#idk this just felt like a lot more filler than actual plot Tumblr posts

[sagau-my-beloved]

A Lack of Patience and the Fortunate Result, Part: 2

Warnings: general sagau

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"Oh your grace~"

You opened your eyes, which you hadn't realized you even closed in the first place, at the sound of a foreign voice that happened to be eerily close to your ear. Catching sight of a figure out of the corner of your eye, you nearly jumped out of your skin before realizing it was just Venti.

'Just Venti', that was practically scoff worthy. 'Just a physical manifestation of my mental decay' was just as concerning and about just as accurate.

A physical manifestation that seems to have made you eggs no less... Which were rather burnt looking as he held them out to you nervously.

You blinked once, then twice, he blinked back in response, his nervous look becoming more so at the growing silence.

You tentatively sat up after a moment, not missing the pain in your neck from the awkward sleeping position, taking the outstretched plate into your own hands and mumbling out something akin to a confused 'thank you?' as he handed you a fork.

Well, it looks as though he did some poking around your kitchen. You spared a tentative glance behind you, prepared to witness complete wreckage, the likes of which mimicking that of a passing tornado, which wouldn't be too entirely uncharacteristic, given the circumstances, only to see the stove looked pretty unused.

You spared a questionable glance in his direction, though you weren't entirely sure you wanted to know the answer to the unspoken question of how the hell he cooked this.

Venti responded with a nervous smile, sensing that he might have broke convention with the cooking method he chose.

"I made a fire outside."

Ah, so that explains it. How incredibly concerning and just as in character.

"Is the fire out now?"

He immediately nodded at your words, giving a look of comically exaggerated offense that you would even consider him so reckless as to leave an unintended fire right next to your home.

With that worry out of the way, you took a small bite of the eggs to find they weren't completely horrible. Kind of overcooked in certain places, which was about to be expected, but better than you would typically have for breakfast. Venti took your decision to continue eating after the first bite as a silent win, promising himself to make you something better when he was able. You deserved nothing but the best of course.

"So," you started after a moments silence, eating the final bite as you collected your thoughts, "I've got to get ready for work now..."

"I'll come with you then!" He practically beamed, leaving very little room for discussion as he quickly collected your plate and placed it on the counter near the sink, still rather unsure how to use the majority of your appliances.

"Uh, sorry, that's not exactly possible."

You're pretty sure your job would frown upon you bringing someone to work, and you highly doubt they would take 'yeah sorry, he's not from this world and kinda thinks I'm a god' as a reasonable excuse.

Of course Venti's face immediately fell, why couldn't he spend every waking moment of his around you? It's not as if he'd be a nuisance, he'd abide by any rules you laid down, naturally. But he could tell you probably weren't going to be keen in bending this particular constraint.

"I'm only working part time today, so I'll be back by three, if that's any consolation."

You really didn't know why you were trying to comfort him, you still weren't entirely sure he wasn't just some figment of your imagination, and even if he wasn't he should be pretty accustom to being on his own, assuming this was the exact same free-spirited god of Anemo that stood before you, looking like he was about ready to fall to his knees at your command.

He really wasn't particularly good at hiding that admiration, the way his eyes never left your form, how he seemed to hang on to your every movement—

Hopefully other people weren't quite this perceptive, or you might be in for some trouble down the line.

"Do you have to go?" Venti asked in a way that actually managed to make you feel bad.

"Well, if I don't they might fire me, then we'd both kind of be in trouble." You tried to make your tone display more of a joking manner, but his eye's immediately widened regardless.

"Fire you!?"

Did he think you were the head of a company or something? You found yourself stuck between wanting to laugh and also feeling incredibly bad that his 'god' was just a normal person, as much a low-level worker as everyone else. You took a moment to wonder if that's how his followers felt when discovering the broke alcoholic bard was really a god.

Maybe you two did have more in common than you previously thought.

You didn't have a lot of time to continue reflecting as a weight was placed directly on your lap, a weight that was attached to an incredible needy personality no less.

You could do little more than let out a sigh as Venti made himself comfortable, smiling as he wrapped his arms around your neck and laid his head on your shoulder.

This might as well happen. A fictional character you generally liked, desperate for every scrap of affection you'd graciously provide.

You couldn't remember the last time you had a hug anyway, living alone had its disadvantages, so you choose to not immediately push him away in favor of enjoying his affection a bit longer.

Venti was quite enjoying his position, the enthusiastic vessel in which all his and Teyvat’s love for you passed through, ready to step up and take the full responsibility of representing it accurately.

You did finally choose to get up, giving him a light push to the side, him returning the gesture with a smile that some might describe as desperate.

Venti allowed you to leave, biting back the unpleasant dread that came with the knowledge he wouldn't see you for upwards of eight hours, instead pushing his thoughts towards what he could do for you in your absence.

As soon as the sound of the door closing echoed through the room after a semi-awkward goodbye, a sign that he really was alone once again, Venti set out on memorizing every square inch of your apartment.

It was small, significantly smaller than some of the rentable living spaces in Mondstadt. He wandered aimlessly for a moment, taking in all of the high-tech foreign looking things he certainly had no clue how to use. Meticulously looking at every framed picture, attempting to memorize the faces, in case they were important to your life.

It didn't take him long to find your room, being one of the only two rooms with an actual door.

Venti hesitated, hand hovering over the doorknob. He wanted to enter, a space that contained traces of no one but you, an area more sacred than any back in Teyvat. You wouldn't find out, and he certainly wouldn't touch anything. That's what he told himself at least, trying to mentally combat all of the reasons he probably shouldn't invade your privacy.

It was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

The door creaked open and he mentally cringed, as if you were still there to hear it, as if you simply had a way of knowing he was doing something wrong before he even did so.

That previous gnawing anxiety quickly vanished as soon as he was actually inside, replaced with a feeling of absolute serenity from simple standing in the place you considered most private.

It was about as small as he expected it to be, given the layout of the house. A small bed, partly made up, tucked away in the corner. It's not as if your room was overflowing with possessions, but there were plenty of personal items he would kill to get his hands on and any other situation.

He had intended to leave your room completely untouched, but what were intentions in the face of the divine feeling of his god?

It took little more than five seconds for him to throw himself directly onto your bed, grinning more earnestly than he had done in quite a long time. The blankets were soft, and it all smelled so much like you. Venti let out a wistful sigh, burying his face in your pillow, imagining it to be you. Would you let him sleep here with you? Surely you wouldn't mind...

The hours continued to pass in quite a similar manner. Venti wandering around, opening every drawer and cabinet in search of remnants of you, completely giddy when finding something more personal.

He briefly wondered how much you knew about him, you seemed to know his name at least. He looked back fondly on the moment when you spoke it, how it sounded leaving your lips, even with that tone of disbelief. It seemed so unfair when reflecting, you probably knew quite a bit about him and yet he knew very little about you, that was something that needed to be rectified.

Venti could practically sense your presence before your hand even touched the door. It was comparable to feeling as if his whole purpose for existing was simply making itself known, enticing him to embrace it fully. Which was part of the reason why you had a pair of arms around you before you could even put one foot through the door.

"Your grace, it was sooo boring here without you." He whined, giving you eyes that displayed nothing but the fondest of sorrows.

There was something surreal about coming home to another person, something that felt almost unnatural about simply the idea of having someone waiting for you.

"What did you do while I was gone?"

It was an innocent question, strictly for curiosity’s sake instead of something that could be seen as accusing. Venti felt his face flush regardless.

"Ah- uh, well..." An appropriate excuse didn't come to his mind fast enough and the poor bard was left fumbling, trying to edge around giving away how he spent a majority of his free time admiring each and every one of your personal possessions.

You gave him a confused look in response. Although you weren't trying to be accusatory to begin with, it was hard to avoid that speculation now.

Deciding it was better to change the topic, not entirely sure you wanted to even know the answer at this point in light of that response, you let out a soft hum while closing the door.

"Well it's still early, but what do you want for dinner?"

Venti practically squeaked in surprise, eyes widening. "I'm supposed to be asking you that you know." He mumbled, discontented with how he was already failing at meeting your needs.

You stifled a laugh, "You don't know how to use the stove, and I highly doubt you know what a microwave is."

While he couldn't exactly argue with that, memories of this morning's creative breakfast flashing in his mind, it didn't mean he wasn't eager to learn.

"Teach me then, I don't want you to have to do anything. You've already had to be out all day, let me take care of it." The attempt at smooth talking fell a little flat, considering how he was still clinging to you at the door, but it was an admirable attempt.

Now the last thing you wanted to do after getting home was explain modern appliances to someone with absolutely no exposure to any of it, but it would be better for you to do so now instead of letting him try and figure it out when you weren't home, causing some kind of an explosion.

You gave him a small push, signaling for him to stop clinging on to you like a child, and he obliged, distancing himself with an apologetic laugh.

