#except they don't get a reconciliation plot point :(

[valar-did-me-wrong]

Hey buzzword crowd, here's the simplest, most basic way I could put the core of the problem that imo is happening between you people and most of the fandom..

(won't call you Shippers here because I know some shippers who don't use your language or agree with your opinions )

This is also me trying to convey what I believe is why people have problems with you people's essays & posts (because it is not the ship that most people have problem with, I'll elaborate) maybe this will help prevent future toxicity..

Spoiler it has everything to do with the respect you give other people & their blorbos and nothing to do with everyone except you all being anti-feminist, anti-sex, anti-shipping, anti-biotic, anti-ageing, anti-oxidant, anti-body etc etc etc..

I'll use 3 characters and 5 points, here we go!

(Ditch the namecalling and insults before you interact)

(again this is my opinion & interpretation of the situation)

1. Elrond in Adar's Tent

If you read it as Sauron as Elrond

What it adds to the story: one ship & it's characters' dynamics with each other and othes in that tent

What it takes away from the story: Elrond coming to himself as a leader, his quick thinking, his skill with words and politics, the growth of his character

What it gives Galadriel: a non consenting kiss & more ship dynamics

What it takes away from Galadriel: her friend saying sorry for treating her horribly through out S2

If you read it as Elrond in the tent

What it adds to the story: a young man coming into himself as a future leader, a friend realising his mistake and asking for forgiveness, a half elf being reminded that he has a powerful Maia in his family (he isn't less than any elf lord)

What it takes away from the story: nothing imo because the siege still happens and it doesn't negate Sauron & Galadriel's S1 dynamics so Your ship can still sail

What it gives Galadriel: she gets the apology she deserved and reconciliation with her friend

What it takes away from Galadriel: a non con kiss

You see how your interpretation of this as canon erases a whole character and his arc but the version most Elrond fan's prefer doesn't affect your ship a bit..

Now this interpretation wouldn't have been a problem if you all weren't framing your posts as feminist & show canon & the correct way of interpreting media & then start name calling & insulting anyone and everyone who disagrees.

Just like you guys don't like the show haters on reddit etc trying to disrespect you & the whole Haladriel dynamics, other fan's also don't like to be called assholes, misogynists, conservatives & Haters etc etc for simply liking the show in another way.

2. Celebrimbor and the elven rings

If you read it as Sauron's engagement rings

What it adds to the story: one ship's dynamics

What it takes away from the story: Celebrimbor's part in their creation & his talents as the greatest Elven smith of his time, the show runners statments that Sauron is not there when the rings are being actually forged

What it gives Galadriel: a personalised ring specifically for her from her enemy and all the dynamics of it

What it takes away from Galadriel: her knowledge, her trust in her family member Celebrimbor.. all of which backs her claim that the rings are untouched by Sauron

If you read it as Celebrimbor's elven rings made with Sauron's help

What it adds to the story: Celebrimbor's hardwork, his skills that he has in part learned from his grandfather THE Feanor of Noldor, his ambition, his Feanorian hubris, his partnership of equals with Annatar, call back to his love for Galadriel in a version by Tolkien (for Nenya seeming to choose Galadriel)

What it takes away from the story: a plot hole imo of Sauron having the skill to make rings of power all by himself this early in the story & not using that to make the other rings alone.. still doesn't invalidate any of Galadriel & Halbrand dynamics so Your ship can still sail

What it gives Galadriel: a correct opinion about the nature of the rings that all her people eventually come to agree with

What it takes away from Galadriel: a mistake imo which is either not correctly judging the nature of the rings or knowing and still risking the future of all middle earth by insisting every time that the rings are safe

You see how wanting the rings to Not Be engagment rings doesn't do any harm to your ship and it's dynamics & neither does it reduce Sauron's talents as a Smith.. he is still a Maia who worked under Aulë and helped in Creation Of The World & who will go on to make the One.

But constantly saying that the rings are Sauron's engagement rings erases the whole point of Celebrimbor as a character.. not to mention his talents that Sauron needed to make the other rings and Celebrimbor's input that also helps him in making the One.

And understandaby Celebrimbor fans don't like this interpretation that reduces & erases him. But nobody would have had problems if again you guys weren't framing your headcanon essays as absolute feminist truths & calling other takes Bad Takes.

3. Nenya healing Adar

If you read it as Nenya giving him redemption by fixing his evilness

What it adds to the story: a plot hole with this magic healing ability that can fix everything and everyone who falls to darkness and evil, making way for sauron to find quick redemption

What it takes away from the story: a realistic worldview where individual choices have impact not only on the person themselves but also to everyone around them, an understanding of how healing works irl

What it gives Galadriel: a mistake for not giving away a ring of power to Sauron to heal him

What it takes away from Galadriel: her wisdom that one cannot heal another person out of their evil or mistakes (heal yourself)

If you read it as Adar gets redemption because of choosing to see his mistakes & trying to correct them after being healed by Nenya out of the torture and dark magic that turned him into uruk

What it adds to the story: Adar's commendable ability to see his huge mistakes and accept them infront of his enemy & try to fix them

What it takes away the story: the ability of the rings to heal Sauron

because in this reading it requires acceptance to look your mistakes in the eye & choice to do better that redeems a person which Sauron in show gets many chances to do but doesn't repeatedly. This still doesn't invalidate Sauron & Galadriel's dynamics so Your ship can still sail

What it gives Galadriel: an example that if someone who was under the shadow for so long as Adar can come to the light by choosing to accept their mistakes then she too despite her tryst with darkness can still come to the light by acceptance if she chooses

What it takes away from Galadriel: the burden of healing her abuser

Again reading Adar's redemption as his own achievement doesn't affect your ship at all & neither does it prevent Sauron from ever getting redeemed. It just gives him a truer to life way to get redeemed someday; even makes his future redemption more compelling imo.

But when you make the redemption all about Nenya it takes away the little good this already tragic & tortured character of Adar has. Add that to the usual insensitive framing & you'll get Me in response, an Adar fan fuming.

4. Adar's villian arc

If you read him as solely a villain

What it adds to the story: another villian

What it takes away from the story: Sauron's narrative foil and all the complexity that has been put into his character from his introduction in S1

What it gives Galadriel: a mistake imo it makes Galadriel's pity & understanding of the suffering of Adar & Uruk a mistake if he is only a villain & does everything wrong in all lights.

What it takes away from Galadriel: an example of what becomes of people who accept darkness despite love still existing in their heart and also an example of how good intentions and horrible actions can go hand in hand

If you read him as a morally grey character who had a villain's arc in one light but an anti-hero's arc in another light

What it adds to the story: a complex character that creates an emotional connection with some people who might see flashes of their persecution in the Uruk, a character who grounds the story in real world by having elements of freedom fighters & rebels choosing wrong paths in desperation, a great portrayal of the Cycle of Abuse creating abusers out of some victims

What it takes away from the story: a similar or less complex villian than Sauron but doesn't affect the dynamics of Sauron & Galadriel so Your ship can still sail

Again see how having Adar as not fullly a villain doesn't affect even a bit of your ship. It also doesn't affect Sauron and his existence as a compelling villian with a repentance arc & some good intention behind all the deception. You can still read good in Sauron's actions, Adar doesn't need to be a villain to make Sauron's goodness more visible.

But your insistence that he can only be read as a villain & people who see him as anything else are supporting genocide can irk Adar fans because the scenes showing his good traits exist & were placed conciously & weren't a collective hallucination.

5. Gay Adar being forced into ships with women

This one I'll just simply say.. The people who insist that he's gay are also the ones I see that say his relationship with Sauron was only one sided where Adar was in love but Sauron wasn't.

Here are my problems with this reading:

Adar is queercoded.. the showrunners' interview from SDCC mentions LGBTQIA+ & we all assume it was about him right..

Nowhere is it specificed that he's gay.. why can't he be Bisexual? Pansexual? Or something else or just Queer who doesn't want to be labelled by anything?

Why is this one specific way of reading him so important to you by invalidating everyone else's reading when nothing is concrete canon about this anyway?

Why can't all kinds of people from LGBTQIA+ explore their sexuality via Adar just like you all like to explore female sexuality & dark fantasies etc via Galadriel & Sauron? Because it isn't wrong in anyway I agree, I used to ship them too in S1. And most people you call names every day will agree with that too!

All this was the long way of saying, if you'll be mean to people, their reading of the story, their fav characters and their author.. some will retaliate in the same way.

It's not because they hate your ship or women or women's sexuality or villain ships or gays etc etc etc it's just simply about the respect you give out into the world & the ability to differentiate between fans of the show who like other things than you and Haters of the show.

[sometimesoliloquy]

What do you think about Season 6? Of the first eight episodes?

If we forget the interviews and focus on what we see, S6 is good. The only episode I had trouble with was the first one (Serena and June a whole episode together). Since S3, I've always had a lot of trouble with the first episodes: I feel like we're literally wasting our time.

Even though for me S5 was literally a big waste of time except maybe Fred's funeral and the scene where Nick hits Joseph.

Obviously, it will be easier to get an idea when the E09 and E10 are released. Although we can more or less guess:

E09 based on the trailer images: The handmaids will fight in the streets with the guardians in broad daylight (beginning of the episode) and we'll end with the gallows scene.

E10, harder to imagine, but it's probably in this episode where June and Holly (her mother) meet at the Boston Globe. Perhaps also where the US military intervenes (at Lawrence's house?)

I think that, apart from Serena's redemption arc, which I don't support, I'm not shocked by Nick's famous betrayal; I expected worse. In fact, I don't find anything shocking: He saved his skin, he's human. We've seen him in every episode.

I think all that's missing is June choosing Nick, a scene of reconciliation, a very memorable scene between them (and for us), a happy scene between Holly/Nichole and her parents. A moving scene ... And Holly's apology to Nick.

What do you think?

Wow ok, yes I totally agree! (Also Nick punching Lawrence was absolutely my favorite part of s5🙃🖤). If tonight's episode goes well, I am planning to rewatch the rest of the episodes in order before the finale. I do think there has been a lot to like (more than s5 for sure), but yes, I feel like the press circus (and a few frustratingly absurd lines/choices that really stand out) have honestly really distracted me from being able to really get a good feel for the season as a whole. Since I am anticipating tonight's episode 9 will give us at least a ton of plot-driven action driving towards series conclusion, and finally a resolution to the question: Nick = good/bad (to grossly over simplify), if not a resolution to Nick and June's relationship (that may be saved for ep 10??), I do think it will be easier to really judge the season after tonight (and hopefully be able to explain or overlook some of the previous issues with it).

