#no spoilers but still upset by the end

[thou-babbling-brook]

Basim Ibn Is’haq 🦅💙💛

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow American followers! At the time when I started working on this, character sheets were winning the poll I posted, so I decided to combine my fixation on Mirage with one of the most selected options! This was such a blast to work on, and it was amazing to see how I’ve grown in just a year and a half. Please enjoy!

[hinamie]

in spite of everything, I had fun <3

[egophiliac]

Final manifestations for Book 7?

I'm trying REALLY hard not to build up any solid expectations, because I wanna go in ~fresh~! they're already so far away from anything I thought would happen (not in a bad way, I'm just accepting that I'm on Miss Yana's Wild Ride at this point and we're seeing this thing through 'til the end, by gum). so it's nothing too major, but:

they've been handing new crying expressions out like candy lately, I want to see some delicious Malleus tears.

honestly I want everyone to cry buckets. their tears sustain me. the more Silver angst specifically I get the happier I am.

SILVER!!!! 👏 VANROUGE!!!! 👏

just let him have this. the poor boy's been through so much. let him have his big "I'm proud of you, son" moment with Lilia.

I'm 100% expecting Grim's arc (and probably whatever's going on with Crowley) to be its own episode, but a nice hook to leave us hanging on would be good!

a nice hook though, please, I don't think I can take another "Grim is attacking us! now wait eight months to find out what happens :)" cliffhanger...

some Meleanor? as a treat? just a little bit, a tiny quick flashback or something, please Twst I just, I just want to see her again. let her have a little ghost cameo like Dawnathan Knight got. Lilia and his kids are all having their big group hug or whatever and she can gently fade in to be all like

(turning asks off until I'm done playing, SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE Y'ALL)

[tubbytarchia]

Wild Life finale spoilers: It's seriously so tragic that the interesting themes and drama Wild Life was leading up to came to such a full-stop after struggling to get off the ground with all the hampering from the gimmicks

This isn't me being a girlie kicking my feet at yuri, I'm genuinely upset that Gem and Pearl didn't end up reaching any real conclusion or even any development, and based on what CC Pearl has been saying, I cant help but feel that things just didn't end up playing out the way she wanted. Remember when she said she had "plans" way back in episode 1? It feels like she's desperately trying to kickstart this at several points and especially in the last episode, only to come out of it calling herself and her finale pathetic. And that's just one example of a storybeat I wish were given the chance to go somewhere. I think what exemplifies this whole point well is Scar's rollercoaster, which didn't get a chance to be built till the finale, and even then it failed to kill anyone (aside from zombie Skizz) like he'd wanted since episode 2 before his own unceremonious death

This isn't the fault of any CCs but I do feel like the gimmicks being so intrusive can't be understated, there's nothing wrong with them in a vacuum but for anyone including the CCs seeking out a Life Series experience it's an obstacle. I'm happy for the player who won but I'm so sad that of all seasons they win the one with the least tension or meaningful viewer retention or investment in the characters. To call it underwhelming would be putting it kindly. In the end this has all just felt like bare explorations of interesting themes being presented and done, the series is over now. Nothing about Wild Life will keep me awake at night like the previous seasons aside from what COULD have been and that's really, really sad to me

[myfairstarlight]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[fanofflames]

Why isn't Pops demanding better prison conditions for Chisaki? It's clear, Pops believes he's responsible for Chisaki, to the extend of wanting to scowl him until one of them dies. Yet, he's willing to turn a blind eye to Chisaki's mental and physical state? Where's Pops' so-called humanity?

Chisaki's mental state has deteriorated greatly since his arrest. He had his arms ripped off within the first hours in hero custody. He lost his arms, his quirk, and what he believed, was any chance to revive Pops, all at once. At no point, did any of the heroes think to send Chisaki to therapy to overcome the trauma, or even fit him with prothestics? Chisaki is unable to function without daily assistance now.

Yes, Chisaki is a villain—but where's Pops demanding to the guards that Kai get prothestics, all while scowling Chisaki about straying away from humanity? I'd expect Pops to be negotiating Chisaki's prison sentence, probably Kurono's too, reminding the heroes about the incident with the League and using whatever influence he has left to sway them.

At this point, Kai isn't capable of becoming Overhaul again, he's completely broken. Yet, Pops, and Izuku, are content with seeing Chisaki like this? What happened to saving the crying child or villain redemption?

[kakooshi]

My Hero Academia is ending in 5 chapters so that there will be a sequel where Bakudeku are married and they start a hero agency with Shouto as their sexy secretary. And they all fall in love while trying to navigate post-war society and make it a better one for both heroes and villains. It's true, HORI TOLD ME.

[maybevarric]

it kind of feels like a new studio has bought the rights to dragon age and has made a game by using all the right character and place names, but they've not paid attention to what actually makes the series special

[brown-bear-64]

Honestly the best way I can describe the 2nd season of Arcane is written by extremely competend writers who bit off way more than they could chew. Especially in that short of a timeframe.

