#i used to be so obsessed with finn .. i watched this ep just for him when i was 11/12

[samlover4evr]

dude finn wolfhard was so small when he was on supernatural

[fomee-c]

Adventure Time has the best redemption arcs

I love deep-diving into my favourite shows, which makes me lucky that Adventure Time has been analyzed to death.

It's awesome because it feels like the show itself is growing up along with Finn. The older seasons are a lot more episodic and focused on the surreality of Ooo. Meanwhile, the later seasons really embrace the show's complicated lore and the idea that morality isn't black and white. The progression of maturity in this one show is INSANE. As the show becomes more mature, so does main character Finn, physically and emotionally.

Nowhere are the show's themes and Finn's personal growth better demonstrated through the show's use of redemption arcs. As the show progresses, classical villain-hero archetypes are subverted to show that Finn is learning that people aren't exclusively good or bad. As the show and Finna age, being a hero or doing the right thing evolves from the basic idea of "fighting evil" to being empathetic and seeking peace.

Heavy spoilers for the main series after the cut.

Some context

I just wanna mention some facts about the show's history.

If you watch the first AT episode followed by the last episode, you're gonna feel disoriented. They're clearly the same show, but it feels like they have very different goals. Early AT is more lighthearted and less serious. The episodes have morals, but they're pretty simple. The randomness of Ooo is played more for comedy than for lore purposes.

Around season 5, the show started taking on a different direction. It's still funny and weird, but the characters are more fleshed out and the messages the show is trying to convey require a lot of digestion. For example, Princess Bubblegum is always smart, but the way she's depicted in episodes like"Enchiridion" vs "Burning Low." Although I consider this a massive improvement, it's unclear how much was pre-planned. Was PB always destined to become a control-obsessed, unethical ruler-scientist? Or was her initial characterization just Finn's crush?

Yes.

Episodes as early as season 1 ep 24 ("What have you done?") show PB acting more like a tyrant than a princess and have the Ice King depicted in a less antagonistic matter. The reason for the tonal shift in the later season is that as Finn grows up, his experiences change the way he perceives reality.

Ooo through Finn's eyes

Adventure Time is about Finn the human and Jake the dog, but really it's mostly about Finn.

The other characters get character arcs and have plot-relevant conflicts, but the show's main focus is dedicated to Finn's coming-of-age story. Finn is Ooo's hero: he's social, caring, and brave, and he's motivated by a strong sense of justice and a desire for adventure. All he wants is to try new things and help others at any cost.

However, he's only 12, at least at the beginning. His idea of being a hero is rooted in black/white morality. If you do bad things, then you're bad. Stopping bad people makes you good. And as a 12-year-old, he believes the only way to stop bad people is through violence.

The show is immature in this respect, too. For the first few seasons, there are two main antagonists. There's the recurring Ice King and his plots to force princesses to marry him, playing off the "save the princess" trope (more on him later). And then there's the Lich, who's a genuinely powerful cosmic entity that seeks to destroy life in all its forms. Naturally, Finn fights them both off through righteous punching.

The show presents this basic understanding of evil, that evil is as evil does. In the beginning, there's almost no nuance to these characters. And this is true with good characters, too.

Billy is a huge catalyst for Finn's character development, but you can see the show's limited understanding of heroism in his debut episode. Billy is Finn's predecessor in a way, being the number one fighter against evil. In "His Hero," Billy realized the fighting evil through violence didn't treat the root problem, opting instead for community activism. However, the show makes this look like a bad thing, with the moral of the episode being that violence can solve problems. Ironically, Finn's character development mirrors Billy, as he realizes over time that he fighting evil might mean hurting people he cares about. Case in point: Simon Petrikov, the Ice King.

The power of redemption arcs

Redemption arcs are controversial because they're ideal but they feel forced if they go unearned. In Adventure Time, redemption arcs serve a two-fold purpose: to convey the message that "evil" people can be understood and rehabilitated and to show Finn's developing maturity as he realizes this.

Ice King

The first character to get a real redemption arc is the Ice King. Initially, he's portrayed as Jake and Finn's natural nemesis, especially when he targets Princess Bubblegum. However, as the show goes on, it becomes clear that the Ice King isn't really malicious; he's just lonely and he doesn't know how to socialize in an appropriate way. Over time, he becomes a sympathetic villain. However, this changes with the Christmas specials "Holly Jolly Secrets, parts 1 and 2." In this episode, Finn and Jake discover the Ice King used to be a man named Simon, whose personality and sanity were corrupted by magic. Simon's backstory is further developed in "I Remember You" and "Simon and Marcy." From this point on, Finn starts referring to the Ice King as Simon, acknowledging Simon's true self and stops treating him less harshly. This leads to a really heartwarming moment in "Don't Look," where Finn's perception literally warps reality, causing the IK to revert to Simon (in appearance but not in personality).

Consequently, the Ice King becomes less antagonistic in general and we even get IK-centric episodes where he takes on a heroic role. For all intents and purposes, post-season 3 Ice King is Finn's friend. The show went from using a cliché villain-type to dedicating a significant amount of time and plot to Ice King's eventual return as Simon. From this, Finn learns that treating people with kindness is imperative to stopping evil. Not only did finding out that IK's personal life was tragic but by treating him as a friend he diminished IK's evil inclinations.

Magic Man

Magic Man is one of the more disturbing characters on the show. He always shows up to do something gross or psychologically messed up. Unlike the Ice King, who was shown to be evil because he wanted companionship, Magic Man wants people to suffer out of pure contempt for the world. His "pranks" include simple stuff like turning Finn into a foot, to more deranged acts like forcing Jake to escape a dream world where doing so would mean destroying all his new friends.

What's interesting about Magic Man's redemption arc is that Finn and Jake have little to do with it. Magic Man redeems himself practically by accident.

We gradually learn that Magic Man's wife was destroyed by GOLB, a powerful entity that can erase things from all realities. So Magic Man's cruelty is best described as frustration or vengeance to an extent. He is constantly suffering, which he tries to mitigate by deriving pleasure from others' suffering.

However, he eventually loses his magic powers (and with it, his anger and sadness) in"You Forgot Your Floaties", grounding him back in reality. From then on, his journey is one of atonement. He tries to reconcile with his family and seeks forgiveness from the people he has tortured.

This arc says more about the show's maturity than it does about Finn's. Although Finn shows no hatred towards a magic-less Normal Man, he seems pretty indifferent. The show, on the other hand, takes the time to make him a tragic figure and offers him a chance at redemption. It wants the audience to know that experiencing loss is not an excuse for being a jerk, but it can explain someone's actions.

King Man's (his title after rejoining the Martian community) redemption arc also demonstrates AT's advancing writing skills. Instead of giving King Man a clear-cut redemption arc, the show depicts him as genuinely sorry without changing his personality. King Man is still obsessed with Margles and is harsh with Martian prisoners, but he's no longer angry with the world. He hasn't moved, as is difficult to do with grief, but he wants to contribute to society instead of rage against it.

Betty Grof

Betty marks a milestone in the show and Finn's personal growth. She is the first antagonist who is shown to be sympathetic from the start. It helps that we know Betty before she goes crazy with magic, but despite that, Finn nor the show ever thinks of Betty as an "evil" character. She's misguided and unethical but well-intentioned.

Betty's whole deal is that she wants to be with Simon, which requires curing him of the Ice King Crown's effects. However, after she absorbs Magic Man's madness and sadness, she starts undertaking strategies that cause Ice King more stress than good.

She becomes a true antagonist in the Elemental mini-series when she prioritizes Simon's recovery over the lives of Ooo's inhabitants, despite the Ice King begging her to save his friends. Even after she betrays Finn, he doesn't seem to see her as a villain specifically. The real source of conflict in the Elemental series was more so the unchecked emotions of Finn's friends; Betty was just an obstacle.

Betty's redemption arc is completed in the show's finale. Betty summons GOLB, risking the entire universe's destruction to save Simon. Except her goal is not only to save Simon but to save their relationship. In an act of self-sacrifice, Betty manages to banish/merge with GOLB to save Ooo, despite knowing she could never be with Simon.

However, it's not as clear as I make it out to seem. While Betty does sacrifice her relationship with Simon, she still manages to save him, begging the question: if Betty couldn't save Simon, would she have made that decision? (I'm inclined to think no, but let me know what you think!)

Even if the "redemption" part of her arc feels rushed, it's Betty's journey that highlights the show's maturity. Just because she does bad things doesn't mean she's a bad person. Finn gets this; he doesn't blame Betty for almost destroying the world. He's more focused on aligning with her desire to save Simon and the rest of Ooo.

Through Betty, Adventure Time explains that it's impossible to judge people as good or evil. To do the right thing doesn't mean to help people who you think are "good" or oppose people you think are "evil" but to find common ground and a common goal.

Uncle Gumbald

He's basically the last antagonist of the show. I don't think there's a lot to say about him that hasn't already been said, so this section will be short.

He's a lot like PB in that he's a visionary. Their conflict stems from their competing ideas and the fact that they both want to subjugate each other.

They almost reach an understanding in the finale when they experience each other's lives, with PB realizing that Gumbald deserved to be treated as an equal. However, he isn't redeemed because he attempts to subjugate PB anyways by faking a truce. I feel like this was supposed to highlight PB's character growth as early PB definitely wouldn't have been willing to share authority.

Fern

I would say this is probably the most important redemption arc for Finn's character. It's weird to say that because Fern is introduced so late into the show and his arc is completed when he dies in the last minutes of the finale. Furthermore, he's a strange character to begin with. He's a grass clone of Finn made from two magic swords, and he's hardly antagonistic toward Finn except in the last two seasons.

But let's look at what we're dealing with here.

Fern's internal conflict is an identity crisis. At one point in the series, Finn comes into contact with a past self (merging timelines situation, dw about it), turning one of his selves into a sword. It's intentionally ambiguous at first, but it's eventually revealed that there is a miniature Finn inside the sword who is cognisant of the world around him. Because of Real Finn's carelessness, Sword Finn ends up getting busted, and eventually infected with a grass parasite, creating Fern.

Up until now, Finn has been acing his new pacifist approach to conflict resolution. He now prioritizes understanding someone's actions and reasoning with them, saving fighting as a last resort.

Fern represents Finn's greatest empathy challenge: trying to understand someone he thinks he already understands. To do this, Finn has to accept that his preconceived notions of Fern are wrong and take the time to get to know the real Fern. He thinks that because they share some sort of biology and memories, they are the same people. He fails to acknowledge the different life experiences that have forged him and Fern into distinct people.

When Fern heel-turns into an antagonist, it's not a surprise. We have seen repeatedly the jealousy that he feels outcasted by the real Finn. We also know he's frustrated with the dissonance between his past "life" and his current circumstances. Like Betty, Finn doesn't see Fern as a villain. However, he doesn't try to understand where Fern is coming from. He assumes that because they are similar, Fern will be willing to talk things out. In other words, Finn wants to reconcile with Fern but doesn't get how devastating Fern's identity crisis is.

In the finale's dream-dimension fight sequence, we see Finn finally hear out Fern's concerns and the two explore Fern's past together.

Fern does die because of plot reasons, but not before re-establishing his and Finn's friendship. I don't really like it when stories sacrifice one character for another's development, but it makes sense given Finn's narrative is about realizing that doing the right thing isn't always a feel-good experience. Finn wants the people he cares about to be safe, and he knows that Fern is in danger by siding with malicious characters like Gumbald. Fern also decides to align with people who care about him rather than someone who wants to use him. If Fern's villain arc is caused by feelings of inadequacies, then it's resolved through self-acceptance. Redeeming Fern requires Finn to truly understand Fern, but this means Finn loses someone who gets him.

I think it's implied Fern could never be at peace alive, since the grass demon was keeping him alive while corrupting his heart. It's a unique take on a heroic sacrifice: setting Fern free means letting Fern go.

Misc. thoughts

Not all redemption arcs are equal. I wanted to touch on a few mini-redemption arcs that either didn't fit the post or had a lesser impact on the story. These aren't relevant to the text, so feel free to skip to the conclusion.

