#honestly the most satisfying moment in season 2

[sinfiltrate]

Act 3 spoilers

I just wanted to voice my opinions on the entirety of act 3, I will be making another post focusing on Jayce because I am disappointed with his story specifically.

Let's start with what I'm happy with!

The display of Mel's magic was amazing. All her scenes were so powerful.

CaitVi is canon! (which was predictable for obvious reasons but i'm still happy for them)

The music choice was perfect, as well as the quality of the episodes, as expected. No matter the storyline's flaws, the art style itself is undeniably gorgeous.

Maddie dies IMMEDIATELY after betraying Piltover, so I'm happy with that. Don't get me wrong, I think the season looked rushed, but the instant karma of that scene was enjoyable. It's well executed shock value.

The Caitlyn/Mel and Ambessa fight sequence was SICK. They really emphasized Ambessa's strength and battle IQ here, and while I dislike her, it was satisfying to watch.

The JayVik ending. Now, I am very conflicted with this, but I'll focus on the positive part. THIS MOMENT WAS SO TENDER!! It revealed how much Jayce truly loved and cared for Viktor, and that Viktor thought Jayce to be the only person who could ever make him acknowledge the importance of humanity. Jayce was his last and only hope, and Jayce proved Viktor right in every timeline.

Jayce defenders, we won. We got an entire episode dedicated to what Jayce and Ekko/Heimerdinger went through, and it proved that JAYCE WAS RIGHT AND HIM AND EKKO ARE OUR SAVIORS THANK YOU 🙏

Jayce looked fine asf. That is a beautiful man and I'm expecting many more edits (pretty please).

Alright, now let's get to what I'm upset about.

Jayce's wasted potential. The way I see it, they just reduced him to a pawn in Viktor's character arc, considering that his life begins and ends with Viktor. It's sweet, yes, and can be counted as a win for JayVik shippers, but I really wanted more for Jayce. And yes, I will most definitely come back to this on my Jayce-centric post.

The lack of reaction to Jinx's and Jayce's "death". I'm honestly not sure if either of them are dead (I am also somewhat in denial). Mel lost her lover, of whom brought out a softer side of herself that she didn't even know existed, and there's no reaction? Not even a scene of her finding out? The same goes for Caitlyn, since she literally saw Jayce as an older brother. Then there's Vi, who's seen completely fine with Caitlyn, and Ekko, who's having the only appropriate reaction, but even so, it's too calm. We'd have to assume that there's been another timeskip, but it couldn't have been long since the war. ALSO XIMENA, Jayce's MOTHER, she's seen putting a paper of Jayce's name to burn and honor him after his supposed death, but her expression is blank. Just simple resignation. I don't know, the lack of reaction had me questioning why I was sad.

No proper reunion scenes besides Ekko/Jinx and Mel/Jayce?????I actually liked Ekko and Jinx's reunion, but Mel and Jayce? Not even close to what I expected or wanted.

This season was rushed; that's something everyone can agree on. I think it was very focused on action rather than the complexity of these people's relationships and minds, while the first season had a balance between both. There just wasn't enough time for that balance with all the information they had to give us.

Honestly, and this is gonna sound horrible but hear me out, I would've preferred it if they had episode 6 be the last episode instead, and used the act 2 to explore Caitlyn's dictator arc and truly emphasize how long Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger had been gone. I know how this sounds, but I really wanted to see more of Caitlyn and her mindset during the whole fascism plot rather than have her throw it all away three episodes later. It would've helped others understand her more, while also acknowledging how blinded she had become with anger and sadness. Also, this would've given more time for people to grow an attachment to Isha and see how she reminds Jinx of Powder!!! Just imagine it, the season closing with Jayce "killing" Viktor, no sign of Ekko or Heimerdinger, and Isha dying would have been even MORE devastating; the ultimate cliffhanger. There's no denying people would've been angry and shocked, but it would've made us want more, just like the first season did. I would be 100% willing to wait 3 or more years for the next season than have such an underwhelming ending.

Okay, I think that's it. Might add more to this post later if I come up with any other critiques, be prepared for the Jayce post because I NEED to talk about him.

[verndusk]

Re-drawing a screenshot from The Bad Batch everday until season 3 comes out: day 55

[beagleboytoy]

im gonna be honest for a moment

i say this as a genuine fan of helluva boss. i say this is a genuine fan of Stolas. he’s my blorbo worblo silly rabbit and i will love him until i die

that being said, i cannot fucking stand what season 2 has done to him

season 1 stolas was so FUN. the posh way he acted was FUN. the way he clearly carried himself as a royal was FUN. the demeaning way he spoke was FUN. his hypsersexuality was FUN. he was genuinely an entertaining character that i not only enjoyed but honestly related to in a lot of ways

whether intentional or not, season 2 stolitz (and by extension, stolas) feels like SUCH a fucking retcon. it genuinely feels like the narrative is trying to gaslight us into thinking that stolas was always this noble hearted and humble prince when (as many have pointed out) HE VERY CLEARLY WASN’T (AND STILL ISN’T)

that and it just feels like all of the character traits from before that made him entertaining to watch have just been replaced with Sad and Desperate. im sure there’s a way to flesh him out beyond just a Horny and Strange Prince Guy. but i just cant help but feel like this isnt the most satisfying way to do it

[callum-23]

Voltron, as a series is amazing, but I can agree with other people, that the last couple of seasons were weak as heck

There were alot of times where it just made me sit back and go "yo wtf??" And just sit there in sadness as I thought about the wasted potential of the show

So here's a top 3 Voltron things we had in the show!

1. Adam. Oh gosh, I'm here for when I speak for most people that Adam was one of those characters where barely got to see any of them. (because he's dead) And too me, that's just messed up.

He's one of the shows cannon LGBTQ+ rep (along with Shiro), and just killing cannon representation off like that, is just No. WHY???

I wish we could have seen more of Adam, or even Shiro mention him earlier into the series with more of his memories/flashbacks, or even KEEPING HIM ALIVE!! Either way, we all wanted to see more of Adam, and it was really sad to just see his 4 or so minutes of screen time 😞

2. An actual Shurtis storyline. More on Shiro, here we are discussing his relationship with Curtis.

As much as I love Shiro's ending of his wedding and getting married to his husband Curtis, I can understand why some people were upset at this ending.

We never really saw much of Shiro and Curtis together aside from the wedding in the epilogue.

I feel like if they at least had some moments to showcase their relationship, or even flourish Curtis' character would be nice, as the ending of them getting married would make much more sense, and be more satisfying.

I've read some amazing fics on ao3 with Shiro and Curtis. Those fics honestly show what we could have had in the show, I feel like a good plotline for a Shiro/Curtis related plot/ subplot is them wanting to ask each other out or confining in eachother due to the stress off the war.

ANYTHING, just any plot between them would make Shiro's conclusion more satisfying.

3. A better character arc and ending for Lance.

Oh, good golly gee. Lance McClain. Where do I even start. Lance is, and always will be, my favourite character. He was honestly done so dirty by the creators ☹️

His ending of making him a farmer was not it. Like seriously, him settling down, having a simple life, and being a farmer when his lifelong dream was to be a pilot?? No. Just NO.

