#gert being back does not solve this

[tackrusso]

ok after nearly five years i finally watched the finale of runaways and i just gotta say. what the fuck

[observationaccusation]

Arcane discussion - Series 2

Spoilers for anyone who has yet to watch it.

——-

I’m glad I’m finally seeing some discussion around arcane series 2. I know I’m late to the discussions as I didn’t watch the most recent season until this year, but it’s still great to see it.

1) I’m not the only one thinking cait becoming what is essentially a dictator is something we should be discussing more?

We know we’ve seen Caitlyn is still influenced by her prejudice and experiences in piltover, but damn, they went right into it. She led a strike force where they targeted the chem barons etc, and utilised The Grey, something that had historically caused great issues for the people of Zaun and is something they fear. I get the strike force, it’s a heavy handed approach, but I get it (sort of).

However, her hatred and grief blinds her so much that she hurts one of the only people who understands that level of grief and hatred, and takes on the role of protege under Ambessa. That whole sequence, where people start beating their chests, sends chills down my spine. Through Ambessa’s influence, and Caitlyn’s own hatred and grief, the people of Zaun are further oppressed, further stepped upon, further policed and attacked. Yet, people don’t quite seem to talk about it as much??? Idk. Maybe I just haven’t seen those discussions yet!

Then she rather swiftly changes her tune when she sees Vi. I know we see some hints of her doubting the path she has taken, but she doesn’t seem to take any action to change it, at least, not until she sees Vi.

I’d love to hear what others think!

2) What happened to the firelights??

We know they paint ekko and heirmerdinger on their mural, but that’s about it. Are they in the sidelines after loosing their leader? Are they despondent? Do some of them join others in painting their hair blue and joining Jinx? What happens to the tree? Is it suddenly better after Ekko is back from the time warp? I’d love to have seen more on them.

Scar is shown quite frequently in it, is he now the leader of the firelights? In the absence of Ekko?

3) While I liked seeing the different timelines where nearly everyone (except Vi, Caitlyn, Jayce and Viktor(?)) gets a better life, it felt also not fully expanded on.

Did the years of oppression, conflict and divide between Piltover and Zaun suddenly become solved by the years between Vi, Caitlyn and Jayce’s death from the explosion? Since there was no hextech, suddenly the balance is restored? I feel even just some flashbacks of the progress happening might have provided some more fleshing out (not just of Vi being dead)? I don’t know. I just don’t vibe with the death of kids being the catalyst of change to years of oppression and divide (how many times have children of Zaun died before, and it meant nothing?).

4) the side characters, while I love them greatly, also felt throw away? Normally, side characters in Arcane feel fleshed out, they have a story themselves, just like everyone else does. Steb, Maddie and Loris felt… two dimensional?

I love loris and Steb, and I liked maddie before the whole betrayal thing, but it felt a bit lacklustre. Steb survived (fair play) and I think the sudden deaths of Loris, Maddie, Gert and more, were meant to show that in war, people die suddenly, quickly and often without fanfare. I get where they are going with it! I just feel they could have given a bit more to them, to give that kind of connection the audiences would have wanted, to feel that emotional impact of their deaths?

5) the time warp. There’s a reason why it divides a lot of people! Again, it was so nice to see what could have been. Trust me, Vander, Powder, Claggor, Mylo and Ekko all having joy in their lives, is something many of us write about (thank you AU’s), but perhaps, that’s how they should have been kept. In the realms of Fanfiction? Idk. I’m a bit sour on them, because they’re often shoved in, and not expanded upon. I think if you have a section about time warps, new timelines etc, then you should dedicate a large chunk to it. I know they only had two series but, in an ideal world, it would have probably been an entire series on the time warp, to give more expansion on it. Then again…in an ideal world, maybe we wouldn’t have even had the time warp bit. We could have focussed more on Mel’s story, The firelights, Ekko, Jayce etc.

6) Mel’s story, the black rose etc.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Mel, she’s a great complex character (like a lot of them in Arcane). But the black rose storyline feels sudden? I love the idea of her powers, I always vibe with empathetic powers being a thing, and she looked sick with the golden markings and everything. But again, we could have focussed more on fleshing that out, without the time warp stuff? I know we see some information about the black rose, but I could have done with a little more time spent on it. Maybe more hints of the slow creeping of the black rose upon Mel (maybe I missed them?) and Ambessa.

I’m hoping we will get more on her soon, she deserves that screen time.

Also, her and Ekko lost everything….everything was lost. They were left with little. Idk, it rubs me up the wrong way that both Mel and Ekko were left with nothing.

Anyway, those are some of my thoughts… I could talk more about it, but I’d have to dedicate some time to sit down and write it properly.

I’d love to hear others’ points of view! I think you can love a series and still be critical of it.

[reynie-muldoons]

'A Perilous Journey' liveblog!!!!

GOOD MORNINGGGG its season two timeee!!!

I decided I'm watching episode 1 now, and episode 2 in a few hours. My shift starts weirdly late in the day so it works out.

As always, spoilers below the cut!!

Before I even get started I love how this episode is called a perilous journey. It's not quite the book title but damn near close 😂

0:10 ITS A RECAP BAYBEEE

1:27 dad!Milligan will never not make me cry

1:29 AND MOM!MISS PERUMAL RIGHT AFTER

2:12 HERE WE GOOOOOO

2:19 BLEASE tell me Kate is training rats

2:23 just kidding its Sticky

2:36 STOP MADGE STOLE THE RAT LMAOOO

2:41 oh. She left a letter. That's not conspicuous at all 😂

2:59 Mystic is so tall now 🥺

3:13 WETHERALL FARM??????

