#not that s1 is bad..cheesy yes..but not bad.

[schrutexbucks]

"Anna took Elena" "Yeah, I got that from your 600 voicemails."

The Vampire Diaries S1 E14 Fool Me Once

one gifset per episode 14/171

[masterkeynobi]

have gotten to bad wolf in my rewatch & the s1 ot3 is so good it's absolutely fucking me up. jack winks and he flirts and he makes a thousand cheesy innuendos. jack has very very quietly dug his beating heart out of his chest and handed it on a platter to nine & rose, for all the good it will do him. my god. the doctor says jump, and jack harkness says — without uncertainty, without hesitation — how high? the doctor is in charge, and jack says yes, sir without thinking about it. there's a gun to the doctor's head, and jack screams DON'T TOUCH HIM. blon, her arm around rose's throat, tells jack to bring her the board, and he looks for nine's nod of approval before he moves. blon lets rose go and jack reaches for her, puts his arm between her and danger. jack loves them so thoroughly it will kill him and it will bring him back, again and again and again, only the doctor will never be kind to him again. he won't ever have this uncomplicated earnest love ever again. jack relaxes into the easy companionship of this tardis team, lets himself fall in love and puts himself in front of the bullet when it comes down to it, and he'll never call the tardis home again.

[warsamongthestars]

Honestly you are so right. I never thought about it like that.

Having recently rewatch TBB from their introduction episode in TCW, i kept going "what the hell".

Admittingly, i did NOT like them at first. I enjoyed the other clones, but i just.. couldn't care until after s1 of TBB and even then, only S2 made me fall in love and S3 made me dwell deeper.

But rewatching TCW episodes... i can see why. Its not just that its different writing, that whole episode was INCREDIBLY cheesy, they were cheesy. And whats funny is i don't think they're too bad after their introduction episode.. but its like. They all fit into their sterotypes first episode, but TBB actually gave them personalities i feel, so when rewatching their introduction... it feels.. Not super iconic, sorry if that is an unpopular opinion.

Like their poses and first fight is really cool, but the whole conversation they have not only implies what you said, but also comes off as "edgelord 10 y/o boy who has watched way too many adventure movies". Which i get they were trying to be show offs as well as show the audience they are extreme.

But it just.. comes across as goofy to me.

and to be clear, i know star wars in general can be seen as cheesy, I'm not knocking down cheesy-ness, and i love most TCW episodes new and old, but i think thats why it bothers me ? I don't remember feeling "oh thats cheesy" in a negative light in any other episode, even with other series.

Sorry that this got long !!!!!

Damn, first ask. XD

Thank you for that! But uh...

... The irony here is that I have to disagree. I liked them in TCWs over TBB, and I wanted to see more of what the TCWshow's BBs had to offer.

I went the old fashioned way of watching TCWs (For the clones, I don't care that much about Jedi stories), and by the time I reached S7, they were announcing TBBshow. I had the build up from that, to reach the momentum and when I made it to the Bad Batch Arc, it was like falling in love with clones all over again.

Cliche in function, yes, by all viewing they fullfill their cliches.

But let me point out something that occurs in character writing--How the character acts to their friends, will be different with how the character acts to their coworkers, and how they act to their own families, to how they act to strangers. This is part of how you create a 3-Dimensional Character.

So my interpretation is different. Here's how my thought process went.

What we saw in TCWs, was merely how the BBs act when acting under officers (Coworkers) they didn't know (Strangers).

( Wrecker starts enthusiastic but "dumb" muscle, but as the Arc went on, he actually mellowed out. Showing that while he's excitable, he's not actually as excitable as what he introduced himself as. He's clever not "dumb muscle", he's multi-capable (he's the second pilot of the Marauder), he's in more control of himself than anyone on the team (hence that when he lifts Jesse up, Jesse is fine afterwards, when by that point we've seen that he lifts ships--he could've easily hurt Jesse but he didn't))

Given they don't look or act like clones, and looking and acting like clones is expected in their position or risk removal, they were effectively playing themselves up as their "cliches" in order to sell their skills and avoid unnecessary or even dangerous questions.

( Hunter is constantly snarky and never directly answers anything about "who you report to" or "how many missions you were on". But at the start, he was promoting the hell out of his unit's capabilities. )

The Bad Batch were a series of characters that bounced off each other beautifully. Its something everyone noticed about them.

(From Crosshair using Tech's shoulder as a mount, to Wrecker tossing Hunter up, to Hunter and Crosshair's subtle backing each other up, to Wrecker quoting Tech. )

Their group dynamics are part of their greatest strength as a set of characters.

With the introduction of Echo, who unlike in TBB, Echo was enthusiastic and clever and crafty, with a playful sense of humor (not unlike how he started as a character in TCWs).

You've got an excellent addition to a group that already has strong character dynamics.

Echo, having been an Audience Surrogate Character for Clones in TCWs, would've easily been the main POV of whatever BB show came out of TCWs. Because he can ask the questions the audience would ask, and Echo is a familiar character with years of backing that the audience would be familiar with.

So you're right, in my book, about TCWshow. Though how I view how right you are is different because of my subtext.

The Bad Batch Arc of TCWs was a Good, if a bit trippy, Start, and not a finisher for the team. After all, all introductions tend to be rather clumsy (just ask TCWs' pilot film).

Which laid in the implication that we're going to Get that Finisher. And the journey.

But when we hit TBB... Then turned the nuance surface of TCWs Bad Batch, and either cut it out, or dumbed it down, or in two cases, changed it entirely.

( TCWs Hunter was a snarky worrywort who let his brothers do the actions while he stays in the corner, but he's dragged out because he's the "Sergeant". TBB Hunter is a stoic quiet type who wants order and control. TCWs Hunter and TBB Hunter are two entirely different characters. In fact, if I may speculate fan wise, TBB Hunter would be the kind of person that would cause TCWs Hunter to Shutdown... and we have evidence of this from TCWs; where Rex gets into Hunter's face, and Hunter shutsdown entirely until after the scene change. )

( Wrecker got dumbed down. That Explosive Enthusiasm he played up, became his defining feature (They effectively pulled a misfandom on their own original creation). While they did show he does have vulnerabilities and some of that TCWs cleverness... it often got overshadowed. )

( They removed Crosshair and broke the group dynamic, destroying the strongest part of their characters, which was their interactions with each other. )

( Echo went from Enthusiastic, Clever and Humor, to Just Bitchy. They didn't bring back his other facet at all. And mid way through TBB, they removed his character--effectively making anything about him a moot point. It nullified his introduction into the BBs )

( And I'm not going to go into a tyraid here about Omega. )

And suddenly, there wasn't any nuance anymore, because the BBs acted the same everywhere they went. There wasn't any developments, because the BBs didn't discuss anything for the audience to know.

Maybe a dramatic glance in the distance--but that's more Cliche than their character archetypes. Character Archetypes, no matter how obvious, can shift and change as they Develop.

But there's no character developing in TBB that doesn't involve how the show broke what made them strong characters to begin with.

Its like trying to make a house, but the foundation is the ceiling and attic, and the "ceiling" is the 3000 tons of solid fucking concrete.

The story, which was about how the Empire rose from the Republic, was literally elsewhere, so there was nothing that spurred the characters to do anything that involved the plot.

Now as you can prolly guess by this point, I'm very very keen on Character Driven stories, and I pay attention to character. While I treat all things as a "fan-fiction" (Given that fan-fiction shows the effort it takes to create a story or create anything), when it comes to officially published stuffed--so with teams, and a budget, and hired people to do the work--I expect the "fan-fiction" to go up in quality, to follow the format and standard set up and simply either stick to it or surpass it.

I think TBBshow was too clumsy, too fragmented, and far too shiny, for what it had. Having a small part of the metaphorical quilt work, doesn't subtract from the fact that the rest of the quilt is full of holes.

Have small good points, I'm afraid, doesn't make up for the fact that it was overall, a poorly written show that bites its prior series' hand.

It just means that, now, you have to steal the good points to add to whatever BBsquad exists in one's mind.

You take the part of the quilt that works... and make your own Quilt, and damn whoever fucked up the first job.

[jonquilete]

stelena all things tvd pt.2 ig

I swear my thoughts are all a mess exactly how i put them here too.

Anyway Paul and Nina? Amazing!!!! They are the best partners of each other. Their soulmatism but platonic but for work is insane. They just are so good with each other. It’s like a body language that they fit but they do in being partners. I can see why they casted them. I stand by my earlier saying that Paul/Stefan is boring and annoying. They just are. You can’t explain. I enjoy his complicated story much more now that I know more about writing and character arc etc. But it’s still boriiiiiiing. Funny enough I loved his character in season 7. And i just kept thinking he should have been this Stefan since the beginning. Fck the story and the brooding and all that vampire mysterious bs. He was such a gentleman and open and sweet and cool the boyfriend vibes were off the charts. It’s where Damon also fell off, Ian‘s acting was just the same bs and he became such a manchild and pathetic he became annoying. But Stefan was looking good too and just best man indeed. It’s ironic that he is the best version of himself while he is with Caroline and Elena is off the show. He just had a glow to him. Caroline?! Maybe. No i just mean the story in s7 was so different. They weren’t in highschool and college anymore they were all „grown“ up leading grown up people lives. The cheesiness and the melancholy and the drama and the intense „feelings“ were away. Because with Elena in the show? It was always about the triangle and how they did Stefan dirty and there was just always the Delena versus Stefan that it just became so ugh so girlish which I don’t want to say bc it’s misogynistic. But I mean with Elena in the show we know the writers had a soft spot for her as the main character that everything revolved around her and how special and the best she is blabla. And by s6 they just started being a normal show for me and not tvd style. Caroline was basically a Karen, Stefan let go of all his brooding mysterious act around him and all his struggles with blood were away and yeah he just became normal and charming and we didn’t have to struggle with him anymore which was annoying to watch. I mean since Elena became with Damon in s5 it was donwhill for the show. Elena also fell off so bad she wasn’t the same Elena who was the heroine of the story anymore. She was just the girlfriend of Damon and went along with whatever. It’s in a way more realistic and easy but in the tvd style she just became ooc and like she was on drugs or smthg. I just didn’t like that at all. And I mean the writers just were annoying. Yes Delena is toxic and them writing it and still making it endgame it’s just??? Don’t write it that way then????? They just tried to include Stefan still and make Elena be friendly and happy with Stefan and it’s like?? In what world exactly. If I was Stefan I would not care about them anymore. It’s ridiculous. And then they made Stelena friends. Which was the only way to make them still connected with each other. I liked the season six vibe more of them. Nina also was acting more calm and normal and not crazy as s5 so they were kind of better. The whole doppelgänger plot was insane to me and horrible. Lowkey I like it bc delena happened when she was still with stefan so kind of payback for the delenacrazies to make them connected like that. Acting like they don’t have a bond it’s just crazy but we were all so over the bs in s4 that when she chose Damon I was like now can we move on please. But no we had to go through season 5. Ugh ugh ugh

