#purposeful love is actually the best trope imo

[alivebaguette]

Dean I’m really spilling my heart out about Helenaus and love

[namtanlovesfilm]

1st quarter of 2024 shows ranked

n° of shows watched from january 1st to march 31st: 13

1. analog squad: 9/10

I deeply regret not watching this one in 2023 when it was released bc it would've been my number one favorite show of that year ;_; it's such an original and touching show with one of my favorite tropes (found family) and some of the best characters I've ever seen. definitely already an all-time favorite and a comfort show for years to come <3

2. cooking crush: 8,5/10

y'all know how much I love offgun, and while this was no not me or theory of love, this show really brought me back to my early days of watching thai dramas and freaking out over any cute interaction on my screen & I love it for that! while this show has a lot of flaws, most of them are easily forgettable when faced with such great characters & one of the cutest relationships ever! I truly thought offgun's chemistry had reached its peak in not me but I was wrong, these two never cease to amaze me they really can play any role to perfection <3

3. ready set love: 8,5/10

this show really surprised with how pretty much flawless its execution is! it's hilarious but also deals with very deep & interesting topics well, and day might be one of my favorite female leads ever! a super solid show that is honestly gonna become a classic for me, I can feel it :)

4. love for love's sake: 8,5/10

this was a super sweet show that's very well done, I was dubitative of the plot at first but it really managed to pull me in & make it worth my while! one of the best kbls out there :)

5. the believers: 8,5/10

this is definitely one of the most innovative thai shows out there, dealing with a topic (religion) that I didn't think anyone would dare touch. the story had me hooked all 9 episodes & the acting performances were amazing, however I have to say this didn't pack as much of a punch as I expected it would. it's a very good show, but it stays a little surface level & doesn't explore its characters enough for me...

6. sing my crush: 7,5/10

this was very much adorable, however two things bothered me: 1) I didn't like the time jump from ep 1 to ep 2, I wish we could've seen the friendship between the characters developed more, and 2) I feel like them not revealing their feelings for each other felt a little forced & random. apart from that it's a very cute show!

7. intern in my heart: 7,5/10

this was a really enjoyable romantic comedy that I had a lot of fun in front of :) is it much more than that? not really. pretty basic but with charismatic performances that carried the show well!

8. perfect propose: 7,5/10

really sweet show that I wish was more developed & gave me more, but a good time nonetheless!

9. sukiyanen kedo do yaro ka: 7/10

this show got me, lost me then got me once again lol. I thought the chemistry for an established relationship was some of the best for a jbl, and the story was simple but endearing. but tbh something was kinda lacking for me, which made this ultimately very forgettable imo.

10. the outing: 7/10

I was SO looking forward to this show without much expectation but it still managed to disappoint me lol. the acting was very solid but there's too many characters that get introduced too late & I failed to really understand what the point or purpose of the show was. it seems to me as if this show took all of the worst points from remember 15 (the sex, the chaos, the betrayals & annoying characters), without the substance that remember 15 actually had. it's not a terrible show, and I was intrigued during it, but tbh it could've been so so much better.

11. love class season 2: 7/10

this had some of the strongest and most interesting ships I've seen in a kbl, however the writing & execution of the show was very frustrating. early on the characters barely get introduced & we struggle to understand how they're all linked together, leading to a lot of confusion on my part. it's sad bc it had a very solid story but bad execution imo :(

12. chaser game w: power harassment: 7/10

this had me very excited but sadly didn't deliver at all for me. the story is kinda all over the place & while the chemistry was really good and it's important to have japanese characters clearly labeled as lesbians, I found the acting kinda over the top as well... but it's a start for gl I guess 🥲

13. sahara sensei to toki-kun: 6/10

this is the kind of show that I managed to watch until the end... for whatever reason. but the age gap icked me out & I found that the main ship didn't have much chemistry. overall this story is very empty & didn't add anything for me, but I really liked the character of toki & would've loved to see him in a better show & ship.

[phoenixyfriend]

Last night I stayed up until about 4 AM rereading @glimmerglanger's fic "Bush League," and then today I got around to gushing about how their Cody characterization is basically one of the best on AO3 in Discord. Since I like to make sure the people whose fics I like actually hear that love, I'm going to share what I said here.

(Also to convince to read some of their stuff even if you haven't already. CodyWan isn't even in my main ships but I still read their stuff because it's just that good, and also because their Cody is so good.)

This goes out to imo one of the best fic writers I've run across in this fandom.

So to kick this off, I jumped into SW fandom right about when CodyWan was ramping up. I joined Feb/Mar of 2020, and that coincided (though I didn't know it) with the S7 release. That means that the ship was basically everywhere, and a lot of my early fic reads were based off of things that other people recced to me, things linked under cool fanart, things by authors I already knew from other fandoms, or niche trope searches.

Among those early longfics I read were a few glimmerglanger pieces, namely "Like Real People Do" (I don't actually remember how I found this one, it was probably fanart), "A Slow Fall Towards Grace" (through omegaverse filtering), "Flotsam and Jetsam" (tumblr fanart), and "Home on the Range" (don't remember how I found it, probably recced, or after I started following them on tumblr).

Bush League came later but it's also one of the best examples.

So this author is, IMO, really good in general. I don't have the same interps of canon across the board (because Star Wars is massive and you pick and choose your canon because it conflicts with itself, so everyone takes a different road for interp), but objectively, their fics are very solid and internally coherent.

They are particularly good at:

- Subtlety and nuance - Unreliable narration - Small hints of outside events that suggest a fuller universe

What canon gives us about Cody is that he's:

- very competent - well-respected - puts high value on loyalty to his brothers - puts high value on loyalty to his ideals (represented by the Republic) - while he has a dry sense of humor, he's also prone to playing personal things close to the chest (that parts a bit YMMV but it's the vibe I got) - he trusts Rex a nearly insane amount

What glimmerglanger does in their Cody POV fics is play those elements against each other in an understated way that feels genuinely human. Bush League has the main conflict embodied through 'loyalty to ideals' hitting cross-purposes with itself, and 'plays it close to the chest' heightening the problem until something snaps. That Cody's ideals are in conflict because there is what he was instilled with (a significant amount of internalized homophobia and toxic masculinity) and his better sense that he can be better, unlearn some of these things, that maybe his parents weren't right, and that Ben is a swell guy, maybe it's not that big of a deal that Ben likes guys, it's not a huge flaw when he can pitch like that, right

Crucially, lot of it isn't presented consciously. Cody doesn't realize he's unlearning some of those things, that he's subconsciously very aware that the things he was taught are wrong, that he's consciously trying to find compromises in those thoughts because the last eighteen years of things he knows can't be wrong, right?

And of course all this balances with the regular, small reminders that, if he is this thing he was taught is bad, if he is friends with someone that is 'bad,' then he will have one of his primary character traits (loyalty and love for brothers) sabotaged. This is even touched on in the epilogue of the fic.

Honestly, IDK how intentional it was to parallel this sort of denial and internal conflict to "Cody starts to question the structure of the army and has to hide his slow realization that they are slaves, is even in denial about it, because to speak out means to have his authority and influence removed, so he can't even try to keep his brothers safe anymore," ...but that is something I also like to see in Cody characterization, and it's definitely a good parallel if so.

glimmerglanger's skill with nuance and subtlety is something I really appreciate in general, because my focus as a reader tends to be short comedy, which often doesn't have the same room for dynamic, developed characterization. (My other focus is time travel, which runs the gamut, but that's a different rec list.)

I think that, on a casual read, some of their writing can come across as a very 'standard' reading of Cody, but it's never actually flat. The flaws and thought patterns tend to be pretty consistent across works, so even in wild AUs, I have the sense that this is the same person. I'm also a huge believer in how denial, especially characters very consciously not thinking something, can inform a character to the reader, and that's a pretty common thread across their Cody and Anakin POVs (for different reasons).

Flotsam and Jetsam is an interesting one on account of how it's Obi-Wan POV with a massive language barrier (human and merman, English and Mando'a). Cody isn't even conscious for the first part. It's also a fic that benefits a lot from having a canon to base off of without actually taking place in that canon. The reader can guess a whole lot about Cody's situation that Obi-Wan cannot, because we know the structures that are informing the original context, and can guess in a few ways at how they take shape in the new, so even when Cody is largely unable to communicate, the reader gets things out of it.