3:17 I SEE A BARN THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Also that was fucking creative Kate but how strong is that boomerang to knock multiple full-grown apples off of the tree

3:24 MILLIGAAAANNNNNN

3:34 MADGE NAME DROP!!! I have a confession to make related to Madge that I think is the funniest fucking thing ever. Remind me to tell y'all at some point

3:46 omfg are we about to watch the kidnapping??? how telling is it that I thought of Gert immediately LMAOOOO

3:55 they look adorable. Matching umbrellas, cute long coats... icons

3:58 THEYRE FAMILY BITCHES

4:06 is that supposed to be a time magazine dupe

4:06 I also think its hilarious that Curtain's original plan was to take credit for solving the emergency by just. mass brainwashing. good plan there bud, very sustainable

4:06 but like isnt he wanted now??? Isnt that a thing? In the books the government was actively looking for him so tf is this

4:14 THE OPENING IS BAAAACK

4:14 "skip opening" how insulting. No

4:42 THE SHORTCUT!!!!!

4:50 who decided to make Constance's screen an arctic clown ship 😂😂

5:12 here's that unhinged interview from the trailer. I didnt think it would come this quickly

5:28 Constance just fucking staring at the TV as if she can intimidate him into stopping LMAO

5:39 WHAT??? So in S1 when he said he'd "share the spotlight" THIS is what he meant?? What a curveball. He's going to regret countering her

5:50 fucking god complex strikes again

6:01 he looks like he's wearing a straight jacket on that back cover. Probably appropriate considering he's uhhhh Like That

6:20 god I hate him. Stop being manipulative challenge (impossible)

6:26 YES ABSOLUTELY sadness, anger, frustration, anxiety, all of the shit makes happiness stand out. Without the struggle our lives would be shaded of grey because happiness wouldnt be distinguishable

6:43 why does this sound like homeopathic medicine

7:03 is this like a weird TV hypnosis thing. Is he doing the fake happiness thing on her without her consent

7:09 ohhhh I did NOT like the shift from looking at her to looking at the camera. Creepy

7:15 RHONDA YOU SHOULDVE LET HER DO IT

7:15 Rhonda as usually you look fucking fire

7:26 Dutch baby?? First of all, presentation is 10/10. Second of all it makes me very sad that they're the only two in the house because Mr. B and Number Two are already gone.

7:38 why the fuck did she answer in French 😂😂

7:44 THEYRE SISTERS YOUR HONOR

8:03 HAHHA THIS IS THE LOG-CUTTING THING??? I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

8:13 that scream sounded like a fucking bird of prey HAHA

8:29 literally describing how it feels to travel with parents over a long period. I swear they are literally a fucking family

8:36 "just as much for him as it is the kids" oh absolutely it is, he's a mess when it comes to Nathaniel

9:01 DOES HE JUST GO TO SYMPOSIUMS AND GET UP AND SPEAK 😂😂😂 what the fuck guy

9:24 "who's mocking me?" "Doesnt matter." They're banter is UNCHALLENGED. also his face is fucking funny HOLD UP

9:24 GRUMPY MAN IS GRUMPY

9:37 calling Nathaniel "some guru with all this influence" REALLY makes him sound like he tries on makeup products and does skincare routines on youtube 😂

9:41 "we seem pretty safe" oh babygirl if that's not the nail in the coffin

10:05 they really nailed the "local man does something weird" vibes in this scene

10:17 dont tell me it already happened. Oh no

10:27 OH SHIT THERE IT IS

10:39 oh my gosh he's such a DADDD.

10:45 "a tiny go bag or gorp". I love him so much

10:54 HE WITTLED IT FOR THE BUCKET STOOOOP

11:03 AND THE DEPENDENCY ARC CONTINUESSSSS

11:10 "it's my job to take care of you also. Additionally." He understands she's been on her own up until this point and acknowledges that she can handle herself, but also that she's a kid who needs help just like anyone else. CRYING.

11:15 she didn't even put it in the bucket, just her pocket 😂😂 she's so reluctant to accept

11:25 MILLIGAN PLEASE GET A BUCKET HAHAHA

11:30 okay that truck is incredible LOL

11:40 .....why would you do that to a grapefruit. What did the grapefruit do to you huh

12:08 HERE'S THE LETTERS ANGST. REYNIE WROTE THEM SO MANY LETTERS

12:16 can I just say Miss Perumal is the queen of pastels

12:43 the reality of long-distance friends. My best friends from high school and college live SO far away and it's like this sometimes

12:50 acknowledging his feelings, giving him comfort, AND indulging him?? If the adoption papers arent signed already they really should be

12:57 HAHA IS SHE PRACTICING TO SEE THEM??? LMAO KID

13:19 stooooppp she's so cute

13:26 LMAO EVERYONE GOT THERE AT THE SAME TIME

13:44 Reynie and Sticky had the sense to bring a suitcase, Kate

13:51 she's not wrong, they are taller 😂

13:58 THAT LOOK BETWEEN CONNIE AND KATE LMAOOOO

14:01 this is a funny moment and all but Reynie desperately looking for affirmation anywhere he can find it makes me so sad for him

14:07 THE HIGH FIVES!!!! Cue everyone wincing

14:15 HAHA HAVE THEY JUST NOT TALKED ABOUT THE WHISPERER SINCE THEN

14:27 ohhhh Milligan looks nice

14:38 STOP THEYRE SO FUNNY

14:45 it looks like a minecraft golem, or the pokemon golett 😂

15:01 oh lord the news broke, that has to be it

15:15 dun dun DUNNNN

15:34 it's so cool that they planned check-ins like that. How smart

16:15 okay both of them switching between languages was fucking sick

16:18 and here it is, the kids have been told no, so they will find their own way

16:41 oh shit, they have a short timeframe then

16:47 I cant tell if this is manipulative or Constance not being able to contain herself. Like I doubt she would do this in front of the others but she's already shown she trusts everyone more than she lets on, soooo

17:09 is this Constance's room??

