#remember grain of salt

[lunisfamily]

Tbh, Ilana is someone who should've been fleshed out more. Thanks to CN dropping the ball, we may not known where her story goes from here. Like rewatching the series again and I do like her introduction and the way she carries herself. I need to finish watching the series again.

[ok so its been a bit since i watched the whole series front to bottom as i've been occasionally been watching it out of order so take this opinion atm with a grain of salt]

ok for real i was so ready for the bigger Ilana episodes because she has some heavy survivors guilt, homesickness, and some balancing to do with being a selfless princess and being mildly overbearing sometimes and frustrated with her endeavors falling short.

i absolutely love the way she carries herself too and sbt has such a strong sense of personality for the m.c's that she has very good dynamics and never loses her place in the trio. she is fun and fascinating to watch.

but while the series does well in unwinding lance from thinking that he's useless if he isn't fighting at least by 50%[ developed by his strong relationship to the other 2 to help him get out of his own head and TRULY think of whats best for them all and WHEN to fight] , and octus growing into his own personhood has reached the nice middle point by the final episode with his face being the center instead of his metal core [and fresh unique dynamics with kimmy and meat to show how he can be more than whatever he was meant for], a lot of Ilana's stuff feels like it is in the seed and growing phase still. like more than them.

she wants to be the leader she is but its harder to do in this high school so...? how will this affect her arc because she is going to go back at one point because she's a princess? what is the more positive arc she's having by being here vs being at home?

she misses home!...something that will be handled in the future... but its middle ground atm is the ball with a galaluna theme that has her finding the homecoming committee to help her capture some peace for the moment

and again she remains an absolute unit of a character because even if some of the bigger questions are up in the air because she has such a strong personality and presence and does get some smaller problems worked on via group development because the group dynamic is strong <3

she feels like all she ever does is try with lance but they still work out their relationship due to octus stepping in and saying yeah... both of you keep trying but not by snipping at each other about how much you DON'T understand each other! and there is like so many points where its clear she's lost in interacting with him that feel like her status as a princess as a complication might be brought to the forefront later [like lance bringing up that he does feel that people "like her" could never understand him and Ilana does have his reputation at the ready in the starting episodes vs them being closer but being reminded that his job is to protect her]

as the series proceeds they HAVE become closer [stuff like the chill hangout/doing the project together/ and lance dancing with her because yes the princess misses her home/and close enough that ilana can try to be supportive of his passions like in disenfranchised...key word try.] they even are united in their love for octus. they have slowly been overcoming that idea that they could never have anything in common.

and maybe as a princess the war tore that one boy she liked away [ and the whole episode is even her turning into a monster against her will] but as a student she can try to have something low stakes and sweet [and again how is that going to measure to up to her having to return? what change has happened that will be more challenged by the return to galaluna or even just by who she used to be]

and again octus not just being a tool her father gave her but a true friend she loves

the minor "some rules are ok to break" episode and little moments like maybe her being demanding of lance's nightmare and then apologetic when she hears it or her leadership skills with announcing the phone number coming in handy even if lance does ask her to tone it down, all the support that octus gives her as her fellow bottom of the barrel pal

so basically its not like NOTHING is being done with her its just that the payoff to these developments isn't as super clear as octus and lance's atm [imo]...and never will be WHY CN?

partically because its easier to pinpoint why being on earth is good for lance and octus [again imo]

CN really did drop the ball because i heard somewhere the next 10 episodes were already written??! i want to seeeeeeeeeeeee T.T

i really do have to properly rewatch the series again.

[kroosluvr]

welcome to the phantom express (?!)

[greenfiend]

On the topic of Band-Aids…

Sure Will “ripp[ed] off [the] Band-Aid”, but where did it leave us? It left us with an enormous wound, spreading all across Hawkins.

A heart shaped lake ripped apart in the centre.

Obviously, that wound needs to heal, and somehow I doubt Mike and El’s “love” for each other will help matters. Especially since Mike’s “love” speech to El occurred right before this wound opened up.

People who simply study scripts and script writing only know a portion of what’s going on. A lot of clues come from the visuals and subtleties that are not written on a page.

[incorrectquoteswwdits]

HELLO SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP PLEASE ENJOY THIS MASSIVE SPOILER LIKE I JUST DID

A big thank you to Anon for this!!!

