manipulation (Stop and Travel; In The Countdown, he accidentally broke the screen, causing time to stop. After unintentionally breaking the screen, he could travel through time as far back as prehistoric times)

Metabolic Manipulation

Age Negation (Can stop himself from aging)

Body Control/Elasticity (Can easily stretch his ears and limbs)

Body Part Swapping

Death Manipulation with his glare

Explosion Manipulation (Can cause people to spontaneously explode)

Energy Manipulation

Vibration Manipulation (Created a shockwave strong enough to slam Carmen into a wall)

Regeneration (Low-High; In The Secret, he and Darwin instantly reformed after being in a machine that reduced them to droplets. Spontaneously reshaped himself after shattering to pieces in The Crew)

Immortality (Types 1, 2 and 3)

Limited Acausality (Type 1; Could remember that he was in a loop even after time rewound. He could also remember Darwin even though he never met him in the first place)

Teleportation

Head Regrowth (Regrows his head after Bobert blows it off)

Emotion Removal (Can remove 'shame' from his own brain. He also removes his inhibitions in a later episode)

Thought-Based Activity

Immersion

Body Supremacy (Has complete mastery over his body through what he calls "the power of the mind over the flesh")

Gravity Defiance (Can stand in the air without falling)

Size Manipulation (Can decrease in size)

Technology Manipulation (Make a cash register say "Please do it, Larry")

Non-Physical Interaction (Can touch Carrie)

Minor Enhanced Health (Capable of maintaining normal physics hours after Carrie's Eating Spree)

Impossible State Survival (Can survive without a brain)

DNA Manipulation (Can modify his DNA)

Biological Manipulation

This. Right here. This shows that gumball could absolutely DUNK on every single Bill variant in one go. He could possibly beat Goku. he could beat Homelander, he could beat One Punch Man, he could beat Sonic, he could beat The Boiled one, he could beat Gabriel, and he could beat The Avengers.

That is how broken his power is. he could take on GOD HIMSELF.

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

The Vanishing of (Holly) Wheeler

As a follow up to my post yesterday as to how they might lead in to season 4, I wanted to chime in as to what I think the alleged second episode will be about.

I know the easy answer is that Henry has taken her. Given the reference to the first episode of season 1 and the BTS photos of Holly and Henry, it does seem like a slam dunk. However, I think the answer is a bit more nuanced than that.

Henry doesn't capture Holly.

With the military blocking access to all of the Gates, there really isn't any way for Henry to get out to get her. He's still too weak. Any misstep could prompt the military to move in and wipe out everything he's worked for. He needs to bide his time and regain his strength.

Now, time is something he has because of the military blocking access to the Gates. Once he's at full power, the blockades that were set up will be nothing to him. For now, they're doing him a favor by keeping the heroes out. He just needs a way to regain his power. He needs to feed, as he did in the Lab on that fateful day. Every kill makes him stronger.

I fully expect them to double down on the Nightmare on Elm Street references by having him prey on children. The question is how does he get them?

Linda Hamilton.

I know I joked about her playing Nana, but what if they decide to play her against type by having her help the monster. Whether she's in his thrall, trying to find a way to control and weaponize the monsters, or just admires the "beauty" of the Upside Down's existence, I think she might be the key to everything.

Now, I don't think these kids will be tossed into the Upside Down or anything. I don't think there's any value in it for Henry if these kids are devoured by a demogorgon. Instead, I imagine they'll have it be a full Freddy Krueger experience where he feasts on their dreams in some way. He just needs a way to get to them without anyone figuring out what's going on.

Enter Linda Hamilton's character, who has been called into handle the supernatural aspects of things. She somehow arranges for kids to be used as food for Henry. If you think it's unlikely, just remember how long the Lab operated in Hawkins under everyone's noses. Kids are going missing, which the military handwaves away. Holly goes missing, immediately setting off alarm bells for the Party. They manage to locate her in an isolated camp set up at a farm or whatever, resulting in Mike, Will, and Robin (and maybe others) going out to investigate. This would tie in with that script page we saw where Robin stumbles across a kid and Mike is sneaking around.

Eventually, they'd find her, possibly having to enter her dreams somehow in order to pull her out. This would give them the break they've been looking for, as Holly would have some kind of information as to what's going to happen.

