#like they will kiss in the last season foreshadowing that they will fall in love with each other

[norringtondeservestheworld]

"All my life men like you have sneered at me, and all my life I've been knocking men like you into the dust."

[jewishgirlrevolt]

More 8x06 thoughts. Still processing

I've been trying to express my feelings about 8x06 on paper, and there's still so much swirling in my head. So apologies if this is too long and ranty.

The GA isn't happy for a lot of reasons. One was that Tommy did fit with the 118, he was friends with Eddie and Chim. Two: they were happy Buck was in a relationship, and it seemed like (at least in season 7) that he was finally off the hamster wheel. And they like Eddie and Buck's friendship and don't want to see them together. After all the BS takes I've seen from you-know-whos, I can't say I disagree at all.

It's like neither Buck nor the writers have learned anything from past love interests. Tommy is the one with the most potential because of how well he fits, and he clearly has a lot of abandonment issues. Hey, so does Buck. That could have been a great point to explore.

I don't think Buck needs to sleep around to explore himself. But I do think Buck never fully processed anything.

It's wild that Buck and Tommy dated for six months and NEVER had any real conversations about exes? Tommy does strike me as the kind of person who keeps people at arm's length, who maybe doesn't say much about his past unless he has to. He could have also held back because he was letting Buck set the pace. I know Tommy isn't a main character. But they could have done so much more with this and with him. Hopefully its not the end.

The show also did nothing to show Buck's growth in a relationship, aside from the fact that he kissed a boy and liked it.

8x01 showed us that Buck was competent, professional, and mature, and stupidly I was hoping that would extend to his relationship too.

I think Buck has to figure out what he wants out of a relationship, I hope we see more of Buck talking to Josh or Hen and then he and Tommy work on making a relationship that's lasting, honest, and full of love (if we're grudging up Abby, we can continue the red string here and make that nod too)

What also bothers me is they took 3 episodes to build Buck and Tommy and show us that they have chemistry and that Tommy shows up for Buck, they had two more moments where it was clear they were getting to know each other and were solid in season 7.

And then it took them 1 episode to tear it all down without ever showing Buck showing up for Tommy. They were supposed to be getting to know each other. But six months in, it's like they didn't even know each other at all... or actually. It's like Buck didn't know Tommy at all.

I find it frustrating that we got to see so little of them, and most of it was Tommy doing things for Buck, showing up for Buck, complementing Buck, and taking care of Buck. A relationship has to be a two-way street. You show up for me, I show up for you.

And I'm glad Tommy showed up for Buck. Buck deserves love. But so does Tommy. Tommy was clearly looking for love, IDk if he was looking for a family or anything long term. Maybe he was dealing with a bad breakup and Buck was adorable, and he thought, maybe this could be a thing for now, but he ended up falling for him, clearly, and panicked. But I think on some level he was looking for someone to show up for him too, even when things got hard. And maybe this is foreshadowing. I hope it is. But I refuse to get my hopes up about it, or about Buck's love life ever again.

[rustyironskillet]

Complete Lego Ninjago Rewrite - Spoilers

Hello Ninjago fans!! After watching a few videos about problems people have with Ninjago, I got the urge to rewrite all of Ninjago, which include the Pilot, the 15 seasons, Day of Departed, the Miniseries, and the Lego Ninjago Movie. I am not going to rewrite Dragons Rising, the Mini-movies, comics, books or video games because that would be too much work and I haven’t seen any of them but if you would like to go ahead. I will be making this on ao3 and each chapter will be one episode, I am still trying to decide if the pilot should be one or two. 

However, the reason I am making this post is because I want to know what I should add or remove from the series to make it better. Ideas that I have so far, in no particular order, are:

Make Nia a more third dimensional character in the first few seasons

Change the reasons that Jay and Cole gain their true potential

Give actual reason why they can't use some abilities again; like spinjitzu, elemental dragons, their ultimate potential, etc

Make the ninja have a reasonable reaction to what is happening to them, not just making funny quips or having temporary effects that only last a few seasons episodes but long term effects that develop their character.

Have Cole come out to his father in s1 ep9, The Royal Blacksmiths, because one (1) that episode can be interpreted as an allegory to coming out so why not go all the way and two (2) there are about 4 blink and you miss it queer things that happen in Ninjago (a lesbian couple dancing in s12, 2 guys kissing in s14, a pride fall on Sally’s van in s15, and a rainbow crosswalk that sometimes shows up) so I am going to add more representation.

Fix Lord Garmadon in s8 and onwards

Make Misako less redeemable (she toters in between extremely neglectful and trying her best so much but I think being neglectful would give Lloyd a bit more spice and would let her realize she was wrong and give a bit of character development)

Let Garmadon and Vinny date

Let the girls have more problems then just guy problems

Fix plot holes

Have the inhuman parts of Lloyd be foreshadowed

Let Morro come back

Let Lloyd turn into a Oni for a bit to fight the Overlord in s15 and have him not be able to stop

Fix season 3

Fix season 11, mostly the first part but the second too

Make a sensible timeline and have how long each season takes so we have a reasonable age each character is by the end of Ninjago

Make The Lego Ninjago Movie follows the rules that were previously made in the series. I don’t care if it is supposed to be in the universe of the Lego Movie, the series had rules on how everyone's abilities worked and you erased them. The mechs can stay though they were cool.

Those are all the ideas I have but I want to know about any other ideas, problems or solutions that anyone has about Ninjago. I want to rewrite the series in a way that shows that while I think some things need to be fixed, I still love it. I will be starting with the pilot and s1 so I mostly want to know people's ideas relating to those episodes but all ideas are welcome.

Masterpost

[ronnieratsdoodles]

also credit to some sources!

byler proof:

1. Will’s sexuality has been an aspect since episode 1

if it wasn’t a major point, the duffer’s wouldn’t have any reason to subtly and continuously remind the GA throughout the entire show. they never were bold about it until season 4, because of foreshadowing, which they do a lot throughout the show; with many relationships.

season 5 is when build up finally reaches its peak.

2. “i’m not gonna fall in love scene.” coming from Will Byers, breakfast scene, joyce and Will Byers conversation. season: three. episode: chapter 1: susie, do you copy?

one tiny thing they added into the scene was Will pouring syrup on his eggs, which Mike also done, meaning they likely introduced each other to it. just tiny fact.

ultimately, this scene had to have significance, it couldn’t have been written without a point, why else would they make a traumatized boy have built up longing for his best friend? to end in heartbreak? that would just be a waste of writing, planning, foreshadowing, and most importantly their frequency of slow burning. they knew what they were doing.

3.smalltown boy being the first song on Mike’s official playlist:

spotify used to have a official character playlist up for each character, before being took down (if i’m right) either that they liked or that represented their character! (what creators felt was correlated)

(taken down 2023)

small town boy is by a artist named bronski beat, that is about a young gay man bullied, deciding to run away from home. we don’t even know exactly the reason why Mike is bullied, other than his supposed ‘frog face’

5. couples being paired up on the last episode of season four, while El stood alone. many reasons why this could have happened, but it was no mistake, lay outs always have a reason film wise. 

6. multiple parallels to stancy:

again, not much to say about it, BUT stancy was a unsuccessful relationship, and Nancy ended up going with a byers, wheeler + byers. the hospital scene with the two second shoulder lean. (stancy parallel!)

7.byler funko, not mileven funko. hmm super suspicious 🤨

8.”i need you mike, and i always will” - Will Byers, van scene, stranger things four. Will is not going to fall for anyone else. he always needed Mike. while El was shown more to needing Mike, she never did as much as Will. there’s nothing satisfying about Will being with another boy, not to the audience or Will. 

9.stranger things writer quote from twitter “let’s start a new party, you and me.”

10.mikes encounters with Will being focused/zoomed in on is for a REASON.

11. at the season four reunion, why did Mike not kiss El? their foreheads touched, they were inches apart, yet he looked back at Will. that would have been a perfect scene for a kiss, so why would the creators not include it?