17:16 HAHA I KNEW IT she DID hug Rhonda to get something out of it

17:31 he sounded so offended 😂😂😂

18:09 she kills me. The line delivery is just on point

18:59 is this from the book? It's a dictionary, right?

19:14 HAHA he just fucking LEAVES

19:22 OH SHIT HELLO????

19:43 RAGE GIRL, RAGE

19:46 HAHAHAHA HER FACE WHEN THE SNACKS POP OUT

19:46 IM CRYING HER EYES BUGGED OUT SO MUCH

20:13 "many sociopaths are unfailingly polite" that describes Nathaniel so fucking well

20:25 casual destruction of property

20:25 HOLD ON LMAOO how much did they have to pull on that thing for it to come out of the door at such a small tug???? Oh no I'm sad

20:33 AYYYY there it is, it's a dictionary

20:52 "last...time I checked" oh buddy hahahahah

21:14 "there is no system" the system is the organized chaos that every person with ADHD understands- it's a mess but a very specific mess

21:19 awwwww. He's trying to reach across 🥺

21:29 VERY SMOOTH REYNIE

22:00 okay the nothingness club sounds like a cult

22:13 awwww there it issss. The dam is breaking

22:30 AND NOW ITS THE SAME WITH THE GIRLS. I love that they're ramping up the similarities between Reynie and Constance

22:45 awwww loneliness. They're so sad

22:59 "not dad. Roommate" okay girl you tell yourself that

23:14 THE BOOK CHAIR. THATS INCREDIBLE

23:23 "You LIKE me." LMAO KATE CALL HER OUT

23:40 needy dad is needy

23:54 hagagaga why does he keep looking at Constance like that

24:35 good job Kate!!!!

24:46 YES THEY GOT THE JOURNAL FUCK YEAH

25:16 TAKE THE SHORTCUT BABY

25:47 "does anyone feel like they've entered a trance" Constance 😂😂😂😂

26:12 "I feel uncleen" HAHAHAH

26:25 THERE IT ISSSS TAKE THE SHORTCUT BAYBEEEE

26:42 MARITIME MONTHLY LMAOOOO

27:15 yeah Kate, everybody knows that. Gosh.

27:44 YES Reynie get the group's consent before doing something stupid

28:02 she's writing a fucking newsletter apparently

28:10 very subtle guys

28:19 okay the fact that Kate is left makes me think Milligan is going to come

28:24 okay, just kidding. Also I love the shoes

28:27 ayyy public transit

28:34 OKAY WHO TF WAS THAT

28:48 wow they didnt get any kind of head start, Rhonda's going to see they're gone immediately

28:58 SHIT SHE SCREAMED FOR HIM

28:58 KATE LEFT HIM A NOOOOOTE 😭😭😭

29:11 MISS PERUMAL NOOOO

29:12 ayyyyyy it's the Shortcut!!!

29:37 oh shit the adults have the tickets??? So what I'm hearing is the kids are sneaking on and the adults are using tickets

30:14 oh shit Sticky 😂 or should I say "oh ship"

30:20 HAHHAHA KATE "ha. stern" CRYING

30:34 PETTY CRIME BAYBYYYYY

30:42 NOOOOO its Boston tea party but without the tea

30:56 oh God why is he like that

31:03 he looks like he's about to star in a 80's dance video

31:07 NOOO HE ACTUALLY STARTED DANCING

31:15 WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS

31:18 PLEASE STOP HAHAHAHA

31:27 please dear god let SQ walk in on this

31:30 not SQ but someone else

31:46 what the fuck just happened

31:49 ITS GOLF CART TIME BITCHES

32:16 I'm so glad he looks that stupid in his little cart thing. I cant wait to make fun of him

32:32 who are you calling "Associate" bitch

32:46 CULT

32:52 "elated" OH GOD OH NO OH FUCK

32:59 Milligan holding his hat like that is just too fucking endearing.

33:06 so are their tickets just. Null and void now 😂

33:12 did they really just ditch their shit 😂😂😂😂😂 the bags are just there in the open

33:18 parents. PARENTS. Also this kind of is like Reynie although Miss Perumal has never seen him in an active life and death situation like this

33:23 Rhonda is once again the voice of reason

33:27 "they believed us" AWWWWWW

33:45 shit is it already over??? Damn those are some long credits then

Wow, that was really good. The kids met back up, they had an awkward start but fell into that familiarity almost immediately. The parents were very parental. Although in hindsight, Sticky's were pretty much absent. What the fuck's up with that??

And the biggest tragedy is that there was no "roll credits" moment. They didn't namedrop the episode title 🙃 please bring that back in the test of the season I loved that so much

This took a lot longer to do than I thought, so I'm waiting to watch episode 2 until later tonight. I cant wait to talk about it with y'all!!!

[simplylove101]

Missing Moment #4 Preview

This has been such a shitshow of a day.

