#s4 has been spectacular so far

[inejqhafa]

I’ve been bingeing Lost for the last few weeks and just watched 4x05. holy shit. that was one of the best episodes of television I have ever watched.

[ectogeo-rebubbles]

I hopelessly yearn for the horror of Sloan getting his hands on Julian earlier in the series when he’s still wide eyed and naive and full of joy and grooming him until he breaks in exactly the way Sloan would like but trying to slot ANYTHING to do with Section 31 into the earlier seasons without completely rewriting canon is beyond me. Thus far the best I can manage is like, Sloan having crossed paths with Julian and becoming a little obsessed with him and just biding his time until the war and the augment reveal give him an excuse to finally make contact directly, but that’s pretty weak to me. I’ve considered Sloan being stationed covertly on DS9 posing as a Bajoran civilian, with the intent of monitoring all the other security risks on the station, but instead finding himself spending way too much time observing the good doctor who is somehow too smart and too stupid for his own good. Would he justify his close monitoring of Julian because Julian is inexplicably friends with a dangerous Cardassian. Would he decide that Sisko isn’t taking that potential security risk seriously and decide he has to take it upon himself to steer Julian away from someone who could compromise Federation security. Would he just toss aside all pretence and decide he just wants a twink boyfriend.

Anyway, I just like thinking about early seasons Julian having all his hope and joy carved out of him deliberately by someone who thinks they’re doing him a favour. Idk, it just tickles me.

I love all of this as a whumpy concept!! I really like the idea of Sloan scrutinizing his connection to Garak 🥰 Especially bc we were DENIED that in Inquisition.

Okay I’m gonna try to help you imagine how early seasons sloanshir would reasonablywork. First of all though, here is a random unreasonable cracky idea lmaoooo: Sloan (who is just a regular Starfleet Intelligence officer for the moment) meets Julian one time in early seasons, falls for him, and then specifically starts s31 from scratch to try to eventually lure in Julian Bashir (and corrupt him 💕). Corollary: Julian is obvs into spy stuff but never joined Starfleet Intelligence so Sloan deduces that clearly what he is into is bad boys. 😈

Okay now forget all that silliness and let’s return to something slightly more sane lol. (Barely sane actually bc it involves how nonsensical canon itself is lmao.)

At the beginning of s3, the Founders get put onto s31’s radar. By mid-s4, s31 has not only decided to kill every changeling but has also developed the virus and infected Odo with it. s31 must have been keeping a close eye on ds9 between s3e2 and s4e11. Maybe Sloan was working on Julian all during this time, and information he got out of him led to the decision to destroy the Founders. Maybe Sloan befriended him (and/or fucked him) while wearing a totally different face, or met him online and has only talked to him in text form. (Maybe him crushing Julian’s spirit is a long con, a slowburn. Maybe Julian’s depression during the war is in part a result of Sloan manipulating and gaslighting him since s3.)

Anyway, I really think Sloan would have had a stronger chance of tricking Julian into being recruited if he had gotten to him earlier. He would still have to lie about s31’s true purpose, but at least Julian would not yet be so jaded. If Sloan had gotten to Julian on the heels of his canonical “surveillance lessons” with Garak, he might have had a hope of convincing him it would be the kind of light and breezy and unambiguously heroic spycraft Julian would want it to be, unlike the reality.

This isn’t quite the same as what you crave, but Wicked Game by @hellostuffedtiger is a spectacular fic exploring what would have happened if Sloan got to Julian before Julian ever met Garak. It’s not quite early seasons Julian like you want though. It also doesn’t show the corruption process, but rather the outcome of that process, after a few very specific canon divergence points. It just lives in my head rent free and there is a slim possibility it will scratch part of your itch, so I gotta mention it. <3

[gracemarkss]

finished s4 in my txf rewatch so i'm here's my top 10 so far. these are vaguely in order.

10. oubliette (s3ep08). this episode gives us soooo much big brother mulder. his gentle insistence that lucy, despite everything she's been through, is strong and capable and has value - that she can save this girl (and he's right). when scully calls him out on his overidentifying with lucy and he insists not everything he does or feels goes back to samantha...but when lucy dies, you know he's losing sam all over again. he can't save them all, he can't even save most of them, but by god does he try.

9. memento mori (s4ep14). cliche as hell but the fact that it opens with scully's sensual voice over reading her romantic diary entries which are addressed to mulder...insane. both of them facing a terrible reality, deep seated fears - losing her and abandoning him (is dying a betrayal?) the fact that he's ready to make a deal with the devil. the fact that skinner DOES. death vs love, fight!!!!!

8. beyond the sea (s1ep13). gillian is insaaaaane in the episode like how could anyone involved in this show not think she was capable of anything and everything? scully is such a great character in part because of the constant tension that exists between expectation and desire. the things she should want, the things she wants to want, the things she actually wants. she craves her father's approval while chafing against the weight of his expectation. the "i love this job" "you love your father" exchange goes craaaaaazy. and that's not even getting into the role reversal!!!!

7. pusher (s3ep17). another cliche but god does this episode go hard. another spectacular look into mulder's psyche and another situation that highlights the depth of their connection. when he kneels down in front of her and hands her his gun...i wonder how many times mulder walks into a situation and thinks that maybe he'll die. that maybe he wouldn't mind. i wonder how much scully knows that (her fear here makes me think she knows, and it terrifies her.) but all's well that ends well i guess (them holding hands).

6. end game (s2ep17). i just love that the narrative forces mulder to choose between samantha and scully and he tries to rig the game to save both. from "nothing else matters to me" to if anything happens to scully i'll kill everyone in this room and then myself. there's obviously a lot more going on here and i love all of it but that's my main takeaway. oh also dd rules in this ep. his regression back into a lost little boy saying "i'm sorry, dad," bill mulder you are bones.

5. wetwired (s3ep23). another classic "what are you afraid of" episode and this time the answer is "the prophet you are following turns out to be false." trust is their most valuable and sacred currency. the potential loss of that is truly devastating. let's not even get into the fact that mulder thinks scully's gone missing (again) and it's his fault (again) and he has to break this to her mother (again) and let's not talk about the fact that maggie defends mulder to scully and trusts him with her daughter's life despite everything. and let's definitely not ever mention the scene where he goes to id the body.

4. paper hearts (s4ep10). yet another cliche but there's a reason these episodes are well loved and considered among the best. "it's somebody though" just sums up everything you need to know about mulder. he is so deeply hurt and so good despite it all. he really is the best boy. another ep dd is superb in.

3. demons (s4ep23). part of the reason i love this episode is just because i think the premise of mulder drilling a hole in his head and injecting ketamine in it is hilarious. but also profoundly sad. can you tell i have a thing for mulder angst yet? and episodes that highlight how deep and loving his and scully's relationship is, however you interpret it? she's the first one he thinks of to call when he wakes up in a bad situation. she drops everything to be there for him. she won't stop him, she'll just take the keys and drive. what can i carry for you. what can i do. i will not let you go alone. another great example of dd's ability to play mulder at his smallest - when he tells his mother he needs to speak with her with his head down and his voice pitched just a bit higher...i'll jump.

2. ice (s1ep08). truly what needs to be said. i know this is a ripoff of the thing but i've never seen the thing so this is better probably. stuck in a small space, paranoia at the top of the world...also the guy who plays the landlord in new girl is here and i love that. both dd and ga are also both crazy hot in the ep. i think it just rules even as a standalone and is a great way to introduce someone to the series. just fun and sexy and tense.

3 (s2ep07). HE'S WEARING HER NECKLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

honorable mentions: lazarus (s1ep15); darkness falls (s1ep20); little green men (s2ep01); the field where i died (s4ep05); grotesque (s3ep14); terma (s4ep9).

[eastgaysian]

Hey, I wasn't sure if I should say so or not in case it would be upsetting to you, but since you brought up the idea of a survey I thought I'd say that I have lost a parent & like you the current season of Succession has had a cathartic effect on me. I've also seen one person on twt say that's the case for them too, so I'm willing to bet a lot of ppl who've lost a parent feels similarly and like... Regardless of if it's a "good" season or not, I think media that helps me process my grief is a positive thing, it has value, or what have you. Obv it's fine for ppl to dislike the season, & ofc I don't wish others could exp that kind of loss, but like 🤷🏻‍♀️ sometimes things don't resonate with you until you've experienced smth, & sometimes that happens when you're 0-10, sometimes when you're 50-60

yeah, i started noticing a gap in reactions after connor's wedding between people saying 'that felt far too much like my own experience with a parent/family member dying' and people who acknowledged the skillful execution of the episode but didn't seem to personally connect to it (which generated a couple takes on logan's death and the perceived indignity of it that rubbed me the wrong way, lol). on the one hand my continued posting about the Discourse is because it's aggravating to me, like why is the hot topic of fan discussion 'is the show we're all watching even good?' ??? but on the other, it's genuinely just confusing to me and i'm trying to understand what i'm missing. the minor criticisms that people have cited as the root cause of their dissatisfaction don't add up to me. they feel much more like things that are only noticeable/irritating if you already have some fundamental issue or disconnect with the season.

and i think it really is that this is a season about grief and only about grief, there's no space for anything else. the emotional arcs in other seasons were usually related but distinct - you could focus in on what you liked in particular, whether that was kendall's mental breakdown, roman's freudian mess, shiv's struggle to be taken seriously as a woman, shiv and tom's failmarriage, tom and greg's weirdness, and there'd be enough material for you to chew on and have a good time without worrying all that much about everything else (although i do think being able to understand how all of these connect improves your experience of the show immensely, but i digress).

s4 is about grief. everyone is reacting to logan's death in different ways, but it all comes back to grief. if you're interested in talking about grief, there's so much to explore. if you don't find that engaging, then you're out of luck. it's fine to not find that engaging because you wanted something else out of the season/show, but that doesn't make the season objectively bad or subject to flaws that weren't already present throughout the rest of the show. and yeah, based on my reaction and the reactions of other people i've seen who have that personal experience with death, i think it's a really spectacular depiction of loss and grief that handles all the complex emotions involved with more thought and care than i've seen in other media. it would not be as accurate or impactful a depiction of grief if time and space was spent on something completely unrelated.

i don't think you need to have lost a close family member to connect to the storyline, but i also don't think you can understand what it's like until it happens in your own life. it fucked me up badly when my aunt died in middle school because she had been a major part of my childhood, but the degree to which my dad dying fundamentally altered my life is just incomparable to anything else. you really cannot experience grief as a concept or thought experiment, a person's death is real and permanent in a way nothing else really is. which sounds obvious but it's just true

[thewhizzyhead]

AFTER 3 WHOLE FUCKING SEASONS OF MARINETTE NOT TELLING ANYONE ABOUT HER SUPERHERO IDENTITY, SHE FINALLY TELLS ALYA THAT SHE'S LADYBUG. HURRAY FOR FINALLY ESTABLISHING A SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR BOTH HER CIVILLIAN AND SUPERHERO LIFE WOOOOO but the poor girl still needs a therapist though-

[equalseleventhirds]

napping did provide some Clarity and i think.... i think. i liked the THEMES of the tma finale. and i liked the CHARACTER STUFF in the finale. the mutual betrayal, the love in spite of it, the differing moral standpoints, martin stabbing jon, all good stuff.

but ever since 197, maybe even 196, i’ve been ambivalent at best about the web’s whole... thing, with being sentient and having a plan and stuff? so i simply could not connect to its plan going through as The Big Ending like, emotionally.

and part of it is just that like... what we were previously told about the fears was so contrary to this; that they are not sentient like humans, that they do not know themselves, that they are far removed & different from humanity, that no one not even jon in the apocalypse can really understand them or their thoughts, that the way humans interact with them is based on vague and confusing feelings and arbitrary definitions that fail to capture their fullness.

(like, yes this is about soup, but it’s also not about soup, it’s about the entities being unknowable and far distant from human sentience, and then kind of abruptly very knowable and pretty close to human sentience after all, and throwing that in there in the last episodes of the podcast felt..... weird, to me.)

like, way way back in s3 when gerry explained the fears, they are alien and unknowable and everything people think about them is guessing. simon in s4 has that whole thing about how none of the avatars know what the fears really want or how to give it to them, and the monsters have it even worse. at the start of s5 jon is super clear that he can’t Know anything about the fears directly, like, at all. but now he does.

and maybe he just got way stronger (altho having him do the fears’ statement like, the very next episode after he said the eye can’t see its own beginning? what?) but it didn’t feel like we’d been leading up to it. it felt sudden, and jarring, and out of step with how the whole fear entities situation had been talked about before.

...actually i think that’s. how i feel i general about the finale. not the character stuff, that was spectacular, but the whole big plan? it felt sudden and jarring. to me. maybe i just did not pick up on the hints, but like...

season one, we’re dropped jane prentiss EARLY. we know about her! and then she attacks martin, and then the worms bother the institute for ages, and michael shows up and is ominous about her, and then when she attacks the institute we’re like. expecting it.