12. Mike and Will had the first meaningful one-on-one conversation in stranger things.

13.in both arguments, the rink-o-mania they were wearing blue and yellow. their colors. when blue meets yellow in the west. they met in california. the west. 

14. “Karen, where’s our son?!” Ted yells, in season 2. 

“Will’s!” karen yelled back, holding a blue and yellow pen. totally on accident.

15. Crazy together being one of the most romantic scenes in the entire show.

16. the multiple scenes of Mike saying “boys only” and getting kicked out by girls. and his grossed out expression in season four, episode 1, the hellfire club, by a sign in the background saying women. 

17. i love you is either platonic or lies in strangers things so far, we haven’t gotten a single i love you that wasn’t either. Will’s i am not gonna fall in love implying an actual process, it’s happening in season 5.

18.when mileven tag duffers to complain about byler, they never respond, only to byler shippers, even if it’s just a small wave emoji.

19. lighting, the creators confirmed that the lighting in each scene has a meaning. the lighting either means that it could be a way of symbolizing mikes deep care and empathy for Will in the next season, (them being on a upside down couch also empathizes/foreshadows something)

20. the creators once again were planning since the first season. season four was written in a way to begin the root Will and for byler. so, when their endgame, we will know why.

21.mileven is star crossed, (not endgame)in march, millie talked about being unhappy with El’s ending, it doesn’t show that byler is endgame, but it does show mike and El are not. in one of the season 3 scripts they referred to mileven as ‘star crossed’ in the field scene. 

if any of this doesn’t make sense i apologize, it was written for my best friend<3333

[thelonewolf48]

Hello, Blank the series community!

How are we processing the ending of season 1? Are you angry? Do you understand Khun Neung's actions? Do we want to hit her? Yes, you say? 🤣🤣🤣

I wanted to wait a bit (also got busy at work lol) to avoid any spoilers for anyone who don't watch Episode 6 and last one for a while... I don't know how I'm gonna cope with it tbh... I'm following 23.5 and other web series but tbh... never on the level of Blank... I have to admit that GAP did it first but Blank did it better... which, no shade to GAP because FreenBecky, my beloved, chemistry was so good too!

And to clarify, GAP the series also had its own set of problems, most of them regarding money and locations, but what they did, opened the door for more GLs. Some, with good and bad executions, but that's up to each person and their preferences to decide!

BUT ENOUGH OF GAP (the perfect GL, to me!) Let's talk about BLANK!

As a start... I didn't like that they began from when Aneung knocked on Neung's door... it ate like 4 more minutes with them, plus they didn't keep the same tension.

On Episode 5, the tension was felt thanks to the zoom on their faces that lasted quite a good amount of seconds and Faye's minuscule lean.

This time it was cut and then bam! KISS! (NOT THAT I'M COMPLAINING!)

I'm not gonna go on full detail because I believe we all watched the episode, there are a few technical things I want to point out but I won't because nah! There was some foreshadowing to the doom that was to come... and no, I don't say this as a person who has read the book 🤭

I will go straight to that last part...

I had to go back to read that last part in the book because I wanted to keep this as accurate as I can.

So, throughout the episode, we see Aneung's family praising how good of a Role Model Neung is for Aneung. This is the first red flag. Then we see Neung still having doubts about their age gap which I find normal in this setting, because it can happen. This is the second red flag.

The final nail to the coffin, and the one I think everyone should consider whenever questioning WHY Neung broke this as cruel as she did, is that she thought she used Aneung as a way to distract her own pain.

In the book, and the reason why I re-read it, Neung sounds more detached, more out of the moment, and at some point even more aggressive about it. In the series, Neung, although also feeling out of the moment, the scene takes a more soft and romantic approach. They show us Neung's walls falling and accepting that she does indeed love Aneung.

Also, the "brake up" is harsher. Feels like a slap.

Now, we have to consider that in the book, right after their love making Aneung goes to school, everything seems fine, heavy, but good enough. Things happen, that I won't reveal because it could be spoilers, but one of those things is that Fah calls Neung about the funeral and everything. Fah is the one telling Neung that she trusts Neung, she's a role model, and she knows she will take care of Aneung.

Here, there is something I wanted to point out. To hear Fah say it, right after what happened it's what triggers Neung to break Aneung's heart. As logical as Neung is, that is the conclusion she gets after everything.

Aneung is young, thus can fall in love again with someone around her age. This is the conclusion Neung forms in her head. Plus, she sees something else that triggers a reaction. Something we will see in season 2 😆 so, no spoilers but maybe some of you can imagine what.

Neung is very logical, very cutthroat, and as stubborn as their grandmother. We have to remember that, as the eldest, she was trained to be the next heir. So, her life was very, very different. If you see any royal family, the image they project is one of perfection. So, it's no wonder that Neung learnt how to mask her feelings. If something hurts, hurt it back a thousand times worse. Or better yet, just ignore it.

Neung, just like Sam after she became the heir, prefers avoid her feelings because she knows caring equals pain. So, why bother?

There's a whole process Neung does before she goes to Aneung, in the book.

But I have to admit that the series spin was chef kiss! I'm sure that Neung, after waking up, was blaming herself for letting things escalate so quickly.

I will defend Neung with my whole heart because the traumas she carries makes her scared. And like a feral animal, the only way she knows how to defend herself is attacking. She pushes and pushes until she proves to herself that she is right. Everyone leaves.

I could continue rambling and going and just word spit things, but I have to sleep 🤣🤣🤣

Don't share spoilers if you read the book! Unless people want them, I will keep my posts spoiler free! Either way, if anyone wants to discuss the book, you can send me a message too!

Once again, I say this Blank the series set the bar waaaaaaay too high! I can't deny it!

Anyway, guys, do you agree? Disagree? Let's have a respectful debate!

[quillyfied]

GO2 spoilers, keep going to avoid bc this is spoiler town now. Got so hugely long I crashed my tumblr app. Yikes.

So I get why Neil best thought they would have been better released as individual episodes now, because the last 15 minutes really do overwhelm the rest of the season. Cliffhangers often do. Next time I watch, I think I want to savor it more. Because:

- PRE FALL CROWLEY CRANKING UP A NEBULA LIKE HIS CAR. AZIRAPHALE HAVING A GIANT CRUSH. PRE FALL AZIRAPHALE HAD FEELINGS FIRST BABES HOW ARE YOU DOING

- they continue to be The Most Married. They have a freaking “I was wrong” dance. The bitchiness of their bickering. The ways they just know each other.

- CROWLEY’S CHEEKY SCOTTISH ACCENT IN THE RESURRECTIONIST ADVENTURE. IM SO EXCITED IT EXISTS IN CANON.

- Baldad the Shuhite, best midwife slash cobbler in the land, lover of shoemaking and obstetrics XDDDD

- Crowley’s absolutely badass venomous “I long to destroy the blameless children of Job” thing…right before the goats give him away.

- Maggie!! So precious!! And Aziraphale! Brushing off a good deed as selfish openly!

- Nina! Deserves a better partner!!!! And to move on from whatever made her believe she deserved to have someone treat her like that!!

- MIRANDA RICHARDSON AS SHAX. WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED. WE ARE FILLED.

- so uh INEFFABLE BUREAUCRACY GIRLIES HOW WE FEELING???? Bc I’m feeling great, woke up with Buddy Holly in my head. I cannot believe the gift we were given and how pitch perfect it was for how the fans have written it for the past four years.

- Shelley Conn’s Beelzebub though!! What a stunning performance! What a costume change! What an absolute wealth of rotting teeth and great eyeliner! More flies indeed!!!

- the fly constantly buzzing around Jim was a huge clue but I hardly dared hope for it to be true tbh

- Aziraphale being morally grey all over this season, eh? And super touchy. Like. The dance scene was uncomfortable bc of the overwhelming of their free will to fit Aziraphale’s fantasy, which was another big piece of foreshadowing right there, but the amount of times Aziraphale touches Crowley this season. Unreal.

- “I thought you said it wasn’t lonely.” “I’m a demon. I lied.” KILL ME

- Aziraphale’s first reaction to food though. There’s that darling hedonist we love and enjoy.