You walked to the kitchen without another word, and he followed close behind, eager to be as close as you'd allow him.

Once in the kitchen, you pointed to the big metal box with a bunch of strange looking dials. "This is a stove, spin this dial to turn on one of the burners and you can put a pot or pan on the top to heat it up.”

Venti watched while you demonstrated, turning it quickly on and off again, "It's probably the closest thing to a cooking pot you'll have, just remember to turn it off and don't burn my apartment down please."

He responded with a nod, seemingly completely enthralled by every word.

This time you pointed to the smaller metal box which was above the previous appliance, "This is a microwave, it's used to quickly heat up stuff. You just press the buttons for the amount of time you want it to heat something up."

You tried to mentally run through all the dangers that came along with allowing Venti to utilize these things, making mental notes on what to mention.

"Oh, and don't put metal in it, it will explode."

He gawked at you for a moment, trying to decide if that was a joke or not. Your serious expression did little to quell his worry.

You ran through various other appliances quickly. Toaster makes things hot, fridge makes things cold, freezer makes things colder. Venti's head was starting to hurt.

"And don't make any more fires outside, I'd prefer if my neighbors didn't call the cops for arson charges."

You hesitated for a moment in your next sentence, thinking really hard about whether it would really be a good idea to mention, eventually succumbing to the fact that it was better safe than sorry.

"Also, if there's an emergency while I'm out of the house, you can use the landline to call me." You gestured to the old, rather unused phone, sitting nicely on the counter.

"Only call if it's an emergency. Got it?" Venti nodded with a very bright smile that made you question what he may or may not consider an emergency. You honestly didn't know why you still had the phone in the first place, you had been meaning to cancel it for a while, but now didn't seem like the opportune time.

You wrote your number out on a sticky note and placed it next to the phone, taking careful note to write 'Only for emergencies!' underneath the number, not that you thought he would actually take the hint.

Feeling both rather tired of talking and physically tired from the workday, laying down seemed like a rather pleasant option, which you decided to do on the couch, stretching as Venti watched your changing facial expressions intently.

When you seemed relatively settled, without so much as a warning, he laid on top and sprawled his body across yours, not much different than a cat, though you were sure he would hate that comparison. Venti couldn't help but let out a content sigh, being so close to you, this was leagues better than simply laying on your bed.

"Venti," he perked up at hearing his name, giving you a lopsided grin as some hair fell in his face, "What's Teyvat— No, what's Mondstadt like?"

He could feel pride swelling at your curiosity.

"It's beautiful your grace, endless trees and grass. The wind is always kind and gentle. I've done my best to morph it to your preference."

Venti's heart fluttered as you brushed some of his hair away from his eyes, a pleasant feeling lingering where your touch had been. "I'd love for you to see it one day, I'd love for you to stay there with me. I could change it however you desire. Shape the land and clear the trees, redirect the rivers until every blade of grass is in its respective place."

You let out a hum trying to imagine it, the breeze and the dandelions, the ocean and lakes.

"I'd like to see it too."

Oh how those simple words made his heart sing. Just you and him in a realm of your creation, a nation of his reformation. How he'd love nothing more than to keep you there, all to himself. There was no denying that this was a pretty good substitute for that. He knew that every one of your followers in Teyvat would give up anything to be in this position, to feel your warmth so completely as he was doing now.

You found yourself slowly growing to accept the idea of this, of him. Slowly giving in to your natural instinct to simply appreciate this situation for what it was, that being the perfect opportunity to indulge in your favorite character.

You wrapped your arms around him, as he had done to you, giving into the feeling of having a god right there, ready and waiting for anything you would bestow upon him.

It was cute how his eyes fluttered close at the contact, embracing it fully. You almost wanted to voice how cute he looked, with that blissful smile.

You wondered briefly how long he would keep you there, content to simply rest atop you with no desire for anything further.

Making a quick mental checklist of all the things you still needed to get done today, it felt as if it was almost endless.

For now though, you were content. Satisfied with the situation you found yourself in and lacking the desire to cut it short.

Maybe this really wouldn't end up being so bad.

[tastywormfood]

Ive tried to get my feelings about Moominvalley s4 into words, but im having a really hard time even accepting them. But ill try!

So here's my thoughts in Moominvalley s4.

Im 23 now and i remember being 12 - 15 figuring out my identity, and the only "representation" in mrdia being basically either "Bury your gays" trope or just queerbaiting. I grew up on a base level thinking i wasnt allowed to exist, and if i still dared to, tragedy would be my only birth right.

I believed i wasnt allowed to live a happy, soft AND queer life, cause no media i had seen had ever showed me that, that was a possibility.

Both the 90's Moomin series and Moominvalley 2019 are my comfort shows. I fall asleep to them at night, i listen to them like a podcast while im working or outside, they even calm my panic attacks. I collect cups, plushies, i collect the Comics and even some of the books.

I have 3 Moomin tattoos. This universe means a damn lot to me, and to thousands of ppl world wide.

As a queer person i find incredible comfort in Tove Janssons work, and you have to be a fool to be unable to see the way Snufkin and Moomintroll are written together.

I have been following this show since early 2020 and have watched interview to interview, ive listened to the podcast more times than i can count, and they knew what they were doing.

From the beginning of the show they deliberately wrote Snufkin and Moomin to be something more, they even confess In a BTS that their Moomin might like Snufkin more than Snorkmaiden. Even the podcast talked about it!! We are not crazy!!!

I feel incredibly gaslit by the entire situation, and suddenly im 14 again being told im reading too much into it.

Idk what happened inbetween S3 and 4, but it felt like all the love and care that came from the show, just disappeared?

Ignoring Snufmin for a second, every episode this season felt like a filler. It has no plot, followed up on nothing from the last seasons, and had an extreme amount of loose ends.

The former seasons, especially s1 and 2 has such amazing writting, character development and just a feeling of patience and of softness, i would watch it and think everything would be okay... But this season felt stripped of every inch of the care Tove Jansson put into her universe.

I want to talk a little about Moomintroll.

One of Moomins character Arcs is his want to grow up, its his need to be taken seriously and his need for independence and adventure. His need to step out of his dads shadow, and to be his own moomin! The character development he had built up through out the seasons, completely and utterly disappeared. There is no trace of anything in s4.

He is right back to where he started in s1, not being able to stand up for himself and say no, not having the confidence to go on adventures and right back to idealizing his dad. If anything this entire season felt like a prequal! Cause at least s1 Moomintroll wanted to learn, and was activily trying to change.

Moomintroll truly felt like a side character this season, i dont even think he has any important moments. Unless you count Comet in Moominvalley (which i dont), where all his independence has disappeared. Moominpapa literally has to push him out. He made one decision that eps, which was to float down the river instead of walking, which ended up being the wrong and slower way.

The regression Moomintroll went threw this season is heartbreaking, and thats not my Moomin.

Focusing for a bit on Snufkin, this season felt like a slap to the face.

They know that Snufkin is one of their most popular characters right? If not the most popular. If anything he is at least in the top 3, not only in Moominvalley but in the rest of the moominverse.

So why did this season feel like Snufkin erasure?

He was barely in it, and when he was all of that glow that normally radiats from him was all gone. He felt like the husk of a character.

This version of Snufkin was on of my favs, cause you could actually see his flaws and disagree with his actions. He had room to grow, and he did, he truly did.

He learned from Moomin just like Moomin learned from him. Their characters Arcs co align witch each other, their relationship and interactions are the pillars of the entire show. Snufkin and Moomintroll are what make the show proceed.

Finding the 2019 show for the first time as an 18 year old gave me confirmation and trust, that i was allowed to live a soft and slow life as a queer person. If Moomintroll and Snufkin could have that kind of beautiful queer slow burn romance, then i had a chance to as well.

They knew that a big part of their viewers are queer, and they knew how popular Snufmin was. They knew what kind of ppl they attracted, or they wouldnt have made it like that.

All the soft moments, the longing, the zoom in on eye contact, the zoom in on hand holding. They said trust us, they said be patient, and then they threw everything they had been building up out and set fire to it.

We got Queerbaited, and i truly havnt felt this feeling for a while. We got actual queer shows now, ofc they all end up being cancelled! But they exist!

This show felt like it was crafted with so much love and care, that i completely let my guard down. The entire queer Moomin community did a 5 year long trustfall, just to hit the floor the last second.

Season 4 of Moominvalley felt empty. It felt lost of all care and love. The first 3 seasons felt handcrafted by warm hands, season 4 felt machine made. Easy to digest, with no real soul.

Season 4 of Moominvalley feels souless.

I have chosen to live in a world where Comet in Moominvalley is a prequal to s4 and that s4 is a prequal to s1. The true last season was S3 and Moominvalley ended with Snufkin and Moomin walking arm in arm. Thats the only way i can Rationalize everything.