SPOILER BELOW

“hello this is a short continuation of spoilers i got from someone who attended the screening so u can post this in a separate post. SO we see angel crowley creating the universe right and aziraphale was there with him . apparently crowley started gushing like oh you are so gorgeous! and aziraphale was like “oh!” thinking crowley was talking to him but then he looked at crowley and crowley was looking at the stars he made HWKSHWHD and crowley was really excited making all the stars and apparently aziraphale can't hide his heart eyes HEKDHJWJSW THAT'S ALL IM GOING INSANE JUST THINKING ABOUT THIS”

[starscelly]

☀️ roope sighting ☀️

[nightwings-robin]

If Jason is responsible for the death of Felipe Garzonas then Bruce is equally as responsible for the death of Felipe's father, José.

I've seen so many arguments and counter-arguments about whether or not Jason actually pushed that guy off of a building to his death, but I have literally never seen anyone talk about the very next issue which involves his father blaming Jason regardless. I didn't know this was a thing that ever happened in the comics until I started reading them in earnest.

This event is often talked about as a defining moment in Jason's time as Robin (and it is) but I think this little arc actually says a lot more about Bruce and fan's interpretations of Jason's actions than it does about Jason himself.

Like just look at this panel from Batman (1940) #425:

Batman is on top of a pile of cars, José shoots at Batman, the tower of cars falls down on top of José and he dies. It's sort of an accident but then Bruce goes on to imply that this guy's death is also Jason's fault:

Bruce is saying here that actions have consequences - the name of this issue is even titled "Consequences" - but the way he says it to Jason implies that these are the consequences of Jason's actions. In Bruce's mind, Jason "killed" Felipe, so his father wanted to get revenge and ended up killed as well. Bruce lays both of these deaths at Jason's feet but I don't think that's totally fair to Jason.

Regardless of whether or not Jason really did kill Felipe, José Garzonas believes Robin is responsible. This sets off a chain of events that leads to José's death. And one could argue that Bruce is actually the one responsible for Garzonas' death as he was the one on top of the tower of cars that falls and crushes Garzonas. I find it interesting that Bruce doesn't hold himself responsible for that, even though it's an accident. He seems to blame Jason for this death that he himself had a hand in because he seems to blame Jason for Felipe's death that started this all.

Maybe Bruce doesn't even think that Jason pushed Felipe off of that building and that he really was just "spooked" off. But Bruce still blames Jason because Jason didn't try to save Felipe from falling. No matter Jason's real actions or intentions, Felipe still died and his father still blamed Robin.

If we go off of the theory that Felipe really was just spooked by Jason and slipped off the building by accident, then Jason didn’t kill Felipe so much as he didn’t save him. Which Bruce has done to KGBeast for example multiple times (no seriously there's AT LEAST two separate times when Bruce may not have killed KGBeast but certainly and purposefully left him in a situation in which death was eminent, but whatever I digress.)

I think a lot of people don't know that that story is actually a two-parter and that the next issue after Batman (1940) #424 deals with Felipe's father trying to get revenge for his son's death and he very clearly blames Robin for it.

Thoughts and opinions?

[total-drama-brainrot]

Total Drama World Tour Assistant Noah AU…

Where Assistant Noah warns Owen before the London Challenge, but Alejandro had heard him…

Alejandro: So, you think that I’m like an eel dipped in grease?

Assistant Noah: Yes, I do. What are you gonna do about it, pretty boy? I’m not a contestant, you have no power over me, Eel!

Alejandro: Maybe so, but I can still use my charms to mess with you, while you’re working.

Assistant Noah: Don’t you dare! >=O

Alejandro: (Smirks and blows Noah a flirty kiss!) ;)

Wasn't it already a pre-established fact that Alejandro was actively flirting with assistant Noah before London? Why would him upping the ante make any difference here?

If anything, have Alejandro seethe over the fact that, despite his best efforts to seem as suave and charming as possible, Noah sees him as an "eel dipped in grease". He's consistantly pulled out all the stops to get a reaction out of Noah - the same tactics that worked flawlessly on the rest of the competition - and yet his best efforts are rewarded with the one person he's trying to get to like him, actively disliking him.

It's a massive blow to his ego and his confidance. But one he can learn from.

Have Alejandro condeed defeat to himself; if he hadn't won Noah over by now, there's little chance he ever would (at least, that's his justification for giving up). Have him stop flirting with Noah - stop interacting with the assistant completely, since he's so obviously disliked by Noah.

And then. Then, you have Noah notice the emptiness in his day-to-day.

You have the both of them turn to make snide comments or backhanded remarks about the goings on in the competition, only to be met with silence and a blank space at their side. You have the both of them cycle through active denial that the miss each other, until the weight of their loneliness crushes their combined stubbornness.

Have Noah sheepishly apologise to Alejandro in the (relative) privacy of the cargo hold, trying to explain that his distrust of Alejandro doesn't necessarily translate into dislike. And have Alejandro forgive him. Not entirely, but enough for the two of them to settle back into a sense of normalcy.

