#s4 was meh for his characterization

[argayle]

i’m coming out… i love steve harrington.

[beevean]

hey so ftr i am muslim, and i'd like to add that even giving that trait to n!isaac in particular is hella questionable imo if game!Isaac's whole deal is that he is so fully, mindlessly devoted to dracula's cause that he's willing to commit genocide on his lord's behalf, no questions asked, and because they do mostly keep that characterization with him in the show's version, once you tack on the 'muslim' trait it gets problematic, fast. it basically amounts to a really stereotypical post-9/11 islamophobic caricature of all muslims being war-mongering jihadists, so blinded by and justifying atrocities committed with 'faith'. and the fact that they also kept n!isaac as being especially sadistic doesn't help with the comparisons to the taliban or ISIS - if they were trying to be clever and expand from "CHURH BAD" to "ALL RELIGION BAD" message, they well and truly fucked it up and n!Isaac ends up being terrible representation

like, i used to be just kinda "meh" towards n!Isaac in that he's not really as impactful as the original Hector and Isaac's characters since he has such a middling stance and really not much on-screen development to even get to that point, but after connecting these dots i actively dislike him. just...what the hell was Netflix thinking??

Thank you for your input! I don't want to speak on behalf of others so I appreciate your insight :)

Another thing is that it gets emphasized in the mangas that Hector and Isaac are heathens? Blasphemers? They create life which is literally copying God's work?? Hector in the MF manga goes for a whole page about his disillusionment with God:

And Isaac in the PtR manga sarcastically reassures Hector that all the people they've killed "will go to Heaven soon", with an implied "we won't".

They're both sinners, and they're aware of it. Hector feels guilty about it, Isaac couldn't care less because Dracula comes above all else. Neither of them have a reason to believe in any religion - not even Hector regains his faith in God, even after falling in love with the religious Rosaly.

Sure, this is all about the Christian God, but I doubt N!Isaac would be treated any better by other Muslims of the time, would he? He's still a necromancer. He's still sinning left and right. Why would he believe in Mohammed's teachings, profess his faith with pride, and still accept to devote himself to a monster hellbent on killing innocents? This kind of deep seated hypocrisy needs care to be explored!

Anyway... yes, you make a good point. As I said, in a vacuum a Muslim anti-villain would be an interesting concept, especially since Christians are not afforded the same intended complexity. As it was done in NFCV, a Muslim villain who twists his Prophet's teachings to justify his self-imposed extremist mission of eradicating human life to "purify the world" is... yikes. Actually, now this quote feels particularly gross:

"Dracula will bring a pure world into being. I believe that. I believe him. I want, of all things, a pure world. A clean world. Where there is only loyalty and only love."

Yeahhhh I can see why he comes across as a jihadist. ew.

Now, sure, he allegedly grows from this, he eventually decides that life is worth living and he'd rather leave humans alone. But it doesn't help that his religion is mostly brought at the forefront of his character in S3, when he's in "humanity sucks" mode, but in S4 there's no mention of his faith.

[firesofdainix]

Hot take but Lloyd doesn't inherently have a 'no personality' 'bland syndrome' or 'paragon' in the earlier seasons. I believe that the producers, after S2, have no idea what to do with him after what was supposed to be the grand finale of ninjago. So, he was turned into a background character, being onl the motivator of the ninja and their leader. Although this would make him seem like a 'meh' type of character, and believe he started to have a semblance of personality in S8. I can't really blame anyone because I believed it to, but-

How can a character possibly evolve when he's not placed in the limelight?

In earlier seasons like S3-S7, we've seen Lloyd express his opinion, characterization, and while this doesn't cement most of his personality, it's all we have of him. In the earlier seasons he's very headstrong and prideful, shown in S3 and in S4 over his skill as the Green Ninja... though we can chalk this up to him valuing his power and thinking it's the only thing he has that makes him special. He's clearly bad at articulating what he says, like his VERY messed up speech towards Kai in the beginning of S4. And how can I forget how loud he was excited over palm fronds and how bad at acting he is in S6?

What I'm trying to say, is that Lloyd never got the chance to shine again after S2 in the WilFilm era as a main role, and only got bits and pieces of his personality scattered across the continuous seasons. Is he, personally, simply static and background noise for S3-7? Maybe, but seeing he still has a personality through it all, I wouldn't call him bland.

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

What are your thoughts about Toad stands by?

An old favorite!

That said, on re-watch... it's not as good as it could have been, tbh? The pulling apart of Scruffey is epic, of course, but also... that stuff was so brilliant that it practically films itself; I can hardly give them a ton of credit for hitting such an easy Awdry softball!

(before proceeding: link to the post where i discussed "Toad Stands By" the RWS story)

Chunks of this episode (beginning and end, mostly) actually feel kinda weak in the S4 standard-gauge "meh" way. I can understand why filming this one presented difficulties that precluded it from being in Season 3, I can get over that, but... I wish it at least felt "Duck's branch line"-y? Instead it's setting the rather lame precedent, utilized in future seasons, that Oliver sticks closely to shunting in whatever generic yard this is supposed to be.

Thomas absolutely does not have to be in this episode. Like, at all. 😤 The layout with the troublesome trucks with all their assorted colors, shapes, and faces is so cool, though. What a great episode as far as characterizing them—visually they've never looked better, before or since!

I can also understand why they eliminated some of the dark hints that Toad et. al. conspired to take Scruffey out, but if they were going to shy away from that I wish they had done a more extensive job editing the dialogue that precedes the climax. It's nearly as muddy and vague as the book, and doesn't really do much anything but kill time. (I always liked Douglas and Toad's exchange, though. They're so wholesome when they're not plotting murder! ♥)

The best piece of work in this episode is when the trucks are singing their savage lil song. The way they filmed this, partly from Oliver's crowded PoV, other times showing Oliver stuck among the jeering trucks with that claustrophobic camera close-up... that was not a straight-up gift from the RWS text, that was all the excellent judgment of David Mitton and his team, and it slaps. Compelling stuff! Really puts you in Oliver's unfortunate shoes wheels!

tl;dr: both the RWS and TVS versions do a mixed but overall strong job at building suspense using the tools of their respective mediums...

... but i wish they had cleaned up the text and done more to adapt it for the episode

(also i feel like a change in weather would have helped to establish the passage of time in the first half of the ep? plus, some rain would really help contribute to the tone when the trucks are bullying Ollie!)

[equalseleventhirds]

real quick rundown of Thoughts:

things which were Very Good:

mikaele asking to be called mikaele instead of mr salesa, be still my HEART and yes i will be calling him mikaele and not just salesa for the rest of my liFE

camera thing hell ye

mikaele continues to be morally gray, which i can vibe with (and i maintain that after All The Shit he put up with he has earned the right to take care of himself alone. like he watched a bunch of his crew die i think... he can chill. his goal also is to eventually die? like can he just have a normal time.)

recorders? allowed in a space where the eye cannot be?? s... sasha...? (no i KNOW they’re not gonna be sasha’s ghost but........... i can hope................)

annabelle as A Weird Roommate who just wandered in one day that’s the good shit

that phone call rly WAS just about getting martin to stick with jon i KNEW it annabelle looked at martin ‘well now i am doing the thing’ blackwood and said oh i can press those buttons easy

annabelle and mikaele both have got JOAKS

martin and mikaele teasing jon for not having eye powers.. the laughing... it’s a lil mean but it’s SWEET (from martin) and i think jon got that... boyfriends.......

martin got tea :)

things which were meh:

annabelle still being in the sorta housekeeper role... i know (and i’m glad) mikaele said she’s mostly been a vaguely absent roommate for him, but APPARENTLY she’s been bringing jmart food and clothes and stuff... ehhh. i mean ok it’s nice to be helpful but mmmmm. bad trope for a black woman in a fancy house to be taking care of two (race not given, but also played by white men) men.

