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interneteclipse · 8 months

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“modern! mizu hcs”

Okay finally becoming a BES writer after I convinced myself Mizu would sooooooo be a bassist. This is a combo of modern Mizu relationship hcs and band+uni hcs :3 warning, I hardly edited this because I'm tired. Also I WILL be taking Mizu requests

pairing: mizu x fem! reader

tags: domestic bliss…?, modern! au, bassist mizu, band! au, other characters mentioned 🗣️

Mizu is oddly good at home decorating? It’s not a hobby or interest of hers, in fact, she thinks her room is quite plain, but the cohesive colors and pretty decent-looking fake plants say otherwise. (She would love to buy real plants, but she frequently gets swept up with time to care for them properly.)

A lot of your apartment is decorated by her, but in the sense that you asked her if an item would work with house and she either liked or disliked it. She wouldn’t have really cared about shopping for home decor if not for you.

Mizu gets so upset when it’s hot out since she can’t go a day without wearing layers. The apartment (or her room at least) is cold 24/7 whether you like it or not

She tries to go grocery shopping with you as often as possible despite her lack of cooking abilities. Her memory is perfect, so you rarely ever need to make a grocery list! Plus, she likes doing simple things with you. Her childhood was chaotic, so the normalcy of shopping with someone she loves puts her at peace.

She survives off of snacks; it’s a terrible habit of hers, and she knows. It gets worse when either you’re not at home to cook, or she’s out somewhere else. Normally, she walks into the kitchen when she smells food or when you call for her, but she’ll completely forget to eat a real meal otherwise.

Though Mizu rarely (if not ever) has guests over, she makes sure your space and things are respected. If you’re out and your room door is open, she’ll close it. Any special glassware that you bought for personal use, like mugs? Nobody is allowed to touch them.

She’s gotten mad at Taigen for messing with your stuff before.

She isn’t much of a clean freak, but she’d prefer to have things kept orderly as often as possible. She enjoys splitting the chores with you, especially seasonal cleaning.

She’s extremely mindful of personal space. Even if she thinks you look adorable napping on the couch, the most she’ll do is kiss your face and fix your blanket. She’d love to join, really, but she’s afraid of waking you or making you uncomfortable. The last thing she wants to do is disrespect you.

She’s extremely touch-starved but doesn’t know how to make physical contact with you at first. She opened up when you first got together and started asking her for hugs, etc. Now, she loves the smallest of purposeful, or accidental touches, whether it’s brushing up against her, or her hand resting at your hip or waist while you’re out together.

Though you have separate rooms, you’ll sleep together on most nights (usually in your room– she finds your bed more comfortable, plus your room smells like you!)

The only time she heavily insists on staying in your rooms is if one of you gets sick, no exceptions. She hardly ever falls ill, but she’d rather not risk it. That doesn’t stop her from taking care of you, even if the only hot meal she can prepare is upgraded instant noodles or an easy, fool proof soup.

She has a horrible habit of making confining rules for herself, even if she’s on track with certain goals. You have to put hard work into easing her up to let her realize she has a lot more freedom than she thinks she has.

She doesn’t mind dates that you go out for, but she loves cute little dates at home. She doesn’t dislike showing you off, she just appreciates the private intimacy between you two. Even if she isn’t a great cook, she’s happy to help you measure or chop things while you talk.

Speaking of, acts of service is a huge love language of hers. If she can’t do something well, she’ll compensate for with something else that she’s better at to make your life easier.

"Band + Uni Hcs"

Mizu has a habit of not making herself visible on stage. It’s not completely intentional, but her usual spot on stage has harsher lights and this carries over to every single venue. The constant squinting was giving her headaches.

Following up with that, she’s so light-sensitive. It takes a good minute or two for her to adjust from a dark room to bright lights. At some point, she considered getting darker-tinted glasses but keeps putting it on the back burner.

She doesn’t dislike showing you off on stage, but she’d rather not be all the talk at school when it comes to your relationship. This doesn’t mean she lets your relationship go unnoticed though– she makes it very clear she’s taken and doesn’t participate in flirty behavior with any of the audience

Taigen however

The only reason she’s the band's bassist is because nobody else knows how to play. Taigen could play in theory, but he didn’t want to, plus, he thought bass was too easy.

He says that and can’t write a bassline like Mizu. He does write insane guitar solos though, and he can definitely make up something on the spot under pressure. That's actually how a couple of his solos were made.

Ringo is so good at budgeting that it’s genuinely impressive, but he’s not thrilled at how much of that budget cuts out good quality food to keep up with his uni payments. Luckily, Akemi made sure to let him know he was free to experiment with cooking at hers anytime! He's the only one with a spare key to her house. (more on that later)

Akemi knows how to play so many instruments, but none of which are typical band instruments. Her house has a pretty extensive collection of instruments, just no drums or electric string instruments aside from an electric harp. Her father didn’t really monitor her hobbies in her own house, so she played around with whatever piqued her interest first. She had been playing piano and koto since she was young, so she’s automatically the keyboardist (and vocalist,) but she pulls out an odd instrument here and there during a show for fun.

Taigen does have a podcast. The equipment was bought by Akemi with the hopes that he’d have a new hobby, but… sigh.

Ringo is an insanely good drummer, but he couldn't care less about having a music career. He agreed to join because all his friends were in a band– plus, they needed a drummer. Turns out, he’s a natural!

Mizu knows how to play drums too, and she’s great at it, but Ringo unintentionally disses her sometimes on her technique. He’s definitely said something like “Oh, wouldn’t it be easier to…?” She doesn't care much since she knows he means well. That does NOT stop her from continuing to catch accidental strays from him

Taigen and Akemi sort of live together? Akemi’s dad is a little sour about him not returning her home on time. That got his house key privileges revoked for three months. He’s welcome to stay by Akemi’s word, but she doesn’t keep a spare key for him, so he’ll have to be let in by her. Occasionally, he'll ask Ringo to let him in if he happens to be over to cook or practice at a different location, but if Akemis dad catches them, they're both getting an earful. That hasn't happened yet, luckily

Akemi has a couple of songs with a crazy keyboard solo that she has never in her life messed up. She worked through blood sweat and tears to perfect every solo she's written and has her muscle memory down.

Taigen is actually a really good guitarist, but he does make a fair amount of mistakes that he gets dogged on for– most mistakes being dropping his pick. He doesn’t really mess up chords, but a lot of their fans are waiting for that day to come (it'll never happen honestly)

Mizu could and does definitely show off on stage sometimes, but she won’t be pushed into doing a solo for the life of her.

Nobody can touch Mizus instruments except for you and Ringo (he’s a great bass and guitar tech somehow– he just has a lot of specific things he can pick up.)

Mizu, Taigen, and Akemi do separate gigs. Mizu does a little bit of everything– a lot of the bands she plays for are usually gothic rock or metal.

Ringo makes sure Mizu’s basslines can be heard with the drums while Taigen has a running joke of playing too loudly over her basslines during practice. Mizu isn't thrilled, to say the least.

Akemi gets extremely frustrated whenever she has mic problems. Honestly, she wouldn't mind a keyboard problem, but a mic problem is too much

Mizu’s bass wasn’t decorated until you came around– She wants something that reminds her of you on her instrument, so she had you make stickers of your lipstick print to slap on the body of her bass.

By no means are they a large band– they definitely are a local uni band that probably would get popular eventually, but nobody really cared enough about their popularity enough outside of their other hobbies

Speaking of, both Taigen and Mizu do Kendo

Akemi is a top-tier lyricist– she puts her interest in poetry to work ^_^

Taigen has an insanely expensive pedalboard along with a collection of pedals (From Akemis money)

Every day, Akemi considers using a keytar, but the music shops nearby don’t carry good quality keytars and she gets so upset when they aren’t comfortable enough to play.

Taigen has a set practicing schedule on his own, but he often gets held up with classwork. He also has a set sleep schedule but sometimes takes time out of rest to catch up with practice.

Eji tries to come to their shows, but he isn’t much of a fan of the noise level when it comes to live music. He doesn’t understand Mizu’s more alternative gigs, but he’s happy she’s able to get around. He used to lecture Mizu for not wearing earplugs to her shows when she first started performing.

Taigen and Akemi have their own shoegaze duet act together outside of the band– they're getting quite popular from that!

Mizu has written a few songs herself for fun after Akemi texted the group chat about a delay on lyrics due to writers block. She actually finished up recording those songs herself after you found her notes, and urged her to actually make and post those as songs.

#do it like dior #do it like dior.#keegansgf #mizu #mizu x you #mizu x y/n #mizu x reader #mizu blue eye samurai #blue eye samurai mizu #blue eye samurai #blue eyed samurai #blue eye samurai x reader #blue eye samurai x you #bassist mizu #bassist! mizu #modern au #band au #modern mizu #blue eye samurai modern au

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the-heartstring-chronicles · 2 months

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As someone who has shipped P/C since 1994 and JC since 2006. I just want to say:

Continuing justice for Jean Luc and Kathryn!

( No, no! Not as a ship, you can stop screaming in horror now, I have not abandoned my soulmate pairs)

But as characters:

They both get a very bad wrap for being addicted or married to duty. And in some ways they are, it’s true!

But as confirmed by Picard season 3, Jean Luc says he would have wanted a shot at being a husband to Beverly, from his own lips! And he says that he would have wanted to be a father. She may not have known either of those things, but it doesn’t make them any less fact.

He was also openly affectionate to her, sometimes in public during TNG. Riker knew about them, he says as much to Jack. No one on the crew bats an eye about Jack in fact.

JL and Bev were about as subtle as an air horn set on low volume. Trying to be circumspect, but actually being a billboard for lifetime love. Heck even Shaw knew and we had never met him before. People don’t know that much about a relationship if one person in it is solely married to duty.

And Kathryn! Miss Ma’am let Chakotay build her a bathtub while still trying to get off the planet. She cried at his speech, even though it was so mushy, it could have been day old oatmeal. Why? Because she knew he meant it. ( and I as a mushy viewer, appreciated him being that honest about his feelings too)

She let him give her a rose in Coda and she struggled mightily with his disappointment in her several times in later seasons. Her counterpart in Shattered was also very openly interested in how far they went in seven seasons. (Shoot your future shot lady! Go you!) and no one thinks S7 Kathryn was totally cool with C/7 right? Her face said otherwise. Admiral Janeway, was also heartbroken in about six ways, only two of which were Seven dying and Tuvok getting sick.

She also seemingly, from what I’ve read, made it part of her goal to find him in Prodigy too. Like Jean-Luc with Beverly, when Chalotay is lost, she will seek.