I'll admit there's flaws in my prediction here, but it's the best I can do with the information we have.

I know Holly has to be important somehow, narratively, if not in-universe. She's been shown to be more aware of what's going on that most bystanders. She saw weird stuff happening in Joyce's house in season 1, the disturbance in the trees in season 3, and people talk freely around her as if she's not even there. She may not know the significance of any of it, but she knows things. And, as a Wheeler, she's probably pretty bright, but also with the innocence to not rule something out as "impossible."

Maybe Holly does end up in the Upside Down, but I can't see her surviving like Will did. Will barely survived, and he was quite a bit older than Holly would be. If she were to end up in there, then I would think that Henry wouldn't be interested in hurting her, at least not right away.

Does anyone else have thoughts about this?

[cecekeating]

Jordayla S6 Finale Commentary pt.2

I also feel we need to know if Billy knew/was close to the uncle and whether Laura is even aware of this aspect of Billy’s life. If you recall in the wedding episode for Jordayla, when they announced Jordan and Layla as Mr and Mrs for the first time, the camera panned to Laura and GW before Jordayla. Laura’s outfit matched Jordan’s suit and it was the same material as Layla’s wedding dress. Laura and GW also gave Jordan marital advice. I saw all of this as a hint that Laura and GW will be the support system for Jordayla, especially on Jordan's end. This uncle arc is a perfect way to introduce them.

Another angle with GW, Jordan and this new uncle is to have GW and the uncle not get along at all and possibly hate each other and Jordan, being one to try and make peace is caught in the crossfire. This will likely be similar to season 1 where GW and Billy were at loggerheads on how to be there for Jordan as a footballer. Again, if the uncle is in the sports/football career path, slam dunk!

Now let’s talk about Layla. I don’t know about you but I am calling that motherhood arc for her next season. I am putting my money on 7a being when we find out about the pregnancy. I can also see the pregnancy being a storyline on its own - with the writing showing us how Layla is coping with pregnancy. Remember she has a history with mental health and it is not weird at all if we have her worried about slipping into depression since she has a history. The pregnancy arc can also be a good way to revisit Monica Keating. A big fear of Layla this season was the fear of ending up like her mother. We got a resolution of that fear in relation to Layla’s career/impending marriage. A pregnancy arc will be a good way to show us the resolution of that fear from the place of motherhood. From a writing perspective, this would hit harder if she begins to bond with Amina during her pregnancy. We also have her label. What will it be like as a pregnant woman running a business?

Another sidenote: I did think Layla leading the line of women to get Liv ready was a sort of foreshadow as her being sort of the female lead of the show. And she was seated next to GW and on the same seat with Laura - the woman of the house vibes. 

So happy Jordayla got the Baker house. I think we have been calling it for a while now. The Baker house is home for them and they get to keep the money they were planning to use to buy a house. Them getting the Baker house makes sense as the new Bakers and it has always been home for them, particularly Layla. Looking forward to seeing them live and build their lives in the Baker home next season. Them bickering over the cake slice was hilarious and super cute!  Jordayla is such an adorable married couple. 

So what will all this mean for Jordayla next season?

I personally feel season 7 will be similar to this season only that Jordan is likely going to be the one that has loads of stuff thrown at him- similar to Layla this season. I am still sticking to my theory in 612 that the Jordayla dynamic will flip and Layla will be the one looking after Jordan and being there for him. If she is pregnant, I can see some bit of their season 4 dynamic return with them coming through for each other at different times over the course of the season. My money though is on Jordan being the one that needs the most support in s7. 

So you can begin to see why the writing for Layla/Jordayla had to be airtight this season. Layla will need to be mentally and emotionally stable to support and care for Jordan this season. If we didn’t get this Jordayla arc this season, it would be difficult for the writing to convince us that Layla can actually support Jordan. Seeing her work through all her issues in what I consider to be one of AA’s most thorough arcs, will make sense when she begins to support Jordan and even as she navigates the pregnancy journey. 

So that is my yapping for this episode! I have loved writing this for you. If I have shared anything that makes no sense to you, please toss it out. Again, all I have written, I have written based on the established writing and what my writer/fan theory brain is telling me. I have no idea where NK is taking us to in S7 but I have a feeling I will be back with more Jordayla yappings! 