god i’m tired of ‘old guy In The Know has realized the Consequences (usually the Personal Consequences) of an apocalypse, starts prepping for it’ like that can be cool to a certain extent but we had it through ALL of s4 (adelard (the only cool one), peter, simon to an extent, smirke even, jonah... pls a bitch is Tired and having mikaele join the doomsday preppers? i wanted him to be! idk! different! like he could’ve just picked up that camera so he could retire in peace without any of his old clients/enemies finding him! pls!)

i hate to say jonny is wrong (this is a flat-out lie i love 2 say jonny is wrong) but mikaele’s like... grandstanding? showing off? abt how he did not care for anyone but himself? hm. incorrect. i’ll grant he probably came to enjoy the challenge of dealing in Artifacts, altho i feel like he should have felt at least a little apprehensive about it due to what he says about his past with leitner and how he resisted getting involved in that. but he has been shown, both in his own statement and his old crewmember’s statement, to CARE for his crew and to CARE when they died and to GRIEVE when that happens, and maybe he didn’t give a shit what happened to the rest of the world but i have to believe at least that wore on him, and that he’s still worried about his crew in the apocalypse. maybe not looking for them, but WORRIED for them. previous characterization from multiple sources painted him as self-serving but not entirely self-absorbed, while this episode painted him as... entirely self-absorbed. felt bad babes.

actually to this point: given that what he said in his archives statement was under the influence of the eye, and what he said this episode was NOT... i am choosing to believe he was taking full advantage of the fact that He Can Lie now. not to like, deceive them about the facts. just about his own feelings. bcos pride is a thing. (this also is totally in line with his apocalypse plan to... drink himself to death, or kill himself if he runs out of alcohol. like that’s not what u do when ur Happy. i think he is havin a FIB about how pleased he really is.) that’s it that’s the only way this episode can make sense to me thank u and good night

...ok OR the camera that shields him from the eye also has. an Effect on him. (because everything magic always has a price, doesn’t it?) and it’s fucking with his own memory/sense of self/feelings. that would ALSO be real fucked up and i could accept THAT.

still no fear soup... mikaele made it very clear he adheres to the 14 fear model............. i am SAD jonny. i am hungry for soup. feed me.

things that made me UPSET but not in a writing way just in a ‘this is emotionally upsetting’ way:

JON. FORGETTING. WHAT HAPPENED. WHAT THE FUCK, JONNY.

i’m also just... so sad abt how jon was SO excited about this house and the mystery of it and it hurt him? it let him rest but it hurt him??? like, ow! ow!!

[t100ficrecsblog]

an interview with @easilydistractedbyfanfic (she/they)

what are you working on right now? I don’t typically take prompts, but after finding out about the Bellarke Writers For BLM Initiative and how their goal is to raise money for BLM via various fandom prompts that are requested by readers and written & illustrated by various writers and artists, I wanted to get involved. I’ve finished two prompts and am working on my third, which is a Murphy/Raven smutfic set during their years on the Ring. It’s definitely an idea I can work with - it’s over 10k at this point with a lot more to say, so hopefully the anon who requested it will end up pleased! Go check out the tumblr page and the ao3 collection - there’s various t100 pairings/ratings and you can choose the cause if you want to request a fic!

what is the fanwork you’re most proud of? I struggled with this question! My stories are all like my kids, and even if some of them could use a bit of improvement with pacing or dialogue or whatever faults I see when they age, ultimately I do love them all and I’m glad I wrote them. I do sometimes play favorites but that often depends on what I’m in the mood to read myself. That said, I really do always feel proud of my story called What You Need. It’s a darker version of Raven & Murphy, but one that I don’t find unrealistic under the circumstances of the fic. I surprised myself with where my head went on this one. In a good way, because it was really fascinating to dive into the minds of who these particular versions of the characters were. 

I’m also pleased that I have over 500k on ao3 at this point. I never expected anything like this when I started writing, and it kind of blows my mind that this is my hobby now. It’s so strange to me that there are stories in my head at any given moment now.

why did you first start writing fic? I started writing in June 2018. Never wrote any fanfic before that, ever - though I did read plenty! I wrote three stories super fast, posted them all on ao3 on the same day and haven’t looked back. I think I started writing out of a combination of just really needing more content for my faves, but also I wasn’t in fandom before s5 and was quite desperate after s4 to talk to other people about Raven & Murphy. So I needed to get the stories out but also I had this hope that it would invite conversation when I didn’t know anyone in fandom.

what frustrates you most about fic writing? Just because I want to write doesn’t mean I can. Having prompts on my plate right now, I feel a real responsibility to finish them, but even when I carve time out to write, sometimes the words just don’t feel right. The muse doesn’t always strike when I have the time available. Also, it’s super ridiculously important to me that scenes and dialogue FEEL right based on the characterization I have in my head in any particular story. I can look at a scene I’ve written, especially an emotional one, and sometimes it’s just not resonating with me the way I know it could or should. It’s tough not to just push through and post it as-is, but I know that would never satisfy me, even if it means a much longer turn-around time on a story or chapter update. Often I will find that I get an a-ha moment that cracks open a better understanding of why a scene isn’t working for me, but this can take time and I have to trust in this process.

Not to preach, but it’s also frustrating when something you spend a lot of time and effort on doesn’t get much in the way of comments. I see posting fic on ao3 as a sort of conversation, so when there’s mostly silence even as the hits (and hopefully kudos) tick upwards, it can feel really...disheartening to feel like you’re talking into a void. And I say this as someone who has been fortunate enough to have regular readers who DO give feedback! I think every writer understands that they need to write for themselves first and foremost, but I wish more readers understood that feedback and enthusiasm will absolutely result in MORE CONTENT! I try very hard to follow this guideline myself by supporting and commenting on everything I read as time permits.

what are your top five songs right now? I listen to a huge mix of songs & my childhood influenced me a lot. 

Some floating in my head include - 

Chris Cornell’s live cover of Nothing Compares 2U Indigo Girls - Romeo & Juliet The Decemberists - Once In My Life Tori Amos - Silent All These Years The Chicks - March March 

what are your inspirations (books, songs, other fic)? I find inspiration in a lot of things, which I think is lucky. One of my biggest is the characters themselves. I love getting deep into understanding who I think they are, what their motivations are and why they’d make certain decisions, whether in canon or in an AU. What parts of their personalities do they keep when they aren’t tortured and under trauma on the regular? What would happen if I change this one scenario in their lives? I could probably go on forever just based on these sorts of thoughts, but I do also find inspiration in simple things like tropes, or song lyrics and the lore of the show itself. Quite a lot of my ideas in my inspiration notebook have sci-fi themes too. A few of my stories have already touched on sci-fi topics, and I absolutely plan more of them because I love how creative that can be. I also love the idea of suspended belief - can I have sentient plant life from an alien planet that can mindread & communicate by projecting thoughts into characters' heads? Yes, yes I can! (I wrote this story, fyi - Flora Incognita, part of a series) 

what attracts you to Murven? what first attracted you? Hey, do you have all day? Ha! Seriously, I could talk about this until everyone wants to strangle me! I loved Raven immediately - not so much Murphy! But I really disliked Finn, so ep 1x10 when Raven finally broke up with him had me interested. In that ep, you can see that Murphy is present, awake & nearby in the Dropship and probably overhears everything Raven says. Then he gets up and looks at her to make sure she’s still sleeping before he carries out his revenge plans. I’m not kidding - that one look absolutely and completely hooked me! Murphy was still awful then but he was so much more interesting than Finn, and back then I remember thinking how I’d really like to see them interact as two stubborn, strong personalities, because no doubt sparks would fly. And then when they did interact more, their dynamic was exactly what I’d hoped for and then some! 

