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twdmusicboxmystery · 4 years

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Cabin Theory 2.0

Okay, so here’s my Cabin Theory 2.0. I’ve been wanting to revisit this since I did my 5x09 post a few weeks ago. I realized that the cabin Tyreese stays in with Baby Judith and Martin in 5x01, and the picture of the cabin in 5x09, were probably related. So, I’m going to list the cabins we’ve seen and then talk about similarities between them to try and figure out what this symbol means in the show. You’ll see that there are some interesting implications for the Leah situation.

1. S3 – Rick, Daryl, Michonne, and co run from walkers into a tiny cabin where they find a guy sleeping in there and Rick ultimately kills him. There’s also a dead dog in the cabin, so we’ve long attributed this to early Sirius symbolism.

2. 4x07 – The cabin the Governor and his pals stayed in with all the Native American symbols in it.

3. 4x12 – The Moonshine Shack. I honestly wasn’t sure this one fit the pattern of the others, at first, and wasn’t sure what to do with that. But upon closer inspection, it does. No worries. I’ll talk about it.

4. 4x14 – The cabin Tyreese, Carol, Lizzie, and Mica stayed in, and where Lizzie and Mica died.

5. 5x01 – The cabin Tyreese, Martin, and Baby Judith stayed in while Carol rescued everyone at Terminus.

6. (Not in the show yet, but there’s also the cabin where Emily filmed that we believe will be part of the missing 17 days.)

7. 5x09 – The picture of the cabin in the room where Ty is bitten, that gets blood dripped on it.

8. 6x04 – Eastman’s cabin, where Morgan spends a lot of time in that episode.

9. 7x03 – The cabin Carol lives in after she leaves the Kingdom but before AOW starts.

10. 7x11 – Dwight and Sherry’s old cabin where she leaves her rings and a note for him.

11. 8x11 – The cabin that Father Gabriel and Dr. Carson stay in briefly before being recaptured by the Saviors and Carson’s death. This episode and cabin are chalk full of Beth symbolism.

12. 9x5 - Cabin Rick stops by before he’s blown off the bridge. This was an extremely minor detail, but probably parallels well with Beth’s cabins, and it was purposely placed in the sequence.

13. Leah’s cabin (to be seen in bonus episodes).

I’ve probably missed a few minor instances. I think Aaron was at one this past season briefly, and there’s the place Alpha was killed, and where Negan stashed Lydia. But these are the major ones. And for only 10 seasons, this symbol crops up a LOT.

Okay, a couple of notes before I go on. I’m not going to talk about the cabin from the missing 17 days because we haven’t actually seen that and don’t know what goes on there. So I can’t say if it fits this pattern or not, though I suspect it does. Same with the cabin in Ty’s death scene, which is technically a picture, not an actual cabin. I believe that cabin is a symbol for Beth’s cabin (the one from the missing 17 days) so they are probably synonymous and not knowing what happened there applies to both. Just FYI.

So here are the similarities I’m seeing in different instances:

1. A character staying in the cabin is wrestling with some kind of internal turmoil or conflict. There is often more than once character involved, and both can be wrestling with things, but more often it’s the member of TF or more mainstream character that the cabin is about. If there’s only one character in the cabin, obviously it’s about them. (Don’t worry; I’ll give examples). Their conflict often revolves around an identity crisis of some kind. Who they are, who they want to be, who they will become, etc.

2. Death is involved. Either someone dies in or around the cabin while the character is staying there, or what happens there leads to someone’s death.

3. I honestly think the cabin is the beginning of a character journey or arc. Generally it results in something negative that happens, that the character feels guilt over. Sometimes this is synonymous with the death I mentioned above, but sometimes they’re two different things as well.

4. The character will spend the rest of that journey or arc trying to overcome that thing they’re feeling guilty over. Once they’ve accepted and/or forgiven themselves for it, the arc ends.

5. In each situation, there is a return involved. Either the character returns to someone, or someone returns to them.

So, let’s go through these again.

S3 Cabin: I give slightly shorter shrift to this one, only because it’s S3 and Gimple wasn’t in charge, yet. That said, it does check most of the criteria. The conflict there was short lived. It was weather to kill the guy or not because he was being loud and putting everyone’s life in danger. So there’s the death. I don’t think anyone felt overly guilty about it. However, in terms of character arcs, especially with the dead dog, what we see right after this is Daryl reuniting with Merle for the first time since he disappeared in S1. So we definitely have a return. Soon after is the episode “Home,” where Daryl comes to realize where he really belongs. And those are all themes we see around Beth. Just saying. So, return = Merle.