Irredeemable villains

Some AT antagonists never get redemption arcs. These are usually one-off villains who don't get much characterization apart from just being evil. I don't think that AT wants to imply these people are beyond help (see Magic Man for proof), but maybe becoming a good person means that someone has to understand you first, which is harder to do in some cases. Examples include:

Ricardio the heart man

Thief Princess

Wyatt

Redemption arcs?

Originally, I wanted to write a section on Princess Bubblegum and how she gradually releases her iron grip on her kingdom. However, I decided against it because Finn never really sees her as a bad person. However, understanding that she's not perfect is definitely part of her arc. If I were to write about PB, it'd have to be a separate article, probably incorporating how Marceline plays into her character development and how her relationship with evolves over time.

Another character I omitted from this analysis was Lemongrab. I wouldn't describe his arc as a redemption arc because I feel it was more focused on self-discovery than making up for his past actions.

Finally, I thought about writing about the Lich's transformation into Sweet Pea, but I almost don't count it since they are essentially two different characters. A redemption arc to me means that a character undergoes a change of heart. I feel like Sweet Pea is more like the Lich reborn, and while you can argue that the events in "Whispers" are the good Lich fighting against his dormant persona, I feel like it's clear that Sweet Pea and the Lich are not one and the same. Either way, Sweet Pea being the Lich's redemption is to muddy to discuss in this context.

Becoming good

One thing I like about Adventure Time is that no one tries to make the bad guys turn good. Redemption arcs are mostly self-initiated. With characters like Ice King, Finn doesn't try to turn him into a hero, he just stops treating Simon like a villain. Unlike in other media, heroes and villains are not real roles in AT. They are more like social constructs that are easily altered once you start to empathize with supposed villains.

But while "villains" is a flexible term in AT, evil-doing is not. AT puts forward the standard that people should seek forgiveness and atone for the ways they've caused harm. It's a pretty grown-up idea that we should own up to our actions but also forgive people who want to be forgiven.

Conclusion

In Adventure Time, Finn wants to be a hero, but in trying to do so, he needs to answer this question: "What makes a hero?" Originally, the show asserts that a hero is someone who beats up bad guys and obeys people in authority. But as Finn and the audience get older, the show's ideas evolve, too. Through the use of its extensive rogue gallery, Adventure Time affirms that "bad people" are usually just normal people with personal issues. Heroism becomes less associated with righteous violence and more geared towards empathy and reconciliation. Eventually, Finn and the show give up on the hero-villain dichotomy, acknowledging that these categorizations prevent people from helping those who need it most.

Note: this is the first analysis I've posted on Tumblr and I'm planning on writing more with the goal of getting better at writing and media literacy. Additionally, I really love this franchise and I'm always down to discuss it further. Please let me know what you all think?

[bklynmusicnerd]

Alright so I really stumped myself trying to figure out how to discuss this ep since the show has all of a sudden decided to actually be a soap opera. So I decided to go with Trina/Portia and non-Trina/Portia thoughts lol. In non-Trina/Portia thoughts:

- Attentive Spencer is always something to behold. Spencer trying to calm a defiant, pissed Trina in the background while Portia tries to do damage control with Curtis. Spencer rubbing Trina's back in front of the Ashfords and immediately pulling away when Taggert stepped up (he knows who her real dad is lol). Spencer instinctively following Trina when she was getting ready to go confront her mother in private even though he obviously wasn't going to be able to follow her all the way.

He was so focused on getting a status update from Trina (even though she had only just left!) that he got ambushed by the Golden Trio of Paternalism. He handled said Golden Trio like a champ and respected both Trina's agency and her wishes in his short explanation to them. O particularly loved the way he kept emphasizing "Trina felt" in his explanations. He was letting this group (Curtis and Marshall especially), that likes to act like Trina is too naive to make her own decisions and is just being led all over the place by Spencer, know that Trina was actually taking the lead for all of this. This is ironically the most impulse control we've seen Spencer display and it was in the name of keeping things as calm as possible for Trina.

- Heather, Ryan and Amnesia Esme on the run is fantastic. We owe Heather so much. She gave amnesia Esme an emotional core when she was lacking, she finally got lazy Ryan out of the chair and in rampage mode, she probably killed Rory, and hopefully her escape plan gets rid of the demon spawn one way or another. This woman is a national treasure to me at this point. Ryan back in his element was also super fun to watch as was him announcing to Amnesia Esme that he was her father. I definitely believe she has amnesia now but I still don't see what the point of it is. The actress is playing the fear well but I just think psycho lolita on a rampage with her parents would've been more enjoyable than her being a damsel.

- The main interesting thing I got out of the Maggie scenes is confirmation that Esme sought Ryan out rather than vice-versa. The girl had Maggie who loved her but was so obsessed with biology that she chose her serial killer father over Maggie and then proceeded to do his bidding. Feels crazy to me to leave Esme amnesiac during this because this is the one time where some pov from her on this insane decision would be interesting and I don't even like the girl.

- Austin has definitely done something with Nik's body already because this is like the third time he's stalled Ava on moving it. Ava ruminating over being a survivor above all else will never not be great stuff for me. I love that Ava has a "cover up a murder" black outfit on standby. And I obviously love that Felicia and Ava were going to come together to take down Ryan. Now that Ryan has shown up on Ava's doorstep, I hope Ava gets her glock and kills that man. I love that Felicia is all over this because she has been regularly reminding us of how badass she is of late and as the og victim of Ryan, it's only fair that she gets to be in the thick of what I'm predicting is probably his last stand (🥺).

- Pikeman this, Pikeman that, call me when someone gets trapped or arrested. I do wonder if the buyer of the product that Pikeman wants to move through PC is actually Victor since Valentin was the one who weirdly got this plot started.

- Manifesting the Terry and Yuri wedding next but I need them to stop being problematic Liz/Finn shippers

[muninnhuginn]

Thanks for the tag, @roseofcards90!

Last song listened to:

Currently watching:

Move to Heaven (kdrama) - this probably isn't my usual fare, but I think I'm liking it so far? (Finished the first two eps) It's basically about telling the stories of the dead and making sure they get the respect they may not have received in life. One of the main MCs is autistic (as in, literally diagnosed) and the writing/acting seems to have a good balance so far with not babying him by showing he is competent but just has different rules and different people "get" him to varying levels? (There are definitely some little bits like the implication that his dad learnt sign language for him that feels warm rather than some writer just googling "common autistic traits") Will see how it goes anyway. It seems like the story of the day is episodic but the character stuff is building in the background.

Link Click (donghua) - Started watching this when s1 was airing but it was airing in the same period as Oddtaxi so the mystery parts of my brain were focused more on that at the time. To simplify it, it's a time travel donghua where the MC has to go back in time in order to retrieve info without altering the timeline. Season two is airing now and whilst I prefer s1 still overall s2 is still pretty interesting? Season one is more episodic/structured into arcs with a character focus, whilst season two is more full pelt mystery (so it's a bit surprising I prefer s1 tbh).

Jujutsu Kaisen (anime) - I'm an anime-only with this and am probably going to remain that way (especially from what I've gleaned about the manga - I might just watch to end of season two then leave it be?). Season two so far has captured me more than season one, though I've not seen the latest episode yet so will see if that holds when we return to the main cast. Either way, the openings and endings are genuinely so well-made. Even if the series goes entirely in a direction I hate I know I'll always have them.

Again My Life (kdrama) - Lawyer guy gets into trouble trying to take down a powerful guy. Gets killed (shocker). Gets sent back to his younger self to do it right this time. Not a super original plot admittedly, but it's a chill story so far and the relationships between the main cast in it (pretty much all platonic at least at this stage) are all really sweet. It's also doing surprisingly well in giving the female characters interesting conflicts

Adventure Time (US cartoon) - Not watching the whole thing and I have seen a number of random episodes out of order before, but am trying to crash course my way through enough to watch Fiona and Cake. Just finished the episode about Finn's ocean phobia and um, bit more yikes than I was expecting at this stage, but okay. Also, unfortunately, I can entirely see what people mean about Bubblegum&Finn being inspiration for Makima&Denji

Currently reading:

Klara and the Sun - first arc complete, extremely worried about some flags I'm picking up, rip. It's from the POV of a robot (AI kinda deal) and narration-wise, it really shows. Klara's pretty naiive in some ways, but the world-building and clues still make their way through the narration filter

House of Leaves - okay, ngl, I'm not far into this at all, but I've been confused about references to it for years and it seems meta so I'm going to get through it

Will bundle manga in together for ones I'm properly keeping up with rather than checking in every few months to catch up so: Skip and Loafer (monthly release), Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun (monthly), Spy x Family (fortnightly). Webtoons: Rebirth (weekly), unOrdinary (weekly).

Current obsession:

idek what I'd count because I'm into a few things rn and none of them to the extent I've done the whole deep dive? I'm being relatively chill, for me, I'd say. I'll say Link Click, Good Omens, Spy x Family are the things I'm most into nowadays? Good Omens is definitely what I have the most reblogs queued up relating to by far. There's just so much art and meta and I'm not used to being into a fandom here that just has so much. It's a bit overwhelming, honestly

Not sure who to tag but anyone who sees this and wants to have a go feel free (and feel free to ping me in it, I'm nosy) ^^

[mkr31011]

I missed Ben Solo so much that I sat back to watch the Last Jedi again and when the movie was about to end I found myself getting angry again because of the next movie 😠 LIKE ALL THE PERFECT PIECES WERE THERE, READY FOR AN AMAZING ENDING.

So in my head this is how I see it:

FINN

He actually ends up with Rose. In my opinion I loved their dynamic. Rose brought out the best in him, showed him what the resistance was all about and made him stop obsessing over Rey. He goes on to become a commander and takes on a leadership position within the resistance and causes a stormtrooper revolution.

ROSE

She rises in the ranks and is now regarded as a hero for her attempt at saving the fleet in the Last Jedi. She becomes an inspiration to Finn, to be better but yet still shows of her cute nerdy side to him (just the way she is in ep 8). She'll also become Rey's best friend and confidant.

POE

Poe realises the price for his hasty decisions and sobers down a bit, becomes level headed. That combined with his skill, he would go on to take Leia's position and become a general of the resistance. He would have become more emotionally aware and be known as a great leader, a force to be reckoned with.

BEN

Immediately after the end of the Last Jedi, in my head, he defects and is on the run from the first order. Hux takes over as supreme leader and is hunting down the resistance. He would also be keen on capturing Rey especially since he knows about Ben's feelings. Ben will go on to reconcile with his mother, turn to the light side having made peace with his father and reveal his true feelings to Rey. The resistance will be against him at first but he'll go on to redeem himself in the final fight and restore peace through the light side of the force.

REY

She will not be a palpatine 🙄. She'll continue to be Rey, come to terms with her parents and the lack of her legacy. She'll go on to create her own, as a Jedi who restores balance between the light side and the dark side with her dyad. She'll find her home in Ben Solo and go on to create her own family. She won't go back to tatooine, naboo or jakku but rather a new planet filled with lush greenery and settle there. She'll raise a new Jedi order along with her true love and dyad, Ben Solo.

Ok I'll go cry now 😭😭😭 they did us so dirty 💔

[sometipsygnostalgic]

Adventure Time Reviewed - Season 1 Episode 6 to Episode 8

From The Jiggler to Business Time

S1E06 The Jiggler

This one is about the cautions of adopting cute little forest animals. I wonder why Finn and Jake are covered in so many bite marks? Why was that kingdom on fire? What was going on? How much trouble can one watermelon get into? Anyway this is the first episode to feature Finn’s autotune voice. I can’t remember the last episode he said something in autotune - there was the s6 finale, then a few scenes in season 7. 

When they take the Jiggler back home, they Get Creative and escalate until they destroy their entire house interior. I think Princessss made an AMV Nightosphere gag about this.  I love how chiptune noises play every time the Jiggler moves on day 1. 