(we maybe weren’t expecting the not-them, but we’d heard about the table and not-graham, so it happening to sasha, a minor character, is not such a surprise.)

season two, we know about the not-them. we can see this conflict building, we know jon’s paranoid and about what, we know not-sasha is gonna pull some shit. and then we have her revealed, and she does, and that also is the big attack jon has to deal with!

once again there is a startling reveal about elias (altho that was hinted at a little bit, before he killed leitner), but once again it is an attack that happens to a minor character. jon had his big confrontation that had been building, and this is secondary, and also sets up the next season.

season three, like, we know about the circus all along. like, all along. we also know about elias all along! so the only surprise in the finale was jon still being alive, but tbh that’s not so surprising, he’s the main character.

season 4, we know about peter lukas being a threat, we know jon must confront him to save martin. additionally, we know about all the attempted rituals. jon keeps trying to stop them, but we also have it hinted that they never work, although we don’t know why (we think it’s gertrude, and then we meet manuela, and learn that no, it’s not always gertrude...) we also have extinction brought up, and so while it’s a twist that extinction is not the big bad, we are so emotionally & mentally prepped for ‘end of the world’. elias? elias is a sinister presence hinting ominously at things, and he escapes prison and then leaves when jon goes into the lonely, so he is totes the catalyst.

season 5............ we build up elias. we build up jon. we even build up annabelle, a little bit, although not as much as i would have liked.

we... don’t really have much buildup to ‘the web is sentient and has an elaborate plan to spread to an infinite number of universes.’

like, it’s not hinted at. we know from ages back that hill top road is some kind of crack in reality, but it’s not like... a threat, to our characters or their world. the web having a big plan doesn’t feel particularly hinted at either, like oliver talks about how the end will win but the web isn’t brought up there, as an opponent to that.

like, i know the web’s manipulation is meant to be subtle, but i could’ve used. some more about it. there aren’t a lot of overtly web statements, and i think in the apocalypse there’s only ‘strung out’, which is a very different sort of message, but like... idk, a web domain or two about passing things along or something? might’ve been. helpful. like the spider in ‘strung out’ gives jon a rly pointed message about how it’s totally under his control, which is the total opposite of the web’s eventual plan.

like, it’s just... i am content, with the tragedy and the ultimate messages of the finale. it just felt like a very sudden shift, in a kind of weird way, that upset some previous worldbuilding and plotbuilding that had been established already, so i feel... kind of eh about that.

[rachel-matteo-merlin-recs]

Canon Era - Single Fic Arcs

Rheged

Author: McShame

Description: 

Post S5 (AU): canon to the end of S4 & part of the way through S5. 

Gwen and Arthur have been married for several years, Merlin’s magic has been revealed and Arthur has now reached a kind of cold peace with it.  Then a delegation arrives from a kingdom based on magic, and suddenly Destiny is starkly and ruthlessly thrust to the fore.  The question is should - can - it be avoided? 

Word Count: 124,383

Completed: Yes

Comment(s): 

Definitely might want to pay attention to the tags on this one; one scene can be interpreted both as dubious consent (but more like a I want this, but I can’t do this type of situation), as well as mentions of infidelity and attempted suicide by magic because Merlin just doesn’t want to deal with the fallout and aftermath of his and Arthur’s actions and the consequences it has on their relationships with Gwen and Gwaine.  But if you can handle the rough spots, this fic is truly spectacular.  

Whispering Your Name

Author:��CaffeinatedFlumadiddle

Description:

A different take on the dorocha.  Instead of them being faceless screams that attack you, they are actually figures of the dead.  Merlin doesn’t quite realize how much death affected him until him and the knights go to close the veil.  

Word Count: 22,517

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

One of my absolute favorite fics of all time.  It also has a bit of Uther redemption in it and Lancelot lives! It also has one of my favorite interactions in a fanfiction: 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Arthur growled, throwing up his hands.  “That thing murdered my people and you allowed it to live--” 

“You murdered my people and I allowed you to live,” Merlin said sharply.  Gwaine felt his eyes widen.  Bold words.  Part of him wanted to ‘ooh’ at it but knew it would lead to a very bad outcome.  

Dower the Stars

Author: RurouniHime

Description:

During a time of great prosperity in Albion, the Druids offer Emrys a precious gift.  Arthur is not amused. 

Word Count: 40,654

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

A super fun but also very romantic fic.  Druids far and wide come in and kiss Merlin, hoping that their magic will react a certain way with Merlin’s and he’ll bond with one of them.  Merlin however decides to throw a wrench in his plan when he chooses to bond with Arthur instead after almost losing him.  

Overstepping

Author: Masked_Mayhem

Description:

Merlin knew he was pushing his limits, that he was millimetres away from overstepping the invisible line that Arthur had wordlessly set and the warlock had been careful not to cross, but he was never one to listen to the rules that were set for him.  Especially not when he was afraid. 

Agravaine had managed to weasel his way into his king’s mind and ingrain doubts in the people he loved, the people that loved him...doubts that only took place and bloomed as the traitor lied and deceived and planted things against them. He had gotten rid of Gwen easily enough, and had almost gotten rid of Gaius. Merlin was afraid. Were a few words and items all it would take for Arthur to turn against him too?

Word Count: 51,915

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

Merlin steps over a line and Arthur punishes him for it.  Later, when Merlin was right, Arthur regrets his decision and saves him.  Romance blooms between the two, but a wrench gets thrown in along the way with the reveal of Merlin’s magic and deeds in Arthur’s name.  There is a lot of angst, but I like to feel as if it’s a happy ending for the two.  

Springes to Catch Woodcocks

Author: myashke

Description:

When Arthur pushes Merlin away to protect him, what lengths will Merlin go to remain in his life

Word Count: 83,292

Completed: No

Comment(s): 

Unfortunately the only negative that this fic has going for it is that it doesn’t seem as if it’ll ever be finished.  There are 7 chapters and they were last updated in December of 2011.  Still worth the read.  

Two Souls

Author: Naelyn

Description:

A few days after Camlann, Merlin and Morgana find themselves imprisoned in the same place, and forced to spend their days together.  Basically, this is just a pretext for non-stop Merlin and Morgana interaction once the Emrys reveal has been made. 

“I’ve gone soft over the day, you know.  A few months ago, I would have killed you where you stood.” 

“A few months ago, you did try to kill me where I stood,” Merlin reminded her, and she could hear the smirk in his tone.  

Word Count: 11,417

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

One of the only fics on this list that won’t be specifically a Merthur fic; but it still isn’t Mergana either.  The idea is that after the revelation at Camlann, one can assume that Arthur lived and that Morgana wasn’t killed; that Merlin had been banished or sent away for the lies he told and somehow was subsequently captured.  

What starts out as a hostile interactions between Merlin and Morgana leads to understanding and apologies that lead on a path to healing.  The end is left open ended, it’s implied that they are sent to their deaths in another kingdom without hope of being rescued, but you can use your imagination to decide if you wanted them to have a happier ending.  

The Patter of Tiny Feet on Cold Stone Floors

Author: TheAvalonian

Description:

When Guinevere finds that she is unable to bear Arthur a child, Merlin offers her the perfect solution: an ancient spell which can create new life out of love, if that love is pure and powerful enough.  But after the ritual, it becomes increasingly obvious that while Gwen has indeed become pregnant, the child she carries might not have been created from the love between Arthur and his wife - but rather from the love between Arthur and his Court Sorcerer.  

Word Count: 79,131

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

Merlin and Arthur have a baby!  But it’s not an mpreg fic.  Guinevere discovers that Arthur and Merlin are more tied together than she and Arthur are - and while that is difficult for her to come to terms with, she concedes that Arthur has the chance that she never had with Lancelot and doesn’t want to stand in the way.  Queue of course evil plotting on behalf of Morgana and a kidnapping of the queen and princess - who happens to have shown gifts of her own - and it’s a rollercoaster of a tale that leaves you wanting more.  

Metamorphose

Author: clotpolesonly

Description:

When Merlin falls into bed with Arthur, he doesn’t expect to wake up alone.  He doesn’t expect Arthur to give him the cold shoulder either, but there is something else he expects even less which forces him out of the kingdom for over a year. 

He returns to find a traitor in the court, an army on the way, and a love he’d thought all but lost waiting for him with open arms.  

Word Count: 33,753

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

I don’t usually enjoy mpreg fics because they don’t make sense to me from a biological stand point and usually get explained away as “because reasons”.  This fic is an exception, it does a good job of explaining why it is that Merlin might wound up in his situation and it deals with difficult question about how to handle the knowledge and who to share it with.  

Flowers in the Wind

Author: the_seaworthy_muffin

Description:

A thousand and five-hundred years ago, Arthur Pendragon is sent to the god Emrys as Camelot’s yearly tribute.  He comes to befriend the god, and as the prince continues to spend time on the god’s island, something more seems to blossom between them.  But then the Lady Morgana goes missing, and Arthur betrays Emrys to his father in a moment of misguided trust.  Emrys’ island burns, the heart-broken god refusing to fight for his life.  In dying, he puts a terrible curse upon the prince: to live forever, and never forget. 

A millennium and a half has passed.  Arthur is being slowly torn apart from the inside-out, memories of the past an ever-growing weight in his chest.  When he finally finds Emrys again, he is elated - he’s ready to beg, weep, anything, if only he can find blissful forgetfulness.  But while the god’s power has not faded, his memories have, and he lives his life as young artist Merlin Emrys, believing himself to be a simple man with interesting gifts.  And Arthur’s hopes are dashed.  But there is one last way: Arthur can try, and make Merlin remember again. 

Word Count: 67,366

Completed: No - but it is being continuously updated

Comment(s): 

This is a truly spectacular work of fiction and I almost didn’t give it a chance.  I am so glad that I did.  Honestly, this is now one of my favorite authors on AO3.  

Peace, Plum, Pear

Author: sweetestdrain

Description:

How in his tenth year of rule King Arthur chose a man to take the role of Court’s Magician, and how Arthur made his decision.

Word Count: 13,700

Completed: Yes

Comment(s): 

Merlin fled the kingdom after Uther found out about his magic, and now it’s been ten years since the old king’s death and Arthur’s ascension to the throne, and yet Merlin is still nowhere to be found.  

Arthur gives in and holds trials for the new Court Sorcerer and in walks in an old man named Myrddin Wyllt.  But, there’s more than meets the eye to this strange and mysterious magician.  

Deluge

Author: Suaine

Description:

In the aftermath of Merlin’s battle against Nimueh, the rain seems a minor complication, perhaps even a cleansing influence.  When the rain doesn’t stop, Camelot is pushed to the brink once more.  This time, Arthur may be in over his head.  

Contains: a lot of wet boys in emotional scenes, Arthur knowing more than he lets on, Merlin being an idiot, both of them being a bit stupidly heroic, telepathic chess, rain (lots of), war, making out against a tree, coincidental druids, co-opted history, co-opted myths, magic, coming of age (metaphorically), and more magically annoying yet surprisingly un-floody water than you can shake a stick at.  

Word Count: 50,565

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

Beautifully written fic, truly a great addition to the fandom. 

Idiosyncratic Romance

Author: F0rcryinoutloud

Description:

“And what about your destiny?” Gaius asked softly.  “Merlin, you know Arthur needs you - whether he realizes it or not.  You won’t have to hide from him forever.”  

Word Count: 13,942

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

Beauty in the Ashes of our Lives

Author: Fulgance

Description:

After Merlin is executed for Uther’s murder, Arthur’s world falls apart. 

Word Count: 21,599

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

Arthur makes a huge mistake when he executes Merlin following the reveal of his magic.  

Tiercel 

Author: waldorph

Description:

Arthur is constantly at war. 

Word Count: 6,571

Completed: Yes

Comment(s):

This is a wonderful magic reveal fic where Merlin goes out and discovers more about magic while still taking care of Arthur and protecting him; Arthur is constantly at war because Uther has decided he wants to take over and unite Albion.  

[wearevillaneve]

Some people think s4 will be the last season of KE and I don’t think so. The creator of my other favorite show, when his show was renewed for a sixth season, he decided to end the show & sent an announcement via social media saying that the show was renewed for a sixth & final season. KE would have already announced s4 being the last season when they announced its renewal. I think s5 will be the last season. I want sandra to work on a project where her character is respected & properly developed

There’s two points here and I’ll get to your first one first.  Nothing has been publicly stated by the stars or producers whether or not the next season of Killing Eve will be the last one.  There are and were reasons to think it might. In the U.S. the third season debuted to solid, if not spectacular ratings.   There’s no danger to the show being canceled by BBC America and AMC as it is both a critical darling (though not so much in S3), and has taken up residence as an award magnet for the BAFTA’s, Emmys, Golden Globes among others.   Don’t believe for a minute that these networks don’t enjoy showing off trophies in their offices.  What hasn’t received much attention from the KE fandom is the departure of Sarah Barnett as president of the AMC Networks.  Barnett, a British expatriate, has been with AMC since 2008 and was a champion of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s gender bending subversive little take on the tired spy vs. assassin trope.   With filming for Season 4 indefinitely delayed due to the global pandemic and Barnett gone, will the new president of AMC be the same champion for Killing Eve that Barnett was?   We don’t know what goes on behind the curtain at AMC, but the longer the shooting schedule is up in the air, the greater the pressure is going to be to fill that 9:00 pm time slot with something.  Killing Eve’s European locations makes it more authentic, but also more expensive than Unnamed Show X that shoots in the U.S. or Canada and all the talent in front and behind the camera is homegrown.  

