#found out recently that i had only seen 1 episode past season 2

[cocoasnake]

i know psych ended a decade ago,, but, here's my shawn spencer playlist for any interested parties <3 it's also pretty to scroll through, u don't even have to listen to it !

[cbrownjc]

My Long IWTV Season 2 Prediction Post:

So this is a long post containing all my (more or less) final predictions for Season 2 of IWTV. Mostly so I can keep track of everything I've been predicting since Season 1 ended.

I'm breaking this all up between General Predictions and some specific Episode Predictions. And I'll put it all under a spoiler cut due to the length and just in case any of this is correct, which would mean massive spoilers. Because yes, many of these predictions are based on things found in many of the books in the VC, not just IWTV; as well as recent trailers and other press material.

General Predictions:

Louis will attempt to end his life like he did in the book Merrick by the end of the season, likely in EP08: This is something that I've been predicting since EP05 of Season 1 first aired. I think it is pretty much my oldest prediction wrt the show, and one I've never wavered from. Now it's time to see if this prediction is right or not.

Lestat is asleep in a coma somewhere in the Al Shafar Tower, and is the source of The Groan: I first made this prediction back before EP07 of S01 aired. I wasn't too confident about it being proven during Season 1, but I think now is the time. Maybe Lestat's in the penthouse. Maybe he's in the basement. Maybe he is on some floor in between, I don't know. But something like The Groan wasn't spoken about as just some throw-away line. There is a reason it was pointed out. And I think that is because Lestat is the source for the sound and makes it sometimes while he is in his post-Memnoch coma state. And what is going to finally wake him up will be Louis doing what I predicted above in my first prediction.

Armand and Daniel's relationship (ie their past romantic relationship) will be revealed in EP08: I've been predicting this more times than I can count during the hiatus. Simply because, as far as general/causal audiences go, revealing it in the finale always just seemed like the most impactful place to reveal it.

The missing pages of Claudia's diaries will reveal the information about her that we learned in the book Merrick, particularly regarding her feelings toward Louis: Via the link above I made a long meta post about that. I'll say more about it below, but in general, why Louis is going to do what he does by the end of EP08 will be because of what he reads/learns from Claudia's missing diary pages, just like as what happened with book!Louis in Merrick.

Louis will begin to awaken his Fire Gift abilities during the season: There is a quick shot in one of the preview trailers of what looks to be Louis setting one of his photographs on fire, but not with a match or candle or anything, but just by staring at it. I think when Louis first discovers he has the ability to light things on fire like that, he'll not be overly excited about it or anything, and only reluctantly test it out sometimes . . . until he unleashes it in full in the season finale against the theater coven.

--------

Episode Predictions (Spoilers):

Episode One (many people have already seen this episode at the premiere, but there is one thing I was already predicting about it before then that I want to say again):

-- Louis and Claudia will not arrive in Paris until either the end of the episode or the beginning of Episode Two.

-- This episode will be a set up to explain how revenants are created. That they are made if you try to turn a human but don't give them enough blood; OR if you don't scatter the ashes of a vampire that has been reduced to one. This will be done to set up both why Claudia's ashes had to be scattered AND the risks being made to bring Louis back either at the end of Season 2 or the beginning of Season 3.

---

Episode Two:

-- Not much to say really that most don't already know/suspect. Louis and Claudia arrive in Paris, and Armand and Louis first meet. Louis and Claudia meet the whole theater coven.

---

Episode Three:

-- Again, not much to say. Armand's full backstory will be told. This is also the main episode where we'll see Nicki and what his fate was. We will probably also get confirmation from Armand that the backstory that Lestat told Louis and Claudia about Magnus and how Lestat said he was turned was true.

credit: gif by @sheisraging

---

Episode Four:

-- Louis and Armand have sex for the first time (with Dreamstat in Louis' head giving commentary 🤪).

credit: gif by @sheisraging

-- The "banquet" scene, where Armand puts the coven members to sleep and Louis and Santiago have a confrontation (Louis looking like he's going to cut Santiago's tongue out.)

-- We will see the rift between Claudia and Louis continue to grow, as well as Claudia's distrust/dislike of Armand.

credit: gif by @sophsun1

---

Episode Five:

-- "Lestat, Lestat, Lestat, Lestat, Lestat, Lestat, Lestat, Lestat." 😂

credit: gif by @loo-nuh-tik

Yeah. We'll see this moment above in Episode 5. And Louis and Armand will basically deliver all their break-up dialogue from the end of the first book HERE, in Louis' shitty apartment in San Francisco; after Louis has attacked and almost killed Daniel.

This means that yes, Louis will confirm to Armand that he knows what Armand did to Claudia here. (With only heavy illusions made about what her ultimate fate has been.) And then Armand will give his "I thought you'd get over it" monologue.

And while Louis and Armand won't fully go their separate ways as they did in the book after all of this (because Armand will still feel he needs to look after Louis), we will very much understand that these two are not a happy couple at this point in time, and are full-on toxic in their own unique way.

credit: gif by @loo-nuh-tik

-- Along with the FULL 1973 interview, The Chase between Armand and Daniel will be shown almost in full. We'll see a lot of things about The Chase, but we will probably not see fully when, or how, it ended.

---

Episode Six:

-- "I betrayed Louis once in my life and it wasn't in San Francisco." Armand says this to Daniel in Dubai in this episode.

-- Madeleine gets turned in this episode.

-- Louis says goodbye/breaks up with Armand.

credit: gif by @hermit-frog

-- "The Last Supper."

credit: gif by @nalyra-dreaming

-- The episode will end with Louis, Claudia, and Madeleine all being taken by the Theater coven to be put on trial. Armand gives Louis a "Judas kiss" and leaves the three alone at the dinner table right before they are taken.

credit: gif by @ofinkandust

---

Episode Seven:

-- Okay so, back when the Jones Cut trailer first aired, I said that this moment was Rockstar Lestat:

credit: gif by @virginiaisforvampires

Well, I was wrong about that. Why? Well take a look at this:

credit: gif by @sheisraging

Do you see it? Behind Santiago, in the upper left. That is the same key prop on the railing as in the shot with Lestat on the right on the railing. If you squint, you can also kind of make out the musical notes on the railing to the left of the Lestat image on the railing on the right in the Santiago one.

The shot of Lestat isn't Rockstar Lestat, as I first thought it was. It is the real Lestat's first entrance into Season 2. And it's going to be at the trial, in Episode Seven.

-- And because Lestat is making his first entrance in the way I talked about above? This is 100% from Armand's POV with some of Louis' misremembered POV with it. Because Lestat was not in any condition to make THIS kind of entrance on his own.

-- The revisit of Mardi Gras Murder Night from EP07 of Season 1 will happen here, during the trial. And it will be revealed that Claudia alone slit Lestat's throat while Louis stood by passively, while Lestat begged Louis to put him in his coffin. (Matching up to what Claudia wrote, in Lestat's blood, what his last words were.) Giving the full context to this moment we only saw in a flash in EP07 of Season 1:

Which will then lead into . . .

-- The revisit of the Louis-Lestat fight from EP05 of Season 1 will be shown in this episode as well. (And will give viewers, particularly non-book readers, their first hints of Amel.) And because of what happened in that fight, specifically why that fight started in the first place, will tie into . . .

-- Claudia's diaries, which will be read at the trial. Out loud. By Santiago. And more specifically the missing pages, which we see Louis and Armand talk about in this preview, will contain some damning evidence that will all lead to . . .

credit: gif by @mundaneandmagicalcreature

-- Claudia will reveal right there, on stage, to Louis himself, how much she hates him and blames him more for her situation than she does Lestat. Because "It's never been about me." Lestat made her for Louis. If Louis hadn't wanted her, she would never have been turned.

-- This episode will end with Claudia's death. Louis will be rescued from his coffin prison by Armand, and the episode will end with Louis breaking down over her loss -- both in the past and in the present in Dubai now that he remembers everything about Claudia's true feelings towards him right before she died.

---

Episode Eight:

-- Louis goes all Carrie/Firestarter on the Theater coven (after warning Armand to stay away first), unleashing his full Fire Gift powers on them all.

credit: gif by @sam-reid

-- Louis grieving in the park -- the same park where he first met Armand -- in the rain after destroying the theater coven, comforted by Dreamstat. And then Armand arrives . . . because Armand is whom Louis was actually waiting for. Why? Because, as Louis said about it in the book --

Where to go then, if not to die? It was strange how the answer came to me.

credit: gif by @hermit-frog

-- Louis and Armand (and Dreamstat) go to the "Louver" for that moment from the book; which in the show has been replaced with someplace else since, post WWII, the Louver was apparently still closed at that time. It will be revealed that Louis knows of Armand's hand in Claudia's fate, shown via Dreamstat's reaction to everything Armand says about what happened.

-- And this will all now tie everything together into what will be alluded to about Claudia -- and Louis knowing Armand had a hand in it whatever it was -- in Episode 5 . . . and this now reveals why Louis and Armand's relationship has not been a happy one at all over the years, as we will see in Episode 5. And this will all be summed up by Louis probably saying this from the book directly to Armand:

"Yes, that is the crowning evil, that we can even go so far as to love each other, you and I. And who else would show us a particle of love, a particle of compassion or mercy? Who else, knowing us as we know each other, could do anything but destroy us? Yet we can love each other."

-- And the "Louver" scene will be the last scene we see Dreamstat in, as it will be here that Armand will tell Louis that Lestat died in the destruction of the theater. And Louis will believe him.

-- Armand, in the present in Dubai, will reveal the head thing he did to Claudia before she died.

-- Armand will reveal how he threw Lestat off Magnus' tower, even after Lestat was badly burned by Louis setting fire to the theater (but survived).

-- we will find out WHY Louis stopped feeding on humans in the year 2000. And it's probably not something anyone expects.

-- At some point in here it will be revealed that Lestat and Louis do reunite after Paris -- for real -- for a time, in the recent past. As seen by this hug:

credit: gif by @nalyra-dreaming

However, something happened that made Lestat unavailable/incapacitated again (some Memnoch-type event is my guess.) So Lestat is now in a coma and Louis, rather than be alone, chooses to stay with Armand for the same reason he did after losing Claudia in Paris.

-- In Dubai, Louis will try to end his life via sunlight exposure, as he did in the book Merrick (as I noted above). Because, along with finally remembering the truth about how Claudia really felt about him, Louis will also be under the impression that Lestat will never wake from his coma again.

-- The bookcase collapsing around Daniel is a consequence of Lestat waking up from his coma after he stops hearing Louis' heart beating. (I.E. a visual representation of Lestat "shattering the realm" as it is apparently explained in the book Prince Lestat about this moment when he woke up in Merrick.)

-- Armand saves Daniel from getting crushed by the bookcase, which will also come tumbling down after the books and glass do.

-- Somewhere in all of that, Daniel will have a flashback that reveals he and Armand were actually lovers in the past. Daniel will be stunned by the memory. Armand will just be surprised that Daniel finally remembered it.

-- Armand and Daniel won't have time to talk about it though because Armand fears/will realize that Louis has done something that caused the commotion to happen (and likely because he also notices The Groan has stopped).

-- Armand and Daniel find Louis' body, burnt to coal ash. Lestat is either already there with Louis' body or arrives very soon after they do.

-- Whether we see Lestat revive Louis (as he was revived in Merrick) at the end of the episode (with Armand's help) or if we are left on a cliffhanger about it? IDK.

--------

The predictions above are all the ones I feel most confident about right now. There are some others I have, but I'm not very confident about them, so I'm not listing them. I might mention them in individual posts after certain episodes air or not.

[genericpuff]

The Mishandling of LO's S3 Midseason Hiatus - Part 1

So Lore Olympus' return is right around the corner, and I realize I've never actually talked about the S3 midseason finale. I think I said I was going to, but then I just sorta didn't, probably because I was still reeling in the absolute absurdity of it for weeks afterwards. In hindsight, I should have written about it back when it was still fresh, but I feel like I can do it just as much - if not more - justice writing about them in hindsight, now that they've had time to sit and I've seen what Rachel and WT are clearly planning to do after the comic ends (whether or not they succeed... that's a different story).

CAUTION: THIS IS PART 1 OF A 3 PART SERIES IN WHICH I WILL BE SPOILING MUCH OF EPISODES 251-253. THIS EPISODE CONTAINS DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE INVOLVING STRANGULATION. THIS WILL BE A LONG POST. BRACE YOURSELF.

So one of the things that really motivated me to finally talk about this was a conversation that happened recently in the ULO Discord - the realization that there are many readers who still don't know what happened after the free to read finale cliffhanger.

Y'know, the one where Hades gets possessed by Kronos and attempts to choke Persephone-

Now, awful dark jokes aside about how Persephone frankly deserves to have her balloon head popped, this was a wild cliffhanger to leave on for free readers, but the strange thing this time around - unlike with the previous midseason hiatus - is that this is where the cliffhanger has stood for free readers for the past 3 months, and it will be 4 months by the time the series returns.

And frankly... this just highlights a huge problem with LO's writing, because this cliffhanger? Like all the others, it's literally resolved within the next episode. The one that's currently under the FP lock.

Man, isn't it a little fucked up that we only ever get trigger warnings when it's concerning Persephone? Where was the warning for when Minthe got turned into a plant? Where was the warning for the entire episode that depicted Hera's trauma from Kronos and how it's still affecting her in the present? It's always either the Persephone, Hades, or Apollo focused episodes that get the trigger warnings, they couldn't care less about the violence being done onto other people in the story.

Anyways. Episode 251 opens up by reminding us, oh yeah, Kassandra exists!

Remember back in Episode 227 when Psyche stole Apollo's USB drive (and by "stole", I mean she picked it up off the ground where Apollo had conveniently dropped it?) And they found a folder with a picture of Kassandra? Well, Episode 251 opens by reminding us of her... 24 episodes later. SEVEN MONTHS OF REAL LIFE TIME, LITERALLY THE LENGTH OF BOTH THE SEASON 2 AND SEASON 3 MIDSEASON HIATUSES COMBINED-

Anyways, I guess Rachel finally figured out what she was gonna do with Kassandra after all that time, and it's... really stupid.

But wait, don't worry about that yet, because only the comic's opening reminds us of Kassandra, we gotta establish the title first and get back to that cliffhanger from before, the one that free to read users have been waiting 4 months to see.

(pay attention to the episode titles here btw, it's probably one of Rachel's lamest 3 parter title sequences yet)

Turns out Kronos is still intent on getting his hands on Hera, even though we've literally already seen Kronos haunting Hera. Is he just a ghost? A hallucination of her traumatized mind? We don't know, it never really explains itself. So Kronos is still looking for Hera.

(kinda weird that we're getting all these redrawn fullbody angles of Hades-possessed-by-Kronos choking his noodle-bodied wife who is doing literally NOTHING to actually fight back besides yelling at him, but okay.)

Turns out Hades isn't really hyped about this choking game going on between his dad and his niece wife, so he goes full on "release the beast" Naruto mode on his ass.

And that's it. That's literally the conflict resolved. The cliffhanger that free to read users were left with over the 4 month hiatus is resolved literally within a handful of panels and Hades just "believing enough" to save his wife.

And then that's just it, it cuts away, and we get this sorta awkward conversation between Persephone and Hades (now himself again) over the fact that he just choked out his wife.

The scene transitions to Hades waking up in his bed (literally that last shot of him and Persephone was it, it transitions immediately). I'm trying not to use up Tumblr's 30 image posting limit so I'm not posting the 3 fucking copy pasted panels of this that just involves Hades waking up, use your imagination lmao

There's literally no actual conversation here, no amount of Hades asking "what happened", somehow despite his possessed state he remembers everything so succinctly that he jumps right to demanding Persephone to see her neck.

(literally removed the panel of Persephone saying "Hades..." because these types of "let me do the thing" "Hades :(((" "let me do the thing" exchanges are literally just Rachel trying to hit her panel limit, once you start seeing these '3 panel' exchanges that copy paste the same shit over and over again, you can't unsee them and you realize this is why so little happens in the comic as a whole, because it's just constant repetition of dialogue and reaction panels to pad out the episodes).

And then we get what I like to call "guy in a position of power manipulating his more vulnerable partner into pitying him without actually apologizing":

No for real, I didn't cut out a single thing from this exchange aside from a couple copy pasted reaction panels, this is the entire conversation. Hades doesn't apologize, he doesn't ask Persephone if she's okay, he just pulls the "you can leave if you want toooo :(((" baiting Persephone into further trapping herself with this jackass. SHE'S the one who's stuck with HIM.

Like, obviously Hades wasn't the one who choked her, that goes to Kronos, but he doesn't even ask her if she's okay. He just looks at her moldy ass bruises and immediately goes "YOU CAN LEAVE IF YOU WANT TO I'M A MONSTER OH GOD-" and then of course she's having to comfort him which is fine but where's the balance? It's always Persephone having to comfort him and listen to his trauma and we never get Hades doing the same for her - the times we do get Persephone talking about her trauma and struggles with him, he always finds a way to make it about him.

Hades proceeds to talk more about his childhood and more of the shit he's already talked about multiple times before, I don't even need to go over it at this point.

That said, Rachel does remember to bring his stutter back. When's the last time he stuttered? 200 episodes ago ?? (literally I don't remember, it's like when he used to twist his napkins, he doesn't have these character traits consistently anymore).

THERE we go, finally some semblance of an apology. It came after more trauma dumping, but at least it's something-

Oh for fuck's sakes.

This is literally such generic "you've come so far!" motivational jargon. And it's made even worse in LO because what has Hades overcome exactly? Just a reminder, here are the things we've seen in Hades' backstory since he was rescued by his brothers:

He started a business in the Underworld that he's been operating with slave labor and profiting off ever since as a tyrannical oligarch

He entered a multi-century-long affair with his brother's wife, his own sister in law

He cost Demeter - Persephone's own mother - the role of Queen of the Mortal Realm and Persephone still does not know this.

He abused and neglected his adopted son - who was literally abandoned on his doorstep - for hundreds of years and used his role as his adopted father to guilt trip his son for getting "special treatment".

He never took responsibility for the financially dependent relationship he created between himself and a lower class nymph and tried to bribe her out of his life as soon as he fell for a 19 year old intern

HE LITERALLY FELL FOR THE 19 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER OF A WOMAN WHO HE HAD SCREWED OVER AND PRETENDED LIKE THAT WOMAN WAS IN THE WRONG FOR NOT APPROACHING HIM DURING THE EVENTS OF THE ACT OF WRATH, AND THEN HE HAD THE GALL TO PROPOSE TO HER DAUGHTER RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER WHEN SHE BASICALLY HAD NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO SAY YES.

Everything he's legitimately had to overcome involving his trauma has gone completely ignored until pop in comes the pink cinnamon roll girl to solve all his problems and do for him what apparently even a therapist couldn't do (because haha he thinks his therapist is a hack.)