I always loved this episode. I thought it was very disturbing when the Jiggler gets sick, and then explodes. It reminds me of failed attempts to save birds or insects after my cats have gotten to them. I can relate so much to Finn and Jake here. Poor Jake having to keep himself together and look after his traumatized little bro.  I love the OST of this ep. The soundtrack was uploaded to soundcloud once, along with Ricardio the Heart Guy. I love how artistic this ep is with the edible drawings and the painting of the jiggler’s mom. Very bright and colourful. I always found the momma jiggler’s cry to be... weirdly genuine. 

S1E07 Ricardio the Heart Guy

This ep starts with Finn saving PB from Ice King, who humorously kisses Jake’s butt. PB gives Finn a kiss on the.... neck? hat? as thanks, and Finn’s crush truly begins. Oooooh boy.  I always wondered in hindsight why Pb let the ice king roam free to begin with. That question is raised later in this season. Ice King kidnaps dozens of princesses daily and roams free, but Princess Cookie starts 1 hostage situation and is locked up forever. In the ep What Have You Done, it’s reasoned IK can only be punished for recent crimes, but... ehh, there are a few reasons. Pity? Old ties? Maybe she doesnt want to lock up a pathetic old man forever.  There are some really funny statues of Finn and Jake in the castle, they look buff. I wonder who made these? PB commissioning them makes a lot of sense. Hey, it’s Peppermint Butler’s first speaking lines!!!  “This style of massage is called Best Friend Massage. Because it can only be done for friends. It is completely consensual.” Well the first line from Ricardio the Rapist Stand-in is already incredibly sus. What’s even more sus is he’s apparently friends with LSP.  I find it interesting that Ricardio is so intelligent. This must have been one of the motivators behind making Simon really smart. Ricardio is his heart, at the end of the day. Oh, Simon at the end of the show still has maracas in place of a heart. I wonder if that has health complications? 

“I hear you appreciate ancient technology.” This is foreshadowing of MULTIPLE things now. One - Ice King being pre-war. Two - PB building everything out of pre-war technology. Three - The fact there was a war to begin with!!!! 

Jake is trying to help Finn deal with his new emotions of jealousy (burning low war flashbacks) and he’s once again trying to make him happy, Jake never once considered the logistics of whether Finn and PB would ever actually go out, because it was far more important to him that Finn grow up and have the courage to listen to his heart. Jake encourages Finn’s crush to a fault, and provides lots of support to him when he’s heartbroken later on. 

I love how PB and Ricardio were talking about dangerous micro-organisms and poor Finn has no idea how to approach the topic. I love how Zanoits are actualy dangerous and Ricardio uses them as a poison later.  Anyway even PB can tell Finn is jealous. Finn is of the idea that she has no idea of his crush on her. Of course she knows. But from her side it’s exactly the same as Baby-snaps wanting to be a princess, or every other candy person doting on her - she thinks it’s adorable and completely fails to take the other person seriously. At least, until Braco comes along. Then you realise it’s a good thing she didn’t take Finn seriously, because she might have done something ridiculous like make him a robot clone of herself.  

Holy shit, the duck from The Vault!  I just made a post about it. 

Anyway this ep provides a challenge to Finn or a test of his character, ironically through his own test of Ricardio’s character! Finn gets obsessed with proving Ricardio evil to the point that he gets easily baited into punching him, and doesn’t care that the Ice King is basically dying. Poor Ice King. At least Jake is here to approach the situation with a level head. 

I was wondering as of late, with all the post-Obsidian sexuality discourse (in no way ignited by that one towel scene), whether PB was interested in Ricardio during this ep. It’s possible, and in the past, I thought “maybe”? But upon rewatch? No. She is only interested for as long as she can have scientific discussions with him, and as soon as his knowledge becomes lacking she has already used him for all hes worth. SAVAGE. But not as savage as him trying to rip out her heart. Ew, creep!!! 

I should say that Ice King wanted to cast a spell that would force PB to fall in love with him. He’s NOT safe, he’s dangerous. He’s especially a danger to PB. He does kill her twice at the end of season 2, after all. Once again I don’t know why she hasn’t locked him up LOL. Anyway, even if he did cast a love spell, she wouldn’t change any of her decisisons. It’d just make her sad, like it did at the end of The Suitor.  There was that one time PB tried to make a love potion but we don’t talk about that.  Ice King does demonstrate some concern for Bubblegum’s welfare when he reveals Ricardio’s plan to literally murder her. Ricardio’s plan here is pretty slapstick violent, and it’s funny watching Finn beat him up, but when he returns in season 4, it’s far more... personal and insidious. As in, here he could be seen as a jokey stand-in for a predator creep, but in that later episode he 100%  sexually threatens her and forces her into a non consensual relationship, making it very satisfying when PB beats the shit out of him instead. 

Holy fuck I forgot about this joke. Golden.  

S1E08 Business Time

For some reason, I don’t feel like there’s a lot to say about this ep. It doesn’t demonstrate any remarkable characteristics of Finn and Jake themselves. Instead, it seems to be more of an inside joke. 

When they find the business men, Finn and Jake at first feel like the business men are helping them work more effectively with their assists. However, the boys end up just being lazy, and not realizing that their workers are messing everything up. You can sympathise for the business men because they’re just doing what they were told to do.  This all seems to be metaphorical for when Pen and Patrick McHale started work on the show, and they got tons of help from Cartoon Network staff. They wanted to do everything by themselves, but ended up having to delegate. Maybe they feel lazy for it? 

What makes this episode EXTRA SPECIAL, however, is its confirmation of the Great Mushroom War.  By the time the season had released, the first shot of the intro was already Mushroom War bombs. There was also a reference to the war in the previous episode, where PB and Ricardio shared an interest in “ancient technology”. However, the only reason those references exist is because of THIS episode - This is the one they were working on when they decided it should be post-apocalyptic. They made the human zombies, and the icebergs filled with human junk, and then every GMW reference we see in the show is down to this decision. 

I enjoy the physicality of this ep. Finn and Jake crash through the entire gauntlet. Finn’s still wearing his fire resistant glove as he does it. They get covered in bruises, because they... like pain? I liked when you could see Finn’s sword legit being shinier, and his shoes having bouncing noises. And I want to be hydrated! I loved how smushy Jake was when he became an ice cream monster.  I love the colours of the Fluffy People. S1 has this unique art style compared to the rest of the series. They often draw white outlines to white things, it works nice here. 

[thegirlwholied]

SW anon - So I have tried to watch the whole thing before but I could never really get past the start. I watched ep IV a few years back (and in 2018 I watched it while it playing with a live orchestra which really enhanced the experience) and ofc I’ve known most of what happens bc my mom and brother have been fans of it (and ofc all the references to it in shows and it being everywhere) but the thing about the original trilogy that I found difficult to watch was very much the acting being off

Gov SW anon continued - but I think I’m gonna watch the clone wars show next as I feel like the general universe and people speak to me more than the skywalker and co. story speaks to me. But I’ll probably try and get back to the prequels afterwards (at least just to have seen them) but also bc I’ve been on tumblr for so long and I’ve encountered so much about the new movies with Finn, Poe and rey (I already know I don’t like kylo) that I’m interested to see what comes before that

Seeing Ep IV with a live orchestra sounds fantastic as the music is incredible. <3

I must admit I haven’t gotten properly into the Clone Wars show! I’ve tried, & did jump in to (and enjoy) the finale ~ and certain Mandalorian episodes strongly remind me of the show’s tone ~ but it has yet to hit me right in the place where I care. What I appreciate about it & what it’s brought into the Star Wars universe is still on a more distant level, not visceral. 

I most love that The Mandalorian is truly exploring & taking advantage of the wider Star Wars universe beyond Skywalker & co. (but boy do I also love Skywalker & co.) There is an exciting amount of potential in the newly-announced projects too I love characters outside of a universe’s main chosen-one story. In 6th grade, I was obsessed with the X-Wing book series, which were definitely really marketed toward adult guys but whoops, I had found the deep Star Wars section of the library! And the first line of that series, introducing the main character, is “You’re good, but you’re no Luke Skywalker.” And in a way, that’s the Mandalorian too, to the audience if not himself ~ good, but no Luke Skywalker. Not a Jedi, not meant to bring balance to the Force, a sidestory in the main universe’s struggle.  I (from what I’ve seen/know of) get the impression that’s how Ahsoka sees herself ~ ‘you’re good, but you’re no Anakin Skywalker’. 

Of course, for that contrast to work, first you need a Luke Skywalker.

it’s interesting you mention OT acting feeling off as I would use that exact word to describe how I feel about the acting in some episodes of The Mandalorian. In some I love it! Other times... I hesitate to say ‘like a video game’ as I mean no insult to the well-developed video game characters out there but yeah, it hits me like the actor’s aware they’re essentially in a live-action video game cut scene.

But. I truly love the acting in the original trilogy! ...but also as I type this I’m watching a movie from 1944 and acting style certainly varies by decade, & mileage varies as to personal taste... but also I will never be objective about Star Wars which I have loved since I was six... but also I studied film history in college and firmly believe Star Wars, the original trilogy is just objectively good if not quite everybody’s cup of tea (...okay maybe Return of the Jedi is not quite as objectively good, but I still love it so much and given the work it had to do wrapping up the original trilogy, hey, it did its job successfully and with Ewoks). 

I love the twinkling, wry humor & also gravitas of Alec Guinness. There’s that sense of amusement as he talks to Han, as he waves off the storm troopers, and even in the “let go, Luke”... but always the right weight in the right moments imho

Luke & Han particularly can both be petulant in different ways, & they’re all quippy & brash & even cavalier at times in what in context ~ especially when you rewatch A New Hope right after Rogue One ~ in Very Serious Situations! and I love them for it. 

Carrie Fisher’s accent does shift in the one scene (which I have never minded and definitely went around as a kid trying to say ‘Governor Tarkin’ exactly the way she does), and young Mark Hamill’s Luke can be Dramatic & the Most Petulant but understandably (& prettily) so, and... yeah I probably could muster a criticism for Harrison Ford but also I *can’t*! There are some ridiculous Han Solo moments in Return of the Jedi especially, but also I love him/them/just about every choice these movies made. They just hit on magic.

The magic’s there for me from the music swelling as Luke looks yearningly into the twin suns (the cinematography!), but where it really hits is the up-and-running chemistry between all three of the main actors starting the “Luke, we’re gonna have company” scene, and then, boom, it’s the garbage chute, it’s the you’re-braver-than-I-thought/he-certainly-has-courage, for-luck, here-they-come of it all and the movie is flying. 

...and I will never forgive the sequels for, avoiding spoilers as it sounds like you’re familiar but haven’t seen them, not giving us any true interaction scenes between Rey & Finn & Poe all together until the 3rd movie. While I still so appreciated finally getting that & what we got, for me it was just not just too little but too late. I love the casting & acting for all 3 of those characters, but while fandom’s taken and run with the combination, and they had plenty of chemistry... it should have been up-and-running so much sooner. 

And the prequels just... well, even seeing them in theaters at a susceptible age, the Lord of the Rings movies were coming out at the same time and that did them no favors in comparison. As someone who judges movies above all on dialogue, that... also did them no favors. (Beyond the OT I may have a Nontraditional ranking of Star Wars movies). 

The short version of my prequels & sequels take is that both missed that cinematic magic for me, outside of certain scenes, though I still enjoy them as part of The Whole Thing That Is Star Wars Which I Love. Rogue One had that magic; I know and see the criticism of the early editing & introduction-of-Jyn’s-background-and-Krennic-and-Galen scene, but, to me, that movie is perfect. Solo was solid - maybe not magic, but reliably enjoyable, and I’ve been meaning to rewatch. The prequels & sequels... the lows are very low and the highs are very high, in terms of how they hit me. 