I love that they’ve seen each other at their worst and at their weakest and most vulnerable, yet they’ve built a strong foundation of trust, faith and understanding. They have so much in common but they’re also different sides of the coin in some ways too. Fandom talks about Bellarke being the head & the heart, but to me Raven and Murphy are the intellect & the instinct - they complement each other, provide some of the qualities that the other needs, their differences improve each other. For me, nobody gets Raven like Murphy & nobody understands Murphy like Raven. Maybe not a lot of people notice, but Raven & Murphy check in with each other a lot - Raven tends to say “I got this” but Murphy is the only person who replies to her “Do you?”. And Raven listens to Murphy’s ideas and suggestions and plans even when she’s known as the genius because she knows that he has valuable things to say. They have fun together, make each other smile and enjoy each other’s company, which is in such short supply in this show! 

I know there’s parts of fandom that don’t ship them because Murphy shot Raven in s1. I have a lot of thoughts on it and have had quite a few tumblr posts about it. This is a fictional show - it does not reflect reality. I’ve been on the fringes of fandom for a long time and I know shipping doesn’t always mean yes, I want to see this relationship in real life. For me, I think it’s absolutely fascinating that someone Raven should hate has become one of her closest and most trusted friends. That she forgave him, and we as the audience get to see this dynamic change and grow, and that Murphy has always felt guilty about it even though he was being presented as selfish and out for himself - it’s such a huge, huge part of each of their character’s journeys. This is getting rather meta, but I don’t think either of these characters would have survived this long or evolved to the extent that they each have without specifically being around each other. 

And I absolutely can not discuss my love for Raven & Murphy without mentioning the whole way these two LOOK at each other! OMG have you SEEN it?!?? How could I not ship them when they look at each other like that! LOL! Also, I want to keep talking about this but I’ll stop now because I truly could go on forever and anyone who follows me already knows I’m wordy.

BESIDES Murven, what’s your favorite ship in t100? Honestly, nothing else comes close to Murven for me, but I did like Kabby before the show just eviscerated their characters. I like the possibilities of Niytavia still. I can see why people ship Murphamy in the earlier seasons. Definitely think Echo/Roan could’ve been something intriguing. And I’ve got this weird thing going right now where I wouldn’t hate Murphy/Russheda, but admittedly that’s mostly about the aesthetic! I tried really hard to like other partners for Raven & Murphy since they’ve always been my faves, but I’ve been meh about all the possibilities except Luna as a partner for Raven or as a Luna/Raven/Murphy threesome. At some point I might write that. Otherwise I’d say I tend to like the friendships more than the ships.

what are some things you’d like to recommend? I always hesitate to recommend other stories & authors because I can’t stand the idea of people feeling left out if I forget to mention them! But I would like to say that I really and truly love my fellow Murven shippers who read & support my stories and who create content like fic and art and gifs and fanvids. I find so much inspiration in them even though sometimes I can’t get through 30 seconds of a fanvid before I have to pause it because the angst is too much for me!

Since you’re kind enough to ask me this question and maybe a few people will read this answer, please - I recommend that everyone educate themselves on social justice and climate change and Black Lives Matter and capitalism and unions and what intersectionality & solidarity truly mean! Vote like your lives depend on it because THEY DO!

ed’s note: compiled a few resources -Rebel Well: A Starter Survival Guide to Trumped America -Jacob and Al’s Intergalactic Intersectionality Adventure -Get involved in your local chapter of DSA -Join Your Local Mutual Aid Group -Keeping Yourself Safe Online In This Capitalistic Hellscape -Angela Davis’ book Are Prisons Obsolete? -Resource about defunding the police

You can find @easilydistractedbyfanfic here on Tumblr, on Twitter, and on AO3. You can also a request a fic written by her via @bellarkefic-for-blm!

[zenosanalytic]

THE SACRED TEXTS!!! EPISODE 3

I just finished the 3rd season of Clone Wars(2008) and I have Thoughts!

s3 is typically where I’ve seen ppl saying Clone Wars gets gud but, for the first half of the season, I was pretty skeptical. Until ~ e11 the season’s dedicated to filling in holes from the earlier seasons which, frankly, didn’t really need to be filled? Like: I’m not really sure WHO, in the audience, would be sitting around wondering “gee, I wonder what’s going on with Mandalore’s trade-policy during all of this?”?? Or “was a Republic Army sent to help Ryloth when it was first invaded, and what happened to it?”??? And most of this not only felt pretty unnecessary, but was also pretty Meh (:T There were good bits! Like, I didnt ACTL mind the Ryloth ep, and it acts as a declaration of sorts that it’s now both open-season on Jedi(yeah, technically Kit Fisto’s ex-padawan Vebb died in Lair of Grievous, but he was very much An Outlier), and more broadly open-season on named&faced humanoid characters.

To give an example: not ONLY does Domino Squad from Rookies in s1 get a fleshing-out backstory(which is... very Pat and derivative and convenient, but the characterization is ok given they’ve only got one 22min ep to do it in. & I liked 99′s whole role as basically surrogate dad to all the other clones), but pretty much ALL of them, I think, end up getting killed off during the season? Like I said it’s a clear statement they want to break with the past while building on the “hey fans: CLONES ARE PEOPLE! THEIR SITUATION IN THIS WAR IS MONSTROUS!!” message the series has been soft-peddling from the beginning, but I feel like they didnt really commit to it enough. Like: IF they had stuck with the Domino survivors throughout the season, if we’d gotten to see them in episode after episode, gotten to know them better alongside the other members of Rex’s ARC battalion, gotten to see them face dangers and survive them, only to watch, agonized, as they, and the rest of the Battalion vets, slowly get picked off in the increasingly dangerous missions of the second half of the season, then that would have made the message MUCH more effective, AND made the Citadel and Padawan Lost arcs much more tense.

And really all of the impactful deaths of the season sort of feel like that. Like: we get one episode to know Mina Bonteri(a human, of course) and her family before she’s killed off(though i did Dig how unceremonious and unsentimental it was; that really got across the stakes involved and the sorts of scumbags Amidala, and the audience, are dealing with). We get even less time with the Jedi killed by Oppress; a few seconds at most(and btw it’s kind of HILARIOUS how he just... bulls in there and wrecks em like it’s nothing, after two seasons of ep after ep of uneventful cat-and-mouse. Of course that’s undermined by him&Ventriss, then, utterly failing to be successful against Dooku, purely because the plot demands it |:T) Same with Master Piell. Ziro we know much better, but he was also a fairly annoying caricature and his final eps went out of their way to use him to introduce EVEN MORE annoying caricatures so, while his getting gunned down is successful in showing violence and violent death as sudden, unsentimental, and pathetic rather than heroic and worthy, we dont really care. And that’s further undercut, pretty seriously, by his being a caricature; pathos is hard to pull off with an object of laughter/scorn as it risks just making their suffering funny to the audience(which... is the OPPOSITE of what you want to accomplish). This isnt helped by having the Jedi who find him basically shrugging at his death before racing into a Cool Fight. The “Force Wielders” in the Mortis arc suffer from the same problems(and also: Force Dualism&”The Chosen One” Talk: BLEAGH!). The only one of these they manage to get right, to me, is Kalifa’s death in Padawan Lost which, due to us getting more time to see her sitch and hear her&the other younglings talk about it, genuinely ends up having an emotional impact(if still feeling super-convenient and a bit improbable)((also I love the inclusion of a predator ep, even if they’re cheap dime-story predators)).