Persephone saying "look at all you've done" should be a reminder of all the crimes Hades has committed against people weaker than him, but instead it's used as a term of endearment, because Persephone literally got with him when she was 19 years old. And apparently the whole "eternally 19" thing applies to more than just her body, because even now, 10 years later, she's still lacking all the smarts and self-awareness and maturity to realize marrying this man was a mistake.

At this point Persephone isn't too naive or stupid to realize what she's gotten herself into, she's just a terrible person who's entirely complacent in Hades' bullshit and frankly, they deserve each other.

They literally keep talking about him for several more panels. Hades literally whines on and on about how much of a failure he is, how he feels like he failed the child who's trapped in Tartarus, and then of course Persephone tells him "no honey, you're the most important being in this process!" and she's LITERALLY STILL JUST TALKING ABOUT HIM, THIS WHOLE EPISODE IS PERSEPHONE TALKING ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL HADES IS, NOTHING ELSE HAPPENS. HAVE YOU NOTICED WE HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN KASSANDRA YET ?? HAVE YOU NOTICED THE COLD OPEN FOR THE EPISODE HASN'T BECOME RELEVANT YET ?? I'VE ALREADY HIT THE 30 IMAGE LIMIT AND I HAVE TO START CUTTING STUFF OUT-

Persephone and Hades talk about how they should name the interloper, but they don't come up with anything before transitioning to Leuce and Thetis.

And y'all, this has gotta be one of Rachel's worst cases of backpedaling in the entire series. You thought how she turned Leuce - Hades' first wife - into a homewrecker was bad? You thought it was absurd the plot tried to turn Leuce into Minthe 2.0?

Remember those text messages that Leuce and Hades sent between each other? The ones we never saw but kept getting alluded to? Well of course we couldn't have Hades actually text Leuce during Persephone's banishment, because then that would mean he isn't 100% loyal to his little pink cinnamon roll "qween", so what was the next best thing? Kronos possessing Hades and texting Leuce like so many people - even fans - assumed? No. It's worse.

The text messages... weren't real.

This literally makes no sense. First of all, it's once again Rachel creating drama out of "haha woman delusional!" much like she did with Minthe. But second, it literally doesn't make sense after what we've seen leading up to this.

Leuce didn't just talk about Hades texting her. She went to his office, intent on seducing him, with the knowledge of these text messages being real. She even TALKS ABOUT THESE MESSAGES WITH HADES.

But of course, they were interrupted before Hades got a chance to respond, so this was convenient enough for Rachel to try and pull off some 'twist' where she could easily absolve Hades of "cheating" on Persephone (again, the girl he only knew for like 1-2 months) but also not have to deal with the weird logic of Kronos possessing Hades just to text some random nymph.

This is absolutely one of the most absurd retcons Rachel has ever tried to pull to get herself out of the corners she writes herself into.

Now the episode is still going and FINALLY, it gets to Kassandra, after teasing her at the beginning of the episode and proceeding to do a whole lot of nothing throughout the entire thing.

This has to be one of the funniest panels in the entire comic, bar none. Rachel's gotten worse at drawing men despite making this comic for 5 years and having plenty of opportunity to improve, and he literally just looks like the fucking Amazing Bulk, haunting this poor mortal woman with his very presence.

So yeah, it turns out that the "curse" Kassandra suffers from in this "retelling" is, rather than having prophecies no one believes (or at least, if she does, we don't see that), she sees Apollo and no one believes her. Again, Rachel takes these weird liberties with the original myths that don't make a whole lot of sense all for the sake of seeming original, but whatever, Rachel hit her panel limit for the week, because that's essentially where the episode ends, with Apollo greeting Kassandra. As quickly as it was shown at the beginning of the episode, the one part of the episode actually featuring Kassandra is wrapped up in literally 7 panels.

THOUGHT VOMIT TIME

So with Episode 251 now summarized and out of the way, I really wanna talk about how this episode operates as the first FP episode after the midseason finale for free readers.

Despite the fact that it was a 4 month break and despite the fact that WT has always still released these episodes for free on schedule - with the idea that every reader will be up to date with the current content and can start fresh with a new set of FP episodes when it returns - this time around Episodes 251-253 have remained locked.

And I say Webtoons specifically because as far as I know, the creators typically don't have control over this type of decision. From what I've heard from other Originals creators, it's often WT who decides shit like coin costs, FP release dates, etc. This is why during hiatuses the numbers on the episode unlocks never actually align with their real return dates, sometimes they completely undershoot and reset, sometimes they overshoot and tell people LO is coming back in January despite the fact it's been confirmed it's coming back in November. This isn't Rachel's doing. It's clearly Webtoons trying to squeeze as much money out of this series as they can so they think the 4 month hiatus will motivate people to pay... but even the newest episode is still only sitting at 17.9k likes, which is just slightly above the average amount the FP episodes normally wind up sitting at by the time they're unlocked after 3 weeks, but this has been after four months. The hiatus of the comic and its communities absolutely put LO out of sight, out of mind.

That said, I don't know what this means for the series' return, if it'll have 6 FP episode unlocks going forward or if it'll just return with one new FP episode and Episode 251 unlocking for free readers, but holy shit, if that's the case, this is gonna be a shitty way to return from 4 months of nothing. The cliffhanger from 250 implies so much more than what it ends up being and it's, again, highlighting a fundamental issue within LO - it operates purely on a week to week basis, producing episodes on the fly, and concerning itself more with filling up its panel quota so that it can get readers from beginning to end when they can drop some new cliffhanger that likely won't lead to anything or will be completely resolved within three swipes of the next episode. Season 3 has been especially egregious with this and it's clear Rachel has run out of track to run on.

There is speculation that perhaps the reason the timing of this cliffhanger is so off is because Rachel didn't know the hiatus was going to happen and WT forced her on it. That said, it's not something anyone can really confirm besides Rachel. I wouldn't blame her for taking the time she did considering she was attending both NYCC and SDCC this past summer, and it's hard enough for her to keep up with any sort of buffer to begin with, so those conventions would have definitely resulted in episodes getting postponed anyways.

What I'm really interested in seeing is the reception when the comic returns. Hiatuses like this are brutal for traffic, it's incredibly difficult to get every single person who you started the hiatus with to return after it's done. It's not uncommon for comics to come back to only a fraction of their readerbase - and that's where the marketing comes in.

S3's return has been incredibly undermarketed. I've talked about it already but I'll mention it again here - they have done nothing to hype up LO's remaining audience for the ending of LO. Not only has the fact that the comic is even entering its final part been mentioned on either Rachel's or WT's social media pages, but the fan groups have been shut down for almost the entirety of this hiatus, shutting fans away from discussing the comic, making predictions, and just participating in their most active and direct part of the fandom. This was an absolutely absurd decision on Rachel's part, I don't know if this was her trying to shield herself from criticism or if she genuinely just doesn't give a shit about her fanbase anymore, but it's not a good thing if the only active groups to be found online during a comic's hiatus - it's final hiatus before the series ends - are the critical ones. Fans of the comic should not have to find out about its ending from me. I know I've got a way with words, but it's not fair to the long-term fans of this comic that they're being shut out by the comic's own creator, simply because she either doesn't care or is just so afraid of the critics that she'd rather hurt her relationship with her fanbase by shutting them out just to maybe shut out any critics who are nearby.

I don't know what the reasoning is and I don't know how it could have been beneficial. But that leads us to the other theory, one that I can see as plausible-

I don't think Lore Olympus was supposed to end here.

We've talked about this theory before, but to reiterate - it's been speculated for a while (prior to the news at NYCC that the comic would be ending) that S3 of LO wasn't going to be the final season as so many people had been assuming based on past info. There was no indication or marketing implying this was the final season - meanwhile webtoons like City of Blank were marketing their final seasons from day 1 of the premiere - and there were loads of new plot threads being established in S3 that we knew couldn't possibly be wrapped up by the end of the season. Case in point, it took Rachel seven months to get back to Kassandra, and while during that time she's rushed plotlines that shouldn't have been rushed (the wedding) other plotlines have proceeded to drag at a snail's pace or been dropped altogether. The speculation that S3 wasn't going to be the final season was plausible.

But now, suddenly, LO is coming to an end, likely within the next 20-30 episodes, and neither Rachel or Webtoons have said a word about it. No announcement post, no hype, no promotional art, no statement from the Webtoons VP of what to be excited for (which he's done before). It seems like they're either intentionally trying to bury it to keep people from panicking while Rachel retreats into the shadows to hide from the crimes she's committed, or they're intentionally keeping the ending of the comic unannounced so they can backpedal on it later to generate hype over it "deciding to stick around". Chances are, it'll be based on how the return of the series goes, and whether or not it's able to get the performance numbers back in the green.

I do not think it will. As I said already, hiatuses are already notorious for destroying built up traffic, especially on Webtoons where people (many of whom are teenagers and children) are conditioned to expect regular content on a schedule. But there's one other thing that's been bugging me - there hasn't been a shred of promotional art. We're currently less than a month away from the return of LO and not only are Rachel and WT being incredibly hush hush about it, but all the art Rachel has put out has been largely on her Blue Sky, where she has the smallest following, and none of it is exactly indicative of being "promotional art", rather just random sketches and doodles that she's doing on her downtime. Everything else has been promos for her books, SDCC/NYCC, of course, Rachel Smythe Presents, her next venture which she has been hyping up more than the actual return or ending of the comic that made her famous in the first place.

At this point, I'm not even fully convinced she's even started working on the next episode yet, let alone any sort of buffer. If anything, she knows that she's coming back to the series with 3 episodes still locked under FastPass, so all she'll need to technically have ready for launch is one new episode. Rachel has never been good at building buffers, not even in the beginning when she apparently started off with 2-3 episodes of buffer. Even when her comic is nearing its end, she's not learning any lessons, she's not setting herself up for success. And I'm not setting myself up for the hope that the series could possibly come back any better than it was when it left - if anything, I think we're about to see Rachel and the comic outdo itself once again on how bad it can possibly be.

And we still have two more episodes to talk about, which includes the cliffhanger for FP readers that we've been waiting four months on. Part 2 and 3 of these FP episode analyses will be going up as soon as I can get them done, ideally I'll have all three parts done before it returns so we can start off fresh with the newest episode.

Buckle up folks. Pour yourself a drink. We're gonna need it.

[dsumpsbluey]

Unofficial Bluey Timeline: Part VIII

Backpackers - Episode 36

Bluey and the gang pretend to be bags.

Debuts and Details:

Bandit and Chilli are revealed to be occasional backpackers for trips, including one for India, as noted by their photo next to the Taj Mahal.

For this episode, a new upright model for Socks was created for the Backpacker game. The main difference is found in the size difference of Socks' head between models. This looks similar to the current model of Socks post-season 2 but with slight design differences.

Bananas are equivalent to 6k in Dollarbucks.

The backyard porch from "Horsey Ride" is seen once again, after several episodes of not being present.

Jeremy the Gnome (the Blue and Yellow one) has a casualty, and gets repaired by the end.

Despite the fact that Socks has the passports before they empty the backpacks, Muffin is the one who drops them.

Favorite Part: When they become hiking boots

The Adventure - Episode 37

Bluey and Chloe play Princesses.

Debuts and Details:

Both Bluey and Chloe exchange practically all the roles, except Bluey exclusively plays the Kindly Queen, and Chloe exclusively plays the Grandma Fairy.

Bluey breaks Universal Rule #1 when she says "Hurray" while playing as the horse.

King Kong is canon in Bluey.

Both Bentley and Zara are seen with Calypso, despite being in Mrs. Retriever's. This isn't the last time this will happen, and I don't get why.

Favorite Part: When Chloe catches the tennis ball with her mouth. So real-life dog.

Copycat - Episode 38

Bluey copies Bandit

Debuts and Details:

It is briefly mentioned that the Olympics exist in the Bluey verse

We see some new background characters in the vet (including the vet), with one recurring character being the Surfer lady from "The Beach"

This is the first confirmed death of the show, coming from a budgie

tbh, I don't get why we haven't seen cats in this show yet.

Favorite Part: When Bluey inadvertently copies her dad while re-enacting the budgie event.

The Sleepover - Episode 39

Muffin skipped a sleep.

Debuts and Details:

Muffin had recently found out that Coconuts have water in them.

Bluey and Bingo play as wife and husband respectively (for the first time), while Muffin tags on as "Sheila".

The chip shop Bandit runs has a star on its sign, likely being a reference to a Michelin Star, an award reserved for the highest quality food and restaurants.

Chilli briefly shows her job as Airport security when she plays as the police.

The selfie photo in the kids' room briefly changes to a new version of the photo, but only partially cut off-screen. (It doesn't become a permanent change until season 3).

Favorite Part: Destructive Muffin

Early Baby - Episode 40

Rusty steals a baby.

Debuts and Details:

The BBC-distributed versions recolor the hospital crosses to purple instead of red, likely to avoid confusion with the real-life Red Cross.

Indy is revealed to have a sister, the only mention of this sibling so far. It's also good to note that just like in "Calypso", her baby's name is "Polly" (It's the same name in the next ep, although all 3 episodes have different doll representations of "Polly", which only begs the question on the name's significance to Indy).

Rusty misspells "Hospital" as "Hostible", a flub by the voice actor that was kept in.

Favorite Part: Snickers moving past the screen the first time. "Rawh"

[doctorlombax]

Ranking Songs from Hazbin Hotel (Season 1) Based on How Much They Contribute to the Narrative

Overview:

So recently there have been some announcements about Hazbin Hotel, particularly the reveal that seasons 3 and 4 have been green-lit, as well as teases relating to the upcoming season 2. A couple of things that I have heard about season 2 were that it would have 8 episodes (following the season 1 format) and also a rumor that season 2 will have more songs than season 1.

I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Here’s the thing: I do like the songs in the show. I like that it’s a musical series. However, my biggest complaint with the first season (something I’ve seen parroted by many other people) was that there wasn’t enough of it. Only 8 episodes and 22 minutes per episode? That is really not a lot of time to put together a cohesive plot for a season of a show. It especially takes away the opportunity for filler episodes and fun side plots. There’s just no time! So if season 2 is going to have the same total runtime as season 1, I’m worried that more songs will take away even more time for the plot and character developments.

While I was musing on this, I got to thinking about songs in musicals, and how they work with the story. Sometimes they reveal key plot points, but other times they’re just for fun, and sometimes they are there to emphasize emotional weight of information that was already given to the viewers. It was this line of thinking that led me to making the following list. I’m going to take every song in season 1 of Hazbin Hotel and number them from 16 to 1 based on how much they add to the story line. I intend to take into account events that occur during the song that move the story forward, as well as new information that the audience gains from the lyrics.

Extra Note: I am doing this for fun. This is not my way of saying which songs are the best and which are the worst. As I’ve already pointed out, a song’s total merit is not based on its addition to the story alone. However, that will be the sole metric of this particular ranking. Some of my personal favorite songs end up surprisingly low on the list because they are not as plot heavy. Also this is my personal opinion, and I’m sure there will be some people who disagree about which songs contribute the most to the story. I am happy to entertain polite debate in the comments. With that having been said, enjoy.

Number 16- More than Anything (Reprise)

It makes sense that this one made it to the bottom of the list. I’m guessing because episode 8 had a big battle scene, they had to make one of the songs really short in order to accommodate the runtime. Also, this is the one song that doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know. They love each other. If you had been paying attention throughout the whole season, you would have picked up on that one.

Number 15- Poison

This song doesn’t really give us plot per se. Rather, it provides important insight into the character of Angel Dust. Specifically, it shows how he views his relationship to Valentino, and allows the audience a rare glimpse into how he really feels underneath the mask of ‘an actor’. There are also hints about events that happened in his past mentioned in the song (Angel singing about how he should have known better and how he was lured into Valentino’s trap).

Number 14- It Starts with Sorry

When I started making this list, I thought for sure this one would be at the bottom. However, it managed to crawl into third-to-last place by virtue of having one (1) thing happen.Charlie forgives Sir Pentious and convinces him to stay at the hotel for real. When trying to weigh the plot relevancy of a song, one of the biggest questions I asked myself was this: would the story make sense if this part was taken out? Obviously, it would make no sense if Sir Pentious was found out to be a spy, and then everyone just went to bed. Both of the songs listed before this one could have been cut and the story would still make the same amount of sense. So yes, this song did contribute to the story in some way, and it is the first song on the list that is considered crucial for the cohesion of the plot.

Number 13- Out for Love

So this song has two things that occur for the plot. One is Carmilla giving Vaggie instructions on how to fight (which foreshadows Vaggie’s showdown with Lute), also indicating that while she will not put herself in harms way, she is willing to side with the hotel in some capacity. Two is that we see the return of Vaggie’s wings (Side note- I really wish they had explained that).

Number 12- Loser Baby

This one is not so much about showing us who the characters are. Rather, its about the characters (specifically Angel Dust) actually undergoing development. The duration of the song is when Husk and Angel Dust grow closer by sharing a moment of vulnerability. This song could not be cut from the story because it where Angel Dust goes from despondent about his situation to hopeful and happy to at least share his misery with a companion. Also, Husk hints at the nature of his deal with Alastor (he sold his soul to save his powers? What does that mean? I’m hoping it’s something that gets explored later on).

Number 11- Hell is Forever

As I mentioned in the overview, some songs are not about revealing new information, but about emphasizing things that have already been stated. In this song, the characterization of Adam is something that has already been explored before the singing starts. It has even been pointed out by some fans that during his meeting with Charlie, Adam speed runs the 7 deadly sins. We already know what he’s like. The song is just there to hammer the point home. However, this one gains a higher spot than the others before because there are two important plot points revealed during Hell is Forever. One is that the angels are not interested in working with Charlie’s plan (it was obvious it was going to happen but we still needed to see it). The other is the Extermination being moved up to 6 months instead of a year.

Number 10- Hell’s Greatest Dad

Once again, the dynamic between Alastor and Lucifer was already established before the singing began. In the single minute before the chandelier came crashing down, we saw that Alastor hates Lucifer, and that Lucifer took no time at all to hate him in return. The majority of the song is just showing over and over how much they dislike each other. However, we have to ask ourselves what else do we learn in this one? For one thing, we get to learn a bit about Lucifer’s powers. We can see that he can summon things from out of nowhere, and that his power is still considered ‘angelic’ despite his fall. We also get a glimpse of how he thinks. He provides Charlie with flashy things to draw in sinners (champagne and caviar) without really offering anything that aligns with her vision. This is a good setup for the talk they have later on the balcony. Finally, the song ends with Mimzy arriving onto the scene, who plays a significant role in the story for this episode.