I have so much more to say, but ill stop here for now. Hope all of you are doing okay<3

[petitprincess1]

What critiques do you have of Hazbin? I'm wondering because I keep seeing a lot of criticism and hate towards it and I don't Wana get into something that's possible waste of time. Srry if thats rude

Dude, you're perfectly fine. I'm gonna keep it to like five points bc some things that I have problems with are mainly nitpicks. None of this, imo, is a dealbreaker for me. However, if it is for you, fair.

This is one that everyone has talked about and I fully agree with. The pacing is whiplash-inducing. I still do believe it's better than HB S1, but there is just so much information being thrown around that it's mind-boggling. The songs definitely help to slow things down a bit and introduce more info in an engaging, catchy way. However, I feel like there were some eps that either needed to come sooner or later in the series. I get they were fighting the clock, but still.

Lucifer and Charlie's relationship needed better explaining. Without going into spoilers, from what it felt like in the Pilot, it seemed like they were building up to something a bit more confrontational. I always figured Charlie possibly embellished Lucifer's words, but now it makes it feel like Charlie was talking to a completely different man. Someone that isn't even her father. Lu acts so much like Charlie, or vice versa, that it seems almost impossible to misinterpret his words.

NO FILLERS! The closest episode to a filler is the 3 ep, but even that brings up information and moves the plot along with key points. Now, that's not a bad thing entirely. It keeps you engaged. But this show very much lacks any breathing room. There's so much being thrown your way. Either things get overly talked about or not talked about enough. Which brings me to my next point-

The world-building is both fulfilling and empty. You do get a good sense of Heaven and Hell in this universe, especially Hell. You get an idea of the hierarchy and even some hypocrisy. However, we also don't really know how Heaven nor Hell operates. Like Lucifer appeared to be a shut-in. Yes, Lilith was the one inspiring demonkind, but what about when she disappeared? Is that why everything is garbage now? How much does Lucifer influence Hell? Where are the archangels? Was this conflict not important? Is there a "God" even in this show? What is Heaven's hierarchal system? There's so much being said, while also nothing being explained.

This one is the lowest for me bc I'm a bit torn on it. I've seen a few people complain about how the main characters are introduced as if you're supposed to know them. I didn't get this feeling, but I'm also a fan of Hazbin. I try to go in with a fairly "empty mind" so that I can view the material without rose-tinted glasses. However, it felt like some of the characters were given decent introductions at times. Idk. I'd like to know other's opinions on that.

Another one that I want to add is probably more diversity in the body sizes in the show. I'm not too worried about it bc Helluva Boss does a great job with body diversity, but Hazbin seems to be fairly stick and slender. But, again, I'm not too worried about it.

All in all, those are my biggest issues with the show. Like I said, none of these are dealbreakers, especially since we'll be getting a S2. Vivzie seems to listen to criticism, judging by the differences with HB S1 vs S2. So, I'm really hoping that we finally get to relax and actually get to know the characters more. Like, Adam shows the 7 Deadly Sins, while Charlie shows the 7 Virtues. I hope Adam isn't permanently dead bc I feel like this would be a good wake-up for him. He'll become the being that they were exterminating. But only time will tell.

Majority of this can be blamed on Prime and A24 for only giving them 8 episodes. I feel like either a longer run-time or more eps would've helped the show. Hopefully, they'll have learned from their mistakes in the next season.

[salad-006]

I know you already gave us your thoughts about Eddsworld Legacy, but what do you think about Eddsworld Beyond for now?

To be completely honest, I'm really on the fence with beyond. They're in like this weird fluctuating state, and to me that comes off like them not knowing what they're doing

Sometimes we'll get something hilarious, but more often than not beyond feels awkard and rushed. Stilted is the best word i think. (I'm also just really not a fan of jons animation for the show, which doesn't help at all. His EW style has always felt extremely flat to me ,sorry jon)

More options down below vv

Stuff usually feel unfinished or rushed somehow , ex surf n turf. Part one was probably the most uncomfortable episodes we've gotten so far. you could've easily rearranged things so that the intro of them arriving at the beach was at the beginning of part two, and have it be a single episode. It feels like filler before the actual plot starts next episode

It kinda feels like they're trying to imitate every aspect of Edds work, and it's giving me like. Skinwalker vibes. I get it, Edd made little short animtions with random new characters occasionally. But when a full team makes one with a new character, ties an ad read to it, then never touches that character again, it feels confusing and out of place. IDK i just feel like you loose that ability to just make whatever you want when you put together a team, even if its a small indie group. Maybe im wrong there but the point is i thouht the birds and the bees was dumb

I'll keep my option on the team brief. I don't hate anyone on the team nor do i think any of them are Bad People, but there's definitely been a lot of questionable behavior that has come from these guys. Example, I've always been offput by their relationship with Tord’s characters. In the website they put this:

Yet consistently tease the fans with his existence (ex the caveman episode, tori being canonized, his picture clearly torn out in SnT1, having an entire month of tord merch) Either address the situation or don't, guys. You can't sarcastically be like "oh get over it" when YOU'RE the ones that keep bringing him back. You didn't even answer the question dude, no wonder so many kids beg for his return

I guess I can't be THAT pissed when the money all went to charity, but it still just feels inherently weird and disrespectful to merchandise this character after his creator removed him nearly 15 years ago. Atleast Tomska allegedly asked permission and had good intentions. This feels like they (beyond) just don't give a fuck. If any team members are reading this I'm BEGGING YOU: STOP LETTING THEM BRING BACK TORD . THEY CANT KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH IT . Tord Larsson deserves to be left alone, and to stop getting connected to this show in his past.

Despite everything, I still want to support the team. I'll be honest, SnT2 gave me hope for the series I haven't had in quite a while. It wasn't the greatest, but it was a step upwards. And I'd love to see them keep going up ! Genuinely, I would love nothing more than to see these guys succeed in recreating what made the show good initially. Eddsworld changed my life, so really its incredible to see it still kicking around today. Even if it's in this weird, amorphous glob state. They just need to figure out what the hell they're doing

TLDR: the current state of the show is kinda rough, the team feels discombobulated and has made some weird decisions, however I still have hope that they can make this into something amazing someday

[princesstarfire1234]

Are you still into RMA?? If so, which season do you like the best and which season do you think is the most lackluster? For me, I genuinely love Season 1. It got me a few giggles and it has one of the most tragic yet sympathetic villains that I adore. Season 2 for me is sort of... Meh, the first part is decent but I don't like the second part. Especially with the designs, Paru/Taru and Rose are one of my least favorite designs (Paru just looks messy while Rose just looks too plain) But it also brought one of the most strongest designs in the series, and that's Lefnardo!

Hello, ooohh haven't gotten an RMA ask in a while! It's more of a dormant interest these days

I absolutely ADORE S1 as well!! I think it's by far the strongest season. The plot feels well planned and fleshed out and the filler episodes mostly stay for the first half. The more you watch it, the more it actually feels like something is up and the characters are slowly finding out about it. Like, I can guarantee you that once you basically pass the Red Eyed Beast episode, you're basically set and its getting REAL.

Season 2 Part 1 for the most part was... alright to me. It's definitely no season 1 though. Same goes for Part 2 but it felt... infinitely worse? Not the most horrible way the show could've ended up but it just felt very... lackluster from what I've seen. Granted, I haven't gotten to watch the enter part of the season in English unfortunately (there's an existing English dub out there now on YouTube and it's been saved to sources like gdrive but I just haven't gotten the time lmao).

The story is one thing, season 2 could just never be season 1. It lacked the GRIT, idk how to explain it... Like it felt too light? RMA is not by any means a crazy dark show lmao but S1 had this vibe of 'oh! Funny animals playing games whose relationships with each other develop overtime and it's all cool and awesome blah blah blah!' while also being a little fucked up? As soon as the DV7 show up, things get really fuckin real and the latter part of that season remains my fave. S2 had Akong being a little crazy but I felt they never used him to his full potential, y'know? Not to mention the awkward cut off between S1 Part 1 and 2. I still never understood as to why they had two completely different stories conjoined in one season... It made part 1 feel rushed and part 2 just coming outta nowhere.

Small gripe as well, I didn't like how episode 25 of season 2 made us think we were gonna see the DV7 having prominent roles in part 2 (like how I've seen fans yearn for for years lmao) and then they only stay to get beaten up and only Rema gets to do anything substantial lmao. I think the could've acted as guys reintroducing and getting the running men more caught up with whats happening in Tree City. Maybe they've fought the Leo's Valiants multiple times than we thought and they train the RunningMen?? Idk man give my guys atleast SOMETHING lol, they were one of the most interesting aspects of S1 but the show seems adamant on never touching up on them again.

Another thing S1 had over S2, I felt like a lot of the voice acting and dialogue (especially for the English dubs) were... worse in season 2?? Idk what happened, if they got a different voice director or smthn but everyone retains their voice actors afaik, yet they all sound flatter? I'm not sure if this is just me being crazy or if anyone's noticed it too lol.