The rebound treatment, him getting treated like a rebound towards Allura. Honestly Allurance wasn't even that bad, if it was fleshed out more and we got too see more of Allura and Lance together, it could have been something. But the way they decided to execute it in the series itself was horrible.

Lance was a rebound, and Allura showed zero to no interest in him. Allura fell in love with Lotor, not Lance. Honestly, I feel like Lotor and Allura being together should have done some good in Lance's character arc rather than it being bad. It should have taught him to try to move on, or console in his friends, ie, Pidge, Hunk, even Keith etc etc.

Maybe this whole arc could have made him realise who he really needed was right infront of him all along. *wink wink nudge nudge*

Or possibly to realise his own self worth, and that he's more than just "a boy from Cuba"

I think they made him get with Allura beacuse he was such a "ladies man" but in reality he's so much more than that ☹️ He's a guy who values his friends and family, putting himself before others, and wanting the better for others, I wish they could have explored that in him more.

Obviously, there is SO much more I could cover, way much more, this doesn't even scratch the surface! But these are the top three ones that really just stick out to me.

I love voltron! This show is literally one of my favourite shows. It's not perfect, yes, but it's done what it could in it's two year running time, so sad it's getting removed off netflix 😞

[jojikawa]

Muzan indulging in human pleasures with the divine being, Lilith. 🖤

Muzan x Lilith!reader Headcanons

Synopsis: The Demon King, Muzan, believes that he can find success in defeating all who oppose him, along with the location of blue spider lilies if he summons what is considered to be a goddess among demons. It seems that he doesn’t get what he believes he has bargained for. Warnings: mild season 1/2. season 3-1 spoilers.

⚜️

• Muzan summons you with the souls of the lower moon’s that has died and that he has killed. He knew fully well that he would probably be struck down and that you would ravage the earth in an angry stead as revenge for being (literally) demonized for your femininity…but that outcome was surely better than losing. He was tired of being failed by his own creations for hundreds of years.

• When you appear in your true form, even he is unable to comprehend what’s in front of him. Most mortals, demons, will never be able to wrap their heads around godhood.

• You manifested your physical body, bare and naked, resembling a vulnerable human woman.

“Lilith.” Muzan called sternly, trying to mask his fear of rejection and outright being destroyed. It seemed as though you were trying to get your bearings again. The earth hasn’t been corrupted by your presence since the beginning of time. “(y/n).” You said flatly. “I go by (y/n) now. It’s much cuter.”

You picked yourself up off of the ground, as you had fallen and could not walk when you assumed a more domestic form. “Find me something to wear, child.” You commanded, a small smile gracing your lips.

Were you…ordering Muzan around!?

You took a look around, not at all used to what you were seeing. You were in the “Infinite Castle” but, of course, you didn’t know that. Nearby, you saw an assortment of human-made things. A wooden table decorated with glass bottles, all with unusual shapes. They held clear liquids, red liquids, and a scent that you recognized to be blood. You then noticed that the feeble demon that summoned you had not moved yet.

You strode over to the desk, before reaching for once of the glass containers.

“Don’t touch that-“

Your head snapped over to Muzan. “I won’t repeat myself.” With a close eyed smile, you waved the demon to rid himself of his presence.

• Muzan quickly fetched you a kimono. The best he could find was the one who would wear when he would masquerade as a woman. You didn’t mind. It fit perfectly and smelled pleasant.

• The first thing Muzan asked was if blue spiders lilies could be found and if so, where were they? You didn’t seem obligated to help.

When you heard his question, you froze for a moment. Muzan’s jaw clenched with anticipation as he examined your face. You seemed to be thinking…perhaps some kind of divine knowledge would make his goals much more obtainable.

You giggled sweetly, as you had noticed the man stiffed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Your face. Your tone of voice. Your body language. It looked as if you were…lying to him. It felt as if he were being mocked, laughed at by a woman shaped demon.

• You would make Muzan work for his knowledge. You haven’t indulged in anything mortals had the pleasure of doing all the time. You would make him show you everything he had missed. The new job you had given him could be mistaken as being a lover. He seemed to be the strongest among his kind so you must keep him on a leash.

• You had him style your hair, satisfy your curiosity by answering anything you asked as honestly as he could and participate in any activity you found yourself wanting to do. This went on for a while. Longer than Muzan would admit. It seemed like he really wanted access to your wisdom.

• But you are the first woman. First wife of the first man that started humanity itself before you turned your back on God himself. You knew everything and now you knew Muzan. He was beginning to fall for you. Not many things you “forced” him to do was actually forced. You didn’t always need to order him around for him to do things you wanted.

• It wasn’t long until he introduced you to his subordinates. The “Upper Moons” he called them. They were humans that he turned into demons with his blood. His way of creating demons was like a dollar store version of how you created the first demons. You congratulated him, nonetheless, using your sexuality to make him behave the way you wanted him to.

• When you praised him, you nuzzled into him and rubbed your body on him like a feline in heat. It boosted his ego so much, having such a beautiful manifestation say such good things about him. It didn’t compare to the mortals that would say pleasant things about him.

• And you’ve yet to see him show his anger.

• The day came where he had a meeting with his subjects. They were unable to complete the tasks Muzan had given him. He got so angry that you could see his veins showing through his skin. The castle rumbled as he trembled with fury causing the glass bottles to crack and eventually break. Muzan said that they’re called “beakers.”

• The display gave you a new appreciation for him. He really was the strongest amount his kind.

After the Nakime sent everyone back to their respective places, you felt like it was time you began regulating Muzan’s mood.

He didn’t hear you come up behind him and place a dainty hand on his shoulder. His tense body eased and you felt the anger release from his body. “Muzan…” You called breathlessly. You wrapped your arms around his torso from behind. He let your hands roam his clothed chest before he opened his mouth to speak. He wanted to apologize for acting so indecently in your presence but—

“Muzan-sama~”

He was tall but if you stood on your toes then you could kiss the back of his neck. He thought that maybe this was joke. You were just playing another trick on him because you were bored.

“I’ve never seen a mortal get that angry before.” You laughed to yourself and nuzzled into his back. “I want to indulge in human pleasures now.”

Muzan felt your presence leave from behind him. You then suddenly appeared in front of him. You looked at all of the research he was going on the different types of blood. You felt like it was ultimately worthless. Once you felt like you had seen enough, you turned to him. “Have you ever eaten chocolate strawberries?” You asked innocently. You saw his eyes widen before narrowing sharply. You always framed your harmless questions as if you were finally going to tell him what he wanted.

“I prefer flesh.” Muzan simply replied, adjusting his clothes as you had nearly removed them from your stupid antics. You smiled. “of course you do.” You made a handful of strawberries in a box appear in your hand.

• Muzan had no choice but to let you do what you wanted. He let you feed him strawberries. He didn’t even like strawberries but as long as it brought you joy then he had to comply…even if it meant that your seat was on his lap.

• Your appearance and even your personality matched what he read In ancient texts. Sometimes, his situation didn’t feel real, like he would wake up and probably vow to never sleep again.

• Eventually, he becomes more comfortable with you, almost welcoming when you would come to him for affection. If he were correct, that means that you’ve probably never been with another man since the beginning of humanity. You were needy.

• Sometimes, he would try to get ahead by giving you affection on his own in hopes his ability to act first pleased you. He doted on in a way only a husband could to his wife.