Number 9- Welcome to Heaven

So at first, I didn’t see this one being this far up the list. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this song does a fair amount of subtle world building and foreshadowing. First of all, it introduces us to the kingdom of Heaven. After five episodes, we get to finally see what it looks like and what the after life is like for those who are deemed ‘winners’. It also shows us how Heaven interacts with and perceives those from Hell: in a way that appears outwardly polite but with an attitude of looking down on them and being obsessed with perfection (‘please keep your brimstone off the floor’). Finally, the song hints at the differences between Emily and Sera. Emily is happy to host people that are not native to her home and wants to treat them with all of the warmth that she shows towards the residents. Sera, on the other hand, interrupts what Emily is saying to remind Charlie that her visit is temporary, firmly (and unnecessarily) stating that they cannot stay. This interaction does a good job setting up the later conflict that occurs between the two seraphims. It’s an impressive amount of story-telling from one of the shorter songs.

Number 8- Happy Day in Hell

Once again, I do have to take off points here because the characterization of Charlie is fairly well established before the song itself starts. However, as the first song of the first episode, this one does a good job of setting the overall tone for the series while establishing our main character. It’s a song that tells you exactly what kind of story you’re getting yourself into: one that is fun and colorful, with a humorous juxtaposition of peppy optimism in a place that is dark and gross. Like Welcome to Heaven, the strength of this song really comes from its world-building, which makes sense. At the start of a story, you want to set the scene. While Charlie is singing she goes from the lobby of her hotel to the steps of the angelic embassy, taking her on a whirlwind tour of Pentagram City. She bumps into several of the residents, showcasing what Hell and its denizens are like. She also mentions different places in the city as she passes by them, further painting a picture of the story’s setting. Another point in favor for this song is Vaggie’s lines. The way she talks about the angels not only characterizes her as a down-to-earth realist in contrast to Charlie’s head-in-the-clouds dreamer, but it also acts as foreshadowing, hinting that she understands the exterminators on a familiar level far better than the average sinner (‘those angels’ minds are hard to change’).

Number 7- Ready For This

The main plot point that occurs in this one is that Charlie convinces the cannibals to fight against the exterminators for the hotel. On a volume level, it may not seem like as many things happen in this song, but the things that occur do weigh pretty significantly in the story. Since this is such an important part of what happens in the finale, it places this song high up on the list. Charlie also gains an internal victory by becoming more confident and stepping into her role as ruler of Hell, which adds to the song’s character development. Furthermore, there are hints at Alastor’s intentions. His one line about her being madly powerful and filled with potential sets up a possible story arc in later seasons that involves him playing mentor to Charlie as she grows into her powers.

Number 6- More Than Anything

This song does a lot of heavy lifting in terms of telling us about the characters. It starts with Lucifer talking about how he tried and failed to see the best in human beings before and how it blew up in his face. It helps us understand his mindset and motivations for why he acts the way he does. The second stanza then moves on to Charlie, and we get to see a deeper look into why she is the way she is. We see her backstory and learn that her father was the one to inspire her. The rest of the song involves character development, with Lucifer coming around to see Charlie’s point of view, and the two reconciling. Getting a look into the two character’s minds while also showing how Lucifer changes and decides to help Charlie are pretty important elements to the story, landing this song high up on the list.

Number 5- Respectless

This one helped to characterize several minor characters. First of all, we learn a lot about Velvette. We see that she thinks she knows everything and that those who came before don’t have anything to tell her (almost like she’s a caricature of how many older people see the younger generations). The song also showed the unusual relationship between the Vees and the other Overlords- how they stand apart as young upstarts whereas the other Overlords tend to be methodical and thoughtful. It’s very clear from this short interaction that the Vees are not popular with their peers. There is also the characterization of Carmilla and Zestial, who seem to be the ones that most of the overlords look up to and follow their lead, as well as the friendship they have with each other. On a final note, the final lyrics of this song hint towards the reveal that comes shortly later on in the episode.

Number 4- Whatever it Takes

So a lot happens in this one. It starts with Carmilla telling the story of how she managed to kill an Exterminator in order to save her daughters (which is a pretty huge part of the plot, not just for the episode but for the season). It then quickly moves on to her thought process of how she decided that keeping her actions secret was the best way to guarantee the continued safety of her family. Of course it’s not just Carmilla that we end up learning about in this song. In the next stanza we get a good look inside Vaggie’s head, how she sees herself and how she views her relationship to Charlie. We see how important it is for her to be Charlie’s protection and support, and how she can’t handle failing at that. And again, in her first lines of the song, we get some hints that foreshadow her big reveal in episode 6 (being ‘a stranger in a brand new place’).

Number 3- Stayed Gone

For starters, this one tells us a lot about Vox. Not only do we get to see the extent of his powers and how he can stretch his influence all over Hell, but we get to see deep into his psyche. Vox is, physically, a powerful overlord. He can teleport, he can plug into pretty much any outlet in Hell, he can spy on thousands if not millions of technology users all at once. Despite all of this, Vox is painfully insecure. It comes through in his every word and line how much he is trying to convince himself as much as everybody else about Alastor’s irrelevancy. He could have completely ignored Alastor’s presence in Pentagram City, but instead he chooses to bait him into and Epic Rap Battle of History that Vox then proceeds to lose in the most public way possible while Alastor doesn’t even break a sweat. Speaking of Alastor, his part of the song does a good job building his character as well, at least in relation to his dynamic with Vox. It’s clear when he exits the tailor and sees Vox’s program that he too is affected by their rivalry (after all, he also could have ignored Vox and not allowed himself to be pulled into a petty conflict). However, his strength lies in his ability to keep his cool and his wit. Alastor is shown to be a master a psychological warfare and happy to go after his opponents where he knows it will hurt (telling all of Hell the Vox asked him to join is team). This is the same tactic he uses later against Lucifer in Hell’s Greatest Dad. Alastor always goes for the throat.

Note: When I was weighing this one, I ran into a bit of a quandary- do I count the song as starting from when the music begins, or do I only count the song from when Vox’s singing begins? Here’s the problem, if I only count from the singing, starting at “Welcome home” then I leave out a handful of lines that are fairly significant pieces of story-telling. From the short interaction between Vox and Valentino just before the singing begins but after the beat starts playing we learn:

-Alastor has been gone for seven years (the same amount of time Lillith has been gone, so obviously important)

-People thought that Alastor was gone for good because no one had seen him

-Alastor and Vox had a showdown where Alastor ‘almost beat’ Vox

-Vox has grown more powerful in Alastor’s absence

So yeah, a lot of extra info in that quick exchange. Personally, I chose to count it as part of the song because the beat of the intro was playing during this clip. Also, the talking was done in a way that it felt like the character’s were following the beat, even if it couldn’t be counted as singing.

Number 2- You Didn’t Know

Wow. So where do I begin? It was cool to watch the debate that took place between the Angels and Charlie after Angle Dust passed the test given to him. Particularly, Sera’s lines hinting towards information about things I’m sure will be explored in later seasons (“not everything is spelled ink” ���there’s a lot that you don’t know”). Of course the next thing that happens in the song is Adam talking about the next Extermination in front of the entire court of angels, something he was supposed to keep secret. This causes a chain reaction that determines the course of the rest of the song: Emily is horrified, Charlie learns that many of the people in Heaven we unaware that the Exterminations were taking place, Emily going against Sera and siding with Charlie. This was a lot of stuff happening in a short amount of time. We are then shown the fallout from these actions- the court is now divided, with some angels horrified while others are arguing on the side of the Exterminators. And finally, the song ending with Adam revealing the truth about Vaggie to Charlie.

Number 1- The Show Must Go On

I know some people are probably thinking “yeah of course this one was going to be number 1 on the list, it was the finale song of the season”, but honestly it was a photo finish between this one and “You Didn’t Know”. Both of them had a decent amount of action occurring, as well as character exploration and revealing of information to the audience. However, after a bit of deliberation, I determined “The Show Must Go On” did have slightly more that it added to the plot.

Much like how “Loser Baby” took Angel from depressed and hopeless to feeling better about his situation, this song did the same thing but for Charlie. We went at the beginning to staring at the wreckage of the old hotel to a shot of the newly rebuilt one, shifting the entire tone from dark to bright. Speaking of the hotel being rebuilt, we once again get to see more of Lucifer’s abilities, as he stretches them even further than he did in “Hell’s Greatest Dad”. It’s also interesting to note that this time around, the conjuring and magic he uses are far more in line with what his daughter wants, further showcasing his character development through the season.

Part of the reason this song was so plot-forward is because in some ways it’s almost like 3 songs put together (the hotel gang, the Vees, and Alastor each have stanzas that don’t really share the same beat). After the first part with the residents working to rebuild, we then shift to the Vees in Vox Tower being ominous and whatnot. They talk about how excited they are to take advantage of the opportunities presented in front of them to gain more power and influence in Hell, setting them up for their roles as the main antagonists in the next season.

We then, of course, move into the third song in this song- Alastor’s. We get confirmation that he is trapped in a deal that he is desperate to get out of, we learn a bit more about his intentions, and then after a very sinister note, we are taken back to the first song. Finally, we do see Alastor returning to reunite with the gang, before one final shot of the brand new Hazbin Hotel.

[rihon-scribe-some-writer-guy]

My Take on Critical Role…

I have lived the majority of my life as a “closet dork”. I have interest in hobbies that wouldn’t have been perceived as popular to my childhood peers. When I was informed that my parents were concerned about my social skills, those hobbies would be put on hold. Video games took a backseat to Rugby and I never experienced TTRPGs because theatre presented itself as a way for me to expand my social skills, provided that I dedicated my time to rehearsals and productions.

D&D wasn’t introduced to me until after college when I viewed Heroes and Halfwits from Achievement Hunters. Developing a curiosity, I took the suggestion of one commenter and began watching Critical Role. The story presented by Matthew Mercer and the characterization performed by the cast hooked me in. As episodes past, I slowly picked up on the mechanics of the game to the point to where I had caught up with the series and wanted more, I obtained a copy of the players handbook and looked into playing on Roll 20.

D&D has become one of my favorite hobbies, as the experience provides creative freedom and an outlet of expression that had surpassed my experiences in theatre.

Now, I have dropped off from the series. I did so long ago around the start of season 2. I don’t think that there was anything wrong with that season, rather I found it difficult to get invested in another campaign due to gaining a full time career, being invested in games that I actively played in, and doing theatre here and there.

Yet I began writing this when I heard about Season 3 Episode 33. If you’re in the same boat as I am and aren’t caught up with the series, this is your courtesy spoiler warning. You probably don’t want to read past this paragraph.

So, from my understanding, S3E33 sees the death of multiple player characters. It also seems that multiple viewers are dissatisfied with these deaths, as I the posts I have seen implies that some have expressed their opinions in nonconstructive ways. That’s basically the extent of my knowledge of what has recently happened in the series. From here on out, the rest of this is purely my speculation.

The first thing that I speculate is that it might not be just the character deaths that are upsetting. The reason why I say this is because we’ve had character deaths in season one, yet those deaths were more like being knocked unconscious as the character’s generally got better. The only character to truly be taken out of the game was Vax right before the epilogue. I’m not a big enough fan to be certain that similar backlash wasn’t made on these character deaths from the community, but I feel that they weren’t. My belief is that because character deaths in season 1 were handled well (for the most part; a few exceptions exist) by allowing the character deaths to reflect the possible theme.

The first campaign seemed to carry themes of ‘the family chosen’ as well as ‘Good shall triumph over Evil.’ Whenever a character experience death, the death and resolution tended to complement these theme. From Vax bargaining with the Raven Queen even to Keylith swan-diving from a mountain cliff, I could probably tie in a thematic element to each event. In Keylith stunt, she died attempting to gather a dropped treasure for Vex. While there’s a clear lesson of pride before the fall, the theme of chosen family comes into play when Vex cast revivify and suggests that they forget about the treasure.

I state this because I didn’t get into Critical Role because of the dice rolls in combat, but rather the story telling that portrayed it. In all honesty, I cannot claim that I have watch all of season one because there were some combat sections that I skipped because they felt irrelevant to the plot and I got bored when the rules clarification held up game play.

With all this in mind, here’s my address to S3E33:

First off, I don’t encourage bullying Matt Mercer. While I have never personally met the man, will probably never meet him, and don’t always agree with him, bullying him isn’t constructive.

With that in mind, I also have to empathize with those who were discouraged from the episode. If this was merely a game between friends, then it would be easy for criticism to be dismissed. However, Critical Role has evolved. It’s an entity that is profiting off of the sells of related material. It has built a community of followers of both veterans and newcomers to D&D. Such an entity has a responsibility to its community of supporters.

Part of me feels that D&D podcast would benefit from including GM-style information at the intro of their series. There’s a vast variety of way that D&D can be run, and I have seen many groups end because discussion on how the game would run weren’t communicated clearly. I can only imagine that that issue is multiplied when campaigns gain a massive passive audience.

[fallenrocket]

My apologies--I'm new to posting on Tumblr, and I'm still getting the hang of things. In my previous post, my intent was to respond to jaskierx's comments about Izzy's season 2 arc, and I wasn't thinking about the fact that you'd get notified on it also. (If there's a way to respond to just one post within a larger thread, someone kindly let me know!) Because of that, my own comments used a certain shorthand based on an assumed shared premise with someone I was agreeing with, and I didn't explain myself as thoroughly as I would have if I was trying to engage with someone I disagreed with. It wasn't my intent to come in your notifications all, "Now see here!"

I don't want to go back and forth on this, but I will try to explain my thoughts a little more clearly. I don't want to see Izzy being "punished," and I don't want him to "grovel." In fact, I said he didn't deserve any of the things that Ed did to him. When I said I hadn't really seen him reckoning with season 1, I didn't mean it in the sense of "face a reckoning." I meant engaging with it on a personal/introspective level, thinking about his choices and why he made them, thinking about how/why he's now choosing to be different.

When I said I didn't think Izzy had redeemed himself, I meant it on a meta level, thinking about the function of his redemption arc. I didn't mean to say I think he's still an antagonist--he's clearly not. I didn't mean to say I think he's unforgivable or irredeemable. Not at all. I meant that the arc the show is giving him this season isn't personally satisfying to me as a redemption arc, which honestly is in line with a lot of "redemption arcs" for popular antagonists-turned-allies. I don't think Izzy is uniquely terrible or deserves any of the horrific shit he went through at the start of the season. I just think there were some interesting opportunities in the storytelling that haven't panned out for me, and I personally found that disappointing.

To me, "redemption" for antagonists can involve a lot of different aspects--weaker arcs might only involve one or two of them, while stronger arcs incorporate more. A character can choose to do good/helpful things instead of bad/harmful things. They can recognize how they hurt people and realize why it was wrong. They can try to apologize or make amends to the people they hurt. They can look at the patterns of their past behavior and explore their own personal hurt or damage that led them to do those things. They can seek help in trying to change those patterns. And as I said in my previous post, what really resonates with me is seeing them recognize how their actions contributed to their own pain or unhappiness. That doesn't mean that everything that happened to them is their fault or that they deserved for it to happen. It's not about punishment. It's about Shit, I was hurting other people, but I was hurting myself too.

That's a level that I very rarely see in redemption arcs, so I'm not saying Izzy's season 2 arc is meaningless/garbage because I personally haven't seen much of that for him. I just meant that I would have liked to see something more along those lines, because 1) it would've taken his story to a much deeper level for me, and 2) I believe in this show and this writing, and I think they could've done it beautifully. And again, it's not about punishment or groveling. It's not even necessarily about apologizing or amends. It's about Izzy looking at himself.

I'm not a "hater" or an "anti." I thought Izzy was a very effective, interesting antagonist last season, and I thought the show did a nice, subtle job of showing some of the issues and damage that was driving his behavior, showing his motivations without excusing his actions. And there's been stuff this season from him that I really like. I thought his scenes in "Calypso's Birthday" were beautiful, and it's been interesting to see him align himself more with Stede in recent episodes.

Again, I don't think Izzy is an antagonist anymore--he's obviously behaving in very different ways that he did last season. But for me, I wish I could see more of a bridge between his season 1 characterization and his season 2 characterization. Personally, the connections I do see are more in response to things that happened to him--the suffering he endured during the Kraken era, losing his leg, the grace he received as the crew accepted and embraced them--which is fine, but I personally think it could have been more dynamic.

I've always liked the way the show has used incredibly quick flashbacks to illuminate a character's thoughts--flashing on the pain of past trauma, flashing on happier memories they long for, flashing on the regret of past actions--and I think something like that could be used effectively for Izzy. For instance, if we want to see him reckoning (in an introspective way) with his season 1 choices, as he saw Lucius struggling with his trauma in episode 5, the show could've have flashed briefly on a past instance of him mocking someone for being soft, and then shown Izzy choose to be gentle and encourage Lucius to move on. For me, something like that would be more like that bridge I was talking about.

I hope that explains myself a little more clearly. We have different opinions on Izzy and how his season 2 arc is being handled, and that's fine. Like I said, I wasn't trying to come at you or argue. I'm not trying to change your mind. I'm happy to let you have your view while I keep mine. I just wanted to respond because, again, I can see that I condensed things in my previous post, and that probably made it sound like I was saying things that I didn't intend, so I wanted to try and clarify that.

“why is this show implying that were supposed to see izzy’s actions as less severe than edwards? this is unfair” Well becayse izzy saying mean words to edward is not as bad as edward terrorizing his crew and taking limbs from his first mate who he supposedly loves. getting told by someone to watch your step is also not a reason to cut off their toes and shoot them in the knee. Hope this helps in prep for your next interpersonal conflict 🫶🏻

[whataboringstory]

I think I’ve seen posts before about how Lancelot seems calm and sensible but is actually chaotic and encourages Merlin to be chaotic but like.... Gwen gives the same energy.

- Gwen walks in on Merlin doing dumb and/or illegal shit more than anyone else in the show I’m pretty sure (/assuming because I’ve only rewatched a few episodes since last may).

- She helps Merlin commit theft of a heavy ass statue in season 1 episode 2 after just meeting him. Just a normal day in Camelot.

- in episode 9 Merlin’s like ‘hey can you steal a nice swordy sword from your father and give it to me please’. She’s like ‘yup sure. He’ll kill me if he finds out I’ve given you this sword but here you go. Love you. Good luck!’. Merlin never returns the sword. Gwen never asks.

- She walks in on Merlin stealing from Morgana multiple times. We see Gwen walking in, always looking amused and teasing him slightly. Then it cuts to the next scene and Merlin’s walking along like he hasn’t just been caught. Gwen’s never concerned by his habits and never seems to be mad/ tell him off/ warn him to at least be more careful. She’s so chill about it.

- Don’t even get me started on season 3 episode 3. Merlin is arrested for sorcery. He breaks out of jail - no one questions how. He pops up in Gwens house, almost scaring her to death, while guards are rushing past the house. When she sees that it’s just her idiotic criminal friend Merlin, she’s just like ‘ffs come here let me harbour your criminal ass and risk my own neck’. 0 questions asked. Oh you want to kill Guais, Merlin? You want to poison him? Yeah sure I’ll help you, that sounds like great fun. Let’s catch this goblin together.

