#excellent brilliant

[youaremysunshine-court]

Dislike how explicit bls have made it so its not a bl unless two men are ripping each others clothes off and fucking on every available surface in my opinion a true bl is where the symbolism is in how they drink their wine, if they talk about the red thread of fate, if flowers fall from the sky when they meet, and in how their hands brush one (1) time in episode 26

[inky-quilled-dragon]

John’s going through it rn.

[california-112]

[mizgnomer]

David Tennant as Lord Baddingham in Rivals

for Tennant Tuesday (or whatever day this post finds you)

[pokimoko]

Hello!! I came across a couple of your animals with pride flags series (idk what you're actually calling it lol) and I wanted to request an intersex blue-ringed octopus (I'm not intersex myself tho lol, just thought it might look neat)

Oooh, this was a fun one! Thank you for the request! 🐙

[fictionadventurer]

I'm fascinated by the ways in which the things a creator is good at making don't necessarily line up with the kind of art that they respect or even enjoy.

This has haunted me ever since I saw a Youtube video about the downfall of The Band Perry, a country band that I had liked until their music got weird and they kind of fell off the face of the earth. Well, it turns out that they tried to reinvent their image and their style of music several times before the band finally fell apart. When they started, they had this weird Southern Gothic homeschooler style that really worked for them and was reasonably popular, but then they tried to switch to a cooler type of pop music--a style they supposedly admired and enjoyed--and it just did not work at all. They failed because they chased what they wanted to make instead of sticking with the style that they were good at.

It's a tension that's present in all creative work. At one point does "going outside the box" go too far? Can one be happy making good work even if it's not the kind of stuff they like or admire? Are the techniques and styles that are most appealing to us appealing because they're things that we can't create ourselves? As in, our minds don't work that way, so seeing these things from other creators is exciting, but the fact that our minds don't work that way is exactly why we can't imitate those things. Where's the line between creative integrity--pushing yourself to make better things--and pride--wanting to make something more prestigious and impressive instead of humbly making the type of art you're best suited to make? Can one even clearly see what they're best at making, and appreciate the good that's there rather than chasing after styles and techniques that seem better? There are no solid answers, which is why I'm going to be endlessly thinking about this.

[brilliantfantasticgeronimo]

fashionable arc-nemesis (tn: ex-boyfriends)

[sunflowerofchaos]

Okay enough time has passed for me to throw my two cents into the Bridgerton discourse. Many are displeased with the season and part 2 specifically. I have been trying to piece together what my issues were with it and I hope that someone can find this and maybe find something that clicks as to why the season may have been disappointing.

I am a big polin stan. In fact I started watching for and because of them. Totally believed in the supremacy of their story because of their adorable friendship and the long build up ever since the pilot.

I loved part one. That will be controversial but I truly did. Was the pacing a bit off? Yes it was!

But did it give us the romcom atmosphere, the yearning, the love? Yes definitely! I'll even argue that part one, the going from "friendship to love" is done more beautifully in the show than in the book. People said one kiss is all it takes for Colin but that's really not true in the show. If you take account of the history we have because of season 1 and 2 it doesn't feel that way.

And the funny thing is that despite part one having a bunch of side plots, it worked. It was walking on the edge of being too much but it didn't cross the line.

Not yet anyways... so here are my 6 big errors of part 2

Like everyone I was way too hyped after the carriage scene, which leads to..

Error number 1: The break after the carriage scene set the bar too high. The long break filled with press and interviews further hyping up part 2 after that high consequently did damage to the reception of part 2. I believe that almost anything after the carriage would appear as a let down due to the wait. That's kind of unfair to the show I know, but it also makes sense as we, the audience would have abnormally high expectations that are difficult to please.

Part 2 is flawed and there is no arguing that. The beginning of it felt like a let down due to the split right after the carriage scene aka the climax of part 1 (pun intended) but fine objectively speaking episode 5 and 6 are nice. But then comes error number 2, the fact that we have 2 episodes where their love is clouded by the secret of lady whistledown. I feel like that was problematic to the pacing of part 2 (which is a problem in itself). The tension in episode 5 was necessary but also so much. So much that Colin literally questions her feelings. Then episode 6 instead of lifting that cloud sooner, continues to sour the polin scenes until the very end of the episode. The reveal should have been earlier in episode 6, so they have time to properly heal and be happy. (Seperate errors that I will adress)

Error number 3 is how the wedding fell under the dark cloud of the angst. I was wishing it would be the happy wedding of bridgerton and it was happier than Daphne's or Anthony's (not that we saw the real one) but the queen disrupting the wedding felt like another punch. One more time we were close to seeing their happiness but couldn't. (Something we barely get to see at all)

Then error number 4 (my personal enemy). The pacing of the conflict and healing. The way Colin was hurting was amazingly portrayed by Luke and I even understand how Colin wanted to hurt Pen with the entrapment comment and unlike many I won't hate him for it at all. But one thing where the writing really failed me is how polin shared a number of scenes that could've had a bigger role in their healing but ultimately didn't. I will list the scenes and how EVERYTIME we think they are a step closer to healing, they go back to square one and how that effects the scene where they eventually do "heal".