Gert thinks this as she and Chase hightail it to their bedroom, with Old Lace lingering by the door. Obviously, the dinosaur has missed her and wants some attention. That said, Gert really had meant her warning to Topher just moments before about Old Lace continuing to keep a watch on him.

As long as he's staying in this mansion and near Molly, at least. We can't risk it.

While it's true the group has given Topher a reluctant okay to stay with them for now, they clearly still don't fully trust him yet. He can dumpster dive all the food he wants to try to win them over with, but it doesn’t make him part of their family. Even if Molly does now believe Topher may be some long lost relative of hers because of their matching glowing eyes and powers.

Whatever. I am her sister. Regardless if they are possibly blood related or not, that’s never gonna change.

Gert sits on the bed and yanks off her boots, trying to push this train of thought away. Her feet are killing her, and she wants to forget all about today’s events. She considers burying her face in her pillow and screaming her head off. Just to see if it makes any difference of her feeling better or not.

Probably not. Ugh. Oh well.

“You okay?” Chase asks as he shuts the door behind him.

It’s a question he has been asking her pretty much since the moment they’ve gotten together, and lately Gert’s been trying to sidestep it a bit since she doesn’t want to burden him and the others with the truth. But earlier, during the earthquake, she had completely lost her cool.

This whole ‘being without her meds’ thing is really starting to get unbearable for her. She’s been snappy, on edge at all times, and her head almost always feels like it’s repeatedly being jabbed with a hot poker.

So, is she okay? No. Is she gonna tell her concerned boyfriend that, though?

No.

“Yeah. Just peachy.”

Gert knows she’s a horrible liar. She always has been.

Every once in a while, Chase can see past her bullshit, but luckily for her, he seems like he’s unaware of it this time. That, or he’s afraid to push her limits (that’s definitely more likely, considering the circumstances), which she guesses that she can’t totally blame him for. She does tend to take her frustration out on him a lot of the time, more than most people would probably handle well. But this is hard. Anxiety is hard.

Being in a brand-new relationship while on the run and dealing with high-level anxiety without medication at the same time? Even harder.

Chase makes his way over to their bed with a sigh. “Today was… something else.” He sits down and slips his shoes off quickly so he can join her.

That’s one way to put it.

“Mm-hmm,” Gert mumbles, reaching for the copy of Slouching Towards Bethlehem she found yesterday that is sitting on her dresser. Maybe reading some Didion will distract her enough from her problems. Probably not, but it’s worth a shot, right?

“Anything you wanna talk about?” Chase inquires, in a tone that suggests that he’s trying hard not to pry, but he still really wants to know how she’s doing.

So much for fooling him.

Of course, after a day like this, there’s plenty of things for them to talk about. Her mood, on the other hand, isn’t quite ready for it yet.

“Mm,” Gert answers, as she turns a page. There’s silence, and when she looks up, she sees Chase making a face. Clearly, he is worried about her and, okay, she secretly likes it. She really does, but it also makes her feel like shit.

“Y’know, I saw your face earlier, when you joked about your meds at dinner-“

“Oh, um, that was just…”

“I know you weren’t joking, Gert.”

Gert purses her lips, ready to deflect like she’s been trying to do ever since this conversation has started but decides to be truthful. “It just gets pretty hard sometimes, you know? That earthquake really got to me. I thought it was all over for us. I thought… it was the one-”

“I know.” Chase grabs for her hand. “And really, I get why you tried sneaking into the nurse’s office, okay?” There’s a squeeze before he lets go. “Someday we’re gonna be able to get you your meds. I promise.”

Someday.

Gert hates that word. She needs her meds, now. No one truly seems aware of how much of a struggle she’s been going through these last few days. Anxiety is a debilitating illness. One that she has been suffering from for years now, and it’s not getting any easier. Why else would she dare pull a stunt like she did today if it wasn't absolutely vital to get her hands on a bottle of her prescription immediately? 

No one understands. None of them. But then, why would they? They don’t have this. To them, I’m probably just another problem they can’t solve and have to deal with. I’m not important enough. I shouldn’t expect them to care.

Now Gert does know Chase deserves some credit since he’s been trying to be there for her as much as he can since they ran away. But there’s only so much comfort he can provide her when her mind is spiraling out of control and he still doesn’t fully comprehend how bad it is. Then again, she’s trying to tone down explaining to him how it all works, because every time she does, that seems to be when her real grumpiness comes out.

Oh, how she wishes she could make him understand all this. But she doesn’t know how to explain it to him anymore.

“Right.” There’s a slight edge when it comes out of her mouth, but once again, Chase doesn’t seem to detect this.

“It’s kinda crazy how we were talking about our old lives and Atlas this morning, and then we had to go back there today. What are the odds, huh?” He shakes his head with a slight chuckle.

“Mmhmm.” Gert is back to her book, but she’s been reading the same paragraph for a minute straight because she can’t focus on it. All she can think about is taking deep breaths and attempting to keep calm.

“Gert.”

“What?”

Uh oh. Here we go.

[hippychick006]

SPN Analysis - Bela Talbot

@lillysilverus thank you for the feedback on This Post.  At least I know someone is reading it and I’m not just doing these for no reason.

 “There was a little dumbing down with Bella. Putting the gun in the wall safe and Sam putting the rabbit’s foot in his pocket instead of somewhere safer. Not like now later though.”

You have no idea the debate I had over her character and whether she should have been able to do the things she did, so I’m happy to have the analysis challenged and I’ll amend the post on season 3 if needed.  