So while yes, duty sometimes sidetracks each of them. they are loving people who adore their other halves as well. They are complex.

And that’s part of why I love each pair, for the devotion that both of the partners in each relationship feel and how they navigate it together.

True love must flow from each heart to make a sustainable ship

And so I hope that as much as we discuss the duty bound Admirals and those who love them, that we also keep discussing and writing about their softer sides and the ways they show that love in return.

#beverly crusher #jean luc picard #picard x crusher #p/c #kathryn janeway #chakotay #janeway x chakotay #j/c

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poppyplate · 2 months

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minor season 5 spoilers for lmk!!!

(some sketches + my thoughts on the new season :0)

this season was so good!! i'm gonna put my long rant about my thoughts below, just cause i have a lot of things i wanna talk about :3

animation: ik the animation change was jarring for some people and i did almost cry about flying bark leaving the show when the news first dropped, but i honestly think wildbrain did a great job and the animation is still super cute and fun. it's definitely different and you can tell, but they still do all the silly animation things that flying bark did and this season honestly had some of my favourite humor (visual and otherwise).

i'll definitely miss the old animation, fully hand drawn 2D animation is becoming harder to come by in cartoons now so it's sad to see this show lose one of the most exciting aspects of it, but i'm looking forward to seeing how wildbrain does in the following season(s?). i'm honestly just glad we're getting more monkie kid content.

plot: i did enjoy the plot they set up. this season did feel different pacing wise? if that makes sense. not that it's necessarily bad i just noticed it felt a bit different. i'm really excited to see more about this whole chaos thing.

ik li jing wasn't necessarily a villain, but he was an antagonist for a bit so i'm adding my two cents about him and nezha. i didn't love what they did with their story arc, but ik there's only so much that can be done in a 10 episode season where each episode is only 10 minutes long. i think their arc would've just benefited from more time :(

villain(s): i think the nine headed demon is such an interesting character (even though he did confuse me a bit) so i hope we get to see more of him. probably my favourite big bad so far personality-wise.

main characters: i'm glad sun wukong had more screentime this season!! he always either isn't around or gets trapped, so it's nice that he was present again.

i definitely felt this season focused a lot more on the monkie trio, which was bound to happen, but i like them so i was fine with it. idk how much of a redemption arc macaque is trying to have, but i kind of hope it's not a standard redemption arc. not that i didn't enjoy macaque's character this or any other season, i do like him most of the time. i just personally hope they keep him as more of a neutral figure even if he does stick around with the group.

i don't have much to say on mk that hasn't already been said. i love the guy and i hope he gets to be happy again soon T^T

side characters? ig: i thought mei and red son's episode was cute. i love dragonfruit interactions a lot, but i do hope red son gets some more screentime next season cause i miss him </3

i am happy sandy got some more screentime though, his episode with mk was cute. also tang was so real this season, he's just like me fr (i hate manual labor).

other notes and whatnot: this season felt shorter somehow, even though it wasn't and i'm not sure if we'll be getting a special like we always do or if they're just going to move on to the next season. either way, i'm excited to see where it goes from here.

although i wasn't in love with the ending of this season, it just felt a tad rushed and i definitely think we would've benefited from a few special episodes again.

i'd give this season a solid 8/10. i would love to go through all the episodes and share my thoughts on them, but i'm just gonna share my ranking of the episodes.

(i feel pretty even with 1-2 and 3-5)

1. collar the king

2. temple of the goddess

3. the cage

4. sacrifice

5. strings that bind

6. into the pagoda

7. claim to flame

8. harbinger

9. the storm within

10. festival fugitives

#lmk #lego monkie kid #monkie kid #monkie kid fanart #lmk fanart #lmk season 5 #monkie kid season 5 #mei lmk #mei monkie kid #long xiaojiao #red son #red son lmk #red son monkie kid #nine headed demon #lady bone demon

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thephoenixandthecrocodile · 24 days

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Things I love about Season 2 of Rings of Power So Far – in no particular order

1. The entire beginning of episode 1

a. Love Sauron in his fair form off his game and a little shaken

b. Love Adar growing increasingly fed up with Sauron’s bullshit

c. Love the Ides of March moment

d. Love goo Sauron – love his little sigh. That’s me every morning when I wake up

2. Love that Sauron was always a shit and stole the badge instead of saving that guy

3. Love the Elrond-Galadriel brother-sister dynamic and poor Gil-galad caught in the middle

4. Love the Ahhh! Gil-Galad lets out when hearing that Sauron is back

5. Love Elrond jumping off the cliff. Worked for Mom (kinda) should work for me

6. I really want whatever the hell Cirdan is on

a. Also Ben Daniels is AMAZING!

7. Love that Gil-Galad gets to shine more as the grumpy, sassy, weary elf-king this season. Also love that no one is letting Galadriel get away with her bullshit from last season (and I loved Galadriel last season). Actions has consequences, even for elves.

8. YOU HAD ONE JOB, CIRDAN!

9. Why does no one ever listen to Elrond?

10. Sam Hazeldine is doing an amazing job with a tough job. I will always love Joseph Mawle’s take on Adar and he’ll always be MY Adar, but Sam is going an amazing job taking all the groundwork laid by Mawle and then adding his own spin

11. I know the internet is losing its mind over Orc families, but I LOVE the complication these writers are adding to the Orc lore (as well as Sauron’s arc). Even in Return of the King, the Orcs were shown to have their own personalities and weren’t exactly excited about attacking Gondor again. Even in Two Towers, we see the different personalities of Uruk-hai and the Morder Orcs, so it only makes sense to flesh that out further. It adds such an amazing dimension to Adar’s character and the Orcs he cares for and makes us realize that nothing in Tolkien’s world is black and white.

a. Also, also, I love that these writers embrace the fact that Elves are not impartial and they’re hypocritical bastards haha. Of course, they say dwarves and men are covetous and can’t be trusted. Of course, Orcs are irredeemable. To suggest otherwise would jeopardize their own world view. And the Elves have never been covetous or committed genocide for stupid gems. Nope, not ever.

b. Also, also, also love the idea that the Orcs are doomed because they’re convinced Eru will never forgive them, even if they were to ask for it. Such an interesting dilemma to add to the lore. I mean even Sauron considered asking for forgiveness but didn’t because of his pride. If the Valar forgave Morgoth once, and potentially considered pardoning Sauron, who says they wouldn’t forgive the creatures he and Morgoth twisted/corrupted/made?

12. Love Sauron “befriending” the warg. See even the Dark Lord likes dog.

13. Goodbye Waldreg, no one will miss you.

14. Who knew Benjamin Walker had such a nice voice?

15. I’m so surprised Elrond didn’t just completely lose it and go all rabid animal when Cirdan brought back the rings.

16. It’s so funny that this version of Galadriel gets a ring of power. Out of all the Elves to get one, she’s on the bottom of my list. At least make sure she’s Sauron free first.

17. DISA YOU ARE MY QUEEN AND GODDESS!!!

18. LOVE the dwarves.

19. “You don’t have to make this harder than it already is” YES I DO BITCH BECAUSE YOU’RE BEING A STUBBORN GOAT

20. Love that Disa can call out both her father-in-liaw (and king) and her husband for being jackasses

21. Also Durin III stop being a jackass and go apologize to your son, right now

22. Resonating is still so fucking awesome

23. Love the agricultural in Khazad dum

24. I know I was the odd man out because I didn’t mind the Harfoots last season, but I really adore the Stranger’s relationship with Nori.

25. I REALLY hope the Stranger is a blue wizard, but either way I love how Daniel Weyman plays a wizard. And it’s nice he can talk this season and we get a sense of his humor and sass.

26. “Further, Nori” *sigh of exasperation*

27. I have no idea who the hell this evil wizard is nor who the hell his moth minions are, but I love them. They’re so weird.

28. This guy better NOT be Saruman. -_-

29. Poppy! My lesbian Harfoots are reunited!

30. Celebrimbor *sigh* oh, Celebrimbor

31. Elrond “sand the anger away, Sand the anger away.”

32. LOVE the look Galadriel gives Elrond when he calls her out about NOT being manipulated. “He gave you everything you wanted”. True, but also damn, haha.

33. Seriously, I NEED whatever drug Cirdan is smoking.

34. Also love how in this show “yeah, let’s give the rings a try. What’s the worst that can happen” and in LOTR it’s “NO! DO NOT TRUTST THE RING! DESTROY IT ASAP”

35. I can’t believe Halbrand made it rain just so he can look more like a pathetic cat

36. Ok, that umbrella is ridiculous and super impractical.

37. Celebrimbor, honey, the whole “I won’t stay where I’m not wanted” is the oldest trick in the manipulator’s handbook.

38. I love the rollercoaster Celebrimbor goes on as Halbrand “confesses” that he’s not really a man. The utter confusion but also concern, like “my god is this man having a mental breakdown in my forge? And right when I was about to open a bottle of first age wine. Where’s Galadriel when I need her? She should be taking care of her pet human, not me.”

39. NOT THE FIRST AGE WINE!!!

40. I LOVE the reveal of Annatar. It was so over the time and beautiful and so religious. No notes. Absolutely perfect.

41. I was never on team silvergifting, but this show has converted me.

42. Also Charlie Vickers and Charles Edwards are giving their ALL in these scenes

43. Love that Celebrimbor is like “ew, no, we can’t give men rings” but when Annatar tells him that Gil-Galad “doesn’t trust the dwarves” Celebrimbor takes it so personally. Like I think it’s because he’s annoyed with Gil-Galad and he wants to control his own forge, but it also sounds like he’s offended that Gil-Galad would insult his new dwarf buddies (who helped him build the new forge to begin with).

44. Durin proving himself the wisest of all peoples (not just dwarves) when he calls Annatar out on his bullshit

45. “Elrond would never say such nice things about me.”

46. Also love all the clever insults and phrases the dwarves have.

47. I’m still very angry with Durin III but I felt that line, “Miner’s punches hurt” “Just wait until your children grow up.”

48. ALSO, Durin III you bastard, your son tells you he DOESN’T trust the rings and you decide, “yeah, let me try out these rings” -_-

a. Also, yes, Celebrimbor and Annatar fucked before, during, and after making the dwarven rings.

49. Oh, Isildur, you disaster child.

a. Again, I might be in the minority here, but I LOVE what they’re doing with Isildur’s character – the perpetual screw-up, the one who tries so hard but can’t do anything right, the character who’s constantly trying to prove himself in a family that is already overly impressive. Makes his final fate just that more tragic.