Anyway Stelena in s1. Instant connection and fell for each other. All the red flags are justified for Stefan because he was a vampire with secrets. But they were soulmates. They literally write diaries. They read books and we see them bonding over it in episode 2. They are empathetic and like to do the right moral thing. Yes they were soulmates. Nobody understood better their deep souls like each other. It’s what they were going for in s1. They know each other the best. It’s just the delena rising that ruined their story. So from s2 it’s donwhill. Even Elena says that her type is the hero in season 6 when she has her memory wiped. It’s just understandable why they fell for each other. For Stefan she was the love of his life. But sadly not for her. They were so dedicated to each other, saving each other always from the bad or the darkness.. Always bringing out the best in each other. It’s just good writing and it’s beautiful and I appreciate it. I really do. Stefan fell for Elena for her. It’s Damon that fell for her because she isn’t Katherine. It just makes sense like this

Delena don’t have anything in common besides being the bigger siblings who had to save their younger siblings from suffering and shielding them sometimes. And being very easy going. I think that’s why it’s easy to ship Delena. Because he isn’t Stefan who is always brooding and suffering from some pain and death or blood problem or past problem. Damon is just Damon. Fun and sexy and a huge simp for Elena. Of course people shipped it. I guess we could say that they both as humans valued love and he loved Katherine despite the vampire side and so did Elena with Stefan. But the relationship isn’t the same. I truly feel like he fell because she isn’t Katherine and she didn’t treat him like Katherine did. It’s so obvious. He came back to town but he was on pursuit of Katherine. Stefan instantly fell for Elena for who she is. Immediately. Damon was just obsessed and had a curiosity for her because she literally looked like Katherine so it was trippy and he flirted. Yes they had a friendly thing going on and I think they were kind of friends to lovers coded in a way. But he didn’t fell for her immediately how Stefan did. They didn’t connect that way. Elena is a deep person with feelings. Only Stefan could match up that energy lmfao. Elena with Damon doesn’t have any baggage. She has no cares in the world, she is healed and is ooc at times and not serious. When she was with Stefan she sometimes was but that was bc of all the bs and supernatural things going on and being a sacrifice. I enjoy both the ships. Delena more so. Because as I said it’s easier to love them. They are both pretty and easy going and he is the bad boi turned simp for the girl. I mean come on now. I think they didn’t challenge each other that much how they always sad. I think Stelena was more challenging on becoming together and they had constant issues with esch other and they persisted and got through them. Delena being together is very easy, easy as breathing but in the detriment of Elena‘s heroine character and the challenge was just Damon being a killer and not döing the right thing and Elena enabling his behavior. With Stefan shé always called him out, and they worked through things. Elena just kind of brushed it off because she feels alive. I agree on feeling alive. I agree that Delena felt more passionate more realistic more „mature“. Elena was healed in a way. As a vampire she kind of didn’t care anymore and just wanted to be happy which she achieved with Damon. And I am not against it at all. I feel like she definitely felt better and alive and happier and her old self before her parents died. She had fun. I love that. It’s just they could have written Delena better in s5 and not like that and toxic. And make them more grounded. Elena didn’t feel like Elena at all. I feel like the direction was that: act like you were humans back then. Elena all busy and fun and Damon just how human Damon was more calming and insecure in his love and relationship with Kath/Elena. But the toxic part was just so annoying. I guess in s6 she fell again for Damon without memories. It’s cute. I think Delena is more cute than Stelena ever was. They are more funny more easy going with each other, they are sexually also more active, he is a simp for her calls her baby and goes along with her stupid bs like watching a meteor shower. The rain kissssssss!!!!!!!!! Pls it’s so cute it’s straight from the fanfictions. And they both look so good with each other outside. Of course it was this popular. But they didn’t have the depth that Stelena have. And when they just became friends i kind of liked it. Kind of. It’s good and sweet. It worked for Elena bc she had Damon. But for Stefan Elena‘s was the love of his life. Caroline wasn’t like Damon was to Elena. So I just felt bad. I wonder if Stefan was like s7 Stefan from the beginning, would Stelena be more loved?!?!? Anyway it was always going to be this trio. So it made sense that Stefan died in the end. It just sucks especially since delena won. Welp tvd lives on foreverrrr..🥀❤️❤️❤️

[bunnyburrowsys]

its not media literacy to say that suitcase is someone who can't stand up for herself.

knife mistreated (yes, past-tense) everyone. but he has changed. that includes suitcase. she has changed. why in the everloving fuck are you saying knife is a bad person even though he has been called "soft" by trophy and has literally told suitcase "i can't protect you anymore". yeah, knife has his flaws but where have you seen people deny that. people have only been denying that he's a WOMAN BEATER because that is an insane thing to say abt his S1 self. knife was a bully. he'd pick on literally anyone. just because s2 has a darker tone doesn't mean every single other season is some how as mature as s2. s1 had slapstick forgods sake. it doesn't go deeper than that.

please do not slap the misogynistic sticker on every male character you see hit a character that happens to be a woman. it's rlly annoying. like: super annoying. is cheesy now misogynistic because he made fun of microphone? is nickel now misogynistic because he was horrible to suitcase? i think not.

anyway ummmmm byeeee

Fronting: Lollipop [She/He]

knifecase is insane to me. youre going to ship a mentally ill woman who famously has problems standing up for herself with the woman beater who has already failed her twice? Good Grief

HELP NOT THAT TWITTER POST-📻

[blues-valentine]

its been funny watching r*nis come out from under the floor these past few days to claim the s1 confession "can never be topped" when it already did. twice. the rina flashback and rina kiss scene were better. r*ni always gave cheesy high school vibes while rina gives the type of build up tension you see outside of disney

Sorry for the delay in response.

This will be a very controversial response. I’m not surprised to see them talking about that S1 scene because they’ve been inserting weird takes every time Rina or Gina gets a spotlight, but if we want to be realistic. Rina scenes have always been better both in writing and acting.

I like Ricky and Nini's arc. I don’t think they were a good couple but I still love the message and their closure. It was really well done and stayed true — both being a representation of their childhood. I made a post about why the show was telling you Ricky and Nini weren’t going to be endgame and why I think their closure was well done. They were rooted in the past (childhood). Their scenes always had a hint of nostalgia and rarely about moving forward ("I never outgrew you"). So to answer, it’s weird they're being compared, the two scenes couldn’t have been more different. I think Ricky and Nini's S1 confession was chessy but it works for them. It was supposed to be a cute little thing about them reminiscing what made them fall in love. It was very Disney like, not bad just not incredible. I do believe the acting and directing (especially during the kiss) could’ve been better and I usually avoid the scene because it gives me the cringe when I watch.

It’s crazy to think the Rina flashback was filmed after that scene because the switch up was instant. Sofia is just so talented and brought tears to my eyes but I think Josh’s acting got better too. He's always been so good with facial expressions and I think his acting gets better with Sofia in the room. They're good on screen partners. Like, that whole scene was flawless. The acting and the dialogue was amazing. Like "I wouldn’t give up on us if I wasn’t moving away" poetic but also the build up to reveal this scene? It’s one of the craziest things the show ever did and the directing of that scene ending with Ricky's reflection on the mirror? You can see the effort being put onto Rina scenes.

Now, the Rina kiss scene was flawless and such a perfect first kiss for this couple. The directing of the scene with them standing on an empty stage with reflectors on them and the siluetee of their first kiss? Beautiful. I also explained why it was important for Gina to confess and Ricky to make the move. I have to say the delivery of the speech paired with Ricky's expression was executed beautifully. The "You aren’t a maybe, you’re a yes" is probably one of the most romantic lines of the show. I love that Ricky’s kiss at first is tentative. After all that speech, he is still unsure of her reaction. That look between them after their first kiss, both breathless and anticipating what the other does? Amazing. Their second kiss was truly was made me felt – this is it, this is the build up of people that have had feelings for a long time. The tension and passion was palpable. It was done so great. This second kiss paired with the Rina song in a full orchestra? Yeah, it’s hard to top this scene.

The thing with Rini for me is that — I never felt connected to their love story because we never saw it. We hear why they love each other but didn’t see it for ourselves. I also think their scenes were cute, but the typical scenes you get in Disney. There’s not yearning or that spark, it was pretty generic. The same I would say for PW. Pretty cliche, Disney like scenes. As you said, Ricky and Gina are bringing back real romantic build up in a very teen age ship way. Their scenes always felt a little more mature to me in dialogue and execution. While they get to be silly, most of their scenes feel very intense. It always had this "forbidden love" element Tim was talking about. Their chemistry and energy is very dynamic and interesting — it feels electric at times and this is what sets them apart from those very Disney oriented couple.

[jemmo]

Hey have you ever watched We Best Love?

have i watched we best love???? me????? oh anon you have well and truly opened a can of worms.

we best love was the second BL i ever watched and the first one i fell HARD for. and when i say fell hard, i mean i used to rewatch the entire show, both seasons, weekly for a solid month. i was obsessed. and still to this day it has to be in my top 5 BLs ever.

and the thing is… i kinda feel like it’s a perfect precursor to bad buddy in so many ways???? especially the first season. bc yes they’re both enemies to lovers (even tho pat and pran technically were never enemies), but what i mostly mean is that, like bad buddy, we best love to me is a simple plot done excellently and that’s what i love. don’t get me wrong, i love my fair share or wackiness and drama and we defo get drama in s2, but s1 is just this simple love story, of 2 boys getting to know each other, of one trying to peruse a long held crush despite years of holding back, despite years of telling himself it won’t happen, despite years of saying friendship would suffice, and of the other having this revelation, that maybe what he’s wanted has always been there right in front of him and he just didn’t see it before. thinking about it, it really is very bad buddy-ish in that way too.

and then s2 hits you like a 10 ton truck. bc the separation????? omg it really broke me. and it’s so over the top it could’ve come off cheesy or way too dramatic but somehow it didn’t???? somehow i believe all of it, i believe that, even after getting together, shide still had this insecurity that it was too good to be true, that he wasn’t good enough, and when given the opportunity to be apart, he took it thinking shuyi would move on and find someone better. and shuyi, god shuyi, he opens up his heart once and it truly gets trampled on, broken apart. he comes from this empty home where things are handed to him and decisions are made for him and he has all these expectations on his shoulders, and for once he does something for himself and it falls apart. so i so so see why shuyi would break, and i just remember so vividly what he said to shide after he argued with his father and told him to leave, how he talked about how all he wanted was for shide to stick by his side, to not take on his father by himself but do it together, to listen to him and let him decide what to do, what’s important. in that moment, shuyi feels like shide doesn’t trust him to fight or to choose him over his father, when he would’ve done that in a heartbeat and god ughhhhh the conflict is perfect in my opinion.

just thinking about this show already has me teary. there’s so many lines and scenes that stab at my heart and get to me like nothing else. both leads are phenomenal actors and have incredible chemistry. and the ost is full of emo bops, I think at least 2 of the songs are in my top 5 most listened to songs of the year. so yeah… there you have it anon. i don’t know if you expected such an innocent question to spark all this ranting and believe me i could go on way way way more but I won’t for your sake. just know this show is v v special to me and I adore it.