Anyway, glimmerglanger's Cody is one of my favorites because they manage to juggle all the things I consider core to Cody's character without necessarily having to come out and state them, so even when Cody is dry and private and 'standard,' he still feels like his own fully realized person that's consistent with both canon and with what I'd expect someone in his situation to be and do.

Okay, rant over, I have many feelings and I want to pump up this author as much as possible, go read their stuff, it's good.

[moreespressoformydepresso]

How do you feel about Doug from all the Descendants movies and which Descendants kid you tried to care about but don’t? From books and movies.

I’ve talked about Dough in my post about all the descendants boys, but to sum it up I actually really like him for what he is in the story. On his own, he’s a dork with some self-awareness for comedic purposes (that stalking joke in the first movie was gold imo he just admits it no hesitation. Honestly? Slay) and in terms of character arc he’s a little… empty. But that’s fine, because he isn’t a central character. He isn’t the protagonist or the antagonist, he’s a love interest for a deuteragonist and he serves that purpose beautifully. He doesn’t grate on me like Chad does with his asshole cowardly attitude, Dough is just a sweetie who doesn’t pretend to be a perfect angel and I appreciate that. His character is what it needs to be with Evie’s personal journey of finding who she wants to be. She was told her whole life her worth was only in her beauty, because it would attract a prince. Dough sees her for more than a pretty face, and he may not have royal blood but he’s the prince Evie needed to make her happy. They’re cute, I like them, their story is predictable but it’s Disney so of course it is and also it was handled well. It’s not complicated, it’s just two dorks falling in love.

I almost said I tried to care about Mal and failed but then realized I do care. I care a lot. I tried to like her and failed. So I guess the next best answer is Jane. I have a lot to say about her but she’s holding up my answer to a different ask because it’s honestly a slog to talk about her. There’s no particular reason I just… don’t care. I don’t care. I wanna like her because it’s a story about a girl coming out of her shell and finding love but they squeezed the “bullied becomes the bully” trope in there which is so common it’s boring. On top of that her character arc kinda happens in the background. She gets new hair, becomes a bitch, gets hair taken away and does something stupid for the sake of a twist reveal during the climax of the movie. And then Mal takes the wand. Okay. I don’t care. Mal could have grabbed the wand herself and all it would have done for me is take away the two seconds in which I went “oh. Okay. Why?” In general her presence in the story is pretty non-existent. She seems to be there for shocking moments during the climax and nothing else because the only significant thing she did in the second movie is show that glass thing for Mal that Ben ordered. In the third movie it seemed like she was gonna be an actual main character again when she evaded the sleeping spell but no. All that happened was her and Carlos having a cute moment together. Their romance is cute but that just doesn’t do it for me. Carlos is one of my favorite characters and that’s the only reason I can feel anything for Jane, but unlike Dough she’s actually supposed to be a main character. And I don’t care. Looking at her as her own character, I genuinely wanted to like her. I really tried. And I failed.

[mgjong]

What do you like about 0610, 0507, and 0909?

I was not expecting the ship ask, nice! Okay okay let's see. I'll try to make this as short as possible I already rambled too much today but I don't mind explaining further if someone really wants to listen

Adding a break in case you don't want to read ship stuff (too shy to ship tag the post)

Starting with 0909 I think what I like the most about it is the concept by itself and the way that imo it gives such an interesting flair to Mikoto's story. I guess it also stems from me wishing that Mikoto and John could be happy and finally interact in a healthy way. However if I must be honest I think the way I prefer this ship is as an initial one sided attraction on John's side. If it does develop into an actual relationship and his feelings are reciprocated it has yet to happen. Again I just love the way it would fit into Mikoto's and John's narrative. But I do find them very cute!

For 0507 I think it's way easier to explain. I find it a fun dynamic that could possibly happen within the narrative (starting to see a pattern? yeah I like ships that are thematically relevant to the overall narrative and that can enable possible character development). Their timelines have been very fascinating to me and given the current most popular theory for Kazui's case to be regarding his sexuality I think it'd fit. Aside from that there is a lot of room to explore their flaws and better traits. Shidou is extremely self sacrificial as we saw, Kazui could help ground him by offering someone to rely on as someone who can understand the grief he is going through. After all, he knows exactly what it feels like to lose a loved one who you have had a relationship with for years. Both are filled with guilt but for very different reasons and I think they could heal yes but also tragically fall apart in the third trial specifically because of these attributes. Obviously they don't have to date in specific for this to be a thing and I wouldn't mind it regardless but hey, let them be gay and happy even if just for a passing moment.

Now for 0610... Hey guys is it me or have I rambled about these two enough already? Well never fear for I have an entire thesis ready just for you dear anon. First things first. I love the sun and moon sapphics trope and these two are one of the best representations of it I have ever seen (imo). Bright, warm, friendly, energetic Mahiru and cold, blunt, mysterious, quiet Kotoko. One hates, the other loves. Both stubbornly idealistic, both extremely lonely. They hide their own hurt behind a facade and cling with everything they have to what gives them purpose. Just like the previous two ships I really like the idea of 0610 within the narrative. "uhm Mg, Kotoko literally-" LISTEN! Doomed toxic yuri. It's good! Kotoko doesn't want forgiveness. We know what Mahiru thinks of her. Kotoko has no one right now but we know what she would hate the most is to receive kindness. Especially from someone such as Mahiru. They work as a pairing so well because they COULD find comfort in each other. Mahiru could give Kotoko the stability that she needs while Kotoko could show Mahiru how she can stand up for herself. This, however, could very easily lead to codependency. Mahiru could become Kotoko's lifeline, giving her the purpose she so desperately needs in her life. Kotoko could give Mahiru all the attention that she has always wanted, making her feel justified, feel like her love is right unlike what Es said to her. They could lead each other down a path of destruction where their ideals wouldn't be challenged and they got worse. Or... They could notice their flaws, they could help each other heal. They could provide the love and affection to fill their broken hearts and survive together. And I'll stop now because I think I rambled enough jkhdfgkjhd.

[acourtofthought]

First off, love your blog. Always well thought out backed with canon evidence.

You look at things from the big picture, and take context into consideration, something I noticed many El/riels do not.

Aside from trying to force the Koschei plot line on Az (a plot that ties to Lucien) you ever notice that the only theories they provide are centered around ways Az and Elain will end up together? They legit dismiss multiple plots and arcs in favor of Elriel. I never see them provide actual storylines that moves the series forward. Plots that account for the rest of the characters in ways that it does not diminish them (Making Lucien, Mor and Gwyn villains ) yet dismissing the actual villains, uniting the courts, and progressing the story in a positive way that keeps the IC in tact and drama free.

What I'm taking from their theories is an elriel book is going to revolve around conflict among the IC when the purpose of the series, especially given the crossover is to UNITE and push characters to be the best versions of themselves with the person they are meant to be with. Elain and Az would break bonds, political alliances and it would get messy. It already is messy and they have not even kissed. Sorry, but that is not how SJM writes. Her plot twists and conflicts are centered around actual villians, which we know are neither Lucien or Gwyn. Sure, in other books by other authors it would work, but that is not the case here. If as a reader you enjoy that type of drama and a book centered around how a couple overcome their family and friends rejection and takes up most of the conflict in the book, there are plenty of books with that trope.

With all that is going on, Beron, Koschei the queens, uniting the continent, the crossover, I can't imagine SJM would have time to write one book that doesn't make Elriel look selfish when there is an actual real problems to deal with (The meme of Kourtney Kardashian telling Kim " people are dying" comes to mind here lol)

Imagine Rhys and the IC having to deal with Az and Elain sneaking around and breaking alliances, please lol. That is not the direction SJM takes in her series. This trope for characters like Az and Elain does not move the overall arc forward, it sets the story back and makes them look like assholes TBH. IMO Elriel sunk in that bonus and for good reason.

Lucien and Elain arc are intertwined to move the series forward.