[trademarkblue]

The Handmaid's Tale Rewatch: 1x01

So, I started rewatching the show a few weeks back. I want to get through every episode before the final season airs. I'm watching 2-3 episodes per week, so I'm going to start posting about that here so we can talk about them!

Man. Let me just start by reiterating how jaw dropping the first episode of this show is to me. It's so rare to find a show, in my opinion, that just knocks it so far out of the park on the very first episode. It's paced like a movie, which I think is kinda what hooked me immediately... because honestly, I feel like TV shows drag a lot these days, knowing that they can, that they have 8-12 episodes to deliver ONE SECTION of a story that might be intended to run for 5+ seasons. They tend to sprinkle things in at a snail's pace from the beginning. So, that really makes a slam dunk like 1x01 of THT just that much more impressive.

You get to know so many of the characters that you'll follow for so many years... and it's not just a curious introduction, but you're given a really solid idea of who they are. And we even get a full circle shared joke between Nick and June, complete with flirting, flawless editing, and adorably smoldering eye contact.

Let's play "what's your favorite moment from 1x01."

It's the whole classic oranges & tune scene for me, but this exact moment - where Nick walks into the kitchen and nearly trips over himself when he spots June there - is just the cutest and most hilarious 3 seconds ever recorded. His whole body is literally doing an "oh shit" moment, and he's like 105% obsessed with her already.

What's your favorite moment from this episode? Feel free to reblog and add a screenshot or clip so we can get a 1x01 chain going! I would also love to hear your stories on when/how you got into this show and this ship!

If you're a podcast listener, here are the links to the spoiler free and spoiler full discussions of 1x01 from Above the Garage:

The June & Nick Cut:

About a year ago, I edited together every June & Nick scene + every Nick scene + every mention or insinuation of Nick into what I called "The June & Nick Cut." I unspliced unrelated content when it was mixed into Osblaine scenes, shortened long scenes with brief mentions of them so only the mention and context is included, and worked with the audio to make transitions smoother.

The full file for seasons 1-5 is 6 hours and 53 minutes long, including some title cards in 3 spots to serve as intermissions. Rather than post that whole 18 gig file, I'm going to post just the chunk that goes with the episode I'm writing about. So, if you'd like to download the Osblaine only version of each episode, you'll have the links for those within these posts. Enjoy!!

I would really appreciate credit if you share these anywhere else, because this project did take a whole lot of work. Like uncountable hours of work. And I really am pretty proud of it. ♥️

[romancomicsblog]

5 Pitches for MCU Television Spin-Offs

While I admit there are many, maybe even too many, MCU TV shows, the two we got this year were surprisingly refreshing.

Yes, Echo & Agatha All Along benefited from charismatic leads, good writing and fun ideas, but I think them being continuations of great TV added a layer of excitement that the MCU films have previously benefited from.

Given that these were both so successful, I have 5 potential spin-off ideas for the MCU. I'm aiming for Phase 4-6 characters, and looking to continue or expand on storylines set up, with each show having a different purpose and feel.

5. Elsa Bloodstone: Monster Hunter

One of the best MCU Projects since Endgame was the Special Presentation: Werewolf by Night.

In this story, Elsa Bloodstone, a well-known Marvel hero, obtains the Bloodstone, a jewel used to kill monsters, and inherits Bloodstone Manor, setting her up to be the monster hunter she's known to be.

The Monster side of the Marvel Universe is dying to be explored, especially after the success of Werewolf by Night, Moon Knight Agatha All Along, Wandavision, and Doctor Strange

There is plenty of room for Elsa to crossover, and perhaps even start building a team like The Midnight Suns.

And not to put any pressure on Marvel, but DC is exploring their monstrous characters ASAP, so this show will help keep up.

With Laura Donnelly already cast, plenty of room for crossover, and a fun premise just sitting there, this would be an easy slam-dunk for Disney.

4. Gambit

There was no character more fun from Deadpool & Wolverine for me than Gambit.

Though he never get a project of his own, Channing Tatum has been pushing for a Gambit project for decades, holding out hope, looking for directors and even appearing at Comic-Con.

His small part in Deadpool & Wolverine was visually fun and very funny, holding his own with the titular characters and other void heroes.