- There’s probably more examples but, again, I’ve only rewatched a few episodes recently so

- In conclusion, I think Gwen is even more chaotic than Lancelot. I love her.

I love her dynamic with Merlin so much. They’re so soft together. Chaoticness aside, they never hesitate to help the other out if they’re in need and that’s so beautiful. They never judge each other for anything either. And they always give the other support, emotionally I mean, when they see that the other’s feeling low or insecure.

Back to the chaos: Imagine if Lancelot never left. Imagine the chaotic trio that would have been Merlin, Gwen, and Lancelot. Imagine if Gwen had also found out about Merlin’s magic earlier, and her and Lancelot formed the Merlin protection squad. Merlin would have been their criminal son that they loved unconditionally. If only

[the-lone-witch-and-secret-room]

The Owl House and pacing, a perspective from a fanfic writer that works with a large cast

I’ve seen a bunch of complains about the way The Owl House is paced lately. People claiming that it’s bad writing, and rushed, and whatnot. But from how I see it, you’re complaining for all the wrong reasons, and to the wrong people.

TL;DR: this is an overlaying issue with Disney and the industry that doesn’t allow long shows anymore, essentially forcing writers to pick between good pacing and complex stories being told with large casts.

For context: the fandom I wrote for before I got into The Owl House had a pretty small main cast. There were a few reoccurring characters, but most of them only showed up like five total times over the course of four seasons or had little personality, so my main cast I was writing about always consisted of my main five characters, with occasional cameos here and there. All characters were living together and experienced the adventure from the same perspective. There was one overarching storyline and not multiple. The interpersonal relationships still varied, though, for obvious reasons.

Now think about how large The Owl House cast is, and why that’d send them running into issues. Or don’t, because I have a whole-ass in depth analysis under the cut because this got unreasonably long.

(Also I’d appreciate a reblog, I spent… an unreasonable amount of time on this, lol)

The Owl House is different. There’s the main characters: Luz, Eda, King, maybe Hooty, technically (someone recently pointed out that he’s technically the titular character of the show and I’m still processing that, lol).

But they also have a HUGE additional cast to work with. There’s Lilith, Eda’s sister, and the main antagonist of season one, who has a lot to her character and gets a ton of screen time. There’s Amity, and there’s Willow and Gus, Luz’s friends. They’re all very fleshed out characters, and got a bunch of screen time and development, despite “only” being reoccurring characters and not the main characters.

Then there’s characters that have played a fairly minor role so far. There’s Belos, the big bad villain, who we will likely learn a lot more about this season. There’s the Golden Guard, the new main antagonist our cast deals with personally, who we’re just starting to learn more about. There’s Camila, Luz’s mom, who, despite only showing up a couple of times in the show so far, is very relevant to Luz and how the plot will ultimately turn out. There’s Edric and Emira, Amity’s siblings, who despite only showing up a few times as well seem to have a very worked out personality and background and also have a story that is (at least to some extent) going to be told according to the AMA.

There is at least one more seemingly important character whose role in the bigger story is hard to tell at this point, Raine, but according to the description of the episode, they’re probably going to influence the story a bunch.

There’s Alador and Odalia, who are responsible for a lot of their children’s toxic behaviors, and seem to have bigger plans that will probably be relevant later on.

The characters that are only focused on for an episode or two (like Matt and the troublemaker kids) all have very worked out personalities and even short arcs.

And heck, even characters like Boscha, who is extremely minor and seems like a very one-dimensional bully for the most part, get their moments that hint at there being more to them. We know Boscha has a clingy mom, that apparently has a rivalry with Odalia and works with Amity’s parents. The scene at the beginning of Wing It Like Witches tells us a lot about her general mindset and how she’s embraced that winning at whatever cost is the only thing that matters.

This leaves us with: 3-4 main characters

3 friends with fleshed out stories

Lilith, who is probably the most relevant aside from the main cast

Belos, the main antagonist, and the Golden Guard, currently starting to become a lot more relevant

A whole handful of minor reoccurring characters that have the potential to become bigger characters at any point in time

A handful of minor reoccurring characters that mainly seem to be there to further the story, but still get to have distinctive personalities and motivations (looking p.e. at the troublemaker kids)

That is AT LEAST 9 pretty major, relevant characters whose stories have to be tackled in the same show, in addition to the people that joined in season two and a huge supporting cast of well-developed characters that clearly also have stories of their own, even if not all of them will get told.

On top of that, the Owl House lives from exploring different relationships and different storylines. There’s the overarching story of how flawed the system is that will likely end with them overthrowing Belos, but there’s so much more.

Eda and the curse. Eda becoming a better mentor for Luz. Eda coming to terms with the loss of her magic.

Luz learning to cast magic with glyphs. Making friends for the first time. Slowly falling in love with Amity. Fighting to be able to learn whatever kind of magic she wants to. Learning that she’s not a burden to people. Struggling with her relationship with her mom, and trying to restore the portal so she can get back to her. Figuring out her future and what she really wants.

Lilith trying to cure Eda, and now in season two coming to terms with the loss of her magic and fixing her relationship with her sister. Lilith learning to ask for help.

Willow switching tracks. Willow growing more confident.

Amity becoming a better person, fixing her relationship with Willow, standing up to her parents, falling in love with Luz. Starting to fix her relationship with her siblings.

King finding out where he came from.

Hints at Gus struggling with decision making and stressing himself out less. Gus learning to be more selfless. Struggling with his magic track and being the youngest in his grade.

The newly introduced plot point with the Golden Guard. The plot point about the rebellion that will get introduced next episode.

The mystery with the letters.

And I’m like 90% sure I’ve forgotten something.

That is… a lot of different plots and relationships that are in some way important to the story.

In comparison, as stated, the last show I wrote for focused mostly on the same five characters and their relationships with each other, and one overarching plotline aside from some minor interpersonal relationships with two people’s family members that weren’t even introduced for several seasons. The first season fully focused on establishing the bond within this found family with exactly 1 important reoccurring character, an antagonist that had little personality and got a total of one line of backstory before he died.

If you have 90% of a season to develop 5 characters who live together, that’s a lot easier to do than developing twice the amount of important characters + introducing reoccurring characters season one of The Owl House has—the majority of which have separate lives and do not live together and thus can’t be focused on at the same time.

I’ve seen a bunch of people complain recently that the pacing of The Owl House is off, that the writing is bad, that the show is rushed, etc. etc.

And I get those complains. Believe me, as a viewer and also as an author that takes a lot of time to develop each character and their issues individually, I 100% get it.

But as an author that’s currently learning how hard it is to tackle a cast of the size that The Owl House has, I’ve also come to a whole different understanding from the perspective of the writers on the show.

For context, Locked Out focuses on a couple of serious themes, in the same way that the show does. It has 4 main plotlines: Amity Camila and Luz, Edric and Emira, Eda and Lilith, Willow and the Grudgby Squad (as well as a Gus arc that ties into the last one while also being its own thing, we’re getting to that part). So far, it prominently features: Luz, Amity, Camila, Eda, Emira, Edric, Willow and Gus, and to a lesser extent King, Lilith and Boscha, Skara and Amelia in relation to the separate plots.

That’s eight main characters across five different households. And then there’s the reoccurring characters that will have a larger role later on that I’ve not even had the opportunity to bring into the story yet/feature in a more prominent way. The cast is still growing.

And heck, I have all the time in the world to write this thing, because I don’t have an episode limit, or a deadline, or a limited amount of money to produce it.

For Locked Out, it took me 120k to get through a single week of plot at a very high level of character development, with about as many important characters as TOH has in season 1, and with an equally high number of reoccurring characters, some minor, some major. I think you can compare it to the show pretty well. I’d say, if I were to split Locked Out into episodes, I’d set one episode at about 10k. That would be 12 episodes. 12 episodes to get through a single week. Heck, even if I said 20k words were to be one episode, which I’m pretty sure is too much realistically, that would still be 6 episodes for one week.

And TOH covers more than three months.

That would be at least 72 total episodes to get through the three months of summer camp. And we’re currently progressing past that point.

72 episodes.

Let that sit for a while o.o

Everything that’s happened in season one (which as we know now was about 2 months) would have happened in 48 episodes rather than 19. Pacing-wise, everything would happen at less than 0.5x the speed. The first four episodes of season two would’ve been 24 episodes, assuming we hadn’t skipped a week and a half and had instead shown the immediate aftermath of the petrification ceremony, too.

And I’d love if we could have that, and if we could actually develop the characters and their relationships that thoroughly.

But the sad fact is that shows like The Owl House do not get the amount of episodes that would be required to develop every single aspect of the show to its fullest potential. Disney rarely greenlits shows of 150 episodes anymore. They used to, once, (Phineas&Ferb for example had 130+ episodes—you could tell one hell of a story in that many episodes), but that’s not a thing anymore. And the writers know that going into a show. They know the chances their story will be told in that way are very low.

And thus, the writers, especially ones working with large casts, have to make a choice: cut characters they love, and plots that are important to them, because they know they won’t get the amount of episodes required to do everything perfectly, OR include most of what they want to do, but at the cost of the pacing being off and everything seemingly happening too fast.

The Owl House crew went with the second option. The biggest issue the show has isn’t bad writing. The show’s biggest issue is that its cast and the story the crew members want to tell are too big for the amount of episodes they’ve been given (especially now that Disney decided to cut season 3 down into just three 44 minute specials).

And that’s on Disney, and Disney alone.

The crew is making the most of the amount of episodes they have, and unfortunately the lack of time forces them to rush things, and to sometimes sideline characters to focus on others.

Lilith got a bunch of screen time in the first four episodes. I’m sad to see her go, but she’s basically guaranteed to be back by season 2B. And there’s other people that have gotten way less focus than her so far. We‘ve seen basically nothing of Willow and Gus for the first few episodes, and I’m super happy Gus finally got some focus! We haven’t been inside Hexside all season except to see Luz expelled! And episode seven is even going to introduce a new character. Sometimes there’s parts of the story that certain characters don’t have a place in. And it sucks if they’re characters you like. But Lilith has to go for a bit so other characters can get the same amount of spotlight she did. At the end of the day, Lilith is not part of the main cast. She’s a very important reoccurring character, yes, but so are Amity, Willow and Gus. The main characters are Eda, Luz and King, and they’re the only ones that will always be around. And heck, even Eda got sidelined for a bit in the last two episodes, because we needed to focus on other characters. If not even the main characters are always around because we need some spotlight time for other characters, you can’t expect any more minor reoccurring cast member to be.

God, I wish they’d be given more time and more episodes to bring every part of the plot to its full potential, but they don’t have those, so they sometimes have to take shortcuts that unfortunately cheapen the story here and there. It’s the only way they can hope to tell their story to the end at all. And that makes me hella sad because it’s so obvious that they have an incredible story to tell, and that there’s so much more to so many of the characters we just don’t have the time to focus on.

The thing is: I liked the episode with Gwendolyn. It sends an important message that will hopefully get some parents who watch with their children thinking, and I’ve seen a couple of people talk about how close to home it hit for them. I have also seen a couple of people complain about that being too fast—and also just in general about things in the show getting sorted out too fast. And I get it. At least with this particular episode, I 100% get it.

(I’ve also seen some people complain that “Amity stood up to her parents too fast in Escaping Expulsion”, but I vehemently disagree with that. We’ve been building towards that moment since season one, with her doing more and more things that were technically defying her parents. I don’t see how this was rushed.)

Just… please don’t blame the writers. Dana even said that Keeping Up A-Fearances is one of the episodes that hit very close to home for her in the recent stream iirc? So I highly doubt this was rushed on purpose, or because the whole thing is “bad writing” when the entire writing quality of the show says otherwise.

A lot of shows in general have the issue that they have to be written season by season rather than as a full story these days, because there’s always a chance that they won’t get a next season. How large scale the story they want to tell actually is doesn’t matter if there’s a solid chance they won’t get to do any of it.

From a viewer perspective, I get being frustrated at the pacing being off. But from a writer perspective, the chances are very high that this is a choice they had to make, rather than one they wanted to make. And I don’t think you can truly see this if you’ve never worked with a fleshed out cast that large—Locked Out was really eye-opening for me in that regard.

This isn’t simply a case of bad writing/bad pacing by choice. It’s forced. They’re forced to rush through their plots because otherwise they won’t get the chance to tell certain parts of the story at all. And the saddest thing about this is really that those 72+ episodes to flesh out these plot points further wouldn’t have been an impossible thing to get, at a time.

Go for Disney’s head. Yell at the industry for being what it is today, for constantly axing shows before even giving them a real chance. But this isn’t on the crew.

[mejcinta]

The Dick Grayson Issue

First and foremost, I love this character. I love to explore him and see what makes him tick. I've written several fanfics surrounding him and still he remains one of the most interesting characters alongside Kory that I can handle well.

So please allow me to admit I DON'T recognize the Dick Grayson we have this season. I don't understand him. It feels like he's been benched for other characters to come out and play; and in some cases he's being USED as a springboard device to help catapult some new characters into the limelight.

Without wasting time let me begin with my biggest problem:

1. Dick is NOT the ideal father figure he was in seasons 1 and 2.

He never stays put at home or spends time with the Titans. He's only more recently shared scenes with Gar, Conner and Kory in a domestic, less formal setting. He doesn't listen to what the Titans are telling him, preferring to go off on his own and cooperate with people from his past like Barbara, without even clueing the Titans on his history with her and why she was putting barriers to their mission efforts.

Bottom line is, he is not the Dick Grayson/Nightwing we saw in that hilarious and captivating fight scene at Dayton Labs in San Francisco. He changes drastically when he sets foot on Gotham and we are given the impression that Kory, Conner and Gar are upset at this change, except that we... haven't exactly been SHOWN how Dick got along with them better in San Francisco? 🤷

I insist. They must have shown us how the Titans were living or getting along in San Francisco. How they related well with each other to a point that Dick declares to Barbara that they are his 'FAMILY'. That word has been thrown around a lot concerning the Titans but we've only had a distant, cold and detached Dick for the most part.

What is going on?????

2. The Jason/Brothers Issue.

This is something I'm bringing up because after the events of season 2 with Deathstroke defeated and Bruce and Dick reconciled... it's assumed that Dick has changed. That he's a better son, a better friend, and especially a more patient and understanding brother.

Season 3 has seen Dick and Kory, the co-leads of the team, share similar storylines surrounding enstranged family members (Jason and Blackfire). It's assumed that this challenge will thrust them into a journey of self discovery, self assessment of themselves, their faults, their secret guilt and their desire to ammend their broken relationships however stubborn or evil their siblings are.

With 51%, the most recent episode, Kory has undergone this growth. She's ready to mend what was broken and begin trusting Blackfire again. I'm not expecting peace and picnics, but what I did expect and got was to have Kory delve deep into her own flaws and see what she failed to do for her sister, recognize that and try to change course; in order to become a new, better person.

However, Dick is nowhere there. He's stunted. From the get go, he's shown as still being bitter and irritable towards Jason's existence as his replacement. He throws around snide remarks and shows that he doesn't know Jason at all, and is not interested to.

This is major because in as much as Jason can be a prick, Jason's issue in season 2 sprung from Dick denying the younger Titans experience on the field. Dick then was still paralyzed by the prospect of losing people he cared about and so his benching of Rachel, Gar and Jason perhaps came from a point of fear... something that is presumed he got over after being rescued from Trigon's dreamscape of fears by Rachel.

What I'm seeing here is a lack of development. Dick should be over treating Jason like a tick. Dick should carry himself more maturely around the Jason issue like GAR and Kory are.

Kory has lost her PARENTS to her own sister and has somehow found a new footing with Blackfire, to start a fresh page, to compromise.

It should be no different for Jason. I need Dick to be a big brother that actually gives a fuck, as much as he hates his younger brother for the things he's done. But so far writers are keeping Dick in the angry, begrudging space so that he keeps relinquishing his brotherly duties AND his Titans duties... and so that he and Barbara can keep chatting about how bad Bruce is for messing up Jason.

He is not taking partial responsibility. He is just being irrational to the point that Kory and Gar have to call him out on it, to be more objective. You can't be the team lead and have your members be more objective and clear sighted than you. 🤷

Jason mirroring a disgruntled, angry and destructive small Dick Grayson and Dick being able to bring his brother down with some of his insight after becoming a new man in Nightwing is what I signed up for. Not this.

3. The Barbara Issue.

Barbara represents Dick's nostalgia of all things Gotham and so far Dick is falling all in on her. Yet this is the man we're told has transformed and new. Nightwing, not Robin.

This isn't even about Dick and Kory and the steady buildup they've had last two seasons suddenly being swept under the rug so Dick can revisit his past... it's about Dick listening to Barbara more than he does the Titans or common sense.

He listens to her about Bruce being bad for him. The same Bruce he made ammends with in the season 2 finale that helped him shed off Robin and become a Nightwing.

Barbara basically shames and incites Bruce to the point that he breaks and goes off to kill the Joker. And THEN Gotham becomes Dick responsibility as the Batman fades into the night for a while to lick his wounds.

He spends more time with Barbara than the Titans, when he goes off on his own without telling them what he's up to.

He doesn't feel the need to explain his past with Barbara, like its something shameful...and he struggles alone through the blocks she puts up until Kory orders him to stop his games so that they can finally get work done.

And then just when Barbara and him finally choose to be mature, and work together, Dick goes right back to Barbara when she tells him she wants him back.

In a sense she's controlling him and she can be used (think of Scarecrow's twisted plans) to prompt him to do unbecoming things. She has a hold on him the hold that Gotham has on him...and that doesn't bode well for him, her or the Titans.

We could've done without their romance for the point to be driven that Dick is still ensnared by his home city. In any case more screen-time could've been given to Dick actually working on himself...but that's just me.

I just don't see this relationship being beneficial for Dick but he's walked straight into it and is slowly undoing everything he's done to be the new man he was before returning to Gotham.

Point is there's many inconsistencies with how Dick is being portrayed this season. The one I'm most salty about is his detachment from the team emotionally. He needs their support, insight and perspectives into solving his issue with Jason and Scarecrow on top of healing from the renewed pain and struggles that Gotham has brought to him.

Perhaps I stand to be corrected in the coming episodes, but so far NOT good.

He is barely recognizable, but there could be light at the end of the tunnel when he finally gets his wits around him.

I want my Beloved Dick Grayson back is all I'm trying to say.

[dukeofonions]

The Problem With Asides

Before I get into anything I want to clarify that this is not going to be a criticism of the two Asides episodes we’ve gotten so far. This is a critique of the concept of Sanders Asides as a separate series from the original Sanders Sides. A second note I want to make is that this is, just as all my other posts are, a personal opinion. This is not meant to be an attack on anyone, just a general criticism from a confused writer and viewer of the show. 