What I will give to S2 though is the character designs, I get you didn't like Paru or Rose but I thought they fit in pretty well with the rest of the Leo's Valiants (I do think Paru's head is a little too big for her body though and it messes up her proportions a lot lmfao). And the entire style and vibe of Old City (Pullulu place/dimension/whatever it is) is WONDERFUL. I fuck so hard with the vibe of that place, so colorful and fun, but the city sectors are littered with booby traps and are incredibly deadly like THATS COOL!! Also the Guardians (or whatever they were called, Ensemble & Hurricane, Vivache, and the red guy soz I forgot bro's name) were neat and silly! I liked em and the gimmick of giving powers to the team's watches!

- - -

Anyways this is getting a bit long so I'll cut it off here but hopefully this summed up MOST of my thoughts lmao. Might be a bit disorganized and missing a few things I just can't be bothered to think abt rn but ehhhh

I haven't watched Revengers yet (I do have the English dub saved on gdrive tho) but I'm sure I'll get to it one daaayyyyy ahshs

Thank you for the question anon!!

[heirloomeds]

RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING PROMPTS OOC , THEN TAG OTHERS YOU WANT TO GET TO KNOW BETTER.

tagged by: no one tagging: @bury-me-low, @gccdwitch, @ickybby, @eternclsunshine, @testdrves anyone else who wants to!

roleplayer name: shay! i actually started using the nickname because my high school boyfriend randomly called me that and i decided it was my online alias since them. and now in adulthood, the only people to call me by my govt name are my family members.. who i don't talk to anymore lol roleplayer pronouns: she / her preferred communication: probably through tags? tumblr im's are ass and i honestly forget to reply for so long and feel awkward responding to a conversation months later 😭 and i never used discord, because i felt like it was just an extension of tumblr im's so i deleted it lol. we all have our busy lives so talking in the tags of an rp is more than enough for me <3 experience: joined in 2011 during the harry potter cringe. accidentally got into a spat with a draco malfoy rp blog without realizing it was just roleplay lmao preferred roleplay type: para/novella! one-liners don't do anything for me. at the same time tho i take forever to respond w/longer threads because i wanna make sure my replies have substance and it's not just rambling filler for 8+ sentences. and then if i wait too long, the muse disappears and i feel bad 😭 i try to do medium length to be fair, but get carried away dsfsdf pet peeves & dealbreakers: ooo a lot lmao but #1 is not reading anything about my characters or their lore and then trying to engage with them anyway. i understand its a lot of information thats been YEARS in the making, which can be kind of intimidating i guess? but a complete lack of interest/effort is just disrespectful to me. if someone really isn't into character development & just wants something quick (which is fine!!), i'm just not the right blog for them

secondly, i also don't like when i'm expected to jump into a relationship thread when i don't really know the mun or their character idk, those things take time and i don't like being rushed into a dynamic that's still fresh with someone i don't really know. things are more fun when i took the time to know the mun. yk when there's mutual investment in our worldbuilding and we engage with each other's lore posts, ooc posts, follow each other on pinterest etc! the C in RPC stands for "community", and that's what makes this experience so much fun<3 plots or memes: memes can be fun, but i have more energy for them with a developed character relationship! i like a bit of light plotting. too much makes me feel creatively stiffled, like i have to follow a specific path and check in on every little detail. for me, i think it's best to have a general idea as to where we're going but let our creativity take the wheel. if a thread concept works, it works! but if after a couple replies we lose steam, we can just drop it and try something else, and there's no pressure to keep something going if the muse isn't there or drafts are overwhelming best time to write: tbh whenever my daughter is napping or asleep. i'm with her in the mornings and i work in afternoons, so i really have to squeeze it in whenever i have some quiet time. but usually, my replies come during her nap (around 1-3PM), or the evenings when i have more time to sit down and actually decompress are you like your muse?: like every mun, i think little bits and pieces of me are scattered around in every character. some more than others. but none of them are really "like" me because i don't use roleplay as an outlet for my emotional issues like i did when i was younger. but dakota's character was heavily inspired by my older brother, who i unfortunately don't speak to anymore. but the better parts of him live on forever in my most cherished character

[murdrdocs]

can we pls hear your season 3 thoughts 🫶

yes yes yes ofc. spoilers below!!

in general: i feel like s3 was as filler season that showed carmy's regression (in a way) as a chef and a person. if it weren't for luca and richie i probably would've tapped out after ep 6. i also think it was very beautiful and has a few episodes that i'll definitely be rewatching (ep1, ep5, ep6, ep8)

plot wise i thought this season felt a lot slower than the first two. i feel like this season was a bit of a filler season, and felt v much similar to limbo in a way. we had a major thing happen in the first season, a major thing happen in the second, and then this season was just kind of there. but i both like and dislike that. i think if any other show released s3 then it would really weaken the overall run but i dont think s3 of the bear was weak i just thought it was slow.

i think it was very artistically beautiful, especially ep 1. i really liked that episode ive never rlly seen an episode of a show like that before. i liked the more peaceful look into carmy's training (copenhagen carmy!!! and when he was w that one chef and he wore the hat :(( so sweet).

character wise specifically carmy, oh i was fuming. hes so childish once again, he's so stubborn, but i adored how the end was able to show carmy that he wasn't becoming a good person he was just becoming jeff (winger ... i never call the old chef by his real name i always call him jeff bc joel plays jeff in community. i think the chef's name is david).

im praying that sydney stays w the bear bc she could make a difference w adam and it would definitely be easier, but i dont think it would be as rewarding if she didn't do it w everyone at the bear.

no complaints abt the writing. i always believe the writers know what they're doing so i generally have no complaints.

i also cried a bit during ep10. im thinking abt getting an every second counts tattoo. i need to live a happy domestic like w luca in copenhagen or wherever he wants to go.

edit actually:

im back bc ... no what was that ??? like it was shot very nice yeah but there was no development on carmy at all. if there was development it's not gonna happen until after the fuck ass to be continued. im still stuck on carmy and claire because ... claire rlly fucked shit up. i get why claire was added but .. why like why was her character needed in s2?? there just wasn't much development on anyone like at all. marcus' mom died and we barely got marcus scenes. we should've spent more time w him. i liked the sug episode but it was kinda boring im ngl. sydney my beloved could never do anything wrong but atp w the way things r going i want her to go w adam like carmy is dragging everyone else down w him. talking abt perfection and nonnegotiables. anyway idk at the end of the day im just a viewer so ... nothing we can do but wait another year

[koiyin]

GUYS GUESS WHO'S BACK... 'YAY'

so uh idk why i come back on tumblr every couple months and make posts like this but i've basically ruined my account at this point haha perfectionist issues and i'm going to try to be honest with everyone of you guys because. idek at this point

i don't know how everyone's opinion of me is at this point, and it feels like i'm ruining it. i don't know if this is me now, if i kind of put up a front before, but why these posts seem different than the others on my blog is a mystery to me ^^'

maybe i'm just overthinking it, though?

well, my life is pretty shit. i don't really have any friends, except for a couple close ones who can somehow deal with me-- and, yeah. people at my school don't really like me, and i've fucked up a lot recently. this post sounds really depressing. sorry for that.

i don't know, i guess prior to the whole incident (moots, yk what i'm talking about) i always tried to put up a cheerful front. i had an idealized version of myself, and that was koi. and i did act like myself a lot around you guys, because i became comfortable with all of you and i felt accepted. i'm really grateful for what you all have done for me.

so, more about what's going on- basically, i'm just... not happy with myself, i guess. i wish i had more friends.

you know, my goal in life at one point was to be friends with everyone in my grade. that was more than a year ago. i guess that whole hope pretty much died out. but i do still try my very best, and this is turning into a ramble which i'm sorry for but i just want to get everything off of my chest.

i'll probably never use tumblr regularly again- but, who knows, shit changes.

the incident really affected me. after i was told about everything and learned about all of what happened, i was just... i don't know. i was told that it was that day that i began to eat less, act angrier, and all of that shit- and that went on for a couple weeks.

eventually, i tried to forget about it. i still think about every once in a while, though.

well, i'm starting to sound like a pessimist. i miss when i could be koi, the friendly, cheerful, happy person who had a bunch of friends that worried about him and asked if he was feeling okay.

i don't even know what's going on anymore. i feel fine, and then i go through short spikes of depression. or maybe i'm just a person that's sad all the time, but i choose to be ignorant. i'm really sorry that whoever reads this has to hear me vent and all that shit, but i'm just glad that i can say all of my feelings in the hopes that someone will read this.

so, let's talk about what's been going on since i've left- since i really feel like i should add some filler because of my long absensce '- -

well, i got a suit that kind of reminded me of haruchiyo sanzu from tokyo revengers (haha weeb things) and i look pretty hot in it, ngl- and, my family moved back to our house, which got remodeled. i've done a lot of drawing, too.

and, for context of the tokyo revengers comment earlier- i've been hyperfixating on it for so long. i love the series and the characters aaa

also, i started bakuman and black butler, and they're pretty good! i love the plot of bakuman so much!! (the death note team always makes amazing manga) i also got the first book of haikyuu from the library, because i've seen it referenced online so much and i haven't taken the time to check it out yet.

whew. i don't know, i guess saying all this makes me sound more human than just pixels on a screen. (but i'm actually 3 ducks in a trenchcoat) (i'm not funny)

i've had a lot of homework, so i've been pretty busy.

and i have to go eat dinner now, so i'll be leaving- but again, thank you guys for being my friends for so long. and, why are people still following me when my blog is inactive like- ????