Overall, it doesn’t fit everything, but again, with Gimple only being a junior writer on the show back then, it may have just been less heavy-handed than most of these other examples.

4x07- Gov’s cabin: This was more or less the beginning of him returning to brutality which ends with him bulldozing the prison and losing his own life. Plenty of death comes out of it, including that of his own men and Hershel. His turmoil is about whether he’ll continue to be “Brian” or go back to being the Governor. His arc ends when Rick/Michonne/Lily kill him at the prison. That’s the return. Also, he’s been gone from the prison and TF for months and presumed dead. This is the beginning of his return to their lives.

4x12 – Moonshine Shack: As I said, at first I didn’t think it fit the pattern, because it didn’t end up being terribly negative. No death came directly out of it. But I think this was kind of the mother of all cabins. It was a much longer game, so it took a lot longer to see the entire pattern.

The emotional turmoil in this episode is extremely obvious, especially to our fandom, so I’ll leave it at that. The real trick is that there isn’t any immediate death that comes out of it. In this case, I believe its Beth’s “death” that comes out of it. We don’t often link that directly to the moonshine shack, but I believe the writers do. Everything is cause and effect for them. I think the emotional breakthroughs she had with Daryl led to her being stronger, wanting to stand up to Dawn, and that led to her getting shot. And that is obviously the negative thing Daryl then feels guilty about.

You could argue this arc ended with Coda, though most of us know better. When Daryl looked at Glenn’s painting with Lydia, he smiled, which shows that he’s forgiven himself for that. But his smile still slipped when he looked at Beth. So for Daryl, nothing’s over yet.

4x14 – Carol, Ty, Lizzie, Mica: The deaths here are obviously Lizzie and Mica’s, and they occurred at the cabin itself. Obviously that’s the negative thing both Carol and Ty felt super guilty about. But what was Carol wrestling with here, before the deaths? It was her guilt over killing Karen. She needed to come clean with Ty. This was the beginning of her journey that didn’t end, imo, until she saved Henry and married Ezekiel. That’s when she finally forgave herself for all the children who have died around her, including Sophia, Lizzie, Mica, and Sam. The return is a little muddled here, but what happens at the cabin prompts them to leave, which helps them return to TF, rather than stay apart from them. So it leads to reunions.

5x01 – The cabin Tyreese, Martin, and Baby Judith stayed in while Carol rescued everyone at Terminus. This is the instance that helped me figure all this out, and I covered it in some detail in my 5x09 post. In the cabin in 5x01, Martin was razzing Ty about being a “good” guy who saves babies. He kept saying that being good like that would bring death, and Ty didn’t want to accept that. So his turmoil was about whether to stay a good guy, or become more brutal and kill Martin. See? Identity crisis. He ends up leaving Martin alive and lying to Carol about it (for which he’ll later feel guilty) and this leads to Bob’s death. His arc, obviously, ended in 5x09 when he forgave himself, and then succumbed to the walker bite. TF returns at the end of this episode and Sasha and Tyreese reunite.

6x04 – Eastman’s cabin, where Morgan spends a lot of time in that episode. This one is about Morgan. He’s obviously wrestling with himself and his dogma throughout the entire episode. He’s still in his crazy state of mind at the beginning, but Eastman helps heal him. The death is Eastman’s himself, and Morgan does have some guilt about it. (There’s also Tabitha the goat.) This is the beginning of the Morgan we see in S5 on, where he follows Eastman’s philosophies. I honestly think this arc has ended now, as he has slightly different beliefs now, in Fear. At the end, Morgan begins his journey to return to Rick.

7x03 - The cabin Carol lives in after she leaves the Kingdom but before AOW starts. Here, Carol is wrestling with the deaths of the children around her. This is slightly different than in 4x14. Remember there, I said she was wrestling with the fact that she’d killed Karen and David. But her guilt over the children started there. Here, it just continues. The death is Benjamin’s (Henry’s older brother). Remember, Zeke brings him to her when he gets shot, and he dies on her kitchen table. Her guilt, though, comes less from his death and more from Abraham’s and Glenn’s. When Morgan tells her about them, you can tell she feels guilty for not having been there, and it prompts her to go to Ezekiel and join the war effort.