(Sarah Barnett and Sandra Oh in 2018/ photo credit:  Getty Images for BAFTA LA )

Do not think for one second there are not other producers of other shows waiting for Killing Eve to delay its 2021 return  so they can grab that sweet prime time spot.  Should Unnamed Show X be a ratings and critical juggernaut KE was in 2018, do not be shocked if when Season 4 does finally drop, it ends up in a different time slot, or worse, an entirely different day than it’s previously occupied.   Most KE fans wouldn’t know Barnett if they bumped into her on the street, but being where she was and doing the job she did meant a lot when it came to getting behind a TV show shot in Europe produced by a showrunner who never had done the job before and starring an Asian lead who had never held that spot previously and and a talented young Scouser who had established herself in England, but was a total unknown in Hollywood.

Barnett might never have been the most powerful television executive in Hollywood, but that was never her game. Her programming philosophy was always about risk, discovery, and resisting the obvious. It’s the kind of philosophy that flourished during the Golden Age of TV, and it’s now out of fashion. Scale is everything, data is king, and the streaming wars must be fought at all costs. Where Barnett goes next is a mystery, but her tenure at AMC will fondly be remembered as we reminisce a now bygone era of television.

There’s always competition for a prime-time slot, so you might have to ask yourself it you would be in your feelings should  Killing Eve 2021 aired at 9:00 pm on Wednesday and not Sunday?    It never hurts to have a powerful ally in the suites, and KE has lost one.   I tend to agree with you that it will get a fifth (and hopefully final) season.   To repeat myself, I hold firm to my belief  most TV shows hit their peak at five seasons.   After that, contracts expire, actors move on, and the churn of talent exiting behind the scenes begins to show up on-screen. 

Let’s look at this way:  do you really want to watch Killing Eve when it reaches’ 22nd seasons like Law and Order: SUV?

To your second point, I too want to see Sandra Oh move on to other projects beyond playing a bisexual mouse chasing a bisexual cat.  Not that she’s bad at it, but Oh’s talents were squandered in S3.   Killing Eve would be better cutting the cord than seeing its lead actress treated as an accessory to the co-lead a second time. 

The pandemic has reset the clock for nearly every form of entertainment and with it the best laid plans of Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh’s agents.  Clearly, Comer is aching to respond to Hollywood’s calls.   She won’t continue to blow off opportunities like Death On the Nile and a chance to raise her profile to an international audience for eight episodes of a TV show that eats up months of her time.    She’s going to have to eventually choose her exit strategy should KE go beyond a fourth season.

She hasn’t asked for my advice and she’s got well-compensated pros she can do it far better, but should J.C. drop me an anonymous question, my answer would hinge upon when her KE contract expires.  If it ends after Season 4, then demand a hefty pay raise (especially should she score a second Emmy) and then head for the exit  as soon as Season 5 wraps.  

This is business. Not personal, and there’s zero chance Comer is at all interested in playing Villanelle for a decade.   Her future is too bright to be limited to simply playing a fashionable assassin for too long. 

Oh’s career opportunities diverge from Comer’s and there aren’t a lot of feature films in the future for a 49-year-old Korean Canadian actress.   I know it, you know it and you best believe she knows it better than we do.

Beyond The Chair, her Netflix comedy produced by Amanda Peet, there’s nothing else upcoming on her schedule besides voice overs in two animated projects.   Despite her equivalent skills, due to her ethnicity and age, Oh will never receive the same opportunities as Comer.   That’s not a complaint.  This is an indisputable truth.  

Oh will never stop working in TV and films as long as she is willing to take parts as the best buddy to the White lead, as Season 3 of KE reduced her to, but she isn’t going to pivot toward directing or writing.   Sandra Oh is an actress.   It’s really that simple and she is respected as a damn good one as her 12th Emmy award nomination and third consecutive for perfectly playing the hot-ass mess than is Eve Polastri.

I share with you the hope that Oh will find roles in a post-Killing Eve world that honors and validates her incredible acting chops.    “Hope” is a vague word and more than likely Oh will find her career arc is similar to than of one of her contemporaries and one of my queens, Viola Davis when she said, “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is an opportunity.”

Oh and Comer have vastly different opportunities.  

The post-Killing Eve path for Comer is far clearly defined and brightly lit because the world reacts in radically different ways to a 27-year-old White woman than a 49-year-old Asian woman, and anyone who wants to claim otherwise can kindly fuck all the way off because you don’t know what you’re talking about and I got nothing for you but scorn and contempt. 

The pie is not cut in equal slices for Actresses of Color.  Never has been, and there’s little reason to believe that will change in any of ours lifetime. Women of Color in the entertainment industry are still fighting battles thought long won decades ago.  

Yet here we are.  Knowing the playing field ain’t close to being level and not particularly giving a shit as long as our needs are being met. 

Sorry for going so long, Anonymous.   You caught me stuck in a moment I wasn’t quite ready to get out of.   U2 fans will get the reference and everybody else will have to use their Google-Fu.     

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Haikyuu S4, Episodes 11-13

In which the animation finally starts kicking ass again, Tanaka has an unexpected development, and round two gets off to an intimidating start.

Adrenaline Rush

I’ll admit, I was more nervous about this season’s animation than I let on. Haikyuu’s tournaments are all lengthy affairs featuring tons of matches in very close proximity, all of which require consistently strong animation to keep the hype going. And considering how the animation hasn’t been up to par throughout much of season 4, it wasn’t clear if they’d be able to give nationals the sakuga spark it needed to work. What if they just couldn’t keep the hype going and the whole thing ended up disappointing? Well, I’m happy to say that so far, those fears are entirely unfounded. Because now that the tournament’s started, holy shit has the animation bounced back. The earlier awkwardness is all but completely gone, and the hard-hitting, fast-moving, fantastically weighty and impactful Haikyuu I first fell in love with is roaring back into action at last. The bassy impact on Himekawa’s underhand serve that sells its dizzying ferocity, even when he ends up beaniing his teammate in the back of the head (”That was such a beautiful sound!”)! The super-long rallies where the ball bounces back and forth at lightning speed and everyone sweats gallons for the sake of a single point! The ball smashing against the court like a meteor when sent from a powerful spike! Sharp editing and lightning-fast camera movements! The thrill of watching bodies race back and forth across the court, pushing themselves to their limits! It took some time to find its footing, but Haikyuu is back, baby!

And with the animation in full swing once more, it’s finally able to sell the true weight of the characters’ journeys once again. The third-years collectively owning the end of Karasuno’s first match, securing their first victory, comes with a spectacular rally that showcases all their collective badassery. The brief glimpse we catch of Nekoma’s first match instantly sells them as a force to be reckoned with thanks to some incredible camerawork and smear frames. Hinata’s foil, fellow little giant wannabe Korai, showcases his incredible jumping ability with a leap that feels like something out of Masaaki Yuasa’s super-fluid expressionist playbook. And when Hinata’s epic leap in the next match mimics that same animation style, you feel instantly how much Kuroi’s determination as a fellow shorty in a world of giants must have inspired him (even if he’s so distracted by that inspiration that he forgets to swing at the freaking ball, because Hinata is a dumbass and I love him very much). Even little moments like Hinata catching the ball with his face for the umpteenth time or Daichi saving a bad hit with a knuckle bop sell how much better they’re getting at this whole deal. Hinata’s honing his ability to read the entirety of the court, Tsukky’s getting better at setting to people’s needs, and the whole team is working together like never before. And every last hit, catch, and impact tells that story just as much as the dialogue.

When Suddenly, Girl

Of course, there’s still interesting stuff happening off court just as much as on it. And it looks like Tanaka’s going to be the focus of one of Haikyuu’s most unexpected turns yet: a romantic subplot! No more endlessly dancing around Kiyoko, we’ve got an actual love interest in the house, baby! And while I was initially a little nervous about how this would shake out- let’s be real, Haikyuu has never been the best with its female characters- I actually really like the direction it’s going on. Tanaka’s childhood friend Kanoka was bulled as a child for being unusually tall, so Tanaka introduced her to volleyball, a place where being tall was something to be proud of. In a way, she’s the opposite of Hinata; volleyball was a place that welcomed her with open arms, and she fit in so well she quickly rose to became one of the most promising young female players. In fact, she’s gotten so good at this point that Tanaka is feeling left behind by her skill. She’s getting better and better, soaring to higher heights, and he’s anxious about not being able to keep up. But Kanoka doesn’t care for him any less for it; after all, he was the one who inspired her to take this path in the first place. It’s thanks to his encouragement and support that she’s as good as she is today. And now, she can ask him to cheer her on from the stands as she shows him just how much his support has been worth. Which, honestly, how many times in sports narratives do we get a situation where the girl is the star player and the guy cheers her on from the audience? I feel like I haven’t seen that before, and lemme tell you, it’s really refreshing. For once, Tanaka gets to play support, cheering on the girl he loves while he pushes himself to improve and keep up with her. That’s a story I can get behind. Especially when we so quickly clear up that potential bullshit misunderstanding that could’ve thrown the whole thing on the trash heap. Seriously, thank god he found out that other guy was her cousin so quickly, the last thing this show needs is the worst parts of shoujo manga creeping in.

Second Day

But put that aside for now, because it’s time for Karasuno’s second match! And this one isn’t gonna be as much of a pushover as their first one; they’re up against Inarizaki, arguably the second best school in the entire lineup. Their match has only just begun, but the pressure is already on like Donkey Kong. We’re up against a pair of twin brothers who dominate the court with powerful serves, plenty of star players all around, and intimidation from a completely unexpected source: Inarizaki’s cheering squad. Yep, remember those fan sections in the stands on every match where people cheer their schools on? Well, Inarizaki’s fans have refined that to a combat tactic in and of itself, booing opposing setters to throw them off their game and cheering for their best players, even if those players don’t exactly appreciate it. It’s not the kind of pressure that Karasuno usually has to deal with, but it makes a lot of sense in hindsight; the psychological battle if just as important as the physical battle, and the surrounding environment is just as important to that battle as anything on the court itself. If a higher-than-usual ceiling can throw people off their game, an unexpectedly targeted cheer squad isn’t too unexpected a threat. Let’s hope our crows from the garbage heap can fly high enough to overcome it.

Odds and Ends

-YIKES THAT ONE BOWLED HIM OVER

-Lmao, rubbing their shirts to calm down from the tension of that rally is a mood.

-”How about adding “thunder” at the end?” Nishinoya’s got a theme and he sticks with it.

-Ugh, I feel so bad for Kinoshita. When you can tell you’re improving but you’re still not where you need to be, that’s when it sucks the hardest.

-”Let’s just take that... yeah!” Even the cheerleaders are caught off guard, lmao.

-”Sugawara, could you not mimic my voice?” kjsdhkdshf but why tho

-”Is he Weary-shima already?” “That jerk definitely just blamed it on me!” good fucking bye

-”I wanted to play in the main arena!” god dammit Bokuto control thyself

-I feel ya, Asahi, watching games is nerve-wracking in and of itself

-”I need to go check out the new t-shirts too.” sdkjfhsdfh Kageyama I love you

-”I mean... the number of people watching doesn’t change...” Lmaaaaao, Akashi’s such a good manipulator.

-”If I look away, I lose!” skdjfhskjdf fuck’s sake Hinata

-”Go on, apologize to the nice lady.” I like them already.

-It’s interesting how Korai both resents people talking about his height like a disadvantage and yet acknowledges that disadvantage himself.

-”You definitely have a chance.” askjalskja Ennoshita best bro

-”Which means... I’ve just been born?” Tanaka I swear to god

-”He’s not weak, though, so I think we’ll be okay.” Alright, Kags, you saved it. Well done.

-”Shut up, you human tangerine.” dkjfhskjdfhskjdfhskjdf

First cours complete; let’s see what cours two has in store next time. See you then!

[luciferloveschloe]

s5 thoughts

okay, holy crap. so this is probably going to be long and rambly, and i’m writing it without having seen a single gif set or reaction from the fandom – scary. anyway, more below the cut! also spoilers, obviously.

first of all, asjsdklasjsjsjajkfds – i loved it so freaking much. canon deckerstar, fucking finally???? that sweet kiss in ep5? them not immediately breaking up again and instead working together on the issues they’re facing!? omg. it had so many amazing moments, and so many great stories for our characters, and so many little weird things that have always defined this show, and i am so so happy with it!!!

have some thoughts on every ep! i’ve only seen it once so this is far from elaborate meta, but i have to scream into the void somewhere before i dive into the madness of my dashboard. a little cautionary: there’ll be a bit negativity, but I’ll always put it in brackets so you can skip it easily.

5x01: really sad devil guy

i guessed mr. said out bitch would turn up in hell, and it was such a cool episode! i loved how they interwove it and showed lucifer ruling hell and them solving the case at the same time. and how michael showed up? they almost had me fooled there that it was actually lucifer. well done!