[incesthemes]

final thoughts: supernatural season 10

wow holy shit that sure was a season. i'm not actually sure how i feel about it???? aside from the obvious brainrot it's given me and also the mental illness. idk i'll put down my thoughts and maybe by then i'll figure out how i feel.

for starters, this might rival seasons 6 and 7 for the "fewest amount of episodes i enjoyed" award. specifically, i liked 1-4, 8, 12, and 18-22. the finale... i'm unsure about currently. i'll have to think about that and come back to it in a few paragraphs. so 11 of 23 episodes is... whew. this season was rough for me for sure.

overall the balancing of the A plots with the B plots felt rather juvenile, even though the overarching plotling felt so much more present than it has since like, basically kripke era. it felt like for the most part, episodes started with a topical conversation between sam and dean, then they went off and worked a case that was hand-crafted to parallel the seasonal arc, and finally at the end they sat in the impala and discussed the lessons they learned today. feels more like kids programming than the TV-MA rating suggests, lol.

but see that's the thing, right? like i said, the seasonal plot felt so present compared to past seasons. everything was tied in together, nothing felt really out of place, it all circled back to the big picture of the season. for a post-kripke season, that's pretty damn awesome and a much needed relief. i've gotten used to half-baked filler episodes that hardly relate to the story at all and feel hamfisted in because they don't know what else to do, so it does feel nice that the plot was actually relevant, always an undercurrent to every episode and informing the characters' actions.

i just... well, i probably feel this way because of the poor pacing of the story. i mean don't get me wrong, i didn't necessarily love the A plots of those episodes either (for the most part), but like i mentioned in a previous post, i just don't think it's handled well. it's a GREAT concept but the execution is lacking in so many places between season 9 and 10. the dearth of serious developments throughout most of the season dampened the urgency of the plot, the lack of consistency in the mark's effects made it hard to predict where the show was leading, and the empty promises bored me. they're all absolutely terrible ingredients for a tense plot, so even though the plot was relevant in all these episodes, it felt stagnant and barren. there's really only so many times sam can fret about "dean getting worse" without dean actually, tangibly getting worse before i have to roll my eyes.

at the same time, a lot of those episodes i didn't like had some AMAZING dialogues and scenes in them. i know i've been raving about the parallels and mirroring between season 8 and seasons 9-10, but these seasons really are phenomenal at painting a Big Picture. they know what they want and how they want to do it; they just seem to really struggle with the details. dean confessing in a church to mirror sam confessing in sacrifice? sam lying to dean about burning the book of the damned to save him to mirror dean lying to sam about gadreel possessing him? sam getting charlie killed because of those lies to mirror how dean got kevin killed because of his lies? sam comparing himself to claire in order to highlight how he's abandoned his desire for independence? these are all really impressive story beats that on a higher level serve to contain these three seasons in some kind of sick brotherfucking ouroboros that's like, a narrative metaphor for how wrapped up in each other they are. they spin in circles around each other like binary stars, repeating each other's mistakes, throwing everyone else in their lives away, clinging to each other with a toxic ferocity and devotion that should kill them, that does kill them so many times, that ruins their lives and leaves them broken and bloody and alone except for each other. and still the story spins and spins and spins and never stops, because they never stop because they're insane. it's deranged. they're deranged.

i don't understand how there can be such a clear, amazing vision that's fucked up so spectacularly on an episodic level. i guess because i'm so used to seeing the opposite: the details are great, but the big picture is messy and unsatisfying. supernatural continues to defy logic, and it's utterly fascinating to me.

anyway i said i'd come back to the finale so here i am. i know cain foreshadowed the whole "dean will kill sam" thing in the executioner's song, but i really... don't think there was much substance to that to warrant the sudden development. sam continued to be, throughout both season 9 and season 10, pretty much the only person dean didn't nearly kill—and quite the opposite, since sam was the only one capable of placating dean when he had the first blade in his hand. sam functioned more as a grounding presence for dean, so the textual dialogue between the characters and the visual reality of it all just did not match up. and so when dean brought sam to him to kill him, it didn't really make any sense at all.

also frankly, the conversation between death and them wasn't all that convincing either: death claims with such self-assurance that sam would go to the ends of the earth to save dean at any cost, but sam and dean have both individually proven that they're capable of, well, not doing that. dean went to lisa after swan song, sam found amelia after survival of the fittest. and if sam is meant to be a mirror of dean in this season, then it stands to reason that, if sam made a promise to dean to move on (like dean promised sam in swan song), then sam would have made good on the promise. yes, sam is psychotic about his brother, but there's not only precedent for sam "moving on" (loose definition), but it would have been narratively cohesive to finish off the role reversal, if dean really had been sent into fucking outer space (lol). again: the textual dialogue does not match with the visual reality here.

so why did sam have to die? because, of course, they needed the cain and abel parallels. but they just... set it up so poorly, and they fumbled the mirroring, and in the end it felt weird and cheap. sure, bringing sam there to explain the circumstances and threatening him on pain of death if he interfered was totally warranted (sam is psychotic about his brother), but when he gave up? why would he need to follow through? there's a poor foundation for it, so the development felt very contrived and poorly executed. which is unfortunate, because i was looking forward to the fratricide. what's even more unfortunate is that this would have been such an easy fix. just make dean more aggressive toward sam. like deadass just have them fight more, have dean get uncharacteristically angry with him (though the thing at charlie's cremation was a nice touch), have dean actually visibly contemplate fratricide, yknow. something that isn't "oh my baby brother is the only person who keeps me sane" followed immediately by "i'm going to kill him." if you're going to have a prophecy, you need to commit to it!!! i'm just saying!!!

and now that i've written all that out, i think thaaaat's why sam's emotional speech at the end felt so cheap. there was no real reason for him to be in that position in the first place, and there was no support for the weight it was being given. honestly a shame, because i think the speech itself was very good and emotional; it just did not hit without the buildup to it.

and then not to beat a dead horse, but everything i said before was proven TRUE in the very next moment: dean killed death to save sam, because sam is his rock and his reason for living and he could never hurt sam, past present or future. like i said! dean really was a negative threat to sam this entire season!! sam was the only person who could even influence him positively!!! cas tried to do what sam so consistently did and dean beat him to a fucking pulp!!!! the tension was NOT there because dean is weak to sam; there was never any other option, or even a hint of it.

i suppose all that answers my question... i don't think i liked the finale, no. which is honestly surprising, because i think supernatural generally goes very hardcore with its finales. this might be the first one i've disliked? maybe? or no, i don't think i liked the season 7 finale either to be honest. but season 7 is season 7 so like. it is what it is.

i don't know. this season was bizarre, and there were a lot of moments that made me so, so much worse than i thought possible—like i thought the season 9 finale made me bad, but then they just kept going and good lord. i will not get over this role reversal plot any time soon. the concept was amazing, and i appreciate the level of commitment the writers had to this development. the mediocre execution really dragged things out longer than i feel they should have though, and as you can see i have plenty of criticism. it has so much charm though, and it finishes off the three-season wombo combo in what was meant to be a satisfying way—like i see what they were trying to do i just think they failed at it. so it's definitely no season 6, that's for sure. the vision was its redeeming feature, and GOD what a vision it was. i adore what they were trying to do with seasons 8-10 so i really can't dislike it yknow. because holy shit!!!

anyway i guess that's all. which means it's time for my detox, and after that i'll officially be in Late Season Supernatural, finally. i can't wait to see where that'll take me (i'm looking respectfully at red meat). i'm also watching season 1 with a friend, which is a delight because jesus christ this show has such an incredible foundation. if i get a chance between that and reading fanfic, i think i'll watch sharp objects finally, since it's short and sweet (not actually sweet, from what i can tell). so that'll be fun :)

[ameliatheamazing]

I watched the a:tla live action and because I used to be the Posting My Thoughts On Avatar blog, I'm gonna share the lil reviews I wrote after watching each episode. spoilers ahead!