And then you have Az and Gwyn, their union would be welcomed and if Gwyn is Az's mate, his found family would be nothing but happy for him, we'd see Azriel heal in a positive way, the way we did with Chaol. AN Az and gwyn union cements the bonds with the IC and Valkyrie, and allies, it does not break any bonds unlike Elriel.

Sorry, but the way I see it they can’t fit elriel into the entire arc, and their theories never tie into the actual storyline and that is why Elriel was never meant as endgame when you look at the series and crossover holistically, it's pretty obvious.

Thank you!!

To start with Gwynriel, it is set up to be such a natural pairing when you consider their friends.

Cassian and Az are best friends / brothers because of found family.

Nesta and Gwyn are best friends / sisters because of found family.

While Elain is Nesta's blood sister, they aren't sisters in the way that sisters can sometimes be best friends. They care for one another, they protect one another, but I wouldn't say they have the healthiest dynamic. Nesta has always struggled to allow Elain to be independent especially when it involves things Nesta considers too dangerous and I don't think Elain feels truly comfortable letting her hair down around Nesta. I think their relationship will improve by the end of the series but I still don't think they'll be close in the way Nesta / Gwyn / Emerie are close.

So this natural relationship between Nesta and Gwyn, where Nesta is able to be the new version of her makes perfect sense if Gwyn were to end up with Az. Mates spending time together while also spending time with their found family / best friends. Actually, I have friends like this. The two girls have been best friends since they were younger and they married two guys that have also been best friends since when they were younger and to this day they take vacations together, sleep over at one another's house after parties, etc.

I don't think it hits the same when it's sisters marrying best friends when the sisters have a bit of a complicated relationship. I don't think Feyre / Nesta / Rhys / Cassian hanging out would feel quite as fun as Gwyn / Nesta / Az / Cassian hanging out.

As for future plots, I know that shipping E/riel means someone is going to create scenarios for them. E/riel defeating Koschei, E/riel making diplomatic visits together (which doesn't even make sense when we're specifically told Az likes to work from the shadows and he's not social). But until SJM writes the book we can't guarantee that won't happen. What confuses me though is how they create the exact plots that SJM seems to be hinting at for Elucien. How can someone ignore that SJM tells us it's LUCIEN who had been to Koschei's lake? That LUCIEN was setting his sights on his target. That Nesta wonders if ELAIN would not only visit the continent with tulips but the one to the South of that? That LUCIEN is permanently stationed in Spring and is their emissary to the Human Lands, that LUCIEN is the heir to Day, and that Nesta tells us Spring had been Made for someone like ELAIN, that she'd tell ELAIN to go if she could, that ELAIN needs Sunshine, that ELAIN is struggling with her lost humanity. Every single thing associated with Lucien SJM has also tied Elain to. But E/riels ignore every mention of Lucien in these places and insert Az instead. How can you just erase the set up for Lucien's story like that?

And I did say this in a recent post but to your point of forbidden love, first off, how does that even work logistically? Az doesn't have his own place. Elain doesn't have her own place. Are they really meeting in dark alleyways and seedy taverns? There is no where they can go in Velaris where someone isn't going to see something and report it back to the High Lord and High Lady.

Second, does anyone honestly believe the union of Az and Elain is so special that it needs to be forbidden love?

This isn't a mafia romance where they're worried about their families trying to take the other one out.

There are no real stakes to their relationship.

Seriously, no one really cares if Az and Elain want to be together.

If Elain opened her mouth and said a few words to Lucien, "Lucien, I want to be with Az" he would say, "OK". He left her because he knew she was still in love with Graysen, he obviously doesn't feel entitled to her just because he's her mate. Just like Rhys allowed his mate to nearly marry another man, just like Cassian allowed his mate to sleep with many other males, Lucien is not going to stand in the way of Elain's decision to be with someone else.

Rhys laid down his threat but say Az disobeys, what does anyone honestly think Rhys would do? Kick him out of the IC? Torture him?

The ONLY reason Rhys pulled rank is because he knew Az was being an idiot and he didn't have real feelings for Elain. Rhys ONLY pulled rank because he knew Az wasn't over Mor and Az really was planning on hooking up with Elain for "just one taste" and Az did nothing to convince him otherwise. That's Rhys's little sister, it's admirable that he was looking out for her when he knew his brother was being a hothead. And while I'm sure Rhys did consider what consequences could come from Az's idiocy (he's a smart character, of course he looks at all sides), we all know Lucien would have never done anything to jeopardize the peace they were all trying to attain. He was the one warning them to treat Tamlin better because he knew they'd need Tamlin's forces before all was said and done.

So yeah, the whole idea of Az and Elain sneaking around creates this shady love that they can't share with the family and friends who love them and just want them to be happy. It turns them into selfish characters who don't care about doing things the right way, who don't care about having actual conversations like grown ups do.

Forbidden love is a thing because even if the two characters sat down and had a rational and reasonable conversation with their parents / bosses / brother, etc their love would still be forbidden.

If Az and Elain sat down and said to Lucien and Rhys, "we're in love and we're sorry we hurt you", NO ONE would stand in their way and that means their love is not forbidden.

[msookyspooky]

Spooky!!!!! Can you plz share your thoughts on Neve Campbell returning to scream? 👀

(Sorry if you've answered this already!)

Ps I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEE ur series so much - ur writing is SOOOO good 🥹 The last chapter tore out my HEART but has me kicking my feet GIGGLING at the same time - I genuinely wish u the absolute best bc you are AMAZING 💗

OMG THANK YOU!! I appreciate that especially since I was lowkey a bit weary of even adding Billy and YN at the end but damn we're 4 books in this has to happen eventually 😭🥴 I swear that the latest chapter is actually done (Just proofreading) but the plot is so heavy so damn 'wtf' that I'm writing the next chapter because I wanna make sure this pieces together smoothly cause there is no going back afterwards. So I swear I ain't dragging my feet TOO much 😅 But I'm giddy and nervous to post bc omg I don't think yall are ready 😗🤭

That is...just complicated. I love the idea of Sidney returning but not for this movie simply because of how they handled Melissa. Idc what side of the aisle you're on firing someone for speaking their mind on their Insta instead of being a meek media darling will always rub me the wrong way.

ANNNNDDD these Producers and Executives have lowkey butchered Scream in so many ways since Wes Craven passed and the fact that they made Sidney have less screen time in 5 not only for ageism in my humble opinion and money hungry greed to replace her with younger actresses no one asked for (Sorry I was all pissed they killed Dewey just to replace him with Chad even if I love Chad and got rid of Neve for the sake of 'new chapter' bs with a Billy's daughter trope if they were gonna do that they should've went with Scream 4's original plot IMO OR Sidney's daughters and Mark etc)

THEN by 6 we got very use to them and Sam became a beloved character that we could live with her and Tara being the new final girls just to shitcan them (Jenna walked from what I remember good for her) over an opinion that wasn't stated rudely or anything just talking about the kids involved in this war and they treat her as badly as they did Neve cutting Neve's pay and tossing her aside just for Neve to agree to come back???

Man, I'm sorry I am not a Neve lover nor hater but my pride could never. Guess that's why I'm not in Hollywood or loaded bc I would NEVER sign onto a movie that publicly humiliated me by basically saying I'm not worth the pay, then treating a younger co-star so poorly, then signing back on because they paid me what I should've probably gotten paid in the first place. My Manager and PR team could bite me...Probably why I'm a struggling artist instead lol

I do not hate Neve for this choice because ik money is money but it's disappointing.

And honestly? I have BEEN vocal how Scream 5 is by far my least favorite and they suckered us in with nostalgia and Scream 6 was GREAT except for the ending with the killers being so...Wattpad to be blunt coming from a wattpad fanfic writer. Hate or love Jill Roberts but she was a great Ghostface and it's so OBVIOUS what movies Craven worked on versus not. The killers in 6 COULD have been great too had it not been for them related to Richie (Who is my least favorite GF by far) and how fanfiction both latest installments feel with reveals. Scream 3 did too but Scream 3 purposely did not take itself seriously while 5 and 6 did except for Mindy as comic relief.