[redxblueihateloveyou]

I'm surprised people see Tadashi as the victim in his relationship with Ainosuke, when it's Tadashi the one who time and time again takes away Ainosuke's agency, without being able to see that he is throwing him unto unhappiness. I can't help but think that if Tadashi was not working at Shindo's house, Ainosuke would have maybe left or broke with the family. But he can't do that if he wants the relationship with Tadashi going on, seing how Tadashi is set on enforcing the family rules...

Hmm.. I def agree with the fact that Tadashi is not what most fandom makes out of him, my man (I mean, Adam’s man) is a 100% Slytherin. But I disagree with blaming him for this, after all the revealed info. The environment they were both raised in made their situation complicated.

I like Tadashi a lot, he’s probably my fav thing about this anime, bc he’s a dark horse, and I’m once again surprised, that so little ppl see him for who he really is, portraying him as an innocent puppy, which he is definitely not.

Now to why I think both Tadashi and Adam are victims of the dad and aunties in this situation. 

We can of course say “if only they told each other how they really feel...”, but like we can say it about any love story really. Every author knows it’s no fun. The truth is that yes, they both hurt each other, and yes, if they were honest about their feelings things would’ve been different, but as I’ve already wrote under that “toxic” commentary on YT, lets look at the whole situation from both of their point of views:

We know that Adam when he was little always treated Tadashi as an equal, he never ever thought of him as someone lower than him and after their fall out, the only reason for this “harsh” treatment (well, besides their confirmed kink) was that Adam tried to get a reaction out of him, so Tadashi would stand up for himself, bc Ainosuke got mad about Tadashi caving to his dad’s wishes and abandoning him, when he needed him the most. 

But now, knowing the fact that Tadashi was his dad’s secretary and was under his control, let’s see it from his perspective: Tadashi wanted to stay by Adam’s side, Adam’s dad implied that if Tadashi did say smth, he’s gonna be.. well, dismissed and they won’t see each other ever again. That’s what caused Tadashi to stay silent in that moment. Ainosuke instead saw this as a “he’s not on my side” thing, well, because. Tadashi won’t tell him his problem, bc dad and aunties control everything, so even if he does tell him, what a teen would do really? He didn’t have any powers back then to make his dad do anything. 

And that’s when it all gone to shit, since they both were hurt for their own reasons. It’s easy to say leave the family, but 1stly nobody explained to Adam still that he’s physically and psychologically abused by his family, he sees it as them “loving him” and sadly also loves them, bc nobody told him, that love wasn’t supposed to be like that really. He definitely feels that smth is not right and feels emotionally exhausted there bc of this treatment, but did he ever consider leaving? I really don’t think so. He feels obligated to be worthy of a family, who “loves” him.

Do you think, for example, that Akashi Seijuro hates his dad for what he did to him? No. Does he understand that he wasn’t at fault for what happened to him and that his dad instead of comforting his child after his mother’s death, who was his only safe haven, made everything worse? I don’t think he does. Like his mom gave him basketball, an escape from all that family’s obligations and strictness. After her death, it was the only thing left that brought him joy, but his dad ruined even that, saying that if he’s gonna be bad at it/lose, he’d take it away from him too. Does Akashi see this as emotional abuse? No, he sees it like “well, I have to be the best bc I was born in such powerful family, so if my dad says that I must be best at everything, then I must.”

I personally hate such parents a lot. To me it doesn’t matter if Adam’s dad didn’t know about aunties hitting his child. Like if he was too busy to notice this and have no time for his kid and made his childhood miserable, it doesn’t make it any better really. 

Same as with Akashi’s dad. Some are like “he was probably also grieving about his wife”. Emm? He was like this from the beginning, bc he treated Akashi not as his son, but as his heir. And yes, that’s different things. Same with Endeavor and Todoroki. Your child is not your post production thing.

2ndly they were too young, even if they knew about each others feelings and he didn’t feel obligated and told everyone to fuck off, they’d be on the streets now, but also Adam’s dad doesn’t seem like a guy who’d leave them alone really. Also eloping seems very romantic, but I don’t think it is, esp when you’re teens. Did you want him to sell some expensive watch and go live on Hawaii or smth? Bc finding a decent job there would be difficult at this age, esp with everyone knowing who your dad is. Chen Ke from “Antidote” survived bc he was 27 and had connections and some great friends. Adam was in high school, where would he go exactly?

Now let’s go back to now. Obviously all this time it didn’t even cross Tadashi’s mind that for Ainosuke he comes first and that he would throw everyone under the bus to make Tadashi stay with him. As we see at the end, he legit believed that Adam was planning to send him to jail and didn’t get that he said it just to shaken he up and that he knew who he’d set up for this from the beginning. 

To Adam obviously it doesn’t matter whether they’re in a quarrel or not, he would never him go. Yes, he’s mad at him, he’s angry and hurt, but Tadashi’s still the person he needs the most, he’s still the person who brightens his days, even tho he deliberately behaves like he annoys him. He always looks at him and looks at him and looks at him, but then hisses smth to hurt him. Bc he knows that he needs him, but he also hates that he needs him, bc he thinks it’s unrequited.

And that’s how their classic romance goes in hellish circles. No one wants to talk as usual. Adam is mad Tadashi is like that bc his dad turned him into a slave with no opinion, while Tadashi is scared that Adam would be taken away from him bc of his ugly family. 

Now I still think that no one and I mean no one can take Tadashi from Adam now, he is his precious. So my plan is... if Tadashi made aunties do smth against him or to get rid of him, aunties will go for sure. The problem is Tadashi still doesn’t get that he comes first, so we’re stuck in this hell still.

So anyways, my point is Adam’s heart basically sings “you got a hold of me, don’t even know your power” to Tadashi, but he doesn’t hear it, bc of his insecurities, the way he was raised and his status. But yes, he holds all the power. He’s both Adam’s sanity and insanity. No matter how cheesy it sounds he was basically his only ray of sunshine in the darkness, if you take it away, that’s what it leads to, that’s why Ainosuke-sama needs more ppl who care for him. I don’t want anyone to die next time, just cause Tadashi and Adam fought about where to put their new couch lmao. I’m kidding, but you know what I mean. And kill the aunties, pls seriously, we need to be free.

Also ppl need to remember that like lots of animes/characters are parcially inspired by some other animes/characters, also the chosen seiyuus are also very important, there are lots of stuff like jokes and references, that creators use, from characters being fully inspired by smth like “Assassination classroom” characters based on KNB, to little stuff like Levi dressed in Akashi’s uniform in chibi AOT bc Hiroshi Kamiya. Utsumi already said before stuff like she sometimes think of a perfect voice for the character and then fully forms him, we also know her clear love for sports animes. So yes, I doubt Tadashi/Kuroko thing is a coincidence and even tho someone was like “zone? is this knb or smth?” I was like no, zone is actually a common thing in sports, even tho most associate it with KNB including me, it’s not like its their invention, but there were things inspired by this for sure, and from other sports animes too and no, I don’t mean the basic sports anime tropes, I mean, like way too specific things, some character designes, too. And yes, Langa appearence and personality wise is a rinharu child for real, I can literally split his scenes in “that’s Haru”, “that’s Rin”.

That’s why I’ve said that this situation in fandom reminds me of Kuroko/Akashi situation a lot, bc same as here in KNB ppl for some reason automatically thought that Kuroko is this innocent sheep and Akashi is the wolf (but also like it was Akashi who chose to dress as red riding hood, while Kuroko was a wolf lmao), not even seeing who is in reality more dangerous and who can easily control who. It just buffles me bc it’s not some deep analisys really. I mean once again there’s a reason for the saying that the sub holds all the power over the dom. 

And like just bc someone yells or threatens ppl constantly doesn’t necessarily mean he is a psycopatic killer, and just bc someone is quiet and doe-eyed, doesn’t mean he isn’t. I didn’t think we needed to explain this to someone, but aparently we do?

And it honestly kills me just how superficially ppl are watching things these days. It really gives me war flashbacks to stuff like the last mdzs s1 episode, where ppl started to comment things like “how LZ can be so heartless” lmao. Or that anonymous ask “do you think haru misses rin?”. Like you don’t see thing at all? Grey substance no needed, while watching things?

P.S. I also would die to see Adam vs Tadashi race just bc I for some reason can bet all my money, that it’s the same situation as with Akashi refusing to ankle break Kuroko, no matter how mad he is. I just can’t imagine Ainosuke hitting Tadashi in the face with a board. Like 100% sure he wouldn’t even try tbh.

[wearethewinx]

the animation isn't bad, just low-budget. that's typical for pilots in general, but we're not actually talking about a pilot- the pilot was Magic Bloom, which test-screened in 2002! the first season was developed as a season, and the first episodes actually do a REALLY good job of establishing characters and making the audience curious about the world. the logic is really no more swiss cheesy than the rest of the series imo

but there's a lot of skill on display, even with the jank. the style and design were (and still are) unique and eyecatching, and the characters are expressive and even have some distinct body language. the animators did a lot with the resources they had!

and as to the standards for kids shows, yes, they were different. have a quick google around what cartoons were airing in 2004, when winx premiered in the USA, and you might see why it stuck out so much. story-driven cartoons were borderline nonexistent, fantasy was EXTREMELY thin on the ground (the winx style of modern fantasy remains almost 100% unique to this day) cartoons for girls were in the extreme minority, and the girls cartoons that DID exist were nothing like winx, with the possible exception of sailor moon (and boy, if you want janky, look no further than OG sailor moon!)

you might reflexively want to refute this with examples - totally spies, kim possible, the last airbender, and teen titans immediately spring to mind, don't they? but the reason they immediately spring to mind is because they were exceptional. everyone remembers them because they were game-changers

the media landscape of 2004 was wildly different, but that doesn't mean the standards were just 'that much lower.' likewise, winx s1 does have low production quality, but that doesn't make it trash

So recently I’ve had cause to watch a fair bit of children’s tv, and while I’m Winx til I die, it does make me wonder how the fuck Winx club got passed the pilot.

Like, the first three episode of Winx suck.