100% with you on Nick, and as far as I'm concerned his "redemption" is (or should be) less about him proving himself to be a "good person" (especially to Luke and all those Mayday fools who don't know him, fuck them) and more about him realizing how much it's slowly killing him to stay in Gilead and live the commander's life, and finally realize he deserves better, he deserves to be happy and he can have what he wants, he just has to fight for it. I am confident this "redemption" and consequently his Gilead life being left behind, will happen, although I'm not certain what direction that will take. I could see him being that masked guardian in disguise and somehow saving (or helping to save) June and the others from hanging, and helping the rebels. Even better, I think it's also possible for him to rally his guardian/eye "friendlies" against Gilead and they provide the needed manpower to win the battle at the gallows (think Aragorn riding in with the Army of the Dead just in time to turn the tide of the battle against Sauron's forces in Return of the King🙃).

Also agree a Serena redemption at this point is still extremely undeserved, but I'm convinced she'll get one based on ATG's interview with Lizzie. I have an idea of what that could be if THT is to lead into the The Testaments in a strict sense (and it involves Mark Tuello, and Holly Jr.), but I think it's a very unpopular theory lol. Maybe mainly because she lives(for now). If they are looser with how they'll merge into TT then I think her redemption will likely have to do with her dying helping the resistance in some way, in order to make a better world for her son or some such (or maybe directly protecting Noah, although I don't know how that would constitute a redemption). I remember Lizzie said she cried over Serena's arc and that all Serena had ever wanted was a child, and to make the world better for that child.

For me a big question mark is Lawrence, I've read amazing ultimate villain theories and I can truly see him going either way. He always keeps me guessing, that fucker!

Definitely hoping and praying for all of the your above wish list (June/Nick/bb Holly reunion and definitive choice/commitment to each other)! And verbal confirmation that Nick is in fact, not a nazi would also be nice lol.🙄

[joons]

barbie is a fun, clever, visual feast with some lovely moments that i am happy to see resonate with people. the movie is definitely worth seeing. but i would only give the film a 3.5/5.

i am now going to talk at length about my thoughts on the film, most of which will be an attempt to understand what is being said here.

i think barbie's acceptance of the gender wars as inevitable and perpetual ends up being more regressive than a lot of what it's trying to critique. it mostly ends in a healthier place, but along the way, it has little ability to make meaning outside of that frame. i loved the interactions barbie had with older women, particularly ruth, and i think there's a wonderful message there about girls needing both aspirational role models and grounded older mentors who can help them manage any obstacles they find. what a wonderful theme, and one that is given subtle, genuine weight, which i prefer over the more overt, "telling" moments the film does throughout. but a lot of the story gets sidetracked in assuming women's role is tricking men (a role foisted on them as a reaction to the patriarchy, so don't blame them) and that any true reconciliation or mutual support between men and women is only based on pity. i think the film could have landed better as a reflection on womanhood if it actually dared to be about ... women. if it could imagine women as more. if it truly tried to show the complex roller-coaster of emotions instead of staying stuck in one gear.

i have seen people say how ironic it is that ken is the best part of a barbie film, but it's true, on even deeper levels than people realize. why is ken the only one with true agency, whose feelings are true to himself and not a reflection of someone playing with him? where is the boy playing with his sister's dolls and desperately trying to understand why he feels so inadequate? why are those questions never asked in a film that generates endless questions and observations about human frailty? none of the barbies are capable of doing anything for themselves; they are easily brainwashed by the kens, and all it takes to shake them out of it is a speech about how "complex" women are. kens just have to accept themselves as they are to be happy; barbies have to believe they are doing something productive and worthwhile. except main barbie, who feels like she can't do anything meaningful, because this movie thinks the different barbies are genuinely incapable of doing something if they don't have an outfit to go with it. if the point is that she feels less than because she has seen the real world and feels unprepared for it, well, none of the other barbies would have fared better. astronaut barbie couldn't get a job at nasa, just like beach ken can't get a job at beach. the one time we see barbie make a choice for herself, unprompted by others, unburdened from her anxieties, is to ... go to the gynecologist. um. empowering. i guess.

(i think the ken/barbie plot would have worked better if they were "packaged" together. there's no real reason this ken has the crisis, why barbie feels any special responsibility for him.)

the fact that barbie begins to feel angst and anxiety as a result of real women's insecurities is fascinating; in being the avatar of girls' hopes, she also becomes their "competition," a symbol of all their grief and all their inadequacies. maybe you can see how kens get off easy here; they are not evolved enough; they will never be chosen by the gods as friends or idols or objects of hatred. that could have been explored more, especially through the mother-daughter relationship. why do teenagers begin pulling away from their mothers? perhaps for the same reason they grow out of barbie, because they want to be something beyond the touchstones of femininity they have. they want to be their own person and have to separate themselves, but the girls their age are obsessed with tearing each other down and taking their insecurities out on each other because they feel broken. barbie was experiencing that rejection for the first time. the film could have had something to say about how women can be cruel to one another as they struggle to find their own paths, but it's understandable and part of learning to identify what feels real and true to you. but none of the human characters have enough screentime to address any of this.

i liked the point that women dolls are saddled with the same impossible standards that many women feel. they're blamed in society for women's insecurities and also become totemic, like, "we gave you barbie, what more do you want?" i get that, i get the frustration that animates some of the plot, but i couldn't relate to it all that much. but it does ring true for me that b a r b i e as a concept, a company, a doll, is not the problem or the solution. she's just cool.

("why not make barbies that are relatable and normal?" the movie suggests. oh my god....... 💀 💀 💀 what year is this?)

i think allan (almost inadvertently, or at least subtly) makes the movie's best point: the lack of expectations can be an incredible gift. without them, you are free to become your own person on your own time instead of feeling less than because you're comparing yourself to others. we must all be allan. allan is our friend.

there are honestly so many smart concepts and sly commentary here that feel buried in Telling Not Showing; like the ken war was SO funny, and it would have hit hard if we saw the barbies struggling to find a way to understand and interact with the kens ... and they decide to play nice before realizing jealousy and competition seem to motivate the kens ... and then the kens do the most ken thing and do a normandy reenactment to gain women's attention. that's so archetypal, such a funny nod to the cyclical weirdness of human history, to the idea that women (and men) work within the system that is created for or against them, using the tools they have, living up to the gender roles/models they've been taught! but because the characters are like "i know what we will do. we will manipulate them and then they will go to war because they are men!" it's like ... ugh. it messes up the pacing of that whole sequence. it kills the surprise and delight of watching it unfold, so all we can react to are the sight gags (giving mouth to mouth to the horse lmaoooo) and the juxtoposition of war film and gene kelly musical. but the actual gender role commentary is stated so explicitly, afraid to question itself, afraid to say anything surprising or insightful, that it amounts to putting everyone right back in their box. the film tries to balance this at the end, pitying patriarchy as a cope against death, trying to empower the kens to be themselves, but it refuses to imagine any true healing or change, anything beyond "well, kids need to imagine barbieland as a matriarchal utopia, even though we have established that doing so leaves them unprepared for a world of unfair standards they can't control." all women can expect to do is fight for a land of dreams, but always know that the most that land can achieve is creating an image that will be sold back to them as empowerment. genuinely, what the FUCK is the point of this film. oh, it's too hard to say that imagination is what makes us human and that ultimately means more than the object. again, the film will outright state some version of this idea ("I want to do the imagining, I don't want to be the idea"), but every other part of the plot undercuts it with its own failure to imagine women as more than reactive.

and it had the chance to let women be real characters! (hell, does this movie even remember that barbie has Lore, a Family, a Last Name, that she hasn't been "just a doll" in a long, long time?) but the film seems to set up plots that would have given us organic interactions and fully realized characters. i got so excited when america's character, gloria, showed up, because okay, we're going to be able to explore womanhood through the eyes of a real person, we're going to see the push and pull between idealized utopias and dreams and real-world survival and hope and despair by learning more about her. but no. gloria is there to give a speech that doesn't sum up her life and her passions but all women in very generic terms. it's not experiential, it's definitional (and it's a definition built on what a woman is not -- not this, not this, can't be that). it is relying on the audience to point and say, "i recognize that," instead of building gloria as a person we love and know and laugh and cry with. you are building a wall between the story and your audience; if they never had "complicated feelings" about barbie, if they aren't sure why gloria cares so much about the doll while her daughter has such a negative reaction, then it is not going to let them in and explain that. it is going to say, "if you don't get it, you are brainwashed, probably, or a man, and you don't want to see it, and i am not going to open it up to you because it is an exclusive club, intentionally, because it is the only club we have, and i am not going to open it up to further ridicule or commentary, even though that is what this entire movie is doing." gah! tell a story! tell a STORY! surprise me! why are we just pointing at things?

i'm telling you, when barbie sits on that bench and has an interaction with an older lady, who is totally at ease in her own skin, who is un-selfconscious and not angry and peaceful, it brought immediate tears to my eyes. it was such a breath of fresh air. a real person, reacting in a way that surprises and moves you. what was her story. who is she. what is her secret to confidence and balance, and how can women share that with one another. no no no, go go go, take on capitalism and patriarchy until you're too tired to remember how to laugh, this is healthy and good. @~@

ultimately i am talking about the themes i wish were there or wish were more emphasized because the messages that are there feel contradictory. for instance, the kens' patriarchy is shallow and cartoonish, both in barbieland and the real world (that mattel executives were just as stupid and pointless as TOY PEOPLE was so INTERESTING to me; like what does it mean that men can still "play," and get paid enormously for it? but it's kind of just "isn't this dumb"), and the barbies are more than happy to manipulate their kens' emotions to get what they want. america ferrera tells barbie she is justified to feel mad at ken for what he did to her and her friends. but in the next scene, barbie comforts ken and connects to his feelings of vulnerability. it feels like the movie is rolling its eyes through the scene, when it could have been a really beautiful, sweet moment where humanity is recognized as universal, a true "man was not meant to be alone" moment of meaning, turned inside out and shaken and reconfigured as complementary and supportive, where barbie and ken realize community is crucial to weathering their own insecurities and flawed emotional responses, and maybe you can need someone without making it your whole personality. maybe the fear of connection is something all girls start to struggle with as they become teenagers, and they need that world where men don't want anything from them, and they want to cling to it a little longer than necessary. but because it's been bookended with "of course he's going to cry about it, don't give in, it's not your job to support him," the emotional core of the scene is undercut by shallower stuff. the scene genuinely reads like "placating men is important and you should do it," which is INSANE to me, but that's what is coming across with the wild whiplash between rage and sweetness, denying kens any humanity the whole film and trying to patch it up right at the end. barbie's ennui stems from the fact that a weary mother is playing with her, but the rest of the barbies - and the film as a whole - feel puppeted by the surly teenager who has not moved beyond rage-filled one-liners. i don't like that this is the case because those moments of human connection (barbie with the older woman on the bench, the mother-daughter relationship, even ken trying to understand why he cares so much what other people think of him) are so great. we're just supposed to ... not apply compassion to characters the film doesn't like. and we are supposed to like the characters we do like not because we are experiencing their lives with them but because they are saying The Right Things Loudly.