I feel like I’d probably sum them up as Prequels: Good Star Wars, Bad Movies, and Sequels: Good Movies, Bad Star Wars, which may seem a little harsh or too kind on one side or another but gets at my take at the worldbuilding vs. just the cinema of it all. The bread scene in Force Awakens, the salt planet in Last Jedi, the dyad-duel-in-dual-locations in Rise of Skywalker? Gorgeous. Individual scenes’ acting & dialogue is sound for me. And yet. All three sequels’ choices in respect to the entire Star Wars universe and existing characters AND its new characters? ...Tonally inconsistent with each other *and* ultimately with the themes of the OT. Whereas the prequels did so much worldbuilding, and its politics, and I’ll see gifs and think ‘yes actually, is it better than I remember?’... and then I’ll catch one on TV & it’s the Padme & Anakin romance or even Anakin & Obi-Wan’s buddy scene dialogue at the beginning of Rise of Skywalker and the answer will come, clearly: “noooooooooooooooo.”

(...this got long. Which I tend to do when I care, about fiction in any form, and with the prequels/sequels: the ingredients were there to be magic. And just-misses are more frustrating than swing-and-misses. A la, you won’t find me complaining about the Star Wars Holiday Special!) 

(...OK so I haven’t seen all of the Star Wars Holiday Special, and I’m sort of aiming to watch it through this holiday season, since what other year than 2020 seems more appropriate? So I won’t promise not to complain about the Holiday Special but I mostly expect to laugh at it.)

(That said I found the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special an absolute, surprising, laugh-out-loud delight; 9/10 would recommend & yes, 1 point deduction as I will nitpick character consistency even when they are Legos.)

[prophezeiung]

star wars

send me a fandom and i’ll tell you... ( accepting )

the first character i ever fell in love with: obi-wan kenobi and i have been in love ever since

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not: jarjar.... can u believe... i first watched phantom menace and thought this lil guy is cute.... fuck was i thinking...

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not: obidala.... i cannot wrap my mind around it... it was a very cursed time... i stan their dynamic but only as friends ...also 17yo me was obsessed with obikin but i recognize my mistakes and i apologize so hard, the age gap is just too yikes... i hope y’all can forgive me

my ultimate favorite character™: obi-wan kenobi !!!!!!!!! this dude !!!!!! is like one of my top 3 fav characters of all time don’t ask me how but he makes me so fricken happy !!!!! second in line are anakin and qui-gon yuh yuh yuh

prettiest character: padme and leia straight up. i simp daily. they own me. also poe dameron is so damn handsome

my most hated character: i am so sorry but the fandom ruined kylo for me. i cannot take him seriously and i will fight reylos with my bare fists.

my OTP: anidala, han and either of the twins tbh, finnpoe

my NOTP: reylo big time, obi-wan and qui-gon what the fuck

favorite episode arc/scene: this is from the books but the story of how obi-wan became qui-gon’s padawan, anidala in ep ii bc it’s peak cringe, the rako hardeen arc in clone wars, finn and poe escaping together in ep7, that thing luke did where he faced kylo but was a force illusion all along esp bc the aesthetic of that planet >>>>, honestly all of rogue one

saddest death: 1000% qui-gon jinn to me, but also padme amidala and shmi skywalker were heavy... bhodi and chirrut and baze and cassian and jyn.... seeing han, luke and leia die also fucked w me hard ngl but i wanna rewrite the sequels anyway so i don’t take those too seriously in retrospect

favorite season movie: episode iii babey!!!!! i bawl every fucking time !!! i stan the prequels so hard and rots just is a massive fave

least favorite season movie: hmmm ep 8 or 9.... i stopped being invested sorry it was just not well done for me, too many loose ends and bad plot solutions

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate: kylo ig rip to this man but he is the snape of star wars to me...

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave: anakin lmaooo, cad bane, han for sure

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave: obi-wan, FINN

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship: uhh none op... i don’t have very many ships esp nothing nasty... maybe hardeen!obi-wan and cad bane or obi-wan and asajj ventress but i’m not too hot on it either they just have a fun dynamic... rare obikin towards tcw/rots tbh but i don’t wanna think too much abt it

my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship: obi-wan and satine bc it messes w my headcanons, finnrey

[sometimesrosy]

Anonymous said:[l/xa] 2.0 wasn't clarke's new obsession but she was pretty obsessed with a white d in 6x04 so who's lolling? all your ship has is a couple of hugs and ambigious scenes lmao you all look like delusional freaks who don't know any better than reaching :'(

oh baby. there’s never been a lxa 2.0. It was JOSEPHINE that nonny was talking about, that Josephine who stole Clarke’s body and forced Bellamy to lay it all on the line for only ONE person. Clarke.

What we got was a WHOLE season of Bellamy and Clarke dealing with their feelings for each other, how much they need each other and canon love. 

What we GOT was a building LOVE STORY. I am not at ALL disappointed. Like not a BIT. 

I get, though, that you are jealous that your ship never got anywhere NEAR as much story as Bellarke gets. Your ship was enemies to friends to betrayal to enemies to lovers and then it was done in a dozen eps. You did NOT get the epic story you wanted or deserved.

But we are.

And I’m not disappointed with the scenes of Clarke with Cillian, because what we get there was FIRST Clarke having fun (and I know you hate it when Clarke has moved on to be happy without Lxa, but that’s because you never cared much about Clarke but only Lxa) and SECOND we got canon JEALOUSY from Bellamy as he watched Clarke get it on with another man and then he PICKED A FIGHT WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND telling her she wasn’t emotional and open enough, right after he had an emotional, open moment of intimacy with Clarke.

All of season 6 was a like romance novel. It’s not over yet, so they haven’t reached completion yet. 

Instead, Bellamy sacrificed his people to save Clarke, confessed his feelings (some of them) for Clarke, while his relationship with Clarke was compared again and again to the centuries old love story between Josephine and Gabriel.

And then.

AND THEN

When it was all over and Josephine was winning and Gabriel said it was over and Octavia said to let her go... Bellamy said he wouldn’t let her go, he couldn’t lose her, he told her he needed her, and then he used HIS HEART to save HER HEAD, he told her to keep fighting and he gave her the kiss of life, just like fairy tales-- love’s true kiss breaks the magic spell. And no it was not a romantic kiss, but it was a LOVE’S TRUE KISS aka the kiss of life, and she came back and fell into his arms and it was love.

All love.

and please, don’t make me be mean to innocent CLs like this.don’t make me compare because CL loses. If you compare the CL death scene with the Bellarke death scene, there’s only ONE ship that could save their soulmate.

And it wasn’t CL, now, was it? I’ve heard the complaint. Why couldn’t Clarke save L when she could save Finn? Why indeed? Clarke didn’t save L. Bellamy saved Clarke though. And Bellamy was not a medic. Didn’t have training. Doesn’t matter. Bellamy’s love, and his love ALONE is what pulled Clarke back from death. Her brain was beginning to disintegrate. But she heard him and came back to him.

Because CL was there for Clarke’s character development, as was Flarke. And Bellarke is there because BELLARKE IS THE STORY OF THE 100.

So what do we have that you don’t?

We have a ship that’s still sailing. 

[easilydistractedbyfanfic]

Throwback to S1: Raven & Murphy

I have a lot of thoughts about Raven & Murphy, my two favorite characters in this mess of a tv show that I obsess over, and when I saw @johnmurphysreddit post about doing some Throwback Thursday stuff on S1, I figured here’s another chance for me to blather on about them. I watched the show from 1x01 but never got involved with fandom until S5. 

I liked Raven immediately, no question. She was the first “delinquent” character I connected with. Murphy was fun to dislike and his character motivations intrigued me from the get-go because I do enjoy sarcastic, push-the-boundaries characters, but 1x10 “I Am Become Death” not only gave me a new insight to both their characters but it was also the episode that solidified my dedication to this show, even during the times when I’m frustrated with it. It’s for sure in my top 3 episodes even after six seasons. 

I gotta give a shout out to my fave girl Raven - in this ep she risks her life to collect the leaking, explosive fuel from the wreckage in order to get the components for the bomb they need, AND when she realizes she’s so sick she won’t be able to get off the bridge, she lays down nearby to take the shot from close range, knowing she’s too close to the bomb and will die in the explosion. But she does it anyway to save everyone else even though she hardly knows any of them except Finn. This is only one of MANY times she’s ready & willing to sacrifice herself but her dedication to blowing up that bridge and the strength of character she showed in this episode is a huge reason why I love her. 

Anyway, at the end of this episode, Raven is sick in the Dropship and it leads to basically the first time Raven & Murphy really do anything in the same sphere. Clarke and Finn are nearby. But in case you missed it, Murphy is nearby too. He’s sitting on a cushion near the foot of Raven’s hammock, and he stays there the entire scene. (yes I know this photo is ridiculous I literally took a pic of my tv with my phone)

Look at him being all nosy! It’s interesting to consider WHY the show makes sure he’s in this frame, isn’t it? The scene shifts as Clarke leaves, nodding at Murphy on her way out. We get a deliberate view of him again, making it clear he’s in the Dropship AND that he’s awake & alert as well as very close to what’s about to happen. Raven breaks up with Finn, pretty much cementing my undying admiration for her. She gives her raven necklace back. And on a side note, the song here, which started playing during a Linctavia scene just before this one, is The Antlers by Kettering, and damn are the lyrics fitting. 

After that, Clarke and Bellamy have a scene where they discuss Murphy and giving him a second chance, and that transitions to him in the Dropship in the last five minutes of the episode. 

We get the above shot, which is the absolute first moment I started shipping Raven & Murphy, and hah funny coincidence it’s the first moment there’s any kind of real scene between them. In real life I don’t believe in love at first sight but did I ever feel it for this ship when I saw this! I had so many thoughts about what Murphy was thinking in this brief but meaningful look that I wrote my second fanfic about it, My Regards. 

But whether anyone else ships them romantically or not though, I like to think that Raven’s words when she broke up with Finn had an impact on Murphy, and not just in how he thinks of her, but in how it influences his own mindset about himself and his relationships (both in the past - ie his parents - and going forward from S1). I think this scene where he sees/hears Raven being vulnerable is a big part of what leads him to be vulnerable with her in 2x01, giving her a chunk of his background, letting her see him cry and helping her. Yes, he feels guilty he shot her but that’s not the whole of it, IMHO. Something in him is willing in that moment to let her know him, and all shipping feelings aside on my part (of which there are many!), I think part of that willingness from him stems from how he knows her because of what she said to Finn in this ep. Making things more equitable, you could say... or you could say maybe he felt safe in that moment. Actually, I could say a lot about it but that’s 2x01 and this post is about S1! 

So I’ll end this post by saying that the very next interaction Raven & Murphy have is in 1x11. It’s short, but I think it’s incredibly relevant to Raven’s emotional arc. It’s no coincidence that the camera focuses on Murphy literally ripping out the guts of a fish when he’s metaphorically ripping out Raven’s guts by insinuating that Clarke & Finn might be doing more than just hunting together in the woods... although I don’t actually think this was intentional on Murphy’s part. I actually think that he intended to reassure Raven about Finn’s safety but since he’s Murphy and he sucks at empathy at this point in time, he makes a mess of it and Raven ends up more upset rather than less. However, his words push Raven into sleeping with Bellamy, and what I think is Raven’s new mindset of using sex to avoid emotions, which I go into depth about here. 

After this, we don’t see these two together in any scenes until AFTER Murphy shoots her, which fully changes how they interact, and sends us into S2. I didn’t get much between my faves in S1, but dang did they ever hook me. 

[kyloreyorgana]

STAR WARS 9 ! TROS SPOILERS !

In case this is not obvious enough, this post will contain SPOILERS for the last Star Wars movie, which I’m just now coming home from. These are my first thoughts. I have tried to tag as best I could so that people who mute the tags don’t see my post. Do not proceed f you don’t want to read any spoilers.

You have been warned. Long (and I mean LONG) post ahead.