The same goes for all the non-death falls and endangerments. The corruption of the Mandalorian Prime Minister falls flat because we barely know him, and he’s never been portrayed as sympathetic or, for that matter, as anything other than a factotum. The only Pantoran we know in Sphere of Influence is Senator Chuchi, and more than half the episode is dedicated to the Prime Minister, his Son, and his(interchangeable) daughters(and we never see any of these characters again in the season); the ep comes off as nothing more than an excuse to reference Greedo(and Im annoyed by him speaking common all of a sudden. Who watching CW would have a problem with subtitles?).

BUT! They’re trying!! They’re moving in the right direction!!! I’m happy about this ^v^ And the later half of the season, while I have my problems with certain episodes, and the continued non-human stereotypes, and the convenient writing, and the not-great(tho getting better!) dialogue, is actually kind of entertaining, and attention-bearing. Arc Troopers, the 2nd ep of the season, is Solid! The Mortis arc is good, overall! The Citadel and Padawan Lost arcs are Compelling!! I like the Witches of Dathomiir, even if their Arc is “Meh” because the series IMMEDIATELY undercuts their cool concept(aside from the laser-bows which are LEGITIMATELY Stupid. I’m sorry; I will not argue over this they’re Dum) by having their plans, and all the implication towards deep plots&cunning manipulation, turn out to be empty and fruitless(ie, Dooku totally should have been terribly wounded by all this, which would have also been cool re: Sidious, as it’d imply THAT WAS HIS PLAN ALL ALONG! TO WEAKEN THE GROWING POWER OF HIS APPRENTICE AND DRAG THE WAR OUT EVEN LONGER!!) Also: the Witches, rather than being “magic users” drawing from the “unique power” of their ~evil planet~(a swamp, of course, following long-established Magic the Gathering tradition u_u) should have just totally been a non-Sith(possibly Pre-Jedi) sect of Dark Side Force Users. I really like the idea of Non-Jedi/Non-Sith(since they’re literally just two sides of the SAME tradition; the Sith are literally Jedi Heretics) Force Traditions being out there in the galaxy, and this was a good chance to build on that which I felt they didnt do enough with, and hope they WILL do more with in future(I especially like the ideas of force-attuned poison? Like what if they could “poison” or “curse” people THROUGH the Force? That would be sweet as hell :3).

Another improvement is in the action in this season. It’s not at a level I’d call “thrilling” or anything, but it feels much less like stiff, rote, weightless FLUFF than it has in the two previous seasons. Frankly I think a lot of this is just their engine and how ppls joints just sort of SNAP into position during fights, and also the excessive acrobatics of the prequel-style, both of which makes it feel unnatural, predetermined, and performative rather than deadly and vital(like excessively practiced and robotically acted choreography, basically). But, having said that, you see ppl make mistakes, you see consequences FOR those mistakes, and thus there is SOME sense of danger and weight to it that makes it more compelling than it has been in the past, and this should be praised uwu

And I like that the Politics are a lot clearer and more forefronted in this season than previously! While the Corruption Arc on Mandalore did feel rather hollow, rushed, and After-School-Specially(and, I DEEPLY resent its peddling of offensive and baseless anti-Ophidian tropes >:( ), it’s core message abt the dangers of profiteering and the corrupting influence of profit-seeking(ie Capitalism) on politics and society is a good one and clearly delivered. The Amidala episodes in this season Knock it out of the park consistently, and especially on their messaging ^v^ ^v^ Also, I DIDNT MIND the very fillery C3PO and R2 ep! Yes: it was essentially a waste of an episode since Bane was working for the Hutts to spring Ziro in s1′s Hostage Crisis & there’s basically NO WAY they wouldnt have been able to provide him with a set of plans for the Senate building(and the prison, for that matter), but WHATEVER: it was Kind Of Fun and I like seeing those two be an old bickering married couple and C3PO freak out over getting praised; IT WAS FINE!

So, while there werent any standout ep that I REALLY ENJOYED like Trespass in s1 and R2 Come Home in s2, and I very much didn’t like the 1st half of the season, I think I do have to concede that s3 is An Improvement, overall. I’m actually a bit excited over moving on to s4, given the upward trajectory this season ends on quality-wise owo

Oh: and the Ahsoka redesign? Neat uwu uwu(if untentionally Hilarious since they havent been changing her model over time so she just... grows three feet and bulks out in, like, a single night, presumably. Togruta Puberty must be HELL :p :p :p)

[ahoysailorsteve]

Your opinion/s on Stranger Things 3? (I've seen it, so don't worry about spoilers for me!)

hoooo boy. okay, so I have a LOT of opinions on ST3, and they seem to be changing by the day. but in general:

the aesthetic? practically catered to all of my 80s neon fantasies. Starcourt Mall was gorgeous and was like a character in itself.

the visuals? gorgeous. absolutely stunning. that final fight with the monster and the fireworks??? shit was breathtaking, bro

the sound mixing? amazing. perfectly composed and in sync with the whole vibe.

the soundtrack??? LITERALLY like they stole it out of my wildest dreams tbh the songs they choose always blow me away but they did so well this season

the plot? it was good. I think it flowed well, nothing too horribly out of place. a bit predictable and not a lot of risks, though. maybe it seems that way because I spent the past year trying to predict and map out where the story is going and seeing fan theories that were WILD, but the "evil Russians hiding in plain sight" and "oooooh noooooo the evil thing we thought we defeated last season isn't actually gone" seemed a bit?? idk if "safe" is the right word but??? the end leaves us at a good pickup point for the next season, but I feel like this was a filler season in general. it had to fill in the space from the end of s2 where the gate is closed and all is well and contained in small-town rural Indiana, to the beginning of s4 where there are clearly international implications and stakes raised incredibly high for our main cast. I just....wish there was more to it.

the new characters? absolutely in love with Robin. y'all already know so I'm going to move on

the characterization of our returning cast? MEH. I feel like they really lost touch with a lot of the main characters' personalities, especially Steve and Hopper. I really think they struggled to recapture the same energies that they were so incredibly good at writing in past seasons. these characters are the reason why I am so completely invested in this show, and I feel like a lot of them were reduced to meme fuel and product placement (lookin' at you, Lucas.) also, Byers family dynamic?? never heard of her??? idk, I just feel like they waited way too long between seasons and lost the continuity flow.

the character death (singular, because we all know Hopper is alive okay don't take this away from me): listen. I'm not a huge fan of Billy as a person, but I think he was an interesting and important antagonist. I wanted to see more character study into his past, beyond the flashbacks that El saw. I wanted him to have people around him that cared about him, so it would hurt a bit more when he died. but the way he died in ST3.....it was easy. he lifted right out of the plot. he was a glorified two-dimensional evil bully (despite what the fandom has made him out to be) and no one mourned him but Max. which is why I am so deeply upset that he's gone. I really wished we had been given another season with him- to get more in-depth with his character, elevate his importance in the show, get the audience and the characters attached to his presence......and THEN rip him away. I'm not saying I wanted a redemption arc, because I don't actually think he should have one. but I wanted to feel something more than I did when I watched the light go out of his eyes.

in general, I liked the season. I think it had a lot of potential, even enough to surpass the first 2 seasons. it fell flat to me in the most important ways: the plot and the characters. but I'm still excited to see where the story takes us, and I'm still absolutely in love with these characters and this world. 🖤

[easilydistractedbyfanfic]

Even if I wasn't a Murven shipper, I can agree that Memori has been quite inconsistent, they're adorable at times but they started off quickly and I don't think either of them really learned how to deal with their own issues well enough or at least the show makes it seem like they have just brushed things off and carried on as if nothing was ever wrong, I'm like I get that they're not the main characters but I kind of wish they had never fallen out if it wasn't going to be discussed better

Hey, Nonnie! I bet this message stemmed from my post about having issues with the continuity - and lack thereof - of the Murphy/E relationship from S5 to S6 so far, and that can be found here if anyone wants to read it. There’s no character bashing, just criticism/meta from me regarding characterization and unanswered questions that the show has not delved into that I think create plot holes and leave me - and maybe other fans - both confused and frustrated about what’s happened.