It's possible that it was a higher up decision for future League shows, but the focus on the Black Rose & magic worldbuilding took away focus from the core cast and the narrative of 2 cities/sisters opposed to one another. They desperately needed at least 3 more episodes

The writers are competent, but they made some deliberate choices I don't like and pulled focus from things I believe they should've left in focus. It feels like the entire narrative of the show got changed between seasons, and maybe it was always the intention and I should rewatch the entire show front-to-back without a massive hiatus in-between them for me to get it, but from my current standing... It could've been more, and the things that they did focus on and give time to were really good. It's just that the show lost its priorities and primary narrative along the way

[sunsetzer]

Good morning everyone I'm currently thinking about how Orion was the first person Megatron killed and crying into my cereal :')

[monsters-demons-and-ai-oh-my]

Jayce: "You used me, me and Viktor for Hextech, for power."

Mel: "I'm going to be real with you here. I get that you are mad about your boy turning into a Maniacal Mecha Wizard. But I literally taught you how playing politics works why are you shocked I did my job?"

[ndostairlyrium]

I think we're crying for something that has been and it's still there, which is counterproductive. We can still have fun and thrive in the fandom space without new material coming out (allegedly)

And if it doesn't come up, I'm kinda relieved btw, so we don't have to deal with the ramifications of that secret ending that, to be utterly frank and unfiltered, is a cliffhanger but the cliff is one meter tall and made of horse shit

We've had our answers; they were partial, most of the time unsatisfying. However, considering that wings were clipped and some choices were made out of corporate greed rather than care for the source material / the fans of the saga, it could have been worse

I'm just sad for those who wanted to develop something good and that they would be proud of. I liked the game, I was satisfied at the end, even if the "even ifs" were gigantic. I know they know it, but they can't express their opinions publicly for good reasons. Also good for them if they find better work environments, with people that could cherish their talent. They really deserve it. In the meantime, the inspirational things they did, against the odds, won't get lost

We have the right to be upset, that I agree with and I'm there too, but I find the "oh no it's dead" attitude to be undeservingly drastic

[batterycows]

Go Beyond

[river-of-wine]

Now it don’t feel right? I could have told you that.

[eriexplosion]

If they ever did actually bring Tech back I'm sure he would be somewhere completely different, but I think that they should still bring him back as CX-2 needing to be unbrainwashed because. I would almost forgive them for jerking us around for over a year if they did something as funny as death faking the man twice.

[wonderwall-dreaming]

Is it surprising that a dead character will remain dead? No.

Is it disappointing? Yes.

It's been two years since Stranger Things 4 Vol. 2 dropped and Eddie Munson's death is still a sore spot for me.

The problem I had with his death two years ago and still have with it now is that it was extremely predictable and avoidable. The thing is, Eddie's death didn't impact the story for all the characters. It just impacted Dustin.

The Duffers spoke about needing a doomed character for Season 4, and they did have that with Max, but since she's a main character, she has plot armor. They do this every season. They're too afraid to actually do something that will impact the story and all the characters, so they play it safe, bring someone new in that the audience will love, and then kill them.

Now, don't take that as me saying I wish Max died because I don't, I'm just pointing out how they had their doomed character, but the rules didn't apply because she's part of the main cast of characters and those are untouchable. I love Max, I hated seeing her suffer in Season 4, but it is true, she was cursed, a fate that none of the other three characters who were cursed could escape.

My issues with Eddie's death being predictable and avoidable and my issue with the Duffer Brothers' writing aside, here's the real problem. The message his death sent is harmful.

Before someone comes at me about how Stranger Things is fictional, and it's not real, I know, but the thing is, fiction makes people feel very real things. If it can provide them comfort, it can also cause them heartbreak. Storytelling is powerful. The emotions it makes people feel are very real. It doesn't necessarily matter if it's fiction, if it hurts you, it hurts you.

All of that being said, let's get back to my problem with the message his death sends.

The narrative that characters who are suffering, whether that be because of their current circumstances or trauma in their past, dying and finally being at peace is harmful.

Why can't characters who have only known pain get the chance to heal in life? Peace through death is not the only option.

The message is always tied to a character who dies in a self-sacrificial way, essentially killing themselves, and the writers going "Sure that's sad, but look at how bad their life was! They're at peace now." That transcends fiction and for some hits a little too close to home.

Do I think we'll see Eddie in Season 5? Yeah, I do, most likely as some nightmare that will terrorize Dustin, and it's unfortunate because I don't believe it had to be this way.

I think with different writers, Eddie Munson could've had a very different story that would have had its sad moments but wouldn't have ended the way that it did, and overall would have sent a better message to those who relate to him.

I am begging writers to abandon this narrative, especially in stories that are fantasy-based and don't abide by normal "rules" I promise you no one wants to see that really loveable character with trauma essentially commit suicide and then be told it's a good thing because they were suffering.

The Twitter post from the top of my post.