50. Spider babies. Spider babies. Spider babies.

a. Reminded me of the facehugger birthing scenes from the Aliens franchise for some reason.

51. Super Berek! Here to save the day

52. So, I guess all the men in Aragorn’s bloodline were saved by their horses at least once. Good to know.

53. LOVE the entire ridiculous exchange between Isildur and Estrid.

54. God damn it, Isildur, don’t go to the funeral, save Berek!

55. ☹ Poor Arondir. RIP Bronwyn.

56. Fucking Theo

57. God damn it Arondir, maybe look around next time before telling one kid his family will be reunited in front of the one kid who’s lost his entire family XD

58. “Men can’t build things like that” ☹

59. So, Theo is going to be Isildur’s right hand man and/or will be a ringwraith, right?

60. Operation rescue Berek!

61. Ents? Are those Ents?

62. MIRIEL MY OTHER GODDESS AND QUEEN!!!

63. My brother and I when that woman slapped Miriel: “OFF TO JAIL WITH YOU!”

64. Fucking Earien. Kemen is soooo not worth it

65. Fucking Pharazon.

a. ALSO, love how the writers captured men’s creepy behavior around women in power, especially if they’re “not perfect”. Like when Miriel’s father was alive Pharazon was somewhat respectful around her, but my god that scene in her bedroom? So disgusting and creepy. AND fucking Kemen, “she was blinded while fighting Orcs and surviving a massive eruption. She can’t be queen now” Bitch you couldn’t even sabotage a handful of boats by yourself.

66. Also, also, I know everyone loves Haladriel, but can we talk about the other idiotic couple pining over each other: Elendil and Miriel? Love their dynamic sooooo much.

67. Ok Miriel’s coronation dress is GORGEOUS!

68. That poor eagle was so fucking confused. Like I came here for Miriel, not sure what you all are doing. Ok, this is awkward, I’m flying away now.

#trop spoilers #rop spoilers #rop #rings of power #trop season 2

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favvn · 1 month

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Perhaps the Amok Time scene of all time (minus the fight). A 5 minute and 32 second clip. And 3.8k word analysis below the cut!

I can hear the bells (when Spock gazes upon the photo of T'Pring)! It is so fun how the new musical themes composed for this episode lurk around and act as another character to the events. The same bells that will announce the Vulcan procession that begins the ceremony are sounding now as Spock looks upon his betrothed. Again, the music acts as the sound of fate that waits for Spock.

My reference to Hairspray aside, Spock is looking at an image of a young T'Pring, aged seven when they were initially bonded and betrothed. T'Pring is his fiancé and this is presumably the only picture of her he has. YIKES! Either I'm applying human standards to an alien species (it's technically true) or, what's the alternative? Vulcans enter into love-less marriages? Just for the sake of creating offspring? Groundbreaking! Like we haven't seen that before. 🙄

I realize this episode was written before D.C. Fontana's Journey to Babel, that in fact this episode was intended to be a part of the first season but Sturgeon took his sweet time with the script on top of all the rewrites and input from others involved in the show--notably Gene Roddenberry, Robert Justman, D.C. Fontana, and Gene Coon. I need to be clear on this: The finished episode itself is a product of all of them. A lot of what exists in the finished episode is missing from the script that is available online to read. Dialogue and scenes were cut but still present in the script. What was intended by one person is not what remained in the finished episode because the finished episode is the culmination of other people's ideas.

I bring these details up and look forward to the events of Journey to Babel because the existence of Sarek and Amanda as a couple speaks to a Vulcan notion of romantic and sexual love, regardless of what further details may exist in the beta canon of the books and so forth (I am writing these notes around the episode Amok Time itself; I might dig into the script versus what is filmed and recall later information given by other episodes of The Original Series, but I'm limiting myself solely to TOS in this). Fontana herself was of the opinion that Vulcans do not have sex once every 7 years and that such an interpretation was a misunderstanding of the pon farr. Frankly, I'm inclined to agree, especially when the completed episode does not include any sort of timeline for the pon farr, merely that Spock assumed his time would never come owing to his human half.

Hell, the couple of Stonn and T'Pring as revealed later in Amok Time suggests something beyond pre-arranged bondings and betrothals, logic, and innate mating drives spurring Vulcans on to choose their mates. T'Pring states that she wanted Stonn and he wanted her in return. Don't tell me that conversation was strictly the logical choice to pursue a marriage of convenience just because Stonn was physically there on Vulcan, otherwise what's to separate Stonn from all the other eligible Vulcans on the planet? T'Pring's attraction to him and all that such a thing can entail. Stonn was ready to fight an adrenaline-fueled Spock and potentially die for T'Pring. Where's the logic of that unless Vulcans do in fact abide by various forms of love? Doesn't the existence of these two couples show that there are degrees of love and emotions that even Vulcans--yes full, 100% biological Vulcans--act and live on? What notably separates Vulcans from the computers they are so harshly compared to is that Vulcans are living, organic beings capable of growth beyond what a computer can do. They operate primarily by logic, but that is not all they are. They are still physical beings inhabiting a physical world. They may seek the ideals of the mind, but as this episode shows, no amount of discipline or logic can overcome the physical realities of biology, of hunger itself.

My point is: if all Spock has of T'Pring is an old photo of her aged seven, how close can they be? He's in his thirties and he has no recent photos of his fiancé. They haven't been shown to have any sort of contact with one another until this episode, but they're supposed to get married. Is it any wonder that T'Pring doesn't want to marry Spock? Did he try at all to nurture their bond?

And why is Spock treated as the perfect example for how Vulcan marriages, divorces, and the pon farr goes given all the things that set him apart from other Vulcans? He is half Vulcan, half human. His father is an ambassador. Spock joined Starfleet instead of the Vulcan Science Academy. He has had a strained relationship to his father for 18 years. He hasn't returned home in 4 years. Despite these things which set him apart, Spock is the only Vulcan character we have known for an entire season, so he must be the representative of all of Vulcan rather than seen for the outlier he is. Is it not possible that his family's status or his hybrid nature has changed the way his pon farr is handled? (I realize the reality of some of these pesky details is because Star Trek decided to model itself off of the standalone story structure of anthology series like Wagon Train. Doesn't mean I can't gripe about it or realize that, because of that standalone structure, Spock's lack of a relationship with T'Pring is an issue that was baked in to the very episode plot before it was ever brought up. Technically, had this been made into an issue to correct, someone could have found a way to imply something between T'Pring and Spock off-camera, but alas that did not happen.)

SPOCK CANNOT CONFIRM OR DENY THAT HE WILL DIE. HE CANNOT SPEAK. WHAT THE HELL. He cannot admit to the reality of his situation, not to himself, and certainly not aloud to Kirk.

"Is it something only your planet can do for you?" = "Is there nothing we can do for you here? Is there nothing I can do beyond getting you to Vulcan?" (I could say more about the pain of knowing something is terribly wrong with someone but being unable to help them in any manner and what that would mean to someone like Kirk who continues to persist in situations where most would rather give up. How this question is both an attempt to still respect Spock's privacy but also try to get much-needed information for him. How it is very much a declaration of love and care which Spock cannot indulge in at this time lest he loses himself.)

"SPOCK!" THE WRIST GRAB! THE SHAKING! (Ignore the continuity error of Spock putting the pen down before the wrist grab but having it back again in his hand. Yes, you notice these things in rewatches and editing. Sorry to point it out.) THE CONTACT, THE CONNECTION. If Vulcans are touch telepaths, how much care and concern do you think Spock received in that moment? No wonder Spock cannot look Kirk in the eye afterward.

KIRK: "You've been called the best first officer in the Fleet."

McCoy said it in Operation: Annihilate! Twice! Hello, continuity! I love you. And Spock closes his eyes as if this praise hurts him, as if he cannot bear to look at Kirk for saying this.

This line and Kirk's following line, "That's an enormous asset to me" have been understood as Kirk appealing to Spock's sense of logic and retaining the necessary distance of professionalism. Why disrupt the smooth operation of the ship? Why jeopardize the Enterprise's five year mission? Why throw away such a distinguished career? And it works. Spock begins talking, but only after getting up to place a physical distance between himself and Kirk.

Spock can't even bring himself to face Kirk, he stands in profile if not with his back to Kirk (and his back to the audience, if you want to break that fourth wall). He moves to the opposite wall in the room before saying, "It is a thing no Outworlder may know, except those very few who have been involved." So there's a precedent to Outworlders--non-Vulcans--knowing of, if not participating in the koon-ut-kal-if-fee, the marriage or challenge ceremony, and knowing of the pon farr as a result! Fascinating!

SPOCK: "A Vulcan understands, but even we do not speak of it among ourselves."

I know I'm getting ahead of the series by doing this, but once more, Journey to Babel establishes that Spock and Sarek have not spoken to each other "as father and son for 18 years" and Spock has not returned home in 4 years. Let's assume that Spock is 36 given that was Nimoy's age at the time. 36-18=18. This is Spock's first pon farr and he was betrothed/bonded to T'Pring at the age of seven. This is my roundabout way of saying, who exactly is going to be telling a child about the pon farr if it is considered a time of madness and mating, or am I to assume that Vulcan children are given every bit of detail same as an adult would because they are innately logical? (I'm being sarcastic; I understand Vulcan logic to be the result of great discipline and hard work to suppress the emotions if not the commitment and further work to undergo the complete purging of emotion.)

Moreover who would Spock be discussing the pon farr with? His human mother? How would that help him? Certainly not his father if their relationship became strained when he rejected the VSA for Starfleet! Perhaps a teacher at some point in his first 18 years on Vulcan before joining Starfleet? But again, the age of when this would happen would surely alter the details of the discussion, right?

Again, I realize I am applying details that did not exist when this episode was written, but if we are to accept what Journey to Babel tells of Spock and shows us of his parents, then their estrangement shows why his parents were not there for the ceremony and it explains how Spock can say such a thing as, "We do not speak of it among ourselves." He would not have told them to begin with, and I think Sarek and Amanda are smart enough to keep a discreet distance had they been notified.

I'm making a note of this for a reason: if Spock's only understanding of the pon farr came from him being aged seven at the earliest (again, this is not divulged in the episode), is it not possible he built it up in his own head, especially understanding how different he is as a half-human? This isn't to say that I believe the pon farr isn't serious, but Spock is not your typical Vulcan, so his fears and the weight he's placed upon the pon farr exceeds the norm because of who he is. Of course he'd feel more shame about this, especially if he thought, however briefly, that he would be spared it entirely. Imagine that: Spock, the Vulcan-human hybrid untouched by the madness of pon farr. I think he would be so elated his lips would twitch in the closest he'd give to a smile. Instead, here he is, torn by a drive he does not wish to understand because it undoes everything he has lived by. He is only half-Vulcan yet this time still comes for him. How unfair it is to have a body that is half human yet still beholden to the drives of its Vulcan half. How unfair it is for Spock to work so hard at living according to Vulcan teachings and philosophies, suppressing his emotions and retaining such clarity even as he works among humans, and the pon farr undoes it all and creates questions he cannot have the answers to unless he survives.