First of all, I’m happy to be back y’all! Just with TLJ, I come from months (or has it been years already ?) of inactivity to jump right back into the fandom, as obsessed as I was back when I came home from TFA. Which is funny because at the time TFA came out, I had lost all interest in Star Wars and heard so many critics from people who’d seen it and said it was horrible and that Disney basically sold the franchise to the devil that I didn’t even want to see it, to keep the good memories closer to my heart. One night, one month after its theatrical release, I thought “aw fuck I might as well see it, at least for Carrie, Mark and Harrisson” so I went to the cheap theater that was near my home... I had zero expectation, and really I think it’s the reason why I loved the movie so much. I didn’t chose to ship Reylo, this ship whacked me like Harley Quinn’s oversized hammer with the Hades and Persephone aesthetics. When I came out, completely mesmerized with what I had just seen, I jumped on Tumblr as soon as I got home, and I ended up creating this blog just days later. I wanted more and more, fics, metas, fanarts, headcannons, theories, cracks, I could never get enough. For TLJ and TROS, I had lost most interest in the fanfics and the fandom (because as much as I love the movies and some people in the fandom, most of it can eat shit as far as I’m concerned). I heard so many critics of TROS already, I was afraid I was going to be disappointed. But I loved it. Only Star Wars can make me go from utterly uninterested to “Wow I can’t wait to see this new Star Wars in theater, what a time to be alive”, to a stage of total obsession that lasts for months. And that is the reason why I don’t give two shits about anyone disliking the movies. It’s sad you didn’t like them, but it made me feel the same way I felt right back when I was a child watching the original movies with my father. It feels like home. And that is the best thing I could ask for.

Like in TLJ, I cried as soon as I heard the first note of the opening. The last Skywalker story, the last time I ever see my Space Mommy on the big screen...

I know the Reylo community is about to be nuts. The whole movie, like TLJ before it, is basically a series of things we’ve already done in fics and theories. I am 100% positive I have read a fic where Rey and Ren try to hold back a ship with the Force and Rey ends up involuntarily shooting lightning. Whichever one of you did it is probably going to have a stroke in the theater. I nearly did.

And really, I wish I could see the look on the Antis’ faces when they see the movie. I’m sure it is a sight to behold. I wanted to scream “TAKE THAT, BITCHES” more than once. As in TLJ.

My biggest fear was what they would do with Leia. I knew Disney said they wouldn’t use CGI and chose to stick with the scenes Carrie had already shot, and I was afraid it wouldn’t honor Leia’s legacy. Well I... have mixed feelings. While the way they used Carrie’s scenes and made it look like she really is here is to be lauded, it sometimes feels like Leia had nothing interesting to say but they tried to put her in a dialogue anyway, because she needed to be seen doing (or rather, saying) something in the Resistance. And about her death... I still can’t put my finger on what exactly I didn’t like about it but I felt like something was missing. Watching the scene, at first I didn’t know if she was having a heart attack or if she stabbed herself or chose to give up her life because she somehow felt it was the moment, I’m still not sure just why she did what she did. I wish they put something more to motivate her decision and explain what exactly she does. I don’t know, a flashback of Leia holding baby Ben, a little more dialogue, something. Not just Leia suddenly getting up and going to bed whispering her son’s name. 

I knew I was going to be disappointed. Among all the celebrities’ deaths, Carrie’s is the one that affected me the most, and believe me I was a wreck when Bowie passed. I miss her, I think about her every single day. And Leia deserved more, much more. When I saw TFA, part of the reason why I loved the movie was that, even though it pained my heart that Han and Leia’s son turned out this way, I thought they would make it right. I spent hours imagining a scene in the 9th movie where Ren would defeat Rey (incapacitate her the Skywalker style cutting her hand or something) and approach to give the killing blow, and Leia would enter the scene, pick up Rey’s lightsaber, look her son dead in the eye and say “Over my dead body, son”. Because Leia would never give up without a fight, even with her son. And she would get her son back, and her story arc would have been completed. I would have paid good money to see this. 

Episode 9 was supposed to be Leia’s movie, just like ep. 7 was Han’s and ep. 8 was Luke’s. When Carrie died, I knew it would be compromised and it broke my heart, because Leia deserved better. She lost everything. Her parents, her planet, her father, her husband, her son, her brother, the Rebellion, the Resistance, everything. She fought all the way, all her life even faced with the worst odds she never gave up hope, she inspired hundreds of people to keep fighting for what is right, and she would never have a satisfactory ending. What a fucking heartbreak. She didn’t even get to see Lando. Leia deserved more. Every little girl in this world who grew up with her as a role model deserved more. But c’est la vie, as we say in French... My only solace is that I know fanfics and fanarts are going to make me feel a little better about it.

Of course I cried every time I saw her on screen, and especially when they honored her body, as we all honored Carrie when she passed away. This was one of the many fanservice moments, and surely the one I liked the most, although there was some concurrence (more to it later).

Another thing I didn’t like is what they did to Poe’s character. Many people disliked TLJ because of it, which they attributed to a political agenda of hate on men. This is so ridiculous and has already been debated enough that I won’t get into it. I did like the evolution of his character in TLJ, because for me it was an interesting character development as well as a good message: wartime is not only about barging in fights head first, shoot first think later, as is, let’s be honest, everything Anakin ever does. At one point, the narrative of the reckless hero who saves the day when a situation seems impossible and everyone begs him not to do it gets old. Sometimes in war, you have to think ahead, to plot, and yes, listen to what your allies have to say. And it actually was a good critic of toxic masculinity. Could the conflict between Poe and Holdo have been avoided with minimally sane conversation ? YES. But the message was here (as were Holdo’s hair and dress and WOW gurl) and I thought that was it, and Poe would evolve into a wiser person.

But this Poe is, at least in the first half of the movie, not very likable. Hear me, I never really liked Han Solo (never been into macho men) but I really loved Poe in TFA because he was genuinely nice and brave. Here, he’s bitter and annoying. I told myself that he was jealous of Rey because he heard of Finn’s crush on her and he wanted to keep Finn all for himself, which I know is just a crack headcannon, but hey, anything to make it better I guess.

Of course, I’ll never forgive Disney for not making FinnPoe a thing, when even Oscar Isaac ships them hard. And trying to make Poe flirt with the other girl (whose name I even forgot and whose face we didn’t even see, now tell me again how Star Wars has been corrupted by feminists... sigh)  Speaking of, it is me or did two women kiss at the end ? 

I liked the new droid, it reminded me of my puppy. But at the end, it was just another fanservice moment, it didn’t really do anything useful onscreen apart from being cute and funny.

When Rey was finally revealed to be a Palpatine as I hoped, I giggled like a wee girl. Watching TFA, I begged the old gods and the new that they wouldn’t make her another Skywalker, because it would’ve spoiled the Star Wars spirit for me. The whole franchise, in my opinion, is a story about fighting for what you believe is right, no matter who you or your parents are or where you come from. Even though Luke and Leia’s ended up being Vader’s children, they weren’t the only meaningful characters. Anakin was basically a Space Jesus and went from a total nobody to the Chosen One. I didn’t want Rey to be a Skywalker because it would mean that your importance would only ever lay in your bloodline, and that is depressing and totally against the spirit of the Rebellion/Resistance: no matter who you are, you can fight for what is right. For this reason, I wished for Rey to be either a real nobody or Palpatine’s granddaughter, which is also why I liked the fact that Han and Leia’s son turned out bad, even though it made me sad for them (Leia didn’t deserve this). No matter your bloodline, you can always make things right, or fuck up badly if you let yourself be taken away. And, of course, the reveal that Rey and Kylo Ren are two sides of the same coin (aka one of the many times where I picture us Reylos screaming CALLED IT in our seats) was exactly what I hoped for, a beautiful balance. I didn’t share Palpatine’s implication that a Palpatine and a Skywalker are meant to work together, though. That is not how I choose to interpret this duality. That is not what they end up doing, anyway.

Speaking of that old pal Patine, seeing the trailers I feared I would feel nauseated that they chose to reanimate the Big Old Villain, just like they reanimated the Even Bigger Death Star in TFA (how lazy can you be ?). But I enjoyed it. What saved it was Palpatine’s will to be killed by Rey to perpetuate the Sith rite of passage. I don’t even care if it’s cannon or not. I was afraid they would recreate Vader’s dilemma in ROTJ with Rey, but I liked the choices she made. And the throne scene worked for me. Like the rest of the movie it was flawed, for instance we don’t even get an explanation on how he survived. Just like we don’t even get what Finn wanted to tell Rey, even though it was emphasized several times. Was it a love declaration ? What happened to the rushed romance with Rose in TLJ ? (What happened to Rose, actually). While we’re at it, why did Palpatine want Ren to kill Rey ? So many questions. So many flaws.

And, of course I cannot comment this film without mentioning my sweet star-crossed lovers, Rey and Ben. First, I’m really eager to see your reactions. We did it, Reylos! Years of hate and slander and we were right all along. Let’s rejoice.

I like Rey’s evolution. For the moment, I don’t feel like I have too much to say about it (which is fine because this post is way too long already). I like the way she handles her emotions, I like her choices and her character evolution. 

And Ben. Oh, sweet Ben. Although I think the part where he gets his old mask fixed wasn’t necessary, I kinda like what they did with him as well. I must say though that I liked his hair in TFA better.  Oh boy, I loved Kylo Ren but I absolutely adore Ben Solo. And I think the way the movie depicts him even surpasses some fics. The moment when Rey gives him the lightsaber and he gets up and does the Han shrug  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  I almost lost my mind. This ties with the hommage to Leia’s body as my favorite fanservice moment.

And their relationship... Look, I know I wet my pants really enjoyed myself in TLJ when they held hands, but that scene felt rushed even for me who ships them with the force of a thousand suns. Like many things in TLJ (and, as I said, also in TROS) it felt like things I had already seen in fanfics, but in the fics I enjoyed the most Rey had tried to kill him at least 5 mores times before even agreeing to have a one-on-one conversation with him. Their romance in TLJ felt like it was hormone-driven, but I get Johnson couldn’t really do a slow burn in 2 hours. When Leia died and they both felt it in the Force, I could feel that Rey wanted to touch him, to confort him, to grieve with him. I’m glad she didn’t. It wasn’t time. And I really like that she told him she wanted to hold Ben’s hand, not his. And Ben, the Dork Knight, finally realized that if he wanted The Girl, he shouldn’t, you know, threaten her and chase her but get back to the Light Side like she begged him multiple times. Because he really isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, this is apparently what makes him choose to tip over. That or the fact she saved his life. I was still frustrated by Leia’s death so I don’t know if I’m not entirely convinced because it happened just after, I’d have to watch it again. I liked Han’s moment, though.

And in my opinion, Rey and Ren’s fight on the wreck of the Death Star is as good as Anakin and Obi-Wan’s. My Reylo heart will always have a special place for their couple fight in TLJ (aka the best non-sex sex scene in cinema, don’t @ me) but I also liked this fight in light of their relation. Surprisingly, it reminded me more of their fight at the end of TFA, when we see Ren holding his blows and Rey barging in. I thought it was endearing.

The end. Oh my god, the end. I can’t wait to see the first gifs and I really really can’t wait for the HD gifs, because oh boy, I now only live for Ben Solo’s smile. That’s it, I found my will to live, my depression is cured. And the way he handles Rey’s body with the utmost care (while Finn apparently watches it and does or says nothing). And that kiss... And the SMILE. And the KISS. 

Oh, dear gods. Oh dear.

I can’t wait for the first fics in which Ben doesn’t die and they live happily ever after on Tatooine or Naboo or wherever they damn want. Or the fics where he is indeed dead and they still share a beautiful relationship (if Force Ghost Luke could get his X-Wing out of the water, I’m eager to imagine what Ben would do with his Force dick, tongue and fingers. Forgive me, it’s getting late and I’m still flustered thinking of their kiss)

And the fact that she declares herself a Skywalker ? I know a lot of people are disappointed in this, but apart from the fact that she completely deserves the title in my opinion when she inherited the will of both Luke and Leia, which is reason enough, she is absolutely married to Ben and deserves her place in that family. Also, it’s again a beautiful way to remind you that bloodlines don’t matter as much as what we choose to do with our lives. And while I’m glad they showed Leia’s Force ghost (I would’ve been really mad if they didn’t) I’m super frustrated they didn’t show Ben’s. What am I to believe, that he gave his life for her, became one with the Force and vanished into litteral nothingness for him to never be seen again ? Like hell I don’t. Again, counting on the fics and arts to right this wrong.