(and don't you love how the film even has a prepackaged response to being criticized? wanting men to be real people is brainwashed behavior. wanting women to have thoughts that go beyond regurgitated feminism 101 catchphrases is asking too much of a plastic toy. it's just a reflection or reality, see, but it's also exaggerated satire. i think the glib tone just crept into everything and made for some wild subtext that i don't even think the film recognizes.)

greta gerwig is more successful at dealing with the tension between made "things" and real life in little women. jo, as a stand-in for louisa may alcott, is resistant to getting jo "married off" and only caves in to get the book published. but the life and joy still sing in the scene where she reunites with bhaer, even when the audience is already primed to see it as artificial and cynical. the play between what jo says she wants and what jo indulges in is obvious; we can find joy and light even in the things that feel like a compromise of our principles. sometimes they are better than life, better than what we could imagine, they take on lives of their own, they become little women who exist off the page and no longer have to carry the burden of being "The One Narrative For Women" because they spark thousands of other stories and hopes and longings that the author doesn't have to be responsible for. as much as i waffle on whether i like the ending of gerwig's little women, it's clear that part of greta is throwing up her hands, in a "but what do i know?" gesture ... indulgent romance might just be the little antidote we need to stave off the lonely feelings we get sometimes. it's not weak, it's not a compromise, it's just cool.

for whatever reason, she doesn't bring that same verve or ambiguity to this film; she can't infuse barbie with meaning beyond what her critics say about her. barbies, like women, have to be perfect, but they can't be. they can't be totems, but they are. we must get away from them, but we can't. they are creations of men, but women can't think their way out of the box. barbie is an immortal ideal, but none of what she symbolizes has any impact.

"that's the point. it's complicated," greta says to me. "my job here is done."

"but declaring things complicated is not a point of view!" i yell back. "you didn't do anything!"

maybe i am too invested in barbie to even recognize that people have such negative feelings about her. maybe i have seen this premise done better in the lego movie, teen beach movie, barbie: life in the dreamhouse! (all of which genuinely love toys and kids/teen media and are not using them to sort out their own disgruntled feelings — and have a genuine belief that even flawed media bankrolled into existence can be real art, something gerwig seems so skeptical about that she lets her ambivalence about taking on this particular directorial gig become the driving tension in the story. how ... relatable?) maybe i have unresolved issues with greta's themes from little women and am now realizing how little she seems to get the things that matter to me, and we just need to part ways.

as anthony lane writes in the new yorker, "maybe the movie is for greta gerwig. and, by extension, for anyone as super-smart as her—former barbiephiles, preferably, who have wised up and put away childish things."

to that, i'd put a quote from c.s. lewis, whose work greta will soon try to get her hands around: "when i became a man i put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." the soul shudders at a narnia, a barbieland, a march family home, that are only notable for how "complicated" our feelings about them are supposed to be, and i think that puts my thoughts on greta's work into words.

now ... proust barbie, i would buy.

[chocmuffinsscones]

BKDK endgame theory

Another highly self-indulgent theory on how bkdk's gonna be endgame canonically

Disclaimer: Since I don't wanna jinx it or feel embarrassed for being so brazen about this mere silly thought of mine, I'll just keep this private until if things similar to what I've predicted became true. Otherwise, this will only be for my eyes alone. - edited 6 Nov 2023

Fuck all of that guess I'm just gonna put it out there and let y'all have fun as I embarrass myself. Just think it's all for lolz if none of these happen, at least I have fun writing to indulge my fantasy - edited 8 Nov 2023

So, what I think is that since hori's gonna keep giving us surprises and +u up his own game, my guess is that to clearly and subtly lock the pair without making it feel forced is to make bkdk make a promise to each other that hinted a lifelong warrant. Refer this to what toga said in her arc

It's not exactly a love confession, but what'll you feel if someone promise to dedicate their whole life in making you feel happiness, loved? I think that's love disguise in a glass case

So, how's this gonna parallel to our favourite dorks who're both so emotionally constipated and verbally poor at confessing?

Me thinks that, apparently when the boys were pushed to the extremes -- to the moment when there's literally no time affordable to think of anything else besides the most important thing they hold in their life, that the moment their body has to move on their own by instincts -- we'll finally get to see, bright as day, where their true feelings lay.

As far as we've seen, it has been clearly revealed (except for those who're illiterate or in a dilemma of spiralling denial) that on katsuki's side, Izuku's the one constantly haunting his head for the rest of his 10+ years. He'd jump into battle with him, rush in front of him to avert the blow, fight in pain to stay relevant in izuku's battle -- to the point of fighting to his death to protect his seniors and to yet remain as izuku's image of victory... all these, to atone his mistakes in mistreating Izuku.

Throughout his character growth, Katsuki had been to the extremes. What are the most extreme situations if not death itself?

After that, however, we see katsuki came back with his heart fully open (pun definitely not intended!), feelings more outwardly shown, saying thanks sincerely without hiding behind his explosive demeanor, smiling straightforwardly at his favourite idol AM 🥺

Katsuki had met his breaking point, met death itself, and came back a new man. A man who wanted to change before everything was too late. As soon as he woke up, he didn't waste time hesitating to allow further regrets, showing gratitude and humility whole-heartedly in any instant he should've done like any decent human being would.

Except, there's still one thing he hadn't yet achieve to reach a complete circle for his narrative.

Pre-war, Katsuki's biggest dread, the constant looming threat choking around his neck, was being unable to be honest and sincere to Izuku.

"But wait! He'd already stated his apology, he has no regrets left!"

Well, if you have that complain, you're not understanding katsuki well enough. Katsuki is a man of action more than his words. It's quite a common habit for Asians too to put more thoughts into action rather than just spewing beautiful words. And Katsuki, through and through, was an all-in-or-nothing kind of guy. He would never stop at just apologising. If his prior intention for reconciliation was to make himself feel better, then the integrity behind his actions and words was nullified, since that would undoubtedly negate the whole building up of his character's motivation. Moreover, it would become a huge flaw in horikoshi's writing as that would depict him in a "fake hero" spotlight as well as contradict the character's self incentive to be the bestest hero there is. I wouldn't bet hori would decide to ruin his writing like this. In fact, this is such a huge plot point for katsuki's character development that such a small blunder at this point would greatly affect the whole endgame story dynamic to his readers. Not that he'd care if he really did chose that path... I mean 🤷🏻‍♀️😬

Anyway, personality-wise, I'd say Katsuki would be the first person to hate that particular kind of people if he sees one. He'd definitely be disgusted of himself if he were one. That's why I wouldn't bet hori will make that blunder, because hori had been writing him as an incessantly growing character, relentlessly pushing his limits to be the best and always showed his results through visible actions.

So then, back to the point, what were left to do if he had already apologised? What more does he need to do then to further compensate?

:) As I've mentioned earlier, nothing beats the offer of a lifelong compensation, of devoting one's own time and energy willingly to the other as long as they need, or provide care and attention whenever they deserve.

"Wait. What does that even sound like tho? Doesn't that seem like a huge burden to bear??"

For Katsuki however, it's as per usual: all in or nothing!

A promise that hinted lifelong devotion though... That truly sounds like a heavy dedication to carry for the rest of one's life. Doesn't that kind of vow ring any bells? That's the only conclusion I could come to unfortunately. Because Katsuki is a perfectionist, he'll never aim at only atoning his mistakes for a "measly" 10-20 years.

But then, at what kind of situation he would promise a life-binding oath like that out of the ordinary?? Knowing our boys, there's no way they would open their ironclad mouths to say something as romantic as that out of the blue, right??

So here comes my prediction❗❗

📢 warning: take everything below with a grain of salt because at this point it's just me wildin' haha

Evidently, it's been awhile we're constantly warned about Izuku's lack-of-oxygen crisis. He was still fighting sAFO alone while Katsuki came back to focus on AFO himself.

There's a few ways things could go south from there. Afo could very well be dealt by Katsuki now with extra buffs(his new cluster moves), but Izuku was still in an unknown critical state. So while Katsuki busied himself distracting afo, Izuku could somehow got sucked into sAFO's vestige space in a moment's hesitation (or something happened that sucked him into vestige space). We might finally get our vestige space fight between Izuku and tenko & OFA vs AFO, or we could get a heartwarming talk no jutsu (as well as some sprinkle of action fights) between Izuku and Tenko. And all of these played out without the involvement of Katsuki -- as he's stuck in the physical world and is still dealing a rampaging afo. The dudebros would be happy about this. Finally they had a chance to laugh at us at being clowns for wanting katsuki's involvement in the vestige fight. But remember, hori is a troll through and through. He could troll us, he could troll the dudebros too. It's our temporary loss for not getting Katsuki fight beside izuku in afo vestige space, but we'll have something better later!

Because while all of those happen in the vestige space, apparently Tomura and Izuku's body will be out of it, falling to the ground and seemingly lifeless, out of consciousness to the eye of the people in the physical world.

I can imagine Katsuki having no time to spare while dealing with Afo as this happen. He's got to finish AFO first to get back to Izuku. And I promise you it'll not take too long for him to do that, 'cause it'll be a combo attack from IN and OUT as Izuku counter both Afo and tenko in the vestige space -- but it'll feel a bit longer in Izuku's pov as timeflow seems to be slightly different in there.

Anyhow, as Katsuki was done with afo, what do you think he'll react then when he reached a passed out Izuku? When he arrived to the scene of Izuku and Tenko on the ground, Izuku probably temporarily *not breathing* and motionless. *not breathing due to the setback of gearshift

Katsuki will be shocked and traumatized. After spilling his heart out to win AFO with/for izuku, how could he stand to win the battle if Izuku wasn't there to claim victory alongside him? He would hold Izuku's hand and kept calling out to him (maybe angrily or threatening but the words are sweet and all of it are very contrasting?👀), calling for his soul to come back. Surely he would start crying and confess all his regrets even more too. *reminder: these are only possible because all his walls were finally broken down after his revival, he's a changed man in and out.*

Then, even better! When the medic units and probably some other heroes arrived to the scene, Katsuki suddenly realised he could give Izuku cpr! He'll do it himself and think it'll work since he learnt it from emergency treating lessons, and he didn't want Izuku to leave his side but also didn't want to do nothing to help Izuku recover.