So, that background out of the way - I don’t think “inconsistent” is the main word I would choose to describe Mem0ri. I actually think they have been pretty consistent from their beginning to S4, but in a way that has never made me ship them even though I was open to it. I started wanting to see more Murven content in 1x10, so I suppose I might have been biased from the beginning, but I did like Wick & Raven so it’s not like I couldn’t have liked Murphy with someone too. However, I think Mem0ri has been consistent in that while they both gave each other a person to care about, they have never brought out the best in each other or encouraged the other to be a better person, and that’s why I have always felt kind of meh about them, and yes, at times I actively disliked them as a couple because of the way they’ve acted towards each other or towards others. I have read that a lot of people think they are too similar, and I kind of agree with this although I also have exceptions... but that’s a meta for another time, LOL!

I won’t dive too deep into it since I want to address the other part of your comment, but for me, while I can understand where they were both coming from with their pasts and perspectives, I didn’t like their lying, thieving actions as a couple and how Murphy was encouraged to always be isolated. I wanted better for him because I liked his character. In this way, I think they were consistent/their relationship was consistent, until they went to the Ring with the rest of Spacekru. 

Like I said in my linked post though, they haven’t been consistent from S5 til now. I agree with you that neither of them seems to be dealing with their own issues, although I do think that E choosing to tell Bellamy about Clarke IS consistent with what we learned in S5, with her saying she didn’t know she needed to belong but did. I think E has really bonded with the women of Spacekru in particular and that played a big part in her decision. But all their couple issues that were so highlighted in S5? Where did they go, are they not important? Why did they even happen at all then? As I also said in my linked post, loving someone and not wanting them to die is different than “in love”, and in their minds, at least... we’re looking at 2-3 weeks time between these events. I fully accept that their time together means they care about each other even when they’ve argued and of course neither of them want the other to die. But there’s some big chunks missing, IMHO, and I’m never a fan of characterization losing out to plot. 

Very confusing, and so far unexplained...maybe time will tell but I’m not holding my breath!

[head-and-heart]

I'm kind of over the whole "it's been 6 years" excuse? Because despite 6 years, Kabby, Memori, Marper are all in the midst of plots that could've picked up the day after Praimfaya. Octavia's psychosis wouldn't be as advanced, but the Blake drama, homocidal tendencies, grounder BS were all set up already. So in 6 years, the changes they want us to deal with are BE, Madi, & BC being distant. That's awfully contrived writing imo, and a lot of fuss to basically cause drama for just 2 characters

Yeah … I agree to an extent for sure. 

Like, I honestly feel with the way Season 4 was going and the very real concern of repetitive storylines that so many shows fall into affecting The 100 (which the Grounder vs Skaikru conflict continuing for ANOTHER season holy fuck), the soft reboot was kind of necessary to keep the show fresh. 

But, I also feel that while in some ways they have handled the time jump well (personally, I think everything that happened in the bunker makes perfect sense and is pretty interesting, and I also love what they have done with Clarke), there are certain things that just. aren’t. landing. 

Like you said: a lot of the storylines feel like natural progressions from where we left our characters at the end of Season 4. Anyone could have seen Octavia’s downward spiral coming from miles away. She’s been spiraling since Season 3 - it isn’t out of the blue. And given the position Clarke was left in in 4x13 - alone on a deserted planet - her development makes sense too. 

But Echo was very much an antagonist to our mains at the end of 4x13. There were signs of her perhaps changing and I genuinely believe that - given the appropriate amount of screentime - that arc could have been carried out successfully. But there was no screentime dedicated to Echo’s “redemption” (if you can call it that). 

Personally, I don’t think Echo necessarily required redemption for her actions. After all, she was just doing it for her people (as Bellamy points out in 5x06), just like Bellamy and Clarke and everyone else. However, her actions were extremely traumatizing towards a lot of our mains in very personal ways. I can easily understand Echo’s actions and why she did them, but that’s not the point. It’s not about what Echo did, but how the other characters respond to her. None of them liked her or even trusted her at the end of 4x13. It’s jarring to see them all acting like she’s their best friend in Season 5 - not because such a thing is particularly difficult to believe (it’s been six years!) but because the audience never got to see it happen. 

We didn’t see her apologize. Didn’t see her fight for forgiveness. We didn’t see the ways in which she “proved herself” on the ring. We didn’t get to see how she has changed. And I’m sorry, but for a show that spent two entire seasons on a redemption arc for its male lead for an action he did in one episode, I find it very difficult to settle for a couple lines saying “she’s changed!!!”. 

You know what, Jason? Sure. I believe that Echo has changed. I just don’t care. 

It could have been an interesting, gripping story, to watch Echo evolve into the character that she is now. But because of the six year time jump and because that’s the time they chose in order for her character to develop in that way, we’ve lost that story. It’s not the kind of story that happens off-screen - in fact, it’s probably the most integral arc Echo has ever embarked on as a character and ever will … and we didn’t get to see it. At all. 

You don’t write a story like that off-screen for a character you expect your audience to root for. You just don’t. And because they did, they threw away every single ounce of potential there was for me to care about Echo as a character. 

She went from “antagonist” to “hero with a heart of gold”. She feels like an entirely new character and we have no kind of textual evidence as to how it happened.

Which wouldn’t matter, if Echo wasn’t meant to be an important character. But Tasya is a regular now. And she’s in an important relationship with the male lead of the show. It’s kind of important to see how that happened if you want the audience to connect to her and that relationship at all.  

Bellamy tells Octavia “you don’t even know her” in 5x06 and he thinks this somehow supports his argument, but really it is the main source of all the reasons why a) Octavia has no reason to forgive her, and b) why the storyline just won’t land. 

He’s right: Octavia doesn’t know Echo. And the audience doesn’t either. So why should we give a fuck? 

Genuinely, I would love to know. And not through someone telling me “Echo’s really cool cause she did this, this, and this up on the Ark but you’ll have to take my word for it cause you’ll never fucking get to see it happen lololol”. There’s a major gap in her characterization and they just can’t fill in the blanks through dialogue. That’s. not. how. this. fucking. works.

I just have no idea what to make of her. Or her relationship to Bellamy, for that matter.

I don’t hate her. I don’t like her. Instead, I just feel nothing every time she shows up on my screen. And the absolute worse emotion you can instill in your viewers is not anger: it is apathy.

So, yeah, I think the writers really dropped the fucking ball with her. And, unfortunately, due to the conflicting nature of his relationship to her in pre and post 4x13, Bellamy’s characterization is also collateral damage as a result of it.

The truth of the matter is this: B.echo was not a natural progression from where their relationship sat during 4x13. 

I’m not saying there wasn’t any signs that it could potentially happen in the future but it just didn’t make sense for the current standing of their relationship at the end of S4. Like Bellamy said, it took him three years to forgive her for what she did. They were nowhere near a romantic relationship. And, because of this, there was no way that taking it to that place post-time jump could possibly be for any purpose besides drama. And I genuinely don’t believe there was any way for them to write it without it coming off as being contrived.

I want to withhold my final judgement until that storyline has run its course so I can see what, exactly, the writers intention with it was but - as it is - I still don’t understand how it adds anything to the story in any way. Echo’s arc could happen without her being romantically attached to Bellamy. The Blake conflict could easily happen without her being anywhere near it (and, imo, would be more impactful, considering the audience has no reason to give a shit about Echo anyway). 

I’m just so “meh” about the entire thing. The time jump could have been so much better if they didn’t fuck up this one thing.