The movie sure has its flaws, and I still have many unanswered questions, like what the fuck is the badge Maz gives Chewie, or how Rey does her lightsaber staff at the end, and I wish they explained some things better. I wasn’t sure if the saber Leia wanted Rey to have was hers or her mother’s. Most of those questions will be answered by bigger geeks than me in this fandom, so I really can’t wait to read from y’all.

I know a whole lot of people are going to hate the movie. The antis, the gatekeeping trve fans (already I’ve seen people say that those who enjoyed the movies are not Real Star Wars Fans and welp, we’re going to see a lot of shit). The manbabies who genuinely believe in a feminist takeover and see equality as a direct threat. I’m specifically happy they will be disappointed while I got the privilege of enjoying Star Wars as much as I did. It’s not my fault, or Disney’s fault even, that they turned out to be on the Empire’s side. And the day has not come when I defend a megacorporation. 

Leia was the first SJW. The Resistance lives on. People will always fight against evil, like it or not. I know the world is a shitty place and we don’t have much hope nowadays for things to get better, and Star Wars has always motivated me to keep going and stick to my values and my convictions. I felt chills several times in the movie, like at the end where everyone comes to fight, and now I’m more willing to keep fighting than ever. For Leia.

Godspeed, Rebels! 

[kinetic-elaboration]

July 20: Thoughts on The 100 2x04, Many Happy Returns

It’s literally been five months since I did one of these…

The wasteland was a pretty cool concept and I’m sad that they kinda pulled back on it later. Like, when characters can get from point A below the wasteland to point B above it without apparently passing through it at all, it makes it seem like the area is actually not that big after all. Is it, like, just NYC? And maybe the metro area? Also, again, as usual, floored by the costuming on this show. Amazing.

So Zoran is the first human Jaha meets on Earth. A kid and a mutated human.

Clarke is so intensely pragmatic. She legit doesn’t care if people once tried to kill her, as long as they aren’t trying to kill her now. I don’t really see this as forgiveness, but rather an ability to forget the past that isn’t useful to her. Also lol @Anya for saying Clarke is weak, like who broke who out of the Mountain hmmm?

“Everything is Grounder territory.” Murphy telling the truth. And even if some parts of the world aren’t Grounder territory, how the hell would Bellamy know?

Murphy, canonically a terrible runner. Rewatching these early eps just reinforces his glow up since then. (Not in terms of running, but in terms of, like, haircut.)

The wreckage of the Factory crash is so devastating, following the trail of bodies to the crash site. I still wish we’d found out what happened to everyone else. I guess we’re supposed to assume the rest of the stations exploded before impact? But still. I feel some bitterness.

This saving Mel story is entirely, 100% about keeping Bellamy, Finn, and Murphy stuck for most of an episode, allowing Octavia to find them, and then forcing Bellamy to come back to Camp Jaha rather than continue searching for Clarke—so he can, you know, run into Clarke. It’s pure filler. And imo not even very interesting filler since I’m not really like a rescue/adventure story person. I can’t even figure out how Mel ended up stranded along the side of the cliff. Was she climbing up and then got tired? Also, on a related note, at what point do they, Bellamy in particular, realize which station this is? Is it immediately obvious from the wreckage, or only from the identity of the survivor? Because this is Bellamy’s home.

All that time they were talking, Sterling was there in the background, doing whatever. Honestly though shame on Bellamy a little for letting Finn convince him not to save Mel.

Totally forgot they built an electric fence at Camp Jaha. Then, began work on a radio beacon.

I can’t even pay attention to the Clarke and Anya scenes because I’m too attracted to both of them. Less so in the mud. Which is 100% gratuitous given that uh, I don’t think the Mountain Men who almost never go outdoors and are currently wearing big ass gas masks on their faces can smell shit.

Bellamy and his adventure squad are such dumbasses. Huh, let’s tie this thin rope with a single knot around a stump and then just watch our friend use it to scale the side of a mountain. Nothing can go wrong there. I mean there are fucking four of them just standing around watching when they could be, uh, securing the rope? Anyway RIP Sterling, cause of death: idiocy. (Slash the narrative’s need to put Bellamy in the hero role at this point, and to up the ante on his heroism, and to waste some time.)

To be more fair, I think this is semi-important for Bellamy’s characterization, an early version of ‘save who we can save today.’ He’s at a sort of crossroads at this point, not really a leader anymore like in S1, but sort of a leader, and he needs to figure out what sort of leader he’ll be.

Monroe’s “Sterling was one of us” warms my heart because it speaks to my “the 100 were a distinct social group” theory, which I wish (again lol) had been more important to the show and for longer.

Murphy does fall in, though, pretty fast. After Monroe says the ‘one of us’ thing. Which is actually pretty impressive given that a few days ago he was blasting a hole in the dropship and running away with all their ammunition.

This must be such a trip for Jaha, like, he is aware that forest exists still, because of transmissions from the 100, but he’s in the middle of the fucking desert, and this is all he knows of Earth, whatsoever. Also, again, these sets are perfect, I love them so much.

How did the City of Light become a legend among the Grounders? It’s made from the Alie 1 chips…. Didn’t Becca, like, not like those? I’m assuming of course that literally any of this was ever thought out or ever made sense.

“I have no room for hate.” You know what I’m just gonna say it: I think this is true. This is really how Jaha lives the rest of his life. I think people forget since he wasn’t really himself for most of S3, and even in S2 his mission to the City of Light seemed kind of nutty (and boring). But “I have no room for hate” both describes him pretty well, and is rather a lovely thing about him. If only he hadn’t been so obsessed with the COL, tbh. Searching for it was a bad idea from the very beginning and it was also, I think, a rather cowardly idea.

I forgot that this was where the concept of radiation disfigurement came in and was explained. Is that really how it works? Like random mutations, even generations after the event, from non-mutated parents? Lol I have no idea. That said, Sienna kind of looks like she has some scarring on her face, too.

Here is Jaha finding someone who left her people for her son, whereas he sacrificed his son for his people. Does this also change his mind on things going forward? Connect to his insistence on the COL, at the expense of a chunk of his people?

I miss this thing where characters knew other characters even though we’d never seen them interact before, because, like, a history exists and then the show acknowledges it. That was fun.

I shipped Raven/Wick and I don’t regret it, even though fandom’s toxicity basically killed it for me in a lot of ways. They had a good rapport. More importantly, he might literally be the only man to not take shit from Raven and to actually be brave enough to challenge her.

 Engineering is such a damn good set.

This is a weird episode because our two mains have pretty much the least important, or at least least-interesting, story lines. They’re basically just being moved into position to reunite at the end of the ep, and that’s it.

Clarke: “I just need something sharp and sterile [to remove the tracker from your arm].” Anya: bites it out with her teeth.

Why do they bother putting trackers on the Grounders? Do they escape often?

Murphy’s not only helping with the rescue mission, he’s at the head of the line.

Bellamy’s legs appreciation.

Murphy: “Don’t you worry, Bellamy, I won’t drop you.” I mean…you did once try to hang him. But by-gones I guess. I do believe at heart Murphy just wants to be part of the crew.

I think the Raven and Wick scenes are my favorites of this episode. I have two uninjured legs and I wouldn’t climb that thing; Raven is a brave bitch. And when she has to give up and come down, probably the saddest moment of the ep, along with finding Factory station. Some of this is relevant to my big bang.

 After literally all this, Finn’s still like ‘Bellamy, just drop that rando’ lol. No, bitch, don’t do this half-assed. Stop being a wimp and pull them both up.

Before it’s revealed that the horn is Octavia, this really does look like Bellamy and the No Good Very Bad Day lol: first Factory is found destroyed, then Sterling dies, then you almost die when your fake rope breaks, then someone starts shooting arrows at you, then acid fog rolls in, like, what now universe??

I guess another purpose of this story line, being fair again, is that Murphy and Bellamy are now officially friends again. Like Murphy has proven himself completely trustworthy as of that little nod between them.

“She blew the horn” is s obviously ADR to explain what exactly is happening here. Which is helpful, even though she’s clearly carrying the horn.

Blake sibling reunion!

“Three mechanics made it to the ground.” I mean… you’d think it would be more than that… what with the entirety of Mecha making it. Or was that station mostly casualties? I don’t know, this still doesn’t make sense to me, how they split up people between stations. Season 2 implied it was random, Season 3 implied it was by home station.

“Your leg’s messed up and that blows. Figure out a way to work around it.” Legit question: is there anyone else who would have said that to her?

I really, truly miss Wick tbh. One of the few characters with a sense of humor. (And yet again: he was good for Raven.)

They’re really playing fast and loose with the rules about language in this verse huh? Warriors speak English, no everyone speaks English, no English is for friends only I guess?

Jaha just wants to be a dad. Like, do I think he was a good parent… I dunno. Is he a better parent than anyone else on this show? At this point I would have to say yes. (No, Clarke does not count as a “parent” jfc.)

Ruthless Clarke ftw.

Jaha making a chess board just breaks my heart. Just let him be a dad!!

It’s been such a freaking long time since I watched this, I can’t remember if Octavia had braids in the last ep or not, like how long she’s had them. And it’s really bugging me, because someone else must have put them in, and I’m trying to figure out who that might be.

Also, where did she get the horn? I guess the implication is it was Lincoln’s… I can’t really remember. Wouldn’t it still have been on his person when he was captured?

Octavia went off the rails but at this point I’m still very fond of her.

The map Finn gives Bellamy lists ‘statue’ (Lincoln Memorial?), ‘twin trees’ (???), ‘Ark’ (Alpha Station??), and ‘amusement park’ AND amusement park is very close to Ark so my question is why didn’t they use that amusement park for something interesting??

Bellamy knows he shouldn’t let Finn go off alone but then, what can he do? Finn never really adhered to his authority. And I don’t think he feels like he can flex that right now, like it’s sufficiently established in this new order.

But he does arm Murphy. Which says a lot about how much he has decided to trust him, but also how little he trusts Finn. I forgot about this split in the character groups, though I should have remembered it, since of course this leads directly to the massacre.

“Parting, such sweet sorrow, right?” is an interesting quote from a kid who can’t spell ‘die.’

Aw, Clarke goes back to the dropship. I forgot about that. But then of course she doesn’t realize… anything. She doesn’t know the Ark is down, she doesn’t know what happened to the few of her friends who were on the outside. And her face when she sees the message to her, and only her name is still visible…

Blah blah blah fight sequence.

Creepy skeleton parts on the ground.

 I think this could have been the start of an Anya/Clarke friendship of some sort: Clarke earns her respect by fighting well, Clarke’s people protect Anya, the alliance forms… too bad they had to kill her.

And Clarke figures out where Alpha is based on Raven and Wick’s balloon.

“We fell from Earth in a football stadium. I think they already know we’re here.”

BUT the balloon is also what sets off Byrne, and gets her so worried about Grounders she authorizes the ‘shoot on sight’ command that kills Anya and almost Clarke. On the one hand, this is a nicely wrought story line. On the other hand, they shouldn’t have killed Anya, so. A wash.

Was Byrne’s worry about the balloon warranted though? I can’t decide.

Zoran, such a kind soul.

How can there possibly be a bounty on Sky People (side note: Jaha’s reaction to that name like ‘huh well I guess that is what we are’) that people all the way out in the dead zone would know about? Like… they’ve been on Earth for like a month. And the war has only been going on for part of that time, arguably. If it even is a war.

Trent Lane voice: Betrayal, yeah, stab in the back, betrayal…

Too bad “To survive, we do what we must” didn’t end up in like the fandom lexicon. It’s a pretty good variant on the theme. Plus Jaha’s just so… like he’s been fucked over but he can’t even be mad, because he gets that she’s doing it for her son and he wishes he had that chance. Watching his scenes again, I really feel like he was underrated and I miss him a lot.