- OF COURSE THATS HOW GABRIEL THINKS BIRTH WORKS OH MY HECK—

- hang on, did Crowley figure it out since the Flood, then? Good for him!

- NEIL. NEIL THERE ARE ZOMBIE NAZIS LOOSE IN THE WORLD NEIL. NEIL WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM NEIL. NEEEEEEIL.

- CROWLEY’S HANDS SHAKING DURING THE BULLET TRICK. THEM PULLING IT OFF WITHOUT MIRACLES. THE SLEIGHT OF HAND.

- AZIRAPHALE AND CROWLEY TOGETHER DOING ARCHANGEL LEVEL MIRACLES BC IT WORKS A LITTLE TOO WELL

- frankly, the whole miracle detection thing in heaven in the first place. Miracle detection truth girlies, how you feeling?

- Maggie being so brave against a bunch of demons and stumbling right into bravado and accidentally inviting them into the shop. Nina backing her up. The two of them holding off quite a lot of demons with just fire extinguishers and encyclopedias. And an active portal.

- THE HALO THING

- MURIEL BLESS THEIR SWEET COTTON SOCKS THEY DID SO MUCH AND DESERVE SO MUCH MORE CREDIT AND PRAISE FROM ALL CORNERS

- do you think Crowley drunkenly revealing to Jim that the attempted executions at the end of last season were due to them switching places is going to have consequences in the future? Bc I’m nervous about that.

- also hey Crowley being super protective and particularly vengeful towards Gabriel truthers HOW U DOING???

- listen there’s so much to talk about and discuss and dig into but I really want to take a moment to weep over how Crowley kissed Aziraphale goodbye. So desperately. So sadly. And how venomous Aziraphale’s follow up “I forgive you” lands like a slap at the end of this tumultuous argument. Never could have predicted it to go like that. I’m still reeling.

[commander-minkowski]

finally watched go2. hmm. I have mixed feelings

scope creep was always going to be a HUGE problem with a story like this even getting a second season, so I was prepared for that, but I underestimated just how far the stakes would fall. none of the major plotlines felt like they had any tension or sense of urgency AT ALL.

the gabriel mystery had a surface-level feeling of momentum, but none of the underlying structure of a mystery. what I mean by that is that there were red herrings, there was foreshadowing, but there was no systematic laying out of clues that would allow the characters OR the audience to solve the mystery before it was explained through flashbacks in the last episode. practically all of the "clues" we get (with the exception of that one closeup of the fly ig) end up being irrelevant misdirects. I get the sense that the fake-out of something sinister happening (a cursed jukebox, the resurrectionist) was meant to be funny or whimsical but it just fell flat.

shax is not an interesting or intimidating antagonist in the slightest and never does anything that actually affects anything. she's just there when the plot needs some conflict, and that conflict is quickly and lazily resolved each time.

muriel's total naivete pulls the urgency out of the other major plotline, c and a needing to make nina and maggie fall in love. so many times things are set up that you expect will be a huge issue later on, only for them to be resolved within five minutes due to a plot convenience or sheer dumb luck.

also, this may be a matter of preference, but I don't think crowley and aziraphale work well as THE protagonists. their whole thing is frittering around, weaseling out of getting stuff done, and wasting time until they're absolutely backed against the wall and have to move or die while other, more dynamic characters drive most of the plot. and this is not a bad thing! it's what their characters are written to do in the book and in season 1 and they do it very well!! it just doesn't work in this season and imo contributed to if not created a lot of the problems above

all the new side characters were hugely underdeveloped.

idk there was some stuff I liked. crowley living in his car with his little plants was funny. the art direction/sets/costumes/special effects were gorgeous. muriel was cute. the kiss and the breakup were very satisfying in an angsty, fanficcy way. like, this was an enjoyable season for the most part. they just forgot to put the good in it methinks

[the-path-to-redemption]

hiiii i'm here with my last anon message (❀´ ˘ `❀)

i don't think i'll finish RWBY for the time being... i'm halfway through volume 9 and my head is spinning ( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) this is just like An Oriental Odyssey, but from the USA!

both:

* have pretty solid writing for the first half and clear expectations, then goes crazy

* develop ok ship only to tear it apart

* main antagonist is bad because their lover died

* many plot twists without any foreshadowing/contradictory foreshadowing

* purest character dies twice and comes back from the dead

* starts as magical realism but SUDDENLY MAGIC!! WOWIES MAGIC DOES EXIST??

* love triangles

* canon ships are bad and the notion of love is twisted and abusive

* fans of the work treat you like an idiot because you don't understand the brilliance of the work

* no subtlety at all

* characters not growing and falling into the same pitfalls

i was halfway season 5 when i realized (˃̣̣̥ᯅ˂̣̣̥) i was cheated!! but i immediately thought, "well, the writers must be young too" then i checked and they were way older than me!! .·°՞(˃ ᗝ ˂)՞°·. double cheated!!

what can you expect from beginner writers... but the designs... _(:‚‹」∠)_

i guess Adam's death didn't shock me (i saw spoilers...) as much as how bad the pairings are!! when Renora started showing signs i had to take a break by reading two whole mangas before going back to it. i thought we finally had good girl/boy friendship!!（ꐦ𝅒_𝅒）what do you mean Ren raised her and they're both in love but Ren doesn't speak his feelings for some reason so Nora had to force a kiss on him?! everything was too creepy!! ‎

(ﾉಥ益ಥ）ﾉ ┻━┻ didn't we have enough with Jaune and Pyrrha?! and suddenly Blake starts slapping Sun around... Bumbleby is ok but i thought this was a sapphic show!! where are my sapphics?! (╯'□')╯︵ ┻━┻

i could rant about many things but the general vibe i got was "ah, everything feels very creepy and cruel somehow" since season 4. i don't know how to explain it... i felt like i was seeing hell for the characters besides the actual problems (•﹏•;) it might be my trauma from An Oriental Odyssey but who knows...

either way this will be my last anon message ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪ i need a break from RWBY... i want to do fanarts, but i'm still too shocked (￣◇￣;) thank you for reading my messages and accompanying me through this odyssey journey!! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡₊˚⊹♡ if i come back, i'll definitely come back with a blog!! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ stay strong friend!! wishing you good health and lots of money and love!! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

Hello again!! It's so nice to see you, anon! Please take your time if you're coming back with a blog, and take care!

Long Post Ahead

I have not seen An Oriental Odyssey, but I might actually check it out now just to see because I enjoy xianxia/wuxia lol. But from what you said, I will be keeping a low expectation for the series if it shares that much similarities with RWBY.

I will also say that I'm personally fine with darker topics being explored in fictional work; my only requirements are that they're portrayed with proper research and with content warnings so that I know what will be included in the narrative (Banana Fish and Scum Villain's Self Saving System are two of my favorite series, with both containing very dark topics). In the case of RWBY, dark topics such as abusive relationships and cruelty in dynamics were not only very sloppily written, the writers refuse to even acknowledge how bad it is along with the FNDM (eg. Blacksun and Renora).

There's a lack of accountability when it comes to how they portray such topics, and even expecting us to think of it as a good thing without even giving us a choice to decide that ourselves. The writers blamed their animation team for the slap when criticism of it arise, and continues to not take abuse very seriously outside of the caricature portrayal of such things with Adam.

And yes, the writers are old enough to know better. They've been writing this series for more than ten years, which should have given them enough time to grow as both creatives and people, but I've also learned that age does not always equal maturity. M*les himself has once said a racial slur against African Americans when he was 26, and called the character Tifa Lockhart from the FF7 Remake game a prostitute for the way she looks and dressed, even though everyone knows that she is the primary inspiration for Yang. With such a person on the writing team, let alone leading it, it's no wonder a lot of RWBY's morals feels extremely juvenile and lackluster.

The matter of age when it comes to creating things aren't always attached to age, it's about how dedicated the creators are to their projects, which RWBY has not been for quite a while now.