1- aang:

ok so far it’s actually really good! The actors are amazing, especially aang and zuko, but like everyone actually. They are kids. And that’s like the most important thing. (i just hope they’re still kids by the end of the series lol). The visuals are BEAUTIFUL, the lighting and color grading is really good, the effects are great, the costumes are amazing- it’s all really faithful to the show. And it’s so exciting too bc i know it so i’m like so hyped every time something new that i recognize comes along. So overall i’m enjoying it. The main thing is it’s pretty tonally different, like bc it’s a limited series they’re focusing more on the war aspect of it all and cut a lot of the filler. Which makes sense i guess but like.. I do hope they let these kids be kids! Like please let aang goof off and show katara and sokka that it’s ok to take a break and have fun as well. I feel like that’s a really important aspect of his character so we shouldn’t cut all the filler. Please. We’ll see. (i had this exact problem with the pjo series too.. feel like i’m getting deja vu)

2- warriors:

Episode 2! Was really good! They took out sokka’s sexism which ppl were mad about but i honestly really liked what they did instead, how he connected to suki through them both being leaders of their villages. He still underestimated her and she still taught him to fight (he just wasn’t wearing makeup. tragic) and i LOVED every scene they had together! I was like kicking my feet it was so cute. Kyoshi came in and was so OP. I think it’s weird that they started going to the north because of some omen and not because aang needs to learn waterbending?? Like what’s the reason for that. so many of the decisions made here just seem to be trying to move the story along as fast as possible. But there are still good character moments and it’s enjoyable.

I love zuko. I already did so i am biased but his actor is amazing he really has that anger but also like, a clear softness beneath that. (my only problem is his scar isn’t quite as nasty as the animated version. Like from far away you can’t even really see it, i feel like it should be bigger.) I’m still not sure about iroh’s actor he’s pretty different from the animated version and i just feel like no one can live up to the original, but his character is similar to the one we know and love. azula and ozai made an appearance which is wayy sooner than in the og lol. but both of their actors seem great i’m excited to see more of them.

3- omashu:

ok we knocked out a few major s1 episodes, with jet and the mechanist from the northern air temple being featured. neither of them were from omashu originally but combining them here actually worked out ok. i loved danny pudi as the mechanist obviously. they weren’t living in the air temple though which took out a pretty big struggle for aang, where he had to come to terms with other people living on the air nomads’ land. but they can’t include every detail and like i said, having them in omashu worked just fine. idk how i feel about the jet plot, it seemed pretty similar to the original episode it just had less focus so it was like weirdly paced i felt like. most important thing was we saw cabbage guy!! even in live action his cabbages aren’t safe

4- into the dark:

why did they have bumi like, literally try to kill aang? in the show they revealed he was bumi at the very end and he was like haha it’s me your friend! i was testing your strength or whatever. here, they had him be mad at aang for not being there during the war! like oh my god?? in the original series, not everything was about the war. you even forgot it was happening at times. here, they don’t let you forget.

so glad they included secret tunnel. also oma and shu were lesbians we love to see it. but it was so strange that the badger moles like… responded to love? what?? that’s not a thing. in the original cave of two lovers episode i remember katara thought love would be the answer at first, but then was proven wrong and the crystals actually just guided them because it was dark. but in this one, she was right and sokka looked like an idiot for not believing her?? ok. i am kinda glad they took out the kataang stuff, i don’t think we need it this early on.

i liked zuko and iroh’s plot, especially the addition that the guy who captured iroh had a personal trauma from iroh’s ba sing se attack. this show has so much depth and nuance rather than just having good guys and bad guys and this was a great way of showing that.

5- spirited away:

idk what to think of this one. it was kind of an all over the place infodump. they clearly used this one as a way to put in a lot of stuff they weren’t gonna cover otherwise, like sokka’s trial thing. it didn't flow together very well. but i still enjoyed it i guess. we met a bunch of spirits that normally don’t show up until later like koh, wan shi tong, and the fox that i’m pretty sure was yue. interesting choices. ok and why the fuck did they have june flirt with iroh?? bc in the og series he makes comments towards her that are a bit gross. and instead of taking that out altogether, they reversed it?? what the fuck? that’s not better. i think my favorite part of this episode was gyatso telling aang it wasn’t his fault. he needed to hear that.

i’m starting to get pretty annoyed that aang hasn’t learned waterbending AT ALL? by this point he had been practicing with katara quite a bit! like we are way behind on the mastering elements thing when that was literally their top priority in the main series.

6-masks:

that was actually amazing. pretty spot on 1 to 1 of the blue spirit episode, at least the second half. except at the end aang and zuko talked a lot more, they’re really pushing zuko towards that redemption more than in the original. zuko’s backstory also had a lot added to it which i really liked. ozai’s characterization is so interesting, he has a little more depth (we’re just seeing more of him rly) but he ofc is still the worst human being ever in the world. but the actor who plays him is so good and we're really seeing why he makes the decisions he does. the agni kai was more drawn out which made it even worse, and we saw the actual moment of zuko’s banishment which was also extremely painful to watch! :D when he was crying in his bed ugh i couldn’t take it. and i love the detail that the soldiers he wanted to save were assigned to be his crew, which led them to respect him more once they heard his story. i loved that.

they really dumbed down commander zhao in this, i watched the original episode again and he was so much more threatening. idk why they gave that asswipe more comedic relief than aang. let aang be silly!! i’m also craving more appa in this show.

7- the north:

this was pretty much just an expanded version of the waterbending master episode. (although aang is STILL not learning waterbending?) the katara vs pakku fight was amazing and really accurate to the original scene, which was one of my favorite fight scenes so i’m glad for that. although they took out the whole thing with pakku noticing katara’s necklace but that’s fine tbh. but yeah she had her girl power moment! slay. yue is amazing and her and sokka’s interactions are so great! although i wish sokka and suki hadn’t actually kissed in episode 2, bc i feel like it took away from the importance of his and yue’s relationship! like she was his first kiss in the series and now she’s not. she’s not even necessarily his “first girlfriend.” so yeah weird choices all around. i also found it interesting that she dumped hahn and was not even betrothed to him. and he was way less of an asshole so it's not even clear why she did that. i guess trying to give her more agency? but like it doesn't make sense.

8- legends:

this one was good, again pretty accurate to the season 1 finale. the fight scenes were really drawn out to the point where it felt like they were just padding time lol, but aang’s avatar state fish suit thing looked really cool. i don’t remember if aang’s conflict here was in the original but i don’t think it was? where he’s like “i have to bear the burden of being the avatar alone” i remember him struggling with that in season 3 but not s1. idk how i feel about that. I love that katara got her moment and got to not only fight but be a leader! also momo like, sacrificed himself to save someone but it fell pretty flat bc if you're just watching this new series, you would barely care about momo. he's like not in this at all. zuko was the highlight once again. i just love him. i think that's all i have to say? again, pretty much the same story as the original.

TLDR i didnt hate this series, most of my problems with it just came from the fact that it's a live action remake and i hate those as a concept. as a fan of og avatar it was really enjoyable! I didn't like the shift in tone very much but I knew it was coming. (i'm probably gonna rewatch the og series as a palette cleanser lol). The cast and overall visuals were great and the story, although condensed, was fairly accurate. I'm excited to see how they do s2 but i'm not like super invested and my hopes are still not that high.

[beauzos]

i always heard bad things about Spirit of Justice. i think the critiques of it are wholly warranted (Apollo's random-ass rewritten backstory, Nahyuta being boring, i think a lot of people also dislike Garan as a prosecutor and she really sucks, she is the worst prosecutor in the entire series honestly though she's a ... passable villain, among other critiques i'm not very familiar with) but i just finished SOJ, and like, it is WAY fucking better than it feels like a lot of people would lead you to believe.

i actually think it's a better game than Dual Destinies. idk which of the two i'd pick as my favorite. i enjoyed the vibes/feel of DD, but the plot was much more interesting and well thought out in SOJ. but out of the 3 new trilogy games, SOJ was the ONLY game where i finished it and went "that was great". DD's ending made me really upset (although i loved the Blackquill and Athena stuff), and Apollo Justice underwhelmed throughout the entirety of the game.