(the thought that it has already been thousands of years for lucifer again is so incredibly sad, like i really can’t think about it for long. an old otp of mine was separated for 20 years and i’ve always found it unbelievably cruel, so thousands of years is just… i don’t care that he’s used to greater spans of time, i really can’t think about it for long. and i don’t like that everybody just accepted that he’s gone now. that there was no rescue plan or anything like that.)

5x02: lucifer! lucifer! lucifer!

friggin’ michael, seriously. amazing scene with the wings though! and chloe bringing burgers and fries to the penthouse, omg. and that ending with her shooting him?? and that she knew something was wrong since their first kiss? i screamed. you go girl!! i was getting kinda worried through the episode but this ending was perfect. and a nice little nugget of knowledge regarding what they’re thinking about lucifer in heaven. very curious what michael’s grand plan turns out to be and what god’ll have to say to all of that!

(maze though. i get she’s going through a lot and i do emphatize with her but the constant scheming… i don’t know if i’ll ever really warm up to her.)

5x03: diablo!

the clowns in the hell loop, lmao. and their actual reunion and lucifer’s soft smile and chloe immediately embracing him again and them holding hands – someone hold me. of bloody course everything went to shit right after, but this was so very sweet! and lucifer bonding with dan, amazing. and the meta of course, lmao. their confrontation at the end ripped my heart out, but it hurt so good.

(the michael/lucifer fight wasn’t as spectacular as i’d hoped, but whatever!)

5x04: it never ends well for the chicken

unexpected, but totally awesome! such a fun ep, and i love that we finally know the backstory for his ring! and step-satan, yay!

(trixie kinda playing lucifer for maze felt a little icky, though, and i’d have loved it if they confirmed that she actually believes in him being the devil.)

5x05: detective amenadiel

again, lucifer and dan bonding, amazing! the case was pretty fun too, but amenadiel’s revelation was the best by far. i’ve never exactly thought of the whole miracle/immunity situation like that, but it’s such a great interpretation. it’s not that lucifer finally has a challenge in chloe, it’s that she’s the only human with a chance to see him and love him for who he really is, and… damn. if that isn’t some big romantic shit. and i bloody loved the kiss at the piano!!

5x06: blueballz

these little loved up idiots holding hands and flirting on the case?! aiaiaiai can you tell i’m still smiling from ear to ear??! lucifer being jealous and tribe night and the guys collectively trying to calm charlie down… amazeballs. also dan reveal? did not see that coming, not at all, but it was a nice punch to the gut after they finally got along again and lucifer even wore his stupid bracelet. and new devil face, again! this one’s actually a little bit scarier than the last one. and the deckerstar sex scene, for real, without interruption? loved it, loved that chloe was apparently on top and his awed little “incredible…” – be still my heart!!

(i mean i’m greedy and it could have been longer or more explicit but i get that filming these scenes sucks and that’s what fanfic is for, anyway.)

5x07: our mojo

i melted at the morning after scene!! and did not see the mojo storyline coming at all, but it was fun, and they’re such a great team together! dan’s scene at charlotte’s grave was so powerful. and the scene in the flower shop, I could only think of @thewolffgang’s fic! chloe hyping lucifer up was so sweet, but then it was so scary seeing him paralyzed like that. that sweet penthouse balcony scene, and then dan trying to ruin the evening. i don’t know what it means that he’s not vulnerable around her anymore (and i don’t necessarily like it) but i hope they’ll resolve it together in the second half of the season.

5x08: spoiler alert

just, holy crap. these last episodes really had me at the edge of my seat. watching lucifer realize chloe’s been kidnapped?? painful, but good shit, good good shit. him thinking they’re too late and chloe is already dead? god, no. that little “detective?” broke my heart. but him doing all the detective work? amazing. i was so bummed for ella though!! i really thought pete was a good guy, but oh well. so creepy, omg. i’m so grateful that there was no cliffhanger with chloe’s rescue. i really, really liked how god showed up at the last second. can i have the next episodes now, pretty please??

(what was the point of charlie’s flu, though? and wtf does michael think he’s doing? and maze, really, with the questionable alliances?)

overall i feel like s4 felt a little tighter or more coherent, but i don’t care because deckerstar is finally canon and there’s a ton of great potential for the next half and i’m so deliriously happy because of that. yay! going to check my dashboard now, wish me luck!

[booksanditsseriesormovies]

GX Month Day 10

(September 9): Free Day/Introductions

Ready for Story time (in fear of sounding like a Youtuber)? Ok here is how I got into GX and my 3 favorite characters in the series...

So I was one of the many that grew up with Duel Monsters. I was like 8-9 y/o when my friends and I got into the hype of it, some friends of mine even played the card game with hand drawn cards because it was hard to come across the real thing in Latin America at the time. 

But I was never able to finish it and I dropped it. Until I was in college (seriously how many got back into their childhood likes in college), where I finished it in like a month and a half and left a hole in me after I finished. So the next logical step was to watch GX to keep myself going in the YGO train...

And I just couldn’t. 

It was just too different and I loved DM way too much. And the first few episodes of GX gave me a huge whiplash theme wise (fun fact: that’s happening to me rn and that’s why I am rewatching S3 of GX instead of watching 5Ds, I watched like 5 episodes and I’m still too attached to GX to enjoy it). 

Like how did we go from this

to this

The fact that we get bombed by tons of fillers (including Judai dueling a freaking monkey) so early in season 1 was not helping. So after like 20 episodes or so I dropped it, not really convinced. That was like 3 years ago.

Fast forward to quarantine. I was going through my list of pending anime to watch and I came across Yu Gi Oh GX, and I decided to give it another go now that DM wasn’t so fresh on my emotions. And I had also read several comments saying that you had to get through season 1 and 2 because season 3 and 4 were spectacular and totally worth the watch. 

And so I started watching it and while I got into it thinking “okay I just want to get to season 3″ I found myself truly enjoying season 1 (at least after the never ending completely irrelevant fillers). People found Judai annoying and I have to say from what little I’ve heard of the dub, yeah he is annoying there. But in the sub I ended up really digging Judai’s carefree personality and how he just honestly loves dueling. 

My only point of comparison so far is DM and Judai’s attitude to dueling is such a contrast to Atem’s much more serious one (though both are great and fit their characters and storylines well). In fact, after seeing Judai in season 4 I seriously missed the carefree Judai of season 1 and 2, like it caused me pain to see how badly season 3 had broken this poor boy and made him harden beyond recognition. Thank God for BBT because we see that he is back to being a happy boy.

Then I got into season 2 and we got introduced to this magnificent being

Edo Phoenix started off as the character that made me roll my eyes because of how damn full of himself he was, smugly beating the living daylights out of Judai and Ryo (so bad both of them experience a full on trauma induced breakdown, seriously). But he just grew on me as he started drifting away from Saio a bit and we learn of his tragic backstory with his dad and DD (and when he nonchalantly cut off Judai’s fishing line after he caught his steak I swear to God I laughed out loud in public because of it). 

And then he showed up again season 3 all of a sudden and he got grouped with Ryo and the power vibes were off the roof (like that scene of them defeating those Supreme King’s minions with Cyber End and Plasma #iconic). And he got some nice character growth, saying he was helping Judai fins Johan because Judai had saved Saio before. And then him dueling Amon (that piece of s***) to save Echo...thanks season 3 for killing off my child.

Forever salty that the last we see of Edo is him getting punched by Ojama Yellow

BUT in season 3 we got introduced to this man right here

And I never looked back. This person, this lovely Crystal Boy is my favorite boy forever and after 5 min of knowing him I knew that would be the character I would lose my shit over in these series.

I just love everything about Johan, his bond with the Crystal Beasts, his natural sense of leadership, his resolve to become a bridge between humans and spirits. But most of all, how he is the first true friend Judai has IMO. Johan sees Judai as an absolute equal, and in the span of a few episodes he develops a much more deeper bond with him than most (if not all) of his other friends in 2 seasons. I feel like, if Judai represents the Gentle Darkness, Johan is his Light counterpart (like Darkness and the Light of the Destruction...but good), that’s why they are so similar. My dream is that they would have explored this had season 4 not been cut short, maybe Johan was also a reincarnation seeing as he and Judai felt they had known each other before.

I think it was absolute BS that he wasn’t around for most of season 4 considering he was the catalyst for the second half of season 3 (wth s4 writing team). But at least he came back to duel Fujiwara with Judai and he made him laugh for the first time in like 50 episodes (everyone say thank you, Johan). It was in the middle of a duel to save Humanity but who cares those two children were having fun teasing Darkness. 

Well anyways, Judai, Edo and Johan are my boys. I love them a lot so please love them too. And love GX because half the flake it gets is undeserved tbh. 

[frangipanilove]

Episode 10x11 “Morningstar”: Sirius, the star that returns just before dawn...

SIRIUS AND MORNINGSTAR

A theme in all of my theories has been how TPTB like to utilize synonymous symbols, for example how the symbols «bear» and «beer» really means  the same, and they are utilized in similar ways in TPTB’s use of symbolism. For example, both «beer» and «bear» ultimately points to the North Star, and it ultimately means «home».  I’ve  written about it elsewhere, so I won’t get into it here. The way it works is that one symbol alone does not tell the full story. It is  the symbols together that act like a secret language, where words make up sentences, and several symbols together can tell complex stories. The Sirius symbolism tells one such complex story. It’s been a long story, it started in 4x12 «Still», but now were about to see that story come to its fulfillment, and I suspect these next few weeks will be glorious for TDers!

The Sirius symbolism is without a doubt what I’ve talked about the most in terms of TD symbolism. It took a couple of seasons for me to figure out which direction of  TPTB wanted to take it, but I never doubted that I was on to something important, because TPTB consistently left enough breadcrumbs for me to follow, and there was no way they all could’ve been coincidences. I’ve written a master post on my interpretation of the Sirius symbolism here:

https://frangipanilove.tumblr.com/post/183736635005/sirius-and-the-north-star-or-pigs-feet-and-frosty

Since I’ve written so extensively on it earlier, I won’t go into detail, but the bullet points go something like this: Sirius is the brightest star on the night sky Sirius is affectionately called «the Dog Star» (hence all the dog symbolism around Beth) Sirius means «scorching, glowing» Sirius disappears from the night sky for a time, it’s «just gone»… Sirius eventually returns to the nights sky, it re-appears «just before Dawn» Sirius is therefore called «The Morningstar».

Try to put yourself in my shoes for one second. I’ve been tracking the Sirius symbolism for literal years, I’ve written tens of thousands of words on it, and even if I sometimes get super exited over «finds», or «evidence» I also spend a lot of time in self doubt, wondering where this symbolism is supposed to go. Because unless it actually goes somewhere, its useless. Sure, I believe in what I’ve found, and in recent years I’ve had the pleasure of sharing this theory with other brilliant theorists, and engaging in discussions with them, discussing it and enhancing the theories with the help of exeptionally creative people, and if they find it credible, then I shouldn't feel so much self doubt about it, right?

But I always feel that it needs to go somewhere. When will it culminate? When will it be fulfilled?

Well, I believe the time has come! I believe the Sirius symbolism will be fulfilled in a spectacular way real real soon. And this is why:

Episode 10x11 is called………»MORNINGSTAR»!!!

After all the Sirius symbolism we’ve had around Beth (and Rick) since s4, we will now, in just a few weeks, get an episode that will actually canonically be called «Morningstar». Remember, Sirius IS the Morningstar, it re-appears just before dawn after having been «just gone» for some time…

(originally it was Venus that was thought to be the Morningstar. However, Venus is a planet, not a star. It appears at dusk as well as at dawn, but mostly, its not the Morningstar because it’s a planet. Venus has a fascinating history in history, literature and mythology though, and I might do more on it at some point)

I became aware of the Sirius symbolism after 4x13, after watching the now legendary Sirius piggyback.

I observed the Frosty Cola on the kitchen table, serving as a massive hint towards the «Sirius» poems of Robert Frost, And interestingly, just before Siddiq was murdered in 10x7,  TPTB gave us one of the most famous Robert Frost quotes in existence; «I’ve got miles to go before I sleep» It foreshadowed Siddiq’s death, but on a happier note, it also provided evidence that the Sirius symbolism was still at play, so many seasons later. Not that I ever doubted it, but its always nice to get confirmation.

THE 10X10 CLOCK FROM «SLABTOWN»

The 10x10 clock from «Slabtown» is probably the single most anticipated piece of symbolism in the TD fandom ever. But I want to officially throw out there that I believe the really groundbreaking symbolic gem will occur in 10x11 «Morningstar». And here’s why:

I’ve  written thousands of words on the 10x10 clock over the years, and so has other brilliant theorists in the fandom such as @twdmusicboxmystery​ @angelthefirst1​ @bethgreeneprevails​ and @wdway​ to name a few, as well as a large number of anonymous contributors. However, as much as I have been anticipating episode 10x10, I’m starting to believe that the correct way to interpret the «Slabtown» clock is to think of it as pointing towards episode 10x11 «Morningstar» rather that towards 10x10.

In other words, I believe the 10x10 clock from «Slabtown» points  to episode 10x11, not 10x10.