See? Plus Ultra. Katsuki giving Izuku cpr y'all. Bkdk won. All these too in front of some witnesses and recording cameras. :)

And, yeah, cuz hori is a troll, katsuki's kiss of life actually wasn't the *sole* reason Izuku came to (all for the ambiguity too, ya know ;) and besides, hori likes trolling Katsuki too, not allowing him to get what he wants)-- it was all Izuku's well-deserved victory on defeating afo and saving tenko from the vestige space that allowed him to return to his own body after the vestige world close up. In fact, Izuku didn't actually need it, he was merely away from his body to fight in the vestige space for a bit; if he won, he would eventually come back and wake up by himself, the problem of hypoxia naturally dissolved along with it.

In another words, the "kiss" was just a bonus. It's a heartfelt gift from hori-sensei to his bkdk/grateful manga readers. Because in the end of the day, it's the promise between Izuku and Katsuki that wrapped the deal of bkdk being endgame canonically. For Hori, it's a win-win situation; he could have fun building suspense over his readers, as well as finally letting his favourite boys earn their long overdue peace to be together. Also, completing both protagonist and deuteragonist narrative foil as save to win, win to save. AND not making the whole scene romantically charged, as the reason behind their actions aren't out of sexual desire nor sexual attraction, since tHis Is sTilL JusT a shOuNen mAnGa afterall. Just "bros" devoting their life to each other and occasionally hold hands to get comfortable of each other's touch because they're practicing their next combo move. 😀

[blorbologist]

💀📖 (book can be an episode or arc if you wanna do CR!)

💀: If you had to choose one major character to die, who would you choose?

Out of all of VM, Vax was the lynchpin of the party and really the perfect one to die IMO. I will stand on the hill that VM would have half the weight it does if Vax hadn't had to leave with the Raven Queen at the end.

But maybe that's hindsight talking - if we're talking non-canon permadeath, I think an AU where Scanlan stayed dead (refusing revival, instead of blowing up after the fact) could have been a fascinating turning point for VM! You get the 'oh shit this is no longer a joke' that Bard's Lament offered, but... tbh I don't feel like that episode is the big change to VM some people consider it to be? Like yes, Tary shows up, and the party starts checking in on everyone a smidge more and there is some angsting (mostly on Percy and Pike's end iirc)... but it's nowhere near the trajectory change that Molly's death had on the M9. Scanlan being gone-gone, and there being no chance of reconciliation, would absolutely rock a VM who so far have been able to save everyone that mattered to them far sooner and with far more finality. I could see the year break being less a thing of 'hey we're done our to-do list and can chill now' and more 'hey do we even fucking want to do this anymore? when our friend died in a puddle of piss?' Kill their Molly, except with more bad blood.

📖: If you had to remove one book arc from the series, which would you choose?

... okay this IS the unpopular opinion game. Preface: I can't really discern any clear arcs in C3 like I can in C1 or C2. This is mostly because they have huge overarching goals ('Treshi plot', 'Preparing for moon' and 'Da Moon' is how it feels to me) which the characters really... don't make much clear progress towards during most of those long arcs? (Vs, say, the Vecna arc, where you have the initial discovery, then that bad fight, collecting trammels, etc.). Not to say that the other campaigns didn't have their own meandering arcs - Tary arc comes to mind - but it's... really hard to figure out what I'd cut out when my instinctive answer is 'so fucking much, IDK what anything is contributing to any goals/wholes anymore'.

BUT the curing Keyleth mini-arc irritated the hell out of me for little discernable reason and I'd like it Gone Please.

Ask me about my unpopular opinions!

[ae-azile]

I really appreciate the voting pools you are doing for every upcoming chapter:D. It gives me a taste of what I can look forward to the next chapter of Progression. I love this story so much. I fear that Korn will make some real trouble now. And hopefully he won't get between KhunArm too much. Because yes, Porsche won't have this ship ruined for him:DD. Also I think that Korn won't like developing VegasKinn ship either (i.e. power cousin combo). If that's something he will try to break (again), Chay won't have it. It's his OTP now and Korn won't ruin it. Your writing is amazing and I can't wait for more.

I'm glad you enjoy the voting polls! Meant to make this last one have a week limit but forgot to change it. But they are fun to compile and sometimes hold me to keeping certain plot points that I might delay otherwise.

Korn is...ugh. I will say that he loves his sons in his own way, but he values his own perception and control too highly to truly listen to them and adjust his own views and behavior. In this universe, I have Tankhun getting kidnapped at 17 years old. He was highly valued and Korn's pride and joy up until that point, and then was completely traumatized by everything that happened to him during his kidnapping. I think Korn's mixture of guilt and disappointment that he never bounced back from it made it so he distanced himself from his oldest and went lax on the level of support he needed back then. Khun changed so much from the experience, and I think that was not expected. But it also made Korn more controlling and protective of Tankhun in his own way. He has not viewed Tankhun as capable in a long time, and this extends to normal life milestones that Tankhun was robbed of. He has been so brave and productive these last few years, both secretively and not so secretively, and it has gone mostly unnoticed by close to everyone (except for Arm, and maybe Pol). It probably saddens him greatly, but he knows it has been for the best because the good developments might be halted by his father, should he find out. This upcoming chapter, he may be proven right. It's integral that he has everyone else in his corner at this point. His next steps need to be a strange mixture of bold, deliberate, but also very planned.

I mean, after all, he can't let Porsche down. ArmKhun is his OTP! I think if drama occurs with Korn, he is going to be a mixture of pissed off, supportive of his ship, and extremely involved. He wants them to stay together, and being an active player in making sure that happens will be interesting for him lol. As for Chay, I know he doesn't want the relationship between the cousins to be affected by Korn or his decision to step out of retirement.

The reconciliation with the cousins will probably be kept quiet for now, but I don't see Korn liking it much either, not unless he can keep an active eye on Vegas, Macau, Pete, and Fern. He has been comforted by the knowledge that they are busy with new ventures that don't really affect the major family's, and the fact that Vegas and Pete are busy with fatherhood might be a positive in his eyes. They won't risk the baby's welfare by stepping out of line, and the baby can be used as potential leverage if they do. I don't think it will come to that, but I think Vegas has no desire to get involved with Korn again for this reason, as well as the fact that he views Korn as the root of several different traumas.

I do hope to explore some of this in the new chapter! I am behind schedule right now due to two deadlines at work, but I am currently writing an emotionally charged conversation between Kinn and Khun now. It is way overdue and some resentments are coming out, but it will hopefully be good for them and their bond in the scheme of things! Thank you for the ask!

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

I love Janine this episode xD

"They knew I was lying" SLFHFJSKD xDD

I love her lol

"That's concerning" xDD

I mean they could be schools too though lol, tbh I believe them xD

Ahhh I thought it was the mx for a second like wrong first name but it's the spelling xD

JANINE LOL

Honey xD

MELISSA GOING TO GO STAND WITH HER SKFHDJS

Melissa xD

Their face 💀

"Ja" SLFJFHSK JANINE XDD

Jacob I swear if you do it over text or call- sir get it together 😭 xD

SPCJSUANWPAUUUOH NO I'M NOT PREPARED FOR THAT

Imagine if he proposed or something-

Lol sorry xD ik it wouldn't be I just mean like something the opposite xD

Gregory does not want to be here for this xD

OPE NO CHOICE NOW

He didn't say that I just know he won't want to

SLFKGHDKS JACOB STARTING TALKING AROUND GREGORY XDD

Oh poor Gregory I'm so sorry lol

I know it would pain me too lol xD

Also it would be wild if Zach really does go like "I realized how much I love you :))" or like "are you doing okay?" xD

Yk maybe if they break up now we can fix it later in the episode :'))

Maybe :'))

Hear me out xD

Because this moved along a lot quicker than I thought it would from being 7 minutes in lol I thought there would only be time to breakup xD

Though there is still Barbara's whole plot

Also they deserve better than a middle for he episode breakup You Know What if that happens 😤 xD

"I've been rather frustrated" sorry Zach I can't take you seriously- /lh xD

I think honestly any wording in a blunt way just makes it more awkward for Gregory and that may be a reason for it lol xD not that they can't be blunt but yk

Aww and confused 😭😭 stop he sounded so sad :'((

Turns out Zach doesn't think they're having problems :'))

Maybe if they break up Jacob will realize how much he still loves him and wants to be with him :'D or both of them :'D help please :D

Poor Gregory xD sir at this point just leave lol

I would not be able to handle being there for that xD not bc I love them but bc it would be awkward lol

SLFHFSK yeah you have been xD

See this is why you guys never break up because you're too honest and accepting of your faults and sweet xD except clearly not honest enough lol

I swear though if this is all some elaborate ruse

I don't think it is but like xD

"My brother if I could just-" Bro is trying his BEST SLFHSJLDS 💀💀 XDDD

He does not wanna be here for this and I wouldn't either

PLEEEASE don't do this to me I feel like they will and then Gregory's gonna be left standing there awkwardly as the end of the scene 😭

But hey maybe that leaves time for reconciliation :D

Probably not but I can cope :')

It would be funny if Zach asks if it's from quitting vaping lol like the behavior

And nice callback/consistency :)) or if that actually is the reason xD but yk the 7 months thing so who knows

I thought Jacob said he'd been being frustrating and confusing but I went back (just to go back not for that) and he did not so slightly less immediately broke down and was honest there lol

Wait nah he's not gonna-

YEAH COUPLE'S THERAPY LOL

Jacob xD you idiot

Unfortunately this means they will probably break up at the end of the episode :') or before the end anyway

Since it's not now xd

Help I'm hurting

Let's just hope they actually do and it works xD :')

AUGH JACOB

aoguh

oaughHaug my CAPS COME BACK HERE I NEED YOU

AOGUHAUAIOGH

JACOB STOP

JACOB WHY

WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME

The way he said it 😭😭 xD sad and funny

Also!hey :')))) at least this means they could get back together by later :'))

Or he'll back down now lol

But I think we might end the scene and come back to it later? Hopefully not lol

Gregory awkwardly standing there like xD

Let me see his face I need to see it lol

It's my only solace here xd 😭

SKFJHDKS Zach's face xD but also 😭😭😭💔💔 my honey DD':

My honeys honestly 😭😭😭😭 D':

Yep Gregory's awkward xD feeling it I mean

LOL yes run XD

SLFJGHDKS MR. JOHNSON STANDING THERE WITH A TRASH CAN LOL

He just wants to be in on it lol xD

It would be wild if he set all this up-

Sorry I'm fine and rational I promise xD

SLDKFHDKS MR. JOHNSON

A H NO THEY'RE BACK CRAP

But I mean at least I get to see it 😭😭😭 they deserve that much tbh xd

Or maybe they'll talk it out :')? Or be almost at that point and then later we found out they did? Whatever works? Please :')?