Putting under a cut as it is fairly lengthy post on my reasoning;

I’ll firstly explain that for me at least, dumbing down doesn’t mean that someone else can’t get the upper hand with Sam or Dean (if that character has the skills to do so).  It’s when someone (e.g. a civilian) who shouldn’t have the skills either solves the case or does something like knocks them out for plot reasons.  

In terms of Bela’s character, she is introduced as a master thief who steals occult objects.  She is extremely intelligent, with multiple resources at her disposal, and I would say she matches Sam and Dean’s level, rather than is better than them. Looking at her appearances in more detail, this was my logic which I’m more than happy to be challenged on and amend the scores accordingly;

 3.04: Bad day at Black Rock.

In terms of Sam having the rabbit’s foot in his pocket at that point.  They are already in the parking lot of the diner waiting to go in for lunch, so he’s only just found out that minute from Bobby that the rabbit’s foot is dangerous and that he’s in trouble if he loses it. I can see the logic of him keeping it on him until they have lunch since they are already there.  It’s reasonable to assume he wouldn’t lose it that quickly.   It’s also reasonably in my opinion that Bela has the ability to pick pocket Sam without him or Dean being aware.

Dean steals the rabbit’s foot back from Bela, regaining the upper hand.  When Bela finds them at the cemetery (presumably speaking to the spirits again as to where the rabbit’s foot is), he throws the rabbits foot to her, which she catches automatically, showing Dean has the upper hand (if anything, it dumbs Bela down as I would just have stepped aside 😊).

At the end of the episode she steals the winning lottery scratch cards.  Sam and Dean don’t see her doing this, probably too distracted with Sam having been shot.  I personally don’t believe they were dumbed down in this episode as such, I think we were just supposed to see that Bela is a master at what she does, and Sam and Dean being caught unaware in their first meeting of her is reasonable in my opinion.

 3.06: Red sky at morning

Bela has their car town away while they are meeting Gert.  

They stop her interviewing the victim’s brother while they pose as cops.  She in turn points the real cops at them and they have to finish up their interview early.  

I don’t see any of this as them being dumbed down, they’ve just met someone who can match their level.

When they get the sailor’s hand, Dean refuses to give it to Bela to put in her purse, he puts it in his pocket where he thinks it is safe and I’m sure he thinks he’s watching Bela carefully. When Bela leaves to take Gert home, he checks his pocket and feels that the hand is still there, so he lets her go and she says they’ll meet at the cemetery later.  I don’t believe he was in a position to physically check the hand was there because they were still at the party.  When he gets to the car and does check, Bela has unsurprisingly stolen the hand and replaced it with a bottled ship at some point.  Again, given her skills, this is something she should be able to do without Dean being aware, even though he thinks he’s watching out for it.  

Not too long later, Bela arrives at where they are staying and they end up having to help her, because she has seen the ship.  The boys by the end of the episode have the upper hand again.

 3.07: Fresh Blood

She doesn’t do anything in this one, other than give Gordon their location which is par for the course for her, she will sell anything out.

 3.10: Dream a Little Dream of Me

When Dean calls and asks for the dream root, she originally says no, but then appears part way through the episode. Dean is suspicious of her motives, especially when she says “What? I can’t do you a little favour every now and again.” He answers “No, you can’t” because Bela doesn’t do anything without personal profit, and he wants to know what the strings are.  She answers that she’s not doing it for him, she’s doing it for Bobby because he saved her life once, in Flagstaff.  

Dean puts the dream root in the safe while Bela is in the room, so we see the colt is also in there.  It’s clear Dean didn’t believe Bela’s story, but he doesn’t know what her end game is.   I think it’s reasonable that he didn’t suspect she would be after the colt. I think it’s also reasonable that even if he had put the colt somewhere else, she would have found it, given her usual sources on finding objects that she wants.  

Later in the episode, after Bobby has woken up, he asks Bela why she’s helping on the case.  She gives the answer Flagstaff again which Bobby is clearly confused about.  The boys are not around to hear this.

At the end of the episode, Bela has taken off, which Dean thinks is a little weird that she didn’t say goodbye. Bobby says that what’s weird is that she helped at all, given that all he did in Flagstaff was sell her an amulet and tells the boys they need to check their pockets to see what was stolen. That’s when they check the safe to see the colt was stolen.    

I didn’t see any of this as dumbing the Winchesters down, their priority was Bobby and didn’t have time to be concerned with what Bela was after.  If other people felt it was, I’m happy to adjust the score.

 3.12: Jus in Bello

We see Dean and Sam have tracked where Bela is staying, and they break into her hotel room searching for the colt.   Bella calls and informs them she’s already 2 states away.  I think her leaving a false trail is reasonable, as is calling the FBI to get them off her trail.

 3.15 Time is on my side

We last see Bela in this episode. She’s sold the colt, but that isn’t enough to save her from the hell hounds.  She’s been tasked by Lilith to kill Sam and Dean.  She shoots two bodies which turns out to be dolls.  Dean calls the room and informs her he felt her picking his pocket, so they already left the motel.  She asks him to help and he says if she’d asked for help rather than stealing the colt, they would have, but it’s too late for that now.  When Dean hangs up, the clock ticks over to midnight and we hear the howling.

[tuiyla]

Marvel’s Runaways casual review/ rant

Okay, so I watched both seasons of Marvel’s Runaways in like four days. Originally I was only going to write one post on it and that was mostly going to be about Deanoru but then I got carried away talking about the show overall so here we go. I’m still going to dedicate a separate post to Nico and Karolina because Gay™, that’s why.