Of course this is my opinion and thank you for asking I'm honored you wanna hear my rinky dink opinion but I am not looking forward to 7. Scream 6 may not be my favorite but it is top 3 for me up until the reveal and Sam letting go of the mask and choosing a path to the future feels like the perfect ending! Franchise is done! Move on!

These movies are not like Friday the 13th of TCM with new victims these are stories tying in the victims and making 7 with the political climate rn and how they got rid of THE TWO NEW FINAL GIRLS just to beg Sidney to make a comback while probably having the safest most generic plot with how many changes they probably had to make after the characters were gotten rid of.

I'm just not hyped for Scream 7 and probably won't watch it. Ya know, all good things have to come to an end. Even this fic in time has to end. And I think the execs bit off more than they can chew and are backpedaling instead of doing the reasonable thing and canceling and I hate that Neve and some writers etc are on board still

And let's be real; Scream is getting less believable with tech. 96? Yeah, I could see it! 2000's? Sure! But 2020 onward? With smartphones and smarthomes and ringdoorbells and dna collected its time to say good bye to something that has to move on! Scream 6 did a descent job with the multiple GF and Scream 4 despite me not liking it they did it best as far as preparing future Scream for the murders. Not to get away with it but to be caught and sell the footage. They SERIOUSLY could've ended at 4 and I would accept it :/

But whatever, they're still decent movies but 7 is just one I have no interest in truly watching. For me personally but thank you for asking and listening to me rant and hopefully if you want cheesy overdone meta tropes my fic will do the trick rather than the movies 😅🤞🖤

[khaire-traveler]

hey! just wanna know, how do you feel about hellenism related media? do you like something?

Hey, Nonny, thanks for the ask! I appreciate that you're curious about my opinion.

Personally, I don't engage with modern media about the gods much. I've had people tell me about it, and I've read about it, but there's a lot of stuff out there that I haven't really interacted with. I try not to be too judgemental, although I used to be a lot more critical of how modern media depicts the gods, but it's still not something I often enjoy. As a worshipper, my opinion is always bound to be biased, but I try my best to judge modern media for its story-telling rather than its accuracy (although that doesn't always happen, if I feel the depictions are egregious enough).

Below, I'll state my thoughts and opinions on the media I have interacted with (or at least have heard extensively about which is the case for Percy Jackson, as I haven't read the books).

I did like the Hades game! I felt it was really fun to play through, and as a game, it kept me engaged. I genuinely had fun with the game mechanics and the relationships you can build with other characters. It has its flaws, but so does every game. I've recently heard some grumbling about the way it depicts Greek mythology, but honestly, I think that if people are basing all of their knowledge of Greek mythology on a video game, it's up to natural selection at that point (this is a joke).

Along with Hades, I did find myself enjoying Immortals: Fenyx Rising. I was surprised with how similar the gameplay was to Genshin Impact, actually, but I'm not gonna talk about that lol. Fenyx isn't as widely known, but the way it handles Greek mythology is adequate and intriguing. The characters are pretty fun, and I enjoyed helping them in their main quest. The twist at the end (I will not spoil it) rubbed me kind of the wrong way, but I understood that it's just a game trying to tell a story, you know? It was fun, engaging, and interesting. Oh, and the monsters were pretty cool! I loved how they included monsters that you wouldn't really expect to see. The Hydra was a bit underwhelming to me, though.

Then there's the God of War series. Listen, I LOVED the recent additions to God of War that centered on the Norse pantheon - beautiful graphics, interesting story-telling, and a fun use of the mythology - but the original games that take place in Greece kind of bothered me. Mostly, yes, it was the representation of the gods. The way pretty much all of them were villainized (and the way they did Hermes so, so dirty, imo 💀) was a bit comical and strange to me. It felt like it lacked nuance to their characters (even Aphrodite was kind of there for one main "purpose" if you catch my drift). I also wasn't too big on the character designs of all the gods. Some were interesting, but others didn't land for me (mostly Hermes; he looks like he should be Apollo or Helios, and I just don't understand what they were trying to do with his design). Overall, it's a VERY fun series, but I find myself not being able to enjoy the original games as much because of their depictions of the gods.

Other forms of media (that are more popular), however, aren't really my thing. Percy Jackson isn't something I'm too big on. It plays into a lot of harmful tropes about the gods, and unfortunately, I've had some bad experiences with the more disrespectful side of the fandom. Not every PJO fan is an asshole, though (most aren't), which is extremely important to keep in mind (I see a lot of hate in the HelPol community towards them sometimes, so that's why I say that). I felt the plots were creative, for sure, but I didn't like the way Rick handled some topics or the way he sort of twisted the mythology for his own purposes. Like, some of these major plots throughout the series are absolutely bizarre; they make certain gods out to be massive assholes, tbh. Also, I didn't like the way Rick stated that the Greek gods "left the dangerous Mediterranean"; it just felt like a really weird and uncomfortable way to refer to Greece. I think if Percy Jackson brings new people into HelPol, then that's great, but people definitely shouldn't base their knowledge of Greek mythology on the books which is something I've unfortunately seen happen. If you enjoy the series, that's cool; it's just not my cup of tea, personally.

I think the one piece of modern media about the gods that I genuinely hate - and I really do mean hate - is Lore Olympus. That shit has harmed even the pagan community which is kind of wild. I've literally had people call me an "Apollo sympathizer" for worshipping a god who is NOTHING like the damn comic. It is an extremely disrespectful representation of the gods and mythology, and it's something that gets under my skin quite a lot. And honestly, it doesn't need to happen with the Greek gods. If you took the characters out of the setting they're in and placed them somewhere else, it wouldn't really change much, in my opinion; the Greek mythology part of it is really just used for the dramatics. It doesn't have much to do with Greek mythology besides just wanting to make Persephone and Hades the main focus. I have other complaints about it, but I will save my Lore Olympus critique for another day lol. I could go on forever about what bothers me.

-

I hope this answered your question thoroughly! Feel free to ask more if you're curious about anything else. Have a great day/night. ☺️🧡

[goneadrift]

1, 8 and 14 from the questions for fic writers ask game <33

Thank you 🧡

questions for fic writers

1 - What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?) Mmm… I think that's either my first posted Royai - "Silent confession" because imo it ballanced setting the scene, inner contemplations and actual interuction - or Twiyor "The things I feel now I never thought I'd find" basically for the same reason.

What do you think? 😊 Was "Is this the ending of what we've begun?" the first read for you?

14 - Are there any tropes you would only read if written by a trusted friend or writer? I suppose it's not really a trope but anything that involves a love triangle. I can't even explain it, but the situation just irks me too much. I do indulge in occasional spikes of jealousy but I don't handle outright infidelity well. Even in fiction.

8 - What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)? Ohohohooho, there are a lot. But I have a particular one. I meantioned it once on server and never returned to it but I still think it's a cool case for "Would it be fucked up if…" 😄

The song is "Corpse Bride" by Green Apelsin. Copying my attempt at translating the lyrics and the stuff I came up with under the cut.

Digging up the earth, I'll tear my fingers down to blood. I will break the grave silence in forest. The wind howls terribly, carring your call to me. This time I believe I will be lucky for sure.

Don't be scared, dear, betrothed, darling. Life won't tear us apart, don't run, wait. There is no hiding from me, as well as from fate. God has heard my pleas from the underworld.

It feels like my heart is beating again in my chest. I'll open the door to gentle death for you. We will leave the world of the living - we have no place here. You're the alive groom, I'm the dead bride.

Why is your face so sad? After all, I'm wearing an engagement ring. Maybe you don't like the pale body? Or are you in love with something mortal?

Didn't you swear loyalty and love to me? I am not afraid of pain and there is no living blood in me. But why does it hurt, this the emptiness inside? Have a look, there is a remnant of bitter tears in me.

It feels like my heart is breaking again in my chest. I'll open the door to sure death for you. You will leave the world of the living - your place is here. You're my fiance and I'm your fiancee.

It feels like there is no heart in my chest again. The door to my happiness is closed forever. I will leave the world of the living - I have no place here. You're the alive groom, I'm the dead bride.