Allow me to explain. In «Shane’s «22» necklace» theory, I talked a lot about different ways of interpreting the «Slabtown» clock. I discussed how it can be interpreted as pointing towards episode 2x2, 2x10, 10x2, 10x10.

Obviously these episode numbers consists of various combinations of the numbers on the 10x10 «Slabtown»clock. Read it here if you want:)

https://frangipanilove.tumblr.com/post/187351457970/blue-clues-shanes-22-necklace-truckers

In addition, the number «22» is interesting, as «22» is a different way of writing 10PM. Of course, I want to tie it to the theory I wrote on Shane’s «22» necklace.

But first and foremost, in my opinion it’s Noah's t-shirt that primarily foreshadows 10x11 as an important TD episode. Link to noah’s T-shirt theory here:

https://frangipanilove.tumblr.com/post/185522170650/noahs-t-shirt-theory

Remember Noah's t-shirt? A stylized version of the Blue Heron bird seen behind both Rick and Beth? The bird that I believe ultimately represents survival, rebirth, salvation-via-helicopter?

Noah's t-shirt also had the mysterious writing «One One Recording Studio» on it. And this is the important part; «One One» can be interpreted simply as «2»!

Or….»11»!

And if this is starting to seem a bit technical with a bunch of random numbers, please don’t give up on me just yet, there will be a point to all of this! The «one one» on Noahs t-shirt is not random, far from it! It’s super significant !

Remember the fire truck that Abe and friends found, and used to drive towards Washington DC back in 5x5 «Self Help»? They conveniently found it  in a building that had a giant «102» written on it. The fire truck itself had «82» written on it. It foreshadowed the Blue Heron painting seen behind Rick in 8x2, and it was one of the first instances of foreshadowing fulfilled that I discovered myself. I wrote about it in «Noah's t-shirt theory».

But my point this time around, is that I suspected that there could be several ways of interpreting the «82» on the fire truck. It could clearly also point to 8x11, because obviously «11» consists of two «ones», or «one one» as Noah's t-shirt said.

And 8x11 actually turned out to be a treasure trove of this particular brand of Sirius symbolism that ’m looking for.

Remember in Robert Frost’s original poems about Sirius he describes Sirius as a «…heavenly overlord with a star in its eye». Sirius was referred to as a one-eyed dog because of the celestial maps used at the time, had the constellation “Canis Major” depicted with a star in one eye (Sirius), giving the impression of being a one-eyed dog.

TPTB played into this impression of Sirius as a one-eyed dog by having the scruffy one-eyed dog come visit Beth and Daryl in 4x13 «Alone». Sirius as a one-eyed dog is canon in TWD-verse.

So, back to  8x11. We watched Father Gabriel, almost blind due to an infection on the optical nerve, stumble his way across a virtual minefield of animal traps surrounding a dilapidated house that we later came to affectionately call the Radio Shack.

Radios are closely associated  to Sirius symbolism due to the connotation to Sirius Satellite Radio, something which I explained in my Sirius masterpost that I linked to above.

So the fact that FG lost his eyesight on one eye in this episode (and became a Sirius figure «with a star in one eye» ) is super significant.

There were other significant moments as well, such as when FG and Dr. Carson found a piggy bank with the inscription «Ham Radio» in the radio shack. Ham radio is a term describing short band amateur radio.

But anyone remember the «Sirius Piggyback» from «Alone»? In order to tie these two episodes together, TPTB gave us a Sirius Piggyback in 4x13, and a Sirius Piggybank in 8x11.

Also, I believe there’s a connection between the «Ham Radio» Piggy bank, the Sirius piggyback and the Pig’s feet. More on that in a different post.

An even crazier callback to «Alone» was the animal traps outside the radio shack. Dr. Carson managed to step into one of them, much like Beth did in 4x13.

The Sirius callbacks in 8x11 makes me expect great things from 10x11 «Morningstar». And on the surface, it will probably be about the new cool medieval weapon we’ve seen Daryl sexily carrying around in various teasers. But come on! This episode is not about some weapon, unless you want to describe Beth as a weapon. And I’m sure you could!

I also at one point wrote a post about a sequence from 2x8 “Nebraska”. Rick, Glenn and Hershel encountered a couple of guys from Philadelphia. They weren’t the friendly kind, and ended up dead pretty soon, but the sequence was interesting for a few reasons. One, the Philly dude was wearing a sports team t-shirt with the number...yes...11 on the back. Also, much later it was indicated through a teaser that the Helicopter people had taken Rick to Philadelphia. Or at least that Philadelphia was involved in Rick’s new arc in some way.

Here’s my post on it:

https://frangipanilove.tumblr.com/post/187000918775/the-philadelphia-angle-or-noahs-t-shirt-theory

I’ve been tracking Sirius symbolism since s4. Its not a coincidence that we now get an episode called «Morningstar»! It’s fulfillment of symbolism from up to six seasons ago. And it’s certainly no coincidence that «Morningstar» will be the eleventh episode of the season. On the contrary, it’s a continuation of the Sirius thematics introduced in 8x11, with FG, the radio shack and the animal traps.

It will also be a fulfillment of the «One One Recording Studio» written on Noah's t-shirt.

And, if you need further evidence that 10x11 will be huge for TD, consider that Christ at one point in the Bible, namely in Revelation 22.16, described himself as «the Morningstar»:

«I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.» Every TDer will recognize Beth as a Christ figure, and reading about Christ describing himself as the «morning star» should make us all very exited about 10x11.

This is already long, so I’ll stop now. But know that there is plenty more to say about this. For instance, despite having written about Shane’s «22» necklace, I haven’t elaborated much on the Beth/Shane parallels/anti-parallels, which I absolutely could’ve. But did anyone notice exactly where in «Revelation» Christ referred to himself as the «Morning Star»? Yup, it was Revelation 22.16.

We have a «22» reference and a «Morning Star» reference in the same spot in the Bible. Shane has a «22» necklace, and the «10x10» clock from «Slabtown» can be interpreted as pointing to various episodes containing the numbers «22» (2x2, 2x10, 10x2, 10x10), it could point to «22» as in 10PM, it could point to 10x11 «Morningstar», it could point to Revelation 22.16. It’s never-ending.

Not to mention, something that occurred to me the other day…At this point I’m not entirely sure how much emphasis I should put on it, but as far a coincidences go, this was an interesting one…

Daryls scar can easily be interpreted as pointing towards 10x11! The “x” obviously stands for “10″, and the parallel lines could easily be interpreted as “2″, or “11″...

Interestingly, it is also fairly common to utilize «Morningstar» as a name associated with the Devil, as in Lucifer Morningstar.  And here’s where it gets messy, because «Lucifer» literally means «Light Bringer» and is meant to describe “Venus as the Morningstar” bringing the first light. To my knowledge, the use of «Morningstar» as a name for the Devil has its origin from art and literature rather than from the Bible. But I’m curious to see what TPTB does with this rich material. There are so many ways they could play it.

But bottom line is, Venus was a planet, while Sirius is the actual Morning Star. And the Morningstar will arrive in about three weeks....

Can this hiatus please be over already, it’s been 184 years…

[ayankun]

real quick before I get into season 6

So this is my second time watching Season 6 and I’m p. excited.  This last week or so I’ve been dredging up bits and pieces, but most of it is a blur.  It seems the memories that lasted this whole year were mostly of the huge armored truck and the nonbinary character who works at *spoilers*’s tech startup.

I’m curious to see if the second time through it’ll settle in like it belongs.  I remember Season 5 really didn’t make any sense to me until I saw it again.

But really I’m just excited that in 11 hours I can watch the new stuff?!

But first, before I forget, here’s my last thoughts on Season 5.

So remember how I was surprised at Season 1′s structure, that it folded up nicely down the middle with some pretty tidy symmetry?

None of the other seasons do that.

Instead, I remember particularly strongly how jarring the end of the Ghost Rider arc was in the middle of Season 4.  And then again when the (what I’m calling) Kasius arc also wrapped up mid-season.

I’m not sure when I read about it, but it probably was circa Ghost Rider, that they’d intentionally decided on what I’m pretty sure they called “pods” of episodes, these seasons-within-a-season sort of narratives.

Season 2 sort of kicks it off, what with the race to Terragenesis taking eps 1-10 and the Afterlife/splinter SHIELD stories filling 11-22.  Then Season 3 has the monolith/Maveth mystery to start, followed by Hive & the Inhumans for the second half.  S4 is super poddy, obviously branded as Ghost Rider/Agents of Hydra, and S5 also splits neatly into future!Lighthouse and present day!Lighthouse.

Two points to make on this:

Kasius is such a rockstar villain that I feel really bad for Hale/Ruby/Talbot.  They’re so apples and oranges but having the highlight come first allows for unfavorable comparisons to be made.  It’s like asking any well-to-do Kree to compare Xandarian snail to oops all berries.

Good thing they’d had all this practice writing complete stories in 12 eps, since I’m hoping Season 6 (and obvs Season 7) will still feel as fully formed as their longer antecedents.

Anyway, that first point is my major point for S5.

S3 already feels like the second half of S2, and its internal halves are the most similar to each other as any of the other “pods,” so it’s not like people have a reason to go around saying “I liked the first half of the season waaay better than the second.”

(although I might.  I might say that, actually.  but not because the halves were branded separately from one another)

And S4, though the two halves are barely identifiable as coming from the same show much less the same season, they’re both good.  Robbie Reyes is perfect.  The effort to incorporate new MCU topics/aesthetic from Doctor Strange is great.  Robots who just want to be a real girl is my JAM.  All the Framework cameos really make my day!  And then Robbie Reyes comes back all deus ex machina (ironic) and saves the day, and

it makes sense that he does because the function and nature of the Darkhold was well established in part 1 and

it’s GREAT that he does because he’s perfect and we miss him.

Then here comes S5.  I really really respect so much about the creative decisions that took the story where it went (ie, outside Papa MCU’s sphere of interference), and getting to reuse the same set in a different context while minimizing “on-location” shoots is just technical and financial genius, okay. 

But there’s so much about the first half, in the future, that compels me waaaaaaay more than the gritty anger of the second half. 

Kasius, WOW what a villain.  Dominic Rains, everyone.  I have nothing unkind to say about the performance, the character, anything.  Impeccable.  Spectacular.  Perfection.

The mystery of the season opener!  We had the tag scene where Coulson’s “in space” and plenty of time to ruminate on the how and why, especially with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 coming out right as S4 ended and Thor: Ragnarok literally sizzling in the theaters at the same time as this season started.  They answer the question by the end of the episode, but not before several characters come up with and pursue several different theories, and that’s fun.

What a way to capitalize on the Inhuman storyline your show’s been about for years now, without forcing Papa MCU to contend with all this good work you’ve been doing.  Just go somewhere he can’t reach you (the future), and then un-write all of it anyway.  V. tidy.  Extra style points will be awarded.

LEITMOTIFS.  If y’all’ve seen BSG, then you know Bear McCreary is a master of the art.  But this season has so many good themes, my friends.  The Daisy/Quake theme that’s been knocking around for a season is here in full force, and Sinara’s is the best bad guy theme you could have wanted, and dearest sweetest Flint has the best great guy theme you ever heard.

Just, while we’re here.  Sinara.  She says nothing for episodes (it feels like, I wasn’t counting) and her first line is a scornfully growled “compassion.”  Give it up for Florence Faivre !!!  She hardly has any lines but you always know exactly what she’s thinking and what she’s about.  Sinara and Kasius have the richest on-screen chemistry of anybody on any show from any era fight me on this I dare you.

Mack’s coming down from his second life in the Framework, and that suuuuucks that these folks never have a moment to rest before barreling into their next story.  But he gets to be a father to Flint!  And Yo-Yo gets to be a mother!!!  UGH why couldn’t they have brought Flint instead of Deke lololol oh well.

I think I know another reason why Lincoln seems overhyped to me.  That other Inhuman, Ben I think his name is?  He’s in like two episodes, serves a narrative purpose, and is disposed.  I know Lincoln’s in like 18 times as many episodes but they have the same exact overall impact on my brain-hole.  Imagine if it was Ben that came back with them instead of Deke.  That’s how I feel about Lincoln.  Like, how did this obviously disposable character make it this far?

Then you have Deke.  You love to hate him.  He’s a very well-fashioned character who is flawless in making you feel the way the showrunners want you to feel.  That’s the kind of character that gets killed off twice and still comes back, and it doesn’t surprise you.

So, Enoch.  Enoch is everyone’s favorite character, right?  Right.  Give me genderless robots with a soft spot for humanity ANY DAY.  PLEASE where are they I need them.  (I’m un-repressing memories of S6 and I feel like somehow I should be careful what I wish for)  Man I remember with 1000% clarity the absolute glee I felt sitting down for the opening montage of S5 the first time, how ballsy weird it was, just watching this freaky bald alien of a man go swimming with some fun electro pop number playing in the background.  100/10 please make more television like this

 More monoliths!!  The time one is so pretty!

(remember when there were more monoliths and no one knew where they came from or what they did but then it didn’t matter because they got instantly exploded?)