Exhibit A: The modiste scene. Beautiful confrontation and it really set up the possibility of them talking through it more but then it ends abruptly with Colin shutting down (however I'm inclined to give this one some saving grace because at least they talk)

Exhibit B: The wedding. Colin once again gives us hope that perhaps they're closer to making up but when Colin walked away with Pen and they had a second confrontation where she states that she is lady whistledown, I expected Colin to at least accept that statement and not revert back to being in denial about it afterwards and shutting down again. This could've been the scene where Colin starts to accept them as one. (Not to take away from the letters scene but it would have been a great foundation for it)

Exhibit C: The bedroom scene. Ah my personal nominee. This scene could've been so much more and no I don't mean a sexy scene. This scene could've been thee scene where they talk. It would've felt more powerful to have the talk that they have in Bridgerton house in their bedroom instead. I can't stress how it would've fit perfectly and been book compliant. If they had utilized this scene better, then polin being at Fran's wedding the next day would've have felt more emotional and helped convince us of them gradually solving the conflict. Netflix, that wouldn't even take from your running time. Pen could've confronted him there as she did in the book. Colin could've faced his jealousy right then and there instead of having Cressida point it out for him and still not facing it.

Exhibit D: Bridgerton house. Yes they do talk here and you can see that scene as the one where they settle things prior to the ball, BUT one it is too close to the end and it feels cut short which frankly doesn't seem enough for the viewers to believe that they now have joined hands. This scene was personally not enough for me. I think if you expand the conversation it would be much better or again if you put this dialogue in the bedroom scene it would have been powerful and helped the pacing as the bedroom scene was in the first half of the finale and this one way too close to the ball.

You'll see that every scene post reveal is following the same frustrating pattern of them brushing over the problem. You in turn get your hopes up for it to develop further into forgiveness, then voila Colin shuts down and goes back to square one. That was extremely frustrating for me as a viewer as it happened multiple times, especially since it seems ridiculous to leave the conflict in the air till the last 10 minutes when they have had several opportunities to solve it sooner. Colin's peace at the end comes too suddenly as those previous scenes don't see him gradually make peace with the matter but always shutting down and running. Those scenes could have been used to show the steps of him gradually getting over it, forgiving her and facing himself.

Error number 5. The side plots and overall pacing.. As I said part 1 walked the fine line but part 2 crossed it. What do you mean that we get more scenes of secondary characters than polin getting over their conflict and having some time to see their happiness. That messes with the pacing, making part 2 seem to want to cram up as much plot as possible. You have Francesca's love match, Benedict's exploration, Eloise's general conflict and dynamic with Cressida, Cressida's own story, Violet's arc, lady Danbury and her brother's conflict, the Mondrichs arc, the solicitor, queen etc...

This season was simply TOO ambitious for its own good. It tried to do too much. Suddenly it didn't feel like polin season but rather the season to set everything up for the next season and that really hurts as a polin fan.

Finally error number six which is by far the most famous error. The lack of happy polin. As I explained episode 5 and 6 while showed some happiness it didn't feel real because of the secret constantly hanging around. They were happy but you as a viewer might have felt more worried and had a more bittersweet feeling. Especially when you see Colin get more and more anxious and insecure during those episodes. Then episode 7 and 8 sees them miserable most of the time. That sucks even though it is necessary it still sucks. Sucks because after all that put together we don't get to see it pay off. 4 episodes of angst and they give you one scene that suddenly heals it, 10 seconds sexy scene and an epilogue scene where they suddenly have a baby. It is simply not enough to balance out the dark vibe of the entirety of part 2. That is why thousands of people are hanging onto the petition to release the deleted scenes. So we can finally see the pay off of the angst and can properly balance out the emotions that came with it and move on.

Not to mention the absolutely wasted confession of Colin Bridgerton.. when he said I love you at the end of episode 8 I was already thinking "with everything that you are, everything you have been and everything you hope to be????!!!" But then he didn't say it and I was confused as to why they would possibly not use THEE love confession??? Since that's Bridgertons thing??? Having incredible confessions... And it's not like it didn't fit in fact it would have fit so well. At this point if you squint you might imagine hearing luke continuing the line for God's sake. That remains a mystery that makes no sense to me.

So by now I don't think anyone got that far and I can't complain because I wrote this for me. To structure my thoughts and make peace with it. And so to sum up these errors: the split, the structure of episode 5/6, the wedding sadness, the way the conflict/healing was handled, the pacing with the side plots and the lack of happiness to counteract the angst. I will revisit part 1 happily and just stop after the mirror lol. I will look forward to seeing polin happy in 2 years I guess.. and I do believe that when season 4 comes out and they're happy and are hanging around we will accept season 3 way more and come to hopefully love it.