What if soon after Maes returned from Ishval (or right before his arrival) Gracia died? Maes in desperation asks Roy for help. Roy hesitates - he knows this is a taboo and he already did may unspeakable things. Doing another one… this might be his breaking point.

So Maes finds some other shady alchemist who agrees to do it. But he lies to Maes. So this is not a human transmutation but some necromancy that makes corpse to become basically something zombie-like. Or like in Games of Thrones where Drogo was "returned to life".

They can talk and have some mixed remnants of memories. So it seems as if Gracia recognises Maes and is glad to see him. But she can stop mid speech as if in some daze. She doesn't sleep. She doesn't know she died. She doesn't understand why Maes refuses to visit her parents. Why he avoids looking at her at times.

Then she finds memoir/necrologue in newspaper. Or hears Roy arguing with Maes next room about dangers of pulling one over on nature. After a while less and less of true Gracia remains in her body. She is helpless, she is angry - and at Maes too. And she becomes dangerous to him.

So either he ends this. Or Roy volunteers to save Maes from this (this line he crossed already; it is not exactly easy, but he remembers Riza's words about "freeing" - and here the purpose is to free this shell of Gracia and Maes from despair).

[kiigoumiu-blog]

YES, THIS IS ACCURATE! In the JP ver, Ouma comes across as an immature little kid. That’s what’s supposed to make his behavior endearing. And that’s why Momota calls Ouma “pure” in that one scene. (of course they again ruin it in the translation lol). He basically is written based on the Japanese little boy character trope of “a brat who misbehaves and plays pranks on others”. But yeah, because of how aggressive he comes across in the translation + the voice actor they chose, I don’t think many English fans picked up on this.

 Off topic rant but, this is one of the many reasons why I can only take Ouma x Gonta (and x Yumeno) seriously as a “canon” pairing. Because both of them are written to act like stereotypical Japanese kids. (Gonta fitting the trope because of his love of insects, which is a popular hobby among Japanese children + his use of very innocent/childish phrases such as calling insects “mushi-san” in the JP ver.)

  I personally just can’t see any of the other students seeing either of them romantically. Even Kiibo whom I see as very bromantic with Ouma(+ paralleling with Komahima), just doesn’t make sense in reality imo as a ship with him because of this. Like on TDP when Kiibo tells Ouma that he still sees him as his friend even if he isn’t honest, it’s written in a way that makes it seem like he is talking to Ouma like he’s his parent/older brother. And I think the writers making most characters aside from Gonta and Yumeno treat Ouma this way was on purpose.

 And yeah, I also noticed the translation improvement in DRS! I actually really love that game and I always wonder why it gets so much hate. I’ve even seen people say it was written by different people when… it's not? It's written by people who already wrote for V3. (Which explains why V3 characters have some of the best writing on DRS lol)  And while yeah, it's not CANON canon, its meant to be seen as how the characters would canonly interact in a peaceful timeline. Such as getting to see that Kaede would end up asking Shuichi out at the end of their 3rd school year, or that Kiibo and Miu would move in together after graduation. And idk, I find details like that really pure.

My guess is that people don’t like that DRS(& TDP) doesn’t validate certain popular fan ships? And so they say it's really bad so they don’t have to acknowledge it.. I say this because, people suddenly treat TDP like it’s canon when they’re talking about the scene where Komeda wants to hold Hinata’s hand… Basically it's only canon if it acknowledges their favorite yaoi ship lol.

  I wish that more English Danganronpa V3 fans knew that in the original Japanese version, Gonta didn’t talk in caveman/Hulk speech. He spoke in normal polite Japanese, only struggling with the meaning of certain words from his lack of experience. He did however talk in third person but Tenko and Angie did as well. In Japanese 3rd person speech works and is used to make characters cute and childish. But in English none of this comes across and instead is just distracting. Its obvious that the NISA translators only kept Gonta in 3rd person to insert weird American humor into the series.

  I especially dislike this translation because Gonta is one of the most important characters in ndrv3, especially when it comes to Kokichi’s character arc. Now, instead of being the sweet and naive entomologist who allows the audience to see beneath Kokichi’s mask, he is now seen as nothing but a joke side character. 

  Which not only ruins Gonta’s entire character but also makes Kokichi’s character and intentions even more confusing.

(No wonder people are confused that Kokichi and Gonta got official Anniversary wine together haha)

  To make things worse, they also changed Kokichi’s character by making him more childish and aggressive.(even going as far as changing his sprites on scenes!) I’d say one of the worst mistranslations though was making his whiteboard have “trustworthy?” written below the photo of Shuichi. In Japanese it says “yudannaranai” which in English translates to words like “dangerous” or “untrustworthy”. I really don’t know how they messed that up but it was likely because there was a translator who wanted Kokichi to be shipped with the protagonist. The translation error to me was strange because most of his interactions with Shuichi were negative so, to suddenly say that Shuichi was the only one he trusted would feel like a contradiction. It’s also frustrating because, the original whiteboard translation imo implies that Kokichi may have suspected that Shuichi was the mastermind which is SO INTERESTING and gives their dynamic so much more depth.

In conclusion: NISA ruined V3 lol

[hopeswriting]

Twin fics are hilarious especially in khr. I don't know when it started but I noticed there used to be a trend a few years back and with Tsuna specifially being the overlooked because he isn't popular and his other sibling having more charm and into sports oh yeah did I tell you that Nana bullies her own son and the twin being in on it they crank it up to eleven but I still liked it even when I knew it was absurd haha. I know Nana isn't the best mother but there no doubt she loves her family lol.

I think the funniest part is sometimes they make Tsuna to sweet. I honeslty don't know how to explain it but like he makes bento boxes or takes care of wounds and his voice being mute due to bullying. Man, canon tsuna we make fun of but he so resilant that he doesn't let the peer bullying get to him and it slides off him it still effects him but yeah. He's snarky when we're first introduced to his character he has always been kind but not to the point where he like is an angel about it haha.

hi nonny, thank you for the ask!

okay but same for literally everything you said actually!! idk about twin fics in other fandoms but i did read some from khr back when they were really popular too, yeah. just some tho, because i quickly moved on from them and started scrolling past them unless other aspects of the fic were really appealing to me, and it’s pretty much for all the reasons you said here.

i wouldn’t go as far as to say they’re hilarious tho? i think it’s a little mean because it’s clearly not what those authors were going for, so i think i like absurd better, which (imo) they inevitably were at times when, indeed, dialing up to eleven too much the, like, sub-tropes? of this trope. like, the core aspects of what makes this trope recognizable beyond just giving tsuna a twin/sibling. and yeah, they did get a laugh out of me sometimes here and now too lol.

but just like you i still liked the ones i read tho!! there’s a lot of interesting and fun things to do and explore with this trope, but the way that was done the most often, re: dialing everything up to eleven, just didn’t do it for me for long haha. and yes, nana definitely isn’t the abusive mother they made her to be so often lol, but once more i think it’s a little unfair to say that when of course they tweaked it on purpose for the purposes of their fics. and that’s just what we all do whenever we’re writing fics, and especially aus, right? looking at canon from the angle that will best let us state the thesis of our fics (< sorry for being pompous for a second here but i literally can’t think of any other way to say it lmao 😂), and maybe or maybe not dial it all up to eleven lol, but yeah.

so that said, what i find funny with this personally is that, like you said, canonically nana already isn’t the best mother one can have. and tbh i think there’s already plenty of angst to go off and explore from that? especially because if you keep her good sides, then it makes it more nuanced and complex and hurts more, but i do see the fun in just making her basically the worst mother on earth to tsuna haha.

and talking about tsuna, his characterization in those fics is the biggest thing that ultimately put me off reading them. and the thing is, making tsuna basically a saint isn’t really mischaracterizing him. like, tsuna has all those traits canonically, but also let me go on the record here and say that i love so much and i’m so attached and protective of the fact that tsuna is, well. a loser to say it like it is lol. and that’s of course affectionate and i’m absolutely not saying it in a judgmental/insulting way, but in a factual way. because tsuna’s lazy and judgy and doesn’t like trying hard and doesn’t like having responsibilities of any sort and can’t do sports and doesn’t have good grades and doesn’t know how to talk to girls and cowers easily and is a thirteen years old kid. and of course by the time the manga starts his years of bullying has a lot to do with that, but the way i see it he was just your average kid before that too, maybe or maybe not already struggling more than the others on some aspects of life. and then the years of bullying made him give up on trying to ever be more than that if he ever had the motivation to do it, making him become below average.

and you’ll notice that not all the things i listed above are things you’d necessarily call flaws instead of weaknesses. in the way where people are good at things and bad at others and what you’re good and bad at is different for each person and it’s fine because that’s just the way people are. and it’s the point, and i’d even say it’s the whole point of tsuna as a character. *bangs pots together loudly* IS EVERYONE LISTENING?? because the point is, as we see tsuna reach his full potential through the course of the manga now he finally has people allowing him to and telling him he has, in fact, plenty untapped potential that’s just waiting for him; as we see his good sides, his kindness, loyalty, protectiveness, love, courage, compassion, forgiveness, resilience, understanding, etc, it tells us that he had worth and value all along despite his “bad” sides. that he didn’t deserve to be punished for them the way he was and that that was just gratuitous cruelty. which again is the whole point of him as a character, so when you take that away from him, that’s when you lose my attention as far as i’m concerned.