The low-key obvious answers to the season’s questions, what with the Inhumans running all over the shop, Quake there to tear everything down and Flint there to put the pieces back together I’m not crying you’re crying

Oh man, and Simmons getting to mentor not one but two Inhuman youths to be confident and trust in themselves and their powers.  What a ways from the fear-panic response to Daisy when she turned.

Also, yeah, it has to be said, this show’s blatant “you’re different and that’s okay” agenda sits very well with me.  Agents of SHIELD says LGBTQ+ rights!

So anyway, part 2 falls a little flat for me because its strength is its themes, but I’m not really compelled by the stakes and definitely not by the villains and not really even by the intra-team drama.

Obviously S2 touched on parenthood, but it was pretty specific.  S5 digs in and brings us a lot more on the topic.

Kasius desperately desires his father’s approval but very deeply despises the methods and the people who earn it.

Hale was indoctrinated by Hydra and was very earnest in wanting to uphold the values of the organization, until the organization (and Whitehall) shared with her their narrow appreciation of the gift of her loyalty.  Even then, she struggles to make sense of this loyalty, only realizing too late that being a good Hydra pawn and a good parent are categorically mutually exclusive.

Ruby, obviously, is like a mini-Kasius, the brave-faced rebel who wears her mother’s disappointment on her sleeve like a badge of honor to pretend that it isn’t crippling her.

The Von Strucker kid, boy is he messed up (and his Hydra dad had something to do with it)

((echos of Ward are still heard even this far after his demise, and we know what his father figures were like))

Poor Talbot, got some brain damage and some Hydra conditioning on top of that, cracked that noggin wide open.  He just wanted to do good by his family.  Just wanted his son to know he loves him.

Polly and Robin.  The daughter who needs constant special care because she’s stuck inside her own mind and the mother who’s been through hell and back and still manages to do her best.  Even when she knows she won’t always be there for her daughter.  Even when she knows she’ll be replaced.

May getting a glimpse at the life she and Andrew once talked about.  Getting a chance to do right by that little girl.

Mack recovering from getting that same glimpse, from the echoing memories of a life time spent with his greatest regret erased.  Being roped into being a thug and threatening that dad without knowing the meaning behind his threat -- being told that people like him don’t deserve the privilege of parenthood.  But then getting to know Flint, and having Yo-Yo at his side while they fast track this kid through all the things he’s gonna need to know in order to be the Big Damn Hero the world needs him to be.

The timey-wimey promise that FitzSimmons will one day be parents to a brilliant daughter who will unfortunately give birth to a Deke.

Coulson and Daisy.  Another parent placing enormous expectations on his daughter, desperate that she be ready for his responsibilities because his time is running out.  A daughter who mishandles these expectations and refuses to stop fighting a losing battle, not because she’s not ready to step up, but because she doesn’t want to face the fact that she’s losing the man who raised her.

Anyway, aside from all this good Theme work, part 2 wades perfunctorily through musty remnants of the previous season, from The Doctor to The Russian.  Which makes sense, because that season ended in a way that left so many loose threads -- but then this season comes along and summarily ties them up, all cute little bows, the lot of them.  Dusts its hands.  Nothing to see here.  Move along now.  Time’s up.

[bellygunnr]

The Light Touches You

Chapter One (here) | Ao3 | Chapter Two (pending)

“The soles of your shoes-- aren’t they a nice color now?”

Emperor crushes the can of soda in his hands, teeth locking together as a fresh wave of rage rocks through his very core. Sticky, syrupy liquid spills without remorse over his hands and arms, miraculously avoiding his expensive and long-hanging coat. He tosses the can aside with another growl and sweeps away from his team, who stare after him with concern and surprise. Ever since the last Tournament battle-- Monarch vs. Yellow-Green-- the King had been disrupted and disturbed. It did not bode well for any of them.

Eging Jr. looks to N-Pacer, his usual grin faltering slightly. “So uh, are you talking to him, or am I?”

“We both will, Eging,” she sighs. A scowl has settled over her features. She looks sharper and more austere than ever before-- outright dangerous. “Lord knows he needs it.”

So they wait for Emperor to return from the washroom, each tending to their own thing. Prince is absorbed in a book he found and thus far has noticed nothing-- though he perks up when he hears the odd silence, the lack of his brother’s commanding voice filling the room. His ears fall as he looks between Eging Jr. and N-Pacer, then the mess on the floor.

“...What… happened?” he asks, uncertainly.

“The King’s own rage precedes him,” is all N-Pacer says, rising to her feet. “I’m going to clean up the mess. What a waste of a good soda.”

Shortly after Pacer finishes cleaning up the mess, Emperor returns, his composure reinstated in all but voice. He sits down exactly where he had been before, oblivious to the mess and how it had disappeared.

“I’m going to make that commoner pay for defiling my name like that,” Emperor fumes. “Tch! I have not sullied myself in enemy ink since the first time I entered Turf War and he ruins my streak like that? And with such a comment! Who does he think he is?”

“He’s the Guy from Inkopolis,” Pacer informs him. “Does that title sound familiar to you?”

“The Guy--- no. You can’t be serious,” Emperor hisses back, completely taken off track.

Prince and Eging look at each other from across the room. Prince’s mouth is formed into a little, surprised ‘o,’ while Eging’s grin has loosened into a wary smirk. In turn, they peer at their friends.

“I am, I am. He was our biggest rival a couple years ago. Then he disappeared and we were back to playing with scraps. Of course, the S4 came shortly afterward, so perhaps that’s a little harsh…”

“...But he used an NZAP ‘89 then,” Emperor realizes slowly. “And…”

“He did not dress like a goth punk,” Pacer says happily. “Here-- look at this.”

She shows Emperor her phone and the list of articles she’s dredged up-- all of them headlining about the mysterious disappearance of Rider. A couple even talk about his reappearance-- “Rider, back from the dead, and stronger than ever!”

“That’s… not what I was going to say, but you are right.”

Emperor was less irritated by the lime Inkling and more fascinated now, introduced as he was to the mysteries befalling the powerful Dynamo wielder. He remembers the brief rivalry they had together-- a King locked in battle against an unruly subject, such as the media had painted it. It had been exciting then but...

Well, at least it explained some of the comments he got before the battle.

“I want to know more about Rider!” Emperor announces loudly. “I will be back, everyone. Have a good day. Prince? Beautiful work.”

Prince looks up from his book, confused. “I didn’t do anything…?”

Emperor disappears, the door slamming.

“You’re his brother. That’s enough for him,” Eging smirks.

+

Inkopolis Square was quite the walk from where the Monarch Team gathered but it was nothing for the King to endure, even under the cruel summer heat. It was the sharp ringing of his phone that brought his world grinding to a halt, that incessant, repetitive tone that could only mean one thing-- his father.

His father was calling.

With a forced smile, Emperor swipes to answer the call, raising the phone to his ear.

“Good day, father.”

“Good day, son. I’ve just finished your most recent match-- I see that you had quite the battle against those ruffians.”

“Yes, but we emerged victorious, as always,” Emperor replies coolly. “The King’s Road is unstoppable and insurmountable.”

“As it should always be. A King’s reign should be--”

“Ruled with an ironfist and long-lasting,” Emperor finishes automatically. “Yes, father. And you know that I will not let you down.”

“Do not be short with me, boy.”

“Of course not, father. Forgive me.”

“Your next battle is in two days from now. I will be watching, so put on a show for me, will you?”

“Of course, father.”

“Good day, son.”

The call ends before Emperor even has a chance to say good-bye. He sighs through his nose, nostrils flaring, ears flipping back against his head. His father demanded everything from him. His punishments were short but brutal. Emperor had to do more than win the final battle-- he had to crush his opponents, destroy them from the inside out.

He had to ensure they would never play Turf War again.

His father would punish him for enacting anything less.

Mood soured, Emperor finishes walking into Inkopolis Square, scanning the bustling center with appraising golden eyes. A bell behind him jingles and a shoulder catches his, making him bristle and whirl--

“Watch where you’re going!” Emperor snaps.

“Don’t stand in front of the door then, idiot!”

Oh.

The two Inklings stare at each other, momentarily taken aback. Rider recovers first, making a noise of disgust in the back of his throat as he pulls away from the King, another lime inkling close behind. Emperor gathers his composure and grabs at Rider’s shoulder, pulling him back.

“Do not walk away from me like that! I have something I wish to discuss with you, Rider, if you will permit me.”

Rider’s friend-- Stealth, if Emperor remembers correctly-- has to subdue his captain, as far as Emperor can tell. There’s a series of sharp, imperceptible movements between the two of them, a flash fire struggle, before Rider calms down and Stealth can relax.

“Permission denied,” Rider says harshly. “For the record? Don’t touch me. Ever. I’ll kick your shit in next time.”

Read: if Stealth hadn’t stopped me, I would have decked you.

Emperor swallows.

But the King will not be deterred.

“I apologize. That was incredibly rude of me. But I implore you to rethink-- we have already fought. Why can we not talk to each other not as rivals but as colleagues? Professional to professional?”

“Today isn’t a good day,” Rider snarls. “What do you want to talk about, anyway?”

“Our rivalry! Of a couple years ago-- do you recall?”

“...Right,” Rider sighs, the fight leaving his body as quickly as it came. “...Yeah. I figured you didn’t remember me.”

“Well, for the longest time, I didn’t--!” Emperor pushes on, excited, hopeful that his hook had caught. “Why don’t we go to the Cafe and talk about it, yes? I have lots of questions about my old rival.”

“I said today isn’t a good day,” Rider repeats, aggressive once more. “It really isn’t. Why don’t we talk after the tournament is finished?”

Emperor stares, uncertain of what to do with himself in the face of such a blatant rejection.

“We-- well, I suppose that would be just fine,” he concedes with a huff.

The King watches Rider and Stealth walk away, talking in low tones to each other as they do so. Then Rider laughs, a surprisingly gentle sound, and they disappear into the crowd.

He’s calling Pacer before he even knows what hit him.

+++

Rider appears to be serious about not speaking to Emperor before the end of the Tournament. Any attempts to find him or contact him fall through in spectacular fashion-- the lime inkling and his team have apparently vanished. Not even sly probes into the whereabouts of Rider’s acquaintances draw any leads to his whereabouts.

The final battle looms ever closer.

Eging punches his shoulder playfully.

“Man, we should go watch that last battle. The winner gets to be our dinner, after all!”

“Our opponent,” Pacer corrects him quietly.

Prince fidgets with something in his pocket.

+++

Very few had been expecting it, but Blue Team were now the Monarch’s opponents, their tense laughter audible from opposite ends of the map. A brief glance at the Jumbo Screens above told Emperor that they were smiling-- smiling! How could they smile when their imminent demise was upon them?

“Tell me again what the public calls these fools…?”

“Idiot Team,” Pacer supplies. “But they have quite the repertoire-- they have defeated nearly every team they’ve come across.”

“I see. Well, that certainly won’t continue any longer. By the time we’re through with them, they’ll never wish to Turf again.”

Emperor takes his place as point as the timer for battle begins to wind down.

Prince tightens his grip on his Splat Dualies, stomach flipping queasily.

The buzzer sounds, reverberating through the stage and releasing the battlers into the venue upon which a bitter struggle would ensue.

+++

Headphones, from her place above the world, can see that Team Monarch moves with cold efficiency-- they have no openings. Gold ink becomes the only thing she can see even as the first members of Blue and Monarch clash, becoming locked in a series of struggles. She fires a single shot at Emperor’s feet-- enough to throw him into a dodge roll as Glasses comes down on him.

From her perch, she sees that Bobble has led the Clash Blaster to a place she can’t see, and Goggles is exchanging fire with the other dualies.

But where was the sniper…?

Pacer eases her way out of the ink, Splatterscope gripped firmly, its barrel already glimmering with a full charge.

“Oh, my. It’s bad to look away.”

She looses the shot.

Headphones disappears-- and Pacer is not rewarded with a fluttering Inkling soul.

+

Prince is having trouble keeping track of the Splattershot’s wild dancing movements. His usual method is not working-- Goggles has no set tempo, he is a wild beat, and the narrow spread of his Splat Dualies does nothing to help him. Worse, Goggles seems to be trying to initiate something with him!

“Stand still!” Prince cries out.

Goggles laughs loudly, firing his Splattershot at Prince’s abdomen, throwing him into a dodge roll.

Prince gasps as Goggles tries to copy his dodge roll and simply flops behind a metal crate.

“Y- your center of balance is wrong. Also, that’s illegal,” Prince stammers.

+

Eging Jr. pops up behind Bobble, finger already pressed against the trigger of his Clash Blaster but not yet firing. He gasps as the slosher whips around to face him, bucket full of dark blue ink.

“Woah! You’re quick, girlie!” He speeds around her, to the opposite side.

“This way?”

Eging hisses in surprise.

+

“And who are you?” Emperor says coolly, eyes tracking the haphazard movements of the Octobrush before him.

“I’m the Captain!” Glasses cries, lashing the Brush across Emperor, even though his body is trembling and his voice shakes. “Your road ends--!”