• You make him stop his work to brush your hair and massage your feet.

You were watching him work again. If you weren’t going to be of any use, he might as well continue trying to reach his goals. He was frantic in his work, muttering to himself, getting frustrated and destroying more things when he seemed to reach a dead end. That’s when you would come in and invade his ears with your sweet voice. Your touch would send goosebumps down his body. He felt butterflies whenever you encouraged him to “keep going” or reassuring him that “he’s almost there.”

🔞

• Is unironically obsessed with your body. You can shape shift and look anyway you want but he prefers the body type that you arrived as.

• Believed that this is the one aspect he can have control over in the relationship but even in bed, you still order him around. A part of him doesn’t mind. He almost likes being told what to do because it gives him a sense of purpose. A purpose that differed from being Muzan Kibutsuji.

• He believes he enjoys being a top but that changes when you wrestle him onto the bed and show him something that no woman ever has. He becomes a switch at will after that.

• Has a breeding kink with you. He finds it extremely attractive to be able to have his seed carried by a powerful demoness such as yourself. Gets curious of what a child would look like with you.

[sserpente]

LOKI SEASON 2 FINALE ... LET'S DO THIS

One last time. Let's do this. *hands out tissues*

HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE UNDER THE CUT!

Okay. Let's face it. I was sobbing, you were sobbing, we were all sobbing, right?!

This episode was so damn good. An absolute cinematic masterpiece and a finale worth a beloved character like Loki.

If you've seen my Instagram story today you'll know that I was ugly crying and struggling to breathe.

Honestly. I was a mess. I still am a mess. I'm tearing up again as I'm writing this. I'm still processing. And I have so many questions!

First of all... Loki learned everything O.B. knew about the Temporal Loom and the mechanics of the TVA, spent fucking centuries doing this? Can we please talk about the commitment? I realise there was a comical aspect to this but UM?! The commitment!

The winks throughout killed me. Betcha. His calm professor-like voice had me feral, thank you very much.

When he realised that there is nothing that could fix the Temporal Loom... I immediately thought he's gonna have to stop He Who Remains from dying. When he went back there... my heart almost stopped.

For a moment, I honestly believed that he would kill Sylvie. I thought that's where the conversation he had with Mobius (which was so damn heartbreaking and epic and such an amazing verbal conclusion to Loki's way of thinking and realisation... you could practically see him struggling with the right decision and the fact that he went to ask Mobius for help is just so damn heartbreaking and sweet!) was leading. That he'd sacrifice the one person who was truly like him, who he was on one wavelength with, an outsider like him.

(That conversation with He Who Remains... him saying he paved the way for him to be able to manipulate time... and Loki outsmarting him and finding a way to keep everyone alive?! PLEASE CAN WE JUST?!)

But instead... damn, talk about a sacrifice. Loki is a fucking hero. Even writing this is so damn satisfying. Loki is a hero. And you know why that is so damn special? It's not because we wanted to prove that he's not a villain, it's not because we desperately wanted to see something in him that we obviously knew was there but it's because we didn't need him to be. He's our Loki, our cheeky God of Mischief. We loved him regardless. And now he is a hero.

Loki, the God of Stories. Loki, the God of Time.

The very moment he went down there I started sobbing. I knew at that moment that there was going to be a sacrifice of some sort. As he walked out there... and the cape appeared and those HORNS. THOSE HORNS that looked just like the cracked marble of the Citadel and He Who Remains' TemPad... I was screaming, sobbing, ugly crying... is it silly when I say that I was actually struggling to breathe?!

Can we please talk about how powerful Loki is? The fucking most powerful being in the entire multiverse? He practically became the Temporal Loom. He controls everything now, sees everything, protects everything... I still can't wrap my head around this!

It is epic. It is so fucking epic and such an amazing conclusion to his arc. Is it the end? I'm not sure. I don't want to think so. There's gonna be a multiversal war, there's gonna be Kang Variants...

We saw purple light when Renslayer woke up in the Void and I'm sure as hell that was a Kang Variant who came to pick her up. So she's gonna make another appearance for sure. So I am 100% sure this is not the last we've seen of Loki or Sylvie or Mobius. There's gonna be more, I'm sure of it.

But it was epic. Epic, epic, epic. I loved it so much. When that throne turned golden and he sat down on it, I lost it. That last scene where he smirked? THE MUSIC? The fact that his cape turned into fucking time branches?!

I have so many damn questions still. Will he be there forever? Will he be alone? Loki said that he's afraid of being alone... and now he is and that is so fucking tragic and heartbreaking. Is that the true sacrifice? The true act of heroism here, the Loki lesson to be learned? Is that how it has to be for the rest of his existence? He doesn't deserve to be alone even if this was the most selfless thing of him to do. Selfless. Loki. Beyond him saving his family I never thought I'd write something like this. Gods, damn it. And what will happen once the multiversal war breaks out which, inevitably, it will?!

Guys... let's do a group hug. I think we all need it after this epic finale.

EDIT: I forgot to mention how epic I thought the Yggdrasil reference was. I immediately cried out Yggdrasil when I saw it!

[eggsaladstain]

so i thoroughly enjoyed season 2 even if it was extremely rushed and the fact that it’s not a 1:1 adaptation is genuinely so fun to me.

like i get it, things are different from the books, the characters have developed in way they did not in the books, but the books still exist. the show canon does not negate the book canon in any way - we just have twice as much canon now and honestly i fail to see the downside to that.

book/show spoilers under the cut.

let me start with the not so good before i get to the good.

the crows really got shortchanged this time around and most of their storyline definitely felt more out of place this season compared to the first. and as satisfying as it was to see kaz beat pekka, all the wesper and kanej moments, and have 5 of 6 crows all together (sorry matthias, better luck next time buddy), the show was not nearly as successful integrating the crooked kingdom plot points as it was the storm and siege and ruin and rising ones. but i get it, the crows were always going to be secondary to alina.

that said, i do love the idea of taking this heist most of us are already familiar with and turning it on its head with these new character dynamics. imagine an empowered and free inej returning to ketterdam to help a less burdened, less haunted kaz plan the heist. imagine jesper in his element, confident and proud of his grisha abilities now that he’s made peace with his past. imagine wylan and jesper openly flirting at the most inopportune moments. imagine nina and matthias presumably actually getting some screen time together?? the possibilities are endless and i can’t wait to see where they go with this.

now, onto alina’s storyline, which has the biggest departure from the books.

the show ends with alina killing mal, amplifying her power to singlehandedly destroy the fold, bringing mal back to life with merzost, and then killing the fjerdan intruder with the cut summoned from shadows instead of light and seeming to enjoy her newfound shadow power. this is the story of a savior who becomes a saint who finds herself turning into a heretic - dark alina arc let’s go!!

i love this direction for the show because it’s incredibly consistent with alina’s journey and the way she is constantly presented as a foil for the darkling, following in his footsteps even without realizing it. she has tremendous power and a desire to protect those she cares about, and she’s clever and cunning and willing to do whatever it takes to reach her goal, whether that’s burning a set of maps so she can join mal in his trip across the fold or agreeing to a political engagement to give ravka hope for the future. though she has mal and nikolai and her other allies, this is really her journey and hers alone - her journey of discovery to embrace her own power, even as she becomes that very evil she worked so hard to destroy. the message of the show is that power corrupts, and it corrupts even those with the best of intentions, perhaps especially those with the best of intentions.