And final disclaimer: A lot of what I’m going to say is based on information that I no longer have available. It’ll mostly be me recalling things I heard and if I at any point get something wrong please feel free to let me know. 

That being said, let’s get into this, shall we? 

(Fair warning this post is very long hence why I’ve divided it into parts so feel free to read then come back as you wish)

Part One: The Concept of Asides

Some time ago last year, I believe shortly after Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts came out, was when the idea for Sanders Asides was first announced. The basic concept of it being shorter, more lighthearted videos focusing on the Sides outside of the main storyline. This format would allow them to give us more Sides content in between the long waits for the main series since those episodes were beginning to take more time to produce. 

Of course, everyone was eager for more Sides, so the majority of people were excited. Not only that but due to the main series tackling heavier themes, the episodes were becoming more angsty with less time for the characters to just relax and goof off with each other. The idea of having episodes reminiscent of the low stakes, sillier, happier content of season one was a welcome break from the more complex episodes and would be a nice return to form for the series. 

We were also informed that these episodes would be much simpler than their main series counterparts and wouldn’t disrupt the work being done on Sanders Sides, which meant we didn’t have to worry about long gaps between the main story episodes, right? 

(Another disclaimer: I am perfectly aware of the main reason why we were not given as much content last year and am not blaming Thomas or the team for doing what was necessary to keep themselves safe and hope they continue to do so as this continues into the new year)

Jump to November 22, 2019, where we got our first official episode of Sanders Asides, roughly five months after DWIT came out. Which, for this fandom, was record time to get more content and I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly they were able to get this out. Though at the same time, I wondered why it took five months to make what was meant to be a short, simple episode. 

So imagine my surprise when I went to watch the episode and saw it was nearly 20 minutes long. Which, okay, isn’t that bad when you compare it to the lengths of the more recent Sanders Sides episodes. But at the time, I was under the impression that the Asides would be, well, much shorter. The longest I expected would be maybe 15 minutes, but you know what? It’s the first episode and it has been a while since we’ve had Sides content, so maybe they wanted to give us a little extra due to the long wait. 

I started the episode and at first, I was overjoyed when I saw the first shot of all the Sides sitting in the living room in their onesies about to have a movie night. This was exactly what I’d been hoping to see from this series! It’s pretty much a staple thing in the fandom for the Sides to have movie nights together, and now it was happening in canon! 

At the moment, I had high hopes for this series and was filled with joy. 

Then that hope and joy were immediately crushed when I realized this was yet just another Virgil-centric angst episode. In fact, this entire episode was, well, exactly like a regular Sanders Sides episode. Sure, there were some jokes here and there, but the tone of the episode was no lighter than the last Sanders Sides episode. If anything DWIT felt lighter in comparison to this one. 

Which leads me to ask, what the heck happened? 

Part Two: Literally the Same Show

At this point in time, we’ve only had two episodes of Asides. Usually, I try to hold off my judgment of a series until I’ve had at least one other episode to see if my original criticisms still stand. 

To be fair, I did think Flirting With Social Anxiety was a step in the right direction. More comedy, a lighter tone, yes. Perfect. But again, just like with Are There Healthy Distractions? This episode quickly dove right back into the angst pool, and just like ATHD it was a pretty long episode, clocking in at almost 25 minutes. 

Not only that but again, both FWSA and ATHD don’t feel any different from the episodes we’ve been getting in Sanders Sides. 

1. They’re just as angsty.

2. Roughly the same length as Sanders Sides episodes.

3. Take about just as long to produce.

4. Contain a lesson to be learned. 

Which, okay, you can have lessons in lighter shows too, but we’re already getting that in Sanders Sides and Sanders Asides was described as, well, being less plot heavy. Yet so far both episodes are still tied in with the main plot. 

ATHD deals with the aftermath of DWIT, not directly but it’s pretty obvious that the whole thing with Virgil’s reveal at the end of that episode is being addressed in the background. Which, kind of takes away the impact of that ending, but I’ll get to that later. 

Then FWSA takes place after Putting Others First and again, is dealing with things from that episode in the background. Again though, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It makes sense to see the characters dealing with things from past events.

So why is it a problem here? Because, again, Sanders Asides is meant to be a separate series, and all the subtext brought on from the episodes in Sanders Sides makes the plots in these two episodes confusing. 

For example, I was perplexed during my first watch of FWSA because I couldn’t understand why the focus of the conflict was lying. I didn’t understand why Virgil and Roman came to the conclusion that Thomas’ reason for being unable to approach Nico was because he was lying to himself, when both the title of the episode and what we were shown points more to, well, social anxiety being the problem. 

(Quick note: One could argue that this was done purposefully to have Virgil putting the blame on Janus since he doesn’t like him and wouldn’t want to admit that he was the one responsible, but this series has had a bad habit of favoring Virgil in the past so until we get more answers I’m gonna leave this on the backburner) 

It didn’t help that I had no idea when this episode was meant to take place in the timeline, and I originally thought it could take place a bit after season two since Roman and Virgil seemed to be doing better, but more on them later.

All of this bugged me until I found out that FWSA takes place after POF, and after watching the live stream that followed and getting some more context, the lying thing made a bit more sense, but the fact that I was as confused as I was just caused more frustration to build up. And I wasn’t the only one who got thrown off by the “Lying is wrong” message of FWSA so I had to ask again, why was this episode a Sanders Asides when apparently, you need information from the last Sanders Sides episode in order to understand it?

So you’re telling me, that the second episode in what is supposed to be a separate series that isn’t meant to be a part of the main plot, is now integral to the plot of the main story you’re telling in what is, as you have said, a separate show? How does that make any sense? 

Okay, one could argue that Thomas getting a love interest doesn’t really fit with the current storyline that’s going on in Sanders Sides, and that is a fair point. The problem with that is, FWSA takes place right after Putting Others First. 

You all remember what happened at the end of that episode, right?

Part Three: Intrusive Plots

At this point we’ve all become rather accustomed to the long waits in between videos, it’s nothing new to us, and for the most part they haven’t done anything to harm the current plot of Sanders Sides. Sure, the length of time between videos can cause people to lose interest, but for the most part the tone of the last three episodes of Sanders Sides hasn’t differed much and the story flow is still going along smoothly. 

Let’s start with Selfishness vs Selflessness, which is the episode that sets up the big climax for season two. It’s still got its jokes and funny moments, but the overall tone is far more serious than previous episodes have been. This carries on into DWIT where Thomas has been so stressed out lately that he’s begun to have trouble with his intrusive thoughts. 

Virgil even gives a pretty good summary of Thomas’ current mental state: “He recently realized he’s a bigger liar than he thought he was, he doesn’t understand himself, he’s committed to skipping a big callback, and he’s sleep-deprived. So yeah, he feels like a piece of dirt who has no control over his life.”

And all that was a direct result of the ending of SVS, despite DWIT not being the direct follow up to that episode the two are still intertwined. Remember that for later.

DWIT ends with the long awaited reveal of Virgil having been a “Dark Side.” Even though the majority of the fandom had figured it out by as early as Can Lying Be Good? That didn’t take away from the emotional gut punch that this scene was and it’s one of my favorite moments from the series. I may have to make a whole post breaking that scene down but what matters is that this scene was a turning point for Virgil’s character.

We’ve seen him trying to hide the truth from Thomas ever since Janus and Remus started popping up, and there were close calls with both of them nearly revealing it themselves and continuously dropping hints to Thomas. Only for Virgil to admit it to Thomas himself, and leave before Thomas can even say a word. 

We don’t know for sure how Thomas is feeling in this moment, but it’s clear he’s been shaken by this. He doesn’t really have a lot of time to process it before he remembers to acknowledge the audience and close out the video. 

This comes up again once we finally get to the monster of an episode that is POF, the follow up to SVS that everyone had been waiting over a year for. Right away we see that Patton and Roman will be at the forefront of this discussion with Logan popping up every now and then, but who doesn’t show up in this episode despite having played a role in SVS? 

Virgil. 

He’s nowhere to be seen and his absence is definitely felt. Why wouldn’t he be part of this discussion? He was there in SVS and had a lot to say on the matter, he was even part of the decision to choose the wedding over the callback! So why wasn’t he there? 

Well, just look at the ending of DWIT and there’s your answer. Of course he isn’t about to show his face after that. Not when Thomas is already under so much stress already and he isn’t sure how Thomas will react to seeing him-

*insert random voice whispering off to the side*

 Wait, Virgil has seen Thomas since DWIT? When? 

*whispers continue*

Oh, right, they interacted in Sanders Asides. How did that go again? 

*whispers explain*

Huh? Thomas said he’s cool with Virgil despite revealing that he’s been hiding something from him this whole time? That “something” being the fact that Virgil was once considered part of the others that were currently making Thomas’ life miserable?

*whispers confirm*

Really? They’re both okay with each other now? Well, good for them. 

So wait, then why didn’t Virgil show up in POF? He was there during the first discussion and honestly he’d have more of a reason to show up than Logan who wasn’t really present at all in SVS. 

*whispers explain* 

He just wasn’t need there? Hm, alright. Guess that makes sense… 

Well okay, Virgil and Thomas are on good terms once POF rolls around, Virgil isn’t present during the conversation because he isn’t needed and I suppose his presence would make things worse. Especially once Janus revealed himself, he wouldn’t allow him to get a word in. Even though Janus could probably silence him but I digress. 

Fast forward towards the ending of POF, remember when I said to remember how SVS and DWIT were connected? Well DWIT is just as important to POF, acting as a bit of bridge between to the two episodes. 

Janus brings up Remus (both directly and indirectly) twice in this episode.

First here:

 Notice how Roman’s breakdown is already being foreshadowed here, the camera focusing on him while “Logan” says this isn’t an accident. 

The second time Remus is brought up is at the very end after Janus has revealed his name:

“Oh, Roman thank God you don’t have a mustache. Otherwise between you and Remus, I wouldn’t know who the evil twin is.” 

(No I am not posting screenshots of this scene I already got emotional over the last one)

As we saw at the end of DWIT, Roman does not have a good relationship with is brother. So much so that when Thomas refers to Remus as such, Roman creates a different analogy that compares Remus to a mirror, reflecting everything Roman doesn’t want to be. 

Roman desperately wants to distance himself from Remus, not wanting anything to do with him. We’ve only gotten a glimpse of just how far this loathing goes, and part of that comes from Roman finally breaking down after being told by Janus that if it wasn’t for a mustache there’d be no difference between him and Remus.

This shook Roman more than anything else in the show has so far, moreso than him being the one to decide that Thomas should give up the callback. He was the one that pushed Thomas to make that decision, believing it was the noble thing to do, only for it to only make Thomas feel worse and then be told by Janus that his “noble sacrifice” was all for nothing. 

Janus, the one who had been supporting Roman throughout SVS, buttering him up and encouraging him to go after his dream, told him that his sacrifice was worthless. Then to top it all off Janus admits what he did and brushes it off as a joke. He doesn’t apologize to Roman, leaving him in the dust, then when Roman responds by laughing at his name he’s shot down even lower. 

And when he looks to Thomas and Patton for help, for answers, anything.

They stay silent.

Patton tries to reassure him, telling Roman that they love him, but he doesn’t believe it. He sinks out, and that’s the last we see of him.

Selfishness vs Selflessness, Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts, and Putting Others First are three of the biggest (and dare I say most important) episodes in the series. The three almost act like a trilogy, with POF leading to something bigger, the season finale. Which will be culmination of all three of these episodes. 

We’ll be seeing Virgil’s reaction to Janus having been accepted by Patton and facing his own past as a “Dark Side.” Then we’ll find out what has become of Roman after he disappeared at the end of POF, and how it now affects his relationship with Thomas.

*whispers return and begin to whisper*

I’m sorry what?

*whispers repeat*

Virgil already knows about Janus getting somewhat accepted? Well okay I guess he would, wish we could have seen his reaction to that but oh well, no big deal. At least we got the Roman and Thomas confrontation to look forward to. 

*whispers whisper*

Roman has already interacted with Thomas since POF? When?!

*whisper* 

In FWSA? Oh yeah, how did that go again? It was super awkward right? Since Roman doesn’t really trust that Thomas loves or values him?

*whisperly whisper*

They get along just fine as if nothing happened? 

*whispersty*

It looks like he might still be upset with him since he’s being a bit passive aggressive? 

*whisper* 

Can’t really tell because the three are too busy trying to talk to a cute guy at the mall? 

Okay, I guess that all makes sense… 

Looks like Roman and Virgil still aren’t on the best terms with Thomas but are able to push that aside to help him talk to this handsome stranger, and hey, it worked! Thomas now has a boyfriend! Just look at Roman and Virgil at the end, they’re both so happy with Thomas! 

Looks like now they can focus on this new chapter in their life and leave the events of POF behind them. I mean, now that Roman and Virgil seem pretty cool with Thomas it would just feel weird to suddenly have them angry with him again, wouldn’t it?

Part Four: The Problem

Sanders Asides was originally described as being a series separate from the main storyline of Sanders Sides. Promising us shorter, less complicated episodes to give us a little something in between the longer, heavier episodes in Sanders Sides. This was a great idea that ended up falling apart the moment it began. 

When I was going through SVS, DWIT, and POF I mentioned that the three of them felt like a trilogy. All three of them link together to tell one bigger story, and on their own they get the job done. They set up the season finale perfectly to the point where you have an idea of what to expect and what to look forward to. 

The main things being the aftermath of Virgil’s reveal and Roman’s breakdown, which would most likely cultivate in them teaming up against Janus. This would also involve Virgil coming to terms with his past and Roman having to face Remus. 

Of course, none of this has been officially confirmed, but given everything we’ve seen up to this point it just makes sense. 

The story for season two is nearly complete, all we’re missing is the conclusion. 

Then Sanders Asides showed up and threw everything off course. What was supposed to be its own thing crept into a story that was already (for all we knew) set up and being put into place. 

We were told that the Asides wouldn’t do anything to disrupt the flow of Sanders Sides, yet it’s been confirmed that there will be one or two more episodes of Asides before we get the season finale. 

Why? Why are these episodes necessary when everything was set to move forward after POF? If these episodes are that important that they absolutely have to be made before the finale then why are they simply not part of the main series? 

You could say “Well they’re not directly tied to the main plot, that’s why.” But need I remind you that Asides as a concept was just intriduced after DWIT came out? These episodes were written specifcally for Asides, which unless I’m wrong means that they were just added into the main story with no planning whatsoever. 

FWSA honestly feels like it should have been the start of season three, something that should have waited to be introduced after season two wrapped up because it’s just too much. 

We already have so much to unpack from SVS, DWIT, and POF now we also have a new love interest on top of that? 

Virgil and Thomas’ resolution doesn’t even feel all that special because it wasn’t talked about directly between them. Thomas was indirectly letting Virgil know they were still okay, so what does that leave for us? All that build up about Virgil being a “Dark Side” only for it to be brushed over like it was nothing, and this happened in an Asides episode, not even in the main series. 

It also makes Virgil’s absence in POF confusing when they had already set up the perfect reason for him to be absent in DWIT, but according to the first episode of ATHD Virgil and Thomas are okay with each other. Sure, Virgil being there might have made things worse but at that point everyone was making things worse. 

We no longer have a confrontation between Thomas and Roman to look forward to because in FWSA we see them interacting as normal. Even the passive agressiveness isn’t anything new to Roman and really, it all just sounds super petty which he had been known to behave like that even when nothing is seriously wrong. Not only that Roman is overjoyed at the end, having finally gotten something he desperately wanted, the happy ending he deserved.

All that’s left for him is to fave his feelings towards Remus, but what would even happen there?

The problem with Asides isn’t the quality of the episodes, FWSA is actually one of my favorite episodes. The problem with Asides is that the team is taking what should have been something small and turning it into a far too elaborate for what its original purpose was: To give us more lighthearted content to enjoy in between the waits for the heavier episodes.

Instead it just feels like they’re adding onto something that really didn’t need adding on to, creating more work for themselves when it just isn’t necessary, and that worries me.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, it’s hard for me to make all these judgments when no one has any idea what the finale is going to be like. And usually, the team is able to excede my expectations and create something amazing. 

But with all these new Asides episodes that feel like they’re just being crammed in at the last second, it makes me wonder how the rest of the series will go if they continue down this road. 

Season two started September 1st, 2017, it is now January 3rd, 2021. Throughout season two the production of episodes became more elaborate, and there have been complications that arose from trying to make these videos as a result that sent production screeching to a halt. And on top of that, these Sanders Asides have been added to create even more work for Thomas and the team.

I don’t understand why they’d do this to themselves when it’s already become more difficult than ever to make videos in general, not just Sanders Sides. 

We were offered something simple that would have satisfied everyone during the difficult times, only to be given something that honestly, wasn’t even needed. I do appreciate Thomas trying to get us more content, but I don’t think he or the team realizes just how content we’d all be with just a five minute video of the characters we love just doing something as simple as hanging out and having fun, especially with how dark things have become all around us. 

We don’t always have to be watching these characters struggle, sometimes we just need to see them be genuinely happy.

(Thanks to everyone who took time to read this monster of a post, I did not mean for it to get this long but it’s been dwelling on my mind for a while and I wanted to make sure I got out everything I wanted to say. Again, this is all just a personal opinions and you are not obligated to agree with me. If you have an objecting opinion I would not mind hearing it but please keep any discussions civil.)

[animebw]

Short Reflection: Summer 2021 Anime

Let’s be honest, Summer 2021 was a break that anime fans desperately needed. Winter and Spring were so stuffed to the gills with fantastic shows, it was impossible to keep up with them all. Anime has been overwhelmingly good lately, to the point it’s almost too much of a good thing. The pressure to keep up with everything worth watching in the past couple seasons means it’s almost certain a few worthwhile shows slipped through the cracks because there just wasn’t enough time. So it’s a bit of a relief that Summer has turned out to be such a low-ebb season. Thank god I only have to worry about a few shows that are worth checking out! Thank god so much of this season has been disappointing and can easily be cast off to the dustbins of history! After how incredible Winter and Spring were, we needed a season that was just plain mediocre to decompress. So sit back, relax, and let me walk you through the few anime this season that are worth a look.

That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime Season 2 Part 2: 3.5/10

At this point, it’s time to admit that the slime show is dead on its feet. Whatever spark of life it once had back when it started is gone, and it’s never coming back. The characters are flat and boring, the politics are hackneyed and overwrought, and it keeps pretending to have stakes only to solve everything instantly with half-baked bullshit. It’s honestly baffling how averse this show is to the idea of dramatic tension, how regularly it undermines every last attempt to make you think that something, anything, might pose the smallest challenge to Rimuru’s OP isekai protagonist self-insert masturbation powers. At least when Legend of the Galactic Heroes spent six straight episodes on political discussions, you knew there were actually gonna be meaningful conseqeunces when the bullets finally started flying. And at least those politics were more complex than a fifth-graders idea of “cool fantasy worldbuilding” shoved down your throat in a single indigestible chunk. The only reason I rate the second part of this season higher than the first is because of Veldora, who is easily the show’s most entertaining character by a country mile. Every time he’s on screen is a moment worth celebrating in this otherwise brain-dead piece of lavishly produced pig slop.