The animation is janky as fuck, scale clearly didn’t matter to anyone and (at least in both the English dubs) the dialogue is bizarre. The plot takes some leaps of logic too, I think it took me seven chapters to deal with the beginning in my season one rewrite.

Were standards for kids just that lower in the 00s, or did we all just decide that the sparkly outfits were worth it?

I’m glad that it did get picked up and then dubbed and then beamed into my face, I just have a few questions about production.

[burnwithtears]

I’m glad you talked about how weird 2B is because I feel like they dropped everything and now suddenly the dynamics shifted, they bring up conversations (like the chocolates) that don’t add anything. It feels very inconsistent. They had Gina feeling super heartbroken on 2A and suddenly it’s not there anymore. But I do feel like she’s suppressing her feelings for Ricky and convincing herself to move on (with EJ). Now I don’t think Ricky will 'confess to her' either because I think he needs time first before going into a new relationship. And I don’t think he is even aware of what he feels for Gina yet. But I do think he will learn about Gina’s feelings in the finale. I don’t think Ricky actually understood what she said to him that day on opening night, and it will hit him what it meant soon. I have a feeling that s3 will start with them after summer break, so they had some time to figure out themselves, paralleling s1.

YES!!!!! I also don’t think he understood what she meant, because Ricky isn’t cruel like that. Yes, he can be VERY self-centered, but in season 2 we are seeing his evolution and how he’s trying to help his friends even though he doesn’t feel 100% okay (like with Carlos). So my wish for this finale is that he reaches out to her and tries to repair their broken friendship (idk if he realizes that it’s broken, but it’s definitely not the same as it was before), and maybe realize what she actually meant.

Now, returning to the inconsistency topic, let’s list all the “wtf” choices the writers made, which makes the fandom go nuts over different interpretations:

- none of Gina’s friends noticed when she was hurting really bad in 2A, but somehow noticed “her thing” with EJ (I would personally prefer my friends comforting me when I’m clearly sad, instead of prying on my love life)

- Gina was ignoring Ricky in episodes 1 and 2 (super valid), but in episode 3 she shows up at his doorstep (i feel like his confusion is very valid too)

- Ricky feels weird when Big Red was telling Gina about his “cheesy” line of wanting Nini to stay, but somehow was okay with telling Gina about the song in episode 3 and the whole “if we were dating” thing during Carlos’ party

- the huge change of tone from episodes 6 to 7, regarding Gina, and how she doesn’t even address if she moved on from Ricky or not, which makes me definitely agree with you about her supressing her feelings and trying to move on. I wish this was more explicit through dialogue. Maybe this will be her truth in the finale? (two ways this can go: either she says she’s moved on, or she makes it clear that she still feels something for Ricky)

- Ricky will just accept that Gina doesn’t want to talk to him anymore when he clearly was confused by it??? I understand him not talking to her about it yet because, like i said, Ricky is very self-centered this season, and it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care about her, just that he’s pretty much oblivious to everything else (like CarlosxSeb issues, EJ crushing on Gina... the list goes on). But this situation has to be addressed at SOME POINT.

I don’t know, at this point I think we’re all being baited somehow. The writers know many many people love Ricky and Gina’s relationship. To just brush it off like that, without a closure and without repairing AT LEAST their friendship??? Or make them talk about their feelings, even if somehow they’ve moved on (like what I think they’ll do with Rini and the cards)??? And STILL mention the chocolate thing, and bring up Gina’s feelings for Ricky in front of Nini, while everyone stares awkwardly??? No pay-off for any of this? It’s unacceptable, and bad writing.

Unless........... they are planning to make it the big cliffhanger of the season. Then I can see a reason for all this baiting.

[lostbutterflyutau]

Hi! Sorry if you’ve already answered this question, but what was it that initially drew you to Gabela?

Hi, Anon!

I don’t believe I’ve answered that question.

Now, I don’t actually ship this couple anymore (in fact, I actually hate them), but while writing this, I’m going to talk as if they have a relationship for simplicity reasons.

To be honest, it started as a joke. When I started planning out my AU timeline for EoA a few years ago, I wasn’t sure I wanted any romance in Carla’s story. But when I introduced my best friend to the show and we were watching the Spy in the Palace arc, she made a joke about Carla and Mateo being together. Because I never liked that idea, I told her that another fandom friend actually pitched the idea of Gabe and Carla being a possibility due to the whole “cop and bad guy” trope (her words, not mine. I barely get tropes) and she decided that, “That’s even better.”

From there, we started having discussions about the idea of Gabela as a ship and its appeal to me actually evolved over time as we began to see more of them and their developments in canon which, in turn, helped me build and then rebuild their characters both in and outside of the relationship within my own AU timeline. Ultimately, they would have had a really sweet relationship once they figured themselves out.

Now, what I mean by that is that both Gabe and Carla aren’t exactly the best with their feelings. Gabe in particular was canonically shown to be somewhat of a dork when he’s interested in someone given his actions during that early S1 crush on Elena. I don’t imagine it being any different once he realises through spending time with her during the Mirror World AU that he likes Carla. And Carla is largely the same. She’s a flirt, yes. But there’s a marked difference between being a flirt when you’re trying to manipulate people and actually trying to get the attention of someone you really like. The hitch there is that she truly likes Gabe and doesn’t want to manipulate him, but also doesn’t know how to properly express that, in part because of her background and people knowing that she previously played games with men’s hearts. In the original version of the timeline, she even asks Elena how to “get rid of it” when Elena “diagnoses” her with having a crush during a private conversation because she doesn’t quite know how to process those feelings. She has to accept that fact herself before ever thinking about approaching Gabe.

Carla may be a secret romantic who hides her romance novels (at least, that’s how I personally characterise her) but also knows there’s a divide between the guilty pleasure fantasies she enjoys in private and the reality of trying to express her feelings to an actual person. Especially considering the image that she spent so long building for herself as someone who’s strong and tough and doesn’t believe in those stories that others might call stupid or cheesy. Plus, there was also the lingering conflict from ideas she was told by other women thieves growing up. As much as she didn’t want to believe them and clung to her idea of happy ever after, she couldn’t help but think she wouldn’t be good enough for someone like Gabe. And even in the beginning of their relationship she struggles with idea, particularly when they’re found to be dating by some of other guys right before a ball planned specifically for the royal guard, and they start razzing him about it. After all, why would the Captain of the Guard want a former thief? He could probably have any girl he wants, and yet, he chose Carla.

Additionally, I feel they could learn from each other in ways that would help them grow as a couple and individuals. The biggest example of this I like to use is the contrast between Gabe’s protective nature and Carla’s fierce independence. Carla don’t need to be protected in the sense of what Gabe’s being a royal guard traditionally provides. She can use magic and is good at it. She spent most of her life on the road with just her father and learned how to make her way in less-than-suitable circumstances. In short, she can take care of herself. However, Gabe has this natural protectiveness in him that I imagine led to a handful of fights early on in the relationship as they both learned how to balance these opposing parts of their personalities. Gabe had to learn to take a step back and let Carla tell him when she needs him. But, because she’s stubborn, he also has to learn how to support and look after Carla in ways she may not ask for but needs. Carla, on the other hand, has to build trust in Gabe and learn to be vulnerable around him. She’s notoriously awful with her emotions and letting people in. Even when she needs help, she won’t ask for it out of pride. But with a romantic relationship, she has to learn to navigate these things and be able to ask for help when she needs it.

It takes time, but they do fall into a dynamic. Once Carla begins to open up and fully trust Gabe, she gets more comfortable letting him know when she needs him and he gets better at reading her cues and knowing when to step in even when she’s being stubborn. The definition of protection simply changes a bit and he finds other ways to fulfil the need such as looking after her when sick, being there when she needs to vent out her feelings, comforting her when she struggles with her fears and insecurities, and helping her wherever he can when she plans events and festivals.

I guess if I had to describe it all simply, I think they would each be a good support system for the other. Carla knows how to live a little crazy when things get too stressful, and Gabe lets himself be bogged down by rules and obligations. Gabe knows how to settle down and analyse situations when Carla gets worked up about things or tries to go too far off the rails and can help ground her. He’s probably 85% of her impulse control, to be honest.

Unfortunately, it’s been said around the fandom that, beyond not being canon, their personalities wouldn’t be compatible. I personally disagree. I feel they have an interesting “opposites attract” dynamic in several ways. While they show similarities in being loyal, having strong connections to their respective parents (Gabe with Blanca, specifically and Carla with Victor, of course) and having passion for the things that drive them (Gabe with being a guard, and Carla in general. She’s a passionate person and just needed to redirect some of that energy into less criminal endeavours), there are also differences between the two.

Carla is fun and flirty and has less qualms about bending the rules to do things like play magical pranks or skip etiquette lessons to go out for ice cream when Gabe gets a day off. But, at the same time, she wants to rebuild her image and will sometimes work herself too hard because of her refusal to accept help and wanting people to see her as more than a thief. Gabe is a bit of a stickler for the rules and appreciates routine (but always prepares for unpredictability) and sometimes struggles with putting aside some of his duties in order to let himself take a break. In that, I guess you could say they have another similarity. They both struggle with their respective images and how people view them due to their backgrounds – Carla as a former criminal and Gabe as a “baker boy” with ambitions that extend beyond the family business. But – and I hope this makes sense – it’s their differences that help each other with that shared struggle.

It’s because Carla teaches Gabe that it’s okay to sometimes bend rules and take a break that he’s able to advise her to do the same when she needs it. Likewise, because Gabe sometimes steps in to make Carla stop and think about certain situations, she can help him do the same on those occasions where he gets too involved in something and also get him to really take a look at the other side of a conflict. After all, she herself turned out to be far more than what was seen on the surface.

Wow. This got long. I guess the overall answer to the initial question is that what drew me to Gabela as a couple was the potential that their dynamic carried, both for them as a couple and as individuals. I absolutely adore character-driven stories and am a sucker for romance, so being able to explore these characters in such a way was just interesting and fun for me for a time.

Hope that answered the question!

[muninnhuginn]

Thanks for answering! And no worries about the wait. Believe me, I have some DMs outstanding from, uh, well-- anyway.

I rambled a load so put it under a 'read more' myself

Yee, the twins kinda kept me guessing somewhat myself. I think at one point I was wondering about a scenario where Li Tianxi had gone behind Qian Jin's back to deliver the photo and the timing around what happened in the hospital was very convoluted. You could absolutely tell where the gaps were and where timing didn't make sense without something new being revealed, but that was almost staring at it as it released each week like "wait, do we think the show is that clever or are we meant to leave this be?" But ye, overall, with a couple of exceptions (tiny bit salty about a particular shot in the hospital which makes Tianchen look like Tianxi for no reason but to mislead the audience) it was all actually fair play as a mystery?