in contrast, the book ending is pretty much the exact opposite - alina fights the darkling’s forces inside the fold alongside both the first and second army. she kills mal to amplify her power but ends up losing it altogether. instead of amplifying her, the amplifier gives her power to the first army soldiers and other non-grisha around her and they, an army of sun summoners, destroy the fold once and for all. alina then kills the darkling, mal is resurrected using regular grisha-means, and alina and mal live a quiet life running the orphanage in keramzin. this is the story of a savior who is allowed to die a saint and live a quiet, happy life afterwards - poetic cinema, beautiful in its subtlety and restraint.

there’s a lot of criticism about the way ruin and rising ends and i get it, i really do. was it necessary for alina to lose her powers in order for the other sun summoners to gain them? why is her love for her power seen as something greedy, something to be punished and taken away? god forbid women do ANYTHING. but i will defend this ending with my last breath because it’s such a wonderfully subversive way to conclude alina’s story and i really don’t think it deserves most of the hate it gets.

the original trilogy started out as a pretty generic story about a chosen one who was destined to defeat a great evil and ended instead with a group of ordinary soldiers and orphans being the heroes instead. call me sentimental, but i ADORE how it comes full circle - alina was, after all, an ordinary soldier and orphan when we first met her. throughout the books, we see how she struggles under the weight of her power and the burden of her responsibilities, and i just really love the way ruin and rising said no, you do not have to do this alone, you are not the only light in the dark, here are your fellow countrymen to support you in your greatest hour of need. so often, these stories end with the heroine saving the world and then being expected to continue keeping watch with the knowledge that they will be called upon again the next time the world needs saving. and ruin and rising again says no, you have done your duty, let someone else stand guard, you have earned your rest and you deserve it.

all this is to say that i loved alina’s ending in the books, and i love that it’s different in the show. we get to explore the other paths her story could have taken, we are not just limited to the one. i love the crows as they are in the books as well, and i don’t entirely mind how different they are in the show for the same reasons.

this is an adaptation that knows when to pull from the source material and when to create something entirely new. it was never meant to replace the books, it was created in addition to them, and i hope we get many more new stories after this.

[embracing-the-ineffable]

Good Omens, staying skeptical, and the mystery and the lie at the heart of Gravity Falls

-Neil Gaiman, 29 June 2023

I recently came across this post by @apathetic-revenant, which goes into extensive detail about a whole secret meta lie generated by Alex Hirsch, creator and head writer of Gravity Falls, midway through the show.

It went like this: the show was very focused on mysteries, codes, ciphers, etc, and early on a character discovered a mysterious journal with an unknown author, and this drove the plot. There were clues placed in the show so that people could solve the journal author's identity, or more probably so that it would all make sense in hindsight after the big reveal. However, the show ended up with a larger-than-expected fandom who started organizing online in a way the creators hadn't expected or planned for, and they were worried everyone would collectively solve the mystery too easily, too soon, and the suspense and appeal of the story gradually unfolding would be lost.

So they took a fake BTS photo that appeared to reveal the journal's author and "leaked" it online. To give it credibility, the show's creator posted "Fuming right now" and then deleted the post soon after, once they were certain it had been seen and screenshots taken. The Gravity Falls fandom then stopped trying to solve the mystery, as they believed the answer had already been revealed. It was a solution "targeted toward delaying that group problem-solving, without actually affecting the experience of any individual person watching the show."

Ok, Good Omens fandom. Are we Gravity Falls all over again? Are we also experiencing meta lies?

Is it possible that Amazon's marketing department has just released a new promotional video about Aziraphale & Crowley's "timeline of interconnectedness" (discussions here and here ) where they honestly:

got several of those timeline dates wrong, including labeling the entirety of seasons 1 and 2 as belonging to the same year?

mixed all the season 1 and 2 clips together so they're completely interconnected and out of the order they were presented to us so far?

didn't consult with Neil Gaiman for even a moment to be sure they had their facts straight? (Or literally anyone else who's spent years working on it? Or even someone who has just watched it once while paying attention?)

didn't understand the way most series tell a story by moving through time in a realistic linear fashion?

When Neil said today that "time is fine" in response to questions about the timeline of interconnectedness video, was he trying to misdirect the fandom away from the mystery that's clearly hidden throughout both seasons (and especially season 2)?

The Good Place seems suddenly more relevant than I'd imagined:

Neil has told us that his Tumblr posts aren't canon. He's also said:

"Never trust the storyteller. Only trust the story."

"Writers are liars, my dear, surely you know that by now? And yet, things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot." -Both quotes are from The Sandman [link]

So here's my plea to whichever part of the fandom might read this: Stay Skeptical. It's wonderful to talk to Neil about his characters, the worlds he's created, his writing process, his views on world events, his sense of humor, his kindness, his compassion and empathy, and his good advice & encouragement for the entire range of the human experience. I respect him very much, and I'm thrilled he's here on social media talking to all of us. (Except he doesn't have social media, obviously. He's like Schrödinger's Social Media Neil-cat.)

I'm looking forward to all the surprises I'm certain are in store for us (and Aziraphale and Crowley) in Good Omens season 3. I trust Neil (and Terry!) to deliver our beloved characters to a very satisfying ending. But I don't trust Neil to honestly answer all of our questions on social media - and neither should you.

Especially not when he's already blamed obvious season 2 changes to the Bentley on the "lighting" (as just one example).

With lots of thanks to the members of the @ineffable-detective-agency - including @bbbitchvibbbez, @kimberleyjean, @maufungi, @noneorother, @theastrophysicistnextdoor, and @thebluestgreen for all their excellent fact-checking, ideas, and discussions!

Interested in diving further into all the Good Omens mysteries? I have more posts plus Clues and metas from all over the fandom, here.

[p-receh]

AMAZING EPISODE EPISODNYA BEST BANGET DKJDOFJOFJFODNKFKFKFI

I am not ok, BELIUNGGGGGG

What was your fav part? Mine? ALL OF IT

3 things.

1. ALL SEVEN ELEMENTALS BEIBEEEEEEEEH!!!!!

Not one by one like the comic counterpart, but literally Boboiboy used a freaking Hepta Split!

Tbh my expectations were low cause I was skeptical that Monsta not want to bring them after that last ep (link). But HOLY SHIT WTF???!!!!

I am absolutely jumping in my seat like a football supporter, I can't--

They got short screen time--I DON'T CARE. They still got a chance to team up once again after a whole 8 years since the first movie! Besides, that movie also shortened their screen time.

Whoever decided to make Oboi's armor resemble an ant needs a raise. That's freaking clever.

Btw it seemed their hats were locked with Oboi's position. Also, Hali, and Duri were the only elements that used their sword? Interesting...

"Kembali Beraksi" rearrangge version in the background during the whole scene?? Yes please!!!

Even though it is just short, their portrayal somehow solidified my deduction about the elementals.

Anywho I am still in tears that they finally showed up on screen again. That is my personal wishlist ever since when they announced the show. I am already satisfied with that alone tbh (like really, why should Monsta need to cut that part where they were essentially the big part of the promotion during the Windara comic arc??)