[bethanyactually]

an incomplete list of clues in the Black Door episodes pointing to the fact that something was wrong 🚩🔎🚨

Ace flatly refusing to look at or engage with Nancy

Ace not wanting to help Nancy

Ace not caring if a mystery got solved

after an argument, Nancy being the one who walks away first

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

Vincent Price

An Evening With Edgar Allan Poe; The Cask of Amontillado (1970)

[mythalism]

the more i brush up again on all of the lore on fen'harel the more convinced i am that there is far more to his entrapment in the prologue of dav than we know. it just does not make sense to spend 3 games building him up as a cunning, manipulative trickster, incapable of being trapped or outsmarted, always one step ahead of his enemies, capable of winning 4d mind chess, and then having him... get trapped. by some random. pushing... statues...... over..... theres just no way

[maintitle]

I really like the use of Varric so far in this game. I figured he'd die (and I thought he did and shed a few tears), and I was fine with that because there wasn't much left to do with him, ESPECIALLY when they stripped him of his entire past. Weirdly though, this has worked. Instead of making him 'best friend', they've essentially taken him as a seasoned and tired man with a history in tragedy and standing by the side of people who have to make tough decisions and made him a mentor or father-figure (I could be reading that last part wrong, but I'm playing a Crow and the backstory of them implies their young-ish.)

His beard, by the way, I think is pretty big proof of where he's at in his life. The fact that you're given his shaving mirror and yet he's unshaven proves he's exhausted, he's been on this grind for a year and a lot of the humor he had has been worn down through tragedy and the constant chase. He's a really imperfect character for this mentorship role, he's never truly been someone who see's the big picture, but what he IS is the guy that can relate, sympathize and humanize the person making the hard decisions. That's a perfect personality to be in that role, even if his advice isn't always gonna be the best.

I was worried that stripping these characters of their history would hurt their characterization, and I still am, but they seemed to do really well with Varric despite that.

[bunni-bun]

okay okay, alright 😭🥹

so first off, haoren stabbing maya was so good. he should've killed that motherfucker but haoren will always be a better person, no matter what. but he damn well deserved to stab his abuser. he deserved that.

next off, chihiro, who is also a good person, making damn sure that maya didn't get anywhere near misato-chan was so brave of him. he knows what maya can do but he's not gonna let that happen to an innocent person, even if he himself is also innocent. he will shoulder that burden and that pain but it will be his and his alone. he's so good and he's so brave and i'm so glad that maya got caught and chihiro got saved and sent to a hospital. he needed that.

also like, kaji. kaji is such a good friend to both of them. he's not perfect, not by any means, but he's still a good person who's always willing to help them move and run little errands to keep them safe. he's got a good heart. he really does shine thru the shit hand they've all been given in life. he and masaki-kun. masaki has been an absolute lifeline of kindness for haoren and now for chihiro too. helping them get money, find shelter, being an actual safe person as an adult to haoren. i'm gonna cry cuz he really is just so good.

haoren and chihiro has been dealt such a rough hand from life but throughout it, they have had moments of color, of kindness, of genuine joy from both each other and from the good people they have met along their way. i'm so glad they found each other again. i straight up started bawling the moment haoren stayed at the train station. the way chihiro called for him............. man. fuck. broke my goddamn heart.

but seeing chihiro make it finally as a photographer, seeing haoren own up to his mistakes and accept his punishment so that he can come out on the other side too....... when he cried seeing chihiro's IG, i fell apart too honestly. i'm so glad he went to the exhibition. and for him to see the world that chihiro got to see as well through his photos and then finally seeing that photo of himself......... god. GOD.

people say that the ending could be bittersweet but i'm so glad that it was sweet. i'm so happy that haoren went and found chihiro at the park of that first photo. i'm glad that chihiro could take a photo of haoren smiling. i'm so fucking happy they find each other again. they deserve their happiness. they deserve a better life. haoren is free from his abuser forever (fuck maya, good riddance) and he and chihiro can build a good life together, in peace, finally. i'm so happy. i'm so so happy. i'm crying again cuz it was such a simple ending but it was so beautiful in its simplicity.

and the colors at the end! chihiro having all his brights with a dark blue shirt and haoren having all his blacks with his light blue scarf. that little bit of each other that they've always carried. perfection. what an excellent show.

[chelsgalaxy]

first brilliant minds without nichols :(((

carol looked really hot tho so like that helped make up for it

[blackpointgame]

[alliekitaguchi]

i know that ahead of tomorrow's episode, we're all ruminating over the idea of there being no doppelgangers amongst them, but consider the idea that there are.

and they guess WRONG.