7x11 - Dwight and Sherry’s old cabin where she leaves her rings and a note for him. Dwight is dealing with the loss of Sherry and the fact that he’s become someone she doesn’t recognize anymore. (Identity crisis). Plenty of deaths follow, but the most specific one is that of Dr. Carson at the Sanctuary, who Dwight frames. His guilt comes from following Negan at all, which leads him to turn spy for TF. This guilt arc continues until Daryl lets him go to search for Sherry.

8x11 – The cabin that Father Gabriel and Dr. Carson stay in briefly before being recaptured by the Saviors. This one, most directly, is about Father Gabriel. He’s dealing with physical things (loss of his eyesight) and also a crisis of faith. The death is of Dr. Carson, who dies outside the cabin at the end. This arc, for Gabriel, lasts, I believe, until he becomes the stronger, more confident leader we see now. Back when Jadis and Rick disappeared, he hadn’t become the man he is now, yet. It must have happened sometime during the 6 year time jump. Which is interesting, given that he found love in that time. (I have an Ask in my inbox about this and how Gabriel and Rosita are actually a foreshadow of Beth and Daryl. Stay tuned for that.

Okay, so let’s just recognize that, especially as there are return symbols around all of these, massive Beth symbolism at most of them, and a cabin in the missing scenes from S5, this is obviously a Beth thing. I think the cabin we see when they finally show us those missing scenes will symbolize the beginning of Beth’s arc away from TF, which will last until she reunites with them.

9x05 - Rick’s cabin: This obviously represented the big of his journey away from TF and into the CRM. The death and negative events that come out of it are, for now at least, obviously his own. This parallels almost exactly with Beth and the moonshine shack because, in this case, we KNOW he’s alive, but the other members of TF don’t. And of course there will probably be more deaths and negative stuff for him once he’s away from TF, but we haven’t seen any of that, yet.

So how about Leah’s cabin?

Well, it seems obvious what Daryl will be wrestling with: figuring out where he belongs, especially with Rick gone. (Identity crisis). But my question is about the death. Spoilers say Leah has a son who dies, but the spoilers are so muddled and many of them contradict each other, it’s hard to know what will actually happen with that. Will that be a source of guilt for Daryl? Maybe have something to do with the scene in the trailer where he’s screaming? Maybe.

I think it’s equally possible, though, that something about what happens here will reach across to when Leah shows up again and maybe something tragic will happen then. This is what really got me intrigued about this cabin motif. Because yes, it’s true that in some cases (ie. Father Gabriel/Dwight) the deaths that resulted were of minor characters. But MOST of the cabins led to major tragedy for team family, and I’m wondering if the same will be true of the Leah situation. Especially as this concerns Daryl, who is a much more major character than FG or Dwight, I have a hard time believing that the tragedy coming out of it will be limited to the adopted son of a character no one really cares about. I’m just saying.

Of course this is all conjecture until we see the episode (and possibly S11). But it’s something to chew on. And it kind of feeds in to the question of whether or not Leah may end up being villainous. I’ll conjecture more about that in a day or two. ;D

Thoughts?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

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butchgwenwhyvar · 4 years

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The Star Wars Prequels are a Greek Tragedy

Ok folks, buckle in because this classics nerd has made some Connections™

One of the main themes in the prequels (and by extension, the clone wars) is the inevitability of it all – I know it’s because it’s a prequel and as such, we know their fate, but that’s why it works.

(For the purpose of this meta post, please assume that when I say ‘the prequels’ and proceed to talk about Ahsoka or Rex, I mean ‘the prequels and the clone wars’ – it’s all part of the same story)

(Important fact that relates to this meta post but doesn’t have much bearing on the actual argument #1: Anakin’s name comes from the Greek Goddess of inevitability, Ananke.)

But the main argument is this: the prequels follow the format and pattern of a Greek tragedy. A Greek tragedy always has the audience take part in the form of the ‘chorus’ on stage – the chorus keep the story going and tell the audience what’s up, but they also provide an insight into the characters and question the characters on behalf of the audience (most tragedies are set in populated cities and palaces but a theatre troupe was traditionally around 5 people, so they had to get creative with extras and stuff). In the prequels and the clone wars, the role of the chorus is directly on the audience because we know what’s going to happen. We know about order 66 thanks to the start of season 6 and the end of season 7. We know that the sweet nine year old we meet in the phantom menace will become Vader. We know that Padme will die and that the Republic will fall and Palpatine will take power.