I liked it is the short opinion. The longer version is that it’s very frustrating at times because it could be so much better. The pacing, while all over the place and very slow for some is an issue, but personally I don’t mind it all that much. Yes, it was weird that they only became actual runaways at the very end of season 1 and then season 2 was basically two seasons in one, but that’s not the main problem. It’s very frustrating how the tone can jump around and how there’s scenes missing from almost every single episode. What I mean by that is that there are crucial scenes that we should get in-between the life-altering moments that the characters go through, mostly a few lines of dialogue here and there, but we rarely ever get those. Some of it is related to Deanoru so I’ll elaborate more on that later but in general, it makes some otherwise heavy elements of the show hard to take seriously.

Darius’s murder is both treated as an atrocity and yet we never truly see Tamar grieve. Jonah almost making Janet sacrifice herself for Victor is brushed aside like it wasn’t a fucked up moment. Tina and Robert get back together and the fact that he cheated on her and supposedly didn’t love her anymore rarely ever comes up again. Karolina’s attempted rape is a similar situation. (I thought more about this and okay, I suppose this was given enough gravitas.) So many awful things happen that I get it, it’s hard to keep track and portray the emotional significance of all of them. But if you can’t, maybe you should reconsider writing all of these in and thinking about what kind of tone you’re going for. It’s especially annoying when it comes to character dynamics, like Molly never actually saying it out loud that she forgave Nico for the Topher thing. Just gonna forget that, huh? It’s not entirely unrealistic because Molly is barely 15 and Nico is one of the few people she can call family so they were bound to get over it relatively quickly, I just missed the acknowledgment. Two lines, that’s it.

Runaways is often a few lines away from being a much better show. Just give me the characters acknowledging trauma, or how they were fighting a minute ago, or anything that would keep it more consistent. It’s not Riverdale level bad but it does take away from my enjoyment a little bit. Like, remember when Darius kidnapped Alex? And not only did Geoffrey had a really weird scene there where he prioritised the shot Andre (so he can be killed for Jonah) over Alex's safety, but then Alex became BFFs with Darius. At least Chase pointed out said kidnapping but then nothing else was said about it. Okay, so you’re just gonna move past that, sure.

Some of the ridiculousness is acceptable because it is fundamentally a teen drama and a superhero show, so suspension of disbelief is necessary. But that only takes you so far and is mostly afforded to the supernatural stuff. I can roll with Karolina being an alien who glows and flies but she never really told Chase that she wasn’t interested and that annoyed me. Not that I wanted them to be a thing but they spent a substantial amount of time together in the first two-thirds of season 1 and then... nothing. Even if it was clear for us as an audience that she’s gay and Chase is falling for Gert, the two never had that “oh okay, I see now, you’re not into me, that’s cool” “thanks for understanding” moment. Two lines.

Much of this comes down to how little time the show has because of its enormous main cast. I get that, truly, and I’m not saying all character interactions leave something to be desired. I think the Gert-Molly relationship is near perfect, they almost always talk through their issues and their love for each other is clear even when there’s a conflict going on. There are other examples as well and overall, this is a fine show. Don’t get me wrong here, I didn’t binge it in a few days so I can show up late to the party and tell everyone in the fandom that the show they love is trash. It’s not. The concept is really good and from what I can tell they’ve made some necessary changes to the comics. The cast is also good for the most part, with some cringy moments but some very strong ones as well.

The teen drama part of it is interesting and handled well when they focus on it properly. I like that both Gertchase and Deanoru get more or less equal screentime and focus and the dynamic of the Runaways is something I love to watch. Reminds me of how Brooklyn Nine-Nine is so good because each episode they do different combinations of characters and all the relationships get a chance to develop. Runaways has a very different structure so doing the same would be impossible but I still appreciate the quiet moments between more unlikely pairs or trios. More of that if there’s a season 3, which there’d better be because I’m invested now.

So yeah, I know went off a bit with how frustrating it is when the show is inconsistent with its tone and characters and how just a few more lines or scenes could solve that, but I did enjoy Runaways. Okay, so I mostly enjoyed Deanoru, but other aspects as well. I think Chase being stuck in this cycle of abuse is heartbreaking but makes for a powerful storyline and I hope he’ll get a break eventually. Gert, while too much of a parody of an SJW initially has really grown on me and her need for meds was handled well, I would say. Her jealousy of Karolina when it came to Chase was understandable but not very cool and I would have liked more bonding moments between the two. Molly has some super weird moments but the way she keeps the group together and is allowed to be a kid and enjoy herself every once in a while is heartwarming to watch.

Alex, well, I’m gonna be honest here, is my least favourite. I don’t hate characters and I don’t hate him, but I’m sure finding it difficult to like him in any capacity. His vendetta, while justified in some ways, made him selfish and inconsiderate towards the rest of the group. Even in season 1, he had moments when I went “seriously? who the hell does he think he is”. His DW and nerd references ain’t winning me over. Plus he seems to just not care about most people, especially Karolina? Damn son, I kind of hope that remaining Gibborim is inside you so you can justify some of your actions. But I don’t hate him, I promise, I just hope I can grow to like him later on.

The parents are weird because they’re set out to be the villains and there’s this moral ambiguity around them at any given point, which is fascinating at times. I think Leslie is probably the best portrayal in that there’s a nuance to what she’s done and why. In some ways, she’s the worst of them all and in others, she can be “excused” - but then again, can she? I think it’s an interesting question for the show to answer if it proves itself capable enough to do so. I also like Tina in that I’m curious where her relationship with Nico will go. Okay, so now I just mentioned the mothers of the two characters I like the most, great for my bias. True though.