Moving onto the matters of ships and their dynamic, yes I was disappointed with Renora as well. Just a correction though, Ren didn't really raised Nora; it's more like they took care of each other when they lost their families, with Ren taking more responsibility for them while Nora supports him emotionally. However, the relationship starts to sour (for me at least) was when Nora lost her emotional maturity and intelligence to basically invalidates Ren's turmoils. Forcing him to talk when he's not having a good time, forcing a kiss on him, then proceed to blame Ren for the relationship falling apart even though he tried to be rational in a crisis. She became extremely nasty as a person that I don't want to see her near Ren anymore for his own well-being!

This isn't uncommon in RWBY... every relationship (romantic or otherwise) are very shallow and disappointing. It's even worse when it comes to LGBT+ romance, because RWBY did not start or continued as a sapphic-friendly show. Blacksun was baited for years, until the writers saw that Bumbleby brings them more traction despite having very little believable hints that these two would ever be in a relationship with each other, even if you don't look at the very problematic elements of it (again, I don't mind such ships, I just dislike how these two are heralded as "cute and good" when the foundation of their romance is so toxic and they're stripped of their other personality traits).

Sapphic ships in RWBY (or just LGBT+ representations in general) are either for marketing purposes or shoddy afterthoughts. The writers were never going to treat such representations seriously because they themselves do not treat real life LGBT+ individuals with respect. If you go into the research of how Rooster Teeth's queer employees are treated, you will find the account of Kdin Jenzen being abused, hate crimed for being trans and fired by the company without aid. You're better off watching The Owl House, or even any queer manga out there.

Thank you again for the ask and reading my ramblings haha. Whatever it is you do going forward, I hope you have fun and stay safe! If we do meet again, I look forward to seeing your art! It was fun, and I wish you an abundance of wealth and love as well! Bye bye, anon! <3

[sidecharactersdomatter]

Thought I had during TGCF S1 Ep 5

-Previously on TGCF…

-Autumn has come

-The way he blew off that maple leaf

-Oooh that subtle hinting later on and symbolism with Xie Lian

-Now I know not to get on Hua Cheng’s bad side

-The way he moved in closer *fangirls like no tomorrow*

-Oh yeah, a hunch

-I think that also gave it away

-Does Xie Lian have his ashes?  Just asking out of curiosity

-Aw it’s like he just blew a kiss at Xie Lian

-That’s what I’m going to do when I pass

-I freaking love the instrumental version of Hong Jue

-It is getting darker

-Magic sleeves of holding: 2

-Oh there’s your first ghost related clue XL

-Their interactions are just borderline wholesome

-Haaah!  And Xie Lian caught San Lang from falling AAAAAHHH I CAN’T

-Is he touched starved?  He is touch starved

-Woah with how blank the ghosts’ faces are, they really have no soul

-Chi blocking!  Another Last Airbender reference

-“You’re a ghost”.  “We’re all ghosts” Valid

-San Lang teasing is just really cute!

-Woah and those floating small lights and other forest spirits

-He’s curious about his bandaged neck

-Cart chase!  CART CHASE!

-Frog spirit

-Fork in the Road

-I don’t think I can really read that writing, and I’m still learning Chinese right now

-Oh honey

-The ghosts caught ‘em!

-That’s Justin Briner

-Magic sleeves of holding: 3

-I love that when San Lang scared the Ghosts shitless they ended up running like no tomorrow, Ghost 1: Book it guys our lives depend on it!  Ghost 2:  But we’re already dead! Ghost 1:  Well it’s just an expression!

-San Lang totally happened

-Full Moon again and more peaceful music

-Oooh he got nervous

-That fortune telling might’ve aged a little too well…

-Can Xie Lian please tell my fortune???

-“Love” and then XL starts nervously coughing XD!

-“Surely girls throw themselves you.”  Oh, yeah right girls.

-Oh you know he has dashing good looks

-Oh you know he is getting a compliment outta you.

-Oh the look San Lang gives him and just casually brings in his stuff

-Woah waking Chi blocking

-He definitely needs the donations

-And there was only one bed.  Oh my gods there was only one bed!!!

-Aw San Lang’s modest expression

-They gotta know what god they are worshipping

-That’s also foreshadowing right there

-And he just lays down on the mat

-Words of wisdom from Xie Lian

-More bandaged limbs

-And he doesn’t even question them, respectful

-That satisfying noise when Xie Lian blew out the candle *Chef’s Kiss*

-San Lang’s eyes are still open

-A lone camellia flower

-He actually drew him!

-Aw San Lang’s a hard worker

-He’s touch starved again!

-Aw and he got flustered when he finished styling!

-And he continues to wear his hair like that despite being on one side of his head.  You know what that is?  Commitment.

-That’s what was in his sleeves last night

-Aw he napped

-San lang should take up woodwork more often

-Get yourself a man like San Lang people

-Domestic montage, yes they are both so domestic indeed

-Aw he caught him staring

-Aw I learned drawing the same way!

-I believe you Ox cart man

-God of good grades, please bless me with passing my fall quarter

-Heck with how popular TGCF is right now, Xie Lian would be worshipped today by fans like us

-He got his first followers!

-Now that is what I call a lucky break Pun count: 6

-His luck did rub off on you and you should take it all Xie Lian

-Welp time to go start the next arc

-To me this way by far the best episode of Season 1 and the best reaction so far

[paintingformike]

Nah, 'cause since s5 is the last season, they are gonna have a bunch of plot twists all over. And i can totally imagine the Duffers after they reveal the real motive of writing this show were all the hints and breadcrums they left all along and they thinking 'psych! We got you good, all this story was told upside down and people didn't notice, it was never about what you though it was about' so it makes sense they are gonna pull Byler "out of nowhere" because that's not how normally these kind of stories go. Not gay stories, not love triangles, not the fact that the forgotten character is actually that important, not that people change but they go back to how they were because it's not that they really changed but they were pretending to be someone else.

Honestly, when s4v2 came out i was resigned, because if they wanted to tell that kind of story for Mike, one where he is just an as**ole, it's their atory and they can do whatever they want. But the more i kept rewatching the show, it hits you, they are not really going that road, or at least they don't really seem to be doing so, not really. They are just that wild. They took 2 characters that were pretty important to the plot at the beginning and made them sit and wait for one season with a plot that seems irrelevant, more so if it's unrequired. But now they planted a seed. A 'what if...?'. And even if Byler wasn't a true option, they needed to actually ask that, because, they tried every other option, even with other unrequired love stories. Dustin, Steve, Steve (again), Karen. All the options were opened at one point or another, why wouldn't they open the pandora box with Byler? But more so, if s5 is the last season, and they don't wanna have another extremely long season as s4 was... why leave Byler for the end? Because it is actually relevant to the plot.

you get it anon!! yes, byler is undeniably one of the plot twists they’re saving for s5, and tbh it makes all the scenes i initially found questionable as a casual viewer (aka the “hints” they dropped) just fall into place perfectly. there were a lot of moments that did have me raising my eyebrows but i just didn’t look too deeply into them, like the airport scene, the way mike looked at will conflictedly during their reunion with el in the desert, mike looking down at his and will’s arms touching in sbp, el slamming the door in the cabin scene, the triple take, the mleven kiss at the end of s3 and ofc the final scene which was the most blatant they couldve gone at foreshadowing byler endgame. and people are gonna realize there’s a reason why both mike and will have been sort of “sidelined” from the supernatural plot for the past 2 seasons, not because they were forgotten but because they decided to focus on their relationship and their internal conflicts and it’s going to be integral to s5 😁

honestly the way they wrote byler’s storyline is pretty clear to me, and even more so when you rewatch the show like you said. they’re developing a new romantic relationship by making them have all these intimate conversations together, adding tension to their relationship (because they aren’t just platonic anymore) and having them be interrupted multiple times to really emphasize the build up of tension between them. people think the cali plot was irrelevant and they really did just neglect will and mike’s characters (sometimes i do joke about them making mike and will plot irrelevant for the sake of homosexuality sawrry), but it really was just an excuse for them to isolate byler from the supernatural plot and focus solely on developing their relationship. its not that theyre unimportant, it’s that they decided to make gay love its own plot in s4 and its going to be relevant to the events of s5 🫶 unlike the way the duffers have written unrequited feelings in other seasons, like dustin and steve, will’s feelings for mike weren’t resolved within 1 season, weren’t treated lightly like a crush that soon faded away and they made it way more elaborate than necessary (with the painting and everything), so theres more to it than just mike gently letting will down, there’s something big in store aka a requited queer love story.