+

Goggles and Prince are dancing around each other now, laughing between themselves-- Prince wonders if they’re trying to splat each other at all now.

“Glasses!”

Their duel grinds to a sudden stop. The first death of the match.

“All good, Goggles?”

“Thank you, Glasses!”

Prince looks on in confusion, then horror.

+

“You were a lot of fun, Bobble! But you end here!”

Bobble yelps as she takes the Clash Blaster shot directly.

+

Pacer’s next shot is true.

Headphones takes it across the chest.

+

Emperor finishes off Goggles in quick, merciless fashion, immediately whipping around to roar at Prince before the other’s soul is off the ground. He bares his teeth and flares his ears, the tips glowing gold-- a miniature threat display at his own blood.

“This battle is worth more than your life, Prince. Do not throw it away to fraternize with commoners. Win definitively. Leave no room for error or mercy.”

Prince’s smile slips and once more, he shuts down, obedient to his brother’s iron grip.

“The King’s Road does not falter!” Emperor shouts, and the Monarchs advance like nothing ever happened.

+

Tension crackles between the golden Monarchs. Goggles can sense it, especially as they rush ahead, furiously painting blue. His plan had worked-- a wedge had been driven into the construct of the King’s Road.

Glasses pops out of one of the many lanes of Walleye Warehouse, protected by the tough plastic shield of a Baller, his balance impeccable.

“That’s our Captain!” Goggles shouts.

The Road scatters.

As the Baller explodes, the rest of Blue Team is there to keep up the assault.

+

Prince looks between Eging and Emperor.

His gaze hardens, bright and flinty.

“Junior, follow me! Pacer, please give me the support I need!”

Eging pumps his fist in the air and whoops, happily trotting after the younger of the two Kings. The Road, with no chance to reassemble, is now in shambles as three Monarchs fall out of line, meeting their adversaries step for step. Walleye Warehouse is no ballroom, yet its inhabitants are dancing, weaving amongst each other in a rare display of honest skill and power.

Pacer can’t help but admit that while Blue Team are shoddy and messy, they have potential and quick wit.

Headphones’ grip has never been so tight on her charger. She squeezes the trigger, aiming at Emperor in the back of the line.

She’s met with the full force of an Inkjet’s cannon.

+

Emperor roars as he’s propelled high above the rest of the battlefield, prompting his brother to join him in the air. With their combined strength, Blue Team is once again splatted, and Prince is cowed back to silence.

“That was… cruel, brother,” Prince murmurs. “She didn’t deserve that.”

“Oh, and what did she deserve? She’s a commoner-- she should be grateful for garnering my attention!”

Much more loudly, Emperor begins to speak, his voice rallying the King’s Road back on their merciless path. To his chagrin, the battlefield does not grind to a cold halt, and his back burns with the gaze of his father.

A Stingray’s blue tail launches across the map.

It arcs across the high-flying Monarchs.

Pacer sets down her own Special, body cold with shock.

Eging Jr. stares up in shock as Prince and Emperor explode, Splatted apart.

A foghorn blares. The match is over.

[elcall]

SKY-GIRL vs Yuzukosho - Aikatsu Stars Oneshot

Title: SKY-GIRL vs Yuzukosho

Summary: SKY-GIRL announces their first comeback stage, and Yuzu wants in! 

Characters: Yuzu, Yume, Ako, Mahiru, Yozora, Tsubasa, Lily, Haruka

Soooo.... this is well overdue ^^” I said I would write it in August LAST YEAR lmao so instead of writing my other WIPs I decided to finish this one first >> 

~0~

A high voice shouted through the air, “Down with S4!” A moment later, a bundle of bright yellow shot through the sky, landing with a twirl under an arc of roses. 

“Yuzu-senpai?” the girls gasped all together. Yume, Ako, Mahiru, and Koharu were all gathered in the S4 gardens. 

Lily trailed into the S4 gardens behind the pop girl. “Hello, everyone.” 

“Lily-senpai!” Yume greeted in surprise. 

“Yuzu-senpai,” Ako blinked sternly, “what do you mean by that?” 

Yuzu raised her fist, “Yuzu heard that Yozora-chi, Tsubasa-chi, and Mahiru-chan are reforming SKY-GIRL!” 

Mahiru smiled and nodded from her seat, “Yes, that is true. Onee-chan, Tsubasa-senpai, and I are all excited for the reformation.” 

Yuzu slammed her fist onto the table, “Down with S4!” 

The girls flinched back, not knowing how to react. 

“Yuzu,” Lily began calmly, “you are no longer in S4, so this seems like a threat to the girls.” 

Koharu tilted her head, “What are you saying, Yuzu-senpai?” 

Yuzu crossed her arms, grumpily, “When SKY-GIRL formed, Yuzu formed Yuzukosho with Yume-chan and Ako-chan!” 

Yume and Ako nodded. 

“Yeah, I remember,” Yume smiled. “We did great together, and Ako-chan and Yuzu-senpai really helped me pick myself back up since it was just after you left, Koharu-chan.” 

“Yes!” Yuzu said, “But Hime-chi wasn’t around then, so it was two S4 members versus Yuzu!” 

Ako deadpanned, “Yuzu-senpai… that doesn’t… make sense.” 

Lily sighed, “Yuzu, tell them why you are here.” 

“Okay!” Yuzu perked. “Mahiru-chan, when is SKY-GIRL returning?” 

“Ah, our live is going to be in about two weeks, and three days.” Mahiru replied. “Why?” 

Yuzu proudly put her hands on her hips, “Because that’s when Yuzukosho is going to be making a temporary comeback, too!” 

Yume and Ako gasped together, “WHAT?” 

~0~

While Yuzu seemed very aloof about her plan, Yume took it rather well, agreeing with the idea, however, Ako was the most worried. 

“Yuzu-senpai! You can’t just jump those kinds of things on us!” Ako fretted, “Two weeks! That’s not enough time for me! With my show and acting and-” 

“Don't worry about it!” Yuzu cut her off, untroubled by her dilemmas. 

Ako jumped, hissing with her paws out, “How can I not?” 

“I think it’ll be a great chance for all of us.” Mahiru said, “After all, last time, Yuzukosho and SKY-GIRL lost to the Admins.” 

Yuzu patted Lily on the shoulder proudly as said girl blushed happily, “Thank you. It was with the help of Yuri-san and Miki-san.”

“Of course!” Yume recognized. 

Koharu looked at Mahiru, “So where exactly is your performance going to happen?” 

Mahiru beamed, “Actually, we're going to do a charity event for the fair.” 

Yume lit up, “That's a perfect place for us to join!” 

Ako nodded, “It really is!” 

“So it's agreed then!” Yuzu proclaimed, “whoever gets more donations wins in this S4 versus S4 competition!”

Mahiru jumped out of her seat, crying out as she slammed her hand down onto a pile of tiles. “Yes! That gets me excited! Onee-san and Tsubasa-senpai won’t back down from this either!” 

Yuzu threw her hand out in front of them, “Then, Yuzukosho has reunited!” 

Ako and Yume put their hands on top of Yuzu’s and all at once they threw them up, “Yeah!” 

~0~

“Okay! Welcome to Yuzukosho’s first meeting back!” Yuzu cheered, with Yume and Ako sitting with her in a private room. 

“Happy to be back!” Yume smiled.

“Let’s do our best,” Ako agreed.

“Then, let’s start by choosing a song,” Yuzu said, opening one of the books they had gathered for the meeting. She flipped through the pages of the book, each page with a song and lyrics. She continued passing over the pages, neither one of the three girls objecting, as they scanned through the lyrics for the feel of their stage. 

Expressions of concentration plastered on their faces, Yuzu continued to turn another page, already more than halfway through the book. 

She left the next page open, all three reading over the lyrics. 

“This…” Yume muttered, her eyes growing wide. 

“Excitement of meet and bye bye of sorrow…” Ako read out. 

Yuzu put her hands down on the table, standing. Ako and Yume turned up to her. “This is it girls!” 

“Yeah!” Yume nodded.

“I agree,” Ako said, “the lyrics in this song seem to fit well with our theme!” 

Yuzu pulled the song out of the book, “Exactly! We’ve got a great catch here!” 

Ako grabbed the next book, which was the dance choreography collection. “Let me find the choreography to this song.”

“Yuzu’s pulling up the video already!” 

“I’ll start looking for our coords for the stage then!” Yume contributed, taking up one of Yuzu’s Shiny Smile card binders. 

Over the rest of their time, they collected the dance instructions and decided on the coords they would wear with the stage. 

Ako smiled, “Now that all that is set, we can now focus on our practice.” 

“Sounds good to me!” Yume smiled. “We have all week to do so. Let’s schedule our practice times,” she said, taking out her aikatsu mobile. 

Ako and Yuzu did the same, and they quickly organized their practice times. 

Yuzu put her hands on her hips as she looked at her unit members, “Great! Yuzukosho’s show is now up and running on the road!” 

~0~

A clap sounded, then, “This meeting is now in session.” Tsubasa spoke, a notebook in her hands. 

“My, Tsubasa-chan, do we have to be so formal?” Yozora smiled. 

“Yes, this is an important meeting to discuss our stage against Yuzukosho’s sudden emergence again.” 

Mahiru tapped her leg, “Well it seems like Yuzu-senpai came up with the idea suddenly.” 

Tsubasa shook her head, “That is very Yuzu-like.” 

Yozora laughed, “We should have expected it.”

“Anyways,” Tsubasa moved on, “we have our song chosen, and our practice is going well so far. Mahiru, have you been practicing the last two formations that you were struggling with?”

“Yes I have,” Mahiru confirmed.

“And how is it going?” 

“I think I might need some more self practice, otherwise I feel confident that I can merge with you and Onee-san,” Mahiru answered.

Tsubasa smiled, “Good to hear.” She looked to her peer, “Yozora, have you found coords for us to wear?” 

Yozora pulled open her binder to a page where three sets of coord were. “Right here,” she passed it to Tsubasa. 

Tsubasa inspected them carefully, then nodded, “These look good.” She passed the binder to Mahiru to see. 

Mahiru smiled, “I think this style will go well with our song.”

“Exactly!” Yozora smiled. 

Tsubasa wrote notes down in her notebook, then looked at the two girls. “Looks like we’re on track. Just a few more days until our debut show.” 

Yozora nodded, “That’s good to hear! We’ll surely give a spectacular show!” 

Mahiru grinned, “That’s right!”

“Perfect! Yuzu won’t know what hit her with this performance of ours!” Tsubasa declared. 

Yozora giggled, “Seems like you’re as riled up about this as she is, Tsubasa-chan.” 

Tsubasa blushed, “Th-that’s not true, I’m just excited to have a successful charity show…” 

Mahiru grinned, “I am too! SKY-GIRL won’t let down!” 

“Of course!” Yozora nodded. 

Tsubasa grinned, “Let’s give it our all, SKY-GIRL!”

~0~

“Ehh?” Haruka cried, “Yuzu-senpai and Ako-chan and Yume-chan are reforming Yuzukosho to go against Mahiru-chan and Yozora-senpai and Tsubasa-senpai in SKY-GIRL for a charity event?” 

Ako leaned back in surprise, blinking, “Well… that’s about all of it.”

Yume nodded, “That’s right, Haruka-chan.” 

Haruka pouted, “No fair! Haruka wants to participate too! But she doesn’t have a unit!” 

“Sorry, Haruka,” Mahiru said, “but it’s okay. We’re booked for this event anyways. Perhaps in the next one we can have you, as well.” 

Haruka kept pouting. “Fine,” she muttered. 

“Yoo-hoo, everyone!” Yuzu’s voice called out as she leaped into the gardens. 

“Yuzu-senpai!” Yume greeted, “How are you?” 

“Doing well!” Yuzu grinned.

“Hello everyone,” Lily waved, coming up beside Yuzu.

“Nice to see you, Lily-senpai,” Mahiru smiled. 

Lily looked around the girls, “I’ve been hearing about Yuzukosho’s practice sessions from Yuzu, but how is SKY-GIRL doing, Mahiru-san?” 

Mahiru smiled, “We’re doing well.” 

Yume and Ako inched towards the girl, trying to keep nonchalant expressions on their faces. 

Mahiru blinked at them oddly, “What are you two doing?” 

Yume flailed, “That’s it?”

Mahiru’s expression didn’t change. 

Ako moaned, “You aren’t going to say anything else about your practice?” 

“Oh,” Mahiru realized. She smiled, “Of course I won’t. I don’t our hard work to go to waste by spoiling it to my opponents.” 

Both girls’ faces fell. 

Yuzu laughed loudly, “That’s Mahiru-chi for you! Good going!” 

“It was worth a shot…” Yume murmured. 

“We should’ve expected it,” Ako said in defeat. 

Lily looked at the bluenette frowning at her seat, “Whatever’s the matter, Haruka-san?”

“Haruka’s upset because she doesn’t have a unit!” 

“Ah, I see,” Lily nodded. “When Yuzukosho first performed, it was for the school’s Fall Fest.” 

Yuzu smiled, “Yeah, but Lilliene and Mikki and Yuri-chi totally beat us!” 

Haruka sat up, “You beat them?” 