2. Finally Monsta went bold.

Oh, I looooooove that moment. Monsta started to not hold back and I am captivated by every single one of it. The dying scene was well executed, all voice actors were perfect, and this scene reminds me of this.

In my opinion, this scene was also a test for their next project which honestly more dark and horror(the most horror arc throughout the galaxy series for me)

3. IT IS TIME FOR BELIUUUUUNG!!!!

Can I say Nurfathiah Diaz as Beliung here was downright phenomenal? Like holy shit, this is by far her best performance imo, yet.

Her voice acting was blown me away and I could see her improvement from Taufan's first debut to Beliung's was....I'm-I'm lost for words right now.

Look at this line delivery! (Her laugh felt diabolical and I love it.)

"Tuanku yang seksa penduduk planet ni, paksa orang tua dan budak-budak kerja di lombong, tapi saye yang biadab?!"

Edit: Turns out she was pregnant when recording Beliung??

My Respect to her went rocket. Wow.

As a person who watch her performance since the very first season of Upin&Ipin until Boboiboy... I couldn't be more proud :')

And the animation team seriously packed the action right to the tea! Reramos was absolutely blasted the whole way by Beliung. He's as ruthless as Taufan's OG era!

See? See??? Being patient is worth it guys. Therefore I was easily enjoyed the design choice of Beliung's TV ver without seeing leaks.

Taufan's upgraded board also acted as weapons and wings? Genius. And also directly parallel to the first fight with Maripos. He even said this:

The way Beliung flies on his board almost looks like this.

Now I am 100% ready for other 3rd tier designs if this is what Monsta decides to continue on.

(oh I will draw this with the cyber Sonic for sure.)

To end this, Monsta decided to some sort of "invite" Oboi and Kuputeri into a small dark room, purposely to give a more in-depth conversation between the two, linked by Kuputeri's telepath power.

In my opinion, I prefer this strategy rather than the comic counterpart. Cause in a way, Monsta wants to show the bond between Kuputeri and Oboi as same as how Tok Kasa did with him in movie 2. Symbolize by placing the hat as they entrusted their power to the very same boy.

It might be exaggerating but that jumbled corrupted effect when Beliung's struggled? Impressive. Even more impressive that Monsta knowingly used the same effect when "finally" showcasing Beliung's card.

Speaking of ads, now they released the merchandise after the debut.

Talk about self-aware :/

Everything's not perfect and I do have slight issues, but honestly? I'm pretty satisfied with this episode! They ended it nicely done!

Lastly—

Are they not use DWIFUSION as their next title? If so, Gentar arc and Baraju arc are separated! Thank god! My biggest worry apparently will not come true! Alhamdulillah!!

PS: Oh wow, would you look at those numbers! 2 million within 3 hours when I screenshot this. What an impressive improvements.

[markantonys]

I came across a Twitter thread that said the set up for the docks when it comes to the Warder bond between Lan and Moiraine was handled much better in the books cause in the show they feel like the mechanics of the Warder bond was too vague/not explained well in the show that they weren't able to connect with Moiraine and Lan's emotional conflict in s2 because of it. And I am a bit confused cause honestly I don't think the books explain how the Warder bond works at all from what I remember. Just making a lot of wild claims about how everything about the books are better and how the show is fumbling when they haven't even read half the series yet (show first to book reader). Just this trend to shit talk every choice the show makes when you don't even know the full complete story is wild to me

haters: the show hasn't done enough to explain how the bond works

all the screentime across 2 seasons the show has dedicated to showing how the bond works which the haters kept complaining was a waste of time better spent on rand having swordfights:

like literally what do they want lmao some people will never be satisfied!

but the mention of the "mechanics" of the bond is interesting to me because i think we may be hitting upon 2 different types of viewers here: the minority of lore enthusiasts who need to understand every single detail about how things work or else they will be upset and lose immersion, and the majority of audiences who are content with a general understanding of how things work and don't get hung up on details, or will at most go "hmmm i'm not sure if this makes sense, but it's a cool story beat so i'm happy to shrug and move on".

the former category were going "but what weaves is moiraine doing now? did they actually unbond and now she's remaking it from scratch? i thought the bond was only masked? this is such a plothole, it doesn't make sense, i can't concentrate on anything else about the scene" during the 2x08 moiraine & lan beach scene, and the latter category were thinking "what a beautiful and emotionally satisfying moment of seeing them come back together!" and that's it. and probably similar for the rest of the season. if somebody felt unable to connect with the emotional aspects of that storyline, i would bet it's because they felt too unclear about the mechanics of the state of the bond and couldn't let go of that confusion enough to sink into the emotional aspects. (which is really more of a personal thing; my show-only mom was definitely keyed into the emotional aspects of this storyline and didn't get bothered about some mechanics being left vague. in fact, i think she would've just gotten confused if they'd tried to explain the mechanics in more detail djkfjg bless her.)

undeniably, the show does not explain magic mechanics in as much depth as the books do. but that is because it's banking on the very fair assumption that the majority of audiences don't need to have this level of detail in order to enjoy and understand the story (and may get more confused than they need to be if they ARE given this level of detail). i'll admit that s2 was a bit muddled on What Exactly Is Going On with moiraine and lan's bond, and i found myself a bit confused by the mechanics at times, but that never impeded my appreciation or understanding of the emotional aspects of the storyline because i'm someone who is happy to shrug and move on if the mechanics of how something is functioning in a fantasy story aren't making total sense to me.

also, moiraine & lan at the docks won't happen until the end of s3 and it's very very possible we might learn even more about bond mechanics earlier in s3 via elayne and birgitte (who will be good candidates for explaining some New Bond Basics that it wouldn't make sense for moiraine and lan to talk about since they've had theirs for 20 years), so like..........maybe they should just Watch And Find Out.

it's also very interesting that this is coming from someone in the show-to-book pipeline because i honestly would not be surprised if a lot of their base knowledge for how warder bonds works was absorbed..........from the show. and they just don't realize it. granted, if they started with new spring it might be different because i'm assuming new spring goes into a lot of depth about how warder bonds work (though i don't know for sure, i haven't read it). but if they only read EOTW-TFOH, they sure as shit are not gonna have gotten much info about bonds *from the books* because we barely spend any time with characters who are part of a bond during those books. we get, what, maybe a couple chapters total of moiraine or lan pov and then start diving into it a tiny bit more in TFOH with elayne and birgitte, but it's really not that much from what i can remember - and i can't remember very well, because i went into the books already having a very solid understanding of the concept of the bond thanks to all the work s1 put into showing it. i do not remember learning anything significant about the bond in the first 5 books that i didn't already know from s1.

it's also so strange to me in general to see people start with the show, then go to the books, and then start hating on the show because as a show-to-book pipeline person myself, all going to the books did was make me go "wow thank fuck for the show, it will fix X, it will fix Y, it's already fixed Z" basically constantly. it made me 10000x more grateful for and appreciative of the show and the way it's choosing to tell the story!

[xecutivecucumber]

Executive Cucumber's Thoughts on the Bad Batch Season 3, Episode 5, The Return!