But anyway, yeah, the twins themselves. You learn more as you go along, but they choose to hit you over the head with it in the very last episode, where it brings back the fox story, but has the whole camera roll blindfolding and tying Tianxi (which visually is super similar to CXS in the s1 opening). And then the confirmation on Lu Guang's whole deal sealed the deal in terms of the whole protector-protectee dynamic. (And obviously the darker implications in terms of how Tianchen's attempts to 'protect' Tianxi drove her away in the same way as Lu Guang is trying to protect CXS by keeping him out of the loop (heh)). I definitely see the twins as almost a bad end shiguang kinda deal.

(But also, we have the twin-shiguang dynamic *and then* Liu Xiao enters the picture and introduces a whole *new* dynamic between him and Li Tianchen. Li Tianchen's whole deal is that he's a puppeteer but he spends his whole time bowing to the will of various other people, from Li Fan to Qian Jin to Liu Xiao. They're all people who are older and in a better world would be people to look up to, but in this case, they just abuse their power over him until he sees no way out. Not to say he had no agency, but Liu Xiao's mention of a "wild hurt beast" is pretty on the money when it comes to Li Tianchen.)

Final ep of season one plays with emotions for sure. I'm kinda torn on Emma's (current?) fate, but at the same time, I *know* I would've found it kinda cheesy if they had pulled off that happy ending. It's not time yet. The sun and song are super blunt, but hey, they work. And the stuff about bring light to CXS's life when the 光 in Lu Guang's name means light. It works on so many levels.

I really liked when they returned to the immediate aftermath of the whole stabbing in s2 though and you had the art style shifts (and probably the biggest Lu Guang looper hint we'd had yet in his flashbacks).

I think at this point, Cheng Xiaoshi has the most characterisation of the three by far (especially in s1) so it doesn't surprise me that he's your fave. Lu Guang has snuck up on me personally, but also I have a bit of history for gunning for the looper of the scenario, so I guess that may just be me being predictable. Cheng Xiaoshi's definitely really well tied to what I see the main themes of the series as being, namely, the whole stuff about everyday lives. Him using that compassion to help others is why season one is able to work as well as it does imo. It gets less focus in s2, but it's still there, especially when we get the Tianxi dive. Ah, and also, the way he relates to people so that when they hit his own issues (the family stuff especially) works so well as a dual strength and flaw. He makes some really impulsive decisions and ends up even more traumatised because of sending the text in the Emma dive and choosing to stay in the earthquake dive. But he was also able to get through to Emma on the bridge and come up with the finale plan because he could appreciate what he'd taken from the dives.

Season three I'm honestly trying really hard not to get any expectations up for (especially after how massively different s2 was from s1). I agree I'd like to see more on Liu Xiao though and I kinda feel like we ought to get more on him or it just doesn't make sense to me. The bit about him I'm wary about (in that it could be really good or really bad) is that the parallel lines stuff sounds like we're about to get more complex time travel mechanics. And I really enjoy reasoning through time travel mechanics *if* they're done consistently. And I'm not 100% sure that's what the show's aim is going to be? Season one got away with a lot up until around Doudou arc by being really vague about most of the rules beyond the idea of nodes. Once it introduced the CCTV stuff and the whole implied loop with Lu Guang heading to the boat it started raising more questions than answers in terms of stable time loops. So yeah, I would love more clarity on mechanics, but I also dread that.

Hard agree on Lu Guang betraying his own rules for Cheng Xiaoshi though. The way he was so insistent on them when all along he was betraying them. Gah, even if I spent most of s2 hoping, seeing it confirmed was something else.

Soundtrack is catchy enough I accidentally got a load of bai sha jaws songs on my top 50 which weren't even in Link Click just because I was listening to their stuff so much, oops.

In terms of non-insert songs, I feel like s1 is better for casual listening to songs on their own and s2 is for taking psychic damage because of associations with the twins. This particular soundtrack piece though gives me total psychic damage:

(note: psychic damage is worse if you start with 'Relationship' then move onto 'Feeling')

Won't lie, my s1 preference is probably stronger overall, because I felt that the series' strongest point was in the focus on individuals and their stories. I really like the themes and mystery in s2 and usually that'd be an instant win for me, but yeah, season 2 doesn't have earthquake arc.

Ah, before I forget. What were your overall thoughts on Link Click? Like, s1 vs s2, favourite characters or arcs, that kind of thing? ^^

Omg!!! I'm so sorry about the wait 😭 I was trying to get all my thoughts together so I can type something coherent here so it's not just me rambling about how amazing the show is LMAO

Link Click spoilers below btw!!!

First off, I just wanted to say the overall mystery??? Executed very well! I was definitely not expecting both Tianchen and Tianxi to have powers (I thought something else was going on like they both swapped places/identities or something 😭), but it makes sense since they're siblings and they're meant to parallel the Shiguang duo! Even in the first season, I assumed it was only going to be one person that was the culprit behind the murders, but the show pleasantly surprised me with that! The siblings themselves were also just pretty tragic omg 😭 that whole flashback sequence with them being the foxes in the story, and Tianxi slowly sees Tianchen go down his dark path was so good. You already saw that post I made about them, but yeah I love tragic and doomed siblings as a trope it's great <3

One of my absolute favorite parts from the whole show tbh is the entirety of Season 1 Episode 11. That was a perfect final episode to end things off on and tease a season 2. Like the nonstop twists they kept pulling??? Like how they first initially present Emma's death as a suicide as a red herring but it turned out to actually be the case is so much more impactful and tragic than just having her be another person who was possessed by Tianchen. That whole scene with her and CXS on the bridge OUGHHH IT BROKE ME 😭 THAT WAS SO WELL DONE!!! The song, combined with the montage of all the people he and Lu Guang helped, him talking her down from ending it all and reaching out his hand to her with the sunshine rising above him...EMOTIONAL DAMAGE FR. Like I knew it wasn't going to end all happily, but the emotional impact was definitely there. And that ending omg — having Qiao Ling, one of the main characters we've gotten attached to and love dearly, be shown to have stabbed Lu Guang was brutal, especially for Cheng Xiaoshi 😭 the angst that came out of that and Qiao Ling feeling guilt for hurting Lu Guang even if it wasn't really her was all really heartbreaking. That whole thing, as well as Qiao Ling knowing what Lu Guang did to save Cheng Xiaoshi's life, really makes their relationship pretty rocky but also interesting!!! I want to see more of their duo together since the show has had plenty focus on Qiao Ling with CXS and CXS with LG, and also angst I want to see them both go through the horrors while CXS is standing there like :D LMAO

I would definitely say that Cheng Xiaoshi is my fave character out of the whole cast. I absolutely adore everyone else don't get me wrong, but I think what makes CXS so special and unique to me is how they made empathy one of his core defining traits. Because he’s lived through so many different lives and experiences, he just has a lot of compassion and understanding for all kinds of different people, and that's pretty admirable! Idk, I don't see that often much, especially in a time travel story of all places, but the premise works here very well along with how CXS is initially characterized as a very easygoing person who wants to help people at his core.

As for other stuff exclusive to season 2, I'm very curious to see what direction they'll go in for season 3 just with the way season 2 ended with that bombshell lol. When a season 3 does roll around, I hope we get more character exploration on the guy who's seemingly the main antagonist, Liu Xiao. I know we got some characterization with him because of his past with Tianchen, but I would love to see more of him and what his plans really are with trying to "bring more parallel lines together". Also Lu Guang betraying his own rules to save Cheng Xiaoshi I don't have anything else to say other than GOOD SHIT!!! I love it when characters are hypocrites I love it when characters in time travel stories break time itself to save the person they love <333 it's like crack to me I swear lol.

Other extra things!!! Soundtrack absolutely amazing, I've been listening to all the ops and eds on spotify lol. Character designs, voice acting (I watched the original Chinese version), and overall animation was amazing. High marks all around for me fr!!! I think personally I enjoy season 1 just a bit more? Only because that final episode was beautiful for me and I loved seeing all the different clients the duo had, but in terms of overall plot, I would put season 2 above season 1.

[staliasjeronica]

Riverdale S5 Ep11 Thoughts *Spoilers*

thoughts under cut to keep tag from being cluttered :)

- Oh yeah I forgot that Chad was blackmailing Veronica about the dirty dealings in her company even though it’s not her at all (unless it’s just been so long and I’ve forgotten but she’s my baby and I feel like I would’ve remembered but-

- Hiram and this dumb prison is one of the worst things for this show it’s a constant plot of people escaping and it’s so annoying like sure Hiram owns it and he was in the jail but no one has, like, taken him back to jail…??? Hiram is a fucking disease smh

- “back to remote learning” why didn’t you just stay that way though… like even right now in covid schools are opening back up and kids are complaining because it’s still not safe so like… just… go back to it??? I’m so not built for this world fasdhfkahf

- Veronica and Smithers 🥺🥺💞💞

- the way Veronica hugs Archie is so cute bc she’s so tiny but like she always gives her all and Archie is just 😐 never giving anything ahjfsdfsh it’s quite sad you can tell how done KJ is with Varchie lol

- “I really hate that I’m dragging you through this.” … what about constantly pulling him into your mob boss father mess that the writers refuse to allow you to escape from?

- “until you and Chad are officially done, I think we should keep our distance.” Varchie bones!!! you just KNOW that Archie has been looking forward to this because that man is whole heartedly in love with Betty and has been since forever and that while Chad prolongs the divorce papers, Archie will not be waiting for Veronica considering he doesn’t want her. Varchie = bones we love to see it!

- now who tf would join Penelope Blossom’s ministry… no one, realistically.

- can Cheryl stop being given the craziest and usually most boring plots ever please...

- Not someone holding a gun to Tabitha literally don’t hurt Riverdale’s best girl weirdo

- these bitches really haven’t aged huh…. poor Veronica though being robbed but like they stole some watches or something and the opal like that’s all you take..?? okay-

- Fangs 💞💞💞💞💞 also rip to him having to work with his ex tho

- STOP HAVING ARCHIE GO TO HIRAM WE’RE TIRED

- You know considering the whole reason why Hiram is still here as the villain and ruining Veronica’s life/growth to keep her in his plots al because Mark is a big soap opera celeb and apparently brings in money, you’d assume they would give him GOOD shit instead of everything he’s gotten. If they hadn’t of hired Mark can you imagine how much better off the show would be if they didn’t have to keep him around bc of his status????? God why-

- Reggie’s always there for Veronica muah…. oh fuck me I guess fjasjkdf

- “I work for one Lodge and it’s not you.” lmao okay??? you acting like that’s a flex, and that you’re working for the better Lodge who literally left you to die after the Serpents thought you shot Fangs so-

- MARTY BEING WHY REGGIE IS WORKING FOR HIRAM…….. YOUR DAD IS ABUSIVE LET HIM HANDLE HIS OWN DEBT??? God both Veronica and Reggie are always fucked over when it comes to their parents huh

- don’t you just love when they make characters act ooc for a plot ahhhhhh it’s totally fun to watch and totally not frustratingly annoying

- “FOR OLD TIMES SAKE.” 💞💞💞 we love Veggie even though they made Veronica act ooc and hurt him back then and they weren’t given an actual chance.