Lily blushed and nodded, “Yes, but it was with Miki-san and Yuri-san’s help.” 

“Is that so…” Haruka muttered. 

“Ah anyways, Yuzu’s here to get Ako-chi and Yume-chi for practice!” 

Ako and Yume stood. 

“That’s right, we should be off,” Ako said. 

Yume waved to the rest of them as their unit walked out of the gardens, “See you guys later!” 

“Bye,” Mahiru waved, then looked down at her own aikatsu mobile. “I should get going, too then. See you, Lily-senpai, Haruka.” 

“Goodbye,” Lily smiled. 

Left alone, Haruka stood up and jumped in front of Lily. The idol didn’t blink. 

“Lily-senpai! Haruka has a request!” 

Lily only raised an eyebrow as Haruka continued with her proposal.

~0~

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to SKY-GIRL versus Yuzukosho’s charity event!” Anna-sensei’s voice rang over a large crowd of people at an outdoor venue. “Today we’re collecting money for the children’s hospital! Both units will be performing, and you get to choose the winner by donating under their unit! Whichever unit gathers more donations, will be victorious in this event!” Anna lifted her hands in the air, “Now let’s get this show on the road with SKY-GIRL!” 

The crowd roared as SKY-GIRL collected themselves backstage. 

Tsubasa, Yozora, and Mahiru stood beside each other, aikatsu system machines just ahead. 

“You girls ready?” Tsubasa asked. 

“Of course,” Yozora smiled. 

“Yes!” Mahiru declared. 

In each of their hands, they held their coords. In Yozora’s hand was the Pink Sunshine Fringe Coord. Tsubasa held the Water Sunshine Fringe Coord, and Mahiru the Yellow Sunshine Fringe Coord. 

“Mahiru Kasumi, like a radiant light!” 

“Yozora Kasumi, like a glimmering star!” 

“Tsubasa Kisaragi, holding nothing back!” 

“SKY-GIRL, let’s go!” 

SKY-GIRL made the stage, performing Love-Colored Passion. 

After their performance, Anna-sensei addressed the audience once again. “Thank you SKY-GIRL! Don’t forget to donate under their name if you liked their performance! However, don’t forget about Yuzukosho, who’s up right now! Let’s go baby!” 

Yuzukosho took their places at the aikatsu machines. 

Yuzu smiled at Ako and Yume, “SKY-GIRL was good, but we’ve got this in the bag, girls!” 

“I’m not worried at all!” Ako grinned. 

Yume nodded, “Yes! With our song dresses, we’ll do great!” 

The each held the set of their coords. Yuzu took the Yellow Skip Coord, Yume the Vivid Skip Coord, and Ako with the Emerald Skip Coord. 

“Yuzu Nikaido, fun is the best!” 

“Yume Nijino, ready to go!”

“Ako Saotome, making her dazzling entrance!”

“Yuzukosho’s show time!” 

Yuzukosho performed Ai Girl for the audience. 

Anna took the crowd after Yuzukosho finished. “Thank you, Yuzukosho! And that’s our two main performances for today!” 

SKY-GIRL gathered at the side of the stage, watching Anna-sensei speak to the crowd. Yuzukosho joined them quietly, waiting for their cue to take the stage for the final words. 

“Both units did great today, but we have an additional special performance for you!” Anna announced. 

The crowd cheered in joy. 

“What?” Tsubasa gasped. 

All the girls looked at each other in surprise. 

“A surprise performance?” Mahiru repeated. 

“By who?” Yume muttered. 

 Ako questioned, “Did anyone know this was planned?” 

“Yuzu has no idea, but now she’s excited to see it!” 

“Well, no matter how it happened, let’s watch,” Yozora decided. 

To their great surprise, it was The Admins. Lily, Miki, and Yuri took the stage, performing One Step for the roaring crowd. 

After their stage, both Yuzukosho and SKY-GIRL rushed up to the stage. 

“Lilliene!” Yuzu called cheerfully, “You surprised us!”

Lily smiled, “I’m glad. It was a rather last minute arrangement.” 

“By who?” Yume asked. 

A bundle of blue bounded onto the stage. “By Haruka!” 

“Haruka?”

“Haruka-chan?” 

“That’s right!” Haruka grinned, swaying left and right, “Haruka was upset that she couldn’t perform, but after she heard that the Admins beat both Yuzukosho and SKY-GIRL last time, she couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to reform them!” 

Miki nodded, “Lily-san and Haruka then contacted Yuri-san and I to join them for today’s event.” 

“I had to take a flight, but it was well worth it,” Yuri smiled. 

Yuzu laughed, “That’s great! You three surprised us all!” 

Tsubasa smiled, “It was quite a wonderful surprise.” 

“Your stage was spectacular as well,” Yozora complimented. 

Yuri grinned, “We hope so, because,” she turned to the audience, “The Admins are also participating in this competition!” 

“What!” Ako gasped with the girls. 

Miki nodded at them, “Yup! So everyone, get over to the donations and make sure you donate under The Admins!” She winked. 

“What’s this? Promoting yourselves?” Yozora laughed. 

“No way!” Yuzu cried, “Vote Yuzukosho, everyone!” 

“Yuzukosho for the win!” Yume joined. 

Mahiru grabbed tiles and slammed her hand through a stack of them. “Donate for SKY-GIRL!” 

“No, The Admins!” Haruka shouted back. 

The ten girls started calling out their respective unit names cheerfully as the audience shuffled towards the donation spots, many of them calling their choices with them. 

After some time, when things had settled down from all the excitement, Anna-sensei went up on the stage. “Thank you everyone for donating today! We have totalled all the contributions made today, and we have the final results!” 

SKY-GIRL, Yuzukosho, The Admins and Haruka were lined up on the stage. 

“Let’s see the results!” Anna called and a chart with all three unit names started growing their total bars. Each bar raced against each other, until the first bar to stop was… 

“And SKY-GIRL earned the least!” Anna announced. 

“No way!” Mahiru cried. 

Moments later, the golden bar stopped growing. 

“Next is Yuzukosho!” 

The final bar, in orange, grew much larger than the other two, before it finally stopped. 

“And the winner with the most contributions is The Admins!” 

The crowd cheered loudly, and so did the girls on stage. 

“Thank you everyone!” Yuri called. 

“The Admins did it!” Haruka cheered, leaping in the air. 

Lily stepped forward, “Thank you everyone for your donations. No matter who you voted for, your contributions will greatly benefit the children that we are raising this money for.” 

Tsubasa smiled, “I am a little upset that we didn’t make it to the top, but SKY-GIRL has a long road ahead of them!”

“Congrats Admins!” Yozora smiled. 

“I can admit that their performance was well worth the most donations,” Ako smiled. 

Yume nodded, “I’m glad!” 

Anna waved to the crowd, “Thank you again everyone! Have a good night!” 

~0~

Yuzukosho’s song → Ai Girl - Lyrics - Skip Coords

SKY-GIRL’s song → Love-Colored Passion - Lyrics - Sunshine Fringe Coords

[untapanimedraw]

Winter 2020: First Impressions  - the rest of the shows

Haikyuu!! To the Top! (S4) - What can I say about this show, it’s more Haikyuu!! It’s absolutely fantastic. This is a bit of a slow-burner so far, very reminisce of season 1 so far, a lot of learning and training. It might seem to be a bit of a let down after the action-sakuga-fest that was all of season 3, but character growth is just as important and despite it being a number of years since season 3, the story picks up right after that insane high, so the flow of the story needs to reset its equilibrium. So a but of a slow lul is important before the boys to go Tokyo to kick ass!

Isekai Quarted (S2) - I mean, it’s more of the same except with the shield hero and gang in the other classroom. If you liked season 1 you’ll still like it, if you didn’t then don’t bother watching. That said, I love it. 

In/Spectre (Kyokou Suiri) - This is definite my surprise show of the year. It’s so fucking good! It’s one of those shows like Bunny Girl Senpai of last year that lives or dies on the quality of it’s conversations rather than any action or sakuga. And dear lord does it deliver. The MC is so freaking adorable, I love her. Please watch. 

RikeKoi - I’m getting serious Wotakoi vibes from this show. There are so few shows that are about adults or college students that honestly I’ll take anything that has this age range. And as a comp/sci graduate myself, I can’t help but love these complete dorks. And holy fuck main girl is perfect. A ponytail that moves on its own, an absolutely banging bod, and tights that remind me of Miru Tights. It’s a masterpiece and the two MCs are fantastic together. Please watch. 

Infinite Dendogram - This and Bofuri are the 2 VRMMO shows this season and honestly Bofuri is the clear winner of the 2. In fact Bofuri is in my top 5 of the season. This one might be lower than Darwin’s Game which is an edgy death game show, so that’s not a great rating. It’s not exactly bad but it feels like it’s wasting the potential of the shows setting by focusing so hard on fairly bland MC and his maid weapon AI partner. I’ll probably keep watching it, and I hope it improves, but it probably won’t. At least it looks pretty good. 

Nekopara - Cat girls. What more is there to say? Considering this is from an eroge where the goal is to fuck the neko girls, this show is surprisingly tame and wholesome. Definitely one worth watching. 

Toilet-Bound Hanako-san - The art-style in this show is very unique. It feels like there isn’t actually a whole lot of animation in the show, because the show is presented to us in frames of animation where the rest is beautiful art background. The story is almost secondary to the visuals, but it holds up in its own right. A very good show and should be seen. 

Dorohedoro - Man, I so wish that this show could get the amount of eyeballs it deserves, but alas, it is in Netflix jail. That said, there are some quality fansubbers taking it on this season and for that I am very glad. The art and character designs are so fucking unique I hardly know what to say other than please watch it. It’s one of those shows where you’re not entirely sure what exactly is happening, but you know you definitely want, nay, need to keep seeing more of it. Watch it now if you can, or at the least when Netflix releases it from Jail. 

Ishuzoku Reviewers - This show is a show of true culture. I’ve been saying ever since I heard it was getting an anime adaptation that I can’t believe it’s getting an anime adaptation. I read the manga, I knew what it was about. It’s a group of adventurers traveling around and trying all the brothels of the different species of succu-girls. Turns out the anime decided to make this a hentai, but without the direct penetration shots. Episode 3 though, that took things to another level. This was being aired on funimation as a censored version that was basically unwatchable, so I’ve been surfing the high seas to find high quality uncensored versions. And they exist, and they are absolutely fantastic. However, apparently funimation forgot to look into what the hell the show was before they promised to not only air the show, but also to provide a dub. Cause after the first episode dub attempt they completely dropped the show. There’s still 8 episodes left, so hopefully a fansub group or two will step up and champion the cause. 

A Destructive God Sits Next To Me - I’m normally down for wacky chunni shenanigans, but I just couldn’t get through the first episode, so it got dropped. 

Smile Down the Runway - I really wasn’t sure what I was going to think about this show. It’s about a girl whose dream is to be a supermodel for her dad’s clothing agency and walk down the catwalk during Paris Fashion Week, but she’s too short. It’s also about a boy she meets at school who just wants to be a fashion designer and loves to make shows. I did not expect that the show would pull a bait and switch and for the majority of the focus to be on the boy and not the girl. I also did not expect to be shedding a few tears by episode 2 because I was so emotionally invested already. It went from a show I was unsure about, to being a show I’m now going to be eagerly looking forward to each week. 

Hatena Illusion - If I had to drop another show, it would be this one. It doesn’t really do anything great, but it’s not offensive in anything and is at least moderately enjoyable. Plus, I started it so now I feel like I have to finish it. But I don’t hate it. A solid 5-6/10. 

Natsunagu - I wasn’t able to find an english sub version of this and the reviews I did see said it was mediocre at best. So this show never got started. 

Now for a few thoughts about the continuing shows I’m watching:

My hero Academia S4 - The Overhaul arc was a slow burn that led to a spectacular explosion with some insane hype levels and some very hard emotional hits. I’m glad we’re now headed into the Culture Festival arc as the show feels like it needs a little bit of lightheartedness to get us back to a good equilibrium. 

Mairimashita! Iruma-kun - This arc feels like it’s kinda spinning it’s wheels and dragging things out longer than needed, but these characters are so fun that it’s fine. 

Ahiru no Sora - Moar backetball!! This show is just a solid sports anime. Can’t wait to keep watching. It’s a full adaptation with 50 episodes and only 16 or so have aired. 

Babylon (The last couple episodes) - Talk about shitting the bed. The ending of this show ruined so much setup and promise. It leaned hard into the philosophical and should have leaned into supernatural. Such a disappointment. 

Kabukichou Sherlock - This show continues to be a pleasant surprise every week. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the season plays out. 

Blade of the Immortal - I’m a bit behind, but this show continues to deliver. 

Re:Zero Director’s cut - Damn, I actually forgot how much I actually like Re:Zero. It’s a masterpiece that I had somehow forgotten was a masterpiece because of how I binged it when it originally aired. This double episode format is honestly even better. The first season I continuously wanted more and more, but with a double length episode every week, I feel like I’m getting just enough to satiate me until the next week. I’m sad that come the spring it’ll be back to 1 normal length episode a week lol.