#i don't even remember like...my reaction to the episode to be honest. i think i watched it once and my brain blocked out all memory of it

[myfairstarlight]

Alright, let's talk about Colin's entrapment line and why Penelope offering an annulment was significant, shall we? Arguably the most controversial part of this season, isn't it?

I'm not going to delve too long on the entrapment line again actually, but to summarise, Colin has been traumatised by a similar situation before, and right now, he's hurt. And the thing about being angry with your best friend is that you know what to say to hurt them the most. We see it in Eloise's and Penelope's fight, as they threw each other's insecurities in the other's faces. Colin, two episodes ago, was defending Penelope against Portia, who was accusing her of entrapping him, so yes, his mind will jump to that first. But also note that the whole time he refuses to look at her, because he knows his words are cutting and will hurt and he knows his resolve would break if he looked at her, which is contrasted by Penelope directly looking at him to tell him she loves him and did not mean for this to happen like this. He does not look because he knows she loves him, this is not Marina's situation exactly who only wanted a way out and did not see him as much else than a means to an end, and that's why it's so much more difficult to deal with for him. Penelope loves him.

And he's already almost lost her once, as angry and hurt as he is, he cannot fathom the idea of letting her go, when he remembers how empty he felt without her letters, or at the idea of her with Debling. So he's still here, determined to marry her.

So now we get to e8. The marriage was not technically consummated, and the Lady Whistledown business is finally settled. So Penelope offers the annulment, to set him, and his family, free from her mess.

They never directly address Colin's entrapment comment again, but with Penelope offering the annulment, it is now implied she's been thinking about this the whole time. It is a very real possibility that by that point, Penelope already knew she was pregnant, and it's been speculated if she told Colin in that scene after Francesca's wedding or not (I personally don't think she did, to not add to his guilt at that moment, and perhaps to not influence his decision, knowing she would be offering the annulment soon) and it parallels Marina's situation again, except in this case, Penelope does not wish to trap Colin with a baby, even if it is his. She knows how much Marina impacted Colin, and does not wish to do the same thing she had prevented Marina to do. The best part about this though? Colin is stunned (Edit: I changed the adjective here as someone rightfully pointed out I was exaggerating by saying "flabbergasted" when his reaction is more on the subtle side the English language is the bane of my existence). Frankly, he probably forgot he even said that, the same way he forgot about his "I would never dream of courting Penelope Featherington" comment - those were words said in the heat of the moment he never actually believed. Not once has Colin thought of either breaking the engagement, or get an annulment even after the betrayal.

He could have still eloped with Marina even after learning the truth, but he didn't because she was not honest with him from the start. He learns Penelope has been living a double life this whole time, and yet he stays.

It is significant that Penelope listened and acknowledged Colin's point of view, the same way she asked him to simply stand by her side and support her. Also note that she never says "our family", she says "you or your family".

Despite already being married, this whole time, it did not feel like they were, and she knew that as long as there was still this barrier between them, she could never truly be part of that family, but it's alright, she could live with that, she has mended things with her own after all, and she can support herself. Whatever the outcome, she'll be alright, she believes.

Fortunately for her, she does not get to find out what that future would entail because Colin absolutely hates the idea of letting her go.

Because after all, she's a mess, but she's his mess.

[haifoct]

Xiao Zhuo, Li Lun, and Ying Lei adventures at Tianxiang Pavilion incoherent ramblings.

Anyways, I was rewatching FoF (as one does), and episode 21 — on a rewatch, when you know damn well Li Lun is possessing Bai Jiu's body — is hands down one of the funniest, pure comedy gold episodes that the series has to offer.

It's almost offensive how blatant they were about Bai Jiu being Li Lun here. Fashionista Li Lun woke up, and decided he's not going out in those EW clothes smelling of his cousins herbs. That vomit of every colour out there and a nest for hair are NOT sexy. All white for a dignified gentleman like himself.

They point out the change in his outfit, and we don't question it because Li Lun (despite people here claiming he doesn't understand humans) knows it would be a big deal for a teenage boy to visit a place like Tianxiang Pavilion. Dressing more maturely feels natural, and Li Lun gets to slay in all white yet again.

Li Lun: Must change. Li Lun: No one will notice. They will think this loser is excited, good plan.

Li Lun's face is priceless here. There are only two options: either Li Lun seeps through and is genuinely offended that this baby mountain god he remembers acts like this ("why crave attention from human? disgusting. ZHUO YICHEN LOOK AT ME"), or he understands the affections Bai Jiu holds for Xiao Zhuo-ge, acting his ass off even when no one is looking.

I like the first option as an explanation, because Li Lun DOES seep through quite often in this episode.

It looks fun, he said, like a fucking IDIOT.

"Oh shit."

"Shit. Did Zhuo Yichen notice? Shit shit shit shit."

And he continued to fuck up. Those were small details, but I genuinely couldn't stop laughing at his loser ass.

He tugged Xiao Zhuo's bells too hard, actually tugged Yichen back. His movements are harsher, stronger than Bai Jiu's. Bai Jiu tugs at Xiao Zhuo's sleeve or bells gently, and when it is in fact hard, it's usually Yichen trying to walk and Bai Jiu staying behind.

"FUCK. I tugged too hard." LI LUN, YOU DORK.

He tugged so hard Yichen's ribbon came undone. "I fix this. It will be alright it's part of my plan."

Unfortunately, ribbon does not stay put anymore.

Li Lun's honest reaction to this turn of events. No control over his face or strength whatsoever.

Ying Lei and Li Lun's moments have a very special place in my heart. They bounce off each other so nicely, and you can absolutely tell that Li Lun was having fun.

His shit eating grin. Sometimes I wonder if this is what Li Lun did when he was a baby.

Zhu Yan: Let's see human world! Li Lun: sure! Zhu Yan: Yaaaaay! Li Lun: Yaaaaaay! Zhu Yan, at the gates to the human world, turning to his bestie: Li Lun, this so exciting — Li Lun? Li Lun! Li Lun, back at Kunlun: snoozes, sunbathing.

Li Lun entered the pavilion as we know it, and saved his Ge, not forgetting to be a massive dork about it.

He once again pulled Xiao Zhuo real hard. Yichen went WOOOOOSH.

Well saved, Li Lun! Unfortunately, his precious Ge scolds him, but not without remembering to thank Li Lun for his hard work first.

I know for a fact that this was Li Lun seeping through yet again. "If it weren't for me, Zhuo Yichen!"

Yichen was utterly hilarious in that moment too. He took a moment to catch his breath, like being touched by a bunch of women was the worst nightmare he'd ever experienced. He's finally free, the worst day of his life. They're comedic duo we deserve, I will never shut up.

And I LOVE that Li Lun never forgets to hold his Ge by the...well, he does forget that he’s supposed to hold him by the bells, not Yichen’s fucking belt.

Xiao Zhuo: What the — ? Bai Jiu usually holds the bell, why is he holding the belt? *confused Zhuo Yichen noises*

Li Lun is such a DORK. They share one braincell for the three of them. One braincell dream team.

Previously, everyone ignored Ying Lei's attempts to high-five his friends, and isn’t it the cutest that Li Lun was the one to give him a high five? Although he was surely shocked to experience friendship: "*GASP* a high five from a friend?"

Well done, Li Lun! Thank you for your service, you little dork. I will never stop calling him that.

I just love the three of them together so much. It makes me happy that Li Lun got to experience what real friendship feels like, and these two were the perfect candidates to show him the light and welcome him into their home.

This episode is my comfort place now, a better world where they get to be friends and form a perfect one braincell dream team.

[nastasya--filippovna]

So I finally finished Rivals

so here's my review followed by my episode-by-episode, PowerPoint presentation, Danny Motta style reaction (which no one asked for)

⚠️so massive spoilers heads-up⚠️

WHAT A WATCH! for the first time in, well, forever I did not binge the show immediately after it came out. I gave it time. Watched one episode each day and I think I liked the experience! I remembered a lot more stuff that I do when I binge things. But that's not what I'm here to talk about. Pfft let'g get into it huh!

So I read the book like ages ago when the show was first announced and though I remembered some stuff from the plot, I mostly let myself be shocked by it. Would I have watched it if David Tennant wasn't in it. Hmmmm? Probably not!

I mean this show....ugh... man there's no one word to describe it, is there! It's not all romp and pomp although it may seem like it. The strangest part is that for a show that's dealing with some really dark matter it (for some darn reason) refuses to take itself seriously (as @davidtennantgenderenvy wonderfully put it). I mean one minute we're dealing with woman rights, the other Matador Ole is playing while Rupert and Cameron stare each other like that.

I think it's unfair that the media constantly limited the premise of the show to its sexual aspects. The story is a clear socio-political critique of the power politics, sexual politics, and elite culture of the time and it's still quite reflective of the same things in our time too. In fact, the very fact that it disguises itself as a period piece makes it all the more applicable to our time. While watching the show I felt as if each character represents a different segment of the upper class; like Antonio Gramsci said the capitalist class is not a unified group. We have Rupert who represent the political elite, the ones that come from powerful families and then we have Declan who's the intellectual elite, Tony who's one of those new-money business elite people who will never really fit into this cult, Fred the technology millionaires, and Monica who represents that fading, waning part of old British aristocracy that was all about decorum and honour and values and virtue, something that is no longer valued in all the new kinds of elites that are springing up.

It's a very turbulent time. We're on the brisk of turning the world into the way we have it now, pulling it out of another era that is now fading away.

Rupert.... um man! Alex Hassell should be banned from playing this character because he injects more charisma in it that he deserves. I almost started liking him. And it's weird to me that his character development is fine, it's great it's wonderful, he goes from a careless heartless scoundrel to a nice caring person. The only problem I have here is what he did to Taggie in the beginning. How can someone ever possibly expect a woman to forgive a man for s3xual abuse or harassment. That's like major rizz-killer. But his friendship with Lizzie was one of the things I really liked. Made him seem so much more human.