I wonder what happened to Zoran and family. Were they absorbed into the hive? More generally, what happened to people seeking the CoL before ALIE could get it properly running with Jaha’s help? Did they all just… die in the desert?

Alpha Station at night is so beautiful.

And Clarke is so happy.

And this is SUCH A SETUP FOR CLARKE AND ANYA TO BE FRIENDS OMG, Anya should have brokered peace with Lexa, there was such an obvious role for her… Her death was 100% random attempt at shock, this show’s #1 worst quality, which is saying a lot.

I mean shot in the back while she’s walking away these Sky Guards are incompetent.

RIP Anya.

I really thought the Bellarke reunion was in this ep for some reason. But then I also knew Anya died right at the end—for more Shock Value ofc—so I don’t even know. I remember the scenes but nothing of their order I guess.

[ais-n]

Current favorites

So, nobody asked for this... I just think it’s kind of fun to stop and think sometimes about what my favorites are. This list is for primarily anime/cartoons and similar media. After the title, I list if there are pairings or not - to be clear, that’s not based on if people ship anyone in the series. It’s just based on the story itself and if it has pairings directly included in the main storyline.

In the gifs below, I tried to highlight funny/cute parts + badass parts of each.

Favorites:

NO PARTICULAR ORDER (except One Piece which is rightfully at #1)

One Piece *on this one, I do prefer the manga to the anime. Also, couldn’t decide on a gif so I did a few ohoho that’s what you get for my fav! :D No pairings - sort of a background m/f love interest, sort of. But also there are basically a bunch of trans and gay characters in the background. As for reason: I mean. It’s One Piece. I fucking adore One Piece. But for the 5 people in the world who haven’t heard of it, or maybe skipped over every time I mentioned it - one reason I love it so much is it’s super great storytelling. It’s SO good at bringing plots together even across literal years and decades. Also, the characters are really good, and it spans the emotions really well - from humorous, to sad; from super dark and fucked up, to light and dorky. I love range like that, and I love complicated plots, and I love interesting characters that actually have development over time. Therefore, One Piece is A+ #1 fave.

Avatar: The Last Airbender M/F love interest. I was soooooooo late to the party on this one, but I LOVE IT SO MUCH JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! It’s incredible! Aang is one of my favorite MC’s, period, across all genres and media. You never get to see characters like him... and rarely have I seen anyone since. He’s a wonderful combination of pure cinnamon roll sweetheart and someone who is totally willing to stand up for his morality and his beliefs when needed. I love his monk aesthetic, I love that he values all life, I love how strong he is not only in his powers but also in his heart and soul. I just. UGH. I LOVE HIMMMM T___T (Also the other characters are great too! Don’t get me wrong. That absolutely adds to how great ATLA is. It’s funny and endearing, sad and interesting. But if I had to choose one thing that makes me love ATLA so fucking deeply, it’s 100% my boy Aang)

Noragami M/F love interest. Noragami is SOOO GOOODDDDD UGGGGGHHH. Again, like most of the things I love, it has a really wonderful range. It’s very sad in places, heartbreaking even, and in other places it’s so unexpectedly funny. It volleys so effortlessly between those and more emotions that it gets me right in the feels. The anime is absolutely beautiful - very well animated - and the manga is drawn very well. Yato is a favorite of mine in general in anime/manga characters. He tries so hard, and sucks so much so often XD But he doesn’t let him ever stop it. I am currently stopping myself from starting the series all over again just because it’s ridiculous to do that. If you think this is just another anime/manga, give it a chance first. You might love it like I do.

Beyond the Boundary / Kyokai no Kanata M/F love interest. GODDAMN THIS FUCKING SERIES IS SO GOOD ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?? This is a funny one, because legit the reason I watched it was I saw someone on my tumblr feed post some pretty animated gif and I was like, what’s that? Looked up the name. Didn’t look AT ALL what it was about, just popped it on when a friend was over. We both got so obsessed we watched the whole thing in one sitting. Later, we tried showing the first eps to mutual friends - and THEY got so obsessed that we watched the entire thing in one sitting again. It is absolutely not your typical anime where one character has special powers in high school. It’s just. jfc. I can’t really explain it without going into spoilers or details, but this fucking show gives me SUCH GODDAMN FEELS. I loved it so much I immediately bought the entire series the second we finished it. Also, the animation is absolutely beautiful. But it isn’t just that - it’s also the story, and the characters, and the fact that for once in life, an anime I watched bothered to make a m/f love interest that I actually believe in and 100% ship and root for, and that gets me so emotionally invested that I can’t stop watching. It’s a really great series. Try watching the first episode or two, just to see if you get into it. If you do, you will not be disappointed by the rest.

Honorable mentions:

Natsume Yuujinchou / Natsume’s Book of Friends No pairings. So, I love Natsume. This is one that I almost didn’t add just because it’s been so long since I watched it, but because I love Natsume so much I wanted to make sure it stayed on the list. Natsume is such a sweet and sad character, and the stories that are told are so bittersweet. I love this series which manages to be, at once, gentle, heartbreaking, and uplifting. Haikyuu!! No pairings. To be fair, it’s been so long since I watched this that I almost forgot to add it. But I loved the fuck out of this before so it probably will go right back onto the main list when the anime comes back, or when I finally read the manga. I’m still only as far as the anime.... -_-

Bungou Stray Dogs No pairings. So, this was one where I was recommended it and I went into it not sure what to think. But I ended up loving it SO MUCH that I couldn’t stop watching! I obsessively watched the whole thing as fast as I could, and then later went on to buy some things connected to it. It’s a great series. Great characters. I thought the animation was really nice. I got the manga too, but it’s throwing me off how one MC’s speech patterns are like a 180 difference between anime and manga so I’m slower to read the manga. I still really recommend though!

Adventure Time No pairings / M/F love interest. I super didn’t get into Adventure Time the first 2-3 times I tried, but the fourth was the charm. I LOVE Finn omg. It has great characters, fun stories, is both dark and humorous, and just generally I heart it.

One Punch Man No pairings. It’s just so frickin funny XD I absolutely love the MC, but all the characters are pretty great. I appreciate the satire. I read the manga more than watch the anime on this.

Aoharu x Machinegun M/F love interest. This one is more iffy. I like the manga a lot. I liked the anime. I’m a bit undecided on if it should be on the list or not, but since I thought of it, I’m adding it.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood M/F love interest. Another one I almost forgot to add to the list because it’s such a given and I haven’t watched it in literal years. But this series is super good, and although I liked the first FMA anime when it came out because it was fun to watch, there’s no question FMA: Brotherhood is by far the better anime. The animation (especially of the fight scenes) is just so *___* and the story itself is one that I feel will continue to age well. I haven’t reread/rewatched in years and years, but I continue to remember loving it. It’s just... such a good story for things that are massively fucked up, but also super cool.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? & re:Zero

M/F love interest, more or less. For both of these - my friend and I almost didn’t watch them because we thought they would be too full of tropes. They’re very different stories, but they’re both really good. Both of them impressed us. The story of re:Zero is really great, and the characters in Dungeon are great. I recommend them both. Especially if you wouldn’t have otherwise given them a chance. Seriously, dungeon especially surprised me.. I really thought it would be kind of gross because of the title, but that turned out to be an unfounded bias on my part.

[2n2n]

you seem very well versed in AT storyboards, so I'm wondering if there's any you would recommend in terms of being very interesting/revealing/contains lots of stuff that was cut or changed or something. I haven't really looked at any of them and wonder what goodies they contain. like from what little I've seen I think the Evicted storyboard has a reference to the Lich ages before he would first appear, stuff like that is cool. any thoughts bud?

Early episodes have a lot more wildly different storyboards, but also often more ill-defined scribbly art (which idk if it’s the result of time restraints, or wanting to be nicer to revisionists lol, or just familiarity w the system over time...). Evicted’s board really is bananas.

There’s an entire unmade episode about a tiny race of people living in the trunk of the treehouse, where the entire ep ‘Finn’ is just his hand sticking into a hole in the trunk & his body is stuck. Fsr animals all congregate to lick his body obsessively? It’s somewhere in Frederator’s Scribd.... if you hunt for it. its wild.

the ‘Henchman’ storyboards are absolutely hilarious-- the outline (which is significantly different) is online as well, and it’s just So Extra it’s funny. It’s obvious through the entire board that they had used the much dicier word ‘Slave’, and quickly/sloppily replaced it with ‘Henchman’. The outline is also titled ‘Marceline’s Slave Story’

this outline torments me

I love the dialogue cut from ‘It Came From the Nightosphere’, 

I love her defending her friendship w Finn because he treats her GOOD!!! like other people HAVEN’T!! she’s been through so stupid much!!!! she has a NICE FRIEND NOW

my idiot brain also loves this slightly different layout, where Marcy takes Finns hand and guides him inside when she tells him to not laugh at her, instead of the quick panning into house they settled on.

‘What Was Missing’ is pretty intense in its board. PB says a lot more vicious/unfair things to Marcy, and both boarders had some very stinging lines get cut. I wonder why this was? Was it just too much, was it considered inaccurate? Unnecessary? It feels like it was decidedly toned down rather than cut for time (which usually feels more like the case in other boards). Either way, I love the absolute vitriol in the board, it makes Marceline spitting on PB feel less out of left field. It makes it all feel so much more loaded... a rich history.

marcy also references this being pretty par the course for PB?

PB even disses her mid-song....

this sort of change always fascinates me-- almost every ep has a line or joke that either didn’t make it, or isn’t present in the board (and must have been thrown in later to meet time perhaps or justify something better), but occasionally there are slight modifications that shift the entire tone.

Sometimes boards also specify more ambiance or lighting effects that didn’t make it into the final, or make a subtle emotion you might have missed more pronounced via board notes. and Sometimes there’s. like the

THESE STUPID HEARTS

Anyway I’d suggest if you like any ep, or particular writer/artist, you should flip thru the boards. I only remember what’s different in eps -I- especially love and naturally geared towards the content I like. Most boards deviate a little.

I also think finishing work (inking, coloring) sometimes robs a pose of its original energy and unique intensity. Sometimes the boards drawings just convey the feeling of the ep so much deeper. sometimes a loose, rough drawing feels more powerful....

sometimes a. board panel just give me. strength

I don’t think the real pull of boards is just getting to see cut scenes or content, even if a board was followed exactly & not changed at all, it is still a different experience from watching the polished show and worth looking at if you love the episode. It might even illuminate things that you missed in the show or call attention to dialogue you didn’t think was that heavy. I always feel like reading boards teaches me more about the intent of any split second or glance. The pacing feels different, like you’re slo-mo crawling thru every second. 

Not all boards are available online tho..... I spend every day of my life mourning that ‘Return to the Nightosphere’ and especially ‘Daddy’s Little Monster’ are not online... neither is ‘Gotcha’ or ‘Beautopia’ which I would kill for. I’ve messaged about them but unfortunately peeps tend to be too busy to backupload all the eps that were lost in the posting transition from Frederator’s blog to the KingofOOO blog. There’s a giant gap in boards being shared that contain my favorites.... 

[nicaffeinated]

An in-depth but unorganized review of Star Wars Ep.VIII: The Last Jedi

I don’t really do movie reviews, but for Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, I’m willing to do it (and because most of the people I know haven’t seen it yet, I need to let things out!) So, if you haven’t seen the movie yet and are planning to watch it soon, please don’t read this. Do yourself a favor, and don’t spoil yourself.

To set things going, I just want you to know that I love Star Wars. As a kid, I grew up being only aware of the Star Wars franchise. I knew about lightsabers, Darth Vader, Jedi, Sith, and I even knew about the Millennium Falcon considering I haven’t watched any of the movies before! This just says how big the Star Wars influence is. But what set things in stone for me was actually watching the original trilogy marathon on TV out of boredom. This was uncanny of me, as at that age I was more obsessed with fairies and princesses in ball gowns. Then I got to know our beloved heroes, Luke, Han and Leia and I went out a fan, and here I am now. 