To us, the chorus, it’s inevitable. But we also know the future of the characters, so there’s a thread of dramatic irony woven in (dramatic irony is a central part of the format of a Greek tragedy) because we know about the original trilogy and the fact that Luke will save Vader and the Empire gets royally fucked up by the rebels.

In Greek tragedy, the dramatic irony is a little less on the nose though. In Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex in Latin), the chorus and the audience know what’s going to happen from the start. By the time Sophocles had written down the play it had already been performed at least once at the Dionysia, an Athenian play festival where everyone got very drunk and people ran play contests – Sophocles was a common contributor to the contests, and it was recorded that he never got below second place. So as this play is being performed in the late third century BCE, it’s been around for around 100 years. The audience knows what’s up – they know that Jocasta is actually Oedipus’ mother, they know that Oedipus is actually the one that killed Laius and is bringing down the gods’ displeasure on Thebes. So when Oedipus and Creon are talking to Tiresias and saying ‘well, someone has to be cursed because that’s the only way we’ve pissed the gods off enough,’ the audience (and to an extent Tiresias, because he was a prophet) get a sense of dramatic irony. It’s similar to the scene in Attack of the Clones when Dooku’s talking about the sith in the senate – we as the chorus and the audience go ‘It’s Palpatine!’ because we’ve seen the originals and we know about the fall of the republic.

The sense of dramatic irony really helps to build the inevitability of it all because as the chorus, we know the future of these characters.

Another thing that characterises the prequels as a specifically Greek tragedy is the use of fatal flaws and how they relate to the character’s virtues. Anakin’s main character traits are his general mistrust of authority, his sense of personal loyalty and his need to help others – he’s proven that he’d burn the galaxy down for his family and the people he loves, and there’s quite a few poignant scenes in the clone wars EU novels where he’s mourning the clones and generally caring a lot about them (if you want specific novels, Karen Miller’s ‘Clone Wars: Gambit – Stealth’ is excellent and is the source of that excellent ‘blind me and I’ll tell you who laughed’ quote, and Karen Traviss’ novelisation of the clone wars movie has lots of scenes with Anakin being a good bro to Rex and caring about the 501st). Padme’s main trait is her belief in human decency (we’re using human in this case because I’m relating it back to humans) – she cares deeply about seeing the good in people, up to her dying moments. Obi-Wan’s main trait is his dedication to the Order and their rules.

However, if you turn these traits on their heads, you get their fatal flaws and their ultimate downfall. Vader’s issues with authority and his need to save those he cares about lands him in the suit and as the Emperor’s attack dog. Padme can’t see the problems in the republic and all the things going wrong with Anakin until it’s too late because she’s so focussed on seeing the good in what’s left. Obi-Wan fails as Anakin’s mentor because he was too focused on the way things should have been (let the record show I am not shitting on Obi-Wan, this is just my thoughts about the narrative and this part of the Skywalker debacle).

In Oedipus Rex and Antigone (written before Oedipus, set after Oedipus – it’s about his daughter), the same thing happens. Oedipus’ loyalty to Thebes and his unwavering sense of duty makes him an excellent king – he listens to his people and takes their complaints into account. Creon’s ability to stick to the rules and provide a safe kingdom makes him the perfect second choice as king (this will make more sense when I talk about Antigone because Creon is a main character in this play as well – his character arc spans the two plays). Jocasta is kind and sees the best in everyone (I’m sensing a theme). But if you turn that on its head, all the ugly details come out. Oedipus has inadvertently committed one of the worst sins that the gods can think of a punishment for, and he’s promised the people of Thebes that whoever has cursed the land will be banished for life. When he finds out that his wife is also his mother and he murdered his birth father years ago, he blinds himself in shame but asks to stay in Thebes. This is where Creon’s flaw starts to appear – Oedipus asks to stay and Creon casts him out. Oedipus keeps his loyalty to the Thebans by maiming himself and marking himself as the cursed person, but he doesn’t think his actions through. If he’s banished, his four children will also be banished with him and will suffer for the rest of their lives. Staying is the only option. But Creon is too obsessed with placating the Thebans and the gods, so Oedipus and his children are cast out because of Creon’s determination to stick to the rules. Jocasta’s need to see the best in everyone leads to her denying that her husband is also her son, even once she’s put the pieces together – there’s a scene where she’s talking to her main and her maid asks and she refuses to acknowledge it. This leads to her killing herself in shame once the news has gotten out. It’s inevitable. The audience know and love this play. They know what’s coming.