- “don’t be such a Betty” now why is Betty so surprised she only ever had fun when she was with Archie, when she’s with Jughead all she did was do what she wanted and order him around so likeefjhakdfh

- “he shouldn’t really be my problem anymore.” BUGHEAD BONES YASSSSS

- I know it was just a sound they used but like that squish sound when Darla kicked Tom’s face… did she like smash his face in damn what is this The Walking Dead?

- see the problem with them randomly bringing characters/parents in when they need them is that they’re never around so like no one really cares… like they could have utilized the parents so much (and Skeet and Marisol never would have left) and it would have been so much better than random appearances that make them look incompetent and awful parents because they’re never there during all the other times their kids need them. but we have to see the two toxic parents that won’t go away constantly??? literally what the fuck

- Betty calling Jughead’s writing cringey wbk she’s never liked his writing she was just stroking his ego bc she was his gf and had to be supportive lmaoo

- why are these 60+ year old men beating up Jughead like for why???

- so they just forgot that Tom was checking in on the convict huh gotta love dumbing down characters for plot!

- Fangs with his switchblade muah

- jealous Tabitha muahhh over a password

- “wait THE BETTY?"

- Cheryl looks so good

- Find meaning in his death… girl didn’t you not care that your husband killed your son over the illegal maple stuff I forgot the plot but it was something illegal and dumb

- “drain the vein” …...

- Reggie helping muah

- Why is Archie acting like an ass? like sure he doesn’t know that Chad is abusive and toxic but c’mon fucker you cheated on her and never apologized and you don’t even wanna be with her in the first place so why are you acting like you’re personally hurt sit down

- God Archie really hates Veronica huh… I don’t even blame him considering the shit she’s brought him into time and time again.

- Jughead was kicked like maybe five times yet he was fine falling out of a two story window and the serpent imitation but now he needs antibiotics..? plot convenience!

- literally don’t remember anything about Doc tbh or him talking to Donna and Bret like—

- ever since Negan people are obsessed with bats with barbed wire.

- also! yes please kill Hiram <3 I know they end up saving him bc of the opal but c'mon

- they searched basically nothing for five seconds wow such great detective work you guys!

- we know you just want his manuscript Jessica

- Cheryl with her rainbow skirt how cute!

- “daddykins” girl you’re like 25

- Veronica acting like she cares about Hiram fjsadhkfhas these guys thinking that they’d kill Hiram even though they need him lol

- bad bitch Ronnie we love her even though she’s gonna have to save her father to save others and get her opal </3

- not Veronica calling Archie first and not Kevin considering Kevin’s dad is there…. this is the pandering va fan service bs we have bc it makes no sense and it’s so forced

- Fangs knowing Archie rides with tools in his truck mmhm that’s a little sus idk how but archiefangs agenda coming through!

- no one would actually believe that Jessica ashkjdfsj and they take this bait…??? you gotta be joking lmao

- Jug got to help doc this time 🥺😭

- …. tell me why when he said boyfriend I immediately thought of Reggie I hate myself for wishing fahsdjkfsafj

- okay as cheesy and corny and awful the fight scene is since they posted a clip of it, them working together is so refreshing and nice we love leader!Veronica bc she’s so good at it. but the show only cares for Betty which is funny since she’s an awful detective fbahsdjfj

- my god enough with Jason’s body!!!!!!!!! you burned his body please let him stay dead let his body rest

- okay but the back and forth from Betty and Jessica is so good like I wish we could get that kind of rivalry drama type stuff all the time. too bad they refuse to let Veronica act like a normal person and get angry at being cheated on and such :/ when will Veronica slap the fuck out of Betty

- he’s not a blameless victim but Betty take responsibility for how awful a person you are PLEASE

- THE VOICEMAILLLLLLL Jughead only speaks the truth! it’s weird that he only realized what we all knew about Betty after but whatever, finally he gets upset like damn. also jeronica crumb he’s the only one to ever include Veronica smh ALSO Cole acted the fuck outta this voice mail muah

- the way Betty just sits there uncaring… she really is a freak huh god when will someone punch her in the face and take her ego down a million notches she’s so annoying

- “that’s darkness.” …?? what?

- the way bh’s relationship parallels jughead’s with Jessica though. the unhealthy habits, the bad energy, etc. except Jessica left it and Betty didn’t and it turned Betty into whatever the fuck this is. I miss s1 Betty :/

- so when will they sue Jessica for drugging them? mmhm probably never

- poor Tabitha being the only one who cares about jughead tho

- oh no I forgot there was a random musical number…

- you’re gonna have Betty and Tabitha act like THAT and not put them together so rude

- when will Cheryl be free from her mom. is was like turned on by abuse or something sigh why do the toxic (and most boring!) parents get plots and screen time and everyone else doesn’t...

- Veronica would be able to do Moree than pepper spray but whatever only Betty is allowed be “badass"

- fangs being fangs ugh so sexy my babyyyyy

- Trevor Stines is so attractive it’s a shame they only bring him back for five seconds to traumatize Cheryl over and over again though </3

- wow varchie in a pop’s booth what season is this again??

- god it’s so upsetting how amazing varchie would have been as just friends…

- the way he smiled at Veronica was so contradicting to the blank, “please don’t” expression when she was telling him she was gonna get divorced as fast as possible. why can’t he just admit he doesn’t want to be with her!!!!!! my god they’ve put off barchie long enough just let them be together so their characters can finally act in character and stop being so awful and annoying

- “this cause” what cause you fucking weirdo

- not Hiram threatening the mayor he could literally be your downfall if we had good writers fjasdkjfasf

- jughead how would you have killed him with a small wooden basket

- I like doc so much but I know we’ll never see him again until we randomly need him seasons from noow

- Betty wasn’t hit by the drugs until after the message though… how would she not remember? it didn’t seem to be doing anything to Betty until the bunker

- hopefully since they’re friends now Tabitha can make Betty act like a decent human being <3

- the way Tabitha looked at Betty please stop doing this to me...

- maybe we can finish that dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!! jabitha rising bughead dying we love to see it!

wow that episode felt like it was two hours long but thankfully I finally finished it… don’t have many actual thoughts but anyways hope you enjoyed my live blog of my thoughts!

[cartoonfangirl1218]

Remember When?

So slightly off in which Carter comes back alive somewhere in the middle of S1. Sorry for any spelling errors. My beta reader is all whacked up.

Kendra was really really annoyed. With one man, and no his name was not Rip.

Carter.

Kendra shook her head. Ever since he had been reincarnated in the 2020s and Kendra helped him regain his memories he had been annoying her like a mosquito about Ray. Trying to make her move on to him.

So not happening.

He wasn't doing anything so pointedly obvious like sabotaging their dates, oh no he was much to sophisticated for that. He just stood there with snarky comments on all things they had done together and Ray's ability with technology. Ray was trying to take the high road and not let it bother him, but Kendra noticed the way his eyebrows bristled every time Carter mentioned something about "that little place with went together in Rome" or "how you smiled at my marriage gift to you in Istanbul".

Plus every time he mentioned something a rush of feelings would come to Kendra, feelings of safety, love and passion, and she would find herself staring longingly to his lips, wishing to feel their softness against her own.

Until she came to her senses that is. Just because 208 versions of herself fell in love with Carter didn't mean 209 had to too. She was not going to do anything because of some star crossed destiny. Ray was her future, Carter was her past.

The group was getting ready to set off to Japan, and she and Ray were set to pretend to be married couple once again.

Carter had complained about it, how he had more experienced being married than any of them.

Rip refused as he needed a wing guy to watch from the air, and two males together in Japan would not be well accepted.

"Too bad, I was hoping to see you spar with a samurai again," He smirked at her.

Kendra felt the world shift to feudal Japan at a small meditation garden where she and Carter were fighting against a honored samurai, a duel that began after the samurai tried to get her to "behave like a lady".

Carter had punched the guy in the throat and she got him in where it hurts. A warm feeling spread through her, it was wonderful to be with a guy who not only defended her but fought right beside her. It made her feel safe, like someone cared to be with her.

"We make a great team." She smiled at him.

"Ready to go" Ray linked his arm between hers, reminding her where she actually was and felt a red flush creep up her neck, praying that Ray had not heard the samurai comment. He was a really sweet guy and it wasn't fair to compare them. "Yes, WE make a great team" Kendra smiled at the scientist and looked back at Carter. His smirk disappeared ———-

Paris, France 1974 They went to Paris to track down Vandel Savage's attempt to infiltrate the Parisian UN meeting.

The group was situated at the sidewalk cafe, waiting for Sara and Snart's signal to go to the embassy.

A man with an accordion began playing and Kendra could faintly remember the tune. Beauty and the Beast.

She didn't understand why it seemed so familiar. She hardly watched Disney when she was younger, she preferred action to Disney's cheesy endings plus her feminist mother despised those princesses. Most of the Disney movies she did watch involved animals like the Rescuers, or Lady and the Tramp or Aristocats.

"Barely even friends then somebody bends unexpectedly," Kendra sang under her breath

"Just a little change. Small to say the least. Both a little scared neither one prepared Beaty and the Beast. Remember our dance to this song. It was like after the movie came out" Carter smiled at her Kendra mind went back to her. Her hair in a small bun, and was wearing a gorgeous dark real evening gown and matching heels. He in a tux, smelling like pine and aftershave. The view of the Eiffel Tower in the dark, glowed as they danced by the river.

"Ever just the same. Ever a surprise. Ever as before. Ever just as sure. As the sun will rise" His deep, musical baritone surprised her every time he sang. She had insisted to dancing to the song because it reminded her that no matter how many times they were reincarnated, they needed up together.

Just as it should be. Just as certain as the sun. It was a fact of life.

"Tale as old as time, Tune as old as song. Bitter sweet and strange Finding you can change Learning you were wrong. Certain as the sun Rising in the east" He twirled her and Kendra smiled giddily, she didn't know how he had even managed to play the song in Paris and in English but he did. For her.

"Tale as old as time. Song as old as rhyme. Beauty and the beast" Kendra took her head off his broad chest looked up at him. His eyes gazing at her like there was no one else in the world.