I'm pitching either a prequel, with Gambit finding his place in the void and facing off against different multiversal heroes & villains, or a post Deadpool & Wolverine Gambit, finding his way in a real world. I'd like if he decides to work with the TVA and form a team like the Exiles, multiversal heroes.

This team could show up in future MCU projects, and even have some characters from What If?

Whatever the case is, I think they definitely can and should throw Channing Tatum a bone.

3. Wiccan & Speed

*Spoilers for Agatha All Along*

The next step in the WandaVision Saga is very easy to see. With a great lead like Joe Locke and a great third in Kathryn Hahn, Wiccan & Speed can be the end of a trilogy for these two leading into Young Avengers or the new Vision series.

Having Tommy & Billy reunite and connect can be the emotional core of the MCU we've been missing, much like Bucky & Steve.

I'd pitch this as Billy & Agatha going to break Tommy out of prison, causing a giant incident with Wiccan's new found powers, and having Nick Fury or a high level government agency after the boys, eventually leading them to working for The Avengers.

Whoever they end up casting with Joe Locke, they both may be the story MCU fans will hold onto during Secret Wars & Doomsday.

2. The Black Knights of Old

While you may think this is a Dane Whitman spin-off, it isn't.

I'm pitching the first full appearance of Mahershala Ali as Blade, as the narrator and arguably main character, telling the stories of the rise and fall of The Black Knights to Dane Whitman.

Each Black Knight will face heroes of old, maybe some SHIELD, Iron Fists, Black Panthers, Super Soldiers, and all fall due to being corrupted by the blade.

I'd love to see different ages of the MCU, expanding both the history and mythology, all while giving a warning to Dane of the danger of being the Black Knight. I'd love for each episode to feel very different, both from directors and maybe even mediums. Some could be animated, others not.

Whatever the case, an epic spanning generations all centered around the one blade, narrated by Blade, sounds really fun.

1. Isaiah Bradley: Red White & Black

There is no character whose history I'd like to see more than Isaiah Bradley's.

In the comics, Isaiah takes up the title of Captain America, doning a uniform and dying to save his people. He is unjustly experimented on and becomes a Super Soldier.

In Falcon & The Winter Soldier, we see he has grown old, was captured for decades, and experimented on. It's implied he fought Bucky and won, and may have done some other heroic battles, though was erased from history.

Seeing his history with a younger actor, showing the darker side of America, all while adding more and more context to the incredible performance of Carl Lumbly, would make for a fantastic miniseries, and could make an incredible political statement.

Thank you for reading! If you like this, be sure to follow me on all my socials here! And let me know what you think: What MCU Spin-Offs do you want to see?

[syncopatedid]

So what if I told you that Lu Guang has been living on "borrowed time" with Cheng Xiaoshi as far back as the very first episode in season 1?

Tl;dr thoughts and other sidetracks below the cut:

One: Xiaoshi lamenting to Lu Guang if "high-fiving" was the only way for them to maintain contact with each other when he dives.

If they had been at this gig for a long time, surely Xiaoshi would have already known this (or at the very least, have experimented other methods, maybe, if he suspected they could go about it another way?) That is not to say that the two of them hadn't been running a legit photo studio business prior to this (definitely feels longer), but the fact that Xiaoshi questions this did come across as being unusual to me, unless it was something "fairly recent" to him, and he was still slowly getting the hang of it. But a much stronger evidence would be:

Two: The rules set by Lu Guang as a condition of their partnership, specifically the second and third rule: to "change nothing", and "let the past and future be". Would Lu Guang have been so insistent on imposing such restrictions on Xiaoshi, had he not already experienced losing Xiaoshi once and wanted to rein Xiaoshi in from acting on his own? And why did Lu Guang feel the need to do so?

-------- Sidetrack thoughts #1: Was Xiaoshi even aware of his powers before Lu Guang came into the picture, or did it only manifest when Lu Guang entered his life? As evident in episodes involving the police, it suggests that in this universe, ability users are an abnormality and not public knowledge; they fall under urban lore and internet rumors, with whispers about a "photo studio run by a witch who can perform magic".

Did Xiaoshi accidentally jump into a photo one day and freak out, only for Lu Guang to assure him by outing his own abilities? (I can't see Lu Guang willingly volunteering that information to Xiaoshi unless something had forced his hand, esp given the above assumption it's not knowledge a layman should possess.) --------

I feel, the reason why Lu Guang holds Xiaoshi so vehemently to the rules would make sense if we consider that Lu Guang sees Xiaoshi as an "unpredictable node".