[alexenglish]

why did you like tw s4? no hate im just curious because for me it was kinda meh after the brilliance that was s3

I mainly like it for the cinematic genius that is the scene in Dark Moon where Stiles is like “we brought an alpha” and everyone is in slow-mo and their eyes light up, but I also like it because:

the deadpool plotline was actually very compelling for me. I think it was an interesting twist on what we’d seen from TW and addressed the economy of the creatures and somewhat establishes a hierarchy between creatures outside of pack dynamics. 

adding to that, we got to see a lot of new creatures which benefited the TW’s mythology and gave us an idea of how they existed in the world (wendigos having a deal with the morgue, banshee in a mental institution because of her powers, etc).

the way the pack was hunted gave us context for Beacon Hills. we rarely had insight into what the world is like outside of BH, it was a very nuclear setting, but here we find out that the McCall pack – and especially the true alpha – was seen as powerful and intimidating, which was great framework for world imagining. 

the return of Kate Argent. she’d always been a compelling character, and I LOVE to hate her. on the whole, she’s my favorite Teen Wolf villain. she’s such an unapologetic POS.

the pack dynamics were the best they ever were or would ever be. everyone was settling into their roles within the group and it felt like they WORKED in their own way and they were really hitting their stride.

Scott really had to step up to the true alpha thing, he had to push his own boundaries, and address his insecurities. you really got a sense of him in a leader role in this season which I absolutely loved, I wish they would have pursued that arc instead of bringing him to the absolute lowest in S5.

S3B was a pivotal moment for Derek’s character, but I feel like S4 really cemented it. like his whole arc was slowly addressing his trauma and letting go of his ego, and allowing himself to really be with Braeden and dying for Scott was the peak of that.

it was definitely rushed and there’s always executive decisions to criticize as well as the writing, but I feel like it was a very high note for most, if not all, the characters and capped the previous seasons perfectly. I genuinely would have liked to see TW end on that high note and left the rest of their story to our own imagining. 

3A was my favorite season, but I’m not someone who is hyper critical of S4. I think in terms of world building and characterization, it went a long way. as a writer, I can really appreciate that. 

[awed-frog]

I have asked myself why – while I like the ideas and themes – the pacing of the show doesn’t seem to work for me? I think Dabbs style, which makes his episodes so great, doesn’t translate well into showrunning. Dabb often leaves one part or scene open which becomes relevant later. During a season, however I feel this gets very confusing, because nothing seems to happen, e.g. the Mary/Dean conflict in s12. (1/2)

The conflicts in the show also seem to be everywhere and so many, while on the other hand everything is missing depth? It feels like the show is leaving loose ends all over the place? What also doesn’t help is that he seems to favor a grand finale (dragging out the conflict until the very end). I’m just wondering if I’m the only person who feels like this? I hope this doesn’t come off as wank, it’s really not my intention. Thank you for answering! (2/2)

Well, the thing is - I don’t see this as wank at all, but I’m definitely the wrong person to discuss this kind of stuff. I studied mostly books and art - stuff that generally has one mind behind it, not several - and I don’t keep up with bts stuff, which means I’m missing too many crucial bits of information about the screenwriters and their personal interests to write an informed meta about that. So, you know - since you asked me, I’m going to tell you what I think, but please keep in mind that it’s just my random-ass opinion.

Also, I generally don’t rewatch episodes - back when I really liked the show, I used to watch the same episode twice before writing my meta, but it’s been a very long time since I sat down and rewatched the entire thing from the very beginning, so I never remember who wrote what. Looking at the list of Dabb episodes, I know there are some I really liked, but others that left me quite meh. I think that so far, the only screenwriter I’ve been consistently in love with is Yockey, and that’s not only because his writing is phenomenal and his characterization spot-on, but also because what he finds interesting about Supernatural and the people in it mostly resonates with what I like. With Dabb, on the other hand, that has been very hit and miss - which, of course, it’s not about fault or quality, but simply about a difference in sensibilities.

What I don’t like, on the other hand, and think is objectively bad, are his choices as a showrunner. I don’t know where he’s going if we’re talking ‘final act’ of Supernatural, and that’s okay, since we don’t even know how many seasons we have left, but S12 was a disaster. As you say, there are too many subplots, most of them go nowhere, the tension peaks and disappears whenever, and the resolution just didn’t work for me - like, at all. It felt so, so rushed. In fact, the whole thing felt so outlandishly incoherent I’m not even sure they knew what S12 would be about when they were filming the S11 finale. 

Because, in theory, we had two main conflicts heading into S12: the fact that Mary was back, and the BMoL as new players on the board. That, in my opinion, should have been plenty enough to build a convincing season - with Mary alone, there was a lot of potential for angst and feels and unsettling stuff - instead, the choice was made to bring Lucifer back to life and include that weird-ass subplot about him becoming president and having a kid who brainwashed and killed people from the womb but now is good (?), and uhm.

(And, again, I don’t know how any of this works - it’s likely Samantha Smith could only be in a limited number of episodes, hence the now infamous ‘let’s find an excuse to make this crucial character disappear’, but still - it’s beyond ridiculous the fact she’s back from the dead was resolved so quickly.)

Mary’s return and the BMoL means that Dabb’s goal was probably to ‘go back to the basics’ and explore who Sam and Dean actually are, after all this time, and why they do what they do, and whether they’re the heroes or the villains in their own story. The problem with this is that the answers were self-evident from the start, because this show is about them and by now we know them fairly well. So what happened instead is that the BMoL became a cartoonishly bad organization - what was interesting and worth discussing (ie, how they’d managed to eradicate the supernatural in the UK, thus saving countless lives, and how they’d done that by using very questionable means) was swept aside in favour of a narrative that was 100% in black and white. And the same thing, for different reasons (namely, that you can’t unfridge a woman and then turn her into any kind of Stepford mother) happened with Mary, whose storyline consistently evolved only through her relatonship with men and about whom, after two years, we still know next to nothing. Not to mention everything else: for instance, how both she and Sam made very uh-uh choices last year, but that was never delved into at all. How the same thing happened with Crowley’s characterization, which would have deserved more time in the spotlight if he was going to get his Heyward moment so soon, and with Cas, whose seemingly momentous pronouncement in 12x12 - that he’d chosen his human family once and for all! that he had human feelings! - was never mentioned again.

As for this season, so far the problems are exactly the same: about 25 villains, all of them childishly and uncomplicatedly evil, plot points all over the place, conflicts that go nowhere, characters who appear and disappear without having accomplished anything - it’s a mess.

Something else that’s been a problem in the Dabb era is that ethically grey choices are increasingly presented as good ones - from Kelly’s immediate attachment to a demon baby that was going to kill her and potentially the rest of the universe as well, to Mary working with Ketch, to the boys ripping holes in space-time to get their relatives from one place to the next without even considering the possible damage to everyone else.

So, look - I don’t know. I won’t say being a showrunner is an easy job, because I’m sure it’s not, and it must be hard to manage content in any rational way when a) you can’t tweak the format of a show even when that format has been woefully outgrown and b) you don’t even know when the story will finish, but they should still find a way to do better than this. Last season basically amounted to nothing at all, and this year I feel like I’m watching a bunch of disjointed and disconnected stories that have no definite purpose. Even the way Sam and Dean keep seesawing between faith and despair rings hollow - mechanic and out of touch with any kind of reality - not to mention, those feelings are never explored in any way. Dean suddenly got better because *subtext*, of course, but what is Sam even up to? Does anyone know? And what about Cas? He went from abject misery to PTSD to a raw desperation to prove himself, and then he was brainwashed by Jack (or was he?), and now he’s - back to what he was in S4? The ‘war needs trump morality, Dean’ commander? Really - it’s rushed and weird and uncomfortable to watch.

