#midseason review
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My 13x07 download ✨️
1. Another Tori & Carver opening, what have I done to endure this level of torture
2. Mouch asking Ritter if he has beta blockers. Not funny, mouchyyyyy, not funny
3. Accountability from Carver. 10th times the charm i guess?
4. Something about Ritter calling Stella his LT just feels riiiiight
5. Bishop rolling up to Stella's scene... chilling. Stella definitely looked spooked even if she put on a front for Kelly.
5a. Stella immediately calling Kelly ❤️ but him calling her Kidd 👎🏽 I get "professionalism, in front of the chief" but he could have called her Stella
6. You ok? 🥹 nooo no she's not Kelly, but she's not going to tell you that because she wants you to not worry. She wants to be strong but for once I want Stella to be ok with not being ok..
7. Novaks whole blood program... idk did she just wake up one day wanting this, or is it connected to her backstory? Felt random & a little out of place with no context on the why
8. I wish I was lying when I say that scene with Stella, Tori & Carver made me want to jump through my TV screen
8a. I get the same vibe from you & Severide, am i right? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 giiiiirl, please be serious? You've never even been around Stellaride in the same vicinity to get that "vibe"
9. You good? Onnnnce again no noooo she's not
9a. I have so much to say about Pascal & Kelly. SO MUCH
10. Ritter & Carver bonding ❤️ Stella admiring her company but also letting them know she's still watching
11. Can't believe Violet went to the funeral, 😂 sometimes a little verbal trauma dumping is necessary
12. Monica's instant mood chang when he asked her to go to her sister's... "This is miami all over again. Who did you piss off this time" 😳 I have theories & they make me nervous because I feel like they're foreshawdowing Stellaride against the Pascals 😟 Kelly's going to have to find a better balance between getting justice & not painting life sized targets on he & Stella's back...
13. Bishop should be scared of us... no kidding
14. I never get tired of Kelly yelling at people. Get tf Back
15. No one else find it interesting that Pascal has committed 2 crimes now? 🫣 at what point does this become problematic? All for protecting family but also you're the reason your family needs constant protecting 🙂
16. Stella words of affirmations & physical touch combo for her hubby. His smile was so wide
17. Flynn weirds me out idk but he met the friend group at Mollys, so I guess he's supposed to be ok 🙇🏽♀️
18. The Pascal & Kelly ending scene conflicted with me so much. On the one hand , we asked for him to interact with other ppl outside of Stella & here he is doing that. On the other hand, Pascals' potential influence on Kelly. When Stella left the station, it was morning. Kelly was still there late into the evening... there's a reason Monica acts the way she does with Pascal. There's a reason she left him to come back to Chicago.
Throughly enjoyed this episode however midseason is shaping up to be a potential letdown. I'm over here grasping at straws because I've seen theories that Taylor may not be in 13x08 & Miranda not in 13x09.... 🚮
#chicago fire#stellaride#stella kidd#kelly severide#spooky season#season 13#always in my stellaride brainrot era#13x07 episode review#midseason is approaching#looks vanilla unfortunately
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Actually my favorite new reviewer on the 9-1-1 beat
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Heyy I love your Kimi fics so I decided to send you in a request. I wanted something simples of their life’s as teenagers with very different livings yk. Maybe compilation of different moments of them together such as: she is on school brake so goes to a race with him, he keeps her secret of course but as just an excuse to pass more time together. Or maybe a glimpse of their nightly routine when they get to be together, like ordering food because any of them trusts the other with the stove and then getting ready to bed and just cuddle. Or also like they want to pass time together but she has a test (they probably study in the same school but Kimi just doesn’t care anymore) and he is simply laid in her bed reviewing his data from racing while she is in her desk studying. I think you understood the idea, just some cute fluff of two teens in love. Use your amazing creativity as much as you want, I’ve read a lot of your fanfics and I trust you I’ll make justice to a cute fluff. I hope you enjoy my idea.
Just A Glimpse (Andrea Kimi Antonelli X Reader)
Fandom: RPF/F2/F3
Requested: Clearly (hehe this was fun to do)
Warnings: ADHD mentioned, talks about smacking pasta if that makes you uncomfortable (i guess)
POV: Second Person (You/your)
W.C. 1109
Summary: Just a glimpse into the life of Kimi and you.
As always, my requests are OPEN
MASTERLIST // HITLIST
~~(^Pinterest)
Your relationship started back when neither of you knew what love was. Back when you were naive 16-year-olds, you and Kimi connected because you were from the same area. Back then, Bologna, Italy was not the biggest area, and you two clung together like magnets. It became a running joke when he came back to racing after a midseason break, glued to his phone, that he found someone.
That someone was you.
As your relationship progressed, you tried to be at as many races as possible, but when he first made the jump from FRECA to Formula 2, then Formula 1 at age 18, it wasn’t that easy. You were just starting in university, and it was already difficult to attend the 14 race weekends. Never mind the 25 they were making F1 drivers do. Still, you tried your best, and Kimi was always supportive of your ambitions.
He also tried his best to keep you hidden, Sure, he talked about you here and there, but he never named you and never posted you. He wanted you to have the privacy to do your school work in peace without being bombarded by fans. You two decided you would probably announce your relationship when you finished your degree. If you decided to continue higher after that, you’d either do it online or suffer with the newfound attention. Granted, your accounts were private, but you still knew the fans would spam you somehow.
One of your favorite things to do is hide away in Kimi’s driver’s room. It was a common occurrence that you would be studying while Kimi was preparing for a race. More often than not, you would be sat on the couch studying or working on assignments while Kimi is either reviewing data or stretching and getting ready for a session. On the rare chance Kimi had nothing to do, he would ask you a million and one questions about your work.
“What’s this essay about?” “That looks difficult.” “Didn’t you just finish a project for that class?” “That seems a bit much for a basic class.” Those were some of the things he would say whenever he looked over your shoulder as you skimmed anything on your computer. His interest always gave you new motivation to keep going.
Another favorite for you was the nights between races. The nights when neither of you had anything to do other than be with each other. Sometimes you would force Kimi to do face masks with you (skin care is essential!), sometimes you two would try to cook, sometimes you would just cuddle, and in the event you do all three, all hell breaks loose.
“Stop moving so much,” You hissed annoyed that this boy could not sit still for the life of him and let you put the mask on. You had already struggled enough trying to get all of his curly hair back, but now he was flinching away every time you tried to put the product on his skin. “I swear, you have ADHD.”
“It’s cold, and I don’t like it. This one feels weird,” He groaned but stopped moving and let you do your thing. “Why do we need to do the slimy one? Can we just use the clay one again?”
“Your skin needs hydration, not help with the texture,” You explained as you laid the mask across his features. “Your face is inflamed and the clay mask will just make it worse. This one would actually benefit you.”
“I better get cuddles after this,” He mumbled as you finished up by washing your hands. Your mask had already been applied.
“After we make dinner, you can get all the cuddles you want,” You compromised, thinking dinner would not take too long to make. It was a new pasta recipe you got from Kimi’s nutritionist, and Kimi is Italian. What could go wrong? Those were your famous last words.
“Stop smacking the dough! The flour isn’t mixed right!” You shouted, but it was no use. Kimi walked straight up behind you and smacked the dough pile again just after you added more flour. This caused a cloud of flour to hit the two of you directly in the face. “ANDREA!”
“Oh no,” He muttered after he blew out the flour and went to wipe his face, but his hands got covered in the face mask he still had on. “Oh no.”
“‘Oh no’,” You mocked as you gaped at him. “What did I just say?”
“Stop smacking it,” He tried to sound serious and apologetic, but the smile on his face told that he was amused by the situation.
“And what did you do?”
“Smacked it.”
“What did you learn?”
“Stop smacking pasta when you’re mixing it.”
That was it. You both couldn't help it as you both started laughing.
You made Kimi clean up the kitchen after you both washed off the floury face masks. You told him that since he got you into that mess, he could clean it up. While he did that, you called and ordered your favorite takeaway. You did not trust Kimi in the kitchen anymore. You went to pick it up, and when you came back, Kimi had cleaned the kitchen and set up a blanket fort in the common room. You chuckled to yourself as you walked up to the opening of the fort, but Kimi blocked you from entering.