Talking of Lizzie. My girl. My favourite character. Although if I'm being honest EVERY single woman in the show was impeccable. Every one of them ten thousand times more complicated than any male character. We need more women written by women. Sarah looks like a dumb blonde but she's not. She's just a woman who's trying to make something of her life in this male dominated world. Cameron Cook. Absolute goddess. She's powerful. She knows what she wants and how to get it. We just don't have enough ambitious women in media portrayed as "good". Ambitious women are always shown as bitches. And she's not passive in regard to her sexuality. It's her weapon and she uses it with her full agency. Monica, what can I even say about her. Perfectly embodies the crumbling grace of old aristocratic families. Beautiful performance, beyond words. Maud. Oh boy. I lowkey hated her for a bit but her last scene was so amazing.

Aaaaaaand Tony. Tell you what they should NOT let David Tennant play bad people. 'Cause he's gonna do it so good it will give you nightmares for ages. I love that he is always in command of the kind of response he wants to elicit from the audience in regard to his character especially when playing an antagonist. I mean if we compare them, Des makes you feel like you're gaping at the fucking abyss, Tom Kendrick is just awful and scary like a bad father, Kilgrave is (like the character's personality) the kind of performance where you want to hate this person bcs you know they're awful but something about them is sucking you in and you hate that feeling but you can't stop it somehow (cz that's what Kilgarve does!). For Tony he knew what he was doing. He knows how to turn on maximum rizz and then turn it off. He reels in the viewer, making them think oh this is the most charismatic human being I have ever seen (just like Tony does to other characters) and then he strikes when you're in deep.

Another interesting bit about this character was how (esp in eps 7 and 8) there's bits where you think that maybe he's not altogether bad, that maybe there's a bit of kindness and love hiding there somewhere. But then you realise there isn't. All that tenderness is deliberate. He does it on purpose because it draws people in. He cannot love because he doesn't have it in him. Everything is, for him, about social status and winning. He doesn't love his wife. He doesn't love Cameron. He just wants to have them because she feels like he didn't have the things he deserved at some point so now he's gotta have everything. Like he says "just let me have this one"; it's all about winning. Heard someone call him a cartoon villain. Nope guys he's very real. Also the only time you feel like he's being genuine is when he's being a sopping wet pathetic mess in the end.

And he's also very relatable to some extent. I get that what he goes through. His insecurities and whatever complex he has. I do. I go to a university with rich kids from filthy rich families. My parent's parents weren't rich. They just made their fortunes in the last generation and even though I get to be in the same circles as these rich pricks, I feel always (or they make me feel) left out. Like I'm an imposter. Like I could never really have any real class. And that itches a very particular itch in my brain.

As an afterthought, I think you can measure men's personalities and worthiness in terms of DT characters: On a scale of Alec Hardy to Tony Baddingham what kind of man are You!"🫵

On the whole it was a great show. Lovely music. Loved the introduction of each character and how it just lets you know what kind of person this guy/gal/person is! Wonderful cinematography and visuals. Gripping sub-plots. An what an ending! Perfect cliffhanger. And tbh I'd really like it if they left it here. To me a good story doesn't always need to be resolved. There's something to be said for those little ambiguities and uncertainties in life and all the thigs left unsaid. [and if someone is really anxious they can go read the book] Remarkable watch. ★★★★★ (5/5)

And now the reaction!

(Tap for full picture and better quality)

Anyways, here's some memes I made while watching Rivals

Episode 5 Live Reaction:

[projectjasper]

phumpeem are (basically) already dating

and no, i don't mean that they've been acting like a couple for episodes (although they have). i mean they essentially started dating this episode.

now, i've seen certain people confused about the progression of the relationship. they were kissing each other left and right all throughout previous episodes, but suddenly peem is acting shocked at a little peck on the cheek.

except, those little pecks, which made peem act like a scandalised victorian lady, weren't the only kisses we saw this episode.

there was, of course, the makeout sesh at the hotel, which peem was more than open to:

and this adorable little peck on the lips:

so... what's the deal here? well, the rules of the game, of course.

when phum confessed his feelings in front of all peem's friends, it produced exactly two reactions from peem:

the very insecure doubt of whether he actually likes him, as per my past discussion's of peem's insecurities

and a little tongue-and-cheek "hey, you were kind of a dick, when we first met, so now it's my turn to make you sweat a little"

the former reason gave us the actually quite serious scene, where peem interrogates phum about his feelings, and phum battles peem's insecurities quite masterfully, being open, honest, and incredibly complimentary:

and the latter gives us all the other scenes of peem going "hey! you're supposed to act like you're trying to win my heart, not like you already own it, even though we both know you do".

this isn't actually serious and they both know it. it's obvious that peem knows it and trust me, so does phum, as he wouldn't have confessed in the first place, if he wasn't sure that peem had feelings for him. (to be fair, activating doubt and self-consciousness about that in phum would be really easy, but in these particular circumstances, he knows).

and further proof of all this being just a little game that they both understand the rules of is, of course, the moment the game stops:

phum is hollowed-out, freshly retraumatised, and generally having the worst fucking time he's had in months, which peem clocks immediately. and things change. the familiar intimacy is back and it doesn't go away on the train, at the hotel, or on the beach. peem spends time consoling phum, healing him, giving him kisses and hugs. we're in time out. and during this time out, we get an (almost) direct verbal confirmation of what the real answer to phum's question has obviously been this whole time as well.

only by the end of the episode do we return to the game. phum is feeling alright again, and so we're back to "no kisses for you, gentleman - you're supposed to be winning my heart, remember?"

and i think it's fairly obvious from the preview that peem will get his fill of the game next episode, when other people, who do not fully understand their silent unspoken agreement about this game, get involved in it, which peem won't be too happy about:

and which will genuinely worry phum and make him doubt himself:

peem is just having some fun getting back at phum for his past behaviour a little. but the second the game stops being fun for him and especially for phum, it's done for.

and we are back to our actual, genuine intimacy. for good this time 🥰

now, we are most likely still going to get a scene, where they actually directly discuss the fact that they are dating now. but that's a formality more than anything. like i said, they are (basically) dating already.

[dunmeshistash]

What do you think about Shuro? And more specifically his relationship with Laios, and idk if you talk about ships but what are your thoughts on laishuro

I have this headcannon that Laios has some sort of unrequited crush on Shuro just because it's sorta funny

I ship pretty much everything. Like, as default I think everyone should kiss everyone 👍

If I'm honest I'm not much of a Shuro fan, he's a little boring to me and reactions to the chimera episode made me dislike him a bit lmao.

Ignoring the fandom I like him as a character and I LOVE his fight with Laios. Shuro's relationship to Laios is my favorite part of that character so laishuro pretty much saves him for me.

In universe Shuro is said to be quite the introvert even for people from his country. He's not the standard for someone from the eastern archipelago and it bothered me a bit when people used that to justify how he wasn't honest to Laios. I understand the idea that he comes from somewhere where reading social cues is not only expected but required but he's also someone who avoids confrontation and is quiet/shy in general.

Here's a bit from Maizuru's description from the adventurer's bible

"People tend to describe Shuro as "drab" and "shy" (...)" so specifically HE IS the exact type of person who would cause the biggest misunderstanding with Laios, just compare him to how his retainers or even his father and brothers act.

It took them saying they used ancient magic on Falin/seeing chimera Falin for him to finally snap, everything else he decided to just take it cause he thought it was better to take it than to confront Laios directly.

So besides the cultural differences you have to take into consideration this was pretty much the perfect storm brewing for that confrontation, and it's as much who Shuro is as a person and who Laios is as person that caused it.

I also disagree that the fight was a "they're both in the wrong" situation. Don't get me wrong, Laios was VERY culturally insensitive to Shuro and even more insensitive to his feelings, but there was nothing he could have done differently with the information that was available to him.

Specifically I see this comic being used to justify how Laios was to blame too, making Shuro into the victim

Like that's a major white guy move but he DIDN'T HEAR Shuro's name and Shuro never corrected him. I'd understand it if his reaction was "Your name is too complicated so I'll call you Shuro instead" that would be a major dick move, but Laios did not hear his name because Toshiro mumbled it, and for someone that forgot Kabru's name several times I imagine he made an effort to remember Shuro's.

Laios never met someone from the eastern archipelago before this, nobody ever explained to him he wasn't acting in an appropriate manner and most of all he thought they were friends. He trusted Shuro to set boundaries for him, he always respects boundaries that are set even when he doesn't fully understand them (Recalling the "I forgot about feelings.." when Chilchuck says it feels wrong to eat merman)

Instead of explaining ANYTHING to Laios, Shuro instead held it all in until it exploded all at once, he blamed Laios for not knowing something he couldn't know, and accused him of not being serious about saving his own sister.

Just imagine how this must have felt for Laios, everyone is always underestimating how serious he is, everyone accuses him of being stupid, clueless, and now this guy is telling him he isn't serious about saving the person he loves the most in the world and wants to protect always. To me this wasn't a "they're both in the wrong" situation, Shuro is far more in the wrong than Laios. But that's just how I see it.

That all being said, they understood each other finally and made peace after that fight.

And several times after this we see that Shuro really cares for Laios, and Laios still wants to be his friend. He even offered to save Laios if he fails (and he's sure he's gonna fail). So their relationship is dear to me, especially cause after this they finally have the foundation for a true mutual friendship <3

I think my dislike of Shuro comes from relating to him to be honest, it happens often that I see my own failures on a character and get angry at them for being angry at myself lmao. I also got a little annoyed cause I only saw people defending him, apparently those were made as a response to hate he had gotten? But since I never actually seen the hate it just felt annoying to see Shuro being white knighted.

Anyway I love the two of them together and I'm really happy they finally understood each other better. laishuro might be my favorite Laios ship, one sided crushes are great.