And then Antigone happens. Antigone is Oedipus’ eldest daughter. Her siblings are Ismene, the youngest, Eteocles, and Polynices. Eteocles and Polynices have declared war on each other (Eteocles is fighting for Thebes, where Creon is the king now) and have killed each other. Eteocles is to be buried with full honours, while Polynices’ body is to be left in the dust (the Greeks believed that being buried in the dirt was the only way to get into the afterlife). So Antigone tries to bury Polynices over the course of the story – her main character trait is her loyalty and her persistence. Creon is still too wedded to the rules, but now he’s also stuck on his own idea of power – the king’s word above all else, even the gods.

The play ends with Antigone’s suicide after being banished to a sealed cave for the rest of her life (she keeps covering Polynices’ body in dirt until Creon gets sick of it and sends her to the cave). Her loyalty and her tenacity have become her downfall and led to her death (for those interested, Antigone’s death led to Creon burying Polynices properly). Creon’s virtues of being a rule-following king lead to him essentially going mad with power, which leads to his son killing himself after he hears of Antigone’s sentence, his wife killing herself after she hears of Haemon’s death, and Creon’s apparent suicide (he gets an open ending but it’s widely accepted that he dies as well).

Relating this back to Star Wars and the point I made earlier: the prequels are pretty much the only Star Wars media where the character’s virtues become their flaws. It’s very hubristic and I love it. Ahsoka’s virtue is in her persistence and her drive to survive while trying to do what’s right – turn it on its head and she’s unleashing Maul on a bunch of 66’d clones to escape. On first watch, Rex’s virtue seems to be his loyalty to the Republic, but that’s brought into contention in season 1. His actual virtue is his loyalty to his brothers but that’s turned on its head in episodes 11 and 12 when he’s forced to shoot and stun them and know that they’re going to die and there’s nothing he can do to save them, which almost leads to him giving up entirely in episode 12.

And that leads me back to my main point. George Lucas wrote the prequels and most of the clone wars like the archetype of the Greek tragedy on purpose, to show the inevitability of the story.

The main parts of a Greek tragedy are as follows: Hubris (personal pride leading to a downfall)

The Chorus and the use of dramatic irony

Virtues as fatal flaws

Catharsis

The main parts of the prequels are as follows:

Hubris (the Jedi and the Republic’s pride lead to their downfall, Anakin and Obi-Wan’s pride leads to Mustafar)

The Audience and the use of dramatic irony

Virtues as fatal flaws

Catharsis

Hope

Back to inevitability: the use of virtues as flaws leads to the inevitability of the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker. He can’t not be loyal and caring to the point of obsession, jealousy, and overprotectiveness. Padme can’t not deeply believe in the power of human kindness and their ability to believe in a better system. Obi-Wan can’t not be wedded to the rules far too much. To take all of this away from their characters is to leave them as completely different people. An Anakin that doesn’t care as much is an Anakin that’s closer to the ‘perfect Jedi,’ a Padme that doesn’t believe in a better system is a Padme that lets even more atrocities fly under the radar in the senate. An Obi-Wan that’s not wedded to the Code and the Order and the Rules is an Obi-Wan seen in the early Jedi Apprentice books – a Jedi always on the brink of snapping, falling, or expulsion from the Order. So you see these character traits and you see what’s coming and it’s inevitable because these virtues and therefore flaws are what makes the character them, which progresses the story.

The use of dramatic irony also highlights the inevitability within the stories of the prequels and the tragedies. The audience of the films and the chorus/audience of the plays know what the characters don’t. They know that Oedipus is Jocasta’s son. They know that Antigone and the rest of Creon’s family will kill themselves. We know Anakin will fall. We know Padme will die. We know about the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. But they don’t and that’s why the dramatic irony works so well. We’re on the edge of our seats, waiting for the moment when it all clicks – when someone listens to Fives about the chips and takes action – when Anakin gets help – where Padme survives – where Obi-Wan puts aside the Order and tries to help Anakin and reassures him. But it never happens, and we know that.

Every time we watch the prequels or the clone wars, we think ‘maybe this time it will turn out alright’ but it’s inevitable that it won’t because it’s written like a Greek tragedy and those always end in the darkest possible way.