“What’s the password?” Kimi smirked as he only exposed his head and would not let you see inside.
“Is it Italian or English?” You countered.
“To make it easy, I’ll accept English,” Kimi teased as he watched you think.
“Hmm, the password has to be, ‘I bought dinner, and if you want to eat tonight, you better let me in.’ Is that right?”
“Actually, it was ‘I love you’ but I’ll take it.”
The inside of the fort was more than you expected. Kimi had moved the TV down, so it fit inside. There were pillows and blankets everywhere, and your favorite drinks were in an ice bucket to the side. You were impressed he was able to get this all done while you were picking up the food.
“How did you get this done? I wasn’t gone that long,” You asked skeptically as you sat down and looked around.
“You walk slow,” Kimi joked, but immediately after, the door slammed closed and someone texted Kimi.
“I better get credit for helping,” It read from Ollie. You looked over at Kimi who was smiling sheepishly at you.
“Want to comment on that?”
“No, not really.”
That’s just a little glimpse into the life of you and Kimi.
~~~~~
© BAD268 2024. DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT PERMISSION.
#andrea kimi antonelli x reader#andrea kimi antonelli#kimi antonelli x reader#kimi antonelli#kimi x reader#prema team#mercedes amg petronas#formula 1 x reader#formula 2 x reader#formula 2#formula 1#formula 2 imagine#formula 1 imagine#f1#f2#f1 x reader#f2 x reader#f2 x you#f2 imagine#f2 fanfic#bad268#ship268#thing268
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What's really going on with 911twt, i usually keep up through tumblr, but haven't seen what actually happened, only comments from bts, but understandable if you don't really want to get into it, thanks anyway :)
I'm the last person you should ask. I don't do twitter, and by the time I woke up this morning the drama was well on the way.
But you know those journalists who get screeners in advance for review writing purposes? They have a habit of vague posting about the upcoming episode after watching the screener, but this time they seem eerily silent.
@houseofevanbuckley posted this screenshot of one of the usual suspects liking a tweet guessing the episode is probably awful. And that's it, I haven't seen her posting anything about the show since then, other than a vague tweet beefing with cheese blog.
Another journo posted this, then later clarified that it wasn't about the show, but about someone. It's just a hunch but I feel like this tweet is also about cheese blog. (Also could be about the Richard Siken incident, but I don't know if she's involved) Again, nothing more about the upcoming fall finale other than joking about ABC giving us nothing but stills from the very first scene of the episode.
The weirdest one is from him. He simply announced that he wouldn't be covering this episode at all, and instead opted to follow JLH's new movie. He usually has a lot of thoughts about the upcoming episode and would post his reactions generously, but this time, nothing at all.
This is weird, I've never seen any of them act like that. There's been rumor of screener receivers allegedly leaking major info to some group chats. I don't know if it's true, and I certainly don't know if that side of the fandom know something we don't about this midseason finale, but the general mood there is the most pessimistic I've ever seen. It ranges from "it's that bad huh?" to "we're so over".
The extremely limited amount of stills seems to indicate major plot twist(s) in the episode itself. Adding it to the fact that the usually chatty journalists have decided to beef with cheese blog instead of talking about the show, I think they've probably seen something they really didn't like.
#this is everything I know so far#can someone more informed come give me a hand#ask answered#bucktommy#|<- not really about them but I don't know how else to reach you anon#also this tag belongs to us now#911 discourse
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Part 7 : Interviews and articles focused on Buck/Oliver, Eddie/Ryan and Tim Minear
24/11/07 9-1-1 boss promises major 'confessions' from Buck, Eddie, Tommy, and Maddie tonight (exclusive preview)
24/11/07 9-1-1′s Oliver Stark Reacts to Tommy’s Insane Reveal, That ‘Profound’ Glee Reference and Buck’s Last Scene With Eddie
24/11/07 9-1-1’s Ryan Guzman on How an Underwear Dance and Shaving His ‘Stache Sparks Eddie’s Search for ‘Joy’ (Exclusive)
24/11/07 ‘9-1-1’s Gavin Stenhouse On The Hot Priest’s Return, Eddie’s Emotional Confessions, And More
24/11/07 ‘9-1-1’ Boss on Tommy’s Wild Revelation, Buck & Eddie Figuring Themselves Out
24/11/07 RIP Eddie Diaz’s ‘9-1-1’ Mustache, The End Of An Era *
24/11/07 9-1-1 Season 8, Episode 6 Review: ‘Confessions’ *
24/11/07 ‘9-1-1’: Ryan Guzman Talks ‘Risky Business’ Dance, New Version of Eddie Going Forward
24/11/04 9-1-1's Ryan Guzman on Eddie's Risky Business dance and mustache shave
youtube
24/11/07 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 6 Pulls Buck and Tommy In Different Directions *
24/11/07 9-1-1's Oliver Stark on Buck and Tommy's shocking relationship developments
24/11/07 9-1-1's Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman break down that Risky and touching 'Buddie' final moment
24/11/07 ‘9-1-1’ Star Oliver Stark Breaks Down Buck’s ‘Devastating’ Breakup and That Abby Twist
24/11/07 ‘911’: Oliver Stark on That Relationship Shocker and the “Unexpected, Delicious Way” He’ll Move Forward
24/11/07 ‘9-1-1’ Star Oliver Stark on That Ex Twist, Tommy’s Choice and Why Buck Went to Eddie for Comfort
24/11/07 9-1-1 Post Mortem: Ryan Guzman Talks Eddie’s Confession, Self-Love, That Risky Business Moment & More
24/11/07 9-1-1's Ryan Guzman on Dancing in His Underwear Like Tom Cruise
24/11/07 Ryan Guzman Addresses Whether 9-1-1 Season 8 Will Provide The Answer To Eddie's Happiness: "He's Asking The Right Questions"
24/11/07 9-1-1 Star Ryan Guzman Breaks Down Buck & Eddie's Final Scene In Season 8, Episode 6
24/11/07 Lou Ferrigno Jr. on Saying Goodbye to 9-1-1, That Breakup and What’s Next
24/11/08 ‘9-1-1’s Lou Ferrigno Jr. Reflects On Tommy And Buck’s “Heart-Wrenching” Breakup And Why The Role Was A “True Blessing”
24/11/08 ‘9-1-1’ Boss Teases ‘Full Circle’ Midseason Finale, Talks ‘Hotshots’
24/11/11 9-1-1 Star Ryan Guzman Previews His Character's Journey Of Self-Discovery & What's Next For Buck And Eddie In Season 8
Does Eddie know who he is, and he's just been trying to hide it, or is it that he hasn't taken the steps to discover what's out there?
Ryan Guzman: I don't think he's known who he is. I think he's just figuring that—not even figuring that out. I think he's starting to ask the right questions. I believe that there's so much left to explore with Eddie. I think he has a generalized idea of where he wants to go, but I think anything you do new, you're not really good at it in the beginning.
#buddie#eddie diaz#ryan guzman#evan buckley#oliver stark#tim minear#gavin stenhouse#911 on abc#articles#interviews#ryliver
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The Extended Mishandling of LO's S3 Midseason Finale Premiere
Alright, so I had mentioned leading up to the release of the newest LO episode that my feelings regarding LO returning were pretty "meh". Not hyped, but not completely back of mind either. Just sort of a weird calm before the storm type feeling that could go either way.
I'm glad I got to have that moment of calmness because good god, this episode was an absolute shitshow. And honestly, I'm not surprised, for several reasons:
Rachel has never been good at maintaining a buffer, even back at the start of the series she only ever had 2-3 episodes ready ahead of her schedule which is NOT an ideal buffer for an originals series.
Rachel has never been good at writing, she's very "draw first write later" and has stated as such in interviews that when she gets 'stuck' on what she's writing, she'll just start drawing and fit the pieces in later.
Four months is NOT enough time to both rest, attend massive conventions, and work on improving a project while also getting buffer episodes ready.