[murfpersonalblog]

"I agree that Lestat had nothing to do with [Paul's death] directly. However, if we remember that episode, Paul was like: 'That man is a devil, he got into my head!' And my whole thing was, I mean Lestat did get into his head.... I don't believe Lestat pushed him to do what he did? But obviously Paul was very mentally ill. That, mixed with him being hyper-religious and hyper-Christian, I feel like that intrusion of Lestat into his mind? Maybe it made him feel like his temple was unclean, or it made him feel like the devil got into my head and now I am soiled now I am bad. And it probably pushed him to do that. So I don't believe Lestat did do that to [Louis'] brother. But I think [Lestat's] intrusion into [Paul's] brain probably played a role in him doing that, so I'm glad they spoke on it here."

WOW | Interview With The Vampire 1x6 | Reaction & Commentary - FrankFreezy (23:23 - 24:37)

I LOVE this so much.

Cuz it goes back to what I was saying here: Louis has ALWAYS loved Lestat--beyond reason, religion, family, himself, Claudia AND Paul combined. I HATE when people act like Louis never loved Lestat, or never showed Lestat how much he loved him. Pay attention, y'all!

IWTV S2 Ep8 Musings - LDPDL: Burning Questions (Pt2)

EVERYONE called Lestat the Devil. Louis KNEW what Lestat did to Paul--both at the family dinner, and what Paul said later on the roof. He knew it was all true, cuz he'd seen it with his own eyes, and he'd FELT the same way--Louis felt unclean & soiled & bad, and RAN out of 1132 after they had sex the first time; and RAN to the confessional screaming "HELP ME, Father, he's in my head!" after Paul died.

But the gothic horror/romance is that despite seeing Les at his absolute worst, killing all those priests like an utter demon, LOU CHOSE LESTAT ANYWAY. And it's been (literally) KILLING him ever since. "I run to bad beds!" His 128+ dead men in SanFran are all Les!

It's why I love Ep5, as it's just more of the same: seeing Lestat at his worst and Lou STILL loving the monster AND the man in Ep6 (my fave episode in the whole series so far). Seeing Les try to kill Claudia in 1x7 and STILL mourning him all the way into 2x7.

There's A LOT of Les' trash Lou settles for & accepts, inc. even the suspicion that Les ad something to do with Paul's death; inc. Les abusing both him & Claudia. It's not until Les SPAT on Lou's love before a whole crowd of lynchers with "Come to Me" that the last straw broke how much Louis could forgive, cuz "Come to Me/Viens a moi" was when Les got into LOUIS' head and drove HIM to death (vampirism) too, literally in 1x1 & figuratively in 1x6.

The fandom doesn't talk about the dubcon/noncon/mind-rape of the Come to Me/church scene as much as we should, and how much of a violation it was for Les to be barging all up in Lou's head the way he was, while Lou was literally suffering an entire grief-triggered drunken suicidal mental breakdown. Lou's POV makes it seem more like lethal assault (I'm being mortally hunted; my life/soul's in danger by the white Devil). But Lestat/the script acknowledged the predatory nature of Come to Me during the Trial, when Les flipped it to make it seem like Lou had (sexually) assaulted HIM instead (my purity/chastity's in danger by the Black pimp).

This violation of their relationship is IT for Louis ("those were HIS words! F**k you!"). Their history is sullied, Lou's name & reputation (personhood) is dragged through the mud & soiled. ("I was dead.") With Claudia dead and Les betraying them by participating in the rigged Trial, Lou was able to believe Armand's weak AF lies for 77 years ("bad beds"); and sacrifice his love/marriage, "kill" Les & get divorced (Lou's most non-Catholic move of all, LOL) for good.

Les had ONE chance to be honest about the Trial (the 2x8 Tower Scene) & totally blew it by letting Armand get away with "Banishment." It all comes home (literally, in NOLA), when Lou finally stops running AWAY from uncomfortable truths, and asks the burning questions about Les that REALLY define their relationship.

Cuz it's not really about the Trial, or even Claudia; it's about Paul, the catalyst for Louis' entire arc--she was just the final/ultimate casualty. Everyone important in Lou's life has just been another replacement for Paul, "I loved him more than anyone on earth." All the people he had sit & TALK to him--Lily, Lestat, Claudia, Daniel, even Armand (to an extent), are all just Lou looking for Paul--understanding, acceptance, and love--i.e.: his companion. Someone he can confide all his secrets in, who won't judge/condemn him, and who'll accept & love him for who he is.

Sam said Les is Lou's "soulmate." Even though his heinous antics constantly proved Paul RIGHT, Lou also loved when Les put in the effort to prove Paul WRONG--he CAN behave & act like a human & charm the absolute pants off of Louis by just sitting on a park bench or sofa & TALKING to Louis; CONNECTING with Louis on a deeper level than even sex (which Lou already said is the best he's EVER had--and ya boi got around in the 70s-2000!).

But Les can also match Louis' freak; show his fangs, and be an utter monster Lou ALSO loves; cuz there's something dark in Louis too, that Jacob said "needs friction."

I said before that actual saints like Jonah & Paul are way too nice for Louis; too good & pure for this world. Lou LIKES Bad Boys; he likes men who're effed up & broken, cuz it makes HIM feel like he's not alone--HE'S not so bad after all. Vamps are just crabs in a bucket, and Lou's own hyper-Catholic brain treats it as a form of punishment, that he "deserves" effed up devils like Les & Armand. Beaten down all his life, and hating himself, full of self-loathing, Lou never knew his own worth--"let's meet vampires WORTHY of your love!" In 1x5 Lou stopped putting in the effort to take care of himself & their family/household ("ignoring all other duties of the role Claudia once mocked me for: the unhappy housewife"), and stopped confronting Lestat about his BS ("He treats us like sh*t and you take it! Why is that?!"). He's about to burn Les alive in 2x8, then just visibly gives up (puts the fire out), to "kill" Les by marrying Armand (who he's not even in love with, and who KNOWS Lou's only with him to spite Les) before the ink on Loustat's divorce papers are even dry.

It's only after Daniel FINALLY helps Louis claw his way out of Armand's clutches that he understands what Claudia meant about him having never known or loved himself ("Who are you, Louis?"). Lou's TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION required that he work on bettering himself, and allowing Lestat the chance to better himself too. That "friction" was toxic AF, and they both needed a real CLEANSING, which only started when Lou opened his mouth to ask Les the truth (the false-start in 1x6 about Paul; and the real-start in 2x8 about Armand).

So yeah, I love what Frank said, cuz IMO people in the fandom miss a lot of the horrible things Les does INDIRECTLY, in order to forgive the horrible things Les does DIRECTLY--just like Louis did. But just like Louis, it's possible (& totally valid) to love the man while acknowledging the ways he IS a monster, who needs to come clean & be honest, and start taking accountability for the ways he (in)directly contributed to both Louis & Claudia (& Paul's) demise.

[alexas-fandom-and-random-blog]

Well it's late night for me and helluva Boss Mastermind episode just dropped and I'm kinda in the mood to do a live reaction to text of first and honest impressions thingie. So let's go!!

------

Awww. Loona hesitating to burn their first job pic was precious❤️

Holy shit okay Satan's design is the first Sin I actually legit adore! Freaking amazing!😳

Can the the rip-off-Elsa brother (won't bother remembering the name) PLEASE stop calling Stella hot? Neither funny, nor character driven just really freaking creepy! Stop!

Vasago first impression. Uuuh okay? Is the gimmick he's simply gonna talk to another language.

STRIKER JUMPSCARE!!!!

Hiiii baby!! Looking good in that suit! Daaaamn! Good to see ya!~🥴

Warning up to the new VA each episode ngl. Doing a sexy job with it😚

I can't decide if I love or hate the "LINE?" joke... Could work as him not giving a fuck to spell the "fancy" word I guess😆 but mostly it makes him look kinda stupid so yeah... not a fan.

Whatever, moving on!

Tone down Moxxie pulling uwu and crying faces please? Just a bit. It's too much is all I'm saying. He's baby but like it's not endearing if you do it constantly 😢

Animation is so gorgeous tho as always. How rip-off-Elsa moves and uses his power is so smooth!

So Striker just made a guest appearance and fucked off with a wicked smile. I can't!😆

I mean good for him for getting that immunity deal but not even a tiny bit of verbal interaction with I.M.P? Moxxie? Anything? No?? You're killing me man. I am robbed and inconsolable 😭

The Sins interactions are mostly annoying but lmao at Mammon's clown noises bahahahah! Love it!

Uuuh Satan's voice might be doing things to me👉👈

Goddamn his design is amazing too!

Fizz!!! He's trying! Bless his heart he cares about his friend a lot imma cry!

Oh wow! Kudos to Blitzo for giving that speech. Dare we see social commentary that actually hits? And he's using it to save his family? Respect!

The guards are threatening af! I love how creepily slow they move and how that one touched Blitzo after the execution announcement was so foreboding. Really good way to convey the imminent danger. Niiice!

Muzzle on Loona just showing how little she's allowed to be. Even lower than the imps basically. This is sad.

Stolas to the rescue! Ye- Song? OhmyGod🤦 nah man just... okay whatever I'm skipping it, it feels really awkward to have in this situation.

Skip skip skip

Okay no back up back up. Satan singing???

That's-

....

No still don't care about it, too awkward sorry.

Skip skip skip

"This is a sturdy door"

Frick that caught me off guard! 🤣🤣🤣

Oh my god noooo. Via making that sound while crying broke my heart!!! Poor Baby bird!😢

Yeah see having Stella be non abusive and manipulative with her is an amazing idea and I love it but goddamn it, it doesn't work if you present her as absolutely brain-dead and obvious about everything the rest of the time!!!!

...well that was embarrassing 😂

Actually felt more bad about Stolas assuming he'd be sacrificed than the sacrifice itself.

Heroic I know but holy shit 🤣

Really love Satan's entire schtick. Very much a fan! The guy is so entertaining to watch!

Vasago really didn't do much in the end besides fanboy over Stolas did he?😆

"For the next 100 years"

Bahahahahahahahah!!! Get fucked rip-off-Elsa lmaoo!!! That bit was gold!!

And Stolas is common folk now. Okay I guess. I'm very neutral about that.🤷

Ohooo?? Blitzo actually getting support from this whole ordeal?? Oh kudos! Great direction! Very much support it!