*bangs pots even louder because i’m not done* IS EVERYONE STILL LISTENING??? because not only tsuna was meant to be a loser, you’ll also notice that amano made a point to keep reminding us literally to the very last arc that he made little progress when it came to school or sports or girls etc, because he’s also meant to stay a loser!! because sure, it’ll be useful and will help him in life if he gets better at those things, but also he doesn’t need to become better at them to be treated with basic respect and decency, because those aren’t things that are tied to whether you get that from your peers or not. and they least of all are tied to or infer in any way on whether you have worth and value as a person. *wants to bang the pots again because it’s fun but puts them down instead*

and i get that giving him an even harsher treatment from the people around him than in canon makes all of it more meaningful and impactful. and prolly that’s what amano was going for too by giving him that backstory, because by the time we meet tsuna he had every reason to be bitter and resentful and hateful of people and the world, but he kept choosing to remain kind and loving instead. so yes i get that, but honestly? for me making this all he can be also takes meaning away from it too at the same time. it’s like, if that’s all he can be then he’s not choosing to be kind anymore no matter what life throws at him, is he? it’s like that quote that goes something like “if you’re unable of violence then you’re not a pacifist, you’re just harmless”. (and actually that’s something that’d be so interesting to write about and explore, like?? what do you do in the face of the violence thrown at you when the only thing you’ve ever known to do with it is to cradle it close with bleeding hands?)

and sorry i went a bit on a tangent here, but yes, hard agree with everything you said nonny, especially about tsuna. tsuna is kind and loving and everything i said above, and he chose to remain all that in the face of the harsh treatment he received for years, chose to endure it when he could have retaliated with anger or hurt or hate, which we know for a fact he’s able of, and he was hurt more for it, was hurt longer for it. he bled for it, and has still gaping and bleeding wounds from it when we first meet him in the manga, however resigned he was to them by that point. and *threatens to bang the pots again if you’re not listening* the cruelest thing here, the tragedy here is that all that pain was plainly and utterly undeserved and unwarranted. and that’s so important to me actually.

[dotthings]

The set of CW cancellations was definitely a bloodbath. I’ve been following tv/media news for a long time and rarely have seen that ruthless of a clean-out. I get why people are upset, and they should be mad at that network and the studios, because they made this mess. Years of letting things be a PR tire fire, loss-leading practices—I recognize that there are good creatives trying to tell the best stories they could inside a messed up system, but the cuts were to the lowest performers. It wasn’t targeted to scrub the network of diverse series. And a reason I boycotted CW for a year was poor practices across the board and while I acknowledge there were shows in that previous gen of shows that had some inclusion, I was frustrated with how the diversity they had was treated, and with some tokenism, combined with the Dare to Defy virtue signaling when the content wasn’t living up to it.

I know people have lost characters and stories they loved though so I’m not trying to put down those series, this is just my perspective on it.

The reason I ended my boycott is the sale. It was knowing some accountability would have to happen, because unless CW did repairs, it wouldn’t be worth much to a new owner. Also I acknowledged, during the year when I touched nothing on That Network, there were a few shows where I felt bad about not being able to support them yet, that looked appealing to me.

The next gen of shows imo are doing better. A deeper level of inclusion, more intersectional, and the stories are strong.

Here’s an article unpacking what’s behind the cancellations. This gives an explanation of the business model and the role of streaming and how the market has changed. Those cancellations were studio decisions. Studios are looking at big hits to their bottom line in the streaming wars. Viacom/CBS and WB, the co-owners of CW can no longer afford to let their lowest performers keep being renewed without more careful programming choices, and it can’t afford the perpetual PR tire fires, the accusations of tokenism, the cycle where diversity was there, then the characters removed, or the relationships handled badly. I know it’s a fine line between genuine attempts at diversity and not everyone enjoys those stories and actual tokenism. Also keep in mind CW does not actually exist as a network the way bigger networks like ABC, NBC etc do. It lacks its own studios. It was only ever a cheap shared platform for Viacom and WB to make some money. It was a delivery system. Media companies currently prefer to have their shows on their own wholly owned streaming platforms (or their own actual full broadcast networks), it’s more profitable.

In my opinion, the next gen of shows are doing better and I’m allowed to say that. The purpose behind ending the boycott was to do targeted support of the kinds of shows I’d like to see more of and I’m liking them so far.

So here’s a remind of the series I’m supporting.

All American — all black leads, LGBTQ inclusive, and so well done you’ll keep wondering how this is even from the CW network (I’ll be watching All American: Homecoming once I’ve finished catching up on All American, sounds like it is equally inclusive, same thing with all black leads and LGBTQ). Much like Friday Night Lights, the football backdrop is the delivery system for genuine, dramatic stories. The show tackles (pun intended) a variety of issues and offers pov not often seen on network tv, and awareness of the role of community. (AA technically is a slightly older gen of shows, it started in 2018, and so many of us slept on it, but is part of new gen approaches on the network)

Kung Fu — all Asian leads, with a female lead chosen one warrior character and LGBTQ inclusion. Similarly to AA, offers neglected povs, the role of community. Also a very fun magical warrior girl narrative that puts twists on established tropes for the genre. (New gen of shows, started in 2021)

Nancy Drew — while the titular character is white, the ensemble emphasizes PoC and LGBTQ. I really appreciate its narratives on mhi and self worth. Spooky small town vibe with ghosts, a sense of local history, and multigenerational secrets. (a bridge between old and new gen, started in Fall 2019, but approaches match new gen)

New upcoming series:

Tom Swift — can’t really assess until I’ve watched it but the backdoor pilot for this on Nancy Drew and all the press so far looks very promising. All black leads. Titular character is a black gay man who will have multiple male love interests. Also features a woman of color and a trans man playing a trans man among the leads.

Gotham Knights — again, I can’t say for sure until I’ve seen it. The dc far on CW became increasingly disappointing to me, as a dc fan. This sounds promising tho, with PoC and LGBTQ rep among the lead ensemble, including nonbinary casting. (I realize Misha playing Harvey Dent is a huge draw but I’m seeing comments that erase how inclusive the young group of lead heroes are while people complain about one of J2M being on board). Anyway, this is a diverse batfamily show and is ahead of Titans on HBO Max (the other batfamily linked live action series WB is running now) in LGBTQ inclusion.

The Winchesters — SPN’s terrible rep on inclusion is overshadowing this. But I’ll point out showrunner Robbie Thompson created Charlie Bradbury and Eileen Leahy and is someone who cares about inclusive povs in storytelling, especially centering female pov. Jensen and Danneel’s production company, Chaos Machine, hired Renee Reiff, founding member of Out in Hollywood, as their director of development. While a series premise on John and Mary Winchester’s love story gets side-eyes even from fans who are supporting this SPN prequel, we’re also excited about the diverse characters. I’m delighted this seems to be the start of more inclusive expanded SPN universe. It features two women of color as part of its regular cast from the jump, and one of its leads is a bi latino man, played by a nonbinary latino actor.