Nahyuta is pretty boring, and i kept forgetting he was even there most of the time, but i find i actually really like him. i can't explain it. i thought Klavier was also super boring but i really disliked him, but i see Nahyuta and i'm like idk man. i like him. he's cool, got a nice design, and he's got very interesting things going on with his character, although the execution could be better. the emotional impacts with him in the last case could be a lot stronger. he still just Kinda Exists most of the time in the final case even though he should have such a strong impact on it. but it doesn't bother me, i just Like Him.

but the plot was cool and feels much more solid than the dumb shit they did with the DD plot, the characters felt better utilized (aside from Trucy who continues to rot on the side, but at least she starred in a case in this one), and it was just like. satisfying. Rayfa, Apollo, and Nahyuta all have wonderful character arcs even if i think Nahyuta's execution is underbaked. i think the ending was cool with Apollo staying in Khurain to try and help rebuild. i love that idea. Apollo honestly is an awesome character. i never DISliked him but he was kind of a plank earlier on in the trilogy, but he kinda finally came into his own in this one.

the Apollo Justice trilogy has some high highs, but such, deep low lows when it gets bad. but i liked it. i was afraid i wouldn't because i had such a hard time getting into Apollo Justice, and i still consider that to be my least favorite Ace Attorney game by far, it's not even a competition. but DD and SOJ brought it home, although i had some major issues with DD.

anyways, i was wrong about SOJ. i was so afraid it was going to be super bad going in because of all i'd heard and i just. i liked it, simple as. is it perfect? nooo. that filler case was lame asf (aside from more Blackquill and Athena, my absolutely FAVORITE dynamic in the Ace Attorney series PERIOD) and the vibes in the first case are kinda weird and uncomfortable and i wasn't too sure about it, but the rest of the game is pretty solid. i was genuinely invested in the characters, which i couldn't say i rly was in DD (at least in terms of the main crew, i loved Blackquill and Fulbright ofc and yall know it KRKJF) even though i loved DD.

the final case, Turnabout Revolution, was great, which i can't say about Turnabout Succession OR Turnabout for Tomorrow (though i intend eventually to replay DD knowing the full context of the Phantom twist so i won't get blindsided by feeling deeply upset by it lol it might change how i feel)

anyways top 5 new trilogy characters in no real order aside from Blackquill really is my number 1 let's go

Blackquill

Athena

Trucy

Bobby Fulbright

Rayfa and Nahyuta (tied. i can't possibly rank one over the other)

in terms of quality i'd rank the games SOJ > DD > AJ but personally SOJ and DD are equal

[fanfic-inator795]

Looking back at TGaMM s2, while it’s pre-ending could’ve been stronger and the arc with the Chens could have used a bit more fleshing out, it’s FINAL episode was just about perfect and the stuff I loved from s1 was just as great as ever and as such, if this is the last we see of TGaMM, I’m pretty satisfied.

Anyway, outside of the s2 (series?) finale which I’d call a 10/10 episode and ending, here’s my top 10 in no particular order:

- A Doll to Die For: I’m a sucker for Lord Hater- I mean, Lord Doom. Really funny with good horror-comedy elements and a really sweet ending, has those s1 vibes of helping a character find their happiness and it’s just an easy one to rewatch for me.

- The (After)Life of the Party: Of course I’m gonna love the ep that gave us Jeoff - plus it’s just fun in its own right, and that song’s a bop.

- Faint of Art: VERY relatable as as a fellow creative, another great song, really good jokes and an incredibly sweet ending

- Dance Dad Revolution: Pretty sure I’m the only one who really likes this one, haha. I just found it really amusing, and even when he’s at his ‘worst’, Pete is still just super charming to me. The song in this one is one of my faves (was stuck in my head for the longest time), and I love that it was the Jeoffs and their genuine love for dancing that inadvertently ruined Scratch’s scheme in the end, lol.

- All Shark No Bite: just a fun time, ngl. I love GhostShark and I’m so happy he stuck around

- Davenport’s in Demise: really interesting spotlight for Andrea. Another great song, great lesson, fun jokes- and come on, of course I was gonna put the ep with the “soft rock personality” joke on here, haha

- Kenny’s Falling Star: Idk, I just really like the story in this one. Kenny’s actually a lot more endearing than I thought he would be, and both his songs are great.

- Frightmares on MainStreet: excluding the s2 finale, this was probably the best out of all the Half-Hour eps this season, as it never feels like it’s dragging nor does it ever feel rushed. It’s fun, sweet, exciting - really the only knock against it comes from how it’s ending now feels a bit hollow, given how rushed the rest of the Chens arc ended up being. (Also I’m still a bit annoyed that the Frightmares in the thermos never came back, either as a serious threat or as a solution to defeating another threat. Like- why bother having them in the Chens’ possession in the first place then?)

- Alakasham: a nice and entertaining episode that really highlights just how much Darryl has grown over the season, plus all the stuff with the magic was a ton of fun.

- FONAA: another ep that felt like a classic s1 romp with great jokes, great moments between Molly and Scratch, and a really sweet ending.

Outside of my faves of the season, I’d say pretty much all the other eps were also really good, only ever being just kinda meh at worst.

I’d say the only ones that stood out in a negative way were:

- (I know I’m gonna be in the unpopular minority on this one) Like Father, Like Libby: it just sorta felt like a One-Scene Wonder sort of ep given that you’re just spending the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop, thus causing the rest of the ep to feel sorta boring and filler-y since it’s not super funny or interesting in the lead up to the Big Scene. I feel like it could've played better if we got more of Libby and Leah bonding instead of just Libby being only focused on her dad and Leah being worried.

Honestly, out of all the “Special Episodes” this season, it’s the one that feels the most like it instead of simply being an enjoyable ep that happens to have a Special Lesson (like Period Piece or 100% Molly McGee)

AND

- The Grand Gesture: not bad by any means, just overstuffed. It sucks that by the time we finally got a Darryl and June ep, it also had to be shared with a b-plot that felt like it took the majority of the ep. It also just wasn’t super funny outside of like two jokes and felt rushed by the end of it.

All in all, for as much as I loved this season for its episodic installments, it’s new characters (namely Jeff, Lord Doom and Ollie) and its songs, the fact that 2/3rds of the serialized stuff didn’t quite lead up to its potential in the end and fell a bit flat - plus a couple of sorta meh episodes - makes me want to say that I do think s1 is better by juuuuuust a little bit.

But hey, s2 is still incredibly solid and enjoyable - and again, DAMN, that was a super satisfying and really great ending both to Scratch’s personal arc and the show itself - which makes TGaMM a really good show overall in spite of some minor flaws and disappointments. Easily the best modern day Disney show imo right up there with Big City Greens.

[televinita]

Goodreads Choice Awards but the nominees are just the books I've personally shelved

I have a lot of thoughts about the options as they exist (mostly not that bad, except when it comes to the total elimination of children's literature, about which I am furious), but per usual I can't really articulate them in a coherent way SO I sorted my shelves by publication date, ignored the GCA requirement of a minimum 3.5 average rating, and am doing this instead.

[update: oops this did not turn out coherent either. but it got typed!]

Important Reminder: These are not all books I consider equal contenders for "best." I simply wanted to highlight every possible option I actually knew about and have read or am interested in reading.

YA

After the Sirens - Sharon Farrell

Begin Again - Emma Lord (forgot to add this one before)

The Brothers Hawthorne - Jennifer Lynn Barnes (actual nominee and I'm gonna vote for it even though it seems like it may be more of a filler book. The Davenports is the only other official nom to intrigue me, and its lower average rating + hideous cartoon cover isn't enough to flip me unread so sorry, we're going Basic Popularity Contest Pick)

Cleaning Up - Leanne Lieberman

Five Survive - Holly Jackson (definitely not a winner)

Gather - Kenneth M. Cadow (edit: National Book Award finalist?? like with the adult fiction??)

Good as Gold -- Candace Buford (definite contender for fave so far)

Holly Horror - Michelle Jabès Corpora

The Island - Natasha Preston (lol. lmao even. but ridiculous fun)

The Lake House - Sarah Beth Durst

A Long Stretch of Bad Days - Mindy McGinnis

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway - Ashley Schumacher (here on author loyalty only)

Three Rivers - Sarah Stusek (THAT'S RIGHT. HER.)

Summer Rental - Rektok Ross (why am I this aware of brand-new ya horror??) (because I love horror and it's usually better paced and spookier and less shock-gory than the adult brand? fair)

YA FANTASY / SCI FI

Dream to Me - Megan Paasch (I think it would go here, anyway. but maybe it's just regular YA)

The Eternal Ones - Namina Forna (I gotta remember this series exists)

FANTASY

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries -- winner winner pick!! (no like officially)

Starling House - Alix E. Harrow (though this is a close second, and honestly, if they weren't both actual nominees I'd think The Unmaking of June Farrow has some potential intrigue)

ROMANCE

Hazel Fine Sings Along - Katie Wicks (no comment on its Wattpad origin. I didn't notice until just now. have not read it.)

Famous For A Living - Melissa Ferguson (popular enough for Once Upon a Book Club! but not for for an official nom, despite my hopes, in this fiercely competitive category. boooo)

Out On a Limb - Hannah Bonam-Young (damn I actually saw this one making rounds on BookTube, thought it might be here)

Something Wild & Wonderful - Anita Kelly (can't believe there's actually a queer romance I want to see show up and it doesn't)

(Bonus: legit nominees I am considering for validity include Happy Place; Yours Truly - I really need to figure out if Emily Henry and Abby Jimenez are in my wheelhouse or not - and Hello Stranger, though as much as I like Katherine Center this one does not call to me)

FICTION

This Bird Has Flown - Susanna Hoffs (might also have been under romance if picked for the actual GCA? feels more mainstream than that but idk. anyway HATERS 2 THE LEFT.)