[kmze]

2x12 - 2x22 Alright I did something different this time, I put my thoughts down while watching (usually after I finished the episode) instead of doing it after I finished all the episodes. So I have way more thoughts this time lol, my short term memory was struggling before. All this is to say this is much longer than my last recap thoughts, also this is one of the best seasons of the show so it made the rewatch more enjoyable.

Poor Rose and very dumb on Damon’s part to leave Elena with her having absolutely no idea what the werewolf bite was going to do. The dream sequence he gives Rose is one of the best Damon scenes ever IMO. RIP Rose and that awful wig.

Elena told Damon to be the better man and the groan I let out... I wish you an eternity of misery Kevin Williamson!

I could not stop laughing at Stefan's brilliant idea of talking to Tyler involved him sneaking into his house and then slamming him against the wall LMFAO!! Genius idea Stefan that definitely made him want to help you and be friends, truly a mystery that you two never get along.

The Lexi flashbacks made me sad I was 100% with Stefan glaring at Damon like BTW you’re awful in case you forgot.

Is Alaric wearing eyeliner sometimes or am I seeing things?

The Damon/Andie scenes just make me so mad and uncomfortable, there's moral ambiguity that always exists in this show and then there's this disturbing storyline, fuck the writers.

Ok I admit Matt and Caroline have one good scene (though Caroline does the heavy lifting here) when she sings to him at the grill and they kissed. I clapped, a moment of weakness. Matt ruined the good feelings by the end of the episode though so balance has been restored.

Unintentional Intentional Foreshadowing? At the 60s dance Stefan and Elena are dancing and then Caroline and Matt come in. Stefan leaves Elena to go dance with Caroline and spins Elena into Damon’s arms. While this is happening the song playing is Last Kiss, which is a song about a guy who lost his girl in a car crash. I don't think it was intentional but if I were the writers I would totally take credit and say it was.

I'm sure this is part of the Delener manifesto (which I will never read) but the line "I don't mind being a bad guy. I'll make all the life and death decisions, while you're busy worrying about collateral damage" had me like DAMNNNNNN. Maybe I don't give Damon enough credit because that was a pretty great summarization of why Stefan eventually lets Elena die in 3x22 by "respecting her choices".

I am so tired of the suicide missions this season, choose life!

At least Caroline chooses life! This is when I really started seeing how Caroline is climbing up in the narrative and especially how her love life is gaining more depth and importance. The porch and door scenes in particular because lovers and potential lovers on the porch was something Elena got in S1. For Caroline the doorway represents her heart. We got Tyler inside while Matt is outside in 2x10 because that's when she was helping Tyler and started falling for him, meanwhile she broke up with Matt to protect him. Then Tyler fucks up and he gets the door slammed in his face. Stefan says he can come in if she wants him to in 2x13 but she's not ready to let Stefan in yet, and he realizes that so he brings back-up. Then you've got Matt back inside her heart but really her Mom put him there to spy on her. I really like the shot of Matt at the door looking at Liz in 2x18 before the dance.

IMO most of this season Elena has a relationship with both brothers; she has a physical one with Stefan and an emotional one with Damon and she does that so they are both all about her. And I think this current version of the triangle was the only way she could have both. Because Stefan doesn't care that Damon is also in love with Elena because it means he'll protect Elena (re: quote above) and he'll be in Stefan's life which is all he ever wanted. And Damon because he's so obsessed and consumed by Elena will stay there pining and flirting and acting out when he feels ignored because Stefan will be there to "clean up it up." Everyone wins in a very fucked up way. The problem is she couldn't keep Damon at just an "hopelessly pining" distance and once Elena chose Damon, Stefan wasn't interested in being the one in an emotional relationship.

Klaus knowing all the Mystic Falls gossip already lol.

Tyler saying who’s Klaus my poor boy I wish you never found out. Really loved the Tyler and Caroline scenes the last few episodes (I mean the heart eyes he gives her in the tomb *melts*), they'll always hold a place in my heart.

I'm sorry Liz but you were a terrible sheriff, my god. In fact MFPD is up there with GCPD as the most inept police department in all of fiction. How the hell could they not take down one vampire who was weakened by werewolf venom?

The Stefan and Elena goodbye in 2x20 was so heartbreaking damn, they absolutely have moments where I totally ship them and that's one of them.

2x21 is the best episode of this half and overall the storytelling in this season is really solid. Everything with the sacrifice ritual was well done and even though I knew exactly what was going to happen I was intrigued the whole time, the best was Bonnie coming in with the wind and the fire and the magic. I feel like the show often has a problem where one half of a season will be good than the other meh, this season was solid throughout. Loved the twist that the sun and moon curse was made up.

Some of the acting choices Joseph makes while Klaus is watching Stefan drink the blood bags are… sir I see you and I appreciate you.

Lines that made me laugh:

Damon: Don't mistake the fact that we haven't set you on fire in your sleep for trust. (this made me laugh so hard I had to pause LMFAO his jabs at her were so good)

Caroline: Everyone just needs to stop kissing me! (a classic! Caroline's milkshake brings all the boys to the yard)

Not a line but Alaric having to write “The dagger will kill you…” on a piece of paper and then their mad faces was hilarious! They are just so dumb.

[siobhom]

Succession 4x01 Review *Spoilers*

Absolutely loved this episode, all of it.

I loved the way the siblings were with each other, they are being more open and actually communicating with each other, and that resulted in a win. And opposite to that we have Shiv and Tom not communicating again and that being the end of their marriage.

I loved all the discussions between the siblings.

And I loved seeing Logan so sad and lonely: having everything and having nothing, looking around the party for ghosts he knew weren’t there.

I loved the badass way Nan played them against each other.

I loved that Tom’s conversation with Logan was so much longer and rambling than in the promo clip.

Also, Logan’s message to them at the end is brilliant because a short while ago those words would have left them broken and this time it left them rejoicing and happy.

And it’s a very interesting mirror that in both 3x09 and 4x01 the ‘who told them’ person is Tom, and in both instances resulted in the people Tom told winning. I do wonder what that could be foreshadowing for.

Tom’s CCTV comment has given me so many thoughts, is he even telling the truth, maybe, maybe not. But if he is, and he knows, the siblings would too. Also likely Logan also has a similar approach to CCTV in his other homes and Waystar. Now reframe every conversation in the show bearing in mind the people knew they were possibly being listened to or watched.

I thought the TomShiv end scene was perfect. Even though we knew it was likely coming, I still cried. It made perfect sense that TomShiv, who never communicate properly about their issues, still don’t have the big talk even at the end, and loved the scene with them together on the bed, but perpendicular to each other, and then holding hands *chefs kiss*.

Also Mondale not recognising Shiv’s scent anymore was so sad.

So much was packed in here, it feels like this could’ve been a whole season. And I do wonder what’s next. The fact that the kids had such a win so early, where does it go from here, is there going to be a fall? I do wonder about all the talk of the price they’re paying, it sounded like they could barely afford eight billion, and now they’re paying 10 billion. (Especially given Roman speaking about that last 0.5 billion, yes he was mentioning superficial things to spend money on, but I think that’s Roman-speak for ‘we’re not going to have enough left’). If something happens to Pierce, does that leave them broke?

Overall, am loving this and can’t wait for next week.