The Case Study of Vanitas: 4.5/10

Is it just me, or is anime on a steampunk vampire kick lately? Last season gave us Mars Red and Joran, and now we’ve got this tale of Parisian bloodsuckers fighting cursed beings, based on a manga from the author of the similarly Victorian campfest Pandora Hearts. Unfortunately, while Bones’ lavish production values are a step far above Xebec’s dismal treatment of that latter show, The Case Study of Vanitas only exacerbates its predecessor’s flaws. It moves way too slowly, the world feels underbaked, and it can’t quite find the sweet spot between goofy camp and high melodrama it’s so clearly shooting for. And whatever charms can be found amidst its deliciously gothic set design and action scenes, they’re quickly swamped by one of the most distasteful protagonists I’ve seen in recent memory. Say what you want about Pandora Hearts, at least it doesn’t have a prominent subplot where the main character repeatedly assaults a woman to somehow make her fall in love with him. Jeanne deserves so much better than this crap.

My Next Life as a Villainess Season 2: 4.5/10

What happens to a story when it outlives its premise and keeps going anyway? Is it able to continue justifying its existence, or does it lose the spark that made it special in the first place? In the case of Villainess Season 2, sadly, the results are far from promising. Now that we’ve “cleared” the game and wrapped up Catarina trying to avoid her characters’ doom flags, the story has lost all sense of direction. It aimlessly wanders from one slice-of-life scenario to the next, repeating several beats from season 1 along the way and coming up with few new ideas of its own. And that might be acceptable if this were a show with a truly iconic cast who are just fun to watch hang out and shoot the shit. Unfortunately, without the plot’s tension backing them up, it quickly becomes clear that most of Catarina’s harem is just kind of... bland and boring. There’s nowhere near enough personality and chemistry between them to sustain a show without an overarching plot to drive them. And that causes some serious issues when this season finally tries to bring some romantic progression to the table, resulting in a series of confessions and kisses that are more creepy and uncomfortable than enjoyably saucy. I really don’t want to be this down on a genuine bisexual harem. but outside of a few lovely moments scattered throughout this season- episode 8, in particular, might be the show’s best episode of all- I don’t know if it’s got any gas left in the tank.

I’m Standing on a Million Lives Season 2: 5/10

Is there anything more frustrating than a show that’s almost good? I’m Standing on a Million Lives took me by surprise last year as one of the few modern isekai to genuinely excite me, with smart writing and clever twists on the expected formula. Its characters were strong, its worldbuilding was engaging, and the protagonist’s arc toward self-improvement felt like a rebuttal of all the many misanthropic power fantasies saturating the market. By all rights, this show should’ve been hailed as an exemplar of the genre, maybe not Re:Zero tier but pretty damn respected all the same. Unfortunately, there was one small problem, a problem this season exacerbates even further: the anime adaptation is ass. Not only is the animation itself barely competent at the best of times, the seams where the story’s been cut for time are so visible that even I, having not read the source material, can tell where things are being rushed. Barely an episode goes by without at least one stupid, badly executed moment that pulls you out of the experience, and this season’s arcs were particularly littered with dumb contrivances. If only this property had been given to a studio with the talent and resources to bring it to life, this could have been something truly special. But no, pandering garbage like Shield Hero and Mushoku Tensei get lavish budgets and huge marketing pushes while actually entertaining, challenging isekai are left to beg for crumbs. And people wonder why this genre is so fucking broken.

Magia Record Season 2: 5/10

At this point, I’ve made peace with Magia Record. It’s nowhere near as good as the original Madoka, and it was probably never going to be even if the adaptation wasn’t such an obvious hack job. What it does have in its favor, though, is some of the most jaw-dropping action sakuga in the entire franchise. Season 1 looked pretty decent in its own right, but with season 2′s reduced episode count and increasingly battle-heavy plot, there’s at least one animation cut in every episode that absolutely knocked my socks off. Some of them are even a match for Rebellion’s movie budget! Couple that with the plot finally kicking into overdrive, the plodding slog of a narrative giving way to propulsive forward momentum, welcome returns from every member of the OG cast, and some of the first genuinely affecting character beats this anime’s managed to hit- seriously, Tsuruno gets more character in the final episode of this season than she did in the entirety of season 1- and Magia Record managed to actually excite me this time around. It’s still hampered by the bloated worldbuilding and underwritten arcs from the first season, but it’s a step up in every conceivable way, and I’ll be damned if I’m not looking forward to seeing how this all ends. Maybe the final season will go a step further and manage to be overall good!

The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace: 6/10

The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace is what you get when you take your standard-issue dumb shonen battle manga and stick it in a seinen magazine. It’s a Dragonball Z-style meathead punch-em-up where immortal beings beat the snot out of monstrous demons with crazy superpowers, only with way more blood, the gruesomeness amped up to Takashi Miike levels, everybody having sex, and edgy rape and pedophilia jokes. In other words, it’s trash. But it’s surprisingly entertaining trash, provided you can overlook how terribly it treats its female characters (because good lord, this show loves treating assault as tittilation). There’s some genuinely cool worldbuilding behind the seemingly simple gods vs demons concept, the plot progresses in unexpected ways that keep you unsure what’s gonna happen next, and Mappa’s fantastic production brings it all to life with an almost Jojo-esque flair. Plus, something about taking your standard anime violent slapstick and amping it up to R-rated levels of carnage really does make for a fantastic running joke. I certainly can’t recommend this show to everyone- seriously, if you are at all squeamish about rape or pedophilia being depicted badly in media, stay the fuck away- but there’s enough treasure buried in this trash that I’m glad I watched it.

Re-Main: 6.5/10

At first glance, Re-Main looks like your standard-issue pretty boys sports anime, water polo addition. Start watching it, though, and you very quickly realize that... wel, yes, it’s a standard-issue pretty boys sports anime, but it’s also filtered through a Jun Maeda-esque lens of surprisingly grounded melodrama. The main character, Minato, has suffered a head injury that’s made him forgot the past three years; he doesn’t remember playing water polo or any of the friends and teammates he played with. And the show takes the time to portray the reality of that amnesia, showing him slowly re-learn what his life has become and consider what path he wants to follow now. Even as it turns its attention to hitting all the typical sports anime beats- building a new team, teaching the amateurs the ropes, giving every central character a motivation and struggle related to playing water polo- it keeps finding new and interesting story beats to hit with Minato’s amnesia. There’s a massive turning point about halfway through the show that’s so audacious it really shouldn’t work, but god damn if Re-Main didn’t actually pull it off. On top of that, the writing is crisp, the characters are fun, and it know exactly how to hit all the tropes you expect from the genre. Sure, there’s shamefully little actual water polo in this water polo anime, but as a fun-sized snack to pass the time with a few genuine surprises up its sleeve, it was well worth a watch.

To Your Eternity: 6.5/10

It’s nothing short of agonizing what happened with To Your Eternity. Its first episode was about as perfect as premieres get, flawlessly setting the stage for an emotionally devastating tale of an immortal being’s journey to self-actualization through loss and love. But from that stellar starting point, it just gradually got worse with every arc. The story grew more bloated, the characters grew less interesting, and the slow march of its tearjerking moments started to feel more pointless than moving. And it all comes crashing down in the final arc, seven straight episodes of terrible writing and even worse production values that drive To Your Eternity into a fucking ditch. It is baffling how bad this series gets in its back half, to the point that incredible first episode barely feels like the same show anymore. Thankfully, its final episode is also incredible; in fact, it may well be the show’s strongest, most emotionally powerful episode yet. So at the very least, I remain hopeful that season 2 can continue that upward trajectory and restore what made To Your Eternity so special to begin with. If it can’t, though, then this show’s fall from grace will be a far greater tragedy than anything within its fiction.

Kageki Shoujo: 6.5/10

The biggest problem with Kageki Shoujo is that it’s a show split in two. The manga it’s based on originally started publication in a seinen magazine, but finished that run and switched over to a shoujo magazine after less than twenty chapters. And you can feel that shift even if you haven’t read the manga, because this show’s first five episodes are radically different from the tone and focus it eventually ends up taking. Yes, they’re still about a Takarazuka-inspired theater school and the young girls attending it with dreams of becoming the top star, but they also dive headfirst into a whole mess of thorny social issues like stalking, pedophilia, eating disorders, and predatory idol culture. It’s a powerful fucking start, marrying hilarious character antics with gut-wrenching Serious Topics(tm) in a way that would make Mari Okada proud. And then it reaches the end of its initial seinen run, and it almost instantly abandons those more weighty topics in favor of becoming a more straightforward theater school show. Still a good theater school show, but nowhere near as electrifying as that opening stretch. I still highly recommend Kageki Shoujo; it’s got some damn fantastic direction, and the odd-couple chemistry between its two leads is endlessly delightful. Just don’t expect it to maintain the power of those first few episodes as it goes on.

Fena Pirate Princess (Incomplete): 7/10?

If you asked me when Fena first started airing, I would’ve called it a shoe-in for one of the season’s best anime. A grand sense of adventure on the high seas, a lush production that hasn’t wavered a bit across its run, some of the best damn animated slapstick I’ve ever seen, and a story about freaking pirate ninjas? How could this not be one of the most ridiculously fun anime of the year? Now, though... I’m not so sure. It hasn’t lost any of its endearingly corny charms, but the longer it goes on, the more I’m frustrated with how it treats its titular protagonist. Fena is introduced as a spunky go-getter who’s constantly fighting impossible odds to pursue her dreams, even when she gets in over her head. She’s an instantly lovable heroine, the kind of ditzy-yet-undaunted wunderkind who brightens every scene just by existing in it. So it’s frustrating to see the story continuously strip her of more and more agency, turning her from a self-motivated character to a destined Chosen One who gets dragged around by the plot more than she actively engages in it. All she’s gotten to do lately is be told exposition about how special she is, get captured, get pushed around by other characters, and scream for her male love interest to save her. She’s barely an active agent in her own story anymore! I hope the show’s final stretch finally gives her cool shit to do again, because there’s so much to love about Fena Pirate Princess, and I’d hate for such a black mark to mar its charms.

Sonny Boy: 7.5/10

So, I don’t get Sonny Boy. I’m not sure it’s possible to get Sonny Boy. And yet, I’m pretty sure I love it regardless? Sitting at the stylistic intersection of Yuasa, Ikuhara, and Serial Experiments Lain, this show is a surreal, at times nigh-incomprehensible dreamscape journey, following a group of middle school students who one day get whisked away from their world and set adrift through a series of parallel universes, each with their own increasingly byzantine rules. It’s hard to pin down exactly what it’s saying, but it’s definitely saying something, and the philosophical puzzle it presents for the audience to unravel makes for one of the most engaging anime-watching experiences I’ve had in a long time. I have never seen another show this dedicated to capturing the feeling of being lost in a transient dream. I have never seen writing so good at capturing intensely specific feelings while simultaneously being completely open to interpretation. I have never seen animation put to such experimental, abstract use in storytelling, submerging and synthesizing so many different thematic concepts through visuals alone. Shingo Natsume has created a true art-house masterpiece here, and I can’t wait to see what new projects he’ll cook up next. Until then, though, you deserve to check out Sonny Boy for yourself. I can’t promise you’ll understand it, but I expect you’ll end up thinking about it for many years to come.

The Aquatope on White Sand (1st Cour): 8.5/10

I shouldn’t be surprised by how good Aquatope ended up being. It’s made by the same creative team behind 2018′s criminally underrated Iroduku, the show that set a new gold standard for portrayals of magical realism in anime. And yet, this tale of two girls working at an Okinawa aquarium on the verge of closing is even better than I expected. It’s a tender, gut-wrenching tale of facing down the end of a lifelong dream, how to move on when life diverts from the path you thought you were walking and you suddenly have to build yourself up from scratch again. As someone who’s currently struggling with paralysis in getting my own future goals up and moving, the fight to keep Gama Gama Aquarium alive struck me on a level I was in no way prepared for, and it all builds to a climax that left me sobbing on the floor. Add to that a cast full of endearing characters and a typically lush, lived-in production from PA Works, and you have the recipe for a true slice-of-life masterpiece. The first cours alone could’ve been the entire show and it would still be a triumph; the fact that the story gets to continue after what seemed like a natural stopping point only makes me all the more excited. How will this story’s second half expand on the first half’s fantastic foundation? When will the hinted-at magical realism elements finally step into the spotlight? Is it ever gonna grow the balls to let Fuuka and Kukuru actually be gay for each other? Eh, probably not that last one, but Aquatope is fantastic enough that even without explicit yuri, it’s still far and away the best anime of summer 2021. If it’s slipped under your radar, check it out now; I promise, you won’t regret it.

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

BFCD Reviews by Nesha: Final Space, Season 3

Everybody that know me know that I’m high class #Quillective trash and my main thoughts and feelings go out to Quinn Ergon and Gary Goodspeed - precious Gemini gems, and of course the BABIES: Little Cato, Ash and Fox #NeshaLuhDaKids I had some attachment to Avocato once upon a time, but that n***a got on my LAST nerves this season, so we currently at “Do you, Boo” status by the end of S3, and eventually, yes, I’ma get to why that is. 

Disclaimer for somebody who stumbled across this post because of the fandom tags - I am an independent partaker of this content, not “part of the fandom,” and my audience in particular is NOT for everybody. SO: If you may have been criticized in the past for casual racism, tone deafness to Black women’s concerns or accused of misogynoir or antiblackness, leave now. 

If you don’t like cussing, AAVE, general ratchetness and mean lesbian energy, you too might wanna go. A bitch can be eloquent, but I type like I talk, at times, so it is what it is and I don’t curate for kids, dudes, or nonblacks. That’s just what that is.

I wanna start with Ash Graven. This season is about Ash more than anybody else, despite the fact that there was a lot of emphasis on Avocato’s toxic ass man pain and growth in Quinn and Gary’s relationship, ULTIMATELY, nobody in the crew did more coming into fruition as Ash did, and I have a lot to say about her, because I have a lot of feelings.

♡ Ash Graven

1. Ash is a kid. Lol. Everybody got very confused because of the unnecessary transformation that Invictus gave her. Ash did not “grow up,” her body was altered. That’s a fuckin kid in a woman’s body. A kid who has previously been living with survivor’s guilt, parental abuse/neglect/exploitation, chronic trauma, and a disastrous superpower that most people could not be trusted to carry. She’s a child having a coming of age moment in this season that is mostly molded in manipulation. If you hate on Ash, go fuck yourself. ESPECIALLY if I’ve caught you stanning other characters who have been shit characters, in this fandom or not. Ash was dealt a shit hand and nobody had her back but her brothers, and she’s done what she could and thought was best to care for them. Anybody that missed that - just don’t have kids, K.

2. Ash has no parental guidance. As far as she knows, the only adults who have ever had her back are dead and the ones that she’s stuck with now, she GAVE a chance to try to trust them. She gave Quinn a chance to try to see some of Nightfall (the only adult that we’ve seen not exploit her) in her. She gave Gary a chance by choosing him over Clarence, when she had to make a choice. She even gave Clarence’s ass another chance - with which he responded by dying to not fail her. Now, she has Gary, who just a few days or weeks ago, idek, forced her to try to summon her powers while she was both injured and also upset over having to leave her brother behind - TO SAVE HIS GIRLFRIEND! And she got snatched away in the process and left behind with the enemy, to be mentally assaulted and returned changed, only to have them not trust her.

I love Quinn too. I love her dearly. But the facts were that she was dying and having an episode that nobody could really help with, and Gary didn’t take the time or consideration to think about the stress that he was putting on Ash by putting her in the position to make her feel like she needed to save Quinn for him. Whether or not she was the only one who could, that is a lot to put on a child, and not only did he do it, but he didn’t even seem to think that hard about it whenever he then left her ass. Sure, he was glad when she was returned, but that was a fucked up situation that yet another adult put her into, and the first thing that he should have wanted to do when seeing her was to apologize and try to make it right. It was a huge miscalculation to treat her as a potential enemy that he and Avocato needed to vet. EVEN IF that’s what she was to them, both of them should have had the sense to assess while still treating her as the kid that they supposedly knew.

3. Most of her trauma has been recent and continuous. She looked up to Nightfall, watched her die, and had a meltdown. The events from Season 2 (with Clarence almost killing Fox and leaving him to die, her leaving his side to help out, seeing that Sheryl was treacherous to her own son, losing Nightfall), and the events that are taking place in Season 3 are only in the span of a few months.

They were only stranded for a month whenever we see them surviving together. That girl has had more happen to her to hurt her than to help her and nobody around her BUT Little Cato has been sensitive to that. And they are all fucking adults.

These things being noted - changing Ash’s design was the absolute worse fucking thing. Aging a girl up to make the bad things that follow more palatable is what that seems to be. Ash is still a kid. And THEN, they allegedly made her a queer kid. I say allegedly, because that “reveal” was so poorly done and subtle and weak that I, an almost 40 year old queer, didn’t realize that that’s what they meant whenever they said that they were gonna reveal somebody as a character who is part of the LGBT community.

So... FS production just gon’ decide not only to transform her body into that of a woman, when her mind is still full on traumatized child and hormonal teenager, but also, she likes girls, and they didn’t even do it in a cohesive way that added to the story. They threw it in, like, “BTW, she likes girls, and also, she’s full grown now.” then immediately went for the “Villain” lever, and bitches just ate that shit up. Fuck y’all, forreal. 

& Fox

He didn’t deserve that shit. And, I know a lot of people felt that he was pointless and boring, but his ass was sweet and caring and searching for love and acceptance. As a background character, I liked him. But, he was literally just fodder for Ash’s downfall, which was unfair and problematic, considering that his ass is definitely Black coded. Don’t play. He was voiced by a Black man, spoke with a blaccent, and definitely would be read as Black if you wasn’t looking at him and seeing an alien. They gave him a sacrificial negro trope, the big friendly negro that can kill you but loves everybody trope, and they used his death to just push some narrative forward to set up the one verified queer character as a villain. They got they ass in a vehicle and rolled right over another Black character, and another queer character. Chile...

 ♡ Little Cato!!!

My precious have not been getting some good for too long, and I have had it. He’s not focused on so much this season as he is in the background of other people’s stories, but a very important takeaway is and will always be that Little Cato, aside from Fox, really was the only one here who consistently treated her like she mattered, so it made a lot of sense that he could be the catalyst for her finally having ENOUGH with these people.

I really wish that he could have found out the truth about his past from Avocato, because that’s really who OWED him that truth, but Ash did the thing that I’d expect and told him, to be honest with him. She even told him that Avocato wanted to tell him and that she took that right away from him, because she didn’t believe he deserved it, and I’m respecting her for that, too. I wish she could see how much it hurt Little Cato for her to try to take him away from his home. 