(And I'm doing this instead of sleeping)

Spoilers after the break

Notes may not be in order

At first I was a little disappointed that we didn't start immediately after the end of the last episode, but I think I prefer it. We can have the reunion any way we want now. It's possible that the writers thought that they would all just awkwardly and quietly get on the Marauder and fly off and they knew we would be disappointed by that. So they left it to us to imagine what happened next. I think that's also why they didn't show Crosshair finding out about Tech. For them, Crosshair might just stay silent, or disassociate or something and we wouldn't be satisfied. But now we get to imagine all kinds of angst for when that happened.

Oh, the contrast between Omega waking up on Pabu and on Tantiss. SHE DESERVES THIS SO MUCH.

Aww AZ really loves Omega.

Okay, but how did Crosshair accept the fruit? Did he say thank you? I NEED TO SEE CROSSHAIR BE AWKWARD AROUND NORMAL PEOPLE.

I honestly think Crosshair wants to train Omega as his replacement if he can't get over his hands.

Wrecker and Hunter just blatantly watching them is amazing.

MOM'S HOME

Crosshair's sass is everything to me in this episode.

I honestly think that Echo is the only one who really talks about Tech out loud because he's the only one of them who has experienced loss before. He knows how to handle it. The others...do not.

STOP MAKING CROSSHAIR GO TO COLD PLACES, ESPECIALLY WHEN THAT COLD PLACE TRAUMATIZED HIM

'Little brother' oh my gosh they are my everything.

I expected Crosshair to love Omega, but he ADORES her and I am here for it. I'm also here for the fury for when she is inevitably captured again.

Hunter, you are a butt. I still love you.

HIS ARMOR. YES. YES. YES.

'It still fits' it might not have because he was so skinny and that is devastating.

Oh my gosh Hunter and Crosshair's arguing is everything I could have wanted.

'Kill each other later' Echo I love you.

I love that Batcher is just a member of the Batch now. Also, Hunter, get your senses in order the dog is doing your job.

THE HELMETS. AAAAAAAAAGH.

Hunter: sees Crosshair tenderly arranging helmets

Also Hunter: this is unreasonably suspicious

TOOTHPICKS YES

HIS TREMBLING HAAAANDS

Ugh I love Crosshair and Hunter's fight so much. Crosshair isn't just pushing Hunter's buttons, he's legitimately angry that Hunter let Omega get captured and go through what she did. And then there's the beautiful subtext of 'you let Tech die.'

Crosshair and Batcher are best duo.

THE SNOW IS SO GORGEOUS

CROSSHAIR SOUNDS SO MUCH LIKE TECH HE EVEN SAYS 'OMEGA' THE SAME WAY.

This is their get-along-worm.

Wrecker hugging Crosshair and Hunter may be one of my favorite things ever.

'There's no blood.' I am requesting all fic writers to provide me with a plethora of fics featuring Hunter and Crosshair fighting to bloodshed, ranging from angst to the stupidest argument ever.

CROSSHAIR YOU BEAUTIFUL PERSON YOU OPENED UP.

Okay after Hunter said he did things he regretted too I'm now convinced that he has committed so many war crimes in trying to find Omega. Wrecker has nightmares about it.

I can't remember where, but Crosshair's theme was played in the major key!!! LET HIM BE HAPPY

Crosshair is such a joy to watch this episode. This is who he is and it really contrasts with chipped Crosshair.

I miss Tech so much. I want to see him in this dynamic. I also want to see Crosshair and Phee's dynamic.

I mean this in the most complimentary way possible: this episode felt like a fanfiction. The focus on their interactions and emotions feels like something we'd get from a fic rather than Canon. And I love every moment of it.

I adore seasons 1 and 2, but there were definitely episodes I preferred over another. This season has been 10/10 for me so far. And once more I have to wait a FREAKING week for more.

[glow-wine]

Re: Arondir

2x8 spoilers obviously

The Rings of Power generally suffers from having to balance so many different storylines, which also advance at very different paces and aren't always equally exciting. It's a problem that the Gandalf subplot has not at all overlapped with any of the other storylines FOR TWO SEASONS. These characters do not even know of each other's existence.

In Season 1, the most engaging storyline for me was the Southlands stuff. The stakes were high and felt that way, too, since all the characters were original creations, their fate not predictable, the threat was tangible. As this storyline's protagonist, Arondir was pretty much constantly fighting to survive or to save others, and he often failed simply because the odds were so high. His dynamic with Adar was interesting and felt like it was setting up something. Arondir watched Adar grieve for a dead orc and became the first (and for the duration of Season 1, the only) character to see that emotional side of Adar. They were both doing the seed planting ritual before a battle, a deliberate paralleling of the two characters.

In Season 2, those same key moments were replicated with Galadriel, setting up the same kind of dynamic between Adar and Galadriel. Meanwhile, Arondir is ... handled weirdly. Frankly, Season 2 uses him like a cheat code: Isildur needs saving? Arondir! Galadriel needs help? Arondir! He's the action guy, who does action things. Oh, he also wants revenge against Adar for Bronwyn and everything else, but this part of the storyline isn't even half-assed, it's quarter-assed at best. He just goes up against him and gets stabbed in 2x7. But only mildly stabbed, I suppose, because the injury isn't even brought up in 2x8, he doesn't share any further scenes with Adar, does not even comment on his death. He's given no room for his personal feelings, and his character arc is a mere sketch. He's purely a supporting character as soon as he is surrounded by the "important" canonical Elves. It's not very satisfying, not very good storytelling.

And I wonder if the original plans for these characters were anything like this. Supposedly Bronwyn only died because the actress quit, so was Arondir meant to stay with the Southland refugees? Was he meant to go after Adar for some reason other than revenge? I did not think it boded well that Bronwyn wasn't recast; obviously removing this character didn't impact the overall plans all that much, and the writers didn't worry about how her death would affect and change Arondir's story. I mean, he's lost his love interest and his personal antagonist was essentially taken from him and assigned to Galadriel. All Arondir is left with is some badass action scenes and a few nice moments here and there, but it doesn't come together in the end. It just fizzles out. What's his story?

Overall, I don't think The Rings of Power has handled its original characters all that well. Not really a surprise, because the show is telling too many storylines at once, and simply doesn't have enough time to develop original characters as well. But think of the elves who briefly journey with Elrond and Galadriel, how they are non-entities and you do not even learn their names until their "shocking" death scenes. The black guy dies first, too! With that in mind, I guess Arondir is lucky to be alive, even if he's relegated to the status of a supporting character without significant relaionships or goals of his own.

Honestly, I'm not even that suprised or disappointed. I found it hard to get into The Rings of Power Season 2 right after watching Interview with the Vampire, because that show is so much better at writing characters and developing complex relationships. Surely part of the reason is that it's just a much more personal story with a smaller cast. Fallout was another positive example of a TV show handling multiple storylines/main characters more successfully than ROP, again a smaller cast and more focused writing, and a season finale that involves everyone in meaningful ways, which Rings of Power has failed to do twice now.

I'm sorry if this rant was incoherent or if there are typos, I don't feel like rereading and editing it, lol. I could also go on and on and ON! But it's way past noon, I'm still in my pyjamas and starting to feel grimy, so I need a shower.