[otislotus]

The Duke and I

The Viscount Who Loved Me

An Offer from a Gentleman

Romancing Mister Bridgerton

To Sir Phillip, With Love

When He was Wicked

It’s in His Kiss

On the Way to the Wedding

All by Julia Quinn

Summary: this series of 8 regency romance novels follows each of the 8 Bridgerton siblings to romantic bliss. The siblings are named in alphabetical order: Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, Hyacinth. But the books are in the order they got married not by age : D, A, B, C, E, F, H, G

I watched Bridgerton on Netflix because someone who knows what I like in books and tv said that I would like the second season. So I watched from the beginning and they were right. The first season was… ok; the second season was good. I do like romance, and a trashy romance once in a while can be good fun, but what I really liked about the show was the sibling relationships and loving family dynamics between all the Bridgerton siblings and their mother.

I decided to read the books because in a comments section about the newly released third season, a bunch of people were complaining that the changes made to the show meant they missed out on seeing some of their favourite sibling interactions from the books.

- The books were all kinda meh imo, but they were quick, easy reads, so I read all of them anyway. I think I liked On the Way to the Wedding (Gregory’s book) the best.

- I definitely liked the second season of the show better than the book. In general, I prefer to read vs watch these types of romance, because I find it easier to skim over the smut than to skip it in a show, especially when the sex is plot relevant (which it often was in these). But the show adds a bunch of political intrigue, cultural relevance, and character growth outside the love interest couple that I really enjoyed.

- on that note, I actually found the sibling relationships better in the show as well. The show has taken time to establish special connections between some of the characters (like Anthony and Gregory talking about their father, Benedict and Eloise sharing a cigarette secretly in the garden, Daphne trying to convince Anthony to let himself fall in love, Eloise thanking Daphne for being perfect) whereas the books kinda just throw you in and say things like Daphne and Colin are close in age so they were always a pair when they were little, and then they have a perfectly normal conversation that Daphne could’ve had with any of her brothers.

- on top of that, it’s nice to have the foreshadowing from one season to another, like Benedict finding art as a passion in seasons 1 and 2, where the books are very self-contained. You learn almost nothing about each character until their own book.

- and friendships as well: in the book, Eloise and Penelope are “dearest friends” but as far as the reader knows, Eloise never even finds out that Penelope is Lady Whistledown! She certainly doesn’t get to have a reaction to it, because it doesn’t happen in her book.

- it really annoyed me how often the characters say things like, “I’m going to kill you!” Their mother tells them not to blaspheme every time they say, “oh my god” but there’s no reaction or scandal when Anthony screams that he will kill Kate in the middle of a public park? Doesn’t make sense. I know it’s a standard of the genre, but it irritated me.

- on the topic of violent tempers, it also really annoys me when the book tells you a man is really good-natured and easy-going, but then shows him in a violent temper again and again. This was especially in Colin’s book: she’s like “I didn’t even know he had a temper” and girl, he’s been angry for 5 of the last 6 chapters! And he’s yelling and stomping and threatening people. I know a few easy-going, charming guys who are good at diffusing awkward situations with a laugh. IME, when they get angry they get quiet and sullen and withdrawn, not violent.

- furthermore, the characterizations were not consistent across all the books. Again, especially Colin. He was my favourite brother in every book except his own. In that one, he seemed really out of character right up until the end.

- I guess I just expected too much from these books. They are exactly what I would have expected if I had picked it up and looked at the cover at the library, but the show had me wanting more than just a typical mass market romance.

- it’s easier to write a review when you have lots to complain about! I will go back to enjoying the show, and hope they make all 8 seasons, but I will be annoyed if they leave out the target shooting scene from Eloise’s storyline.

Decided to keep track of the books I’ve read this year because I’m always reading something, but can never remember anything when people ask for book recs

These are books I’ve read for myself. I’ll make a separate post for books I read aloud to the kids.

[xion92]

TMMN: Masaya/Ichigo relationship analysis, episode 7

Hi everyone! Before starting the analysis of this episode, I have a question for you all: do you have any contacts with the producers of the old anime? I’d kindly like to write to them, and say to sit down, watch this anime and learn from this series how to characterize a character.

Folks, this show is treating Masaya very, very well. It’s giving him a great depth, which even the manga didn't have. Yes, the scenes are mostly from the manga, but it adds a lot of little things that dig his character even deeper and give even more meaning to this couple's bond. I don't know if Ikumi is behind all this, but if this is the case I can only be immensely grateful to her. Let's start, then.

Let's start by saying that this episode actually combines the last chapter of volume 2 and the first of volume 3. Condensing two chapters into a single episode, you'd think: they cut things, surely there will be less depth, the dynamics will not be understood. But it’s not like this.

So it begins with the scene that alone gives 10/10 to the episode. Ichigo falling asleep in class and having a dream about Masaya. Note that here, unlike in the manga, he dreams of kissing him. As in episode 4, he goes much further than the manga. Among other things, we finish seeing her dream before she actually wakes up (”Aoyama-kun, you’re so bad”...lol 🤣 what are you doing with him in your dream?), at this point I wonder how much further she goes with him in her fantasies 😁

An aspect of Masaya's character that I’ve always appreciated: he also likes Ichigo's carelessness and jokes about it with irony, but in any case he always helps her to solve the problems she caused. Oh, another nice foreshadowing: the blue handkerchief!

Ichigo, what did you want to do here, crash into him and throw him to the ground to kiss him again by mistake? 🤣

And it’s wonderful that Ichigo has fantasies of him kissing her and leaning her against the wall and in real life holding his shoulders from behind is enough to get her excited up to this point.😆

This part is very important: in those days, between her who was chasing Zakuro and him who had training, they talked a little. Clearly they are not a couple yet, at least officially, since in my opinion the ending of episode 3 was quite eloquent in this regard. But that's okay, relationships need to be developed slowly and they'll probably get together at the end of the season. Masaya is busy with kendo these days, so for the moment she is content to give him her support in words and starts to walk away from him.

Masaya shows, again, his impetuousness which he has already shown before, but which over time he’ll show more and more. He doesn't ask her to wait, he actually stops her by taking her by her arm, again showing how he can't handle his actions when he gets excited. He too wants to go out with Ichigo again and spend time with her because he wants to get to know her better, admitting between his lines he likes her. And then something happens that I wanted so much to see but didn't really believe they actually would do: as far as possible, the authors let us hear his thoughts. I say "as far as possible” because with him they have to be careful. Just one word in excess, and you might understand that he’s no ordinary guy. But they give us as much as they can.

Oh, a tip to the animators: when you draw a new eyebrow to replace the wrong one, you should erase the wrong one. I hope this error is eliminated in the DVD. 😆 Anyway, here he thinks "if I know more about you ..." and I conclude it: "...I will be able to understand why I feel so weird with you." 

And in fact when she goes away he asks to himself "what is this feeling?" Poor darling. Again, he's in love with her but he doesn't realize it and he doesn't know how he feels about her. This scene is similar but also different from the manga: in fact, there we didn’t hear his thoughts and there was no torment of not understanding what the feeling he felt was. Of course, you could have arrived at it through reasoning, but seeing it on screen in such a blatant way is another matter entirely.

We then see a scene that we never saw in the manga: Masaya interacting with his training mates. Here they mostly talk about the Mew Mew, but from their lines, such as the fact that his mates know that he always talks to a girl but not her name, we understand that Masaya is very reserved, he doesn’t talk to them about his personal things (they know that he always talks to Ichigo only because they saw them together, certainly he didn't tell him about her) and he has no real connection with any of them. Masaya is a guy who until now has always been alone despite being always surrounded by people on a superficial level, Ichigo is the only one who has managed to get close to him on a personal level and to involve him with actual feelings.

Adorable that Ichigo, as in the manga, made for him a cat-shaped lucky charm, which here acquires a deeper meaning, since she learned in episode 3 that he has a soft spot for cats. Besides, she made it with the same color of her fur, and she put a red bell like hers, as if to say: with this lucky charm, you’ll always keep me with you.