Think about it: what if his body cannot physically take the pressures as a full Vulcan's would? What if he dies, regardless of T'Pring, regardless of the blood fever triggered by her rejection? How would anyone know how the first half-Vulcan, half-human hybrid's first pon farr goes? The fact that Spock was betrothed speaks to the assumption that he would undergo the pon farr and would survive its effects. In other words, think of the betrothal not as arranged marriage (especially given how the betrothal can be challenged and rejected) but hope for a life after the pon farr. The ceremony exists for a reason: to ensure Vulcans live.

I want to also point out the absurdity of such a statement: "we do not speak of it amongst ourselves." AND YET. There are rituals they follow, down to wearing specific garments, ringing bells and gongs, creating betrothals during childhood specifically for this time, allowing for either a marriage (the koon-ut) or a challenge/divorce (the kal-if-fee) because these betrothals are not understood to be permanent. Awful lot to do if there's no speaking about it! (I suppose one could say that there are plenty of traditions that people have continued enacting throughout the centuries without really scrutinizing or knowing why they do such a thing, but that falls apart when you consider the thought and care that would go into preparing a match for bonding/betrothal. Perhaps the details as to why the bells must ring, why the sash is purple, and so forth can be forgotten with time, but I'd say the rest is pretty damn obvious and too important to be forgotten, especially by a race as logical as Vulcans). I point this out because I feel like so much of the understanding of pon farr has come from accepting these statements as wholly true and absolute fact rather than considering them in light of the information the episode reveals afterwards on the planet Vulcan itself. In other words, Spock is not his usual self at this time and he is an unreliable narrator for these details at best (to say nothing of his status as the first Vulcan-human hybrid! That informs his perspective too). A previous scene had him not realizing he ordered the ship to Vulcan. Is it not possible that this scene is the result of his fears, heightened by the adrenaline of the pon farr?

SPOCK: "It is a deeply personal thing. Can you see that, Captain, and understand?"

FINALLY. He asks to be seen. He asks for understanding! And he looks directly at Kirk! Except! He's asking for more privacy! He's asking for Kirk to fill in the gaps and accept his non-answers as explanation because Spock himself does not wish to say it. He's running away to hide again, putting up walls mid-conversation, and pushing Kirk away. Spock, what the hell??

Kirk orders Spock to explain it to him and Spock responds, "Captain, there are some things which transcend even the discipline of the service."

Again, Kirk understands he cannot get Spock to talk any other way but Spock is now willing to risk disciplinary action for disobeying Kirk's orders! A failure to communicate due to the shame Spock feels for needing instead of being able to deny, and he is willing to jeopardize his career with Starfleet for this shame.

Kirk walks towards him and bridges their distance, and tells Spock he will treat their conversation as "totally confidential."

Gotta love the "we are going to commit to tripping the censors" that Star Trek TOS pulls. Note the discordant return of the Mr. Spock/Contrary Orders theme! How fun that the audience can giggle at Nimoy and Shatner as they repeat "Vulcan biology" and other variations of it, knowing that they cannot say sex yet still hear such a serious tune as they do so. Adds an extra layer of disorder to this scene, mirroring the chaos that Spock is struggling against. There's also a meta-layer to this in that, due to the network censors and issues surrounding discussions of sex within general audience television, the censors create the same inability to communicate that propels the episode's plot. And I would be remiss to overlook the acting here. Nimoy delivers a physically pained if not annoyed Spock, as if he cannot believe he must spell out the obvious to the captain. Shatner gives Kirk a lost expression as he listens before it all clicks and we have the suave, ready-to-solve-the-issue captain.

I love that they took the "birds and the bees" idiom and played it straight for Spock! It is not just a euphemism for sex, it is earnestly true: Vulcans are not like any other creature. What other creature would try to control itself as Vulcans do, suppressing the emotions if not purging them entirely, forming a civilization ruled by logic and the mind (a civilization that might as well seek Plato's highest idea of the absolute and unchanging Forms in their attitudes towards logic; honestly this is a stretch but it could be that this is how Surak's teachings evolved with the passage of about 2,000 years)?

SPOCK: If any creature as proudly logical as us were to have their logic ripped from them as this time does to us…

Yes, pride isn't a very Vulcan thing to have, but it has been made clear that Spock takes pride in being a Vulcan and in being different from humans. Most of Spock and McCoy's banter with each other stems from McCoy putting on a big show about how alien and strange Spock is only for Spock to happily (as much as he allows himself to show it) double-down on whatever difference sets him apart from humans. And again, for Spock especially pon farr is an undoing of all of his hard work, all of his discipline, all of his control and denial and he is powerless to stop it despite his attempts. This is world-ending for him hence how he phrases it in such a visceral way. (To say nothing of the inherent dichotomy between logic and madness!)

SPOCK: How do Vulcans choose their mates? Haven't you ever wondered? KIRK: I guess the rest of us assume that it's done… quite logically. Spock: No. It is not.

Once more, BULLSHIT. The very fact that Vulcans match children together to share a bond specifically for their future pon farr, and the fact that they are betrothed to one another at such a young age again for the future pon farr, and the fact that the pon farr itself is contained by the marriage or challenge ceremony means that there is a very logical process to it all! The only time logic would go out the window would be if a Vulcan were to reject their betrothed to marry the one that they love. (This is assuming a dichotomy between logic and love, Logos and Pathos, objectivity and subjectivity, absolute reality and personal perception, etc. Science can quantify love into numbers and biochemical processes and so forth, but it is not enough to yield understanding, otherwise a lot of literature, poetry, songs, art, and so forth are all saying absolutely nothing of import.)

But the caveat here is, they could have hardly said, "How do Vulcans mate?" on 1960s television even though that is the question which would--logically--earn such a response. Lmao.

That aside, Spock returns to his seat, not to put physical distance between him and Kirk, however. Perhaps now Spock is becoming more agitated as this conversation continues, and so he cannot stay in one place for too long.

SPOCK: We shield it with ritual and customs shrouded in antiquity. You humans have no conception. It strips our minds from us. Brings a madness which rips away the veneer of our civilization. It is the pon farr. The time of mating. There are precedents in nature, Captain. The giant eelbirds of Regulus Five, once each eleven years they must return to the caverns where they hatched. On your Earth, the salmon. They must return to that one stream where they were born, to spawn or die in trying.

The music! Suddenly there's horns, drums, and the bells. It sounds like a march in its tempo and crafts a sinister atmosphere.

Spock keeps his hands clasped together in his lap while Kirk starts rubbing at his face and mouth with his hand and fingers, taking Spock's words in and lost in thought. So much of this episode is centered around the communication of need versus the shame of one’s need leading to secrecy, so to suddenly make the lips/mouth the object of worry, when one uses the mouth to communicate verbally or to kiss another…. This was not the first episode produced for season two but it is the first aired episode of that season, so it is interesting that this would be the first time audiences see that Kirk's nervous hands move to his face and mouth. (In other words, Shatner started doing this in season two, which is also the time that he gave up smoking, so this change was probably the result of that. Still, what serendipity.)

Well, they certainly shield and shroud the madness of pon farr with the rituals, if not attempt to contain and redirect it so that it is not destructive to others or the self. Think about it: if the pon farr taps into the fight-or-flight response and increases the feelings of fear and aggression, then a fight is technically the way to get those feelings out. Of course, the urge for violence is not all of it. It is a mating drive that urges for sex.

Spock gives two other examples of creatures that follow a mating drive, both animal species. What is notably missing is the detail that within the salmon run, the bulk of adult salmon die after they mate. It is not a matter of "try or die," it is inherent to the cycle: they return home, they mate, they die. Sex and death are linked together in the salmon run. The Vulcan pon farr follows this albeit with a twist: either they mate or they die. Sex or death. One can create life, the other is the end of life. (I could bring more Bataille into this owing to how he writes about the desire to posses the beloved even to the point of killing them (mate or die), but if I do so, the ensuing excursion would get this way off track. Just understand, the linking of sex and death is a conscientious choice beyond what I am arguing here for Spock specifically.)

These are two extremes for the cycle of life and polar opposites, and it follows how the pon farr negates the principles Vulcans live by in general, but it especially negates the way that Spock adheres to Vulcan principles--control versus impulse (if not rest, the relinquishing of control), denial versus need, moderation versus excess if not nothing versus all--and it speaks to Spock's fears of losing his identity as a Vulcan and the strict control it takes to maintain that identity. It takes the mental ideals of logic and breaks them for the biology and impulse of the physical.

KIRK: But you're not a fish, Mister Spock. You're-- SPOCK: No. Nor am I a man. I'm a Vulcan. I'd hoped I would be spared this, but the ancient drives are too strong. Eventually, they catch up with us, and we are driven by forces we cannot control to return home and take a wife. Or die.

It is not known, of course, if Kirk was going to call Spock a human or a Vulcan, but Spock assumes the word to be said was human. If so, Kirk was calling Spock human out of the concern that no human could possibly survive the thing that Spock is speaking about. And of course, this is perhaps the tragedy of the pon farr: Spock fears it for undoing his control and the identity created by it, but by undergoing the pon farr, Spock is confirmed in his Vulcan heritage. Who else but a Vulcan would experience the pon farr?

KIRK: I haven't heard a word you've said, and I'll get you to Vulcan somehow.

Mum's the word. Kirk gets up and goes over to Spock before saying it. If he were to reach out, they would touch, but Kirk maintains that physical distance and Spock does not look up, not until Kirk leaves. The angle of his face mirrors the look he has later when he is in the blood fever. Perhaps this conversation has unsettled him in more ways than the obvious Vulcan control slipping away for fear and anger.

Edit: I did forget something. Of course, I forgot something! Because initially I was responding to the dialogue itself and the discrepancies to it and how such were necessitated by 1960s social mores (Within the show itself, one could argue the discrepancies are a sign of Spock's unraveling. He isn't making sense.)

SPOCK: How do Vulcans choose their mates? Haven't you ever wondered?