Because of the FP episodes remaining locked over the hiatus, technically Rachel only needed to have ONE episode ready upon return for the newest FP release, not multiple like she'd usually need like in the past during the S2 midseason hiatus or the season finale episodes which would unlock those FP releases like normal - so for all we know, she could have drawn this episode literally last week, especially when the promo material was so last minute. Frankly I think it was REALLY stupid for whoever it was who decided to keep these FP episodes locked (whether it was her or WT, it was more likely WT) but you can read all I have to say about that in my review of the midseason finale episodes.
All that's to say, no, there was never any guarantee Rachel was going to somehow "turn around" the ride we're currently on. I know that many of the critics were hoping for that to happen, but with the circumstances of the hiatus mixed with Rachel's bad habits of putting her best efforts into the procrastination projects that aren't her actual comic (ex. the few original pieces and LO sketches she put out during the hiatus) it just wasn't in the cards. This is where the comic is at and this is where it will remain until it's over.
I want to also point something out about this episode that was... really glaring to me.
As with all of these hiatus returns, LO got priority advertising in the first two banner slots and push notifications AND a popup ad within the app. This is unsurprising, Webtoons is still trying to milk this thing for what it's worth.
I know a lot of people are gonna focus on the art, or the fact that WT is continuing to shill LO, but I wanna point out the part that WT implemented specifically - "NEW SEASON".
This is literally just false. At best I'd like to think some intern just messed up and thought this was a new season, but it's literally not, the episode designation still says "S3". Note that the creators only design the banner art, the actual labels on top are put there by Webtoons.
But at worst, this feels like blatant lying to continue to hide the fact that LO is ending. Mind you, Rachel and Webtoons have still not put out official posts stating that this is the final arc. There is NOTHING from either of them to communicate to the audience that the comic is ending next year. It feels like they're trying to avoid the topic altogether out of fear of losing the fanbase they still have, rather than hyping up the comic's end for those who have stuck around to see how it all wraps up. And honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case, considering they're now trying to funnel the fanbase into Penguin/Inklore with new marketing deals and the whole Rachel Smythe Presents thing. They're trying to make this seem like the beginning of something "new" when it's really just a quiet shifting of management (Penguin House).
But all that aside, let's actually get into the episode. It's one episode after 4 months, which is not standard for LO's hiatuses, typically FP episodes release on schedule (meaning free readers start hiatuses 3 weeks after FP readers do), the only time this has been an exception has been with the 2 week breaks because the whole point of those was to build a buffer (which you can't do if you're going ahead and releasing the FP episodes anyways). For extended hiatuses like these, usually free readers still get their FP episodes, but that wasn't the case here. That means Rachel technically only needed one episode ready for the comic's return, and it shows. It really fucking shows.
FROM HERE ON OUT THERE WILL BE FASTPASS SPOILERS REGARDING EPISODE 254. DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED !!!
As per tradition, we get a title that means nothing at all. It just says what we already know.
Our collective husband Zeus is dying, no thanks to the poison cupcake fed to him by Apollo. For those who don't remember, Apollo had tricked Zeus into eating the cupcake by making him believe it was from Hebe. We are fully aware that it was Apollo who poisoned him. Remember that for later in this review.
Right off the bat we're off to a hilarious start, both with a cryptid appearance from Apollo in the background (lmao) who is, for some reason, ALREADY returning to the scene of the crime he just committed because... who knows at this point. Apollo and Psyche know it was Apollo at this point, I might add, but I have no clue why Apollo is actually returning to the scene of the crime when he has no idea Eros and Psyche know.
Moving on from that, can we talk about this hilarious dialogue?
"We have to call a doctor! Let's call Asclepius!"
"No, we can't trust him! Gosh darn it, why are we only bothering to think of ONE doctor in this universe where we've seen more than one doctor?? Guess Zeus is just gonna die! What a horribly contrived situation this is!"
And that's literally how I can best describe most of this episode. Contrived. There is a LOT of manufactured drama in this that makes ZERO sense even on a surface level.
And what do you mean exactly, Eros? "What a terrible system!" Is this supposed to be a joke? Lampshading? We've seen Persephone go to the gynecologist. There are non-god doctors who tend to gods all the time here.
Eros just doesn't seem to be that pressed over this, he sounds like Ned Flanders and that's NOT a good way to open up a scene like this... let alone an episode people have been waiting four months for.
Anyways, after a few pointless reaction panels (again remember I have to cut a lot of what I show here for Tumblr image limitations but I promise you, I'm keeping as much important stuff as I can in this, there's just THAT MUCH filler at this point), Eros and Psyche confront Apollo and he is... good god.
There is... so much to unpack here.
First of all, remember those theories about how Rachel was clearly trying to write Apollo as this "secret twist villain" the whole time but it doesn't work because Apollo is simultaneously written as both a 'conniving villain' and a massive dumbass at the same time?
Well, I finally have a more appropriate term for him. He's your average red pill redditor - someone who thinks he's smarter than everyone else when really all he does is sit on reddit all day using big words incorrectly in arguments he gets himself into with a bunch of equally-air-headed dumbasses.
"You can't possibly understand the nuances of the Olympian political system," Apollo said proudly, a man who had, ironically and obliviously, run for president in a monarchy. The union of kettle and pot is eternal.
He's the Slappable Jerk but instead of it being a painfully hilarious impression, it's just painful and hilarious for all the wrong reasons.
this is so stupid because it's 1.) Eros pointing out how obvious Apollo's plan was, despite Apollo acting smart two seconds ago with a goddess who, mind you, has been a goddess for ten years, and 2.) patricide isn't even intrinsically linked to politics, there's nothing 'political' about a guy trying to kill his dad except in, idk, a monarchy, which again, Apollo has spent ten years trying to rise to power in as a president which is a completely different form of government.
If I wanted to be really granular with this, I'd like to think Apollo is making some kind of point about the critics who call out LO's whack as fuck political system (especially in the trial arc) - as if he's saying "well you're just a stupid reader and this is fantasy where you don't understand exactly what political system we're using, so shut the fuck up you stupid twig" - but I don't think it's meant to be that deep. I think it's just Rachel trying to write a smart character and then failing at it because she, herself, is not a smart writer. And I'm really inclined to believe that more than the theory about this being some kind of meta-narrative about the critics because this entire plotline is contrived and stupid down to its core.
I did not cut anything out here, that's the pacing. Leto literally just appears out of nowhere and uh oh spaghettio's, she has Kassandra! Remember Leto? The character we were led to believe was truly "pulling the strings" until she disappeared from the story completely after she realized that Apollo and Persephone weren't a thing, even going so far as to call out her own son for being a fucking dumbass? Well, she's back and once again she's being involved as some kind of "double agent" in this whole thing, even though we literally haven't seen her since halfway through S2.
"Mm yes, you're so stupid, falling into my trap! Even though you had no reason to remember Kassandra anyways because she's literally a mortal woman you just met and you yourself have committed acts of violence against mortals without a shred of care! I'm so smart! My plan is all coming together!"
We've never seen Apollo do anything except cry and poop his pants, the closest he got to being "powerful" was his attempts to murder Daphne (who he seems to have forgotten about in this "master plan" of his) but ultimately he's literally just a piss ant baby and there's no reason to believe that he could somehow outmatch the God of Love who can literally manipulate people's emotions and states of mind with his arrows. But yeah sure go off, you're so powerful and smart.
The worst part is, I can't even buy this as the narrative trying to be like "see how manipulative and conniving he is?" because it's just silly. We've SEEN this man cry with his victim complex, we've seen him say and do the DUMBEST things that don't lend to any amount of "intelligence" he may have, it comes across less as him being "smart the whole time" and more as him trying to sound smart but ultimately sounding incredibly stupid. And I can't even immerse myself into it and buy that maybe that's the point, because it doesn't feel like the point, it just feels like inconsistent writing, he doesn't feel like a 'threat', he's just monologuing.
Bad art and Apollo literally just repeating what Leto already implied so this is a waste of the audience's time.
This is the funniest panel in the whole episode because I can't tell if Apollo is supposed to be in the background (for some reason, despite him literally being in front of Eros and Psyche two seconds ago) or if he's in the foreground and just REALLY small for some reason. This is so off-putting. And of course, it's just Apollo explaining what we're ALREADY SEEING ONSCREEN.