[showtoonzfan]

We need to realize that Stolas will honestly never be in the wrong no matter how hard Vivzie tries to paint it as such, and The Circus proved that. She and the fandom flex about how this show has messy flawed characters who do messy things, in Stolas’s case it was the cheating. At first it was interesting to see how a gay man who was in an unhappy marriage negatively affected his wife and daughter, and how despite the fact that you could sympathize with him, he still did something wrong and needed to acknowledge that. Part of the allurement for most fans was that it was a complicated situation. Beforehand it felt like him and his wife used to have a well relationship, until somewhere along the lines realized he was gay and just couldn’t be happy or satisfied with her, and once she figured that out, their relationship fell apart, causing the entire family to be miserable. It was interesting to see Stolas try to explain to his daughter that he just wasn’t happy and that he had eyes for someone else, cause it’s hard to explain a kid these things. Fans liked the messy complicated drama, until….season 2 came.

I never liked Stolas from the beginning for being just another hyper sexual gay character, but I will always give some credit that his character had potential and was interesting in the sense that he was flawed regarding his family. However, I will never get over how Viv and fans flex about Stolas being this complicated and layered character when season 2 practically erased the flaws he had that made him interesting to begin with.

Because now it was never Stolas’s fault. Now his cheating never mattered, or how he affected his family because he “tried”, and because he tried, he’s not the problem and apparently never was, since Stella never loved him to begin with and never was affected emotionally by the cheating. How do you paint a character as someone who was flawed and complicated regarding the relationship with his family and then say that the entire time, he did what he could for both of them and always was there? When we know he wasn’t. Now he’s a poor abuse victim who instead of admitting to his faults and working to be better for the sake of his daughter, ends up being the one the show sides with where he has his uwu powerful “standing up to his abuser” moment and kicking her out, where a better show (with a better Stella) would have had the wife be the one kicking him out because that would have actually had…gasp, a character facing the consequences of their actions for something that THEY did.

But we can’t have that because Stolas is sad and gay. And I’m so tired of fans saying “lol why do critic blogs think that Stella loved him or had a good relationship with him with how she acted in Loo Loo Land?”- forgetting that the episode itself clearly set up the premise that their family wasn’t ALWAYS miserable and that Stolas had ruined everything once he cheated. By hiring a hitman, you could have argued that Stella used to like him but let her anger get the better of her, only for….again, the trainwreck that was The Circus rewrote everything, cause now you’re telling me that not only were they in an arraigned marriage and never liked each other from the beginning, but that Stella had been physically and verbally abusing him all these years and Octavia’s dumbass doesn’t know because Stolas tried his best to hide his misery with anti depressant pills, despite it not being believable since the show itself has shown Stella being VERY clear and outward about her hatred towards him so….how the fuck did Octavia not know by now? And it hurts that the show wants her to suck it up regarding Stolas’s flaws simply because he’s better than Stella by comparison and that he’s “trying.” Octavia deserves better writing, not something that’s clearly biased for Stolas’s favor. That’s why the show wants you to side with him because not only is he depressed, but he genuinely loves his daughter unlike his bitchy wife so that makes all his selfish and predatory actions in season 1 okay I guess.

And it’ll only go downhill from here. Judging by the leaks, the show has no interest in calling Stolas out ever. The show will make sure every character around him is either butchered or evilly one note just so he can look like the one in the right by comparison, the innocent uwu bean and I’m just so done with it. Stolas could have been such a tragic interesting and complex character, a powerful and selfish demon who was manipulative and used those lower than him for his own personal gain, a heavily smart person regarding all the resources he has to earth and the stars, but NAHH, he ended up being just another Angel Dust in the end that everyone babies and excuses his horrible actions because he’s sad and gay, since no one can fathom the fact that gay characters are allowed to be portrayed as bad too and calling Stolas out on his shitty actions doesn’t make you homophobic.

[spaceorphan18]

Umbrella Academy Thoughts

So. I did end up finishing Season 4 last night.

I need to preface this with -- I actually really do love this show. The first season of it is still one of my favorite TV stories. I love the characters. I love the sibling dynamics. I love superhero element - where the powers feel fresh or interesting spins on old things. Five and Klaus are just everything.

I didn't love love Seasons 2 or 3, but they were solidly good.

But they could have left things be after Season 3. They could have left well enough alone. Because Season 4, man. What???

Okay, onto spoilery things.

I will say, I really love the concepts and ideas the season had. The strange alien goo stuff wiping everything out while enhancing powers? Sure, fine. The train station that went to different time lines -- inspired, loved that. Even the idea behind the ending -- I could get behind if done correctly.

They had six episodes to tell a really compelling story and just... didn't. Most of it was a waste of time, a bunch of it didn't make sense, and some of it was just plain stupid, and it really breaks my heart that a show that was so, so, so brilliant when it started descended into this mess.

One thing I did like was Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally as the two cult leaders. They were fantastically cast, and did a great job even when the scripts descended into nonsense. I wish they had a stronger ending, but great choice in the casting department.

I have to wonder - the first episode is pretty solid, and I actually like the idea of their lives kind of sucking in their happily ever after era, which thematically makes sense when they wrap around to being erased. Another great idea. But I wonder -- did they get the note that it'd be six episodes after they started writing? But there's a definite shift after the first couple episodes that started to feel like both they were trying to cram in too much to the episodes and that there wasn't enough plot to really make an interesting story. The pacing was incredibly weird.

So... let's talk about the rest of the characters, shall we?

Luther -- I honestly loved his characterization in this season. He was great! He also had really nothing to do, and the whole thing at the CIA's office was a waste of time. Why did we need that sequence, especially when it took up an entire episode?

Diego -- I feel like they made him a little too much of a loser? I also kind of missed his banter with the other siblings. He just felt like a shell, which was intentional, but never got any redemption? Which -- like, if you're going to erase the characters, and this goes for everyone, give them some kind of satisfying growth or ending before they're gone.

Allison -- I'm amused that everyone just kinda let it go (honestly, I don't even remember what she did do, I only watched Season 3 once, but I remember it was bad) but I am glad she got to not be the bad guy this season. Finally. She had some nice moments. Again, didn't really do much ultimately.

Klaus -- my god, the biggest waste of time during the whole season. I love where they started him. But why did he get the stupid subplot of him being a medium? Why did we go there? It's like they needed him out of the way, and buried in a box. You can see the -- how do we get there of it all. But none of it was needed. And it's clear they had no actual idea of how to get him into the main plot. Because he does nothing. And it just... breaks my heart because I love his character so much.

Five -- *sigh* Five is my /favorite/ character, and just... what?? The biggest BIGGEST wasted opportunity was not having more shenanigans related to the train station. Could you imagine if he brought everyone and they all had to timeline jump? It would have been so cool! The concept was brilliant and amazing and just... what?? I did love the diner of Fives. That was inspired and a taste of what i really wanted. But instead they waste all that opportunity on a love triangle. And I get that maybe they were going for Five having character growth of thinking about more than himself? Kind of? But then they missed idea of their whole character who spent three seasons trying to save EVERYONE and not himself, I just... I can't with it. I can't.

Ben -- I'm fine with the Ben stuff, mostly. He was the main plot, it worked until the end when it dissolved into stupidity and shit monsters.