"So who's Beauty and who's the beast?" A gruff voice asked. Kendra slowly turned her head to see Mick. She looked around. She was in street clothes, they were at a sidewalk cafe, holding on to Carter's arms in perfect waltz position, faces inches from each other and Carter was staring at her expectantly. Ray frowning. Jax, Stein, and Rip staring quizzically.

Did she just?

Kendra pushed Carter away and grabbed Ray's hands, "Come on Ray, dance with me. Jax you're next!" -

The ultimatum came one Saturday. For once the group was relaxing and talking.

Then Ray came in excitedly, he sat at the table, "Hey Kendra, I found this nice sushi place at the Upper East side we could go to. Then I rented a hotel suite we can stay for the weekend. You know if nothing happens during the time."

"Hotel suite, niiice rich boy," Sara smiled.

"Just the two of you?” Carter asked, looking up from his magazine on the love seat.

"Well yes." Ray grinded his teeth "In case you're sick head is wondering. She hasn't mistaken my name with yours. Seems like your little dance in Paris was one sided." Kendra patted Ray's shoulder soothingly. She had spend the weekend talking to him, convincing him that they were in the past.

"Oh woah man I don't want anything to intrude your relationship,” Carter held up his hands mockingly "But I was just wondering...you know just for advice. Is it the Carlton because last time we went there Kendra couldn't "get in the mood" because they didn't turn off their coolers. But that was 1930 so I'm not sure if it's quite the same.” Kendra froze. He was not, he could not... "Oh and make sure to wear red. Red makes her go crazy. Not a red suit, but you know red briefs would be good."

Mick didn't even hide his snickering. Ray looked surprised and slightly perturbed by Carter's sudden helpfulness. Sara, Leonard and Stein were muffling their laughter, Jax was too busy with headphones to care and Rip rolled his eyes, ignoring them.

"And make sure to know pressure points...Remember when I used to massage your wings and back beforehand." Carter cocked his head toward her.

Kendra felt the memories coming back, his strong, warm hands easing her back with oil and stroking her feathers, feeling his abs pressed against her. Kendra started violently coughing in an effort not to moan out loud "Kendra are you okay?" Ray asked.

"Oh, interesting fact. She gets turned on if you rip her clothes off with only your teeth. Ray," Carter clicked his tongue, "Take notes" Kendra grabbed a couch pillow and coughed into, biting it and gasping.

"I will not moan, I will not moan." she told herself.

"Turned on by ripping off clothes like a dog. That's a new one." Leonard dead panned.

"I want to try!" Mick cried, excitedly

"Carter get in the hall now!" Kendra growled after her coughing fit and grabbed him by the collar, slamming the door.

"Since you like this memory lane thing so much remember when I was an independent woman that's makes her own choices, and doesn't not take about YOUR turn ons in public!" Kendra cried, slamming the door.

"IT'S OKAY BIRDIE! I THINK IT'S PRETTY HOT TOO!" Mick called from the other side of the door. "FEEL FREE TO TALK ABOUT CARTER'S.” Sara added.

"Great, now I have something in common with Mick." Kendra grumbled. "Chay-era,” Carter started.

"No, no Chay-era, no Leyla or René or whatever name I was. That's done. That was years ago. Move on. I have told you time and time again that I'm with Ray now. I'm going to see things through with Ray, and I'm sorry but you are not apart of that. There's no love triangle or competition, I'm dating Ray and none of our adventures or anniversaries matter. I'm living in the present Carter. Time youstart." -

After that discussion, Carter stopped his remarks. He remained civil to them, he didn't bother Ray anymore or talked to them besides in the context of a mission. He seemed to prefer hanging out with Stein now, talking about artifacts and the evolution of science or with Sara and Mick, sparring.

Not that Kendra minded. She was free to spend time with Ray, and not worry about any memories come flooding back thanks to his stupid little remarks.

Though some came without him.

One night she woke up to a chilly dawn and she padded toward the kitchen to have some tea. It had been something she'd done in her past lives, she felt. It was all automatic and she didn't even have to think.

She turned on the light and was surprised to see Carter in the living room, watching tv. Kendra chose to ignore him and move on with her tea.

But she felt something off. She usually put a secret ingredient to make it better but she couldn't remember what.

"Um Carter?" she called out hesitantly. Carter's head jolted up. "What?” he muttered groggily.

"I..I can't remover what I use to put in my tea. Like I don't know when I well we were in a small apartment I think in Russia."

"Moscow, 1918. It was cayenne pepper. It made it "pop"" Carter air quoted and settled back to sleep, without looking at her.

Kendra found the cayenne pepper, sliced it and sat at the table. She looked back at Carter and felt herself pulled to sit next to him. No matter that she was with Ray, she still deeply cared for him. In a total platonic way she reasoned.

"Hey," she whispered, nudging him. "What?” he rubbed his eyes. "Thanks for respecting my space." She mumbled.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for getting in it in the first place. I..I don't let go of things to easily" Carter rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly "I can tell,” Kendra replied.

"But I'll but out if that's what you want. I mean I should have followed what I said before. You are worth the wait...Just let me say one thing.” Kendra tensed up, waiting for some big romantic kiss, or a reminder of those memorable hot nights spent together.

"I miss you. I miss talking with you like this at night. You always listened to me."

"I'll still listen," Kendra said.

"Yes, but but it won't be..." He seemed to try to grasp the words with his hands "Like all those other times, loving each other unconditionally, not judging. As my wife. I've taken you for granted, but I don't like the thought of not spending a century without you.” Kendra sighed, she wanted so much to comfort him in some waym "Carter, I love you. But not now. Who knows maybe I will in a few moths from now. But I might not. Carter we've spent so many years together even if we don't get together in this one. At least we met."

"Thank the Lord," Carter smiled.

"And I'll probably be yours next lifetime. I don't think that many Ray's populate the Earth," Kendra laughed.

"That...would be interesting" Carter said slowly.

"But I'll listen if you want me to. How about this, every morning just like this we talk." Carter's face lit up "From a distance of 10 feet. No getting your hopes up." Kendra warned.

"Deal." He leaned in, and Kendra braced for the kiss. The kiss that always came after these talks, that slowed at first but they ended up melting into each other's arms.

Kendra waited for it but it never came, she opened her eyes to feel his arms hugging her. Then he left for his room, patting her back It's not like she wanted that kiss, she was just nostalgic. She just remembered how it felt when they were married. When she loved him. -

Remember when we kissed? Well I want to do that again.

[gascon-en-exil]

A Game of Thrones 10th Anniversary Season Ranking: Part 2

Link to Part 1

Time for the bottom half of the list. The four seasons here will surprise no one, but the order might.

#5 Season 6

You can tell what I most what to talk about here...but there's an order to these things.

S6 actually has a bunch of great ideas, but they drown beneath the most slapdash plotting and character work the show has seen yet in order to set the stage for the narrower conflicts of the last two seasons. It's notorious for bringing back characters who haven't been seen in a season or longer only to kill them off (Balon Greyjoy, Osha, Hodor, the Blackfish, Rickon, Walder Frey) or awkwardly graft them back into the main plot (Sandor Clegane, Bran). There are plot threads that ought to be compelling but are too rushed in execution, like the siege of Riverrun, Littlefinger's hand in the Battle of the Bastards, or Daenerys's time back among the Dothraki and then finally getting the hell out of Meereen. Arya hits on the only interesting part of her two-season sojourn in Braavos - a stage play, of all things - only for it to stumble at the end with a disappointing offscreen death and some incomprehensible philosophy ahead of the start of her murder tour of Westeros. There's also so much cutting off the branches, enough to be conspicuous; the final shot of Daenerys leading an armada of about half the remaining cast she assembled partially offscreen says that better than anything else. Well, not anything....

Highlight: Without exaggeration, the opening of S6E10 is easily my favorite sequence in all of GoT. The staging, the music, the mounting suspense even as it becomes increasingly obvious what's about to happen, the twisted religious references particularly in Cersei's mock confession to Unella, Tommen throwing himself out a window because he can't deal with the reality of how terrible his mother is, how Cersei gives absolutely no fucks whatsoever about murdering hundreds of people at once in a calculated act of vengeance largely prompted by her own poorly thought out actions - I love it all. It's the single most masterfully-executed act of villainy in the whole show - Daenerys torching King's Landing probably has a higher body count, but the presentation there is all muddled - and if I had any doubts about Cersei being my favorite multi-season major character they were silenced in this moment. The explosion of the Sept doesn't sit perfectly with me, because I liked the Tyrells and because of what I said about deaths like theirs and Renly's in the previous post under S2, but I think that unease only cements the strength of this sequence. It's an overused phrase in fandom these days, but GoT at its best is all about moral greyness that gives its audience room for multilayered reactions. Cersei nuking the Sept and making herself the sole power in King's Landing, which in a sense is just a more overt example of the kind of character/plot consolidation elsewhere represented by Daenerys's armada, is one of those events that's impossible to approach from a single angle if you care about any of the characters involved. And hey, it's not in the books (yet, presumably), so unlike Ned's death or the Red Wedding the GoT showrunners can take the credit for realizing this one.

Favorite death: Even leaving aside the Sept and related deaths there's a lot of good ones to choose from in S6. Ramsey is cathartic but too gory for me, Osha's was a clever callback but a little delayed, it's hard to pin down specific deaths when Daenerys incinerates the khals, and Arya only gets half credit for Walder Frey and his sons when she saves the rest of the house for the opening of S7. I'm thinking Hodor, not so much because I enjoy his character or the manner of his death but because it's a clever bit of playing with language (that must have been hell to render in other languages for dubbing) wrapped up in some entertainingly murky consent issues and some closed time loop weirdness. It's all very...extra? Is that the word for it?

Least favorite death: Offscreen deaths continue to be mostly letdowns, in this case Blackfish and the Waif. Way to botch the ending of Arya's already near-pointless Braavos arc, guys. Speaking of Arya, this spot goes to Lady Crane, whom the Waif somehow kills with a stool or something. It's a dumb way to send off an entertaining minor character.

#6 Season 8

I swear that I'm not putting S8 this high solely because of Jonmund kind of sort of happening. I've never been very interested in either of them and the sex would be far too bear-on-otter to suit my pornographic preferences, but even so the choice to close out the series with them is hilarious.