I shrivel a little inside every time I see comments about how the “new conservative ownership” is getting rid of all the diversity, allegedly. That’s an erasure in and of itself. Believe me, I get why people are angry, they should be. CW has been a systemic mess for years and now fans and creatives are paying a high price. Not blaming anyone for never wanting to go near that network ever again, for anything. But some fans take that stance yet signal boost only content from their favorite, shame other fans who are genuinely supporting the next gen of diverse fare just for us showing up after boycotting, and some who claimed the entire network and all its shows are garbage during the boycott turned around and suddenly started evangelizing for the older gen shows that were cancelled. While ignoring the diversity of the new gen of shows.

[jonathanbyersphd]

Unpopular ST Opinion

But I’ll be honest I think the reason I hate Eddie more with every passing day is because he’s just an obnoxious version of Jonathan? The background of their characters are SO SIMILAR (poor, alternative music taste, town freak) like I will go so far as to say that Eddie, for the most part, is an Expy of Jonathan and the Duffers created him because they couldn’t use Jonathan for this plotline. But the difference of viewpoints of Jonathan “you shouldn’t like things because someone tells you to” Byers vs. Eddie “list of things The Party is KNOWN to like are conformist” Munson turns them into Foils imo. (But this has been lost on the GA/majority of the Fandom)  

Like Jonathan would NEVER treat Lucas poorly for being part of the Basketball team as long as he thought Lucas was enjoying it. (Jonathan is a big fan of do what you want unless you’re hurting someone) Whereas Eddie intentionally made Lucas choose between two things he loves doing. Like in this instance Eddie canonically does not allow for character depth. He’s a lot like s1 Jonathan in that way, but where Jonathan sees Nancy (and Steve) show these hidden depths and grows his opinion, Eddie doesn’t really. (Which yes he’s only here for a season but the Chrissy thing happens so early he could’ve changed)  Yes one could argue that Eddie calls Chrissy a “freak” and tells Dustin that he shouldn’t change but it’s still that Black and White binary of freaks vs normies. They grey area isn’t there for Eddie. And it’s frustrating to have a character that has been around since season one, has such a similar character themes but isn’t as binary in his thinking be ignored by the larger fandom because he’s quiet (or not a pretty boy)???

Like I truly believe that Eddie is meant to contrast and highlight Jonathan’s character (and his growth from s1) but because it’s NOT as simple as let’s say Steve vs. Jonathan in s1 it was lost on the audience. It also doesn’t help that we don’t see a scene with them directly interacting. But, if you think about it both of their storylines this season are driven by their affection? (obvi Jonathan is in love, but Eddie is some flirting this seems like the best word) for Nancy and Chrissy respectively. Eddie tells Steve to make Vecna pay (for Chrissy) and Jonathan drags everyone across the country for Nancy. I also truly believe that Eddie dies at the end because there is no sense in keeping both his and Jonathan’s characters moving into season 5, we already have a loner/unpopular archetype who has more depth and is more integral to the overall story.

Furthermore, if they are seriously considering returning to season 1 groups this puts Steve (and Robin by extension) with Nancy and Jonathan (and likely Argyle for comic relief) and in terms of character ensembles there really isn’t room to have Eddie and Jonathan in the teen group. If you think about the five man band trope dynamic everyone in the current lineup (Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, Robin and Argyle) already fills a role and unless they want to extend to six there’s no room for Eddie. (this is also the reason Max is coma’d so they can draw parallels between The Party + El and the older teens) Additionally, I would not be surprised if they actually reduced the teens down to just Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve which would make even less sense for Eddie to be around. 

All of this isn’t to say Eddie is an inherently bad character, he serves a purpose. But with Jonathan back in Hawkins and the Satanic Panic allegory finished that purpose is over. 

I know this is a lot and probably doesn’t make sense but TLDR: Eddie is a foil of Jonathan and I’m mad he’s loved more.

[heliianth]

(i'm that anon) DON'T feel bad i think it's interesting talk all you wish. i never finished that trilogy so it's the same thing as a video essay about media i've never consumed

LOL noo i didnt think u did it on purpose i just have a guilt complex or w/e but im taking this as an invitation to air my grievances outside of tags SO.

I Just Don't Understand The Decision to align the end with the books. i've never Read the books but i Do Know that they are extremely different (because i've heard abt whats up and i'm just not super interested so ive never checked em out) and HTTYD1, while awesome, is not a faithful adaptation in any sense of the word. and KEEP IN MIND. from what IVE HEARD. the relationship between humans and dragons in the books is more fraught and unfair than the one in the movies. like ive heard stuff about slavery and pets. but the movie makes it almost a Point to say that the dragon riders treat their dragons equally and every place in which the two coexist do this as well. theres a reason why Hiccup calls Toothless His Best Friend. in the books it makes sense to separate the two groups, because there was genuine harm being done no matter what happened and separation was the best solution, but in the movie-verse the relationship being fought for was mutually beneficial and also had real, tangible support behind it that was having payoffs. idk if there was like a deal with Cressida Cowell for the end of the franchise but it did not work with the context set up by the other two movies. ur telling me all these dragons who bonded irreplacably with their riders, their best friends, wouldnt say "hey, fuck you, i'm staying"? they ALL went to this secret hidden cave after facing a bad guy that doesnt even seem that intimidating after u watch RTTE? like that love wasnt strong enough to defy everything? <- U KNOW. THE POINT OF THE SERIES.

speaking of which, HTTYD is like almost obnoxiously in your face about its theme of disability. the first movie is about a someone who can't do things everyone else can (kill dragons) who befriends someone else who also can't do things everyone (other dragon) else can (fly), then they help each other and make themselves and the world better for it. Hiccup makes Toothless a mobility aid and Hiccup literally becomes an amputee at the end of the movie and its framed as a moment of connection and understanding between the two rather than a tragedy. in the second movie, the villain is literally someone looking to enslave all dragons using the big mind-controlly dragon (i have some issue with the whole "the alpha protects them all" theme of HTTYD2. i get what they were going for but i don't think it was executed super well. the rest of the material introduced is super solid despite that tho imo) he abused since birth and Toothless broke out of it because of the depth of his attachment and then proceeded to beat the big dragon's ass to protect Hiccup. the entire theme being set up here is about strength in compassion, acceptance, and togetherness. these stories about outcasts proving themselves inherently worthy of love due to their difference and connection and not in spite of it Are The Type Of Stories most marginalized communities latch onto for obvious reasons. u see it literally everywhere—thats why the queer community calls some movies "queer movies" even though there might not be any characters that are actually queer. this type of setup is actually almost like a gateway for authors to address these subjects when it might otherwise be censored because it's so fucking prevalent and recognizable.

and i dont know if the directors or w/e Knew This and i don't want to accuse anyone of anything because they were clearly very, very passionate but introducing a Girl Character (I UNDERSTAND THAT the light fury is a different species and this is why she looks so different than Toothless but imo... she still falls into the "softer pink small female design" trope because they could've chosen to Not Make light furies look like that, especially bc every female dragon and even human design has been pretty good beforehand, so what changed?) with which Toothless falls in love with Immediately and is on screen for a total of EIGHT MINUTES who causes him to leave Hiccup forever without much thought is like the One Thing u dont do when u have themes like this. the movie tries to frame Hiccup's care for Toothless as clingyness but like... ur kidding me. HUH? THIS WAS NEVER A PROBLEM. Hiccup and Toothless being inseparable was Always framed as a strength that helped themselves and the people around them. thats why i sometimes talk abt HTTYD3 "hetero-ifying" the series. it tries really hard to deliver a "mature" message about ~*: . ~ letting go what you love ~*: . ~ but this was completely unnecessary if you think about it for more than two seconds in context with the 2 other movies and EIGHT SEASONS of tv shows its placed in. there was NO REASON for the dragons to go to the hidden world. Grimmel was no more of a threat thematically than Drago or Viggo. he had badass powerful dragons on his side but his motivation was the same Narratively. what made him Win this time? it just makes the entire thing feel like a cheap grab at tears and toy figurines in order to seem more adult than the other two despite its incoherency—Hiccup says the dragons will stay away until the humans can learn enough to deserve them, but they won't learn if they're separate from each other! This Is Like ABYSMAL post-hoc justification for the decision to have the dragons leave. and then the very end of the movie has Hiccup finding Toothless again (who FORGOT HIM? thats almost offensive) anyways, because who cares, whatever. anything for the audience to cry.