Victor -- At least he got to be part of the main plot in a meaningful way. I did like he and Hargreeves teaming up. It was one aspect that did work for me. I've always felt they never gave Elliot Page enough to do, when he's one of the stronger actors, but at least he didn't get the worst things to do.

Lila -- Oh my god. back to the love triangle stuff. I don't mind her, or the fact that she and Diego had a shitty life. It's fine. But the love triangle was so uninspired. So felt like I've seen this kind of thing a hundred times before. It was so terrible that they needed to waste their time on it. Why? What did any of these characters do to deserve it? It's like, the show, every time it diverged from interesting sci-fi concepts and attempted human drama just kind of failed. And it's sad.

Jennifer -- I... still have so many questions. How did the anti-marigold stuff get into her in the first place? Why was she in a squid? Just... what??

Regi and his Wife -- They've always been so vague about them. I wish they had explained just a little bit more. Just have a little more context and I think it would have gone a long way. The characters just didn't ask enough questions of them, and the story felt thin and unrealized as a result.

Okay... The ending...

When you get to the point in your story where you're CGI'ing a giant shit monster, don't you think it's time you're probably done, done? Like if you are doing this creatively? You've run out of ideas and you're just scrapping the bottom of the barrel. It's just... kind of sad. Everything about it is sad.

As for being erased, I don't actually hate the concept, but man do I hate the execution.

There was a way that could have been incredibly narratively satisfying. You erase them, and then go back to the beginning, and the kids get to live and grow up on their own. Then for the last sequence (loved that they brought I think I'm alone now) you have seven strangers pass each other in the park not knowing each other. And that would have been fantastic, you know? A way for the characters to live on and still uphold the ending.

But what we got? It just felt... so muddled? Like -- how is Claire's kid alive when she never existed? Same with Diego and Lila's kids? I don't understand it!! And the cameos were cute -- but why not bring back everyone? I just don't think it makes a whole lot of sense the way it plays out.

The entire season needed a rewrite, better editing, stronger character focus, and it would have been brilliant. Because the ideas are there. The concepts of this season are great. But maybe they ran out of time? Maybe Netflix switched things on them last second? Or maybe the powers that be aren't that great at their jobs?

Idk, idk. I don't blame the actors (or the crew) they did what they could to salvage the messy, messy script choices.

But I think what makes me the saddest is that it's such a botched ending, this show, that really was so good in the beginning, will end up being forgotten by time because of its ending. In ten years, people will probably forget this show ever existed because we've all moved on not wanting to go back to it.

What a disappointment.

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

Tokyo revengers season 2 top 10 moments! (As voted for by you guys!)

10. We're kicking this list off with a victory, at no10 it's the moment where Takemichi succeeds in actually changing things and where toman wins the Christmas battle. Seeing all their grins after such a hard fight was definitely a great moment!

9. Next up it's Takemichi's "loneliness is the worst speech" gotta be one of the most iconic and true things said in the series.

8. Here it's Yuzuha, Hina, Hakkai and Takemichi bonding at the bowling alley. An anime only scene so it was definitely fun to watch and not to mention cute seeing the girls sharing snacks while the boys did their competition.

7. An iconic Hanma next, it's him suggesting the team names. Did anyone not smile at this? (Yk aside from Takemichi and Chifuyu)

6. Here we have Chifuyu's "good plan" and thumbs up, just generally a funny point in the series. Poor Takemichi.

5. Koko's Bleh's, that's all I have to say

4. Ok a super satisfying moment next, Kisaki getting kicked out of toman. It was good to see the tables turn on him for once.

3. And taking the bronze place is future Kazutora's appearance. Not only did he have a big role to play in saving Takemichi and helping bring toman down but he looked great while doing it.

2. In silver we have Izana's mini appearance, honestly I'm impressed with how little he appeared and how high on this list he got, the hype was worth it though.

1. And at no1, gold place we have manila Mikey! We all went a little crazy when he arrived and I think you can definitely see why

[only-lonely-stars]

Dragons Rising Season 2, Part 2 - Many Thoughts

So... because I don't have Netflix and can't actually support the creators, I watched the leaked Season 2 Part 2 episodes. I have a ton of thoughts. SO MANY SPOILERS under the cut!

Okay, first of all. Loved the concept, some of the execution was a little iffy... feels like a lot of Dragons Rising, so I'm not surprised. The ending was satisfying enough to make me want more.

Comments on Season 2 Part 2:

As I've come to expect, the animation was spectacular. It makes up for a LOT of faults, and the big fight at the end genuinely had me invested. I am LOVING the way they're handling it.

The Motion Source Dragon asking Lloyd to be her champion was... an interesting choice. Felt forced, but it ended up okay. I wouldn't have made that writing choice.

LOVE the murder mystery, it felt more original than most of the season. No notes.

Another tournament? Given that S4 is one of my favorites of the original show, I had to love it. And it turned out great!

Bleckt always felt sus. Glad to be proven right there.

It's about time we had some conflict between Arin and Sora. Was she really never going to tell him the truth? Of course it would backfire...

PALEMAN!!!! WE LOVE PALEMAN!!!

Frak is a good side character, I want to see more of him in S3.

Okay writers, go ahead and stab me and twist the knife. I knew the Jaya reunion would hurt, but I DIDN'T WANT IT TO HURT LIKE THIS! I am this close to writing a fix-it fic - it was done so well.

Was anyone else ready to break something after seeing how obvious the "rigged games" twist was? The characters not acting on it feels like weak writing...

The rotary phone joke was done well. I appreciated it.

Lloyd's not-so-prophetic dreams are beginning to get on my nerve circuits. (By the way, BRING BACK PIXAL, PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU.)

Wyldfyre and Roby are an interesting pairing... just weird enough to work. Not sure I love either character, but the ship is good!

Cole finding his mother's mech actually made me cry. Add it to the list of fic ideas! ;v;

Last but not least, Arin's corruption arc... wow! I honestly didn't think the writers had the guts to do it. Whether it actually pays off, I'm on the fence, but the fact they were willing to try it earns a lot of respect from me. I love that choice.

Hopes and dreams for Season 3:

Seeing more of Jay. Can we please get him back where he belongs? My Jaya-loving heart aches. Also, handling the whole wolf mask thing.

While I'm on the subject, I also hope we see: Pixal, Master Wu (in the flesh), the various Ninja's parents, Princess Vania, Harumi, Lord Garmadon, Dareth, Benthomaar, and/or the Metalonians!

Diving into Arin's arc a little more. I'd love to see him genuinely grapple with his morals and goals. My ultimate dream would be for him to be unaffiliated with anyone. Let him be a lone wolf if he wants!

More character growth for Sora and Wyldfyre. This half of S2 really made me care about them. At least for Wyldfyre, that's new! For Sora especially, I'd love to see more confidence... and maybe that friendship with Jordana playing out.

KAI! Kai doing ANYTHING. Watching him run around an M.C. Escher drawing every once in a while was not that satisfying.

More about the dragon ivory. It was such an interesting bit of lore, I want to know more.

How will Lloyd use the Motion icon/sword thing? In a moment of dire need? Probably, but what moment?

PLEASE let's go back to SHINTARO please I am on my knees--

Final rating for the season: 8.5/10. Has room to improve, but I still really liked it!