More of soft Loona yes!!🥺❤️

(and I'll be willing to pretend the kicking his balls awful nonsense never happened 🙄)

Ah the last scene with Stolas? That was actually so very soft and sweet. Beautiful quiet moment to close off to

----

And that was it🫠

Whelp I didn't think I'd have this many reactions watching the episode.

Overall not bad. I'm going to bed now tho I'm tired🥱

Oh And in conclusion:

Bring Striker back soon!!!!🙏

Goodnight!

[dayseedrawz2]

ITS THAT TIME AGAIIIIINNNN~

My thoughts an theories about TADC episode 4!!

SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 4

(Obviously)

-Ragatha and gangle wholesome interaction awe

IMMIDEATLY RUINED D:

-Abstragedy friendship!! :3

And zooble gave Gangle the new mask confirmed!!

-HOLY SHIT POMNI SAID THE THING-

-its funny cuz Caine still thinks Zooble won't go on adventures because they want them more mature and edgy lol

"But they had a whole therapy seesion-"

WE'LL COME BACK TO THAT

-SUGGESTION BOX REAL!?!?!

Also bubble and Caine share a tongue whut-

ALSO GONNA TOUCH ON THAT LATER.

-Oh kewl Gangle used to be a manager

So this is what Goose meant when they said the gang remembers parts of their past

-Zooble finally goes on an adventure!! Well they were forced but THATS NOT THE POINT-

-NOT RAGATHA IN THE DEEP FRIER

-Gangles expressions in this episode are amazing they have so much meme potential

-HOLY CRAP GUMMIGOO AND POMNI REUNITED CONFIRMED???

He did forget tho... or did h-

ALSO GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT ONE LATER

-Pomni's expressions in this are also amazing

-High Ragatha confirmed

-Gangle are you okay girly pop

-HOLY CRAP THE TRAINING VIDEO FELT LIKE AN ANOLOGE HORROR VIDEO AND I LOVE THAT SO MUCH

-HELL YEAH JAX GETTING WHAT HE DESERVES

-Well now we know the context for "huffing paint and not waiting till a designated break!?!?" Line

-Ragatha used to own horses awe :3

Also her being honest while she's completely out of it was funny and also a little sad for some reason

-Gangle and Pomni's little talk awe

-JAX ACTUALLY GIVING A CRAP CONFIRMED?? (aw man)

-Dude when Gangles vision started going blurry and the room got all dark I was screaming "PLEASE DON'T ABSTRACT PLEASE DON'T ABSTRACT-"

-Pomni was so sweet in this episode awe :3

-Wowie this looks like it was anime-inspired this scene is so beautiful wait gangle what are you doing GANGLE WATCH OUT

-Caine glitching out is just as funny as it is concerning

-More Abstragedy fan service!!!

Overall, I loved this episode!! I don't know how many people have already said this or how much IVE already said it, but the animation just keeps getting better and better!!

I loved the lighting and music when Gangle ran out in the parking lot, probably my favorite scene in the entire episode!

And sooo much got confirmed! WHICH, leads me Into the THEORY SEGMENT!!

-First off, Caine genuinely forgot the entire therapy session. Why? He was told too, duh!

If you rewatch episode 3, during the therapy session, Zooble tells him to, "Forget it." And Caine's reaction?

"Forget what?"

But... even after that they still did more therapy, so why doesn't he seem like he remembers??

Maybe something or someone made him...

Theres so much i could say this might turn into it's own post-

-Number B, the tongue thing. Not THAAAT Much to say here, but I do think it's just reuse of assets like how Caine reuses NPCs. ...except he's weirded out by it when it happens...

I think it was someone else's doing...

-SSPEAKING of NPCS, Gummigoo. A few people have said this already, but I think he might remember Pomni (at least a little bit).

When Gangle lectures her, Pomni uses Gummigoo's name and in the background he has a shocked expression. Now this could just be him goin "how does she know my name??" But either He didn't recognize her or that triggered his memory to come back.

When he leaves, he Hass a saddened expression on his face.

I've heard a few people say he does know but he just can't day anything or he's afraid to because... reasons are kinda obvious.

Welp! That's about all. Now I'm gonna start contemplating making a bigger post for the Caine theory...

K Byeee

[llannasvsp]

Dragons Rising Season 2, Episode 3: Beyond the Phantasm Cave

We are baaaack!! Honestly, I like spreading out my rewatch because I binged all 10 in one sitting. Spreading out my rewatch makes the excitement last longer. Not that I'm running out of excitement. I will never get over this season and it's not even done AGH. ANYWAY. On to the episode!

So, Cinder is Link from Zelda?

You feel the gong what?

Jordana and Cinder beef so real.

Awh, Kai. Glad they didn't forget his anger issues.

Arin is definitely not okay.

LLOYD MEDITATED ALL DAY AGHHH POOR GUY.

Lloyd has every right to be upset and frustrated right now.

Little source dragons!

OH MY GOSH the Netflix subtitles tell us which source dragon symbols correspond with the element!???!?

LIFE SYMBNOL CLAIMS LLOYD EVEROYNE. LIFE SYMBOL. DID ANYONE KNOW THIS?!?! YHHELLO. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME LEARNING OF THIS SO THIS IS A GENUIINE REACTION OH. MYGOSH.

Soooo Strength is a hater.

"He is no ordinary mortal". Okayyy so are we going to talk about him literally having Dragon heritage???

LEVITATING LLOYD CLIP!

Once again, Sam is literally serving. He portrays anxiety so well.

KAI + WYLDFYRE CLIP!

I am literally obsessed with this moment between them. Wyldfyre doesn't want to be left out. Kai wants her to stay safe and be okay. He's so kind and gentle with her. I love them.

I gotta admit, I'm an elemental mech hater.

"Would Master Wu take us on a mission based off of half understood dreams?" Oh he absolutely would.

KAI ASKING FROHICKY TO WATCH OVER WYLDFYRE RAGH.

I don't know how I feel about the Cloud Kingdom having a motor buuuut okay.

They really decided that this was the episode to upload clips from.

I love this moment because it addresses that Lloyd is doubting himself, it acknowledges that Lloyd and Nya have been through way too much stuff, and it shows us that Lloyd does not want to put Arin and Sora through something horrific. He doesn't want them to experience "the horrors" too young like he did.

Kai being mad that Wyldfyre stowed away but not in like an angry way but in a "I don't want you getting hurt" way is just sooooo.

Sora is so right to be concerned. I would be too if I were her.

I get what Sora was trying to do with the grappling hooks, but I also feel like this isn't going to bode well for Arin. She made his thing something "cooler" because their elemental powers are involved.

EWWW TENTACLES.

AGHH Arin and Sora complete each other my hearrrt.

Okayyy so visions.

Arin: Fear of letting his parents down. Guilt that he "replaced" them with the ninja.

Sora: Something to do with Imperium?? I don't really understand hers I'm gonna be so honest.

Lloyd: Being an inadequate teacher. Leading everyone to their destruction. "You will never be good enough." Dang.

Nya: Jay not remembering her.

Wyldfyre: The wasting thing that's talked about later.

KAI: WE DON'T FREAKING GET TO SEE IT. LET US SEE IT.

I feel like we just need to remember all of their fears because it's absolutely going to be important to all of them later.

"I know the real Jay could never forget me." Oh, honey. Don't say that.

Egalt is ugly.

GRRR THIS EPISODE IS AMAZING.

I think we didn't see Kai's vision because they're going to bring it back later. I know some people are saying that it was of a corrupted version of himself, and honestly, I'd say that's a very likely assumption, given his history. He used to have a lust for power, and maybe he still does, it's just more subdued. If anything were to happen to him (pretend we haven't seen ep10 yet), he could likely succumb to that temptation for power.

ALSO I'm such a Lloyd "life" truther, so learning that it was the LIFE DRAGON who claimed him?!??!? Yes. I'm so excited to expand more on that.

[stinkytrashman]

I've been seeing a lot of hate for dragons rising and the later seasons of ninjago and I have my thoughts. As usual. Im a very thought filled person. So I'm gonna tell you all my very correct and right opinion on the matter. Also it's very long be warned now 🧙‍♂️ (little recap at the very end in case you dont wanna read the whole thingg)

The later seasons of Lego ninjago and the entirety of Dragons Rising is not bad. It's just different.

The first season of lego ninjago came out in 2011.

The expectations for a kids show in 2011 are different than the expectations in 2024. The humor kids like is going to change naturally over the years. The tropes in media that kids like is going to change over the years.

We were the target audience when the show first came out, because we were kids. It's a show aimed for a younger audience. Unfortunately, the intended audience did not change as we got older. The show is still aimed at a younger audience, but guess what? There's new kids. The age range is filled with new people. And to still have their target audience hit, they are obviously going to have to change a few things so the kids nowadays will want to watch the show.

The original seasons had more focus on the character vs character conflics. Of course it dabbled in characters having internal struggles and side plots related to building/destroying relationships, but those were more episode specific and he newer seasons just delve more into it for multiple episodes. There was a focus on the fighting, on the action, on the cool outfits and mech armor. The new seasons are still fighting bad guys, with all of the cool effects, but also fighting feelings. You can do both at once. Shocker, I know. Why is there more focus on emotions? Because that's the standard in well written shows these days.

The humor is less characters making fun of eachother, and more a dead silence filled with a silly sound effect. This is one of the things that irked me, but it's okay. My humor is not the humor of the intended audience. The space is intended for the audience to have the audible laughter/reaction. Quick reminder who the show is intended for. (I hold up a sign saying "new generation of young people with different humor then people my age".)

The characters are not annoying. The characters are not weak, or pitiful, or embarrassing. A character having emotions other than love or anger or happiness is okay. Arin not feeling worthy enough for his team? Guess what? That's an emotion lots of people feel. This character is allowed to have self doubt. Lloyd having panic attacks from his visions? Hey, his visions scared him! Characters are allowed to be scared, and have a reaction to being scared.