Anyway - sorry this got so bitter and thanks for sharing your opinion with me. Here’s to hoping to a satisfying ending for S13!

[mauvecardigans]

four eps into s5 and realizing something

i thought my meh feelings toward s5 on were just me being snotty about sorkin

turns out it's just that s1 and s2 are Peak, s3 is a huge tone shift thanks to then-current events, s4 continues leaning on the veil between tww world and the real world...

and then s5.

no more sorkin (and either misiano or schlamme, can't remember which, which changes both the sound and look of the show)

continued tonal shift (from fictionalized real world to the real real world)

the Zoey arc (which is a taste thing; I get it, but I don't like it)

Abbey's characterization shift (I get it but I don't buy it)

Will gets shunted off to the side (he finally starts to grow into his own and fill the niche in the team...and then he's off the team)

even the next election arc is like - I like the candidates' stories and the story of the end of Bartlet's terms, but those are three big storylines vying for time in a 44-minute show and it just --

I'm going to stick to s1 and s2 is my point, plus the eps I like from the other seasons lmao

fuck it, tww rewatch starts now

[austennerdita2533]

What are some ships you've changed your mind about - ships you once loved and now don't and ships you once disliked and now like or love?

Wow, what thought-provoking questions! I had to think about this a bit, because I have a tendency to multi-ship–if and when–the writing is good. Most of the time, I’m pretty neutral and/or open minded. 

That being said, it made me realize how much the last few seasons of TVD diminished my interest in a lot of ships I once enjoyed. For instance, for the first 3-4 seasons of the show, I really did enjoy the vacillating Stefan-Elena-Damon dynamic and I found myself finding things to enjoy about both StefanxElena and DamonxElena. I didn’t have a preference, tbh? I liked both ships for different reasons. As the series progressed, however, I became increasingly apathetic. *le sigh*

Also, I really, really loved Stebekah (Stefan and Rebekah) and St*roline (Stefan and Caroline) once upon a time. The latter was one of my favorite brotps of the whole show, but how the writers chose to write their romance (with her continuously pining while he treated her like an afterthought; with him always, always putting his brother first and never making her a priority like he did with Elena) made it difficult for me even to watch their scenes together. Which freaking sucks, because in s2 particularly, I thought they had really great chemistry and potential. I would have LOVED to get on board with their romance because friends-to-lovers is my favorite trope! But alas, with how they were depicted as a couple and as individual characters, I couldn’t. :/ I’m bitter because it ruined my brotp love for them, too. *cries a freaking river*

A similar thing happened with Stebekah. Stefan’s characterization in the latter half of TVD made me incredulous and therefore I more or less stopped shipping him with Rebekah. Instead, I started crack shipping her with Enzo. *REBENZO SHALL LIVE ON IN MY IMAGINATION FOREVER* Also, Dalaric. What the heck did they do to my beautiful brooding, day-drinking buddies Damon and Alaric post s4?

I also did a rewatch of Dawson’s Creek a year or so ago. When I was younger, I shipped Dawson and Joey for a while in the first two seasons. (Pre-Pacey and Joey, of course, because they’re OTP.) But upon said rewatch, while I still thought Dawson and Joey had some cute moments, I realized that Dawson’s a lot more self-absorbed and selfish than I remember him being? haha. Especially once I arrived in s3 and I saw how differently both Pacey and Dawson handled Joey’s “choice” between them in the love triangle. I don’t dislike Dawson and Joey, but I definitely enjoy them less than I once did.

Gilmore Girls I’m pretty okay about most of the ships. I will say, however, that I prefer Lane and Dave to Lane and Zach.

I’m also kind of “meh” about Jo and Alex on Grey’s Anatomy these days. But I thought they were really great together in the beginning. Also, when Derek died, I swore I’d freaking RAGE if Shonda brought in another love interest for Meredith. And yet…and yet…while Merder will forever be OTP, I’m really rooting hard for Merthan/Merriggs (Meredith and Nathan)? Which again, is hilarious because I was so wholly resistant to liking him or their potential romance. Now listen to me! Just read my liveblogs if you don’t believe me haha.

I can’t really think of other ships I once disliked and now like? I know I have some but I’m drawing blank haha. Also, I know I’m bound to have forgotten others. This is a relatively lengthy list, at any rate, right? 

Thanks for the ask!

xx Ashlee Bree

[theabominableblogger]

Rewatching “Rogue One”

Prepare for the pain.  Lots of pain.

A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY...

WHERE BE OPENING MUSIC?!?!?

That shot of the planet’s rings is so cool...

What planet is it called again?

MADS MIKKELSEN!  DAT BOI!

God, Galen Erso is probably the best and most important side character in this movie.  I will fight anyone that bad mouths him.

*Saw appears on Lyra’s ‘Skype’ cam*  BOOGITY!

So, do I have this right:  the Death Troopers are basically the Star Wars equivalent of the Super Soldiers from “Captain America:  Civil War” except they’re part kinda zombie?  Is that right?

So if Grand Admiral Thrawn has the authority to have Death Troopers, how is Director Krennic able to?

Theory Time:  is Lyra Force-Sensitive?

*Krennic appears*  Hey, it’s me!

A little backstory for this:  me and @theimpossiblescheme were talking about Krennic one day and I pointed out that I’m a lot like Krennic in that A) I would indeed put my feet up on my desk, sit back, and sip a martini (basically what he did in the Rogue One novelization) and B) we both freak out over anything and everything.  Lo and behold, the association stuck with me.

Where did they film this opening scene because it’s fantastic.

“Oh look, it’s Lyra, back from the dead.  It’s a miracle.”

What I find really interesting is that young Jyn has a toy Stormtrooper.  It’s reminiscent to little kids have action figures of famous people and superheroes.

*whispers*  Her lantern looks like a holocron...

I’m gonna be honest here and please don’t hate me for this but I think Jyn’s characterization is “Meh” compared to everyone else’s.  The first time I saw this in theaters, I noted that she’s not really as interesting as the other characters.  She’s kinda like Katniss in that matter.

*Cassian appears*  Diego Luna!

So Cassian’s a Fulcrum agent?  Are we gonna see him in Rebels?

“It’s the pilot... the detector.”  You’re that one dude in the pre release pics for Rebels S4!

Wobani... is an anagram... of Obi-Wan...

“Congratulations, you are being rescued.”  To quote CinemaSins:  “TUDYKKK!!!!”

Wait, that’s Major Sholto from “Sherlock”!

Mon Mothma!

“What does this got to do with my father?”  Honey, it’s Star Wars; everything is father-related.  If you don’t have a problem with your dad or have a secret sibling, something’s seriously wrong.

The Force theme!

There’s the Ghost!

So what planet does Yavin 4 reside under?

Holy crap, that Geonosian sand really got to Saw...

In all honesty, if you could remove one character from this movie, it’s Saw.  He was kind of an unnecessary addition in my opinion.

BOR GULLET!  BOOGITY!

Something Gareth Edwards, the director, is amazing at is showing you the SIZE of things.  He did the 2014 Godzilla movie and you can clearly see how HUGE it is and he did the same thing with the Death Star under construction.

So how old is Jyn when it comes to the Star Wars canon?

OK, looked it up on Wikipedia:  she’s 21 at the events of this movie.  That only makes her like 2 years older than Ezra in S3...

Is there really any point to this mind reading octopus thing that Saw has?  No, no there isn’t.

Cassian:  Stay on the ship.

K2:  OK (follows them anyway out of sheer boredom)

OK, Chirrut just has to be Force-sensitive.  Maybe that’s how he “sees;” he uses the Force or something.

Saw’s little band of guerilla attackers reminds me a lot of the extremists in al Qaeda.  Maybe that was intentional, I dunno...

“I am taking them... to imprison them... in prison.”