Part of me is also glad that Jonah survived because he needs more scenes with Karolina. I need it to be established deeper that in a sick way he does love her but also she needs to realize how cruel he is. Then he can die (again) and she can grow from it. The Yorkeses are by far the most puzzling ones because they’re quirky and kind of nice so their appalling actions are brushed aside more so than with the other parents. In general, this is what I find interesting and what I want the show to acknowledge and explore: all the parents have done awful things but not all of them are equally “evil”. Dale shouldn’t be on the same level as Leslie or even Catherine. Can we also get that in season 3?

Alright, that’s it for now. I really should do this after every show I watch. I had quite a lot of thoughts while and after watching this series and though I mostly just wanted to write about Deanoru, I’m glad I got it all out. And I genuinely do need that season 3 so you’d better prove your worth, Hulu.

[disneybooksandanimearemylife]

Book Blog: Hark the Harold Angel Slay by Vicki Delany

Again, if there’s anyone out there that wants a cheap holiday thrill and it only takes a few days to finish; this would be a good start. and if your in the mood for summer heat in winter then this should work for you.

PLOT; It’s Christmas in July for the residents of Rudolph, New York. Merry, her parents, and the rest of the gang are doing their semi-annual traditions of celebrating Christmas in the middle of summer with boat parades, and combining red, white, and blue with clashing Christmas décor. Merry has a run-in with her past love Max Folger. Her ex-fiancé, and his new soon-to-be wife Erica Johnstone, the boss of her grandmother’s magazine empire Jennifer’s Lifestyle. Merry is not impressed to see Max in town with ulterior motive other than taking a few pictures, one thing leads to another and in just a couple of days Max Folger is found dead in her shop with wooden cranberries strings around his throat. Not to mention her employee Vicky is missing. What happened in the span of 30 minutes between Merry leaving the shop to go to a beach event and Vicky staying at shop; to find her store the scene of a crime?

PROS: I do like how they still maintain the idea that it is July with the weather, the heat and humidity and yet Ms. Delany can still describe that special Christmas magic. People are friendlier towards each other, children get excited to see Santa and tell him their wishes. When I think about it, it is nice to see people be kind during those times.

Can I also day I love how Delany wrote Erica Johnstone? Because she acts like today’s Hollywierd celebrities! She cries at the drop of a pin, overtly dramatic that it’s embarrassing, and just thinks money will solve all her problems. When Max Folger was found dead at the store Erica immediately accuses Merry of murder and demands the detective to arrest her. Luckily the detective is a reoccurring character; knows Merry well enough; and pretty much told Erica “Bitch please.” 

Also this is the one time Merry is in actual danger. In the other books I’ve read She was either close to being in danger or she had someone with her to help her out of  a bad situation. But this time, right at the climax she is getting strangled and was blacking out in the process. And even in the aftermath Ms. Delany does describe just how close Merry was this time around. 

CONS: I have two complaints in this book. One is that after the climax the ending dragged for another 20 pages. I don’t normally mind that but the thing is, is that it was everyone in the story gathered in Merry’s little apartment like some gert well- awkward party. It felt out of place and like if I was personally there I would be looking for a way out.

Another thing was too many characters in Erica’s entourage. There was Muriel, Jason, Amber, Willow, Clayson. We needed two of them; but the rest could’ve been left out and nothing would’ve changed. I get that in stories like this we need suspects, but they left no impact of motive as to way they would murder Max.

I like it well enough. Sometimes we need a inexpensive read to get back to larger stories. I have to rate this a 6.5/10

[lodelcar]

The mouth mask as a canary in the coal mine ?

Picture: Brussels, Villa Empain

Reshoring as the solution to production breakdowns ?

When the dust from the corona crisis has settled, many companies will wonder whether it is a good idea to get so many parts and goods from China and Asia. A long hitch in China causes work stoppages or empty shelves 7,600 km away in Europe. We can't even make anything as crucial and simple as a mouth mask here.

And there is not only the corona virus. The outbreak comes at a time when Europe, with Germany leading the way, has not yet recovered from the effects of the China-US trade war. In addition, China's Huawei and its dominance in 5G technology reveal that Europe has become highly dependent on foreign technology and products. The question therefore arises whether Europe should not produce much more itself again.

The idea that Europe needs to produce more itself again is not new and even has a name: "reshoring", the mirror image of offshoring. Offshoring is the movement that characterized Europe and the US in the 1990s and early 2000s, when the manufacturing industry drifted en masse to low-wage countries, in particular to China. Low labor costs and cheap container connections were the main motive for no longer making all kinds of products, from mouth masks to computers.

Shortly after the financial crisis, the tide started to turn cautiously and one could see here and there companies doing the other way around: bringing back production from China to the West. In the US in particular, wages had fallen due to the crisis, reducing the wage differential with China. In addition, due to the success of shale gas, the US experienced low energy prices, which turned the costs for a number of companies again westward. Companies that produced in China often found problems with the quality of the products, the long delivery time or the problem that a Chinese business partner simply copied the product under a different name.