Characters are allowed to be replaced. I know, I loved the original elemental masters, and wish they could come back for a cameo now and then. Would love to see Griffin Turner once and a while. But you have to remember in the canon, it's been years. Time passes. Wanna know what happens when time passes? People die, people move on, people come into others lives. The new elemental master of air is fine. She's allowed to exist. Do you honestly expect Morro to show back up and be like "omg hiii >< I'm here I want my power back !!" Be honest with yourselves.

Final thought: who cares if characters are gay. A background character wears a nonbinary flag on their jacket?!?!?!? It must be armageddon!! Come on now. One or two flags in the background isn't the end of the world. Cole and Geo's relationship has no effect on the main plot. Geo could be replaced by any character, or even removed, and the plot would still go forward. Gay people aren't out to get you, or turn your show woke, or indoctrinate your kids. They're just there. Cole is still Cole, and Geo is cool. Another thing about Geo: I will not take Geo slander from lava shippers. He is very sweet and kind and just because Cole is not with Kai doesn't mean yall should hate on him. Also I don't even think Cole and Geo are 100% confirmed. So why is everyone going bananas over it? Very silly behavior if you ask me.

That's all I have to say thank you for coming to my tedtalk 🧙‍♂️

Recap: the target audience is young people, young people are different now then when we were young, they have different humor, it's fine for characters to be emotional, new characters aren't the end of the world, gay people are fine.

[nerd4music]

I think overall there’s one of two „big“ problems happening for people who have a problem with TOWL (racists and the likes aside… 🙄).

1- The misunderstanding that this was truly much more a Rick and Michonne story than a TWD one. This was not TWD S12. It was about telling the story of these 2 characters and being able to put a dot at the end (or a dot dot dot). And you’ve laid all of that out perfectly. Like yes, in TWD, Beale (& the CRM) would have been draaaaagged out. But this was much more of a Terminus approach than a Saviors one if we will…

2- TWD was never the most ..subtle show. They tended to hit the audience over the head with stuff. And I’m not sure I would go as far as calling TOWL subtle outright either (idk, didn’t think about this until right this moment lol -obviously elements of it are, sure -just as elements on TWD could be on the subtler side) but compared to TWD, it certainly is lol. And there has been a very big „media literacy“ and „basic comprehension skills“ problem happening for a minute now. And I really don’t say this to be mean or make fun of people or anything but these are just facts. Some people really struggle with getting the information when they are not being hit over the head with it, over and over and over again. After the finale I saw several posts on my tl of people wondering why this, that or the other was not addressed or how/why this, that or the other did happen… and I was utterly confused because those things they claimed were missing were very much shown? I was like, there was literally a scene dealing with all of this? And it didn’t require any reading between the lines to be honest, no subtext, it was very much the text of the scene?! So it seems like some people just didn’t get a lot of things that were happening 🫤

(BTW I don’t mean that even if someone didn’t have these specific problems with the show, they MUST love it then. Likes and dislikes etc etc. As much as I really loved the show as a whole, if I decided to put down the Richonne-colored glasses I wanted to and did watch to the show with.. I’d definitely have a few complaints lol, though still very much enjoyed the show even then)

That's definitely what happened. And to some extent, I get why, considering Rick and Michonne are 2/3 of the main show's Big Three. But when the press and promos started, and people were still talking about some Marvel-style meet-up, I was like...oh they're definitely not listening to what's being said, because it's six damn episodes, and also The Richonne story, not the Team Family jamboree. And then acting as if it's somehow 'insulting' to the rest of the characters if Rick and Michonne didn't talk about them. The man had PTSD so bad, he couldn't remember his own son's face. Why would you think it would be good time for him to pause in the middle of his wife telling him about a traumatic moment during her pregnancy to ask about anyone else? Please be fr.

I feel you on the comprehension thing, which is nothing new for this fandom. The fact that so many people legit thought Rick didn't know how to drive stick and questioned the 'realism' of it but never stopped to think that it was because he only has one damn hand. Y'all were fine with every silly ass moment that happened in the main show, that was either sheer dumb luck or handwaved away, but now we need a complete breakdown from experts on how Rick managed to fight off walkers one-handed. Now y'all want the realism, when you've been so giddy for weeks because you need one of them to die for the show to be 'interesting'.

I'm really not listening to people who need the narrative to hold their hand through everything, or need to see every piece of the plot onscreen for it to be considered 'legitimate'. (I'm officially banning the phrase 'plot armor' for the foreseeable future).

People didn't get things, because they don't take a minute to sit with the damn material anymore. From live reactions videos to live tweeting/blogging, people are just watching TV to make content and have an online moment, not for what's actually being shown. And yeah, TOWL isn't perfect, but the minor criticisms I have for it doesn't take away from the fact that it is very enjoyable and easily the best material from the TWD landscape in a long time.

(sidenote: I will say one of my favorite things from these past six weeks is everyone struggling to figure out the overall TWD timeline, lmao.)

[nozomijoestar]

LIFTING THE SPOILER WARNING ON THIS POST FOR LAUNCH DAY

Here's my initial analysis and thoughts on Asuka's ending (character episode) in Tekken 8

caught yearning in 1080p

handsome

thinking abt getting students now that the Zaibatsu ate shit (btw you don't find out the Zaibatsu is pretty much on track to being done with no leader again, which is why they continue the tournament presumably after the final battle unless you look through the character episodes, not the main story, for some fucking reason)

Asuka finally smiled at her accepting her and the feeling is mutual, this ending had great role reversal in the sense instead of previously only getting clear insight into Lili's feelings and thoughts now we're openly getting them from Asuka in response- she also felt tempted to give in to her old reaction first think later ways but here she's finally thinking before deciding it doesn't matter why, she enjoys fighting Lili and she finally seems to recognize what Lili's schemes are about on a level (wanting Asuka's attention and getting back at her for having lost), this is the closest so far we've ever gotten to a "I like you too"

EDIT 2/1/2025 : You can see too during Asuka's voiced over inner thoughts that she keeps her warm feelings of missing Lili to herself spoken in a softer tone than she ever has to Lili's face, and when Lili shows up in person seconds later Asuka's excited surprise is in her blink and miss it cry of, "There you are!"/"You're here?! " (You can translate this either way but I prefer the latter because it's less literal while conveying more of the surprise at Lili's timing) Before remembering to snap into her irritation/half hearted frustration demanding to know what Lili wants now, then her tone softens just for another instant when she says Lili is an idiot (Aho carrying a sense of affection and playfulness in calling someone dumb for Kansai vs calling someone a Baka which in Kansai is the genuine insult version, I hear the opposite is true for Kanto dialect speakers, specifically Tokyo) but oh well (what can I do about it? > Implied)

Asuka is engaging in the same behavior of hiding her honest emotions as Lili also does toward Asuka, she couldn't just admit "I was thinking about you and I missed you actually" she has to play her part in their little game, a part she has long since accepted, as much as Lili can't say the same outright but says it in her pursuit of Asuka's attention and wanting a fair battle against her

Wonderful voice acting by both Ryoko Shiraishi and Laura Blanc, but especially Shiraishi

this is on top of the teasing and compliment she gave Lili's ability in the same scene, and also correcting Lili on the Kazama Motto Asuka learned, which only Asuka could have told her at some point suggesting further closeness

"Softness overcomes hardness" you two are (HOPEFULLY) starting to change your relationship to be softer (also the hilarious hypocrisy of Asuka BARELY being a person living by any softness in practice)

I love that she even refers to Lili as "That noble (rich) girl", an ojou-sama, which is far better than calling her by nothing or using a rude form of You (anta) as in the past (and generally she's given up calling Lili by rude terms be it in the story mode or otherwise including Shaheen's ending, which is honestly more about AsuLili than him lol, it's also incredible seeing Asuka glad Lili's life was protected and joking about Lili being a handful with someone else)

And despite provoking Asuka in a very shitty way reminiscent of Feng, the premise of this ending is Asuka beating Lili at the tournament so Lili will honor her word of putting Asuka's dojo back the way it was before she bought it- which Lili does after losing rather than refuse out of spite, even if she then uses taking it in a fight to provoke Asuka again, it's nice that she IS willing to listen to Asuka when it comes to promises

honestly if you cut the entire scene into only my screenshots here it still looks so fucking gay

Video source ( @ 1:03 )

This is the de-facto best Asuka ending yet, at last she's happy, hopeful, not confused, and at some form of peace and connection in her life

ALSO ASUKA DIDN'T CALL LILI A DINGBAT SHE CALLED HER AHOU (Idiot/Moron) LIKE ALWAYS AND IT WAS SOFT THIS TIME 😭😭😭😭

Plus Asuka might finally get the dojo back up and become the next leader with Jin's image being fixed and thus how people would see Asuka since they're related, as well as the current war being over- though Reina's new devil bullshit will probably ruin this in the future

EDIT: I FORGOT TO MENTION

PAIR OF BIRDS; BIRD MOTIF FOR KAZAMAS RETURNS

I doubt these are Jun's birds specifically it's more likely just symbolic of Asuka and Lili if it means anything at all. Also doesn't have to specify meaning lovebirds, in general their characters will always be put together. But it is funny how Jun's birds always appear to show her connection to someone she loves, so there could be a parallel here that Asuka's bird imagery would represent the same sense of connection. If it is a visual metaphor for lovebirds though by the time we get Tekken 9 then, the cinema of it all.

ALSO Harada has said Jun attracts animals because of her spiritual mastery over martial arts. She's at a level of power where animals don't run because of sensing her aura; she can suppress her fighting spirit. With how at peace AND in control of herself Asuka is in this ending, maybe the birds imply she can move in a similar direction from here on. And it makes sense too because Asuka has returned to a state of equilibrium now that she doesn't have the stress of the world being in chaos affecting her. As a person who prefers being in control, she's back to feeling some control over her life.