Spock initially uses the term "mates" when leading up to telling Kirk about the pon farr. The context is referring to Vulcans in general. Mate is a gender neutral term, so this implies that any Vulcan, regardless of gender, will undergo the pon farr. In using such a gender neutral term, the gender of the Vulcans involved in the ceremony are open to being anything. In other words, a same-sex couple could very well exist (off-screen, if not in the margins).

SPOCK: No. Nor am I a man. I'm a Vulcan. I'd hoped I would be spared this, but the ancient drives are too strong. Eventually, they catch up with us, and we are driven by forces we cannot control to return home and take a wife. Or die.

As Spock continues telling Kirk of the pon farr, however, he eventually uses the term "wife" instead. Wife obviously implies only one gender, yet Spock uses this term after he specifically mentions himself. He does return to the plural pronoun of "we," so it could be argued that this too is to refer to all Vulcans, but I'd argue against it given his initial phrasing. Spock got really personal in this conversation, going from all Vulcans, to himself, only to suddenly return to all Vulcans again. Is this not a way of putting up barriers and trying to distance himself from the conversation, of trying to forget what separates him from all other Vulcans (his hybrid status and the questions it creates)? And is this not a way to finally bring T'Pring into the conversation, at the very end, after the scene opened with her image? It creates a bookend for impact. To take a wife is Spock's assumed fate because his betrothal was set years ago. He hoped the pon farr would not impact him, but it has, so now he must adhere to the plans created for his survival because he has denied this would happen to him and has denied the reality of his condition. Spock is in the 11th hour. At this point, T'Pring looks like his only hope because his denial refuses to see any other alternatives.

#star trek tos #amok time #jim kirk #spock #amok time notes #yeah this took me two days to do. to analyze five minutes of a show. lol #working on that phd in amok time #more like there's just too much here! i've probably even forgotten or overlooked something. absolute brain food of an episode

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ceruleanskies48 · 3 months

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Dead Mothers of BES pt. 1 (Akemi)

Mizu, Taigen, Akemi, and Ringo are very different characters, but the two things they all have in common are shitty fathers and dead mothers (at least from our Season 1 knowledge). The shitty fathers part is pretty self-explanatory, but let’s dig into what we know about their dead mothers and what we might speculate.

This is a four-part series, starting with Akemi's mom.

How do we know she’s dead?

In Ep. 4, Lord Daichi states that Akemi’s mother is no longer around. Seki confirms this in Ep. 7 when he says he tried to prepare Akemi for the world after her mother died.

When did she die?

The evidence we have points in two different directions. One possibility is that she died not that long ago, when Akemi was already in her teens. Akemi’s half-brother Tomoe is not that old (pre-verbal), and Lord Daichi likely remarried and had his second child shortly after his first wife died due to the need for a male heir. Indeed, when he talks about Lord Saito being on the market for a new bride, he mentions blithely that Lord Saito’s wife just died in childbirth, suggesting that new brides are sought quickly afterward. In addition, Lord Daichi in Ep. 8 says that Akemi used to look at his with admiration. This is definitely not the nature of their relationship when we first meet them, so it could be that Akemi’s regard for her father changed when he remarried. Young children typically are more accepting of step parents, and Akemi might have been especially upset at her father if his new bride wasn’t that much older than her.

That said, it seems like Seki has been taking care of her since she was little. He, not her mom, brushed her teeth, taught her to read and paint, and was the one who let her sneak into her father’s library to read books. That said, the fact that he replaced her mom (instead of a nursemaid) implies that Akemi was not young enough to need breastfeeding. Either he started taking care of Akemi when she was around 3 and her mom died around then, or he was taking care of her even when her mom was still alive.

How did she die?

She could have died from illness, but my guess is that she died from pregnancy-related complications. Akemi was her only child, so there must have been significant pressure for her to bear a male heir. The fact that Akemi doesn’t have a younger full sibling suggests that her mother might have struggled with subsequent pregnancies, perhaps having miscarriages/stillbirths, which were much more dangerous at the time.

What was she like?

Lord Daichi said that Akemi’s mom was like her in that she talked back. That said, she knew how to please him as a wife. My guess is that she was a strong woman who knew how to influence her often pig-headed husband. The fact that Seki took over from her as Akemi’s “mother” suggests that he was close to Akemi’s mother. Otherwise it’s a strange position for her father’s counselor to be put into. In addition, Seki raised Akemi to be a future leader, which is very progressive for the time, so my guess is that he had high regard for Akemi’s mother and was perhaps her advisor as well (especially if she was the one actually pulling her husband’s strings). This would also inform the direction Seki pushed Akemi into—marrying up and working within her constraints as a wife to become a leader through her husband.

#blue eye samurai mizu #akemi #bes akemi #akemi blue eye samurai #akemi's mom #lord daichi #bes #dead mothers of bes #dead mother trope #seki bes #blue eye samurai #meta analysis #ceruleanskies

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pyxilatezero · 7 months

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Need I say more?

I think the people, objectively, have spoken.

if I were to add in my opinion you’d see that I contributed a few fanfics to the mix

Main reason for my dislike of White Knight: I hate Jaune and Weiss is my favorite character, so I think she deserves better. I know some people won’t say this is a valid reason but Jaune originally and currently isn’t written very well. You basically have to give him his own episode to flush out his plot line, (like in the first season and every season afterwards where he’s important) and he’s not a main character so he takes up screen time. (They do the same with Oscar and the rest of JNPR Instead of doing a JNPR episode, they do each of them individually with sprinkles of plot in between) Honestly, a relationship between him and Weiss would be a bad idea. Case in point:

Volume 1 White-knight Moments:

Jaune unsuccessfully flirting with Weiss (+1)

Volume 2 White-knight Moments:

Jaune unsuccessfully flirting with Weiss (+1)

Volume 3 White-knight moments:

… PYRRHA! (-1)

Volume 4 White-knight moments:

… (No interaction; no points awarded or deducted)

Volume 5 White-knight moments:

Jaune does a common courtesy and saves Weiss’s life (does not count; he would react the same for anybody- ‘nO hE wOULdn’T’ shut up Victoria if any of your friends were dying you’d save their life) [+0.5]

Volume 6 White-knight moments:

…

Volume 7 White-knight moments:

…

Volume 8 White-knight moments:

…

Volume 9 White-knight moments:

Weiss admires Jaune over the fact that he’s mature, and supports him like a good friend after Ruby runs away. He reverts to his old form, and we never hear from them again. (+2)

Total score: 3.5/9 (trying to be generous, I really am)

Main reason for liking Whiterose: Enemies to friends to lovers is an adorable trope, and they get a lot of screen time together in the first few seasons. Also, Monty himself shipped them. While I won’t say Whiterose is objectively better than White Knight, I am going to say that when I include my own opinion, it is better. Weiss and Ruby’s relationship feels more like a slow burn than Yang and Blake’s. We get scenes that could be interpreted that way in almost every season since Volume one. Let me go through them, and to show how unfair this is, I’m not allowed to add more than 1.5 points:

Volume 1 Whiterose Moments

Ruby and Weiss are off to a rocky start, but slowly warm up to each other as time goes on, and they get closer. They have a mildly, could-be considered romantic moment where Weiss makes Ruby coffee so she can stay up to study. (+1)

Volume 2 Whiterose Moments

In the food fight, Ruby dramatically catches Weiss when she falls and pretends to cry over her. (Not really much, but it’s something). Ruby and Weiss consistently pair up to get things done throughout the season, especially when looking into information about Cinder. (+1)

Volume 3 Whiterose Moments:

Supporting each other when Winter gets there (that is Volume 3, right?), excellent teamwork in the first stage of the Amity Arena battle, and Weiss’s concern for Ruby when she disappears. (+1)

Volume 4 Whiterose Moments:

Thinks about each other, but otherwise, nothing. (No points awarded or deducted)

Volume 5 Whiterose Moments:

Weiss remember’s Ruby’s coffee taste. While this could be something any friend does, they spend time together, reflecting over beacon, and Weiss helps Ruby’s sister Yang through an implication that she’s doing it for team RWBY, but especially their eccentric fluffball of a leader. (+1.5)

Volume 6 Whiterose Moments:

Ruby saves Weiss on the train, Weiss saves Ruby in the battle against the mech, and they spend time together in the village with the grim. I should give two points here but I’m loyal to my word. (+1.5)

Volume 7 Whiterose Moments:

Ruby and Weiss sitting together during training, and Weiss supporting Ruby when the team splits up. (+0.5)

Volume 8 Whiterose Moments:

Supporting each other all throughout the volume by working together, and acting as teammates and partners. (+0.5)

Volume 9 Whiterose Moments:

Ruby supports Weiss after her being upset about the fall of Atlas. (Jaune’s interaction with Weiss, -1 point- would have been two, though)

6/9

In any scenario, Whiterose wins. Im sure other people could come up with reasons to disprove me, or say I’m biased (I am, this is in no way objective), but these are the things I saw with my own eight eyes because I own three pairs of glasses, and heard with my (admittedly failing) teenage ears.

I’m sure I’ll get flak for this from both sides of the shipping community, because admittedly, the RWBY fandom can be toxic (but it’s almost any fandom at that point) saying I either graded White Knight too harshly or I gave too many or too few points to Whiterose, and I also did all of this off the top of my head, so I apologize for my many mistakes. I have two last statements:

Rosegarden: 0/9

Oscar is 14 and Ruby is 17. If I, the same age as Oscar as of 2023, would not date Ruby at that time, it’s probably wrong. When it comes to relationships for younger people, it’s best to avoid age gaps larger than 2 years. It’s also best to avoid relationships altogether until you can at least go for a learner’s permit. I rest my case.

edit 3: alright, some people have corrected me on the age part, apparently he’s fifteen. I don’t hate Rosegarden, but something about Ozpin and Oscar being the same person makes me really uncomfortable (again, as someone who is younger). Thats the only reason I didn’t give it any rating- it just feels too close to, well… I don’t really have to say it. Especially when the whole point of things is that Oscar and Ozpin are becoming the same person.

Bumblebee: 8/9

It’s canon, bro. It does feel slightly forced at times, but they’re a strong couple who supports each other and helps each other through trauma. You go girls, lesbians all the way (insert lesbian pride flag here)

edit: got someone sending in a message about neither ever going to be canon. You’re right, but thank you so much for crushing a high schooler’s hopes and dreams. Have a nice day

edit 2: I prefer icerose over whiterose but I’ll get what I can take (canon ruby x ice Queendom Weiss). This is just an overall argument.

#rwby #whiterose #rwby weiss #rwby ruby #rwby jaune arc #weiss x ruby #jaune x weiss #character review #ship dynamics #canon probably deduction #but not really?#anti white knight rwby

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timdrakesbussy · 4 months

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Do you have a Stardew fic recommendation list?