^ also my pick for debut

The Lost Manuscript - Mollie Rushmeyer (dunno which category this would officially go in either. probably romance? maybe mystery? but it's got a lot more plot than the average romance)

HISTORICAL FICTION

The Echo of Old Books - Barbara Davis (holy crap this one's actually in the nominations?! Instant vote. Almost disappointing because there are some other candidates I would have felt fine voting for to block the worse ones, but this is the only one on my acute TBR. If I don't give at least 4 stars I will be shocked)

MYSTERY/THRILLER

Forgotten Trail - Claire Kells

The Hike - Lucy Clarke

The Only One Left - Riley Sager

Homecoming - Kate Morton (crisis alert! the latter two are both official nominees and I am equally interested in both/both have equally good track records with me) (probs. gonna vote Kate on the principle of female solidarity. even though this is really stretching the definition of "mystery")

HORROR

A Haunting on the Hill - Elizabeth Hand

(How To Sell a Haunted House is a hard maybe but also the only one I think I'd even consider trying from the official noms)

MEMOIR

Paris: The Memoir - Paris Hilton

The Woman in Me - Britney Spears

Grimoire Girl - Hilarie Burton Morgan

Tell Me Everything - Minka Kelly

If You Would Have Told Me - John Stamos

Goodbye to Clocks Ticking - Joseph Monninger (forgot I just stumbled upon this one recently! it's on my library list but not my GR account)

and one more except GCA put it in a different category hang on

Three of these - not Burton's, alas - are actually nominees. Britney is gonna win but not without a fight from me. Do I go with Paris, whose memoir impressed me even though I still don't care much for her as a person, or Minka, whose memoir I haven't read but whose reviews sound excellent and whom I like more?

HUMOR

Being Henry - Henry Winkler (there is absolutely no reason for this not to be nominated in memoir btw. I hope it wins Humor because nothing else appeals in that category and I have multiple vendettas (SAMANTHA IRBY), but it would be as misplaced a win as the Office Ladies book was last year. fully deserving of an award! actually the best of the given nominees! but also like an adult beating a bunch of children in a footrace.)

MIDDLE GRADE

(no longer a GCA category but it fudgin' should be)

Just Gus - McCall Hoyle

Falling Out of Time - Margaret Peterson Haddix (actually glad I don't have to choose between these two because like. dogs - but also boy MC - or author loyalty ft. sequel to my childhood fave??)

Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen - Geri Halliwell The Spice Girl (no. 😔) (and yet it is still on my shelf)

I have no strong opinions for any categories I skipped.

[icharchivist]

ok so overall opinions

i liked this event a lot, it was really interesting. extremely heavy in term of topics, but it was dealt with with grace and elegance i rarely see in similar topics.

Like usually this type of plot is "antagonist makes a good point but since they blew up a child we will never bring the good point up again <3"

while here it really was a complex discussion about the causes and consequences of surviving a genocide, and how lashing out (as antagonists) was actually a good thing because it forces the country responsible for it all to face what actually happened and take the measures to change things.

like in the end it's not even that Magealant is "redeemed", he's just right the entire event and by the end our protagonists have to promise to do right by the antagonist to rebuild a new future where they can acknowledge and atone from their sins.

It's pretty raw and i've rarely seen this type of story written with that much respect for the victims, and it's genuinely nice it's working like that.

I really liked Magealant as it is, though, he definitely stole the show and was extremely compelling.

Lancelot, Vane and Siegfried all had very big character arcs this event which was genuinely nice to see. Percival was more of a supportive character, but everything he did to support the squad was in direct relation to his development in To Each His Ideal, which really makes the whole plot cohesive that way.

Morgan...... is just Loki 2.0 lmao, but a fairy. Idk what to do with their involvement though. On one hand, it's good that they're actually using a bit more of the actual lore of the mythos and stuff, Morgan being ultimately the one planning the downfall of everyone makes more sense than Merlin. On the other hand, Merlin was already built up as the big bad for half a decade now, it feels weird to suddenly replace him with another villain. I guess it's so that Merlin, who's also a victim of Feendrache, and someone Lamorak wants to save, does get an opportunity to be saved, while keeping a villain who has no other motivation than chaos as the ultimate antagonist to take down.

I'm a bit torn about their involvment in the plot, but they do look pretty and i do love this type of trickster character, so i'm looking forward to see more of them.

Fafnir's development and slight retcon with the pieces of his souls being spread around to explain why he's a beast is something i really loved though!! huge fan of how to refit old event's lore to the newest lore!!!

The lady of the lake... is ominous so far but she didn't appear long enough to give us a full overview of her. She's pretty tho!

And i'm so glad to have been able to see my kids!! i was so resigned about not seeing them that i actually squeed when they appeared. I love them so much and i think it's somehow ends up becoming my highlight of the event, after Maleagant.

My only grip with the event is that in the early chapters the transitions between scenes could be really clunky. It felt that they wanted to tell Big Scenes, but coherently tying them together would perhaps have taken too long and would have felt like filler. It wasn't much of a problem, just that sometimes some scene changes could be very jarring. (like Lancelot getting out of the ruined village to immediately seeing his village on fire so we need a flashback to set it back, or how they left Siegfried in the throne room and then he ends up showing up unprompted 5 screens later. A bit clunky.)

but overrall it was muah. loved it. can't wait to see where it's going.

[erodingsinner]

My thoughts on each season of POI:

Season 1: 8/10, amazing. It succeeds at what it's trying to do perfectly imo and set the groundwork for the rest of the series. Not everyone's favorite season because it's procedural but most times I was actually very invested in the cases ! Loved loved the Elias storyline and every flashbacks.

Season 2: 9/10, for the most part does a great job at upping the stakes. Introduces Shaw & Root which are amazing and fit perfectly within the story. Loved the beginning of Decima, controversial but loved the HR story too. God Mode at the end slaps as well as the reveal that the Machine is much more sentient than we thought.

Season 3: 10/10 my favorite season. We dive more into the Sci-fi aspect of the show which I loved. At this point I still loved the cases each episode brought as far as I remember. The end of HR's storyline was great ( disliked Carter's death tho ) I liked Vigilance as villains ( who definitely have a point. ) And the finale with Samaritan going online was chilling.

Season 4: 5/10... While it did have some really good episodes, after that awesome mid-season finale it all feels like filler. Dominick did not interest me at all as a villain. Generic mob guy who cares (+ felt like a redo of the Elias storyline with a less interesting character). Everything after If-Then-Else was boring, couldn't get into the cases because there was a much more important story going on but they kept dragging it on. Adding useless characters and romance. Clearly did not know what to do with John's character. Very meh.

Season 5: idk.. like 6/10? I hate that I don't enjoy these seasons as much upon rewatching because they are truly when we get into the nitty gritty of the show ! So many great themes to explore ! I am convinced that they should've combined S4 & 5 together. A lot of the time it feels like the main story is dragging on for no reason. John's death made sense within the narrative, Root's absolutely did not and it made me especially mad considering that she just got Shaw back like did they not know how to develop this relationship and just killed Root ?? The ending ( which I have not rewatched but remember ) doesn't feel bittersweet simply bitter for everyone and sweet for Finch.

Overall I still think it's a great piece of television that just failed to deliver on the plot it had built in later seasons ( while still being enjoyable) I will always have a place in my heart for all the characters that are so unique. I've never loved side/one time characters as much as in this show. I think it's iconic still but not as much as when I first watched it !

[atlasshrugd]

im sooo happy we got a filler fluffy episode, like episodes 4 to 7 were so fucking intense and it looks like things will get worse they needed to let us breathe for a while lmao

tbh me too. i get people’s problems with this ep but i guess i am just so starved of affection that it felt so nice to not have anything big going on. like it felt like i was experiencing all that joy and contentment through them. it felt especially deserved bc kp have gone through a lot together, bc of each other, and in spite of each other. so the fact that we could get them fooling around as horny sappy boyfriends experiencing new things together was like a balm over my wound. there are logistical problems w this episode that take ppl out of it but i honestly just want to ignore it bc nothing can take happy kp away from me. and i also think the sweeter the fluff the more devastating the angst will be, which is always a plus. higher highs and lower lows amiright. idk i guess i just like seeing these two jaded and traumatised individuals find peace and a home within in each other, and having a few brief moments of solace before shit hits the fan (as it always will in the mafia world). people lately have been saying ‘bring back filler episodes!’ bc they prefer to see characters dynamics more than actual packed-in plot, which I also agree with. so I think this episode did what it set out to do. lulled us into a false sense of security but gave us a glimpse of what could be. idk I just have a lot of feelings