i dunno. i feel like despite the amount of care n passion put into HTTYD3, it's really.... not in the same spirit of the other two. all of the movie-verse media contradicts its message and themes, and it barely addresses this in a way i think is acceptable for the level of care n passion that was put in. there must've been thought and consideration here, all of the people working on it must've loved what they were making, so that's why i dont Get why HTTYD3 is the way it is. it's existence leaves the Entire Franchise feeling really hollow—without it the franchise is a statement about the power of love and belief in a better world, it features characters struggling to help themselves and their friends live in happiness no matter what challenges they face. with it, it says that these things are childish and something to let go. that the determination to make things better for yourselves and the people you love in spite of all the horrible people telling you otherwise is immature and needs to be grown out of. thats so fucking awful, dude, and thats why i don't really get how people who love the themes of the other media in the series can like the third movie.

anyway. LMFAO. this will probably be the end of me complaining abt this movie bc i addressed basically all my issues and id feel annoying repeating stuff in other posts. love u nonnie ur very funny.

[egyx0s-brainrot]

An idea I have in my head for how I would rewrite the show is that, instead of the bracelet of Ra being the ultimate weapon, it is actually a key to activate more powerful artifacts that Ra (or maybe others like Ra) created and are now.

And so, the first season plot (or the first 10 episodes) of the show is that Leo and the golden army must search for these missing artifacts before the dark army does it first.

To give the plot a little bit of initially so it doesn't look dull or repeated, if a human finds an artifact and uses it, this human would become a type of monster with a symbiotic connection to the set artifact. Something like this:

It would be a good way to explore the Egyptian mythology and the differences it has with Leo's human knowledge.

It would also help explore the bast world of Egyxos, their citizens, and culture, and how they see humans as a subject too! And it would help characters like Ramses and Hyksos (who are the ones that pass more time in the human world) explore our peculiarly human culture. As may be some artifacts like Shu are on earth to be safer!

Artifacts like Tutankhamun's mask, Namer Palette, Canopic Jars, The Rosetta stone, Khufu statue, The Dendra zodiac, and the Merneptah Stele, etc.

But what do you think of my rewritten version?

Ohhh i had a similar thought! : the bracelet (powered by the eye of Ra) is one of 3 pieces of a key that got separated a long time ago and both sides are searching for them. Though I still don't know what purpose it would have:/

I love your idea! It would give the time and space for Leo and the Golden Army to bond and learn abt each other's worlds and lives, it would help the show to not feel too rushed and the adventures wouldn't be so limited to Egyxos.

this would fit on the 'villain of the week' trope, and the best thing is that at the end of the day you can still fit the plot in it. Like, have them go on wacky, fun adventures as an introduction arc to set the show's characters, world and pace more or less by having them go on this search which still has that high stakes feel that would allow to showcase both worlds (*cough* *cough* THE EGYXOS DIMENSION), but in each episode (or at least, most of them) there is a little bit of the plot, a clue or two of the larger story that awaits the viewers

Ancient Egypt as a whole is a literal goldmine for ideas and inspiration. Like, there's so much amazing stuff that could be used to (respectfully, ofc) tell a fun story! Like the artifacts that you listed and many more!

I mean, for a show inspired by Egyptian mythology and history, they didn't actually make use of it that much, imo

(Oh, if the humans get some kind of physical transformation when using an artifact, would that mean that Exaton used one, too?)

[strangeswift]

I always thought the monologue was there to show El that the kind of love Mike has for her is not the way she wants to be loved, and that their relationship couldn't be saved by him saying "I love you" because they had bigger issues than just him not saying those words. El's whole arc this season is about how she can't be put into a box with the words 'monster' and 'superhero' and yet in Mike's monologue he once again refers to her a superhero, which to me is setting up a conversation where El calls out Mike for loving the superhero that he thinks she is rather than the person that she really is, and she will break up with him because she wants to find out who she is without all of that pressure and those labels.

Two of the most prominent memories used when she revived Max were "there's more to life than stupid boys" and "not Hopper, not Mike, you," and I think that is setting up El's independence era where she realizes that she doesn't need a boyfriend and wants to focus on herself, especially now that she has to deal with Hopper's return, the fallout of Max's coma, and the impending fight against Vecna. She'll realize that she cares about Mike deeply but being with him romantically is not what she needs for herself.

Also this is just me and I think most Bylers will heavily disagree but I think they're going with Bi!Mike (who is aware on some level that there's something different about Will but doesn't know at all that he loves Will yet) and doing the misattribution of feelings trope where Mike was only able to say "I love you" because he fell in love with Will's feelings in the van and believed he loved El because of how those words made him feel. He says "I love you for exactly who you are" to her but it's clear that this is going to fall apart soon because the "exactly who you are" that Mike believes in is not El - she never said any of those things that made him feel so loved and so valued. That person was Will.

I think that once Mike finds out about the painting and Milkvan breaks up due to Mike realizing that El didn't say any of that "you're the heart" stuff, Will is going to confess to him as an explanation for why he lied and Mike will 'platonically accept him' at first and they will be closer than ever. Then after the timeskip, as they work together as a team to defeat Vecna, we're going to see Mike realizing that he has feelings for Will too and they'll probably kiss towards the very end of the show. Mike probably won't get an explicit bi label but they'll show him being in a happy relationship with Will.

I don't see a convincing way to do Gay!Mike at all after the monologue but I think implied Bi!Mike - where he thought he loved El due to the van speech but eventually finds out that those were Will's words, which jump-starts their romance arc - is very possible.

(The only line that truly bugs me in the monologue is the 'my life started the day we found you in the woods.' We as an audience know it's bullshit bc Mike did not love El immediately and he also said befriending Will in kindergarten was the best thing he's ever done but idk how they're going to explain away that one in-universe. But the rest of it is fairly easy to debunk imo and actually serves a purpose for both El's arc and Mike's realization of his feelings.)

Warning for mild By1er doubt

Very good points and well said.

To the gay Mike vs. bi Mike point, I definitely think he's going to be unlabeled in canon. Personally I am a gay Mike truther primarily because "It's not my fault you don't like girls" reads as projection to me which only makes sense if Mike does not, in fact, like girls. And I think they could do gay Mike in a convincing way. (Here's my thoughts on what is going on in Mikes head during the monolgue, which I wrote from the perspective of him being gay, though it doesn't have to be read that way.) BUT I don't think they will do gay Mike, in canon he'll definitely be unlabeled.

To the point about the "my life started the day I found you in the woods" Yeah that line bumps me too. I know a lot of people use it as evidence that Mike is obviously lying through the whole monolgue. But I don't really think he's intentionally lying? So that doesn't explain it away for me. The pessimistic part of me just thinks maybe the writers just didn't expect people to read into it that much so they didn't concern themselves with the fact that Mike canonically was going to let El be sent "back to Pennhurst or wherever she came from." But I honestly don't know what to think about it. (I do have a theory about this line but I don't know how much merit to put into it, I'll probably make a separate post about it.)

Anyway, you made extremely good points. As I said before, I'm a massive pessimist, so everything I say regarding S5 predictions should probably be taken with a grain of salt for that reason. I have a hard time trusting the Duffers because I have a hard time trusting anyone.

For example, I am sort of afraid that they're still going to lean into the Superhero thing for El now that she has her powers back. It is possible that El was only upset at being called that because she didn't have her powers at the time. That's not the way I choose to interpret her character, I think she doesn't want to be a "superhero" regardless, BUT I worry that we're all misinterpreting it and the Duffers are going to be stupid idiots. But I won't dig too much more into the things about the monolgue that worry me, because that's depressing and I don't want to talk about it anymore.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts anon, you said it well so I don't have much else to add. I sincerely hope that you are 100% correct and this is exactly the way the Duffers intended it to be interpreted.