The sub stuff is already mostly figured out so we've got plenty of time for this and the other one 😭 unfortunately and fortunately xD

Jacob don't turn it back on him lol

Just stop repeating him man 😭

OKAY Zach said "Jacob. You s" before I paused and the genuine emotion like without comedy there was too much for me I ant handle this 😭😭😭😭😭💔💔

Guys help help guys save me

This is one of the few times I think you'll find me genuinely having a breakdown on my blog show wise lol. Like sadness wise, especially liveblog wise lol

So hey at least there's that xd I am not always happy (with the decisions lol)

Pleeeeas don't do this to me

I should stop the post but I think I wanna keep it going xd all in one post and what not

They deserve that 😭

Ik I'm talking like they're already dead but please guys don't break up xdd

I mean be happy but I want you to be happy together xdd

Okay there was some comedy there vibe wise as I figured out still that hurt 😭

Jacobbbb stop trying to pin the blame on him 😭 ik you hate this but you did it

Honestly despite my screaming howling pain and misery if they really do I will be proud of Jacob for actually doing it lol

And I'm afraid that's what's supposed to happen xd 😭

HE DID NOT

Jacob stop gaslighting him 😭 I love you but sir xd

AWW APIGUOSHUHHH- I can't the that time oh my gosh

He's about to do it

Or actually force Jacob to be honest

Or break my heart (though both of those would) but yk in a separate way like about he was gonna propose at some point or how much he loves him or something

That would just about kill me and I would die right here 😌

OKAY NOPE IT WAS A "WHAT'S GOING ON" OPTION TWO GUYS HONESTLY THE BEST OUT OF ALL BUT NOW I HAVE TO CONFRONT IT 😭😭😭💔

And so do they 😭😭😭💔 :'((

JACOBBBB NOOOO

But also don't deny it I mean xd

Tbh I just don't deserve this

One second let me just-

AAAAAAAAAUOOUUUGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-

I'm fine :')

Yk what no no I'm not 😭😭😭😭 :'((

Screaming sobbing throwing up how could you do this to me

No Jacob don't deny it sir I swear-

JUST BE FREAKING HONEST

OKAY AIGOGDUUAGAUUHHHOGIHHGGGGH but at least the did :') 😭😭😭😭😭💔

Jacob. That hurt me. How could you ever do this to me

Zach's gonna agree or something and that lessens the chances of fixing it but also that makes it slightly easier sooo idk xd

Okay at least we're being genuine now 😭😭😭💔 :'((

Honeyyyys 😭😭😭💔 I mean yeah that tracks but xd the afraid to rip of the band-aid bit, as the reason I mean lol

Okay bandage my bad I paused lol

OH MY GOSH HE'S ABOUT TO SAY SOMETHING WHILE SOUNDING LIKE HE'S CRYING LIKE THAT HE LOVES HIM I'M NOT OKAY-

Y'all this is too emotional for them to get back together they're really doing this to me 😭 I haven't accepted it till now and probably won't for the next 26 years but yk x'd

AOUGHHHHHAHHHHH "THIS SUCKS" YES IT DOES SUCK 😭😭😭💔💔💔

Not as bad as it could've been though, what he said wise :')

Yeah 😭😭😭😭💔

. . . do I deserve a kiss for all my efforts/pain though (the answer is yes but will I get one xdd a goodbye kiss for them I mean lol)

Should you be doing this in the middle of the school day by the way guys x'D sorry unrelated lol

Not really but yk xd

I better get a hug though not just a dejected stand

AOUGH NOPE THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE TALKING OUCH

AUGHO why'd you have to say thank you I deserved an I love you there

We can worry about Jacob's growth later let me be sad and emotional and in the moment 😭😭😭😭😭😭💔💔❤️

SLFKFHSK JACOB

SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT xd

I swear if the only reason Zach wanted to actually break up was because of the stuff you've been doing Jacob-

IF YOU'VE KILLED THIS FOR ME xd-

It is not a funny story Jacob bc ik that's what you're gonna say after really when I unpause this lol xd

Yep xD

And I think Zach agrees lol

Yk this was almost amicable xd

JACOB

How many times did that happen xD

I appreciate the jokes to lighten the mood but guys xdd

Also honestly just let me be sad lol I need it xd

NOT THE FULL NAME

Sir this was so close to being amicable 😭😭

I mean I don't want the secret but like xD

APCIENAO IS HE GONNA CALL HIM A SOB

Probably not but xD

Glad we're also acknowledging Jacob's non-growth lol

AOCURUANODAUHOL NOPE JUST THE B :O

SLFKGJDKHS LOWKEY ICONIC THOUGH ON ZACH'S PART AND ON JACOB FOR BEING CALLED THAT XD

Hold up now xd-

The what 😭

Guys I am not emotionally okay xdd

I'm shaking as I try to breathe lol

And I cannot take seriously what Zach is doing right now 😭😭 xD

Desperately hoping I get more in my feels so I can avoid this /hj-

WHY IS THE KRAKEN FLAPPING. ZACH.

YES understandable Zach xD but the yes was also for Jacob bc it needed to be said

Sweet prince??? Slfjghsks??? What do y'all have going here I swear xDD

Honestly fair though Zach don't have to care xd

But also. Did you have to try and break my heart in every possible guys xd

Zach this is about to be uncalled for- :OO >:OO THEY WERE NEVER FUN

Yk idk if I could get over this if they did ret back together ngl xdd

My babeys don't deserve this 😭😭😭😤💔

Fair and real though for Zach to go off mans was just broken up with

Also I cannot help but figure Mr. Johnson and Gregory are listening at the door 💀

:OOO AT TRIVIA NIGHT!!

Okay now Jacob looks angry too and fair enough xdd

Also not the callback to the first time we saw Zach, and I don't deserve this :))) 😭. The and isn't needed there but idk I wanted it

SLFJFHSKDS NOT THE SINGING XD

Fair and real Zach but also

Zach leads the choir song-

Awww honeyyy 😭😭😭😭💔💔

Now give me the sadness back xdd

Yk the anger makes it easier but also I still don't deserve this xd

Also as I've been wondering, where is Janine in all this 😭 your bestie needs you D':<

Yep Gregory's is stills standing there xD

Yep you should've xdd

SHLFHSKDS GREGORY

Nahh for him too

Awww yeah :')) 😭😭😭😭❤️💔

Awww :'))) (the "I do have other pens")

Okay! So! I did not deserve this!

[affogato-analysis]

I love that take and I love disagreeing with it too! and i don't say that in a cynical ironic fashion, i genuinely love the train of thoughts we're having

don't get it wrong, my take isn't by any means in the history of forever better than yours or more valid or what not, it’s just different and i’d love to have this conversation!

I do agree that caitvi stepped away from the whole Piltover/Zaun plot as in they don’t represent it, but I don’t think they did in the first place. Cait always connected to Vi not in spite or because of her connection to Zaun but on a deep human (lesbian) level, kinda in a colorblind manner. Of course she was brought to see Zaunites living conditions but Vi never really got into the Pilt/Zaun conflict. After Vander’s loss, she wanted family and didn’t care for independence or what not. I don’t think she’d fight against it — that’s not why she joins the enforcers — but Vi, because she was in jail for 7 years and has since repeatedly lost her people over and over again, didn’t really get involved with that conflict to me. Like her mind was elsewhere (Powder, Milo, Claggor, Jinx, Cait, Isha, Vander)!

I also don’t think it’s Viktor and Jayce. Well, I don’t think it’s season 2 Viktor and Jayce, although it is clearly season 1. We see in their relationship the way they try and mostly fail to bridge the gap because of the Zaun/Piltover conflict: Viktor needs them to work fast because Zaunites are dying and they need fresh air, clean water, food, safety; while Jayce gets lost in politics and, per his privileged position, can afford prudence and experimenting and not putting things in application. Both are understandable positions, Jayce minds what his mentor tells him about being careful so that he doesn’t accidentally ends civilization (that’s what Heimerdinger warns him about) while Viktor needs things to move now or else he’s doomed and the Undercity stays miserable.

Season 2 Viktor and Jayce do bridge a gap together though, but not necessarily the Piltover/Zaun one although they clearly contribute to it. They basically pull Viktor back: enough of this robotic magical grand evolution, it is time to come home love. basically. This is Jayce opting for calling to Viktor and not fighting him, therefore putting forth the importance of humanity. This is more acceptance towards ‘imperfection’ and humanity than towards Viktor as a Zaunite. Same as Vi and Cait, this is love independent to who they are on the map. Which, yeah, is a way to bridge the gap between them but it doesn’t solve the Piltover/Zaun issue. Season 2 Jayvik is much more personal, it’s about them two as individual and not part of their groups, it’s not about Piltover and Zaun.

Thematically though, choosing togetherness instead of fighting to impose your will is clearly the way the show portrays Zaun and Piltover’s reconciliation (or at least the beginning of that attempt since the show is pretty open-ended on that point).

So, saying that they aren’t Pilt/Zaun coded isn’t wrong per say but their own arcs mirror the cities’. I don’t think they’re meant to be its representatives though.

No, for this I’d argue on other pairs!

Heimerdinger and Ekko for starters! Heimerdinger, after being fired and coming to the conclusion that he can not help the Undercity as is, meets Ekko. And then they work together and Heimerdinger is willing to bypass the law and there is genuinely mutual respect and an acknowledgment of Piltover’s oppression of Zaun. That’s generally what I think miss from that second season by the way, Piltover’s characters never really acknowledge Piltover’s responsibility in what happened with the Commune, Silco, Jinx.

Except Shoola! Her!

This picture is (a part of) Piltover standing with Zaun. And yeah, it’s at the very end and it’s followed by the disgusted faces of the other councilors, but Arcane season 2 does not offer a conclusion to the Piltover/Zaun conflict. It offers seeds of resolutions that the characters will have to grow themselves, against all odds at time. Whether we like it or not, that’s essentially what the show is doing.

So, yeah: s1 Jayce/Viktor very much the Piltover/zaun situation; s2 Jayvik still yes but in a much more parallel way and not so intertwined with the actual events; Heimerdinger/Ekko yes until it can’t happen anymore because uh-oh Heimerdingain’t; and then Shoola/Sevika but we get one shot of it and then it’s gone.

Caitvi does give examples of reconciliation and mostly they support the show’s main theme: love is always how things happen (Singed, Cait, Vi, Jinx, Vander/Warwick, Isha, Powder, everyone).