You see, in addition to this episode being contrived, it also talks down to its audience a LOT by explaining exactly what we're seeing onscreen. It's like Rachel saw the criticisms about her not including enough to depict what's actually going on in her head and so she thought the solution was to spoon feed information over pictures that are already doing the job of explaining what's going on. Rachel really doesn't know how to write and even when she tries to implement changes that reflect criticisms that have been made of her writing, she somehow makes things worse because she completely misses the point of what those criticisms are trying to get across.
Anyways, without even trying to resist (for some reason) Eros and Psyche get sentenced to horny jail.
They're now trapped in a basement that Leto somehow has in her home. How do we know that?
HAHAHA FUNNY LAMPSHADING SO FUNNNYYYYYYY
Leto claims that they shouldn't try to escape because the dungeon is "enchanted", but she doesn't even bother to explain what that means. So they literally don't bother trying. They don't try to call her bluff, they don't try to teleport out of there, they literally just go "well shoot", shrug their shoulders, and accept their fate. Just like with the whole "we can't trust the only doctor we bothered to think of" situation, Eros and Psyche are turning out to be some of the stupidest, lowest-effort characters in this comic who literally can't be bothered to try because that would require too much brain power.
Notice how much time we've spent on this and we haven't gotten back to where the cliffhanger of the last episode left off? Well buckle up because there's still more to cover.
So it turns out Hebe was still inside with her dad, in FULL VIEW of what was going on through glass which is somehow COMPLETELY soundproof, and when Apollo steps inside, she just has no idea what happened. She never bothered to even look outside to see what was going on with Eros and Psyche, she's just been sitting on the floor staring at Zeus' dead face for what was likely several minutes, unless Rachel is seriously trying to convince us that conversation and hostage negotiation from earlier only took 2 seconds. The timeline is such a mess at this point that characters basically freeze in place as soon as they're not the focus of the scene.
Apollo rushes inside, acting shocked over the situation, and when Hebe asks where Eros and Psyche are (again, she could have just looked out the window at any time), he's just like "dur idk they just left lol" which Hebe just... buys, I guess.
That's just Persephone but yellow. She's even missing her beauty mark.
See how Apollo put his hand on Zeus' chest/shoulder by the way?
Apparently, despite Mr. Smarter Than Everyone Else trying to pretend it wasn't him, he's able to discern that Zeus is dying from a toxic and rare poison just from touching him. He doesn't even really seem to use his powers, he just touches him and goes "welp he's dead i guess lol don't bother asking me how I know that".
But oh nooo remember that note from before? Well gasp Apollo's gonna use it to frame Hebe! In front of no one else at all!
Hebe of course says she didn't write it, but Apollo continues to try and frame her anyways, even though, again, there's no one else present here, and so it effectively just becomes the most absurd form of gaslighting I've ever seen.
Again, THERE IS NO ONE ELSE HERE IN THE SCENE. He's just trying to claim she did it to absolutely no one at all, in the hopes of... what exactly? That she'll just take the fall for something she knows she didn't do? That she'll somehow be convinced? It's not like Hebe has the same thing going on as Persephone where she has a 'wrathful dark side' he could pin it on, this is just a criminal who just robbed a building pointing at the first person they see and yelling "YOU DID IT!"
All I'm saying is that Apollo would be really bad at Among Us. He'd be the type of player to kill someone, hit the report button, then claim yellow did it which, even if he DID convince the rest of the team, would still get kicked anyways as soon as yellow was proven through the eject to not be the imp and everyone would go "okay cool so yellow wasn't the imp, that means obviously it's purple self-reporting." It's a trick that doesn't even work anymore because of how old it is. Hebe isn't a child here, she's an 18 year old woman who should be fully capable of raising an eyebrow and wondering why Apollo is this quick to accuse her - almost like he's trying to hide the fact that he did it.
But Hebe can't catch onto this, just like Eros and Psyche, she has to act stupid for the sake of the plot.
At first I thought maybe Rachel was trying to do some "whodunit" scenario, but that doesn't work here because we already know who did it. And while there are stories that exist like that that pull it off (ex. Knives Out) the problem with trying to do this the way Rachel did is that the person being framed has to have this thing called motive. The reason why Knives Out and Glass Onion work so well is because the person who was murdered (or conspired against) is someone who is being targeted by multiple people who could all be the murderer. It's quite literally called out in Glass Onion as a form of smart lampshading. "It's like putting a loaded gun on the table, and turning off the lights."
But it doesn't work here because Hebe does not have motive. If you're going to attempt to frame a murder on someone, it has to be someone who would have reasonable motive to commit that murder, even if they didn't actually commit it.
And who among Zeus' children has motive?
What about the war-mongering bloodthirsty god of war who has been regularly sentenced to time in the Mortal Realm to fight in wars in which he's been regularly injured?
What about the chaos-seeking wrathful goddess who would do it to get revenge on the parental figure who cast her aside, or even just for the fun of saying she did it?
Why try and pin it on Hebe, the doting daughter of Zeus who's only had a collective of maybe 20 panels in the entire comic?
But then I realized... it's not Knives Out, it's the fucking Lion King.
Which is just as contrived - if not more - than the assumption this was gonna be some attempt to frame Hebe. It's not. He's literally just trying to keep her from assuming it was him. He could have just as easily played dumb without calling attention to the note but he intentionally went out of his way to try and be Scar from The Lion King , while completely missing the point of why that scene worked in the original movie.
Scar wasn't trying to 'frame' Simba for Mufasa's murder. He was trying to hide the murder, while also attempting to get the only heir to the throne out of the picture, so he passed the guilt of the death onto Simba - a child who, unlike Hebe, wouldn't have the ability to rationalize or realize his uncle his a scumbag - who then ran away from home because he was too terrified to face his family for what happened, assuming that it was all his fault when it wasn't.
That's not how this is panning out here. Hebe is the now 18 year old daughter of Zeus, and not one of his only children. She doesn't even fit into the whole "sons overthrowing their fathers" prophecy like Aries would. Apollo is literally just being a big idiot here by saying "well I'm gonna give you a headstart to run away, because if you stay, I might hurt you" (which btw, should be MORE of a smoking gun that Apollo did it??)
And again, it's all so contrived so that the plot can move forward. "Well I'm going to frame you for this murder, but y'know, you should just leave, I'm not gonna try and press it further lmao"
Again, Apollo is a fucking idiot here, because he just attempted to frame someone who has NO MOTIVE to harm Zeus, to absolutely NO ONE at all who would side with him, only to let her go which would leave her to question why Apollo would try to accuse and harm her in the first place before considering other options. And through ALL this he claims he's the smart one, which I can't even be bothered to "love to hate" because it's written so poorly.
And really it all comes down to how everyone else behaves in relation to Apollo that makes it so stupid and unbelievable. Apollo, you're not smart just because all the characters around you are intentionally being written to be as stupid and non-confrontation as possible. If you can only write a smart villain by making everyone else stupid, you haven't written a smart villain, you've written a dumbass whose victory only happens due to contrived plot convenience. It's not even done well like in Glass Onion, it's just bad writing, full stop.
And who does he call to report this emergency? The satyr police? His son the doctor?
No.
The media. Literally just "hello, the media?? I need your best journalist here stat!"
I need you to understand, even if he were calling a tabloid magazine like The Weekly Nark, you don't just... call a journalist to report a murder. These are not the actions of someone who's trying to absolve himself of guilt, these are the actions of a complete dumbass trying to get news coverage of his trophy kill who would be better off just playing dumb instead of trying to play smart. Even Walter White wasn't this fucking stupid despite all the times he fell on his own sword, Apollo is literally just instigating suspicion towards himself for no reason at all. He's self-reporting so hard and worst of all, you can't even take any of this seriously because of how corny it is. There's no dramatic tension, no stakes, it's just a bunch of characters performing in a really bad stage play and reducing every conflict to "well I guess Zeus is just dead now because no one's bothering to make an effort to stop Apollo or ask questions lmao"
It's truly the epitome of "this plot wouldn't exist if characters would just talk to each other."
But finally, FINALLY we mention the thing this episode is named after, the transition point to Persephone.
Just like with the midseason finale episode, there's a lot to cover here, so I'm gonna get more into it in a part two post.