Reshoring also entered Europe a few years ago. For example, in 2012 Philips removed part of the production of shavers from China and transferred it to its location in Drachten, Friesland. There are also examples in Belgium, such as ED&A from Kalmthout, that brought the production of electronic printed circuit boards back to the Kempen in North-Belgium in 2012 to be closer to the customer and to keep the quality better under control. ED&A’s CEO Gert D'Handschotter says he is still very satisfied with that decision. "I notice a lot of admiration from colleagues and customers for the step we have taken. In this crisis, we now also have the advantage that we can give a perfect update of the production to the customers, so that they are not dependent on a factory somewhere in Turkey or China. But no matter how beautiful your story is, you should be able to offer competitive rates in the first place. "

In the Flemish (North-Belgium) industry, there are also examples of companies that consciously keep and strengthen parts of the production here, such as beamer-producer Barco and loom manufacturer Van de Wiele. Proximity to the R&D department, quality control or protection of intellectual property are often the motivations. Most importantly, robotization and other automation processes once again make it possible to produce profitably here.

Last year the reshoring story got a setback, when the leading project in Europe closed its doors. A few years earlier, sports clothing manufacturer Adidas had opened a shoe factory in Bavaria with big drums’ sound that would again manufacture running shoes in Europe via 3D printing and robots. But the factory never reached the desired results, causing production to disappear back to Asia.

Sustainability

Coincidence or not, but just before the new coronavirus broke out all over the world, Bank of America’s exchange house came up with a large study that explored the theme of reshoring. The survey involved 3,000 of the largest publicly traded companies in the world. That survey found that as many as 80% of companies have plans to relocate their production sites and supply lines. In the US, 50% of companies are said to have plans to rebuild production to America. The trade war in which companies try to escape tariffs, in addition to safety and sustainability, is mentioned as motive. The latter concerns both the ecological footprint of long supply lines and the avoidance of involvement in countries with poor labor practices and thereby suffering reputational damage. According to Bank of America, an essential component in that reshoring is increasingly better and cheaper robots that make production in the West affordable again.

For Robert Boute, professor of Supply Chain Management at Vlerick and KU Leuven (Belgium), the corona crisis can be a turning point and, as Bank of America indicates, logistics chains will be redesigned. "Companies are now being awakened to see how vulnerable their supply chain is. You can get some sort of multiplier effect that brings together the corona crisis, the trade war and the excessive technology dependence on Asia and the US. This will lead to companies wanting to become less dependent on a limited number of suppliers. "He warns that closer production is not the saviour of humanity. "Many companies will now find that they may work with suppliers in Europe, but also that a few steps further in the production process there still are parts from China, which will cause them problems."

Boute believes most in the model of "double sourcing", in which companies get their basic demand for parts from cheaper Asia, while looking for suppliers closer to being able to react quickly. But he does not believe that we will now be mass-producing in Europe once again. "China is also automating on a large scale, helping to maintain a significant lead in certain technologies. And I don't see labor-intensive products returning. "

Patrick Van den Bossche, expert at Belgian technology companies’ federation Agoria, also believes that the corona crisis can lead to a wake-up call. "Companies will wonder if the just-in-time model, which keeps stocks as limited as possible, is still the right model." But he emphasises on the difficulty of replacing China or Asia as a supplier. "Some value chains, especially in electronics, have completely disappeared from Europe. You cannot just switch suppliers. For example, if your supplier produces chemical products, he must meet many standards and have certificates. Many companies, especially SMEs, are forced to purchase in China because they do not find any here. They don't do that for their pleasure. "

Value chains in Europe

Even before the coronavirus came along, the European Commission was aware of the risk that Europe would become too dependent on supply chains outside Europe, especially for the industries of the future. She published a report in June 2019 entitled 'A vision for European  industry until 2030'.[1] In it, she selected six value chains that she felt the EU should play an important role in. These were the green and self-driving car, hydrogen technology, smart health technology, the Internet of Things, cyber security and low-CO2 industry.

The battery industry, which is crucial for the transition to electric cars, is perhaps the most striking example of Europe hoping to establish that value chain on European soil. "Certain parts of that chain are already in Europe, but links are still missing," says Patrick Van den Bossche from Agoria. He does believe that targeted policies should be able to reduce dependence on Asia. For example, there are already some initiatives to set up battery factories in Europe.

Jan Van Hove, besides chief economist at KBC Bank (Belgium) also professor of International Economics at KU Leuven (Belgium), is anxious. He fears that the discussion about dependence on Asia will open the door to all kinds of state aid or market shielding. "The French will be at the forefront of protecting sectors that are already highly protected through even more subsidies or monopolies. Just think of the discussion about blocking the merger between Alstom and the Siemens train division. "

According to Van Hove, who is an advocate of globalization, you can also solve the economic risks exposed by the coronavirus in a simpler way. "You can also hold larger stocks and possibly impose obligations on the size of that stock for certain critical products. You already have that for oil, where countries have to keep strategic stocks. You could expand that kind of strategic stock to other products, instead of being forced to bring back all kinds of production chains. "

Van Hove also notes that globalization has clearly been declining for several years now and that we are evaluating to economic blocks of countries such as Europe and North America. According to Van Hove, things have gone unnoticed here, but the main driver behind this de-globalization is China itself. "China clearly wants to become less dependent on the rest of the world. The credit crisis in 2008 opened their eyes. They were suddenly faced with a serious economic slowdown caused by the US housing market, which they had little to do with. China therefore has the priority to make as much as possible itself and not to be dependent on foreign production chains. That is much more important to them than that they dominate the whole world with their products. "

Author: Stijn Decock - de Standaard - Saturday, March 7, 2020 - our translation to English

[1]   Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (European Commission): A vision for the European industry until 2030, Final report of the Industry 2030 high level industrial roundtable, EU publications, 2019-08-12, https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/339d0a1b-bcab-11e9-9d01-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-106474442 retrieved 3-04-2020