Does that make sense or am I going insane on the side?

dont kill me for saying this but i kinda think jayvik did the piltover-zaun relationship thing better than caitvi, especially in the second season. to me some of caitlyn's empathy towards zaunites seems to be linked to her relationship with vi. she's sympathetic towards them because she cares about vi and in season 2 we can see that this has its limits. when vi joins her squad she's more than comfortable with gassing undercity citizens to find jinx at all cost. and jayce also sometimes slips up and shows contempt for the people in zaun, mostly because of his lack of perspective on the issue and the pressure that the terrorist attacks place on him as a council member. but viktor calls him out on this in the bridge scene and jayce immediately apologizes

not only that, but jayce later takes care to include him in the council meeting when discussing zaun's independence and calls attention to him during that meeting. he's symbolically presenting zaun as equal to piltover by calling viktor his partner and a zaunite. given how often vi and vander did the forehead touch thing, it's possible that that's also a zaunite gesture which gives more meaning to jayce pulling viktor into it in the astral plane. he respects viktor's identity as a zaunite and makes sure that viktor knows it

during caitlyn and jayce's conversation in the garden when caitlyn thinks about getting revenge for her mother she says that she finds it easy to hate them, but that remembering vi is what pulls her back from that. and i think it says a lot about how much they dropped the ball with caitlyn's character that there was so much less lasting tension between her and vi in the second season even though caitlyn was so much more radicalized in her position. i just wish theyd really challenged caitlyn on her support for the people of zaun being conditional

[daemonya]

🎭 The Great Bot Migration & Life Update of 2024

In which your favorite bot creator dramatically announces their whereabouts and plans while absolutely refusing to update more than one bot per day because #selfcare

Where I've Been (aka The Great Platform Exodus)

Yodayo? Left it faster than my ex left me on read (their rules were more restrictive than my grandmother's cookie jar)

Figgs? That ship wasn't just sinking - it was doing a full Titanic while the devs were in their "this is fine" meme era

Janitor? Got banned. Might make a stealth account to support my homies, but I'm done posting there. If they don't want my creative genius, their loss 🤷‍♀️

And if you know any other platforms that need some chaos, slide into my DMs.

The Great Bot Overhaul Project

I'm updating ALL my bots (yes, all 100+ of them) because apparently, I hate free time. The main change? They're getting a personality glow-up - switching to the bot's perspective while still calling the user "you" (because we're not monsters).

Estimated completion time: 3 months, give or take several existential crises. At my current pace of one-bot-per-day (because who needs efficiency?), we'll be done just in time for the robot apocalypse.

Coming Soon™ to a Bot Platform Near You

The alternative scenarios of Reizen, Bern (Urs' brother) and Nova.

The entire Hyakki Yagyō crew (jorogumo, ningyo, furutsubaki-no-rei, baku, yuki-onna, shirime, bakeneko, nekomata and their supernaturally dramatic friends)

The Enchanted Legacy collection: Where we're taking your favorite tropes and turning them on their heads

The Duke's Reader - After criticizing the X-rated "Enchanted Legacy" that your idol is adapting, especially for that "Cold Duke of the North" cliché, you're thrown into the story as the main character. Now you're living every romance stereotype: the abandoned spouse, the sacred temple exile, and the fated meeting with the duke. Except this duke isn't just any male lead - he's your idol, also transported from your world.

The Prince's Mistake - Your arranged marriage was supposed to follow the classic redemption arc: cruel prince rejects you, realizes his mistake, passionate reconciliation, happily ever after. But you're not playing by the book anymore. As the isekai-ed main character who knows all the plot points, you're choosing the second male lead - your real-world idol - over your predestined prince. Watch your husband slowly realize he's lost his guaranteed happy ending as you flip the script on this overused trope.

The curse of the house Saar (Aldrich, Beatrix and Casimir)

And more tales of awkward nobles failing at relationships.

The Fun Zones (of Multi-Characters):

Pan's Paradise Resort (where Sylvain definitely doesn't spend all day at the pool)

The Otherworldly Carnival (Kai's workplace, where the cotton candy is probably sentient)

Current Status: Aggressively procrastinating bot updates while writing this very announcement 😒👌

[thebookbin]

Ravensong

TJ Klune

Publisher: Tor (Macmillan) Genre: fantasy, romance Year: 2018

Because Wolfsong got me out of a reading slump, I figured hey--why not? Let's jump right in to Ravensong. I am conflicted. I have feelings. This one definitely wasn't as good. Although, as a sidenote, it's really cool to view a writer at different points in their career and seen how they've grown. This is definitely one of Klune's earlier works. Where Wolfsong feels like a young gay teen's response to Twilight, Ravensong loses some of the nostalgic charm that I felt when reading Wolfsong.

The first problem with this book is it's scope. It covers a lot of Gordo's childhood, which is very interesting except for when it mirrors Ox's childhood from the first book and it makes Thomas' motivations look insane. Then, we basically get to reread book 1 from a different perspective, which would have been cool, except it left out the bits I am most interested in: namely the aftermath of the first book and Gordo and Ox's reconciliation. I had to slog through all the boring details but then it somehow blasted through that important part again. Once can be written off as you needed to make cuts for word count (although I would have argued different sections deserved to get cut) but twice is just a sin.

The reason this book feels like it was written by someone in high school is that it always chooses the option with the Most Possible Drama (except for when it doesn't--more on this later) but then when it tries to explain why this particular path was chosen there is no rational explanation so the rationale just falls off a cliff. Thomas goes from the gentle all-knowing patriarch to an unhinged egomaniac. In the first book, Ox gets left behind by the both the Bennetts and Gordo. When we go back in time to Gordo's childhood, we find out that Gordo was tattooed as a child by his father and Thomas' father (and nobody ad a problem with this) but they also left Gordo behind as a child and the intense psychological harm that did him. Which makes absolutely no sense as to why Gordo would turn around and do that same thing to the kid who he grew up with.

The explanations for all of this behavior were so paltry. They left Gordo behind because humans had attacked wolves and Gordo was a human, albeit a witch. Why did that mean they had to cut all contact? Thomas' explanation: it was "easier." I'm sorry, that's just psychopathic and turns Thomas into a villain. Gordo was like 12 and his mother was just murdered and his father imprisoned. He had no one except these people and they left abruptly and cut all contact. It's unhinged.

The other thing that made me knock off a star is Gordo losing his hand. Losing a hand adding an amputation and disability isn't the problem, in fact I think it could add a lot of interesting conflict to the story. My problem is Gordo's hand gets cut off and not only is it magically healed but 2 pages later, people are making jokes about it. Asking if he'll "need a hand" at the garage. He just had a major life-altering disability, and it wasn't given the gravitas it deserved. I wanted to witness Gordo's feelings, as someone whose career as a mechanic depends on his hands. I wanted to watch him adjust to life using his non-dominant hand. He lost the hand in the most dramatic fashion, but Klune didn't deal with any of the aftermath, and instead wrote it off.

With the lack of depth in the story, and the weird scope of the book, retelling the entire events of the first book, and the nonsensical motivations of the characters, I don't believe I will be able to continue the series. While I enjoyed the first book and it helped get me out of my slump, I feel that both the writing style and the plot are just too juvenile for me at this time.

storygraph | bookshop.org | local houston

★★½ WHAT IS WITH THE NONCONSENSUAL TATTOOING?! STARS

[ram-de]

[read] ravensong thoughts vomit (pt. 3)

the post is too long so i made another

FIRST OF ALL. WHY. WHY WHY IS THE BOOK TRYING SO HARD TO MAKE ME FEEL SORRY FOR THOMAS?? Mr klune can you stop mentioning how oh Thomas did it for good or Thomas regretted it or Thomas really wanted to do right. I'm so sick of it. Because he's doing it for good reason (it's not) then suddenly he's absolved of all the wrong, the hurt, the pain he caused to Gordo? Get the hell out. I hate it here.

Ermmmmm this feel like a copout... I'll stop being a downer and just read

I think the book is very long

I'm losing the enthusiasm I'm sorry I took a break hsgshsjsh

Fucking Thomas again. I'm. 😮‍💨 Can't he just be put in like limbos for alpha until he repent. HOW COME HES LIKE IN WOLF HAVEN STOP IT

Fucking Elizabeth. Is this really the time to do a gotcha moment. I'm. 😮‍💨 OK SHE'S HIS WIFE. alright. Whatever. Biased. OK. I'LL STOP. BEING BITTER. YEAY! Closure acquired!

Is it me or Alpha Bennett (THE GOOD ONE AND BY THAT I MEAN JOE NOT THE PRICKASS THOMAS) is getting sidelined. What I said about ox shgsjsjs he's truly the protagonist of the story. The chosen one. Human Alpha, Alpha of the Omegas, what other power-up will he gets in the next book

WHY AM I COMPLAINING the story tension is on all time high and I'm not really invested in the... Fuck ass Thomas plot so other things was buried under... I'm sorry my son (one-handed) gordo...

AUSGHJ I NEED MEREDITH TO dye her hair green so we all can feel relief

Until this point I still can't feel the... What's the term... The... AHHH I'M FORGETTING WORDS.... Like. The actual stake here. Never mind. I'll try it again later.

The book is very long

Meredith chuuni's monologue is very long

FUCK ME MORE MEREDITH MONOLOGUE

I swear I can read... I just need... Line break... 😭😭😭

Elijah didn’t recoil. If anything, that made her angry. “But we couldn’t take them all. I watched as my family fell around me. I saw their skin tear. I heard their screams. I was a child, but I saw it all from the trees.” A tear fell from her eye and onto the knotted tissue of the scar on her face. “My family. Aunts and uncles. Cousins. People who believed such as I did. The wolves didn’t know I was there. The blood was too thick in the air for them to notice me. My father, he…lost his way, after that. He didn’t understand why God had forsaken him. Why he had abandoned us when we needed him most. Fucking words on pages in like three pages ranting about fuckshit referencing Bibles and Meredith King being all righteous and stuff while she never pause LIKE I FUCKING GET IT!! YOU'RE A FREAK!! SHOUTING MORALS WHILE KILLING INNOCENTS ALRIGHT!! I GET IT. STOP!!"

THIS GOES ON FOR THREE. FUCKING. PAGES. NO LINE BREAKS. MY EYE HURTS.

ELIJAH TALKING HER ASS OF BEING A REASON THE PEOPLES ARE SAFE IM. Ok that makes it a little bit better. Fuck u Elijah for talking.

Strangely I don't mind if ox talks long ass paragraph. I love him he's my son. he used to be so quiet and now look at him speaking for two pages long :') my son

I will suppress my resentment to how happy go lucky easy the problem just because it's over. IT'S SO DRAGGED.... FOR HUNDRED OF PAGES...

TJ KLUNE YOU CANT END THE STORY WITHOUT MAKING GORDO RELIVING HIS PAIN HUH. AGAIN? THIS IS TOO MUCH???

...by the time I read the epilogue I'm just...