That said, you can see already this is the messiest, most contrived bullshit to ever wind up in LO. It's trying so hard to be smart and it just comes across as a bunch of toddlers in the world's worst stage play rendition of Clue. None of what was done here was in any way dramatic or tense, it's just a bunch of characters infodumping shit we already know, trying to set up new plot threads that don't make any sense, and allowing one another to get away with what they're doing because they don't bother to even try.
It's completely manufactured, contrived nonsense. It's not "smart", it's not "so dumb it's brilliant", it's just dumb.
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#lore olympus critical#lo critical#anti lore olympus#this is the comic that bought two eisners#uh i mean *won* two eisners#... no wait i had it right the first time lmao
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Midseason Finale Expectations: Episode 8x8 "Wannabes"
My expectations for episode 8x8 are below the ground and they're more than 6 feet under. The reason for that is because based on the setup for it at the end of episode 8x7, I have an idea of what might happen with Bobby's and Athena's arcs. Therefore, if the storylines play out the way the narrative for that specific episode illustrated, then it won't be good and I'm not happy about it.
It involves the "Hotshots" and the LAPD rookie and it's likely going to include even more of the BS that happened last week. I rewatched 8x7 in an effort to try and figure out why those two off the cuff stories that were centered around guest stars were included and I noticed a common theme between Athena's and Bobby's storylines that have specifically to do with a rookie cop and a fake firefighter. I've already posted my review (linked here) and needless to say, after rewatching it, I still don't like that episode.
When I watched live, I noticed Chimney wasn't in the last scene at the firehouse with Buck, Hen and Eddie while they were talking to Bobby about his confrontation with Brad at the restaurant. And when I rewatched it, I noticed he wasn't in another firehouse scene with Buck, Eddie, Hen and Bobby either when Eddie was playing keep away with Buck's phone. Chimney NOT being present in either of those firehouse scenes made me even more suspicious 🧐 and it adds credence to my theory. If the midseason finale will end the way I'm thinking, then IMO it won't be anything worth writing home about. When the first half of seasons 3, 5 and 6 ended, there was one main character with a cliffhanger storyline. In season 3 it was Michael's recently diagnosed brain tumor; in season 5 it was Eddie quitting the 118 and in season 6 it was Bobby starting the investigation into Wendell's death (reminder Wendell was made up specifically for Bobby's arc. Prior to that season, he was never introduced or mentioned 🫤). And the setup for this midseason finale is giving season 6 vibes and it was a big nothing burger with no meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese or pickles.
Reminder, these are Bathena's storylines and whatever happens with them will be centered around them. Since they haven't mentioned their house in several episodes, it's unlikely their home will be finished. Furthermore, the culmination of that seems more like a season finale storyline anyway.
I wish they would have ended the "Hotshots" storyline back at the end of 8x4 when the Ortiz storyline was wrapped but for some reason, TM (showrunner) is set on keeping Brad and Gerrard around longer. IMO, there's only one logical explanation for these things that happened in CANON and when they're added to TM's interview quotes that he said in his 55 thousand post-mortem interviews, it all leads to one thing.
Instead of posting what I believe it is now, I'm going to wait and post my theory Thursday before the episode airs.
#eddie diaz#evan buckley#bobby nash#athena grant#hen wilson#chimney han#911 abc#911 on abc#911 spoilers#911 speculation#bathena#Canonically Observing 9-1-1 Speaks#911 season 8#911 season 8 speculation#anti brad torrence#brad torrence#anti vincent gerrard
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Across my news feed the good housekeeping title for their 911 recap/review came up: ‘9-1-1’ Fans Will Be Sorely Disappointed After the Season 8 Midseason Finale. When a puff magazine is bringing up concerns, it’s not good.
I didn’t even watch it and I’m disappointed 😂 as soon as Tim knew he was gonna drag out the plane storyline, he should have cut the Brad shit out. Keep the hotshots stuff to one episode, if you must have a boner for Brad, and make part one of the Maddie gets kidnapped storyline your midseason finale (which I’m sure was the original idea).
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“wouldn’t it be cute if you formatted all your gif descriptions the same way” -> I’m breaking down the doors of the california digital newspaper collection with my teeth to find the broadcast date for this documentary -> omg irbe mention <3 -> THEYRE BEATING HIS ASS IN THE PAPERS pipeline is so real and true and beautiful. to me. I love how san jose sharks reportage has never once been regular !!!
highlight from "Irbe struggles, Sharks bomb: double-headed goalkeeper falls flat" By Mark Kreidler for McClatchy News Service. Originally published in The Santa Cruz Sentinel, Volume 137, Page 14, 9 May 1994.
In bold text are my favourite parts. And for future reference, I truly hope Askarov tortures us the same way Irbe did to Sharks Fans of Yore <3
The San Jose Sharks are one man, goalie Arturs Irbe. Arturs Irbe is two players, the courageous, risk-taking shotstopper and the loon In the teal jersey whose neck keeps snapping backward as hockey pucks fly past. Tough combo, the Irbe-Irbe split. And there is your Sharks season, in a wildly frustrating capsule. He was at it again at the San Jose Arena on Sunday, Irbe the evil twin, the sequel. Two days after posting an efficient 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead in the teams' National Hockey League second-round playoff series, the Latvian with the generous heart didn't make it out of the second period alive in a mortifying 8-3 defeat. Pucks flew past with a shocking frequency, and they came from everywhere, and they went everywhere, but mostly in. At the end of the second 20-minute set, Toronto had a 6-1 lead, and only a fan base as enthusiastic as the Sharks' would have stayed to the bitter finish, a loss that had "midseason throwaway" smeared all over it.
Even Irbe didn't stick around. Pulled by Coach Kevin Constantine in favor of Jimmy Waite at the start of the third, the goalie had had plenty of time to review the carnage by the time he emerged from a long, long shower. Verdict? "We lose, we lose bad." Ever so true. In playoff life, the Sharks are precisely as they represented through a 33-35-16 regular season: Up and down like the employees' elevator at work, and about as much fun to watch on the downside. And while the routine played decently through the first round, with a seven-game decision against Detroit, the Maple Leafs are nobody's idea of the collapsible Red Wings. Enter Irbe, who knows he is going to have to raise his game to keep San Jose in this playoff. Detroit was one thing, the Red Wings sputtering and misfiring just often enough to give the Sharks and their goalie second life, to say nothing of third and fourth life.
The Leafs? Call them somewhat less forgiving. They took control Sunday by beating up Irbe's teammates, crowding the net, blocking Irbe's view on at least three of the six goals they hung on him. Doug Gilmour just ate them up all the long day. All in all, noncompetitive. "All in all," said Sharks center Todd Elik, "awful." "You can't blame it on Artie," teammate Jamie Baker said. "He didn't have a whole lot of help in front of him. It was a group effort, us getting blown out." But the Sharks are Irbe, for better and, occasionally, for demonstrably worse. He certainly got no help on this day, but then Irbe is the kind of player who rarely helps himself. Seldom has a goalie put so much pressure on himself by leaving the net with such maddening frequency. Irbe's tendency to roam after loose pucks behind the net, out to challenge an oncoming shooter always runs the risk of costing the Sharks a cheap goal, and so it was in Game 4.
A 1-0 Toronto lead in the opening period became 2-0 at least partly because Irbe, regarded as one of the better-skating goalies in the league, left his goal during a wild scramble on one shot and then was prevented by the alert Leafs from getting back into position in time to stop Mike Eastwood's chipper. Two became three a couple of minutes later on a Dave Andreychuk slap shot, a total San Jose defensive breakdown; and after that, Constantine said, "the field of the game was changed." Translation: "We had to open up our offense," Elik said, "and we're just no good at it." That is how games become routs, and how goalies become goats. Irbe, hailed all season as the man who kept the Sharks competitive on nights they otherwise might not be, had no defense against the Toronto attack. He wasn't even close. "Way too many goals for me to say it was all lucky bounces," Irbe said. "I'm fine now. I'm relaxed, calmed down from it … But I have never been happy with my play in the playoffs. I cannot be satisfied with this." This message brought to you by Irbe the Evil. Come Tuesday, Game 5, the other fellow, the -one so depended upon, could fit in quite nicely with a San Jose plan to stay competitive because, as everybody following this team knows by now, there is never any telling what tomorrow brings.