I watched the movie on the second day of release, which is the 14th of December here in the Philippines. In fact, at first, I was the only girl to enter the cinema during the first screening of that day. There were like 7 guys already inside and I just knew they’ve been waiting to watch this movie for two years as I have. 

So to get on with the movie review, I generally liked it, but all in all I don’t know what to feel about it. I guess writing about it will help me in weighing everything down.

On-Screen

I feel that instead of answering questions, the movie just raised a shit ton of them. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it in its cinematic sense. I was in awe of how Rian Johnson visualized everything. It is very unlike how JJ Abrams based VII on the previous movies, Johnson really brings new things to the plate. He is very creative and you can really see that in the film. There was a part with Rey seeing multiple reflections of herself during her time in Ahch To, Luke didn’t want her to do that and in the end she just ends up crying. I do understand that it was important to paint Rey in a more vulnerable light compared to her Mary Sue-ness in EpVII, but I just thought it was unnecessary to have the multiple Reys on screen no matter how cool it looked. 

The hyperspeed kamikazee of Amilyn Holdo played by Laura Dern was breath taking. The cinema just completely fell silent and it was so cool I had chills down both my arms. Can I just acknowledge Disney for adding these amazing women to the cast. This was a brilliant move Disney, and also the casting directors.  And, by the way, the “connection” scenes between Rey and Kylo Ren were well executed, in my opinion.

And I really liked how humorous the movie turned out, I was surprised I genuinely laughed which didn’t happen in the Prequels (We get it Anakin, you don’t like sand.) Oscar Isaac/Poe Dameron and Domhnall Gleeson/General Armitage Hux were great and funny whenever they were on-screen. They worked the same way as Chewie, the Porgs and those nuns/caretakers in Ahch To.  I guess it’s safe to say, they kept boredom at bay. 

WAIT, WHAT?

Moving on to the confusing parts, I just don’t get why they didn’t kill Leia off in her swooping in like Peter Pan scene, considering what has happened in real life. They are really making it hard for them to do IX with Carrie gone but it supposedly being her movie (Ep VII was Han’s, and VIII was Luke’s). I guess we’ll just see how that goes and hopefully make Carrie Fisher lovingly raise her middle finger like a salute at us from her pool of moonlight.

I don’t get why they killed off potentially amazing characters. Phasma for one and why the hell did Snoke die that easily? For a powerful, ancient character, he was just like a rag doll that was a throw away. The movie lost the opportunity of expanding their plot by killing off Snoke. I guess Kylo is his own villain now, assuming that he still has light in him after being rejected by Rey like that. 

To top it all off: Rose Tico and Finn? Really? I didn’t even see them lock eyes for more than a minute. (Stormpilot and Reylo for the win) 

Goodbye, Luke

I really appreciate how Luke died. I’m sad that he’s dead, but in his words “No one is ever truly gone” which popped up in a conversation with Leia regarding Ben/Kylo, but can be applied to Han, himself and even our dear Princess Carrie Fisher.  Force projecting himself into the Resistance base in Crait to face Kylo in what I see as his best Kylo-Tantrum ever was awesome. 

On as side note, Adam Driver was amazing in VII and he’s even better (and shirtless, but that’s not the point) here in VIII. I can’t wait to see him star in more movies. He killed it this time.

Moving back, if you were looking properly, you would really see that something was off with Luke. He has his lightsaber, completely unscratched (which was the one Kylo and Rey broke in half back in Snoke’s ship) and he didn’t leave any footprints when he walked out of the base. I mean there was a reason they gave screen time to the Resistance man’s red footprint on the planet’s salt surface. Anyway, Jedi master as he was, Luke died out of what I believe is exhaustion in Ahch To, looking at what seemed as two suns setting, which was a great homage to his time in Tatooine. I won’t lie, I had actual tears in my eyes during this time. But what I thought when I saw this was, IS AHCH TO IN THE SAME SYSTEM AS TATOOINE? I know it’s irrelevant now, but I just want to know considering I don’t see any maps with Ahch To on it. And just so you know, I really am bothered by it.

Anyway, I understand why Luke had to die. In the future movies, we just can’t keep coming back to the Skywalker bloodline. The Jedi and most importantly the Skywalkers are not the sole wielders of the force as there are a lot of force sensitive beings and the force is in everyone and everything. What they are saying here is anyone can be special and I really like that. And I really like how the force kind of chooses people who don’t have anyone or anything else but have ambition and longing to make a difference. 

Other than that, I have high hopes that we’ll be seeing Luke again pretty soon. It will be a welcome sight just like how puppet Yoda popped in here in VIII. It was pretty funny and nostalgic.

Suddenly weaker?

The Force likes to keep things in balance. That’s why in the height of Kylo’s power, the force sent Rey to be his equal at the time, which explains her being able to do all those amazing stuff in VII. But here in VIII, we don’t see Kylo Ren and Rey do a lot of cool tricks, basically because I think the force is making sure that when Luke has to do what he has to do, he has enough power to tap into the force for that force projection, despite it ultimately feeding off of his life in the end. Well, that’s what I think the reason is. 

A New Hope

If you jumped out of your seat when that orphaned kid seemingly summoned that broom to his hand back in Canto Bight (You know, that boring casino world in the middle of the movie where they got Benicio del Toro’s code-breaker character “DJ” (which stands for “Don’t Join”, apparently) to hack into Snoke’s flagship, Supremacy. Yes, THAT.) You are not alone. I literally squeaked when I saw that, and then I was completely in awe when he raised that broom forming the silhouette of a Jedi wielding a lightsaber as he stares out into the cosmos. I will never forget that scene. Never. 

For me, it just symbolizes everything that the Force and Star Wars stands for, which is POTENTIAL. Just about anybody, even if you’re a nobody at that, YOU have the potential to change the universe and the worlds beyond. 

And because Rey is not a Jedi yet, but Luke hinted that he’s not going to be the last Jedi, seems to say that she has the potential to be one and Luke definitely has faith in her. Maybe once she gets to build another lightsaber from Luke/Anakin’s kyber crystal inside the broken shaft of the lightsaber that she and Kylo Ren broke in that tug of war. 

Oh and did you also get why Yoda burnt that old tree just to set Luke free from all his doubts? You know, when Yoda talked about how there is nothing in those books that Rey does not already have. It’s because Rey took the ancient Jedi texts. She stored it in a compartment inside the Millennium Falcon and we got to see it via Finn near the end. Good job, Rey! This is just more proof that hope is never really gone.

RATING

4 out of five stars!!

Reading everything that I have written, I do like the movie. I find it creatively amazing, despite having plot holes (I believe there’s a lot more than what I have listed above). I’d like to think that the creators have provided themselves with an almost clean slate to work on IX and also having the chance to input more stories into the Star Wars franchise. I mean, who knows, maybe some of the legends may become canon soon. 

We’ll see. 

[gleefail]

Glee Memories: 1x8 Mash-Up

A long, long time ago, as Glee was approaching graduation in Season 3, I found myself nostalgic with some rare free time on my hands. So I decided to rewatch the series from the beginning and jot down some memories, discrepancies that have arisen since, fave quotes, tally solos - all that good stuff, strictly for shits and giggles.

8 years later (eek!) and once more I find myself with an unexpected abundance of free time. With so many revisiting or being newly introduced to the show between binge watching during Quarantine and all the tragedy that has surrounded the show since it went off the air, I figured I’d finish what I started. And by finish, I mean go through the end of S3. Cause I truly cannot acknowledge what happened after that. Except for 5B.

Kicking this off by reposting the first 15 episodes I already went through. Enjoy!

1x8 Mash-Up So it almost makes it look like they can get slushies from the cafeteria at school. Um…seriously? Isn’t that like, enabling or something?

“MY WEAVE!” in response to possibly getting slushied. Omg. Amber Riley. I love her.

So Karofsky is a hockey dude, not a football dude. #oops

also, only Rachel and Finn have been slushied so far. I read somewhere that up until Michael, Darren was the only one who hadn’t been. Let’s see if that’s accurate. :)

Ugh. Both these first dance choices are terrible. And Will’s a dipshit for saying I Could’ve Danced All Night was a great choice. Or maybe I just hate My Fair Lady that much. No, I definitely hate My Fair Lady that much, but it’s still a shitty shitty song for  a first dance between husband and wife.

“The slushie war has commenced”

I like that Quinn’s pregnant at 15 and her priority is figuring out how to be cool again.

The hell?! For the second time on this show in only 8 episodes, Mr. Schue gives the male rap solo to Finn when ARTIE IS THERE! Since Finn can’t do it, he asks Puck. When he refuses, Mr. Schue has to take it himself. What world is this in which Artie can’t rap like a balla?! Cause I don’t wanna live in it.

Mr. Schue talks about a chick walkin’ by that you wish you could sex as he twirls pregnant Quinn and then pinches her cheeks…inappropriate much?

Haha. I do love Bust A Move from back in the day, but I love more that Kurt pretty much refuses to participate and is basically offended by this song, lol. So funny.

omg. Britany is jokingly coming on to Kurt and he is fighting her off with a tambourine.

Emma just said her and her cousin were obsessed with Princess Di’s dress when they were little girls. Hooray for continuity!

everytime I hear the Thong Song I remember an *Nsync interview when Chris Fitzpatrick said it’s more fun to sing it as if Cisco had a lisp and was trying to say ‘song’. It’s so fun. Try it!

Ugh. Rachel Berry is proving that she should never do R&B. Or Xtina.

Kurtcedes “touching hands” romantically during Sweet Caroline…damn, I miss them.

Sweet Caroline isn’t the same without the backups you shout out in the bar (“So good! So good! So good!”)

“You thirsty?” “Sure. Thanks!” #BlessFinnsHeart

Quinn can now be added to the list of Glee Clubbers slushied.

aaaaaand add Puck to that list, lol. This is a big slushie-ing ep!

Rachel’s wearing the same raincoat we’ll see her in later. I always like it when there’s continuity and repeats in wardrobe. It feels more real to me somehow. Although I did know one girl who had enough money and fashion-obsession that in the 4 years I knew her I don’t think I saw one single repeat outfit…

ok, I wonder the same thing sometimes in interviews….does Jayma Mays have an accent? Is she from somewhere other than the States? I hear it all over the place in I Could’ve Danced All Night…but I can’t place what it is.

hahaha Quinn is still wearing sunglasses. Even after getting slushied. Hilarious.

“I can’t believe this. I thought they were our friends. How can they just abandon us?” Oh poor Mercedes. You’ll have that feeling of abandonment/question all too often in the next few years my dear

Yay Mike and Matt chose Glee over football!

Puck too!

Finn did not. Coward.

I forgot that Kurt slushied himself for Finn. And then told him to think about whether or not the football guys would do that for him.

“You are NOT gonna slushie on my man Kurt!” I. Love. Kurtcedes. “Someone get me to a day spa, STAT!”

Add Kurt to the list of those that have been slushied. So that’s Rachel, Finn, Quinn, Puck, and Kurt so far (4 of those were in this episode alone. Holy cow.)

“I can’t be caged in, Sue. That’s why I got my tiger tattoo.”

“Why don’t girls like me?” “Because you’re kind of a jerk – no offense”

“I want everything too much.” Yes Rachel. Yes you do.

Oh, and then Mr. Schue walks in to ‘have a catch’ with Finn with a football and manipulates him. Y’know, how he used to do.

“Schuester! I’ll need to see that set list for Sectionals after all. I want it on my desk warm from the laminator at 5pm and if it is one minute late, I will go to the animal shelter and get you a kitty cat. I will let you fall in love with that kitty cat. And then on some dark, cold night, I will steal away into your home, and punch you in the face.” MY FAVORITE SUE MOMENT EVER!!!!

Sue just kicked Quinn off the Cheerios in the middle of the hallway and called her a disgrace. That stings.

And they allll slushie Mr. Schue. So add him to the list.

“From the top!”

Yeah…I think I realized then as well that this isn’t my fave ep. A little too angsty and not as fun for my taste. If I only knew then, right? lol

SOLOS: Will (2), Puck (1), Emma (1)