:-( I know I complained a lot but the ending... It's not really fulfilling. It's more to a prelude to the third book and I know, I know, this is an interconnected series. I just wish I, what? Got to see more of Gordo and Mark post-reconciliation. Last third of the book spent Mark being an omega. He barely talks except gordogordogordo MatePackLove... Felt like the second half is dragged. Too many subplots (which? Not a lot solved?), and the one that they decided to focus, the Elijah plot, I ended up snoozing. I love love love Gordo though I think this might be a torture book with how long he's portrayed to be hurting and broken. I love love love Mark of his devotion and honesty. Individually I love them both but paired up I wish they had more time to reconcile. For Mark to properly apologizes and pamper Gordo with more love to make time.

I know I always will side with Gordo, because he is so raw as a character. His pain, his hurting, it's just so emotional to me. The first half? Of the book is what I loved the most. The tidbits of Gordo's memories, switching up to Gordo bonding with Joe, Carter and Kelly. Other character, man, the Team Humans really shine. The bar scene still cracks me up when I think about it. What else. Ahh...

I'll rant about other things instead. I'm a bit baffled that when Mark and Carter were infected, the whole pack, heavily on Gordo promised to find a way for that problem. Issue is, I don't really think they delve a lot into what they're doing? The research? The progress? Because there's also the problem of Elijah, ok. But suddenly, Gordo, thought the way was to... Mate? And I was, ok. Sure. What about Carter? He can't be mating to his tether. It's like... Have you really done anything, Gordo...?

Its my opinion but it's not really, satisfying? In Wolfsong, even though I still think the ending part needs to be longer, it pushes me to "I want to read more!" hence, I'm here. But for Ravensong, it's a bit... There's too much going on. World building, and all. I don't like how proper apologies are barely presence, from Thomas and Mark, and to an extent Elizabeth too. This bothers me a lot. But I ranted too much about it already. I'll stop.

Actually I won't stop. I hate hate hate that they're pushing Gordo, the one that they left to eventually patch things up. Where's. The. Proper. Apologies. Now that I think about it if I'm looking at this book as a typical second-chance stories I usually read, I will say that the groveling isn't done well. Fuck Thomas Bennett. And they still. Tried to portray him in a good light even after death? I fucking hate anything Thomas related.

I'm super, super excited for Kelly and Robbie's book. But I don't know? Finishing Ravensong is a bit of a letdown... Maybe because I expected more like like that of Wolfsong?

Why does this turned into a rant post idk but. Yeah, I don't really enjoy is as much as Wolfsong. I still love the characters (except Thomas), I just... Aaah guess I'll read Book 3 later. When I'm over this, unsatisfactory post-reading experience.

[writing-in-mermish]

Austenland Fan-fiction concept

I recently read Shannon Hale's Austenland, which is very very similar to the movie (props for the accurate adaptation) except for one plot point in the beginning. Instead of her choosing to spend her own money to go to Austenland, her great aunt calls out her obsession and leaves her the trip in her will as a last hurrah or something.

This has it's own implications for her character and could be dissected how being given this experience vs seeking it out changes her character, but that's not what I'm here for. In between reading (and during, lets be honest) I started constructing a fan-fiction based off the book's inciting incident.

In possible subsequent years, and/or at a different estate (as the existence of other estates is established) a new outsider is gifted this vacation. An Ace girl working at a retirement home/community. Some of the ladies there have a Jane Austen fan/book club and she's introduces some modern adaptations and starts running a regency TTRPG for them.

They love romance and the regency era and love to share their past flings and romances and setting people up. They've tried to get our to share about her love life, but they're unsurprisingly disappointed with her lack of stories. They've tried to set her up with their grand kids/nieces/nephews but it always end s up in them just being friends (or her setting them up with her other people including each other).

She doesn't really protests because she knows that part of their motivation is just for more story fodder for her games. Plus, she's made a lot of cool friends this way. One of the ladies is particularly invested and has often been the person to sponsor the club and their games. After she passes away, our girl learns that she left her a trip to Austenland in her will, with a lovely note thanking her for being new life into their club and encouraging her to find her own story and bring it back to the club.

All of the ladies also encourage her to go, so she sets off. She's been to many renfairs, Society for Creative Anachronisms/other cosplay events and has done some historical costuming and role playing in the past so she's partially excited to see how this hard this place goes. She also is focusing on getting the inspiration to bring back, so she's brought a journal and pencil (that will fit the aesthetic of course).

While she's there she often finds herself snickering at the script or improve being done, and will "show up" the performers in flirting with them or the other guests. This behavior, paired with the note taking and question asking has led them to believe she's a reporter/journalist/reviewer and they need to up their game. They don't want another Jane incident on their hands.

Meanwhile, she's also struggling with mourning her friend and questioning whether it was a good idea to come or not. probably dissecting some sort of issue with not being able to deal with tough subjects in her own life but loving to play at them through fiction and games. (Giving a real Emma vibe to this story to parallel the books Pride & Prejudice thing, except sans romance).

She also becomes friends with another guest who is gay and was sent here by her rich parents as the weirdest version of conversion camp (like, your just not into the men you've met, but if you experience "the pinnacle of romance" through this you'll get over being gay). Obviously they hit it off in the friendship department and our girl is going to help her reach out to her girlfriend.

She concocts a scheme to invite her to the big ball so they can have their romantic moment (and possibly reconciliation due to "breaking up" before she got sent away).

I'm not sure what the big conclusion for her character arc is. Maybe, they figure out she's not a reviewer and offer her a job based off her skills, but she turns it down because she realizes that she already has somewhere she belongs? Maybe she does some big final tribute to her friend? Maybe she does have some romance with her "Mr. Knightly" character (though I'm less interested in this option)? Maybe she goes back and shares her experience with the ladies or at her friends grave and promises to remember their stories and cherish them just as they did Austen's work, even if they aren't as widely known or loved? Maybe some combination there of.

I don't know that I'll ever actually write this down in a more narrative fashion, but I thought I'd share it here anyhow.

[darklinaforever]

DAEMON TARGARYEN, ABLE TO LOVE HIS CHILDREN ?

"I think Daemon loves his children to a certain extent but just not as some other parents might, I mean he literally tells Mysaria he's glad that she can't get pregnant and in the books he doesn't really show any grief when she miscarried , though thst can be argued bc he did get a hardness when it came to Viserys after that "

Good. To start, let's talk about this moment in the series. Daemon at this time is not a father. He does not know fatherhood, and he is still young. For information, many people do not want children at some point in their life, that does not mean that they will love their children less than those who have always wanted them, once they have them. This perspective is ridiculous, and based on literally sure nothing. (Hello Rhaenyra?) Also, it's forgotten that Daemon was actually considering having children with Mysaria before she revealed to him that it was impossible, and also that in episode 4, when Rhaenyra told him that Rhea Royce was lucky, as he didn't impregnate him, Daemon simply retorts that it would be impossible to raise children/develop them properly in such a hostile environment. These elements therefore indicate that in reality Daemon is not at all against the very idea of having children. And if Daemon was definitely against this idea, I doubt he would have had 4 under his belt, and almost 6 in fact, if you count the lost babies of Laena and Rhaenyra.

Seriously, assuming you can't love your kids right because you didn't want them before is so stupid... There are tons of parents who wanted kids who ultimately don't love their kids right, or even not at all for some. And conversely there are tons of parents loving their children when before they didn't want them. Where does this bullshit argument come from?!

When Mysaria has a miscarriage in the book, it is said that (from my French version that I translate) "When the news reached Prince Daemon, he did not utter a single syllable of sorrow, but his heart was hardened against the king his brother. From then on, he no longer spoke of King Viserys except with disdain". So, I don't know what more you need to understand that yes, Daemon was definitely impacted by the death of his child and resented Viserys for this loss. To think that he didn't experience grief because he didn't express it conventionally / or it wasn't described as such, (especially in a book told as a biased historical narrative and not a normal novel) is nonsense.

Then, when Daemon had his daughters, his first instinct was to extend his hand of reconciliation to Viserys to meet them and bless them so that Daemon could properly introduce them to the court. He also always defended his stepsons against accusations of bastardy. He plotted Blood and Cheese to avenge Luke's death, "son for son." ", and killed Aemond by literally planting Dark Sister in his eye "An eye for an eye". Beyond that, Daemon was always by Rhaenyra's side during the births of his children with her. Because yes, if he did it for baby Visenya, there's no reason to think he didn't do it for the others. When the war broke out, Daemon also sent Rhaena to the Vale, a place he deeply hates, indicating that he is swallowing his pride in order to keep his daughter safe. Without talking about the fact that he did not punish Baela for having sex outside marriage, staggering for the time. So, frankly, to say that he loves his children, but not in the way other parents would, is of course not based. Or worse, that he wouldn't like them at all (as some go so far as to say sometimes). Daemon loves his children, even those who are not biologically his own. It's that simple, and I don't understand why so many people try to downplay this clearly evident aspect of the book.

[theowritesfiction]

‘Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang’

Damn, I had forgotten how awesome the airship battle actually is because the Agni Kai and Aang vs. Ozai usually overshadow it, but it doesn't deserve to be overshadowed. I had forgotten how close Sokka and Toph came to dying. And Sokka sacrificing his precious space sword to save Toph's life <3 God bless these kids.

As much as I enjoyed parts of Aang vs. Ozai, I was never a fan of the rock of destiny unlocking Aang's final chakra and unleashing his full Avatar powers. I just find that and the whole concept of energy bending as too contrived, sorry, another hot take, I know. As fun as it is to watch Ozai getting absolutely massacred by the Avatar, if Ozai is directing lightning at me, and I know how to re-direct it... well, there's nothing left of Ozai to bury except for his teeth.

Also, as I'm watching Aang in the Avatar State, I'm also thinking... well, they can never introduce anything in this universe and have it be a challenge for THAT. Too much of a power up.

Ozai does deserve some extra Jerk Points for attacking Aang after he has turned his back on Ozai. That's 100 Jerk Points.

I really enjoyed the Azula and Katara fight in the Crystal Catacombs, but the circumstances are too tragic for me to enjoy it here. :(

Also, this is the look of someone who's going to make sure that Azula isn't just imprisoned somewhere after the war and forgotten, this is the face of someone who will make sure that Azula has what she needs in order to heal. If you disagree with that, stop following this blog right now and block yourself, I don't want you here.

Also fuck whoever decided that this was the last we have to see of Azula in Book 3. Just a very sincere and heartfelt fuck you. <3

Anyway, there was a reason why I didn't want to watch these final episodes, and not just because I knew they would depress me. Before re-watching, I thought of these final episodes as something that wrapped up the show in an overall satisfying way, and even if I didn't like some of the decisions I was happy with the way it ended. Well... I'm not going to even bother hiding my salt, I'll just come out and say that I actually kind of hate this ending now and mostly because this is where they left Azula. I shouldn't have watched it because now I'm angry, and the show just feels either unsatisfying or incomplete.