As far back as S1e3, we can tell that Lu Guang was able to "see" far ahead enough in the timeline that Xiaoshi had leaped into, to know if the future of that timeline had been altered or not. Example: little changes that Xiaoshi did (making a slam dunk) were inconsequential enough that Lu Guang could tell Xiaoshi it's fine, and the future remains relatively unaffected. But Xiaoshi changing a "key node" in that timeline (helping the losing team win), had drastically altered it to the point that Lu Guang tells Xiaoshi he doesn't know what's going to happen next. Why? Because the timeline had already branched out into a parallel universe, so to speak. And no longer holding on to the photo of the "right" universe - a new universe that Xiaoshi had inadvertently just created - meant Lu Guang no longer had the power of foresight.

Getting back to Lu Guang's real predicament, I suspect Lu Guang has been living in a timeline where he is unable to "see" Xiaoshi's future because he hasn't known a future where Xiaoshi has been alive for this long.

Just because Lu Guang is now in a timeline where Xiaoshi didn't die before 0913, it doesn't mean Xiaoshi is safe in the present universe - the same thing happened with Emma; while she didn't die in the hands of a kidnapper, she still died by falling off a building. And that's why Lu Guang has been rather protective of keeping Xiaoshi out of trouble, but I also speculate hard, that he doesn't want to further "destabilize" the current timeline and create more obvious time ripples that will draw attention to them, because... Lu Guang knows Xiaoshi should not have lived, and that they're being hunted.

Xiaoshi, the "abnormality" who is causing all the splits in time due to his unpredictable nature, would make the absolute antithesis to the new antagonist, who seeks to merge all the universes into one single unchanged ending. -------------------------- Sidetrack Thoughts #2: Since when was Lu Guang able to time travel on his own anyway?? My personal hunch: his time leap abilities were not his own, but from Cheng Xiaoshi of the parallel universe where he died. The scene before Lu Guang jumped back in time showed bloodstains on his shirt, suggesting that he had contact with Xiaoshi prior. This would mirror what we saw between Xixi and Qiao Ling, with Xixi's powers being transferred over to Qiao Ling through contact, and Qiao Ling briefly able to see all the memories of the people she had previously read.

If ^ proves to be true, what does that mean?

That Lu Guang is unable to time leap UNLESS Cheng Xiaoshi dies. He does not have the ability to do so on his own. This also means that for as long as Cheng Xiaoshi is alive, Lu Guang will not have the means to time leap on his own or dive back into the past. Which brings me to:

Sidetrack thoughts #3: This image makes me reallllllllly wonder if Lu Guang had already gone back in time to save Xiaoshi multiple times, which would make Lu Guang wanting to stabilize the current timeline even more valid and tragic. ---------------

Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? Frankly, such stories seem destined to head down the tragic/bittersweet end. Either: 1) Lu Guang dies so that Xiaoshi may live; 2) Xiaoshi dies anyway; (bonus 2.5: It's a combi of both; Guang tries to die to save Xiaoshi, but Xiaoshi pulls an "uno reverse" card on him and still dies as he was meant to, this time making Lu Guang promise not to try and save him again.) 3) Nobody dies, but they end up being apart. Lu Guang OR Xiaoshi discovers that in order for the both of them to survive, he would need to go further back in time to reset the past so that they never cross paths in the first place. This would mean one would likely forget the other entirely, and they would become nothing more than passing strangers. I kind of hope if it's headed for tragedy, that this option will be picked over the other two because I find death for melodrama too contrived a plot, but also FML. But what if... there is an option 4? A possibility for an actual good end where they can all be happy together and nobody dies? I'd like to think that if they could give others their happy end then surely they'd be able to find a way to happiness themselves! One such end-game could be them defeating the bad guy and branching out into a new universe yet again, but forever losing their abilities and stuck living in that timeline (where abilities do not exist) for the rest of their lives, no longer able to return to the time they had jumped from or knowing what their future will entail. But it's fine, they'll make it work because they have each other, 完结. cue ED and everybody claps, believing that perhaps they are now happily living in our universe.

And that's all the TL;DR for the day. Thanks for listening and enjoy your timeline!