Oh, sure!

1. Stick Season by laststardrop | (Shane/Harvey) | Rated M

Harvey was two years into medical school when his boyfriend of three years up left him without a proper goodbye. Five year later, he finds him again.

2. No Place Like Home by Ash_Fountain | Multi (mainly Alex/Penny) | Rated E

[…] An AU where Penny buys the abandoned farm in order to build her own life. This fic follows several points of view, allowing for the drama of some of Stardew's younger citizens to unfold.

3. Things We Don’t Mean by maxRebo | (Alex/Sebastian) | Rated E

Sebastian has a complicated life. He’s been pining over his best friend for years and Sam loves him, too… just, not the way he wants. One day he finds some solace at the spa with someone he would never expect. Life doesn’t get less complicated after that.

4. In the Moonlight by UrsulaNoodles | (Emily/Shane) | Rated E

Shane's life has gone to hell, and he spends most of his nights sulking at the Stardrop Saloon, but Emily's positivity and friendship keep him afloat. He never meant to develop feelings for her, and he convinced himself that she didn’t feel the same way, but a night alone in Cindersap Forest has him thinking otherwise.

5. the wilderness farm map raises a lot of questions by eke | Multi (but mainly Shane/Male Farmer and Marlon/Marnie) | Rated M

6. Lighthouse on the Shore by CharalampidisGruber | (Alex/Sebastian) | Rated M

There's a small house in Pelican Town. Like every home in Pelican Town, this house keeps secrets. Tonight is no different when Sebastian shows up drenched on Alex's doorstep needing someone.

7. I Think I Love the Boy Next Door by animeboysruinedmylife | (Haley/Sam) | Rated M

Haley's not being dramatic, but the worst thing that ever happened to her was Sam moving in next door. She could tell from the second she first saw him that he’d be a pain in her ass. That smug little people-pleasing face. Gelled-up hair. Scuffed-up shoes like some kind of wannabe skater boy. She’s always been a good judge of character, even back then, and time has only proven her right.

8. Splinters by BlueberryFarmingForever | (Male Farmer/Others) | Rated T

The actions of a highly indecisive farmer from Robin's point of view.

9. In Your Eyes by Mouse_213 | (Sam/Sebastian) | Rated E

[…] Seb has his secret reasons for disliking Sam. Deeply rooted anger and anxiety whenever he sees Sam’s bright green eyes that Seb can’t even bring himself to tell Abigail about. And it seems like lately, all Sam wants to do is shove his way into Seb’s private, fiercely-protected life and become his friend. What’s he supposed to do now?

10. Things We Don’t Say by maxRebo | (Haley/Abigail) | Rated E

It's no secret that Haley and Abby have never gotten along. When a surprise coupling overlaps their social circles, they're forced to rely on each other for the sake of their best friends, and come to terms with what the tension between them is really all about.

11. on the (re)founding of rome by Sinister_Queer | (Alex/Sebastian) | Rated E

Sebastian remembers, in technicolor detail, the moment he first saw Alex. […] This is a story about falling in love. This is a story about re-building Rome. (Or: a jock and a goth fall in love)

12. i found nowhere (it got to know me) by szemkel | (Sam/Sebastian) | Rated E

The worst part of living in the city wasn’t the smog, the stench of car exhaust or the constant noise of traffic coming in through the opened windows; it wasn’t Sebastian’s current diet, made up mostly by instant noodles and delivery takeaways; it wasn’t the gray, soulless concrete which greeted his eyes wherever he went, either, and it wasn’t the berserk hoards of teenagers wandering about the streets every evening. To put it shortly, the worst part of living in the city wasn’t anything he had been warned about before moving there. The worst part of living in the city was the absence of Sam.

13. Book of Caroline by J_Unlimited | (Caroline/Male Player) | Rated E

For as long as Caroline could remember, she’s lived her life for others. Saddled with an unsatisfying life, she looks to the new farmer for comfort. Will he be the spark that Caroline needs to set herself free?

#han’s answers #stardew valley #sdv #stardew valley fanfic #sdv fanfic

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ol-files · 3 months

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Rating Wakfu Couple

3/10 Ogrest X Dathura (canon)

These two are not meant to be in a romantic relationship. Possibly, even with another person. These two are no more that newborns, they have no understanding of what it is to be in this type of relationship. But I found it perfect to be in the same family. They both need love and acceptance. Dathura is therefore more of a big sister than a love interest.

5/10 Eva X Tristepin

I just think that their relationship beginnings (season 1 and season 2) took turns too tight. Their early relationship is really pushed by the authors that at first we wondered: "but why they are together"

At my level, it had them to become parents to look like a couple that is made to last. Until the end or the sad past catches up with them.

6/10 Chibi X Mina (canon)

Calm down at first and know that this couple is CANON and I find it beautiful. I love mythological stories, and in my books when your parents created the universe, you’re going to marry one of your sibling to lead your people and create a world.

And these two have father and mother’s lives for their other brothers and sisters, and for their people.

7/10 Poo X Kali (canon)

Seen in the manga Ogrest. Impossible to expand too much on why without spoiling the story. But these two have a common background and their personality balances perfectly.

7/10 Qilby X Chibi

What better for absolute curiosity than the absolute inventor.

For better understanding of they dinamyc I find this fic resuming all the possibility

(I will not make them all would become a little uniquity otherwise)

8/10 Amalia X Yugo (canon)

Season 4 had to exist and the webtoon took over for me to catch the inter of these two. Even if I have seen this couple build little by little, I find that they have not had enough emblematic or more significant moments. Yes I think of the marriage with Harebourg, if the guy had not had a spider on the ceiling, it would be Amalia X Harebourg in this place and they would have a lower score.

9/10 Qilby X Otomaï

At first, we find the same qualities present as if Qilby was with Chibi. But with a worship more turned towards the future. If he had a deeper redemptive bow, it would be a perfect choice.

Moreover Otomai having taken in complexity in the manga Ogrest and not only in good. But unlike Qilby he tries to learn from his mistakes, the important thing is to try. The idea of seeing these two go a long way together is rather comforting

10/10 Alia X Bordegann (canon)

Perfect fairy tale couple. If we touch their happiness of this little couple I going to be very upset. 👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻

10/10 Jiva X Ulgrud (canon)

Lets them reste now, please. 😿

11/10 Noximillien X Galante (canon)

Galante loved her husband and it broke her to go away from him, but she put their child’s life before her happiness. Also, if the chaos of Ogrest had not prevailed, Nox would NEVER have seen the light of day. But it’s their love that makes Nox the best villain we’ve ever had.

20/10 Nora X Amalia

I quickly fell in love with this possible couple. Who in addition to filling the gaps between yumalia and a strong couple. At first, I’m a little biased because Nora, one of my favorite characters from the game on XBOX (2011), not to mention the fears that this character is ruined. She had finally returned. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ (She is doomed but snif) BUT the possibility of these two warrior princesses exists and being together is really my absolute (in this ranking)

#wakfu #ankama #Ogrest X Dathura #Nora X Amalia #Noximillien X Galante #Qilby X Otomaï #Amalia X Yugo #Chibi X Mina #Eva X Tristepin #Poo X Kali #Qilby X Chibi #Jiva X Ulgrud #my thougts #ratting the lover

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localfanbaselurker · 3 months

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I’m watching Voltron: Legendary Defender for the first time and here is what I have had to say per each season (this is 1-2) (3-4) (5-6) (7) (8)

Pre-Watch Knowledge

->big transformers type robot

->pretty alien girl that looks like princess yue from A:tLA

->they are the epitome of color-coded characters

->space??

->there was crazy people in the fanbase that sent cupcakes laced with something to the creators

->queer baiting (this one in particular got me)

->klance.

->^honestly I only knew that because people were comparing it to zukka and I wanted to check it out

->my friend really likes it

Post S1 thoughts-

->that cliffhanger was crazy imagine they weren’t renewed for a s2

-> i went on tumblr after and youre telling me they made that show IN TWO YEARS?? EIGHT SEASONS. IN TWO MF YEARS?? that is insane. props to the writers bro they fr must of known what they were doing.

->all of these characters already scream “doomed by the narrative”

->my fav characters are pidge and lance

->I definitely did NOT expect yue Allura to be British

->bonding moment.

->^like yeah okay i get it now

-> the healing pods are a very interesting concept. Like, what if you get some ailment that it doesn’t recognize?? Do you just die??

-> genuinely felt so bad for Not Yue. Allura. Allura when they had to remove her father’s memory thing. Like yeah I know the castle was corrupted or wtv but bro imagine. Your entire race is dead. your mom, who you previously knew alive is now most likely dead. You already had to go through losing your father once, and now you have to lose him again. Any sliver of hope you had of staying connected with him is gone, because the entirety of his essence is now gone. She’s stronger than me, I would have never given him up so easily. I admire that about her.

->I also made the horrible mistake of going on ao3 after

yk for gits and shiggles… and when I go to a new fandom I always search by hits to see the classics first yk

…

WHY are you guys so 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂… I genuinely shed a tear what. I was flabbergasted to say the least.

On that note the top 23 were about redguy/blueguy getting smoochy-smoochy with each other so I guess that should be a hint as to what you guys like

->the description of the show says the robot (voltron) is operated by “five teenagers” but that shiro guy has to be AT LEAST 25. He is pushing 30 you can’t convince me otherwise.

->for now it’s kinda giving atla except the war is intergalactic and lasted 10,000 years instead of 100.

->all the other characters seem to have a pretty clear background, but we haven’t yet heard about Keith’s backstory, so I want to know (I know now, this was my initial thought)

->shiros backstory/ptsd is very interesting, lots of angst possibilities i see

-> I had an inkling that pidge was…genderly different. (At first I thought she was transmasc)

Post S2

-> WHERE is my man. Where did he go.

-> Pookie please come back. Now. It’s not a suggestion.

->KEITH BACKSTORY I PREDICTED THEY WERE GONNA SHOW US YAY I LOVE BEING RIGHT

-> he’s galra! Soooo much whump opportunity

-> the whole “Allura doesn’t hate you she’s just a little upset to find out ur part of the race that killed off her entire peoples and family and okay maybe she does hate you” scene with keith and hunk is really giving that scene in atla: the southern raiders where zuko thinks katara hates him and sokka reassures him (badly) while he was just trying to get laid w suki.

->^ that’s gay

-> the aliens they met are going to be very important, aren’t they?