Here's what I would change:

Mai is magically teleported back to the capital to make up with Zuko. I love the scene itself, but I think it just comes out of nowhere and they're suddenly good again all too quickly. Mai just spent time in the worst Fire Nation prison, I think it would make sense for her to be at least a little conflicted. Just develop Maiko in Book 4, either friendship or romance track.

The Kyoshi Warrior Ty Lee made no sense. I can understand her bonding with the other girls in the prison, sure. But she didn't bond with Suki, and Suki hates her! Suki hasn't spent ANY time with Ty Lee at all, so she's suddenly... okay with this? Ugh, no, make Ty Lee becoming a Kyoshi Warrior a side plot in Book 4 please.

I want to give a big middle finger to the final scene with Zuko and Ozai. Scrap that. Give us a scene of Zuko visiting Azula instead. Perhaps together with Katara. Azula would be restrained and shouting all kinds of abuse and insults at them, and Zuko would look confused and uncertain about what he should do with her, but fortunately he has Katara with her, and even if Katara has her own issues with Azula, family is everything to Katara and she tells him to never stop trying to find a way of reconciliation. And perhaps she even offers her help.

That's thousand times better than giving this deflated bag of dicks named Ozai another moment on screen.

Anyway, the show ends with Zuko asking Ozai for information on his mother, clearly setting up Book 4.

But wait, you may ask, wasn't there another scene in Ba Sing Se after that? No. No, there wasn't. That scene is stupid, makes no sense and doesn't exist. Just a hastily cobbled together trash after they decided that Book 4 wasn't happening after all. Ignore it.

Book 3 Jerk Point Final Standings:

Ozai - 980 Zuko - 940 Aang - 690 Yon Rha - 400 Iroh - 150  Sokka - 110 Roku - 100 Hide - 80 King Kuei - 60 Toph, Pakku - 50 Haru - 30

And Ozai takes it, limping across the finish line with his bending removed. The crowd goes wild!

Anyway, I'm sorry about this review of the final episode being so negative, it's nowhere near as bad as I probably made it sound, but please understand that I'm extremely salty and upset right now, and of course it shows.

I'll do some more housekeeping tomorrow, like count the overall winner of Jerk Points contest, and also do the Book 3 episode tier list. :)

[peninkwrites]

tumblr user penink thoughts on new cwilbur lore??

Wilbur is not going to get better this way. He is treating recovery and forgiveness like a finish line he can reach, and when his last efforts failed, he decided to re-strategize, get advice from Phil, instead of realizing relationships are not something you can win or lose at.

And until he actually talks to Tommy, he's not going to be able to truly move forward in his life. We can so clearly see him dancing around that reconciliation (why? I've heard some folks pointing to– 'if he apologizes to Tommy he thinks that'll give Tommy an excuse to leave' which I much prefer to the idea that he's just fine stringing Tommy along and acting like he never hurt him, but I genuinely don't know what the reason might be!) I don't think cc!Wilbur is going to give us that crime boys catharsis easily, he's going to draw it out throughout this arc. Like, Tommy had no reason to be in this stream, arguably, except for that conversation at the very end, except he definitely did have good reason to be, because his shadow, his mere presence, is so fundamental to Wilbur's story. He wasn't there to give plot, he was there for Wilbur to open the door and walk right past him.

As for where Wilbur's plans will lead, I've seen a lot of posts about saying this is a manifestation of Wilbur's suicidal tendencies, he's trying to reconnect with death, and while that's valid, it's quite the change from a Wilbur who was almost hysterical he was so relieved to be out of Limbo. But his plans for Ghostbur do intrigue me, part of me wonders if this plot thread will lead to Wilbur and Ghostbur reuniting? Who knows!

I trust cc!Wilbur to give his character a satisfying ending. I don't think it's going to end in another suicide. That would feel cheap at best and like a betrayal to the audience at worst. I do think it's curious that so far, it's felt like c!Wilbur has only slid backwards, so I keep on wondering: when is he going to grow? I do think he genuinely wants to be better, he's just absolutely SHIT at doing it. I'd like to see some tangible progress for him soon, even if it's just in small ways.

[itsclydebitches]

Ozpin fan anon, I understand your concerns for him not getting a proper apology or be reinforced negatively. But him and Oscar cooperating and his apology to the team is a step forward in him being able to heal. I have faith in someone pointing his mentality is not healthy, most likely Oscar. And what not to say that Team RWBY on the island might come to understand the impact of their actions and feel despair, only to come back around, just like Oz. Also Ozpin is sticking around. I don’t buy those merging theories that he or Oscar will disappear. He seems like a character that sticks until the end.

Yeah, it’s admittedly hard to discuss any character’s journey before a story is complete—we don’t know what we’ll get in the future—but at this point I’ve heard the ‘It’ll come later’ explanation too many times to put any real faith in it. First we believed reconciliation would happen once the group found shelter, then once they reached Argus, then Atlas, then with time to settle in, then after they’d finally told Ironwood… and now we’ve reached the ‘Everything we’ve been waiting for will happen on/after the island.’ How long do we keep pushing our expectations? How many years does the show get to put these things off until we admit that they’re probably not put off, but full on forgotten? Even if Volume 9 is the volume that finally turns things around, it’s arguably too late. Ozpin already went through all this, he already gave his apology, the group already accepted it without owning up to anything themselves. If we suddenly introduce a more nuanced look at responsibility, that’s great, but it won’t fit with what came before it. It’s the same problem I have with fans’ belief that Emerald’s redemption arc is coming up. The group already laughed with her and trusted her for a major mission. We’ve reached the conclusion of a redemption arc before we got the arc itself, so even if we move backwards and introduce that in Volume 9, we’re left with more inconsistencies and nonsensical character “development.” The group was laughing with her one episode and now is back to being appropriately wary the next? At this point, something in RWBY is inevitably ruined. We’re either left with a terrible “redemption” arc, or Emerald gets an appropriate one and we’re left with the story moving backwards, unable to present these events in a persuasive, satisfying order.

I think your comment about the merge is a perfect example of why I don’t trust RWBY’s writing moving forward. Why don’t you believe that something we’ve heard repeated numerous times on screen is going to happen? We should be able to trust what a story tells us (baring something like an unreliable narrator) and I think the fact that you’ve picked up on the flawed execution here speaks volumes. RWBY says Ozpin and Oscar are merging, but since we’ve seen no real evidence of that and Ozpin is too important to the plot to completely get rid of, that’s feels unlikely to happen—something I agree with. So RWBY isn’t able to follow through on what it sets up. We have at least one example here of a plot point RWBY introduced, but we don't believe will come to fruition, so why are other plot points the exception? Even though by all accounts the group should realize the mistakes they’ve made, Ozpin should go through more healing, everything we understand about how stories functions point to these things eventually happening… RWBY has a long history of failing to deliver. At this point, I no more believe that Ozpin will finally get a satisfying emotional arc than I believe Ozpin will finally merge with Oscar. RWBY has just spent too much time teasing elements and then not following through, from relationships, to plot conflicts, to statements in the commentaries.

I’ve mentioned in the past that the fandom has a collectively short memory. Since Volume 6 we’ve developed this pattern of insisting that something is coming later, it doesn’t arrive, but by then there’s a new thing to put our hope in—that will come about soon—and the community forgets that Thing A never showed up… yet we still have complete faith that the next thing will. It’s not just Ozpin. Every Volume there’s a mad scramble to explain why Blake and Yang haven’t become a canon couple yet. Every Volume is the Volume Ruby will finally step back up, train her silver eyes, become the hero she previously was. Every Volume is a revolving door of things that we think will come just a few episodes from now, but don’t. Ruby will have a real reaction to Penny’s resurrection, just wait. Oscar won’t drop his discomfort with Ruby keeping information from Ironwood, just wait. Qrow loves Ozpin too much to not reach out to him, just wait. Blake and Yang are going to work through killing Adam, just wait. Penny’s framing is going to amount to something, just wait. Yang is going to remember that she had a big fight with her sister, just wait. Blake is going to get back into activism, just wait. The group is absolutely going to join the battle, they just need time to rest, to plan, to take care of Nora, and the only problem here is that you’re impatient and expect everything in a story to happen instantaneously, just wait already. So fans keep waiting and, when none of this ever happens, are inclined to point out that we were right. There was a reason we believed nothing would come of this because RWBY has developed a noticeable pattern and though yes, of course we could always be proven wrong, at this point it’s far more likely that they’ll repeat these writing mistakes than do a sudden turn towards improvement. Yet by then the fandom has already moved onto the next thing we’re waiting for, with none of the previous failures putting a dent in the belief that it’s all a masterly crafted story unfolding at a perfect pace. I’m only half joking when I say that when RWBY ends, the fandom will likely start a, “It’s going to happen in the books/side animations/game” campaign because the idea that RT would just not write the thing we’re waiting for—not do a good job with their story—is treated as an impossibility. This is why the fandom treats so many headcanons as fact. What it all boils down to is, "Of course the thing I made up is true because if it wasn't that would be stupid" and RWBY is not allowed to be stupid. It can't be. Fans have put too much time and love and money into it. It must be the great show that everyone originally fell in love with and had such high hopes for. So clearly the answer is to wait longer, or to believe wholeheartedly in a headcanon, because the alternative is admitting that a show you love isn't as good as you wanted it to be, which sucks.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re hopeful for Volume 9. RWBY is, all discussion aside, an animated fantasy show whose primary goal is to entertain people, so producing those positive emotions in its audience is always a good thing. But for me, three years of waiting has been long enough. Frankly, I think three years is more than most shows deserve. I’ll always reiterate that I could wind up being totally wrong—it happens a lot!—but if I were a betting girl, I wouldn’t put my money on it. The messiness of events aside, I’d love for RWBY to take that turn for the better and start in Volume 9 all the things we’ve expected the story to do for the last three volumes, even if the result is a little wonky. But I’m no longer letting that hope drive my analysis. I can only tackle what RWBY has given me on screen, not the imagined future where everything is so much more satisfying and complete than it currently is. Until RWBY actually gives Ozpin that arc, actually has the group own up to everything they’ve done, actually confirms anything about the merge, I can't read these events through that imagined lens. I think one of the reasons why the fandom is less critical overall is because many do believe that all of this is going to fit together like a perfect puzzle… provided we wait. But what if that doesn’t happen? A lot of people will make excuses to avoid admitting that, many more will just be super upset. Which again, sucks. I hope that doesn’t happen. But until we find out either way, I can only read these arcs based in the canon we’ve been given. RWBY hasn’t done enough work in recent years to maintain my faith that everything that feels bad now will become great in some future, always-pushed-forward volume.