#IRBE THE EVIL!!!!!!!!!!#puck!research#puck!res:goalies#puck!res:archiving#<- EVER EXPANDING CATALOGUE OF TAGS!!! YAYYYY#san jose sharks#arturs irbe
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Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2, Episode 10: The Devourer of All Things, Part 2
Can someone just let Janeway say "fuck" already?
If we're treating this as the midseason finale, I can work with that. The first ten episodes function stand on their own as a unit pretty well. It's a good arc that builds to the conclusion here that leaves the characters right at the start of the next arc. There's a lot of excitement while it's going on, and a lot gets packed into this episode as a finale, but it's very enjoyable while it's happening. 9/10
As I'm putting this together, I'm realizing that this is the first episode where the main cast from last season plus Ma'jel are all in the same place and the same storyline for the whole episode. It recontextualizes a lot of the early half of the season as buildup to this, which changes the way the first half of the show works. It's all a buildup to what comes after this point in a single story.
My favorite thing in this episode specifically is Janeway. I'm on the record as being glad the show isn't about her and the younger crew, but Janeway had a ton to do here and it was phenomenal seeing her in action. Having her so fiercely fight for her ship while also interacting with the surface mission while also putting everything together was brilliant. And I wasn't kidding when I said she should be allowed to say fuck. Finding out that one of her crew being unpersoned deserved it.
The unpersoning is great genuine horror, and as bad as it sounds to say I'm glad we got to see it in action on a redshirt. Granted, half the ship gets this treatment eventually, but it starts with a redshirt and that was not lost on me. That whole sequence was also great for Tysses, who I was not expecting to be as prominent as he was, but I'm glad he is because Daveed Diggs was fun.
I appreciate how Ma'jel migrated to the main plot, especially the scene where she ditched her communicator. It was a good showcase for her in how she got there, and also landing in Zero's arms was nice. At the end, including her in the calculations as an equal part of the team was a nice story and visual moment.
The last shots of the rusted Protostar were gorgeous. It looks so haunted and that works so well. I'm excited for where the show is going to take Chakotay.
I've been informed since my last review (by some very official sources - hi and thanks!) that the office Wesley hides everyone in is actually from a TOS episode that I haven't seen. So, there's that. Wesley in this episode wasn't as all-consumingly amazing, but there was so much else going on that there wasn't a lot of space for him. That's fine, given how much Janeway got to do.
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I just finished the seasons of Pretty Cure I was interested in, here's my rankings for them!
For reference, the Precure seasons I've completed are Futari Wa, Max Heart, Fresh, Heartcatch, Go Princess, Mahou Tsukai, Kira Kira, Hugtto, Star Twinkle, Delicious Party, Otona, and Hirogaru Sky.
I'm gonna rank them from worst to best and give my opinion on them. Warning that there may be spoilers in my review.
Hirogaru Sky
This season was a MASSIVE disappointment. It started off strong, but the plot just kind of meandered around until the last few episodes, the pacing was terrible. Most of the episodes are just the characters going to some location and hanging out being cute, and while that's fine for the occasional breather episode, it got really boring really quickly. The character arcs were also pretty lackluster for the most part, Sora's especially. C'mon, you can do so much more interesting things with the desire to "be a hero". Cure Majesty managed to be the most boring cure in existence, she lost all semblance of personality in her transformation from Ellee. Some good things: Tsubasa's character design was amazing, and his two episode introduction was one of the best I've seen for a non-midseason. I also really enjoyed how Mashiro and Battamonda foiled off of each other, I hadn't expected that. If only that arc encompassed more than just three episodes, that was the best part of the show.
Futari Wa
It's okay, it's neat to see where the show started and Nagisa and Honoka are fun to watch. I wish it'd given more even focus to both leads instead of focusing so heavily on Nagisa though, given that there was only the two of them, and it's overall pretty generic by magical girl standards.
Max Heart
I like Max Heart a little better than Futari Wa. Hikari's just okay and the Heartiels are a really poor fetch quest for showing progression (they just kinda show up when it's time), but there's a bit of a mystery element going on with figuring out what Hikari is and how she's connected to the mysterious boy, and overall the plot and ending are a little better than the first season.
Star Twinkle
Now we're getting into the really solid seasons, the ones with a lot to offer, even if they still have major flaws. I love how expansive the world is, all the Cures are interesting and have their own problems, and the way the villains foil with the heroes is cool. It does have some major flaws, however. The season refuses to actually commit to the moral ambiguity it sets up. Like with its cool phantom thief character: she's stealing back the treasures that were illegally stolen from her homeworld after all her people were petrified. Unfortunately, the show doesn't want to promote stealing, so she ends up being scolded about how "stealing is bad" and that they need to simply ask the mob boss nicely to hand over the jewelry he bought. It also has problems with something that's going to come up a lot with the more ambitious, darker entries on this list: terminal vagueness. Precure is frequently extremely vague when tackling darker subjects in the narrative, which can be to its detriment. Like for instance, Kappard hates outsiders because outsiders took his planets resources. It's unclear from what little we see whether outsiders conquered and colonized their world, or whether there were just too many exploitive tourists and the government was incompetent and decided not to do anything about it. I also just kinda got bored after awhile and started wanting it to be over, though there was a lot of interesting stuff in the series. Overall still a good series with a varied world that attempts to tackle and comment on a lot of interesting subjects, but doesn't always manage to do it well.
Heartcatch
So this is a fan-favorite season. Funny thing is, I think it actually sucks at the things it's most well-known for, but is very good at some other things. It's known for being really dark, but I thought its dark elements were poorly executed, with little explanation being given for why Cure Moonlight's father felt the need to put on that damn mask, and little explanation being given about how the main villains came to be. Honestly, for any of them except for Dark Precure. Dune is particularly nonsensical, I have no idea whether he's an alien, a god, or some primordial force. He just kinda popped up. It also set up some plot threads at the beginning with some unsatisfactory pay-offs, like with Cure Blossom supposedly being the weakest Precure and that mostly not mattering after the first episode, or the mystery of who the hunky guy who saved her actually was. Him being Coupe transformed to look like her dead grandpa was unsatisfying. Heartcatch DOES, however, have solid characters and the best monster-of-the-week episodes in the franchise. The premise of Heartcatch was well-crafted for going over and helping to resolve the emotional problems various people run into in their day-to-day lives. For that aspect, I'd recommend Heartcatch to people, even with the problems I have with the actual plot.
Go Princess
This is a really good, solid season that you can hand to most newcomers and be confident they'll have a good time. The character arcs are just kind of okay, but the season's well-paced, I really love the message about pursuing your dreams, putting in the work to fulfill your ambitions, and it's got solid episodic episodes. The thing it's REALLY good at and is known for are the fight scenes and boss fights though. There are boss fights roughly every ten episodes and they're pretty epic, and the fighting is pretty brutal this season in general.
Delicious Party
This is the most underrated Precure season. I think it's something about the silliness of being a food-based season? But I loved its full-throated sincerity when espousing how food brings people together, and it has one of the most plot-filled, excellently paced storylines, since it has this mystery running throughout it of who stole the recipebon, where it is now, and what, exactly, happened to Cinnamon. I really enjoyed some of the character arcs this time around, Cure Spicy's in particular, with her and her parents trying to reconnect, she's one of my favorite cures! Overall, I can understand some of the complaints about this season, but I loved it.
Mahou Tsukai
This season is more than the sum of its parts. Its villains are fun, if not ground-breaking, and it has pretty good world-building, arguably the best of any Precure season - not that that's saying a lot, that is not one of Precure's strengths. It's not really the character ARCS that are amazing this season, it's how the main characters play off each other. This is the most cohesive, closest team of Cures I've seen. Helps that the two main Cures raised a child together XD. Anyway, while a few episodes were kinda slow, I really enjoyed seeing the Magic world and the epilogue left me on the verge of tears, which is the most I've been emotionally affected by ANYTHING in Precure. Highly recommend this season.