->^ oohhh so this is where the “langst” stuff comes from? he’s just kinda insecure i think, but it can’t possibly just be this episode that has that tag so high, unless flanderization is just really popular with you guys, but already suspect that unfortunately

->^Allura high key ate with this

->the “Blade of Marmora” people are definitely gonna be important later

-> the mall episode was soooo fun! fav s2 episode for sure!

->^gay. It’s literally giving “two bros chillin in a hot tub. five feet apart cus they’re not gay”

-> I know of 2 ships now. klance and allurance. I only see the former though, the latter seems more like a running gag/unrequited crush thing (for now i suppose)

-> Coran is an icon. I love that whimsical man. he’s beekeeping age per say.

-> I need pidge to find her brother and father man I feel so bad for her PLEASE DOBT TELL ME THEYRE DEAD ILL LITERALLY DIE.

-> pidge is sooooo cool i love her so much she’s literally the pookiest of the pookies

-> Who tf is gonna be the black paladin now. Keith sure as hell isn’t ready for that. maybe Allura?? Cus yk she kinda already leads them a little bit

These are thoughts I had compiled over a while now. I am on S5E3 as of now (07/03/24) but I wanted to document my thoughts either way. I will post on the tag “laura’s first vld”

#laura’s first vld #vld #first voltron watch #first time watch #I try to skip spoilers as much as I can but there’s only so much you can do when ur constantly yapping about ur hyperfixation to your phone #the healing pods are a very interesting thing tho #I’ll never let go of that. what if idfk ur appendix burst or something? do alteans have appendixes?? this actually raises more questions #alien anatomy is really interesting #even now i still don’t understand what ‘quinntessence’ is #“oh it’s like a life fuel/the essence of life” yeah no still confused. is it carbon?? cus that’s what makes organic life?? crazy #there’s a lot of hypotheticals regarding this shows scientific element #Voltron #voltron legendary defender

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orangepeelshortbreadcookies · 4 months

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Colin and the brothel

So I've seen leaks or speculations circling around about season 3 episode 7, about how Colin would find out Penelope is Lady Whistledown. Specifically, how he would react to this reveal, apparently: they would have a big fight, and after that, he would go to a brothel in anger. The reaction to this possibilty, as far as I've seen, has ranged from at best, skeptical, and at worst, absolutely furious. Even as the leak also assured that Colin would not seal the deal with adultery, the mere implication that he would even consider it, as what I've seen, was either unimaginable or so beyond the pail that it was sufficient evidence to villify him.

For now, everything still remains speculations. If it turns out he would not go to the brothel after LW reveal, it's fine. Otherwise, if it turns out that he would go the brothel after a fruitless argument with Penelope...? ALSO FINE.

Like, is it cheap drama? Yes. Is it a valid response considering the situation? Also yes. Intrusive thoughts can be one hell of a drug. But aside from that, considering his circumstances, I would think it a pretty solid development for his character.

Let's get the meta reason out of the way: the writers need knock him off his pedestal, according to what they claimed, in order to get him and Penelope to the same (somewhat) level. So far he has been a perfect gentleman, perfectly accomodating, helpful, honest and emotionally honest with Penelope. Forgiving and compassionate. The same arguably cannot be said about her. Going to the brothels is Colin's Chekhov's gun of a crutch, a toxic, "empowering" coping mechanism for him the same way LW is for Penelope. The narrative frames his experience with the two sex workers in similar way with Pen writing a gossip column: temporary reprieves from emotional distress. Achievements that according to society they should be proud of. It would not be surprising to me that Colin would briefly retreat back behind this familiar shield after the Whistledown bomb drops on him. And what a bomb that would be.

And with his current state of mind, and the stage of their relationship, I'm not sure how else he could have reacted, beside dissociating the hell out of the situation for awhile. He could not break off their engagement, because (according to the leaks), their engagement or marriage was already public and could not be annulled or postponed without causing a huge scandal, and because he loves her, he does not want to do this. He could not tell his family, they would probably be very angry and for good reason. Because he loves Penelope and would not want to rob her of the joy of with his family at Bridgerton House, especially not after she told him how much it meant to her. Telling his family she's LW would be a pretty surefire way to end that refuge for good. He would be furious, and rightfully so. He would feel tricked. Manipulated. His opinions ignored. That his affections were taken for granted. He would feel like he trusted and confided in the wrong person. He would feel like the Marina story was repeating itself before him, made worse by the person who condemned her, the person who he thought was his best friend, who after listening to him asking her to trust him, didn't, and behind his back made decision about his future for him. Plus his own moral opinions against Whistledown's ethics and her subject matters, Colin has some pretty good, compounding reasons to be angry. That anger has to go somewhere. And there's not many places it could go.

So yeah, going to the brothel, to me, for Colin, in the moment, would feel like one of the few ways he has left to assert some sort of agency in his life. In a reductive, possibly destructive way, yes, and on surface level, strictly carnal, the two prostitutes heard him and respected his wishes. And at the moment of distress, that would feel like a lifeline. And if he can't go through with that, if he manages to rein himself in, it would speak volumns of his emotional maturity and how much he loves Penelope. That self-control of your worst impulses is also what Pen could learn from him and guess what, it helps them grow.

#colin deserves his reckless 'watch me blow everything and myself up' moment #let him have it #it is in character #polin #colin bridgerton #penelope featherington #bridgerton

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halfagone · 11 months

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Is it bad that I don’t necessarily agree with what seems to be a lot of people’s headcanon of Danny not being straight? Obviously people can headcanon whatever they want, but I myself strictly adhere to the rule that if there is no explicit evidence or implications from canon that prove otherwise, that I just assume a character is straight since that’s statistically what is most common?

You had me in the first part but you lost me in the second, unfortunately. You said it yourself, people can headcanon whatever they want. If you prefer him being straight, then that's really up to you! But that last line you just said is a little something called 'heteronormativity' and I'm not going to explain that here.

Moreover, I would definitely say that it can be very tricky to use 'explicit evidence' for reasoning, because it's a very slippery slope.

I'll use some other childrens' cartoons as examples to make my point clear here: In The Legends of Korra, Korra dates only guys for almost the entirety of the show. But in the very last episode, she and Asami become a couple. I know a lot of people say that they just threw that out there, but if you do some research you'll find out that the showrunners fought so hard to get just that scene in the show. If they could, they probably would have added more elements to their relationship and gave them more obvious on-screen chemistry. But they weren't allowed to.

In Voltron: Legendary Defenders, we find out in Season 7 out of 8 that before the Kerberos mission, Shiro had been engaged to a man named Adam. While the two ultimately broke off their engagement because Adam didn't agree with Shiro's decision to go on the mission despite his illness, we do see in the series finale that Shiro gets married to Curtis, who was a member of the Atlas crew.

Probably one of the more famous examples, The Owl House! As we know this is a Disney channel show, but the wonderful creator Dana Terrance made it beautifully, openly queer. And Disney didn't quite like that, so they cancelled the series. After which, the showrunners essentially decided for the final abbreviated season, "Fuck it!" And did whatever they wanted, as far as they were allowed to go.

Dave Filoni has said that he shipped Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee and we could have seen a romance from the pair. (And yes, this does make the betrayal that much worse.) I could use Steven Universe as an example, but I think I've made this section of my point clear here.

We only see one side of the show. We get to see the finished product, not all the hard work the showrunners and writers and artists and producers put into getting what queer representation they could. We probably wouldn't have seen any of this from Danny Phantom as a show, because we all know Butch Hartman is homophobic as fuck, but that doesn't mean there was nothing there that we as a fandom couldn't have taken to mean something else.

In the episode, "One of a Kind", there's a scene where Danny and Tucker are seen cuddling comfortably in each other's embrace. Of course friends can do this too. Hell, they can even be in something called a ✨ queerplatonic relationship ✨ but that is still queer. Even still that can easily be argued that Danny is just as attracted to guys as he is to girls. You never see Danny act like that around Paulina or Valerie while they were dating.

In "Fanning the Flames", Sam kisses Dash to break Danny out of his mind control. Except... This episode's summary explicitly states, "Danny and Sam find their platonic relationship turned forcibly romantic through the powers of Ember..." Over the show's seasons, we do get bits and pieces of evidence that Sam had a crush on Danny, but it's not until "Frightmare", episode 9 of the last season, that we get a scene where Danny realizes he might have a crush on Sam. I'm sure there are other bits and pieces of evidence, Jack had a ring for some reason in "Girls' Night Out". But "Frightmare" is where we get the first evidence of a possible relationship from them, which is a huge deal because this show is primarily from Danny's perspective.

But that is, quite literally, two seasons apart. So who is to say that- that first time Sam kissed Dash- Danny wasn't jealous of Dash but he was jealous of Sam. Here's what I'm talking about: in "Frightmare" we see in Danny's dream sequence that he wanted to be friends with the A-Listers and that's probably primarily because he likes the idea of being popular, yet in that episode and "Attack of the Killer Garage Sale" it's always Dash that Danny wants to impress and please. In the latter's episode's case almost if not equally as much as Danny did with Paulina, a girl he freely shows his crush on. And yet this is the same guy that makes Danny's school life hell and whom Danny antagonizes on many occasions. This could easily be a case of 'pulling someone's pigtails' and considering Dash's admiration of Phantom, that's not hard to believe on his side of things either.

In general, Danny's entire secret identity can just as easily be a symbolism for queer identity. All of Danny's Rogues know who Danny is, what he is, where he lives, and where he goes to school. And yet it's his parents he has to hide himself from. If you switched out the word 'ghost' for 'gay' or 'queer' in some of the Fentons' anti-ghost rhetoric, it would have been unabashed hate speech.

The Danny Phantom phandom has a lot of queer folks. We've done polls, I've seen the numbers. You said it yourself, anyone is free to headcanon what they want. But considering the community, I am not surprised that Danny being anything but straight is so commonly headcanoned. And maybe that's still not for you, but it's not as shocking as you might expect it to be.

Danny is only 14 years old at the start of the series. While we don't know the exact timeline of the series, and how long it's been when the shows ends, we can comfortably put Danny at 15 or even 16 years old at most. But there are plenty of people who don't realize they're gay or lesbian or bi or ace until they're much, much older. Yeah, we didn't get to see that in canon for obvious reasons, but who's to say we can't show that instead?