----

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:

1. It's great that the tone of their relationship is now friendlier, but like in story mode and other places they appear as a pair, we're never shown anything on how they started transitioning from fighting all the time to agreeing to listen and partner up in general, nevermind during a global war they're supposed to have their own personal stakes in beyond not wanting to die (those personal stakes ended up being entirely irrelevant anyway which is it's own problem)

There's a problem present where you're shown the end result of an emotional shift with none of the journey or even a simple scene explaining how they got there, much like the main story and other characters in general many plot points and character changes are resolved off screen showing only the results with no explanation the majority of the time. In the main story this gets even more egregious because even how a character knows specific information usually doesn't get explained at all either unless it relates to Jin understanding the devil gene. This writing makes a lot of things simply happen like it's checking off a list.

In essence, WHERE is a scene connecting Asuka who did nothing but fight Lili and get pissed with her to the Asuka who's tolerant of her, is more catty and accepting than outright angry, is now willing to joke and play around with her, who taught Lili the Kazama Motto she learned (though I guess this one you can say Lili found it while looking up Asuka's family, something we ALSO don't get Asuka's thoughts on beyond surprise) and so on

2. The fact this scene ends with provoking another fight, as much as I like that it's friendly now, isn't the best direction. This fits again into problem 1; there's no on screen room to let these characters breathe and illustrate what made them change now to the viewer. There's no fresh angle given about their relationship outside fighting or even a new approach on their relationship within it. There's no pause in the formula which many people are tired of (and people are already back to calling Asuka a useless piece of shit who's a complete fucking joke, and I can't really blame them entirely because on a surface level all they see is the exact same situation as it's been for twenty years of cutscenes).

Also the logic of having this scene exist is confusing in itself. Nothing in the game story clarified if Asuka sat the tournament out or did participate but was eliminated and decided to follow Lili's progress in Rome as a spectator. A scene explaining either of those would give better weight and context to this one.

3. Zero mention of Asuka's father or his current condition

4. Having Lili imitate what Feng Wei did to dojos like Asuka's is the cruelest way she's ever provoked her. Whereas before it was often ridiculous, silly, and teasing, involving an event that led Asuka to spiral adds something uncharacteristically spiteful toward her from Lili's end. Insofar as what Lili has previously used to get her attention anyway. Keeping Asuka's trauma out of it has always seemed to be a line Lili was willing to respect. And it's off too because this is happening when they're supposed to be becoming friends/are friends now. It's too personal to be brushed off the way it is.

The only way I can rationalize it is if Asuka has let go of her anger towards what Feng did in part (but she still has a special intro where she wants to attack him on sight saying they finally meet so, I don't fuckin know, that may as well have been included as an easter egg if they're gonna do nothing with it) or she never really gave enough of a shit about the entire thing in the first place. You can make a loose argument using prior games to show Asuka never really cared about the revenge aspect as much- but her behavior sorta contradicts this at the same time. So really who fucking knows. Based on how she reacts here I guess it's not a big deal at this point cuz she doesn't get mad and jumps into messing around with Lili like a friend anyway.

Maybe this could be explained too by whatever made them act friendly now in the first place, but again we never saw that. So instead it comes out worse than if we knew.

5. WHY THE FUCK DID THEY MENTION THE ENTIRE MAIN KAZAMA FAMILY WAS ELIMINATED BY OGRE IN THE STORY MODE THEN HAVE THE NEWS NOT IMPACT ASUKA AT ALL

We also never see them discuss what Lili knows about the family in any depth between themselves

Viva le sex gay I guess but now I have more questions than answers and that's a problem when the game acts like I've been given answers it never provided. I got something I wanted but with nothing to show for it.

EDIT 1/27/2024 : However that won't discount that I do love what I received and the potential it represents; I adore this shit.

[curious-about-dramas]

The Heart Killers EP 7 - (text) reaction

After two full weeks, I am ready. Spoiler alert - this episode is 1000000000/10 for me.

PART 1 / 4

I've seen so many times EP6, and all the previous EPs to be honest, these days and yet the preview hits hard. I don't remember EVER being so invested in a series. A combination of my 2 favorite ships with my favourite director outside of school/uni does the trick.

Please, Kant, say the truth! Bison told you more than once that he appreciates being told the truth before hand - since you don't already know he knows. I don't think I believe the captain when he said Bison would have killed him if he told the truth. He would be angry, sure, but if Bison knew he did it for Babe, I think he would understand. Not sure about their relationship though.

Sh*t, Bison's with Babe. Bison, didn't you have to be with Fadel? Or at least, that's what you told Kant at the bar. Surprise you say? Mmmh, maybe some time has passed since last EP, ok.

Wow, this Bison and the Bison we saw in the last frame of EP6 are (or rather, seem) 2 different people. His acting is scary ... Khaotung is literally awesome.

Happy birthday, Bison! So, 25 now? I do wonder if it's even real or just a ruse to get Kant. Also, how many birthdays are they celebrating in the making of this series - First, Dunk and Khaotung celebrated theirs while filming, now Bison too.

Yeah, this is all very fishy, I don't like it. Be very wary, Kant.

Style!!! Hello!?!?! That was sooooooooooo hot, Fadel! I need to watch it again ... for science. And maybe gif it, I don't know. The way he pulled Style from beneath the car was 10/10 for me.

Fadel's really into garage sex, I see. And that kiss - Joong!!! Please, continue to give lessons in kissing, you can use Dunk as prop, no worries. BTW, Tutor did a similar lesson with Yim in Cutie Pie, but their kiss was much more sweet (they've changed A LOT since then).

Same excuse for popping up unexpected … damn! It is a ruse.

BTW I just saw the first part is 30 minutes - what?! How long is this episode?

Well, you did change for him, Fadel, so. At least, you're acknowledging it.

No, dad!! That was also a very nice kiss you just interrupted. Good for you, to get to know Fadel. Style's dad is great.

Also Fadel auto-inviting himself to stay over. Are the brothers thinking to look for something at their respective boyfriends house? Like Kant did in the room downstairs. Sh*t, did they actually see the footage? I am getting worried for our little snitchers. Will the brothers really love them to death?! Soffocate him with kisses and romance, Fadel! LOL

Dad's speech almost made me cry. I see Fadel is also having a really hard time reconciling Style's dad story with the snitchers' agenda.

"No matter what happens, I'll keep all the good memories." Oh, Bison.

He's also saying "I love you" … and Kant said it back. And the music so ominous.

You ARE happier, you smile more ... you wear colors. We all see this, Fadel.

Happy belated birthday, Fadel! Yep, all the birthdays ahaha

That shirt is a crop top!!!!!!!!! Style, the man that you are - you got him in a crop top! EDIT: Dunk, that pic you posted is THE heart killer.

LOL Style got scared for a second there. That's not a real gun, don't worry ... for now. EDIT: can we appreciate that Style got more scared of Fadel with the BB Gun than with the actual gun?! Again, priorities.

"i'll be your shield" is so ironic. LOL "He started all this" …. are Fadel and Bison THAT good at finding the truth after all?! It's like a mine field this conversation … poor Style. "Make sure no one shoots me in the back" ahahahahahaha "Can i trust you with that?" OMG such a loaded question. And the worst part is Style is actually getting what Fadel is saying - like, what's he really saying. Even as incredulous as he is, he can see the loaded questions. I fear for the end of this episode.

Oh f*ck f*ck f*ck, another gun … please tell me its not real … sh*t, it is … Bison!!! Well, we were waiting for unhinged Bison after all. Thank you, Fadel.

2 nights ago … no, not the trophy. I am crying same as Bison. That trophy was like a symbol of an innocent Bison, a sweet waiter, not a cruel cold-blooded killer. And he literally burnt it.

He also told Fadel about how Style got into the mess; right, he knew about Style not being 100% truthful, I forgot. "I trust you more than anyone" - this hurt like a mother trucker. At least he's honest, we'll give Bison that. Joong and Khaotung, you both own this scene - congratulations!! Cannot compliment you enough.

"Nothing hurts more than betrayal" after he just found out that he was betrayed by both Style and Bison, the two people he loves and (let's face it) trusts more in his life. Oh, Fadel! I feel for you.

"And I mean crazy in love, not crazy like a psycho." LOL Fadel, yeah should have been more specific. You need to explain it very well to Bison.

Man, how much it hurt Bison to say "My boyfriend's the best" … kudos, Khaotung!

Style shot Kant in the back, then said "Love sure makes you do something stupid" … P'Jojo!!!! and Fadel moving to stand besides his bf - foreshadowing, anyone?

Also, wait a second - those were BB guns, not paint balls … so, they'll do another one?! Maybe when all is well …..

Ooooooh, now you're looking at the footage, Bison. See, it was there all along!

Wtf?! That was gory as hell … at least it was in black and white. Fadel's imagination was horny, Style's was sensual/emotional, Bison's … scary crazy. How many ways he's killing him?!

Oh, look how quick reflexes our little hitman has! So cute, a birthday cake - "I'm still your brother". I feel like he's trying better - like Bison told him about Kant and Babe's relationship and he's trying to do better for Bison. Even if/when he's angry with him - the bestest of big brothers really. And they sell it so well, you couldn't tell Khaotung is more than 2 years Joong's senior.

It's all due tonight. Ok, at least they're not dragging it out.

Kant is justly suspicious, Style so naive. He's also the one who knows the least, has lied the least, is the most optimistic. i feel for him. If only life were a Disney movie and we were all protagonists, Style.

PART 2 / 4

Helping a stranger out of nowhere because they are killers, but good ones. I wonder if Style and/or Kant is seeing this.

First's smile should be illegal … its too cute!

Bison's really touched by it. He really likes that necklace. He's about to cry. Me too, sweetie. And it's real, even if you don't believe it.

Please, do marry him! I love that more and more comments about marriage are appearing in Thai BLs. Also, we could put a small novel spoiler here.

Wth?! I got scared too. Style!!! Fadel was really panicking. I thought Fadel drugged him, but then he wouldn't have panicked as much.