Otona
This one's hard to place, since it was only a single cour instead of just four. Still, I think it earns this place. I love how while all the Cures achieved their "dream" jobs, it didn't mean that everything was perfect and sunny in their lives, and looming threats like Global Warming were brought up. All the cures had their own, individual problems, ones that couldn't just be naively dealt with like when they were kids - they had to come up with actual adult answers for them. I love how Otona didn't just like, make everything dark and gloomy, but DID actually seem interested in tackling what might happen with a group of adult magical girls in a genuinely mature way. It felt even-handed. I'd recommend this to even some non-Precure fans who were interested in this sort of premise.
Fresh
I did not like this season at first. I could tell that the villains were gonna be interesting, but I wasn't all that interested in Miki, Buki, Love, or Chiffon. I thought this was gonna be a mediocre season. ...then Eas got those cards and the plot went into overdrive and never went back. The first ten or so episodes of Fresh are just kinda okay, but after that, once Setsuna's arc kicks into high gear, it becomes one of the best Precure seasons, with the single best plot, ending, villains, and single character arc in the series. Setsuna's redemption arc is very compelling, especially since her having been a villain never stops mattering. Reminds me of Ken Ichijouji's, in that way. And the villains are all a blast to watch, and for different reasons. Westar's a himbo, Soular's a sneaky schemer, and Eas gets divided loyalties pretty quickly. They have different sorts of villains they make too. I especially like Soular's villains, they have creative powers. The main things keeping Fresh from being higher are its early mediocre episodes and Chiffon. Chiffon's role in the plot makes no sense. Once again, Precure's just very vague and has Chiffon be this infinity thing that can be used to take over worlds and has a music box to help undo the transformation... just because? it's never explained why Chiffon is the way she is, and she's too important to the plot for that to just be handwaved away. Overall though, I think this season has the most of the best stuff to offer, it's just that there's enough important things it does poorly to keep it off the top of this list.
Hugtto
This season is excellently paced with great character arcs for all the Cures AND even a bunch of the side characters, such as Henri and Masato. Hugtan is a great magical Precure baby and Hariham Harry is an amazing mascot/mentor. The episodes are almost all highly enjoyable and the villains stick around after being defeated, popping up in their new jobs repeatedly. The main thing keeping it off the top spot is the whole "terminal vagueness" problem I've talked about before. It's not totally clear why a lot of the villains want to stop time or why some of them even joined the organization to begin with, or why they made certain other decisions. Like Doctor Traum just sort of attempting to murder his coworker because he could, or why Hariham's brethren decided to stick with Criasu Corp as much as they did after everyone else had gotten hit with an unexplained illness and then had the village burnt down and everyone die in a similarly unexplained fire. The ending was highly disappointing because of how vague it was about these sort of motivations, it just kinda felt like stuff was happening. The epilogue was really good though, I loved seeing what was happening in this new future.
Kira Kira
This is, in my opinion, the single best Precure season. It's got well-orchestrated character arcs for everyone, memorable villains (well, half of the villains, at least), excellent pacing, and the earnestness with which it pursues its baking theme is great to watch. I also really love how Ichika actually kinda sucked at baking at first and had to slowly become better through experience, it was satisfying and realistic! Also the ending was really good and the epilogue had me jumping out of my seat, I STILL can't believe that something that'd been bugging me since episode 2 was finally answered IN THE VERY LAST EPISODE. Honestly my biggest complaint is the lack of Cure Waffle, we were ROBBED. Still, I'm very glad Pikario existed in the first place at least.
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Oof; you're getting the Thermian Argument thrown at you left and right, huh?
My faith in the writers has increased over the course of two-and-something seasons, so I'm hoping they manage to stick the landing with the back half of s3; that's all I can really say until we get it. Looking at the remaining episodes, d'you have a notion of when/where Tech may show up? (I figure it won't be before episode s3e9, and might even be later).
I do think there's a place for in-universe arguments, but for the most part it's when actually discussing why things happen in universe - why did character make this choice and not that choice, etc. It's a separate thing from trying to discuss how the narrative itself seems to be handling something and why. I know death of the author is popular and all but while the media is still going, trying to figure out the authors intent is pretty important to base your predictions off of. Otherwise you're just picking what you want to happen and working backwards from there. I won't lie, I did start out wanting Tech to have survived, but I was still looking at it from multiple angles and willing to change my opinion, I just never found anything super compelling that outweighs the Alive evidence.
As for where Tech might come in... I do think season 3 episode 9 is a big possibility for a few reasons.
Obviously it's where we cut the reviewers off, and reportedly (though take it with a grain of salt) episode 8 leaves off on a cliffhanger. This seems like a good opportunity to introduce something big in episode 9.
Wayyyy back when, with Joel Aron's 'if you could only see who was on my screen' tweet, he did specify a midseason episode, which I think would cover anywhere from say 8-10. Any later than that and I wouldn't call it midseason anymore. Given the timing he was clearly teasing Tech, and if Tech doesn't materialize during the midseason range he may end up with twitter people at his house.
Episode 9 actually airs as close to one year after Plan 99 as they could get it (March 29, 2023 VS March 27, 2024) and I wouldn't put so much stock in it except that they have done Important Dates with TBB before (Aired The Return as close to one year after The Outpost as possible, the season starting on the 4 year anniversary of the batch being introduced into TCW) and so it is interesting that it should line up that way.
From a story perspective, I think that waiting too much longer than 9 or 10 would make closing the arcs he still has open difficult to do naturally.
I took 3/27 off just in case because either I'll be bemoaning in disappointment or I'll be the most irritating smug bitch on the planet and I can't work under either of those conditions.
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This review had me in stitches. Not the Claire Fraser kind - the kind that makes you fall out of your chair. Laughing!
I haven’t seen the episode yet and I may not. Reading this review was absolutely exhausting. So they chewed up gobs of book material and spit it out in less than an hour? Ya gotta love Starz.
In fairness I skipped through so much of the books when reading them that I now finally understand the entire Rob Cameron story line. How did I miss this in all that verbiage? He was after the Jacobite gold!
Who wasn’t?
Gonna be a looooooong season. 😂
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Hirogaru Sky Impressions (4/5)
Keeping this short since I’m still tired from my trip and have stuff to do before going back to work tomorrow.
Thankfully, the past 10 eps only consisted of Majesty’s debut and some (really great) fillers.
Starting with Majesty then. I’m honestly surprised I was correct about them keeping her a toddler despite aging her up when transforming. And as I guessed as much, this means she doesn’t really have a full-fledged character arc of her own.
Not that it’s a bad thing since Ellee-chan still gets a good amount of development cuz she’s a growing child, after all. Which is mainly shown through things like her speech improving significantly each day, learning how to better express herself and her wants. And of course, the heartwarming interactions with her friends who also have their moments in finding the best ways they can to support her (like how Ageha readily believed Ellee-chan who was frustrated when she had trouble transforming into Majesty).
These are all within range of what is expected for a child her age so a whole arc isn’t really needed and therefore, more time and focus can be dedicated to the older Cures, too. So I’m quite pleased with that.
But I also can’t lie that it’s a shame we won’t see what a preteen Ellee-chan is like outside her alter ego.
That and considering her VA is Aoi Koga (of Kaguya-sama fame), we won’t get to hear a further extent of her acting in this role either.
Don’t get me wrong, Aoi Koga absolutely nailed the part of a baby, able to bring out Ellee-chan’s cuteness without making her sound annoying but…the potential is already a loss at this point.
Additionally, for a midseason Cure, Majesty has the least going for her in other departments compared to those before her.
Up till now, they’ve barely scraped at the lore associated with her identity. So when she’s not fighting, she’s limited to being slightly better than the average mascot.
The only attack in her arsenal is simultaneously a group attack so she has to share it with the others. Not to mention half the stock footage doesn’t have her at the center but Sky instead. Despite the attack bearing her name.
With only 8 eps left in the season, it seems the writers brought Majesty out as part of Precure’s yearly formula schedule more than anything. Her purpose is mainly to renew viewers’ excitment in the show (and generate desire to buy the newest toy) since her debut brings a little something new to the table…but she is not allowed to outshine this season’s real star, the lead Cure.
Personally, I think the pros outweigh the cons so it doesn’t bother me too much but it’s also too noticeably flawed and biased for me to really accept it as okay.
Moving on, the fillers.
They were all amazing, definitely better than the previous 10 eps.