Little Cato has lived before, for a while, and he’s not mature enough to behave as a man, but he at least has a loving foundation to draw from, and having had that support, this is more of his home than it is Ash’s. He doesn’t know how to explain that to her, and she doesn’t know how to understand that for him. Just a tragic situation for two kids with a lot of problems.

♡ Quinn Ergon & Gary Goodspeed

Quinnary notes that might not be featured in the BFCD Reviews by Nesha:  (Quinn Ergon/Nightfall x Gary Goodspeed) rundown - 

I've had two favorite parts of this season so far and they're very mediocre things that you wouldn't think would be like my favorite part but they are. One of them was that the first thing Gary does when she wakes up is to ask her about her sister (someone obviously very important to her who he's previously promised to allow to let live through Quinn's memory and says he wants to hear about her when he's trying to keep Quinn from dying). Because... He really did care and wasn't just saying something to keep her.

Quinn's mother fucked her up in a way that is so frustrating because Black mamas really will traumatize you about their younger kids. That shit hurt. You showed your daughter dead bodies to make her think about that in the event that your other daughter might be in battle? Bitch wtf

Whenever we say that Black girls are programmed to put everybody ahead of us, that's unfortunately not just including Society, it's in households too. And Quinn comes from this place where that is her reality... Then she meets Gary and he doesn't even register for her as anything special. He doesn't appear impressive or incredible in any way... But he (admittedly) weirdly locks on to her and shares himself - thinking that he's showing himself to her, and ultimately he DOES. And he wants to see her too, beyond all this, who she is, at her most humane. He wants to know about her sister. About someone who mattered to her enough to have the helm of her trauma when she was out of touch with reality. Very soft. Very sweet.

The other was when they were talking about how they met and stuff and Gary absolutely cringed thinking about how corny he was when he approached this woman. A lot of dudes never do that. The complaint of earlier seasons that Gary was overbearing, obsessive and creepy , if you missed the fact that he has terrible abandonment issues from his father’s death and his mother’s rejection, here we have him, in his adult state, looking back at the way he was and being embarrassed about it, and that’s growth!

A close third is whenever at the beginning of the Season he says "Quinn it's been a month eventually you have to open up to me about what you've been through" and she says "I will in time" and he respects it but he reiterates that he's there whenever she needs him. I don't think that people realize how revolutionary that kind of statement is especially for a character like Quinn to hear - who has always felt like she had to take charge, had to take the lead, had to make the sacrifice.

Even when she realized that she was dying, she didn't want to burden him with the information. Not even like ‘a thing that she knew if that could help prevent it and she didn't want him to have to go after it,’ but... she didn't even want him to have to deal with knowing about it!

Maybe she thought that she would just drop, maybe she didn't realize that he was going to have to see her in that condition. And then once she realized that he was going to have to see her in that condition one of the first things she says is "I should have told you." Girl is on her deathbed wishing she had done it differently, for Gary's benefit.

I saw somebody on Twitter tried to come for her about not going to Gary after he killed Fox (you know, shortly after her surgery to save her from the very brink of death, and listen... Quinn comes to see about Gary when she can. She’s done it several times. In fact, I’ma make a whole POST about Quinn and Gary moments SPECIFICALLY to point out to haters in the main tag - where they got Quinn Ergon, and by extension, me, FUCKED UP.

Stop Playing in Quinn Face

HI! HELLO. ACTUALLY MY FAVORITE PART OF THIS SEASON IS THAT QUINN AND GARY JUST FUCKED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANKS. OK. Back 2 bidness

See.. after Gary and Quinn got over the humps of Quinn’s Final Space poisoning... everyone got it... nobody told her until Avocato was mad and told her during a lash out, and let me say something about Avocato’s fucking audacity this season... 

♡ Avocato (Note: His name is A-V-O-C-A-T-O. Some of y’all be tryna stan and y’all can’t even spell his name.)

I done seent Avacata, Avocata... That’s not that dude name. Be writing whole ass expositions about some other Ventrexian n*gga. Hope this helps:

AVOCATO. Listen, boy. YOU decided to be a traitor to your people and your king and queen. YOU decided to dedicate your cause to the Lord Commander and lied to your son his entire life about killing his parents, raising him, and never talking to him about it.

Yet and STILL - whenever you had the chance to finally tell him, you ain’t do the shit. Lord Commander gave you the perfect ass opportunity - WHEN IT CAME UP, and even then, with that boy looking you dead in the face and being glad that now he knows everything... you ain’t Ventrexian man up.

Then, whenever you were supposed to be checking on Gary after his traumatic murder fight with Fox and Invictus, you turned it around and literally made it about you. attacking him in the process and only after a physical fight did you apologize. (And y’all still didn’t get back to what had happened to Gary, which was no real fault of his own). 

Fast forward to after you willingly agreed to stay behind and fight and y’all lost. Now, it was Quinn’s turn to be the center of your blame and you lashed out at her because everybody is dying, despite the fact that y’all agreed to stay behind and fight, nobody even told her that y’all were sick, AND you still wasn’t 100 with Little Cato. 

You just had a lot of mothafuckin audacity this season, Avocato, and I personally was not here for the shit. Even when Ash blasted yo ass, your main thought was to threaten to kill her if she took Little Cato, instead of assuring her that despite what you’ve done, Little Cato was safe with you. No, she wouldn’t have listened to you. But, the words you chose tell us about who you are and how you are. You a war mongering killer that don’t ever take responsibility for his shit, and even in those brief moments that you do, its always somebody else’s problem. 

I’da thunk that LC getting snatched away would be humbling for you, but I guess you were chosen by the writers for minimal growth. Bye, Avocato. Witcha bitch ass. We is not cool right now, but you do you. Hope you find some growth up there in ya ass, where ya head been. 😁 Can’t believe I mourned yo ass. You coulda stayed dead as hell.

FINALE NOTES:

OK BITCH OK THIS FINALE WAS HYPE!

Let me pull it up so that I can liveblog it for the shit that I need to conclude this journey. 

We start out after Ash done took Little Cato and burnt off. Gary and AVOCATO done said they finna go get they son. Chile, I cannot handle Biskit voice. I like that lil’ dude but ya voice, Mane. I can’t with it. 

OK OK OK... Whenever Quinn comes up to Gary to talk to him and say potential goodbyes, she look like she wanna say some and that makes me think about whenever she looked like she wanted to say something in season 1 and didn’t. Quinn as grown a lot in her feelings for Gary, but she still has that hard time with talking about her feelings, but I love that you can see them in her face.

Chile... these folk was kinda taking they time gettin started, huh? Knuckas, do y’all remember that everybody finna die of FS poisoning? Lol. Also... why didn’t they start hallucinating and shit? I guess its not until it covers ya face? 

NIGHTFALL. 😥 I love you, Sis. I miss you. But, “Because I’m you and WE think of everything...” YES. I HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT! EVERYBODY EXPECTS QUINN TO THINK OF EVERYTHING AND WHENEVER THEY DON’T THINK OF THE THINGS, SHE GETS BLAMED FOR MAKING THE TOUGH DECISIONS THAT NOBODY ELSE COULD EVEN MAKE. Underappreciated, really. And people still mark Nightfall as a villain, despite the fact that she not only sacrificed herself, but also came specifically to help another Gary. Sidenote - Nightfall didn’t actually pursuit Quinn’s Gary until Quinn was trapped in Final Space and she thought she got a signal from him. So, I’m still salty AF that she been labelled as a villain just because people don’t like her, when her actions have all been to try to help. Here is no difference. She thought of the things that she didn’t think a younger version of her would think of, and left it for Quinn to find. Nightfall be on RNS, and most of y’all didn’t deserve her.

Quinn’s identity crisis is so sad, but I liked that Nightfall EVEN thought about that. And Sheryl... you kinda starting to grow on me. I hate to give shitty mothers who find compassion in old chance a try, but she do seem to really be giving it a go. 

Ash is so fucked up that she rushes right into the devil’s arms. This reminds me of when trafficking victims go back to their abusers because they don’t have the resources to adjust in the system. 😪 She REALLY believes what she’s saying. She really feels like Little Cato is safer with Invictus with the Team Squad. That’s sad as fuck, bruh. 

THE. ACTING. AND. ARTWORK. IN. THIS. CONFRONTATION. SCENE.

Avocato... I’m proud of you for FINALLY taking responsibility ad opening up about it. Little Cato’s reaction is precisely how kids in the system are, as well. They wanna be at home with their parents, no matter who their parents are or what they’ve done. and Avocato meant what he said and did what I referred to earlier as “Ventraxian man up.”

“I’m sorry we failed you,” from Gary was so important. Because, they technically did fail her. Had Ash seen the same amount of love from Gary as she’s seen him give to others, she might have been more receptive to the truth and less susceptible to lies. But, as she had just said earlier, it was too late for kind words. She’s currently beyond accepting them from him. For a brief moment, it breaks through, but without that ability to know love from an adult properly, she can’t accept that apology right now.

H.U.E. with his big robot, Lord Commander...EYE. There’s so much happening right now bitch processing has left the room girl. Biskit did so damn much this episode. And it was good to see everybody on the team have a moment to help things, instead of like one person having to handle the bulk of things. 

Quinn’s begging voice... its such a contrast from whenever she sent out the SOS in season 1 and was afraid and angry. Like... the desperation here shows her softness. 

Ash’s RAGE Bitch...

Gary’s “I love you...” She looked so happy! And then she just sat with it. I feel like she definitely loves him too, but she doesn’t communicate that way. But, her FACE. She was just... did she think that he didn’t before, or was she just speechless because she didn’t expect to hear it? Because, we gotta be real... Sis probably has not ever heard those words from anybody before. And that first time, when it’s really there is a DOOZIE. She had an abusive mother, a seemingly jealous or competitive sister, and we saw how nobody in the Infinity Guard respected her ass when she was serving them the real. I think this is the first time she’s been in love or felt it and when Gary said it, she had to collect herself. The way she ran to him and jumped into his arms??? SHIPPING CRACK. And Mooncake was a part of their hug too. I have a lot of feelings about this dynamic since Quinn and Mooncake are the only characters that we’ve seen Gary have these “love at first sight” reactions to and Mooncake is the first character that I recall Quinn being nice to in S1. 

So.. my heart was very full when they ripped it from my chest moments later. Mooncake has been watching Team Squad members be self sacrificing for a little while now, and he loves his family and Gary so much that he rushes straight towards danger. (Sure, I don’t think that he estimated how powerful Ash could be at this moment), but he had to at least consider that he might be caught or left behind.

Bitch, Ash is GONE. She said, “Fuck all y’all!” Not knowing whether or not Mooncake is destroyed makes it very hard for me to know how much I can stand this, but I also want to hope that he is gonna survive. Quinn having to make the decision to lightfold is hella sad, but even though Gary is destroyed, he has to know that this is exactly how Ash must’ve felt whenever he had to make the call to leave Fox behind. She hated to do that to Gary. She even seemed more regretful about it than Gary did whenever he had to leave Fox and when he left Ash. Sure, its because she loves him more than he loved Fox and Ash, but its a terrible position to be in to have to hurt somebody you love like that. On the other hand, they gave her hella shit for them not escaping when could have the first time, so naturally, she was going to make this decision. 

It very much sucks that Invictus is free and my brain can’t eeem FATHOM what that means for everything and everybody, but the Final Space poisoning left the Team Squad’s system, so maybe there is a rejuvenation of some sort in Invictus’ power? Or does Final Space poisoning leave your system as soon as you leave Final Space? I don’t think that was clarified. 

Anyways, I still don’t hate Ash. Y’all can say whatever about it, but I see sad white boys get forgiven all day every day on this site, and I’m upset, but I’m not letting my baby go. I’m not cheering her on, but unless she dies, I’m gonna hope for the best for her, like I said here. 

DAMN this season was some shit. Ionknow if I’m emotionally capable of watching another season of Final Space in progress. If they make it back for another season, I will most likely just wait until the end to dive in and let them shock my senses all at once instead of on a weekly goddamn basis, because GODDAMN GODDAMN GODDDAMN!

@andromidagalaxie @daintyurbanprincess @shslargue @space-finally​  The Quinnary Moments Masterlist probably won’t be ready by Quinn’s birthday, since her birthday is the day before Juneteenth, but I’ve started on a little fic that I might have the first installment of posted by then. We shall see. 

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Here is my JOURNEY during my first watch of the first two seasons of the show. (I watched Season 3 in progress and waited until it was over to write up this review) and my probably incoherent tag of whenever I do me a lil’ liveblogging: Nesha Watches Final Space, and here is my review on Quinnary: BFCD Reviews by Nesha: (Quinn Ergon/Nightfall x Gary Goodspeed) FINAL SPACE

[shipspassing-archive]

Ships Passing Fanfic Recommendations: Minator

Over the course of its run, The Resident has produced some of the best couples in recent memory. And no, we’re not talking about just CoNic, no matter how much we love them.

Mina Okafor and AJ Austin are another major pairing of the show. Their work dynamic, mutual supportiveness and slowburn made them quite compelling. They were the will-they-won’t-they ‘ship of medical dramas! Although their courtship was brief in Season 4, there’s no doubt that they are still a good match for one another. After all, Mina is considered, and these are in AJ’s words, the love of his life.

And there are a lot of fans who love them, too. So we are going to go over the best Minator fics we could find, ranging from new material since 2021 or the classics. Let’s dive in!

1. the road leads back to you by Issay [T]

Summary: "It's so unfair," Nic complains drunkenly one night when she, Irving and Pravesh are drowning their respective heartbreaks in cheap beer. "He looks at her like she put the freaking sun in the sky but won't do anything about it! Because it would be unprofessional! Bullshit!"

2. with great power comes great responsibility by strze_lec [M]

Summary: Following events of the latest episode (4x04), Mina and August get a chance to talk... and more.

3. Bachelor Party by Mel2theGonz [M]

Summary: It was almost the eve of Conrad’s wedding and I was on my way to the Bachelor Party. We were headed to some club named “The Pies” by the heart of Atlanta. Thanks to COVID not many places were opened-many went out of business so there were only a handful of places where this bachelor party could be held.

4. i’m coming home by strze_lec [T]

Summary: She reads the note twice before she drops it back on the counter, even more disoriented than before. Her instincts want to keep being wary, she’s not used to letting her guard down even though the letter is anything but shady. On the contrary, it’s attentive and indicating the effort he puts into their new relationship.Then why is she feeling like it’s messing up with her even more than her own thoughts did before?

5. the Never Have I Ever series by Mel2theGonz [M]

Summary: A collection of Minator fics revolving around unrequited love and sexual tension, featuring the original character Mobo Usman.

6. The Life we Lead by Mel2theGonz [M]

Summary: There was only one more word that she could say that would trump AJ’s. One that would verbally express to him what lay in the utter depths of her soul. She had given him her all, her heart, body, blood, and even bits of her being to be carved as a testament to their love. No...she indeed loved him more than she could ever have imagined. And with this one word she knew that he would understand.

7. tease me, you are the one by strze_lec [M]

Summary: Mina doesn’t break their locked gazes. “Not right now though.” “As you wish,” he flashes her a sinful smile. She wets her lips. Purposefully.

8. a little unsteady by natromanoffs [T]

Summary: Set during 4x05. Mina and AJ share another quiet moment in a washed out room.

9. blessed are those who are seen and are silent by strze_lec [T]

Summary: He found her in an empty supply closet. This was not the place he would normally look for Mina, but today… Today nothing was normal, as the events of the past twelve hours had shown. Shutdown of a whole hospital, three innocent people dead, another six traumatized and would require further counselor help. One man, mad, armed and wearing explosive materials.

[ravenpie52]

Coming out of left field, but-

Currently hyperfixating on an old fave of mine, Loonatics Unleashed. SO. How would I, a writer who has not watched the full show in a while, rewrite it? [Also, where the heck can I grab me some files of this show, people have been making rather clean amvs recently so there must be a trove somewhere]

Keep the smarminess of all the characters. They’re amazing. What I would like to change about them is to deepen their characters more. (Also make them a little less angry and annoyed at each other all the time? Let these guys be casual friends more please? They take potshots at one another so much, let the team chemistry shine a bit more please.)

Slam, give Slam a little more character than he had. Make him have like, hobbies and stuff? Other characteristics besides wrestling and eating. Make this man really into photography or something on the side, come on. Make him play different parts of plans, don’t just use him like a wrecking ball. How amazing would it be if Slam was actually pretty great at espionage?

Tech and Rev are pretty perfect, honestly. I wouldn’t change them really. Maybe touch more on how they have a sort of rivalry going on at times, but they depend on each other. These two need to have some more visible bonding time as the only nerds of the team. I’d try to make the science/technology make a little more sense and relevant.

Actually, yes. One change I would make would be about establishing a difference for infodumping Rev during battle and infodumping Rev off duty. I’d like all of the teammates to be more encouraging of him sharing things and prattling on while they are hanging around the tower, but needing him to reign it in during serious situations. Also, giving Rev something more like a tap on the shoulder as a reminder, rather than forcefully closing his mouth. This would be addressed. 

Ace? Honestly I don’t remember much about Ace as a character beyond Leader, Wisecrack, Sword. He needs better character flaws. Maybe he actually has trouble with the people side of leadership, solving disputes within the group and that sort of thing, but his skill with thinking on his feet and battle abilities make him a good leader in those moments. I’ve also seen posts about emotional control, which is good.

Lexi isn’t toooo bad. They put in a little bit of work to make her not just “the team girl,” but I’d try to add more to it. What was she studying in university? What if it was medicine? The team really needs SOMEONE who knows some first-aid. Delve more into her music passion too. She could write music and be shown knowing how to play a couple instruments before instruments become plot points. Also, personal preference but I wish she was Blue instead of Pink in her suit. I think blue would tie really well with her blonde hair and green ribbon and also...help her situation slightly as being more than “the pink ranger.” Plus there’s not enough cool color representation. Her friendship with Duck is also made cooler because they are contrasting colors. :)

Duck. I love Duck. I’d put his power-up discovery of Aqua Dense a little earlier and have it come up more. Emphasize his feelings about the struggle he has had with his powers. It must have been really frustrating for him. Also, I really wish the whole orphan thing was made more prevalent. It makes sense that his reaching for fame and greatness could have been a way to “cope” with his past. I’d make his adoption happen a bit later into his life as a way to make it feel more realistic of an option.

I barely remember anything about Zedavia and her brother. I wish her and Duck’s relationship was less rough from the beginning. I think I’d just try to make her more...like a person in the plot. I’d like everything involving her and the big bad be a big main mystery of the show that gets built upon as the episodes progress, rather than the last little bit of the season. (Making the viewers distrust her slightly for a while would be an EXCELLENT way to spice up her character. What is she up to all day? What isn’t she telling the team? Bring up these questions in a non-joking way to the viewers, make them wonder.)