"I'm a damn fool. That's how you got me." Crying … At least you're self-aware, good for you, Fadel! Both for being a fool AND for being "got" (no escape possible now). Their lines are sooooooo on point this episode. P'Jojo give yourself and whoever helped you write the script a raise.

He's taking forever to open that necklace - it this your first time, Fadel?

Who was that? Keen? Yep, Keen.

How long is he peeing for?! Please flush and wash your hands. Oh, eew eew eew!

Yeah, jealous my a*s. Oh Style, so naive and waaay too confident. How much this distraction will cost them?!

And as soon as he got back he's already helping Kant with the little kid … oh, Style. Fadel, please just keep him! Also, that mother needs to have her eyes checked - they looked trust-worthy? Those are literally a thief and a professional killer; take the kid to the bathroom with you and have him wait outside your door or something.

Yep, Keen with a gun - a real gun - and his targets and a little kid. Why do I feel he won't care about that like Fadel did? It's a nice parallel they set up between Keen and Fadel, with guns and younger boys.

What?! Not him, the other guy!!! That's a plot twist. That guy looked suspicious, but man! Ok, now what? The killers are playing cops? I do love me some anti-heroes (see almost all of the characters played by Vin Diesel these past 20+ years).

LOL Style. "Take it back! You're my boyfriend!" Priorities set straight. EDIT: Apparently the official translation is too bland, he said "Her husband my a*s! You're my boyfriend!" It's even better, yeah.

Fadel was grazed … sh*t, a knife. Bison! I thought it would have been a gun shot. I don't know if this is better or worse.

Still this divertion probably saved Kant's and Style's life. At least for tonight.

So in the end Keen went undetected. Only Style saw him. Oh, how did he not recognized him from that time in the burger shop? It was a while ago, but he was looking rather intently that time. Kant should have been the only one to not recognize Keen at all.

PART 3 / 4

"I am always here to help". This is such a Style phrase. I love that I got to know that about him.

Also, I love how Style's able to read Fadel so well despite how little he knows about everything. Fadel really should thank Kant for giving him Style.

Fadel's back to his old cold self, right?

"Sounds scary as hell." - yeah, because it is, sweetie. You're showing your cards, Fadel. Why?

"I want to tell you everything." Oh, Kant. Was Bison also about to cry? Even lying there on the bed. Yep, he's not asleep.

Ok, you know what? I see this as a good thing - Kant is now free from the captain. Let's join the killers team! LOL

He took him out. Damn, Bison! With a syringe, too. May I present to you unhinged Bison in action, for real. Not imagination, not stopped by Fadel.

Oh, yeah, you should worry for your friend, for yourself, Style.

Sh*t, just past them. And I bet Bison will think Kant called them on him … damn.

"F*ck, f*ck, goddam*". LOL, I see it's not just me whose saying/writing all these bad words tonight. It's not something I usually do, but I'm probably too hyped for this EP (oops).

PART 4 / 4

Yep, Style realizes something's wrong. Be wary, Style! Oh, from behind, Fadel!!!!! No, poor Style. Also, Fadel was one handed - helpless, really helpless, Style.

The final confrontation - Fadel's voice coming from out of frame like the final nail to the coffin. There's no going back now. Alea iacta est.

"You work for the police." Not really, but I'm not sure how much of a difference that makes right now. Still, Style's so strong here, even almost naked and tied and with a gun to his head - impressive. And he's not telling Fadel about the car. Not that that's so important in the grand scale of things - lies, police, killers; but still. Bison came fully clean with Fadel.

So, Fadel also doesnt know where Bison is. Yep, Bison is truly crazy …. hurt crazy, but you know crazy.

P'Jojo is playing with us, Bison's the psycho crazy one, Fadel wouldnt shoot … right?

And the other bfs are at sea, of course. Make it really hurt, right Bison? He's angry crazy, phycho crazy, hurt crazy, in love crazy … all types of crazy.

Oh sh*t, was Kant also in the plane crash with his parents?!

There's no one there to help you, Kant. Man, he looks so scared - so terrified - and he's trying to calmly talk to Bison. They're both hurting so much right now, it's so painful to watch. And jump it is! I feel like I've been crying this whole episode, man. First, this episode is yours - also Joong's, but mostly yours! You should never say sorry for having played this character, it is amazing really.

Oh, he's got his clothes back - you go, Style! "Yes, Mr. Hitman. I'm scared enough as it is, no need to threaten me."

Still, if you think about it, now that Fadel's more calm than at the pool, he's back to his old self … which Style came to love. With the gun, sure, but it's old grumpy Fadel. Same hard exterior, so maybe also same soft-ish interior? I like Style's look before going to the car, it's like he feels that things are right again. And he likes that. No more too affectionate Fadel, which was too weird for him. Also, he's back to sassying Fadel, which he also enjoys.

See, the music is also Style's jam! After the big scare at the pool, all is well again for Style. EDIT: the big bad scary hitman also took his advice and went to sleep ... yeah, all is well again.

Where are they going though?

[lampiche]

Thoughts on the second episode of the Ave Mujica anime

Hi everyone!! I'm continuing what I did for the first episode by posting my thoughts around a bingo I made specially for the episode!! Once again, everything will be under the cut :)

Here is the empty bingo! (Don't mind that I forgot to replace "first" by "second" </3) :

Here is the updated version after watching the episode :D

Like before, anything that was proven right or completely wrong will be replaced, and the rest stays :)

Starting off with "Soyo tells Tomori and Taki about Sakiko being in Ave Mujica"

It ended up being a random classmate who told Tomori about Sakiko, but Soyo did inform them about the role she played in creating Ave Mujica, so I guess that counts? Anyway, the most interesting in the scene of Tomori watching Ave Mujica's first performance was definitely her word about Sakiko's lyrics. We know from the first episode that Uika writes the lyrics, but I remember reading somewhere that the songs before Ave Mujica's debut (so the songs before Ave Mujica) were written by Sakiko (correct me if I'm wrong though). And at the very least, Tomori's comment tells us that the song Ave Mujica was written by Sakiko herself. It really highlights how strong the relationship between Sakiko and Tomori was, for the latter to guess immediately that she's seeing a new side of Sakiko. A side of Sakiko that she kept hidden and barely relayed to others. Even Uika, who's known Sakiko for longer, doesn't seem to have figured out how honest Sakiko is being through the songs apart from the reason she called herself Oblivionis (although with the fact Uika is the narrator, who often makes on point comments about the rest of the band and seems to be very observant, it is possible that she has figured out some things that she just isn't telling us). Anyway, I think Tomori's reaction to Ave Mujica really highlights her growth - she doesn't question herself and her abilities upon seeing Sakiko in a new band, but instead marvels at the fact that Sakiko had such a hidden side all along that she's finally revealing. I wonder if Tomori wil end up seeking out Sakiko to talk?

"People figure out/recognise who Sakiko is"

I'm kinda with Nyamu on this one, I didn't expect Sakiko to get recognised this easily. With how she left Tsukinomori and her father most likely disappearing off the business sphere, I thought she would have been forgotten or something, but it seems the Togawa fraud/loss wasn't announced publicly.

"Mutsumi gets cornered by Soyo who tries to draw info out of her"

This one was to be expected, although I was very surprised that the discussion with Soyo was cut off. I was kinda looking forward to seeing more cruel Soyo lmao. Also the parallel between Mutsumi's cucumbers that looked all withered and Mutsumi herself who was at the beginning of her breaking down is pretty obvious. I can't seem to figure out why they're all withered though. Is it from lack of care (indicating that Mutsumi is slowly lessening her grasp on reality?)? Or did they wither from the sun (similar to how Mutsumi is getting worse and worse from being under the spotlight all the time)? I personally prefer the second option but I don't think we'll get any info on the state of Mutsumi's cucumbers </3

"Info on Mutsumi's home life"

FINALLY!! What most struck me during that scene in Mutsumi's home are two things: 1) Her dad wasn't there, he must be very busy, and her mom insists on being called Minami-chan, even by her own daughter, which must create lots of distance between Mutsumi and her mother. I imagine that Minami is very attached to her craft as an actress, and her insisting that she be called by her first name could mean that she's attached to her youth and beauty as well. She seems wholly focused on herself, which is visible in the way she showcases a film in which she played in to the Ave Mujica members, even crying in front of it. So Mutsumi's home life is definitely not happy, even with how chipper her mom is - she doesn't seem to have much relationship with her two parents. And 2), the face Mutsumi made when she noticed how invested Nyamu is in getting to know her mother is pretty interesting. She's probably realising that Nyamu is like everyone else, close to her because she's interested in her parents. This probably made her uncomfortable even within Ave Mujica, whereas before she seemed to see the band as a safe place where she could be herself and not her parents' daughter. Please Nyamu, stop bullying Mutsumi </3

"Uika and Mana talking about sumimi/Ave Mujica"

Kinda glad I got that one tbh :) I'm so excited for Uika's feelings and toughts to unravel (although I believe she will be the last one to be focused on), so seeing her discussion with Mana was great!! Poor Mana, she just doesn't understand that Uika doesn't seem to care much about sumimi uh. And yes one could argue that Uika was preoccupied about Mutsumi (which I think she was), but her bland behaviour with Mana is pretty telling. While Mana is not a bad person, I don't Uka cares much about sumimi, especially considering that she's in a band with the love of her life on the other side lmao. That scene with Sakiko afterwards highlights it pretty well. Anyway Thanks for more Uika x Sakiko scenes Bandori!!!

"Umiri and Taki interactions :)"

Introverts to introverts connection. They are so silly together :D Also Umiri drinking choco milk is so cute... I wanna see more silly Umiri!!!