And here comes out what had already been glimpsed in the previous episodes: Ichigo's paranoia, which here compared to the manga has a different reason. In the manga, she is basically scared because she fears she is being discovered by him. In the anime, however, she feels terribly guilty because she lied to him, and she is sure that if he finds out the truth he’ll never forget her and he won’t speak to her anymore. She walks away like that because she feels like a bad person, she almost regrets letting their relationship go on like this, because it's hard to go back now, she knows that, if she continues to stay with him, she will have to keep lying to him and it doesn't make her feel good. Moreover, she knows that he, of all people, is the one who came closest to discovering her identity, and indeed it’s like this, even if Masaya at this point in the episode still has some doubts.

I loved this line, which wasn't in the manga: I didn't see you, but I felt you were there. He already has such a high connection with her that he feels her presence even if he can’t see her.

And he tries asking her: are you that Mew Mew? Because Masaya has no idea what Ichigo thinks about it, and surely there wouldn’t be any problem for him if she answered yes, so she asks her such a direct question. He loves her for who she is, she was the first person to make him feel real feelings, what does he care if she's a Mew Mew? But of course Ichigo doesn't know it, and such a question would be a big deal for her. I always wondered what she would answer him if he could finish the question.

The detail of this scene is beautiful: as soon as they perceive the danger, they instinctively go close to protect each other in case of need. And in fact the danger arrives. And here we have something great, which surpasses even the manga, in my opinion.

Remember this scene? Before watching the episode, I was a little worried about the lack of Quiche, because in this manga scene we have Masaya who openly stands up to him, and Quiche also compares him to Ichigo, because Masaya has a strong personality like her. And I thought, without Quiche there won't be this scene and something of Masaya's character will be lost. Instead, the anime also gives us something better. 

He doesn't just scream, he not only dodges Ichigo from the attack, he takes a stick and fights alone, when he's still just a normal boy, against monsters! Moreover, to protect Ichigo, which was not there in the manga because he was alone. What a man! It’s therefore not important Quiche’s missing, because the point of that scene in the manga wasn’t to show their interaction, but to show how strong Masaya was. And this is shown to us perfectly in the anime, in a different and better way, so once again, I totally approve of the change that has been made. Furthermore, Masaya manages to resist enough against monsters, taking advantage of the skills he has developed in kendo (in which he is skilled because he was created by a god who uses the sword as a weapon).

Ichigo then, even if at that moment she can’t transform because she’s with him, she doesn’t stay still, leaving him all the work, but she too takes a stick and tries to help him. Even from these signals, despite the misunderstandings that will constitute an obstacle for them up to volume 5, we can see how they are building a healthy relationship, made up of mutual help and support.

Only when Masaya is hit and the wasp is about to kill him, Ichigo decides to transform to save him, even if she’s there in front of him. And here we have something that wasn't in the manga. In the manga, Masaya at the end of the chapter is not sure Ichigo is a Mew Mew, and he says so in the last panel of the chapter: he is suspicious, but it can't be. Here, however, even if the lines the characters exchange are almost the same, from the shots and the tones of the voices we understand well that Masaya understands perfectly in this moment that Ichigo is a Mew Mew. Also because as she transforms, he sees her clearly and his suspicions are definitively confirmed.

The subs are inaccurate. He actually tells her “kimi wa Mew Mew”, "you are a Mew Mew", as in the manga, but in the manga the interpretation is deliberately ambiguous. He could mean "ou in a generic sense are a Mew Mew", or "then you Ichigo are really a Mew Mew". In the anime, on the other hand, you understand what he means by the tone of his voice, and it is very clear that it’s the second. He's clearly saying "Ichigo, you're a Mew Mew."

Poor Ichigo, crying ... it makes me really sad to see her like this. She understood what it actually happened, he know who she is. She’s desperate as she fights because she knows that this is the end of their relationship, as she’s sure he will be angry with her because she has been lying to him all that time. However, notice that it's all a film that she only made in her own head, because she has no idea how he thinks about it. He would accept her anyway and forgive her for lying to him, but she is instead convinced that he won't want to have anything to do with her anymore.

When the fight is over, we have another proof that Masaya has understood who she is. As she begins to walk away, he calls her by name, and not insecure, as a question, as if he was looking for confirmation. In the manga he calls her by name in the previous chapter, here instead, since they condensed the two chapters, they moved it here. In that scene of the manga, however, he calls her uncertainly, a sign that he is not sure. Here, on the other hand, he is sure and calls her without doubts in his voice.

And at this point, as the title of the episode also says, it is clear what she wants to do. Out of guilt and fear of how he might react, she is ready to say goodbye first, perhaps because it would be less painful than hearing him say goodbye. This is the first of two times in which she will say goodbye, moreover with the same phrase: “ima made, arigatou”, “thank you for everything”. This is the first time, absent in the manga, in which she only thinks it. The second time will be in the rain after the Tokyo Tower battle, probably in the end of the season, where she’ll really tell him, and it’ll be the exact moment when he’ll realize he’s in love with her.

And then she simply says "ja nee", which could also just mean "bye, see you later". But said with that expression and with that tone, it’s clearly a farewell, it’s clear that if she had left at that moment, she would never have approached him again. But then, the turning point: in the manga Masaya stops Ichigo because he actually wasn't sure of his suspicions, but here the things are different.

Masaya knows that she’s Ichigo, but realizing that he is losing her, he panics and first yells at her to stop, as to tell her “don't go away from me”. He then thinks about it for a couple of seconds and immediately makes up for having mistaken her for that girl he knows. He has no idea why she is keeping her identity hidden from him, but he knows that if he proves that he knows her, she will go away from him. So, if the condition for her to stay with him is to pretend he doesn't know anything, then he’ll play that part. She is too important to him, and he’s willing to do anything to keep her with him. From the tone of his voice while he’s saying it and the fact that he looks down, it’s clear he’s not sincere with what he says and that he is making it up. To reinforce what he said, he also asks her who she is and if she can at least tell him this. In the manga, his is a sincere question, because he’s not sure if Ichigo is really her. Here, however, he already knows, but he asks it to her to convince her even more that he knows nothing about her. In fact, before those further questions she’s still doubtful whether he knows or not, but after he asks her who she really is, she is convinced that he doesn’t know, and she’s relieved, because she has understood he hasn’t recognized her.

And at this point I wonder why the authors didn't give the warriors a completely different name to make them protect their identity, as they did in Sailor Moon. "I'm not Usagi, I'm Sailor Moon." It’s okay. Here instead ... "I'm not Ichigo, I'm Mew Ichigo." And she tells him even with a convinced tone! 😆 It’s like calling their secret base “Café Mew Mew”. Great coverage, guys, you really want the paparazzi around you.

However, Masaya already knows who she is, even if Ichigo had had a different superhero name it would have been the same. And at that point Ichigo says "ja nee" again, but in a completely different tone than before. She’s cheerful and happy, a sign that she no longer means it as a farewell. Masaya instinctively tries to stop her anyway, but he’s no longer in panic as before. He knows Ichigo will stay with him, but still that is a pretty shocking discovery. But in that moment it doesn't matter, his only thought is to find her again as soon as possible.

Another proof he has understood who she is, he immediately goes to look for her in the very place where Mew Ichigo has gone away. Can we dare a dubbing award to Yuuma Uchida? He already has a lot of them, I'm sure, but here he’s truly a monster. Even though he calls her passionately all three times, you notice the change in his tone when he sees her sitting against the wall. He first calls her loudly, but only to find her. As soon as he sees her there exhausted his voice becomes worried and agitated, and it’s agitated even when he asks her if she’s okay. Yuma Uchida… they couldn't find a better voice for Masaya!

In the manga at this point he lifted her torso off the ground, but here Ichigo is already leaning against the wall, so it wasn’t needed. And all the additions in the anime make up for that! Especially the scene now.

She manages to give him the lucky charm she had prepared, an indirect way of telling him she loves him and she supports him, and Masaya, unlike the manga, where in this scene he didn’t say a word, clearly shows his emotions, those emotions that only she is able to make him feel and that still he can’t explain. In the anime it’s him, and not Ichigo, who realizes that she has given him a gift. Surely it’s not the first gift that he receives in his life, but it’s the first gift he has received with feeling and from a person he loves in turn. In the manga, he didn’t even thank her, here instead, after gazing the lucky charm and realizing what it means, he blushes so much and thanks her warmly. A lot of feelings are shining through every action of him, in a way that he has never shown in any of his previous incarnations.