That is, Alejandro habitually trying to flirt with Noah once more, only to be completely blindsided when the other laughs at his attempts instead of brushing him off.

Because that's a sign of progress, right?

[irregularbillcipher]

the "paul is richie's uncle" headcanon is really cute but i really love it in tandem with the idea that ted is surprisingly involved in his little brother's life while paul is more just vaguely fond of his nephew, but doesn't really know all that much about his friends or his day-to-day life

like, the idea of ted knowing all his geeky little brother's friends really well, like letting them chill in his apartment every now and then to watch movies or driving them home when they have their stupid library study sessions or whatever is already pretty fun, just the idea that the Local Bastard has accidentally and begrudgingly been saddled with these two loser highschoolers because they're his little brother's dweebus friends that he doesn't want to admit he has a soft spot for, but it's made doubly funny if paul just has no idea that his nephew's best friend is the little brother of the Worst Guy In His Office. ted comes over to paul's desk one day with a stack of dog-eared manga like "pete forgot to take these this morning, so you give 'em back to richie for me, okay? also, ruth's right, stein and spirit are definitely fucking and i want him to stop fighting with her about it when i pick 'em up from the library" and paul is just like. okay. i have several questions about this.

[tarmac-rat]

Something I think perfectly encapsulates the early days of Cyberpunk 2077's launch so well was at one point, once you completed the bender, the game would unceremoniously drop a copy of Johnny's holo-arm in your inventory without telling you. It was equipable, meaning you could put it on whenever you wanted (but I don't believe you could unequip it without trashing it) and it would show up in the game whenever you used your weapon or were in a cutscene. So it was almost like the game was giving you the option to make Johnny's silver arm a permanent feature of your V, implying that it was a part of the Relic's progression, and that you could use it for story immersion or lore purposes, or even just as a cool feature to have in your inventory if you wanted it for the aesthetic

And then CDPR came forward, said "actually this was 100% a bug you're not supposed to get this", patched it out, and we never got it back.

[aster-blogging-dracula]

Damn bro Imagine how dire the situation as a closeted middle aged man in the late victorian times must be that you express your desires by creating a vampire with your boss' face.

(for the sake of accuracy, this a joke)

[blackbatcass]

actually the funniest flash character in history is mason trollbridge. he was just some bland carpenter dude. he was wally’s old man best friend. they moved across country together. wally LIVED with him. he had a supervillain son that was never followed up on. he was in almost every issue. then waid took over and he disappeared without a trace and was never heard from again

[their-name-is-fake]

Hey y’all! Just to give some insight into what we are seeing in the states. This is going to be close, like reaaaaallly close. Kamala would need to win Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin from the looks of it. So, where does that leave us? Who’s to say all three of these states are very volatile. There’s a high chance she loses Michigan ( I mena she fully fumbled it there so it depends on if the people choose to over look that), so that’s already bad news. Georgia would have been a good alternative but gerrymandering needed any chance of that.

There is an ever increasing chance that Trump is able to pull what he did in 2016 so y’all need to be prepared for that.

And even if he doesn’t win there is a high chance there will be riots so

[nientedal]

On Constructive Criticism.

Hey friends. You ever want to leave a critique on a fic, and the author says they like constructive criticism/"concrit," but then you leave your critique and you try to make it complimentary but the author still seems less than thrilled with you? You may have missed the point of "constructive!" Don't feel bad, you aren't alone. Took me until I started writing and receiving feedback to really figure it out.

The key to remember is, "constructive" doesn't mean "nice." It doesn't mean phrasing gently, or doing a compliment sandwich (although those are fine things to do as well). "Constructive" feedback is feedback that would make the story as the author has already written it stronger.

"The execution of this character's decision to do XYZ felt a little bit out of nowhere, to me. Was that your intent? It didn't seem like it was meant to be a big twist, either. Maybe some extra foreshadowing would make it stronger, or some shock on the part of the other characters." THAT'S constructive criticism.

This is NOT constructive criticism: "This character doing XYZ thing really doesn't make for as strong a story as it could. I think he should have done NQD thing, instead. That would have been better."

The first example offers some ideas on how to help a character's decision land better when the reader couldn't tell what the author's intent was. It's possible the reader didn't like the decision and that's why they noticed - maybe some foreshadowing would have helped them accept it better, or some indication that it was meant to be shocking would have validated the reader's surprise & displeasure. But, crucially, the reader did not suggest anything that would require a massive rewrite. Some tweaking, sure, maybe the addition of a few paragraphs. But not a change to the character's decision as a whole, the way the second example suggested. The second example does describe something the reader thinks would make for a stronger story...but it is not something that would make THIS story stronger. It is describing a different story than the one the author has already written so far, so it's just plain ol' criticism. Constructive criticism makes the existing story stronger.