Mashiro continuing to pursue the path towards becoming a picture book author and coming to terms with the fact that not everyone will receive her work with good reviews yet still choosing to draw because she’s doing it for herself and those who do enjoy her books was something that resonated with me deeply.
Then more time was devoted to her childhood friendship with Ageha which was super wonderful. We really needed that ep of how they became friends and the writers delivered so excellent job 👍
Ageha finally encountering struggles in her job and learning that it was okay to show sadness in front of her students was something I’ve been waiting a long time to see as well. It was especially good because it corresponded splendidly with the first ep of Otona Precure within the same week (which is also great so far) as the intro of that dealt with Nozomi trying to help her own student.
Portraying adults as realistic adults instead of perfect caricatures who can do anything. Showing hardships by not sweeping them under the rug but acknowleding them with the screentime they deserve so the characters can actually process their own feelings and work out a solution. Displaying a healthy level of idealism, not based on generic platitudes but actual belief. I really appreciate that.
Yoyo cleverly getting Tsubasa a promotion to a sage in Skyland’s royal court was also 10,000 meters of screaming joy for me cuz yea, that boy is way too smart and talented to just settle for flying around. He clearly treasures his homeland and wants to make it a better place for all its inhabitants, including the Dragon Tribe that had been cut off from the rest of the country for decades. He obviously has what it takes to become a diplomat.
He acquired a new dream to devote himself and his skills to and that’s what anyone who’s as wholesome as Tsubasa should get. So it was fulfilling to see that come true for him.
Lastly, Sora. She only had one ep to herself this time but it was a good ep with a good topic (probably one of the best of the Sora eps). Honestly, I think I liked it more because it was only one ep, lol
So yea, with this, I think I’m all set for the rest of the show as far as Tsubasa and Ageha’s arcs are concerned. There will still be more fillers until ep 45 at least, plenty of time to close out the Mashiro and Sora’s as well as the lore surrounding Ellee-chan so it’s just a matter of concluding the story in a satisfying manner.
Other than that, I’m also wondering if we’ll get any super forms for HiroSky since it’s already this late in the season…
…but you never know as it can happen in the finale. Not sure if HiroSky will get its standalone movie in Mar either but if so, we might see something there, too.
Ok, that is all. The season will pass by in a flash so enjoy the rest of HiroSky with a full heart and let’s begin to look forward to next Precure in the new year. Bye for now!
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Delicious Party Precure Episode 18 Review - What Color Is Cure Finale?
So, I’ve been told that Cure Finale is not a purple Cure but a gold one—the very first gold Cure at that. I thought their civilian clothes determined their colors. These colors are so hard to determine at times. Though, I guess it makes sense that she’s not a purple Cure given how little purple she has compared to gold. I guess they didn’t reveal that she was a gold Cure until after the season ended so her color wouldn’t overlap with Yum-Yum who is yellow.
I find it interesting that Episodes 17 and 18 take place on the same day as this episode starts from where the previous episode left off. The Precures are basically fighting Narcistoru twice in the same day and like minutes after rescuing the Fruit Punch Recipeppi. I had a feeling the Parfait Recipeppi would be targeted next and it was.
Narcistoru felt more nefarious than last episode. The previous episode had him experiment with two kitchen utensils to create a fusion Motto Ubauzo, but it was still a prototype, so it was flawed. However, the Motto Ubauzo created in this episode is a successful attempt as it was very powerful. He even had it take Amane hostage, leading it to be a double mission of taking it down and rescuing her.
Precious usually goes a little overboard with her grandma quotes, but this one was very substantial and wise! You of today are made of what you ate yesterday! The reason why Amane was so hesitant to become a Precure was because she couldn’t forgive herself for her actions as Gentlu. Then, she says that tomorrow is made of what you ate today. Those are really good quotes. It even got Amane to realize that even if she did horrid things as Gentlu, she can still make up for it by becoming a Precure and atone—Cure Finale is her atonement in a way.
The transformation sequence was really nice! It’s a little different from the ones with the energy fairies. I feel like the midseason Cures do get better transformation sequences given that the staff has more time to work on it. I like how her hair is animated! Also, I feel like Cure Parfait has already been taken, hence why she became Cure Finale. I also like her Finale Fanfare attack! The sequence is so cool! I like that she gets a whipping cream gun. It looks less silly than mixer guns, to be honest.
I guess my only gripe is still the Hoka Hoka heart thing. Apparently, the crystal was made for Amane as the Parfait Recipeppi has the ability to gather the hearts and crystalize them. Since when can Recipeppis do that? It brags about being a high-ranking Recipeppis but there is very little about the Recipeppi lore other than them being MacGuffins. What makes Amane more special than Yui other than that they both love food and could see the Recipeppis when they were little? I feel like I am never going to get over this…
Now that Cure Finale joins the group, I do wonder what Amane will bring to the table. She’s the oldest and also very mature, so she’ll probably the older sister figure of the group, most likely. What are your thoughts on this episode?
#delicious party precure#yui nagomi#cure precious#amane kasai#cure finale#narcistoru#parfait recipeppi#review#anime#anime review#ecargmura#arum journal
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My DokiDoki Precure Review!
So, I have just finished DokiDoki Precure, which marks the 10th installment of Precure/Pretty Cure. It's a season with extremely mixed opinions and high tension between Precure fans for its flaws. However, now that I've finished the season, I can fully weigh how I feel about the season overall.
DokiDoki Precure has earned a 7/10 from my ranking system. I was ready to give it a much lower score, but I actually found myself pleasantly surprised! There's plenty of things I liked about the season and plenty of things I heavily disliked about the season. So, here's my thoughts.
WHAT I LIKED:
I was actually fond of the plot. The story itself was interesting, and we spent a plethora of episodes discussing the main issues regarding the characters and the big bad of the series. Often or not, many Precure episodes are more in the filler category in order to build up TO the plotline episodes, but I didn't feel that way about DokiDoki. We got to explore the past of the Trump Kingdom, the Princess' battles, Cure Sword's past, and so many more things involving the overarching story.
I liked a majority of the characters! I found the main girls enjoyable (except for one) and interesting in their own rights! Even the side characters such as the families, the fairies, the school kids, and all the others. The villains of this season were wonderful and funny as they captured the vibes of the selfish nature they were powered by.
The theme itself of Love/Selflessness vs. Selfishness. I feel like this theme is extremely important to teach to others about how to balance one's selfish desires and being mindful of others. The angels vs. demons theme is also very nice considering that there's many angel-like themes throughout the season.
THE CURES GET TO KEEP THEIR POWERS AT THE END OF THE SEASON. I adore that they're just superheroes forever!!
WHAT I DISLIKED:
The snubbing of Regina having the midseason potential. Regina was LITERALLY the perfect example of a redemption cure, but they pushed her aside for the random, totally unprompted, Aguri Madoka/Cure Ace. There was no set up for Cure Ace to exist, she just APPEARED. Regina should have been Cure Ace as she had an arc where she learned what love REALLY was and how her friendship with the others was breaking her selfish demeanor!! She stood up to her father for God's sake!
The character designs in general. I understood what they were trying for, but I just couldn't find myself liking the designs of the Cure and Civilian forms. The Cure forms look rather odd with feather-like ruffles at the weirdest spots and how exaggerated they are. I could see the intent behind the looks, but they don't exactly look like a Card Suit theme all too much. Cure Ace looks the most out of place one out of all of them.
Unfortunately, Mana's character is stuck on mary-sue territory…….in every episode Mana is mentioned even when another main girl has the focus of an episode. I enjoy Mana as a character, but the story itself relied so heavily on her "feelings" that it almost sounded like the show was trying to gaslight me into thinking it was all about her.
I honestly felt like Ai wasn't that impactful as a character- just another baby to parent. I had seen so many babies in precure with the same formula that it grows tiresome. Plus, we didn't even learn anything important about her origin until the 30 episodes-mark and the rest of the season-!
Finally, the lack of superforms- they literally just gave the team angel wings and called it a day. Need I say more? Oh, and the fact that only Cure Heart got a super form in the very end of the series.
#precure#pretty cure#precure posting#dokidoki precure#dokipre#magical girls#mahou shoujo#kas rambles
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