I really don't need to elaborate on why S8 is down here; everyone who's ever watched the show has done as much in the nearly two years since it wrapped up. I do however need to explain why I've ranked not one but two seasons below it. My biggest argument here is that I don't believe it's fair to critique S8 for problems it inherited from earlier seasons. A non-comprehensive list:

Mad Queen Daenerys: unevenly built up beginning from S1 and continuing in some form through every following season

The questionable racial optics of Dany's army: also seeded as early as S1 and solidified by S3 with the Slaver's Bay arc

Cersei only succeeding because she makes stupid decisions and then lucks out until she doesn't: apparent from S1, directly lampshaded by Tywin in S3, fully on display with the Faith Militant arc of S5-6

Jaime not getting a redemption arc or falling in love with Brienne: evident with his repeated returns to Cersei throughout the show as one of the most consistent elements of his character, particularly in S4 and during the siege of Riverrun in S6

Tyrion grabbing the idiot ball/becoming a flat audience surrogate mouthpiece: started in S5 around the time the showrunners ran out of book material for him and wanted to make him more of a PoV character and his arc less of a downward spiral, although I've seen arguments that changes from the books involving his Tysha story and Shae set him on this trajectory even earlier

The hardening of Sansa's character: began in earnest in S4 and never let up from there

The strange ordering of antagonists: set down by S7's equally strange plot structure - the Night King had to come first with that setup

CleganeBowl and the dumber twists: from what I've heard the whole thing of writing around fans on the internet guessing plot twists started pretty much when the book content ended, so S5-6 maybe?

Yes, there's plenty to criticize about S8 on its own merits...but just as much that was merely the writers doing what they could at that point with deeply flawed material.

Highlight: This may sound cheesy, but the better parts of S8 are almost all the cinematic ones, whether that's E2 being a bottle episode with tons of poignant character send-offs before the big battle, a handful of deaths with actual satisfying weight like Jorah's and Theon's, and an epilogue that incorporates both closure for individuals and the broader uncertainty of messy socio-political systems that GoT has always been known for before working its way back to the Starks at the very end for some tidy bookending. Even imperfect moments like the Lannister twins' death and the resolution of Sansa's character felt weighty and appropriate based on what had come before.

Favorite death: Forget about the audio commentary attempting to flatten Cersei's character; Cersei and Jaime Lannister have an excellent end. Cersei especially, as the scenes of her stumbling her way down into the catacombs as the Red Keep crashes down around her really show off how her world is abruptly falling apart and how she retreats into her own self-interest at the end in spite of her demise being at least partially of her own doing. There's some stupid moments associated with these scenes, like Jaime dueling Euron to the death and CleganeBowl, but I can excuse those when the twins end up dying exactly where you'd expect them to: in each other's arms, in a ruined monument to their family's grand ambitions that, like Casterly Rock itself, was taken from another family.

Least favorite death: Quite a few dumb ones in S8 have become forever infamous. Missandei sticks out, and for me Varys too just as much because of how the writing pushes him to do the dumbest thing he could possibly do purely for the sake of killing him off ten minutes into the penultimate episode. But no one belongs here more than Daenerys Targaryen, killed at the height of a rushed and uncertain villain reveal by a man who takes advantage of their romantic history (who is also her family, because Targaryens) to stab her in a moment of vulnerability - pretty much only because another man tells him that Daenerys is the final boss. Narratively speaking that might be the case, but even so this is the end result of multiple seasons of middling-to-bad buildup. Not even Drogon burning the symbolism can salvage that. Also Fire Emblem: Three Houses did this scene and did it better.

#7 Season 5

...Yeah, we're going to have to go there.

Sansa's rape is not a plot point that personally touches me much. It's terribly framed in the moment and the followup in later seasons is inconsistent at best, but it's not a kind of trauma I can relate to. On the other hand, in the very same episode Loras is tried and imprisoned for homosexuality, and Margery faces the same punishment for lying for her brother. That hits much closer to home, not just for the homophobia but also for the culture war undertones of the not!French Tyrells persecuted by a not!Anglo fanatic who later reveals himself to be the in-universe equivalent of a Protestant. The trial is just one part of Cersei's shortsighted scheming, just as Sansa being married off to Ramsey is part of Littlefinger's, and both of them get their comeuppance in the end...but it's unsettling all the same. I especially hate what the Faith Militant arc does to King's Landing in S5, swiftly converting it from my favorite setting in GoT to a tense theocratic nightmare that only remains interesting to me because Cersei is consistently awesome. What's more, pretty much everything about S5 that isn't viscerally uncomfortable is dragged out and dull instead: the Dorne arc, Daenerys's second season in Meereen, Arya in Braavos, Stannis and co. at Castle Black. The most any of these storylines can hope for is some kind of bombastic finale, and while several of them deliver it's not enough to make up for what comes before, or how disappointing everything here builds from S4. S4 has Oberyn, S5 has the Sand Snakes - I think that sums up the contrast well.

Highlight: S5 does get stronger near the end. As much as his character annoys me I did like the High Sparrow revealing his pseudo-Protestant bent to Cersei just before he imprisons her, and there's a cathartic rawness to Cersei's walk of atonement where you can both feel her pain and humiliation and understand that she's getting exactly what she deserves (and this is what leads into the climax of S6, so it deserves points just for that). The swiftness of Stannis's fall renders his death and that of his family a bit hollow, but it's brutal and final and fittingly ignominious for a character with such grand ambitions but so little relevance to the larger story. The fighting pits of Meereen sequence is cinematic if nothing else, and even the resolution to the Dorne arc salvages the whole thing a tiny bit by playing into the retributive cycles of vengeance idea (and Myrcella knows about the twincest and doesn't care, aww - no idea why that stuck with me, but it's cute all the same). Oh, and Hardhome...it's alright. Not great, not crap, but alright.

Favorite death: I don't know why, but Theon tossing Myranda to her death is always funny to me. Maybe because it's so unexpected?

Least favorite death: Arya's execution of Meryn Trant is meant to be another one of the season's big finale moments, but the scene is graphic and goes on forever and I can't help but be grossed out. This is different from, say, Shireen's death, which is supposed to be painful to witness.

#8 Season 7

I can't tell if S7's low ranking is as self-explanatory as S8's or not. At least one recent retrospective on GoT's ruined legacy I've come across outright asserts that S7 is judged less harshly in light of how bad S8 was. If it were not immediately obvious by where I've placed each of them, I don't share that opinion.

Because S7 is just a mess, and the drop-off in quality is so much more painful here than it is anywhere else in the series except maybe from S4 to S5 (and that's more about S4 being as good as it is). The pacing ramps up to uncomfortable levels to match the shortened seasons, the structure pivots awkwardly halfway through from Daenerys vs. Cersei to Jon/Dany caring about ice zombies, said pivot relies largely on characters (mostly Tyrion) making a series of catastrophically stupid tactical decisions, and very few of the smaller set pieces land with any real impact as the show's focus narrows to its endgame conflict. As with S6 there are still some good ideas, but they're botched in execution. The conflict between Sansa and Arya matches their characters, but the leadup to that conflict ending with Littlefinger's execution is missing some key steps. Daenerys's diverse armada pitted against Cersei weaponizing the xenophobia of the people of King's Landing could have been interesting, but there's little room to explore that when Cersei keeps winning only because Tyrion has such a firm grip on the idiot ball and when Euron gets so much screentime he barely warrants. Speaking of Tyrion's idiot ball, does anyone like the heist film-esque ice zombie retrieval plotline? Its stupidity is matched only by its utter futility, because Cersei isn't trustworthy and nobody seems to ever get that.

And how could I forget Sam's shit montage? Sums up S7 perfectly, really. To think that that is part of the only extended length of time the show ever spends in the Reach....

Highlight: A handful of character moments save this season from being irredeemable garbage. As you can guess from my screencap choice, Olenna's final scene is one of them, even if Highgarden itself is given insultingly short shrift. S7 also manages what I thought was previously impossible in that it makes me care somewhat about Ellaria Sand, courtesy of the awful death Cersei plans for her and her remaining daughter. The other Sand Snakes are killed with their own weapons, which shows off Euron's demented creativity if nothing else. I like the entertainingly twisted choice to cut the Jon/Dany sex scene with the reveal that they're related. And, uh...the Jonmund ship tease kind of makes the zombie retrieval team bearable? I'm really grasping at straws here.

Favorite death: It's more about her final dialogue with Jaime than her actual death, but again I'm going to have to highlight Olenna Tyrell here for lack of better options. She drops the bombshell about Joffrey that the audience figured out almost as soon as it happened but still, makes it plain what I've been saying about how Jaime's arc has never really been about redemption, and is just about the only person to ever call Cersei out for that whole mass murder thing. There's a reason "I want her to know it was me" became a meme format.

Least favorite death: There aren't any glaringly bad deaths in S7, just mediocre or unremarkable ones. I still think the decision to have Arya finish off House Frey in the season's opening rather than along with their father at the end of S6 was a strange one that doesn't add much of dramatic value.

[viola-ophelia]

i’ve been looking for this post for the past 10 minutes bc i know i reblogged it at some point, but.... yes. i completely agree. i’ve been rewatching s1 and decided to check out the new fics in the loki/sylvie tag the other day, and i was surprised to see that almost all of it was domestic family fluff type stuff. and for lack of better phrasing, a lot of the plots of these fics seemed to revolve around sylvie popping out loki’s babies. don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing inherently wrong with fluffy domestic plots or the pregnancy/baby trope. but i have to be honest, when it comes to this ship, a lot of it feels really ooc for me, especially for sylvie.  

where in canon does sylvie ever give any indication that she wants to settle down and marry loki (who she just met and who she isn’t even dating lmao)? what about her canon characterization suggests that sylvie wants to stop fighting, put her life and her mission on hold, and randomly have kids? that’s just not who she is, especially not at this point in her story. sylvie has her own goals that are separate from loki’s, and also? she’s just not a gentle, submissive wifey-type character. sylvie’s whole thing is that she doesn’t want to just go along with whatever loki wants. she’s her own person, which she asserts again and again. even if she’s in love with loki, she doesn’t want to just become an accessory to him. and she’s not sappy or sentimental either - actually, she’s pretty blunt and no-nonsense. like op said, sylvie is not someone who i can envision giving a cheesy declaration of love, and if she did, it would come off as a really strange 180 of her personality. i wouldn’t want to see that in s2, because it would feel like bad writing.

if you’re into sappy domestic sylki, then all power to you. i personally want to see a continuation of their s1 relationship, though. i like their bickering! i like seeing them at odds with each other and figuring out how to work through it! i want their relationship to progress in a way that feels natural, not speed-run into marriage and babies when to me, that really doesn’t feel right for either of them.

i really hope sylki fam doesn't hate me for saying this but i think as time passes by without any canon content, some folks in this fandom are forgetting sylvie's characterization and expecting her to turn into some sort of sigyn-like wifey or smtng in s2.

like, i really don't expect cheesy declarations of loyalty and dedication from sylvie's part. i expect existential angst and her becoming aware of her feelings for loki and taking some initiatives, but not in an overly grand way, if you know what i mean?

idk, not hating on any take or anything at all, just worrying that a big portion of this fandom might be setting itself for disappointment if things don't turn out exactly the way they imagine them to turn out.