Here are my thoughts surrounding the bingo, as for my overall thoughts on the episode, well... I didn't expect it to be even worse than the first one, but damn... Let me tell you, by the end of it, I was feeling sick to my stomach. I couldn't help but always think that Mutsumi was gonna have a panic attack or something, and I can hardly believe that she managed to hold off breaking down until the last moment, where it seems like her mind almost disconnected from her body (her suddenly regaining consciousness on stage when she thought she was still in the dressing room). Her mind and reality merging to the point she couldn't even see anything past the stage was crazy too... She really was having some sort of crazy break down even though she played her part to perfection. Which was the second most amazing thing about this episode : Mutsumi plays her part to perfection because she's not acting. She's never acting. She is Mortis, the doll that does not fear death, the one who doesn't understand the world and wants to close off everything. By "playing" Mortis, she was just letting go of all her grievances and issues. Which is most likely why she took having her mask removed the hardest. Ave Mujica is a cathartic place for her, she gets to pretend she's not herself, gets to pretend she's not the daughter of the comedian Wakaba and the famous actress Minami Mori (although the irony of her having to "act" to be separated from her parents is a strong one). Also, I found it sweet that Taki was the only one to voice out Mutsumi's issues. It's sort of like Tomori and Sakiko, even though they were not that close, Taki still knows most of Mutsumi's tells and probably guessed that Ave Mujica was cathartic for her. And at the end, when Mutsumi's eyes changed for one last time... I thought the style eerily resembled the one used to draw Sakiko's doll's eyes, and I think this was done on purpose. The puppets are free from their strings, as Uika says, but it seems that instead, Mutsumi gained back her strings. When she should be liberated from the pressure of her mask, instead she has to face her own face. And, faced with what she hates the most (an assumption but one that I believe to be true considering that last scene), she breaks down and becomes a doll - soulless, lifeless. I can only hope that things get better for her... seriously, that episode was fire.

Thanks for listening to this big rant, I just had to get everything out of the way. I have some new thoughts about Nyamu, but I think I'll make a separate post because I really need to go to sleep lmao. I also made art of Mutsumi (she is consuming my every thoughts) but I'll post it tomorrow too!!

[bumblekastclips]

KYLE CROUSE: Alright, here's a question from Milesprowerdavis. "Recently I lost a close family member. What fatherly advice or motherly advice would the main cast give? Team Dark and Light can add more of the characters. You can be funny with it. Interested what Dr Eggman would say."

IAN FLYNN: Well, first of all, deepest condolences. KYLE: Yes. IAN: Um, I would normally not want to answer in the way of a character, but this is your personal request, so I guess that takes the 'taboo' off it. KYLE: [chuckles] IAN: Uh, Sonic I don't think would give any kind of fatherly advice; he would let you figure out your own answer and be there for you as you figure it out on your own. He's gonna let you take that journey, but he's going to be there as you do it. Um, Amy would likewise- I don't know if she would give advice, but she would be there to console, to offer words of support, to be someone to listen, or to just talk so you don't have to think for a bit. She would do whatever you needed her to do at the time. Eggman... KYLE: [chuckles] IAN: We're gonna- we're gonna go the wholesome route this time, even if it is slightly out of character. [Eggman] would go on some long spiel about the entropy of the universe, and how everything is finite, and 'dust to dust' and yadda yadda. But you are still here, and that's what's important. You continue on the chain reactions that are life, so while that experiment is ended, you are the results that are continuing to create results! So, keep at it. And then kind of an awkward shoulder pat and wanders off. KYLE: [Eggman voice] "And soon, you will be part of the Eggman Empire anyways, so it does not matter!" IAN: [chuckles] Knuckles would kind of nod solemnly and say, "That's rough, buddy." KYLE: Yeah! [laughs] That is rough, buddy. It is very rough, buddy. IAN: But he means it! So it means something! KYLE: I mean, yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah. And Tails? IAN: I don't know if Tails would know what to say. He would want to be- KYLE: I think Tails would be kind of lost, but he would try. IAN: He'd want to be encouraging, yeah. He'd want to be encouraging and supportive, but I think he'd feel a little overwhelmed with the responsibility. KYLE: Yeah... IAN: Um, Vector would start to mumble something that might sound... interesting, maybe? He kind of starts and stops his sentences every few seconds, then says, uh, [Vector voice] "Espio, tag in!" KYLE: [laughs] IAN: Then Espio starts getting kinda philosophical, and kinda loses his own train of thought, and goes quiet for a second. [Espio voice] "Charmy, tag in!" And then Charmy offers you ice cream. KYLE: [chuckles] I mean, I would appreciate all three of them, so yeah. That's wholesome. [after a pause] Hm... would Silver be, like...? IAN: I think Silver would be devastated. I think he values life on a personal level even more so than anyone else. KYLE: Okay, okay. IAN: Um, 'cause he- I think he has a better understanding of loss than any of the cast, to be perfectly honest. Sure, Knuckles is on his own, but he doesn't have any memory of what came before. That's kind of just his status quo. It's more of an existential thing. Silver... Silver has seen devastation. He has seen tragic loss and, y'know, impossible odds. So I think he would hold everything a little- every life a little more sacred. So I don't know if he would be able to impart any words of wisdom, but he would definitely be the most openly and, uh, earnestly sympathetic. KYLE: Mhm. Alright, I think that's enough, though... There's definitely many other characters we could ask, but that's enough for now.

--- TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: Please remember that nothing that is said on BumbleKast is canon! It's just some guys and their opinions occasionally spitballing ideas. If you don't like an answer, you don't have to take it as Word of God or anything like that. It's all just for fun! ----- Do you want a specific question transcribed and posted? Send the question and the episode date to my ask box! Or if you just want questions about a certain character, send me their name and I will see what I can do!

[bbygirl-aemond]

can you pls talk about rhaenys bc her conversation with alicent in ep9 INFURIATES me

Oop get ready for an unpopular opinion. I actually love that whole conversation and everything it illuminates about both Alicent and Rhaenys. It's such an effective and devastating commentary on the different reactions women have to the patriarchy. And I don't think it has to be read as Rhaenys antagonizing or looking down upon Alicent, in which case she definitely does come across as a hypocrite, given that she never once even attempts to disobey her husband no matter how strongly she disagrees with him.

But is that the only way to read Rhaenys's words here? No. And I'm not convinced she's trying to accuse Alicent of wrongdoing here, especially in light of the conversation Rhaenys had with Rhaenyra in episode 2. In that conversation, Rhaenyra very much seems to be reveling in the fact that she is an exception while Rhaenys is not. Rhaenys fails to rise to the bait, because she understands what Rhaenyra does not: There is no exception to misogyny, not even if you are the rightful heir to the throne. So it seems odd for Rhaenys to see right through Rhaenyra there, and yet to turn around and do the exact same thing to Alicent.

So I think that in episode 9 Rhaenys is commiserating with Alicent. Consider the actual words she says. Never once does she insult Alicent, or imply that she is evil for the things she's had to do. She simply says, "you toil still in service to men. Your father, your husband, your son." This doesn't have to be a judgment, since Rhaenys has spent her entire life doing the exact same thing. Remember, in this scene Rhaenys is trying to convince Alicent to free her. It's not unthinkable that she's trying to build common ground and incite Alicent's sympathy in order to get herself released. It's not unthinkable that she says this knowing the exact same thing applies to her, too, that she says this precisely because of it.

And consider the line "have you never imagined yourself on the Iron Throne" and how incredibly telling it is. Rhaenys isn't necessarily marveling at the fact that Alicent works within the limits of the patriarchy, because for all the above reasons Rhaenys herself very much does the same thing; she's marveling at the fact that Alicent is so brainwashed she doesn't even allow herself to privately dream of freedom. That she "desire[s] not to be free, but to make a window within the wall of [her] prison."

Because Rhaenys cannot stop imagining it, imagining herself on the Iron Throne. The indignity and cruelty and injustice of being denied her birthright haunts her every waking moment. Now, this anger does not give her the power to challenge what has been done to her. She conforms, and she submits, just like Alicent. But it makes her fucking furious, while Alicent will not even allow herself that. Rhaenys cannot be content with just a window, and she knows that deep down Alicent cannot be, either, but that doesn't mean Rhaenys thinks she's any less trapped within that prison. Rhaenys wants more than a window, and yet she knows that both her and Alicent will never be able to have anything more.

Rhaenys isn't marveling in how brainwashed Alicent is. She's sympathizing with it. Yes, she's frustrated and angry, but she displays enough awareness throughout the series to indicate that she'd understand Alicent isn't the target of her ire. She's venting, y'all, to the only other person who might understand her unique torment as a high-born woman whose power is still not enough to save her.

I know fandom loves to pit women against each other, especially in this case given the whole team divide within the HotD fandom. But in my mind, this is simply an excruciatingly honest and vulnerable conversation between two women who have spent their entire lives being trampled by the patriarchy, allowing it to happen because they have no other choice. They are the same in every way, and they are the same in their helplessness in the face of institutional misogyny. Alicent and Rhaenys are the same, save for how they privately feel about their circumstances: Whether they feel resignation, or rage.

And these negative feelings are levied not towards each other, because they both understand (unlike baby Rhaenyra in episode 2) that other women are not and have never been the enemy. Instead, these feelings are directed towards the men, towards the patriarchy, towards the system that has actually done this to them. Rhaenys is furious in this scene, but I think it's so much more interesting if you recognize that she is only ever furious at what the patriarchy has done to her, and that the only things she feels towards Alicent are camaraderie and pity.

HotD is a fascinating exploration of all of the different ways in which women try to respond or cope with the patriarchy. Alicent, a noble but relatively unpowerful girl, spends her entire life submitting to the more powerful men around her, telling herself she's alright with how things are. Rhaenys, one of the most powerful women alive, the rightful heir to the Throne and a dragonrider to boot, spends her entire life submitting to her more powerful, male family members, raging internally the whole way. Rhaenyra, arguably the most powerful woman alive, the rightful heir to the Throne and a dragonrider with the backing of all of the men in her family, fights and refuses to accept that things have to be this way. And yet all of them still suffer.

All of them still lose.

GRRM shows that no matter how much a woman conforms, and no matter how much a woman rebels, and no matter how much power a woman has within the system, the system will always win. No single person will ever best a centuries-instilled institution of oppression. This is also the reason why Daenerys succeeds, where these equally intelligent and talented women fail: Because she dismantles the system of power entirely. Because she breaks the wheel.