Awww, how adorable he is! Masaya is generally represented in two ways in this anime. Like a cool guy or like an adorable puppy. Here is the second. This is the same character who said at the beginning of the series that mankind is full of sins. And now he's all in love with a member of the species he hates so much.

And then we have a final exchange, also a nice anime addition. In the manga the two separate because he has to go back to training, but not here. She wants to be close to him while he trains, not just hope he wins like she said earlier in the episode. He’s obviously more than happy that she’ll stay with him during his training (he’s still blushed), and therefore from here on an issue that worried me a bit is resolved: in the manga, Masaya and Ichigo are together only a few more times before he declares himself to her (when they go out together, they meet Ryou and she turns into a cat, and when she feels sick and he takes her to the infirmary). They’re actually a very few meetings for such a declaration. Instead, here, with this little additional interaction, we have the confirmation that only some of their interactions, the most important ones, are shown to us, but they stay together and bond even off-screen. That's just great! They have every opportunity to stay together both before and after training and thus to bond even more.

And all ends with a vision of the sky with cherry petals, and Ichigo is very happy because she’ll be able to continue to be with Masaya. Keeping lying to him and feeling guilty about it, but right now she doesn't care. She just wants to be with him, the other problems are not important.

And with this episode 7 ends. Guys, during the first episodes I kept my expectations low because I didn't want to be disappointed, but after all things they gave us, and especially after this episode, my expectations are rising more and more . You can feel the difference with the old series, in which the authors seemed to have put this couple only because they had to do it. Here, on the other hand, you can feel how much love and care they are putting into characterizing both him and his couple with Ichigo. They are giving us so much, if you are a fan who loves Masaya and the canon couple, they are giving us a wonderful gift. It had always been my dream to see Masaya and this couple shine like a bright star in a new adaptation, and that's exactly what they're doing. I will never be grateful enough to Mia Ikumi, Reiko Yoshida and the creators of this anime for these characters, this couple and this huge gift!

Now, as the next one is the ship episode, I'm sure Masaya won't be there, so I'll gladly take break. See you again in episode 9!

[youngroyalist]

This post contains spoilers of Young Royals so READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

Good morning/afternoon/night everyone, how are we doing?

Today instead of analysing a scene, I'm going to focus on a character.

The character I'll be talking about is Marcus. There are lots of things that I want to say about him so sit down, make yourself comfortable and enjoy this review.

Important Warning: Please remember that giving shit to Tommy Wättring just because the character he plays is an asshole is completely unacceptable and it's something that mustn't be done so please don't do it. Be smart and learn to separate the character from the actor

1. To be honest, when I watched the trailer for the first time and Marcus appeared on screen my first reaction was: "I'm going to hate this guy soooooooooooo much"

2. He's done a lot of awful things along the season but there's these are the ones that make my blood boil:

1.2 The first one is that kiss after the rowing competition. Like, what the fuck is wrong with him? It's pretty clear that he didn't give a shit about Simon's trauma and how Simon would feel about being kissed in front of the whole school. Yeah, probably everyone knew about Simon's sexuality by then and didn't give a damn about it, but Marcus should have asked for Simon's permission before doing that.

1.2.1 In addition to that, I'm 100% sure that Marcus decided to give Simon that kiss just to piss off Wille. I mean, Marcus was fully aware that Wille was going to be there so he decided that it was a good idea to bother him. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DO THAT YOU FUCKING PIG. JUST LEAVE WILLE ALONE (I have no proofs but no doubts either)

2.2 The second action is that fucking comment about Simon's father. I mean, Simon's dad wasn't the best dad in the world but Simon didn't need to be reminded of that and definitely didn't need to be compared to him. On top of that, the statement was totally out of context and a clear example of how manipulative Marcus is. So, are you telling me that just because Simon is not like his father he can't break up with you? That's fucking bullshit!!!!!!!

3. The third action is assuming that Simon was breaking up with him because Wille is the crown prince. GET IT INTO YOUR HEAD YOU FUCKING PRAT, SIMON IS BREAKING WITH YOU BECAUSE HE ISN'T IN LOVE WITH YOU AND THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT WILLE IS THE CROWN PRINCE. Simon doesn't give a fig about Wille's status because he didn't fall in love with crown prince Wilhelm. Simon fell in love with Wille, a sweet boy who respects Simon up to the point of being ready to let him go to avoid stepping on his limits.

4. Last but not least, we have the subtle but powerful fact that Marcus literally invaded Simon's privacy when they first met. I'm sure you all remember clearly that Marcus was going to the bathroom when he heard Simon playing and decided that it was an amazing idea to invade a person's space without even knocking on the door first. Once again, great evidence of his behaviour and foreshadowing of how he was going to overstep Simon's limits later

So, what do you think of this? Did I forget something?

I can't wait to read your opinions so please comment and reblog

[27emailsicantsend]

Hypothetically if EJ stays in SaltLake, do you think there is a chance of the love triangle being dragged till season 4? More knowing it's creating a lot of buzz...I'm worried, more knowing the director loves to cut scenes

Honestly, no I don’t. First of all, I think this last episode was really the shows way of saying this ship is done, “it’s sunk”, “there are no fireworks”, etc. I actually appreciate that they made Gina blatantly say “is that a metaphor?” when EJ said they needed to wait for fireworks because I think the show runners knew there would be some audience members who would be very stuck on the fact that P*W had a redeeming chance. Saying things like EJ was under a lot of stress so it’s not fair that Gina breaks up with him or that he still has room to learn, etc. I think the show is trying to portray that regardless of what had happened there were no fireworks. Either from EJ or Gina or both. That the chemistry had lacked from the beginning.

There is a reason that the show made EJ Hans in Love is an Open Door or “there for the wrong reasons” in episode 5. He was not there to be Gina’s final love. He was there to give Gina her series of firsts. She clearly stated she never does things right the first time… EJ is that first time. First kiss, first boyfriend, etc. She’s been clear that he’s her firsts. Not only this, but like Ricky needed to see that was he believed was the very best option for him at the time (Nini) was never going to pan out that way, Gina needed to see that too. She was hurt by Ricky (I think a lot of this had to do with some misunderstanding on Ricky’s end in that flashback and barely getting back into a relationship with Nini, thinking he would never seen Gina again…. So if he HAD turned around and went back to Gina that would not be a good look on him… but I digress) so she felt like EJ was the better, safer option. He showed up originally when Ricky didn’t to the airport so this felt right. The safe option (the back of the plane like Jack said). But now she is seeing what she believed was the best, safest option was just quick, temporary love. It was to try to fill this missing piece of her and EJ seemed like the right candidate. But he never was. Now Ricky and Gina have gone through their own sets of seeing that what they believed was the right option for them, never was. That there was someone better that would be the fulfilling piece of their heart, their character arc.

I think they’re done in the next two episodes because of this. Because the show blatantly told us there was no overlapping excuse for their relationship not working out… simply put: the “fireworks” or the chemistry wasn’t THERE. It was rose-colored glasses and a bandaid to patch up love that she so desperately wanted after feeling burned by Ricky. When the chemistry isn’t there, it doesn’t matter what happens to the characters at any point. They know that “thing” that makes you fall in love is gone and it’s not something that can be produced or created later. Chemistry just happens and if it’s there it’s there and if not… then they aren’t the person for you. It’s got to be there from the beginning. And even if by some miraculous chance they make it to S4, they won’t last. Again, because the show told us there was nothing that could be redeemed for them. I think EJ having those scenes with Miss Jenn was not only to foreshadow him taking a job from her, but also to show the next stage of life, of people, that his arc is going to be centered around. It would be wrong and biased for him to be Gina’s teacher. (Not only because of age and power dynamic, but because Gina literally told him in episode 3 that she was HAPPY he didn’t cast her because it would feel unfair… she told the audience she doesn’t want this!) EJ is an adult now and the show is pushing him to be with the adults, which means no more P*W.