#halfagone replies #danny phantom #character analysis #show analysis #deconstructing headcanons #with yours truly :D

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okkos-ferrum · 3 months

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Unorganized helluva boss apology tour rant cuz I think I'm going crazy

Disclaimer, cuz I know helluva fans can get defensive: A lot of this is probably my subjective opinion. I'll state my tldr as my actual objective piece of criticism, but otherwise my gripes throughout this could be based on my tastes and expectations. I genuinely don't want to take away anyone's enjoyment of this show nor hate on anyone involved, so if u just want to enjoy helluva, totally skip this :]

I think I'll actually have to give my hot take here and criticize this episode, because everyone has given way too much praise for an episode I think - in the long run - hurts the show

Im not gonna even bother organizing my thoughts I'm just gonna rant, but to start, i think the decision to start the ep right after full moon chronologically wasn't the best move. The full moon episode cliffhanger was an impactful scene and a dramatic way to start the rift between stolas and blitzo. It's where the dam of two-ish seasons finally breaks, where to me, stolas and blitzo have already said everything needed to be said, at least at the emotional maturity they currently are at. Any changes in said conversation about their relationship would require growth from both separately in order to foster a healthy discussion.

So to undercut that tension by IMMIEDTLY having blitzo somehow wiggle his way back into stolas's private property to have both double down on their stance diminishes the weight new moon's finale had. The conversation, while it does add further clarity, feels repetitive and emotionally taxing to watch, because the show has literally zero scenes of either of them reflecting on the previous night. So it's just them starting up the same fight with the same talking points we already know.

Yeah, maybe it is in character for blitzo to demand a conversation after new moon, but it shouldn't have been the path the show took. It should've allowed the story to stew in the feelings brought out in new moon, both in a narrative and meta sense by taking a break from stolatiz.

Cuz honestly I'm a bit drained of it atm. The show sells itself on the premise of blitzo being a "boss" (a hell of a bos-) and him working with imp. But all of s2 has had this obsession with stolatiz ever since the popularity of ozzie's (for good reason that episode was amazing and one of my personal favs still).

Just abt half the eps in s2 carry an emotional weight around the stolitz relationship. (where s1 has stolitz is make out sessions and the occasional threat to their life, s2 takes it up to actual life or death situations and full backstories) . This increased tension and focus draws away from the intial episodic format to become a more serialized (and imo) melodrama abt the status of the stolitz relationship. Rather than concern itself over any of the imp characters and their emotions, helluva has made all of its emotional beats and stakes throughtout the whole season relate to stoltiz in some way (or it's parallel with fizz and Ozzie in ep 7).

To return back to the ep, I also take issue with its writing of verosika. I will admit that this could be subjective, as my partner, who loves verosika and was worried abt her writing going into the ep, enjoyed how the ep integrated her. But idk, I think it is so lame that an ep like full moon, which is marketed to be abt stolitz, is fine wasting its time writing the cherubs for 90% of the episode, while can't bother making verosika a larger character in her own ep.

Like she's a SINGER, but no she's back up for STOLAS'S SONG this ep. And it's not stolas's hasn't had the chance to sing love ballads before, he's got plenty. But no, the host of the party can't even be a duet to stolas, she's gotta be back up. Like it couldve been a way stronger connection between these two if they sang a duet, rather than the show AGAIN prioritizing verbalizing stolas's emotions again.

We get a full flashback to blitzo's relationship with both fizz and stolas, but nothing on his other significant relationship??? Just a line or two of how it went down and that's it??

Side tangent: It gets on my nerves how so many people are realizing now that verosika is not a bad person. Like it's clear from even in her intro ep in s1 ep 3 she's angry rightfully for how blitzo screwed her over. But now that she actually is being nice and forgiving to stolas and blitzo respectively, now she has earned the fandom's respect??? Like the amt of comments of "Oh wow, verosika isn't a villain, she's an anatognist" drives me insane

Like to me, this ep should've stepped away from stolas directly, and focus on blitzo and verosika. Have blitzo go back to ignoring his feelings by jumping back head first into business, now with the asmodeous crystal. Then bump into verosika somehow. However it may happen, verosika and blitzo, either angrily or calmly, reflect on their own past relationship at the end, which might have blitzo making a realization of how he is repeating his past mistakes. Use the episodic format to slowly allow blitzo to mature so the next time he meets stolas, he won't just double down like he did in the beginning of the ep.

I think, personally, the decision to have verosika host the anti blitzo party diminishes her as a character. It chooses to again define her by how blitzo hurt her, rather than touching on the other underdeveloped parts of her character. She has shown to be very petty yes, but to go through all this effort seems too much, since she is a pop star and should have better things to do.

Maybe explore how she, a succubus, who is meant to have primarily sexual relationships, goes abt on her day to day as a celebrity who went to rehab. Or her relationship with maybe knowing barbie. Or the other ways to explore the set ups for her in ep 3. But no, she plays second fiddle to her second focus ep for the stoltiz drama. But yeah sure, let's have full moon be abt the cherubs.

On a final and likely my most pettiest point, this ep made me cringe a lot. I'm sorry, this is very subjective of me, but I need to say it. So much of this ep felt like fanfic. Always hammering in how "he's a prince and you're an imp" kind of deal. Stolas getting overly drunk after taking a swig of one drink to have blitzo handle him being drunk. The million puppy dog eyes by blitzo, like it felt too pitying. The rushed pacing felt like a result of this indulgent kind of writing, where it priotizes creating the cute shipping scenes before thinking about the actual plot and its effect later on. Again, just my taste tho

Alright I think I ranted enough but ...

Tl;dr: Apology tour messes up the pacing and focus of the show by continously centering itself around the stolitz drama rather than allowing time to reflect by themselves

#helluva boss #apology tour #helluva boss rant #stolitz #verosika mayday #rant post

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saras-almanac · 5 months

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I’ve seen this idea or comment multiple times: That Tommy has no character. Which is either on its own or in connection to not understanding why anyone likes BuckTommy apart from two hot guys together. I’m not going to get into the second one here, but the idea that Tommy has no character is just false and either a completely failure in media literacy at best or a blatant ignoring of canon at worst.

Now do we know everything there is to know about Tommy? Absolutely not, and I’m not trying to claim otherwise. But I would also point that question to any of the other characters on screen: Do we know everything about Bobby, about Chimney, about Buck, etc? I would say No, we don’t. I think the one we have the most information about is Buck just purely because the framing of the first season being about his growth and also because Buck is just such an open book about pretty much everything in his life and feelings. But even still, I don’t think we know everything about him. And that’s okay!

But back to Tommy—we actually do know a fair bit about him and have seen him grow and develop a bit. When we met him in “Hen Begins” in season 2, he’s not outright rude but he is very much, “not gonna put a target on my back here” because of Captain Gerrard (and/or perhaps because he had already realized his sexuality or was beginning to uncover it). When we meet him for the first time chronologically in “Chimney Begins,” he’s more rude and pretty dismissive of Chimney’s offer of friendship, even actively avoiding him. Again, this could be because of Gerrard, the environment here where it didn’t feel like anyone was really friends per say, or it could be down to what Eli tells Chimney: That these guys are not going to let just anyone in until they prove themselves, especially not a probie.”

However, the thing that shows the most about who Tommy is and his growth is his time in “Bobby Begins,” where it’s clear he’s got a really solid friendship with Hen and Chimney, making bets about the new Captain, going out for drinks, having those looks in the engine as Bobby gets them lost. It’s clear in the narrative in season 2 that Tommy, for all of being in only 3 episodes, has grown and changed a lot. (Which is why I find it so ironic that so many people criticizing this “retcon” of Tommy’s character always forget to mention Bobby Begins where it’s clear that Tommy’s friends with Hen and Chimney. I get that some fans want a full apology, but to me it reads like that probably already happened, or at least a conversation, a clearing of the air. Not everything needs to be directly spoonfed to you.)

Tommy coming back in season 7 has shown a bit more growth, as well as showing us sides of him we haven’t seen before. His patience and kindness with Buck and the newness of their relationship and Buck’s sexuality. His humor being dry and a little dark—“We’re all gonna die anyways” or even him suggesting to give Buck flying lessons because his fees are competitive. He’s open with his vulnerabilities when he feels safe enough to do so—immediately sharing his own jealousy at the 118 to Buck when Buck’s talking about his jealousy, telling Buck he cut the date short because he didn’t want to pressure Buck. To me, it shows maybe more growth or just another side of him because we only saw him in connection to his friends, where as Buck is a love interest.

Is this a lot of information? I guess it depends on what you want. Do we know his favorite color or his interests or how he romantically woos people or what he likes to do on his days off? I would argue that we do know a decent amount of that—he likes monster trucks, I assume watching romantic comedies as his favorite movie is canonically Love, Actually, he enjoys craft beers, knows and participates in Muay Thai, has a car lift in his garage so must know something about cars or mechanic stuff, is a pilot and firefighter, enjoys flying for fun on his days off, and has a trivia / karaoke thing (I’m still not sure if it’s a karaoke trivia or trivia at a karaoke bar, the wording confused me but whatever). Honestly, that’s more information than we have about any love interest Buck or Eddie have ever had when they were just starting a relationship.

And that’s also a huge point that I think is being missed by these types of arguments: Buck and Tommy are just starting a relationship, as in they are just getting to really know each other. So there is more to learn and uncover about each other. And honestly, we the audience are probably not going to be privy to a lot of that because it’s an ensemble show. So instead, they’ll likely show us that they’re moving forward and getting more comfortable with each other when they do interact—the kiss in the hospital reads to me as two people who’ve been spending time together and getting to know each other a lot more where they feel more comfortable. Hell, even just Buck’s change from his hesitance in episode 5 to his confidence in episode 6 is supposed to show his growth in accepting his sexuality and comfort being with Tommy.

The whole point is that the show sketches the outlines and maybe fills in some spots, but they sort of expect you to be able to still see the bigger picture of things. We know the outline of Tommy and are waiting to see it all filled in. That’s why he’s such an intriguing character and love interest for Buck—because he’s developed enough as his own person but there’s still enough blank spaces to explore with. He is the most developed love interest that Buck’s ever had, but he’s still just become Buck’s boyfriend so there’s still more to learn about him. That’s what dating and being in relationship with someone is: learning about them, their likes and dislikes, and what they are like in relationships, seeing if you’re compatible. So while there is already a massive head start in characterization than anyone else (except maybe Abby but even she wasn’t a fabulously written character and was honestly a terrible protagonist), there’s still more to learn about him and that’s a good thing. And while I can’t speak for everyone who ships BuckTommy, I can say that for me, it’s so fun to extrapolate on the bare bones of character and see how they develop in canon.

Tl;dr: Tommy does have a character. It's just a lot of showing and not telling and some people can't handle that.

#honestly wild that this is an argument from the same fandom that loves creating intricate backstories but i digress #tommy kinard #911 abc #evan buckley #911 show #long post #been thinking about this for a while since i started seeing those posts

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