I think a balance between humor and serious action is great, but I’d definitely tone down the slapstick and really emphasize character chemistry and their interactions.

I actually REALLY like the original villains of season 1 and found the character choices for villains in season 2 slightly distracting? Idk, I’d look for a balance somewhere. I think putting in more anthro animal characters as regular citizens and one-offs would help a little. The animal to human ratio feels off for what is essentially a mixed world

Setting? Cool. I like it a lot. I’d try to put a tiny bit of an anthropological/sociological worldbuilding magnifying glass on it, though.

Based on that Ace lava tears headcanon. I’d LOVE if we got to see more physical repercussions of the teams’ development of their powers. I’d like exploration of that. Does the team eat so much high caloric foods because powers use up a lot of energy? I’ve also had an idea that Lexi’s ribbon around her ears actually does double duty as a slight muffler for her ears so that her superhearing is not detrimental to daily life, but still usable in the field. Can Tech age? Very interesting potential for exploration.

Those are the rambling thoughts I’d been having in my head for like, a day. I have no energy to write a fanfic for my ideas or anything, but I hope this might, give inspiration? idk.

[heloflor]

Rogue arc : A few random thoughts regarding the characters and their actions (+ other stuff)

Part 1 (an analysis of “Abducting Murphy’s Law”; you don’t need to read it to understand this post)

So, as I said in the first half, I’m going here to talk about some more stuff regarding and around the rogue arc like the apology and Dakota having issues. This post is way less organized than the previous one and is much more of a personal opinion/rant rather than an analysis. So be aware that this post is a subjective point of view that has some negative criticism at some parts. Basically, this is just me infodumping for the sake of infodumping. Though, I tried to organize it a bit with titles because I still want to do something that people want to and can read.

Like last time, here’s the tl;dr :

- While Cavendish is at fault for the argument in “Abducting Murphy’s Law”, the whole situation showed that Dakota has dependance issues due to trauma and needs to learn to back off, for his own sanity as much as for his relationship with Cav.

- The kids didn’t question why Cav was alone in a ship and waited days before nonchalantly telling Dakota about it and it pisses me off to no end.

- Compared to Doof and Perry, the reconciliation had no build up and wasn’t satisfying in the slightest.

- Neither Dakota nor Cavendish seem to have learned a thing during the arc. Also, there was a missed opportunity to see Dakota consider Doof differently because of his future status as Professor Time. Also, imagine Doof calling out Dakota on being too clingy.

(long post ahead)

1. Dakota needs to work on himself

So to start up, regarding the whole “who has to apologize to who” debate : personally, I believe that, when it comes to the events of the episode “Abducting Murphy’s Law”, Cavendish is the one to blame. He’s the one who got obsessed with finding the ship and who refused to listen to Dakota, even when Dakota wanted them to just sit down and talk things out. He’s also the one who decided to go rogue and ghost Dakota, letting the guy probably terrified for Cavendish’s safety. So in that regard, Cavendish is the one who needs to apologize.

BUT !!! On a much larger scale, the entire arc showed us that Dakota clearly has some issues. To be honest, when I started to get more into the show and started re-watching some episodes, I literally went to google “co-dependance” to see if Dakota fitted the characteristics. And while he doesn’t, there still clearly is some dependance here. And, if we end up having a new season, I genuinely wish that they could point out Dakota’s issues, though I guess the executives might consider it to be too “mature” to happen on the show. But yeah, Dakota has issues, and that’s the first point I’d like to talk about.

Given what we know in “The Island of Lost Dakotas” and that mention about a “Mississippi purchase”, whatever that is, it’s safe to assume that Dakota had been traumatized. Purchase aside, he had to witness his partner die over and over again, probably around a thousand times. And between the fall into lava with the skeleton visible, the “milk to death” (I have no idea what it means and I don’t think I want to) and whatever led to Cannibal Dakota’s existence, some of those deaths definitely seem very gruesome.

Dakota saw some shit, and there’s no way he can simply shrug it off. We clearly see how he’s still impacted by it in season 2 with how protective he is of Cavendish now that he can’t go back. This actually reminds me of how I recently decided to re-watch the small scene with Dakota and Doof in “Cast Party”, the scene when they’re at the ice-cream place. And one thing I can’t help but over-analyze is Dakota asking “Do things happen for a reason or is it just chaos ?”. When he says that, I can’t help thinking that he’s referring to Cavendish’s deaths. It’s like he was asking “Is Cavendish meant to die or is the world just fucking with me ?”.

So yeah, when Cavendish suddenly disappear, with Dakota having no idea of where he went or why, it’s no wonder that he would be so set on trying to find him. For all he knows, Cavendish is already dead. And if he’s still alive, there’s tons of things that could go wrong, and if they do, Dakota is powerless to stop it. This is probably a terrifying situation to be in.

But at the same time, Cavendish is an adult and is now aware of his deaths, so he might try to be careful. I mean, in “Lady Krillers”, when he sees the alien, he’s very quick to let Dakota protect him.

And that’s where most of the problem comes from. Dakota doesn’t seem to fully trust Cavendish to keep himself alive, which is probably not helped by the fact that, given how Dakota is constantly saving him, Cavendish probably doesn’t know his own limits and might overestimate himself.

But I think the biggest problem with this whole situation, aside from the fact that Dakota needs to lay off and understand that Cavendish is a responsible adult who needs to learn what are his limits so he can take care of himself, is the fact that the show is constantly validating Dakota. Just look at what happens in the rogue arc. When we see Cavendish alone, he constantly gets hurt by everything. And near the end of the arc, he even gets trapped inside an ice cube, left to die if nobody finds him. Thing is, by showing Cavendish suffer so much and basically die from being alone, the show is basically telling us that Dakota is right to be so worried about Cavendish, because Cavendish can’t survive alone.

Though, honestly, the show has a tendency to “demonize” Cavendish when he and Dakota are arguing. I mean, in “A Christmas Peril”, both are at fault. Cavendish for being insensitive and putting Dakota down from not understanding why Dakota feels underappreciated, and Dakota for not explaining why he feels that way (refereeing to the island) which leads him to get more and more frustrated with Cav. But, while both apologize in the end, in a kids’ point of view, Cavendish is the asshole who pushed Dakota away by showing no respect. It also doesn’t help that, up until “Time Out” in which we start to see more of his personality, Cav was kind of a giant ass during the beginning of the show; while on the other hand, Dakota is one of the most liked characters of the show.

And in the rogue arc, it’s the same problem. Cavendish is never once shown to have any regrets about his actions, he’s never seen struggling with living alone or being in the forest. And meanwhile, Dakota spends all his time sulking and looking like a kicked puppy. It’s because of stuff like that that the fandom is so split on the “who’s at fault” question and why we tend to sympathize so much with Dakota.

So to put it short, what I’m saying here is that Dakota has dependance issues due to trauma that needs to be addressed and worked on so that he can stop being worried for Cavendish 24/7, because not only is it unhealthy for their relationship, it’s also very damaging for Dakota. Seriously, just look at how much of a desperate emotional mess he is in “Escape”.

2. The kids anger me

Now, since I already mentioned it briefly, I’d like to talk with how the characters were handled in the arc, in particular in “Cavendish Unleashed”. Thing is, I already wrote a post ranting about the stuff I dislike in season 2; and in this post, I made a part about this episode. So instead of copy-pasting it, here’s a brief summary of what I say in this post :

- Basically, the ending of “Cavendish Unleashed” angers me everytime I see it because the kids just go away without asking any questions, nevermind the fact that that Cavendish has been missing for days and that Dakota is desperate to find him. And the worst is that, not only do they not ask Cavendish about Dakota looking for him, but they also don’t tell Dakota that they saw Cavendish. They just wait for like a week or two before being like “Oh by the way, we found an UFO the other day and Cav was there” (seriously, there are SO nonchalant when they tell him Cav was in the ship with them). And it’s not like they didn’t know Cavendish was missing ! In escape, the way Dakota tells them that he has to find an UFO makes it seem like they knew for a while.

- Another thing is that, as I said earlier, we never see Cavendish feel bad about his actions, and that dialogue with the kids would have been the perfect opportunity for such a moment.

- Finally, there’s the fact that, in the last episode of season 2, Cavendish starts talking about being the hero of Octalia, making it seem like he didn’t learn a thing from the experience, despite having all the time of the world for it when he was stuck into the ice.

So yeah, that’s pretty much the stuff I ranted about. One last thing that I could add regarding the arc not being handled well is how stupid Dakota was on the whole “finding Cavendish” situation. I mean, hasn’t he tried looking into the forest ? Seriously, the ship is like a mile away from the town. If the kids going near it on bike and Cavendish leading people to it is any indication, this isn’t that much of a walk. So why didn’t Dakota try to look for him here ? Honestly the only explanation I found (and put in a fic) is the idea of Dakota thinking that Cav could never survive alone in the forest, so he’s terrified of what he would find if he were to look for him there. But other than that, unless the ship is really well hidden (it’s not), I don’t really see why Dakota didn’t find it earlier. Or is it because he was too busy stress-eating and hanging out with Doof to go there ?

And speaking of Doof, why didn’t he try using an inator to find Cavendish ? I mean, it worked for Milo in “Abducting Murphy’s Law”, and in “Escape”, we learn that Cavendish’ DNA can be found in his and Dakota’s apartment. So why not making an inator to find him ? Why waiting around for like a month before finally resolving to science ?

3. The reconciliation

Thirdly, I’d like to talk in this post about the reconciliation between Cavendish and Dakota and how fast-pasted it was, especially in comparison to Doof and Perry (this part is actually the main reason why this post exists to begin with). For this part, I’m going to talk about each part of the argument and reconciliation and compare both stories.

First off, the argument to begin with. In Doof’s case, he’s the one who got hurt by Perry and decided to “break up”. Perry messed up, understood that he messed up, and Doof needed time to accept Perry again. So both parties knew who did what and understood that Doof was angry and needed time. Also, we follow Doof, the one who was hurt but who also called the relationship off.

But in Cavendish and Dakota’s case, Cavendish is the one who messed up but also the one who called the relationship off. And unlike Doof and Perry, Dakota has no idea of what happened since Cav erased his memory to prevent Dakota from following him. From one second to the next, Dakota found himself alone, having no idea where Cavendish was, no idea why Cavendish left, no idea what he did to push Cavendish away and with his last memory of Cavendish being the argument in the armory (from what we see in “Managing Murphy’s Law”, the memory eraser only makes you forget the last 10-15 minutes or so at what I guess is the first use in one day). And honestly, thinking back at the reconciliation, it seems to be what angered Dakota the most. It’s not that Cavendish left, it’s that Cavendish ghosted him after making him forget the reason why. So from the get-go, Dakota is in a worse situation than Doof, meaning that his situation could require some more work. And do we get that work ? Nope !

Secondly, the regrets from the “guilty party”. For Perry, you have the card that he sends a few episodes later. This shows that he feels truly bad for what he did and is willing to make things right if Doof wants to. But when the card is sent, Doof still needs time to himself. As for Cavendish, like I said earlier, he doesn’t once show any regret for ghosting Dakota. Worse, when he finally reunites with him, he doesn’t bring up the issue, though it is a delicate situation with Milo being kidnapped and, like I said in my first post, it does seem like Cavendish intended to come back at some point. Still, that last part is something that Dakota didn’t know. And speaking of Dakota, he spends the entire time being miserable, which only makes Cavendish look worse with how he doesn’t question himself once. And speaking of which…

Thirdly, there’s how the “got hurt” party handles their emotion, aka how they feel throughout the whole arc. For Doof, he starts off very bitter and salty at Perry. But as the episodes progress and as he starts to hang out with Dakota, he kinds of forget about Perry. It’s like he’s busying himself by trying to help Dakota, making him get over it pretty easily by not thinking much about it. And by the end of the arc, he seems to have gotten over it. He wasn’t really bitter about it anymore and all that was left was the talk with Perry to set things right.

But with Dakota, he only gets worse as time goes by. Though, looking at “Cast Party” and “First Impressions”, he seems pretty fine. But then you look at “Look at This Ship” and “Escaped” and you’ll notice that he went from having no patience and being pretty sad in the first episode to being an absolute mess in the second. Again, Dakota depends on Cavendish and needs to be assured that the guy is doing fine, so the whole situation makes him unable to function properly. So while Doof progressively gets better by getting his mind on something else, Dakota can’t stop thinking about Cav and only gets progressively worse.

And finally, there’s the reconciliation, the culmination of all this time spent sulking and hanging out. Again, for Doof and Perry, the resolution is done well. We’ve seen Perry feel bad for what he did, we’ve seen Doof get a hold of his emotions over time. And when Doof confronts Perry, we see that both of them are genuinely regretful of what happened. And then there’s the paycheck. Doof’s argument against Perry was that Perry only cares for him because it’s his job to do so. So by showing the paycheck, Perry answer to what Doof was bothered by. He showed Doof that no, it’s not about the money, and that he genuinely cares about the guy for who he is and wants to help him doing good, another thing that Doof was bothered with regarding Perry not being there to support him for it.

This works. You have a good setting to begin with, you have time given to the dialogue and the reconciliation, and the reconciliation is given with Perry reassuring Doof on the exact points the guy was worried about. It’s good stuff ! It’s great ! It’s well-written and developed !

And then there’s Cavendish and Dakota. Not only do they have very little time to make up, they also don’t really talk about what happened. Dakota is angry about being ghosted, Cavendish tries to justify himself by saying that he was trying to protect Dakota (he wasn’t but it’s easier for his conscience to tell himself he did) and then Dakota looks sad and Cavendish apologizes. Seriously, that’s all there is to it. Dakota makes a sad face and it makes Cavendish feel bad so he apologizes. And Dakota just accepts the small apology, as if he didn’t spend the last few hours having a breakdown over Cavendish being gone. Though, I tend to see him accept the apology fast because of the relief of the moment.

But still, when Cavendish says “Can we talk about this later ?”, I sure hope they do ! Because that half-assed moment is nowhere near enough to break down all the things these two need to talk about. And besides, such a short apology could have worked, but only if the apology was brought up in a good way like it did with Doof and Perry. But again, it didn’t. It was brought up with Cavendish never thinking about Dakota and Dakota only getting more and more sad as time went by. So it doesn’t work.

And even the hug at the end doesn’t work. Yeah it’s cute but these two have hugged several times in the past and these other hugs are much cuter and more significant. I mean, toddler Dakota hugging Cavendish, showing that part of him still remember the guy ? Adorable. Two Dakotas on the island hugging Cavendish for the first time in possibly years while all the other Dakotas are trying to talk at the same time in the hopes of getting to be heard by Cavendish, with also one singing and one having a tattoo of Cav’s hat ? The cutest and most heartbreaking thing in the show. Dakota stuffing the memory eraser thing and Cavendish hugging him in joy to congratulate him ? An extremely underrated moment. So yeah, in my opinion, these hugs give more emotions than the one in “Milo in Space”, because the heart is much more there.

So to conclude on this, Dakota and Cavendish’s reconciliation is pretty bad because it sets up for a big resolution but only takes a few seconds to happen. And, related to the wish to have the show talk about Dakota’s issues, if we get a season 3, I wish they’d at least mention that these two need to talk about the whole thing.

4. Things I wished they had added in this arc

Finally, I’d like to mention a few things that, in my opinion, could have been great to see in the arc. This part is entirely personal opinions (though most of this post is tbh).

First off, obviously, you have the stuff I mentioned before, aka addressing Dakota being dependent, a longer reconciliation or, as Cavendish says, the promise of a talk later, and the kids not being idiots who didn’t ask a single question at the end of “Cavendish Unleashed” and never told Dakota. And regarding the kids, I actually don’t mind them not telling Dakota, but at least give an explanation as to why they didn’t instead of being like “oh yeah we forgot to tell you this” ! Like, maybe Cav asked them to remain silent or something.

Secondly, I wish Cavendish had learned a few things from the experience. As I said, in the last episode, the way he talks make it seem like he didn’t learn shit. And it’s annoying. Why didn’t he learn that running for fame like that was a terrible idea ? Or that it was better to work with others than alone ? Or that, instead of running after a fortune that he may never have, he could remember that there are people already in his life who like him for who he is instead of what his heroic actions are, who care for him and would give anything to be with him ? Also, we definitely needed moments in which he struggled to live outside and alone, and moments in which he was doubting and missing what he left.

And, about characters learning stuff, it would also be interesting to have Dakota realize and accept that Cavendish managed to survive alone in the forest for like a month. In other words, Dakota could use what happened as a “base” to try convincing himself to back off, like if he gets too worried, he could try remembering that Cavendish survived this to calm himself down.

Thirdly, I wished the interactions with Dakota and Doof were more than just eating and talking about Cavendish there and there. I mean, Doof is Professor Time, someone Dakota idolizes, even if not as much as Cavendish does. So why didn’t they talk about this at some point ? And tbh, I also would’ve liked maybe a dialogue or two between Doof and Cavendish regarding Professor Time (though this doesn’t have to do with the rogue arc). Also, I said it earlier, but why didn’t Doof helped with an inator before the clone one ? Couldn’t they give an explanation for that ? And even something such as “when I make any inators OWCA sends Perry and I don’t want to see him” could have been enough of an explanation.

One last thing that I would have wished to see with Doof is him trying to call Dakota out for being such a mess because one guy he cares for wants some space. I actually wanted to write a oneshot about Doof seeing Dakota feeling moody while at his “apartment” and Doof using his own experience as a husband to tell Dakota to get his shit together and give the man his space or else his relationship would fall very quickly.

And yes I know Cavendish and Dakota aren’t married in the show and Doof doesn’t have much friends. But Doof is a guy that values good communication, as we see with how he rambles all the time, how he listens to Vanessa’s advices and is there when she needs an ear (in “Minor Monogram” she very quickly opens up to him at the beginning of the episode; and in general, she isn’t afraid to speak her mind to him and he listens) and, as far as we know, he and Charlene never had their divorce because of communication issues. Also he’s learning to speak platypus, most likely so that Perry can communicate with him better.

So yeah, if anybody could give Dakota a pep talk about why Cavendish might need space and how the two need to talk things out, it’s Doof. Hell, Doof is the one who’s mad at Perry and needs time and space away from him, so he understands what needing space is.

And about this oneshot, for those interested : I changed the idea and it’s going to be a talk between Dakota and Cavendish instead.

  So here’s the end of these two parts about the rogue arc ! These posts were way much longer than I anticipated but hey, a rambling is a rambling. And yeah, these posts are just me needing to infodump on random stuff nobody cares about. But given how nobody I know irl cares about children cartoons or have a good enough level in English to understand my stuff, I need to infodump somehow. So you’re the ones who have to bear with me ! 😉

Thanks for reading !