That's the difference. You aren't workshopping. You are commenting on something that is already being written, that is already planned to the point where someone is already posting it. There is a BIG DIFFERENCE between workshopping a story and simply giving concrit! Unless the author has specifically asked for workshop-style help, offering things to do differently from what was already written is worse than useless. Don't.

Rule of thumb: if what you're saying can be boiled down to "I think this cake would be better if it was pie," say something else. The cake is not pie. It's not GOING to be pie. I didn't ask what you think I should bake, I put cake on the table and asked what you thought of this cake. Tell me what would make THIS cake better. Not the pie you were thinking of, and not a different cake you might have liked better. THIS CAKE.

[madlilsongbird]

Okay I might be completely wrong cos I walked into the back end of a conversation and can’t seem to find the beginning of it

But there’s a group of fans who are mad not that buck is dating a guy but that he’s dating Tommy cos obviously when he was with the 119 he was kind of a douche

And the back end of the convo I walked into was someone I think speculating over whether or not the guy who plays Tommy was fired because he hasn’t really been seen in any of the promo or bts stuff for next season

But I’m so confused as to why the writers/creators/whoever would fire him for something THEY did? Like they wrote him as douchey and then they wrote him as bucks love interest. It makes more sense to me that the past douchiness will come into play next season and they’ll have a solution rather than “oops we didn’t think you’d remember him soz we’ll get rid of him now”

Again I’m working off the back half of one persons opinion so I could be completely off base but I fully haven’t stopped thinking about it since I heard it.

[yellow-the-monster-girl]

whyyyy is no one talking about the replicators???

there's literally so much stuff that I feel like it could be explored, I mean, I don't like fifth that much either but like. the struggle of feeling for the first time. the struggle of feeling differently than your "family" and being seen as weaker for it. the struggle of feeling at all and it still not being enough for the Good Guys to see you as human. the struggle of knowing you're Different. too human for the machines and too machine for the humans. you know???

and repliCarter, no I didn't forget her, like girl has all the memories of regular carter right? imagine there's another you. imagine asking the other you for help even if it's just a ploy to kill fifth and make your bug siblings immune to Destroy Beam and they say if it doesn't work they'll just destroy you. imagine knowing, every second that you stay there, that everyone knows you're not Like Them. you're something Other. like, I'm well aware she's evil and stuff, the point she had to feel something while at the site alpha.

same goes for reese with the horrifying bonus that she basically had the mind of a child. like, imagine those evil dangerous things are your toys. they were supposed to protect you. you never wanted to hurt anyone. imagine you're the Other, you're not human, you're a machine to them, except you're also a child.

and I could go on and on about the asurans and elizabeth weir but that would be a whole another post in itself

tldr: give replicators some love please. and some fanfics. especially the fanfics.

[yuridovewing]

i understand the frustration with “i made this gay pairing cis x trans so they can still have biological babies” with no thought to other methods and how ppl assume thats the case when it comes to mothpool aus where mothwing is also the mother of the three, but also…. idk i kinda dont give a shit if someone wants to do that and i dont really think its inherently transphobic as long as its handled with care and respect.

what really concerns me about this debate is how some people are adamant that you cannot portray trans people having biological children in media or youre being disrespectful. and im gonna say as a nonbinary person who doesnt want children for themself- thats kinda fucking weird? like i understand that for some people, theyre trans themselves and theyre speaking from a place of dysphoria, and i absolutely get that, which is why i think the topic should be handled with nuance and diversity in trans characters, but like…. guys. pregnant trans men exist irl. trans women get people pregnant irl. trans ppl’s ability and right to parent and have biological children are being debated irl. we get denied the opportunity to adopt as well.

in a climate like this, are we SURE we want the stance on rewrites and headcanons in the silly cat books to be “if you portray trans characters having children, especially with a gay couple, youre a transphobic freak no matter what!” does it really matter? especially if its being done by a trans person handling the topic with nuance who has a lot of trans characters with varying perspectives?

obviously yes, remember that thats not the only way certain gay couples can have kids, remember that not every trans person is fully comfortable with it and keep that in mind, remember that surrogacy and adoption are also perfectly valid ways to give fan babies- but remember that there are OPTIONS. not that you need to condemn the idea of transgender parents in the first place unless they fit the very specific criteria of “proper transgender representation” and anything that dares deviate from that is proof the op is a transphobic monster (bonus points if theyre a trans creator bc i mostly see trans people getting shit for this and it kinda pisses me off. although idm if cis people do it either as long as theyre handling it with respect)