I just realized that Chirrut is wearing a Stormtrooper belt.  That’s badass.

God dang I love Donnie Yen as Chirrut.

K2:  We have no fear.

*Baze points a BFG at him*  One fear.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?  I’M BLIND!

AP?  Or a bot of a similar model?

It’s a physical game of dejarik!

“Are we not still friends?”  Lemme check.... NO!

“It’s a trap, isn’t it?”  Yes.  Everything’s a trap.  The entirety of Star Wars is a trap.

“You’re the pilot?”  “I’m the pilot.”  *sings* YOU ARE, HURRAH FOR BODHI ROOK!  AND IT ‘TIS, IT ‘TIS A GLORIOUS THING TO BE SIR BODHI ROOK!

Galen...

God, this speech is so freaking good...

“Think of where you are...”  *tearfully starts singing Hamilton lyrics*

I legit got upset in the theater when Galen died.

“My God, it’s beautiful.”  This bit is fantastic.

“I’m not very optimistic about our odds.”  NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS!

*Saw unplugs his emergency air and dies*  Well at least there’s someone else who chews the scenery more than him.

Get it?  It’s the planet.  XD

“I will be taking control of the weapon that I first spoke of years ago, effective immediately.”  *cue Kill Bill sirens*

“Now there’s a 35% chance [of survival].”  “I don’t wanna know.”  “OK.”

There needs to be more rainy scenes like this in Star Wars

*K2 presses some buttons in the background*  Beep boop beep

OK, Chirrut definitely is Force-sensitive.  I mean, c’mon.

*Cassian looks through the binoculars*  Well there are two Banthas, but I don’t see any Sand People.

Cassian, if you’re trying to shoot someone via sniper gun, at least have a cover over yourself so that you won’t have to keep continually wiping rain off your vision scope.

*Jyn sends a Stormtrooper off the bridge* That was the quietest take down I’ve ever seen.  Even quieter than the take downs in the Batman Arkham games

Why yes, I watch gameplays on YouTube.

“Star-Dust...”  Nope.  Gone.  It’s gone.  My heart has flown out of my chest cavity and has sailed out the window into the appropriately timed storm outside.

They killed off Mads Mikkelsen.  You bastards.

AND THEY DON’T EVEN TAKE HIS BODY BACK FOR A PROPER BURIAL!  THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!

MUSTAFAR!

No wonder in Rebels they say it’s where “the Jedi go to die.”  Vader has a freaking castle there!  It probably got built near the end of Season 1 but still.

Is that Julian Richings?

The interior freaking looks like a mix between the tower on Mortis and the Sith temple in “Twilight of the Apprentice.”  So many triangles!

*cue me drawing references to the Illuminati via Snapchat*

“Be careful not to choke on your aspirations, Director.”  Oh my God.

Yes, Bail!

“The Death Star?  This is nonsense!”  Shut up, Anderson, you lower the IQ of the whole galaxy!

Who’s that lady in the gold hood?

C’mon, Mon Mothma!

“General Syndulla, please report to briefing.”  HERA!!!

Please tell me we see her getting promoted to General in S4!  Please Filoni!

“Rogue One.”  Roll credits!  *ding*

Wait, Mon Mothma knows that Obi-Wan’s alive?

“I would trust her with my life.”  GAH!

Oh my gosh, we actually see Imperial faces in the original trilogy and this movie.

Well, Saw Gerrera was an asshole, Jyn.

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, there was supposed be a happy ending where everyone survived but Gareth Edwards didn’t get the go ahead to do it so he went with the “everyone dies” ending and made it dark.

Fun Fact:  the scene where they walk through the building on Scarif was filmed in a train station.

“Yeah, they rolled out the T-15s.”  Haaa... and they talk about the T-16s in “A New Hope” and the T-17s in “The Force Awakens”

ARE WE BLIND?!?!?  DEPLOY THE GARRISON!!!!

CHOPPER!

I love this music here when they realize that they have to deploy the Rebel fleet to Scarif.

Oh my God, 3PO...

Oh crap, walkers...

KARABAST!

THE GHOST!!!

Gold Leader!

I was gonna say “Where’s Phoenix Squadron?”  but then I realized that there is no longer a Phoenix Squadron :(

I love how they envoked some of the Vietnam War during the beach battles

Oh Blue Squadron made it in!

The prosthetics on the Mon Calamari are great in this movie.

Haha, that little hair flip Cassian does before using the handles.

K2 takes out the Stormtrooper squadron*  I’LL BEAT A MOTHEREFFA WITH ANOTHER MOTHEREFFA!

“Black Saber?”  What project is that?

Literally the main focus of the finale is to make sure the Internet connection is up and making sure the file is small enough to send.

K2, NOOOOOOO!!!!!

*K2 dies*  I’m done.  I’m done you guys.

What Imperial ships are those?

I’m one with the Force and the Force is with me...

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

EVERYBODY DIES AND I AM NOT HAPPY EVEN THOUGH I’VE SEEN THIS THREE TIMES NOW!

*The Ghost takes down a couple TIEs in front of the Mon Calamari ship*  Oooh, that was nice.

“I’m on it, Gold Leader.”  THAT WAS HERA!!! WE HEAR HER IN THIS! 

I HEAR YOU, VANESSA MARSHALL!

Leia gave us the Hammerheads in Rebels!

[Bodhi dies] *slams head on floor*

Mood:  Mads Mikkelsen opening a bottle of vodka during a “Rogue One” interview”

Baze looks like he has a air tank on his back.

*Baze dies*  God... dammit...

*The Hammerhead takes out two Star Destroyers*  Niiiiccceeeee......

Krennic, the entire Erso family is out to kick your ass throughout this entire movie.

Krennic also has a fancy Imperial pin in his lapel.  The Empire is just full of fancy pens.

*Death Star emerges from hyperspace*  Oh crap.

*Jyn and Cassian look at each other in the elevator*  Oh just kiss already

*Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer emerges from hyperspace*  Oh crap!

Oh God this music!

YAAASSS THIS END SCENE!!!!!

“Open fire!”  Oh hey Sam Witwer!

Fun Fact:  he threw that line in.  Even when he’s not Maul, he’s still improvising in Star Wars

[the camera pans to see Leia]  *sings*  We celebrate a day of peace....

NO!

AND IT LEADS RIGHT UP TO “A NEW HOPE!”

“And Forrest Whitaker”  BOOGITY!

[womanaction]

fandom: ats?

The first character I first fell in love with: does it count to say Cordy when i was already in love with her? seems cheatish so Doyle i suppose!The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Angel himself! that love has even retroactively extended back to him on BtVS more, where i liked/tolerated him but certainly didn’t love.The character everyone else loves that I don’t: uhhhhh Wesley Wyndham-Pryce i’m guessing, who i love a little less every day.The character I love that everyone else hates: CONNOR! unpopular opinion but Connor was cool. i really enjoyed seeing that side of Angel as well.The character I used to love but don’t any longer: since i used Wesley up there i’ll say AtS!Spike who is a different enough character. i didn’t mind his weird characterization at first bc i was just glad to have more AtS/Spike and i enjoyed the Angel/Spike dynamic quite a bit but the rest was...meh.The character I would totally smooch: Charles Gunn ♥ (it’s always weird for me to write his whole name though bc my mom’s neighbor is also named Charles Gunn haha)The character I’d want to be like: Fred! The character I’d slap: honestly there’s no one involved in AtS i wanna slap as much as Joss himself for the travesty of s4/mistreatment of Charisma Carpenter/etc. A pairing that I love: Cordelia/Angel natch. also Fred/Gunn! and others but those are the big ones.A pairing that I despise: i don’t despise Wes/Fred but i could. also Angel/Nina isn’t hate-worthy but just boringgggg. 

thank you!!!