There’s another common thread between the prequels and Greek tragedy as well – catharsis. It’s the breaking point and the aftermath, where consequences are dealt out. The catharsis in Oedipus is obvious – it’s when Oedipus blinds himself and is banished. The catharsis in Antigone is subtler but infinitely more painful. Creon is punished for disobeying the gods and as his punishment, Antigone (his son’s fiancée), Haemon (his son), and his wife are all dead, all by their own hand. This brings him shame and it’s widely accepted that he goes off and kills himself, which is even more of a punishment (suicide was not welcomed in the Greek afterlife – they’d often go to the Fields of Punishment or the Fields of Asphodel). The catharsis in the prequels is glaringly obvious in comparison. Anakin faces massive consequences for his actions, which stay with him for the next 25 or so years. He can’t go back to the way everything was, because he’s burnt it all down around him. He’s punished psychologically and physically until his death, as punishment for his mistakes and his actions. The audience feels catharsis here as well, as Anakin doesn’t get away with his actions. His end is especially cathartic, not just because he got his comeuppance, but because he dies to undo a little bit of the horrors he’s committed.

So the prequels and a Greek tragedy always end in tears, and the quote at the start of the Revenge of the Sith novelisation (thank you Matthew Stover) sums this up perfectly. ‘This story happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It is already over. Nothing can be done to change it. The inevitability of all of these stories I’ve talked about is woven into it’s very fabric, and nothing can be done to change it.

However, there is one way in which the prequels are different to a typical tragedy – the prequels end with a shred of hope. Tragedies have to finish with the catharsis and complete and utter bleakness and the destruction of a heap of lives – Creon’s family dies, Oedipus loses his wife and his sight, Anakin and Palpatine destroy the Jedi – it’s one of the hallmarks that makes it a tragedy and not just ‘some play by Sophocles.’ The prequels finish with Bail and Breha and Leia in the palace on Alderaan. They finish with Luke with Beru and Owen on Tatooine, where Shmi and Anakin were from. They finish with hope, which is a complete turnaround from the tragedies that the story is written to fit in with.

#lee writes #star wars #prequels #tcw #meta #anakin #padme #obi-wan #rex #ahsoka #I need a classics tag

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venus-says · 4 years

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Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo Episodes 01-12

Roses are red, but roses are also blue.

Are you all ready for a precure overload for the next few weeks?

Yes, I'm back rewatching the previews precure series and reviewing them, and gotta be honest I'm so glad I'm back to doing these. Obviously, it would've been better if I had done the right thing and got back to doing these while Healin' Good was on hiatus and not now only 2 weeks before the show is back on TV (if the information we all have is correct), but I'm still suffering from the abstinence of my weekly precure dose anyway so this will fix the problem and give me an overdose for the next month or so.

Coming back to GoGo was a funny experience. Back in March I had watched about 10 episodes or so and I was HATING the show, I don't remember what was exactly that was making me feel that way but I seemed very aggressive in my notes, but for writing this post I decided to rewatch the episodes I had already seen, take new notes and everything, and in the second way around I liked this show WAAAAAY more. Like, if you compare my notes from March to the new ones I made this time around it's like two different people talking about two different shows.

Does this mean I think GoGo is perfect? Not really. I still have some problems, most of them were carried over from the first season, but after some more thought, the things I actually dislike are more or less related to a single character rather than the show as a whole. In fact, I think I liked these 12 episodes more than the first 12 of the first season and probably I like them more than the entire season as a whole? I think that because this is a sequel, I already know most of these characters, the dynamics they have, and the show doesn't need to take its time to explain those details to us leaving more space for them to work with the new characters for the season, also another thing that helps is that there are not many new characters outside the villains which gives the new additions to the cast even more space for them to shine.

I also like this season more on the thematic level. While on season 1 the themes were hopes and dreams, the theme for this season (at least from this starting point) is conveying/delivering your feelings which I feel works better for this cast than the theme of season 1 does, especially seeing how they really want us to buy in the romantic element for these two seasons. It is a bit on the nose, yes, after all, they have a delivery boy, a mailbox mascot, and a whole lot of letters going around, some of them even being sent by animals, but I like that. It's actually very charming seeing so many letters when we live in the era of e-mail where even e-mail is becoming "obsolete".

The plot of the season is, so far, pretty much the same. It's the Evil organization wants a Magical item related to Another world, that Magical item falls in the Precure hands, and the Evil organization starts to target them. The plot is so similar to the first season that they even have those useless little fairies that have no purpose at that all need to be collected on their transformation devices, this time around they at least have the excuse of looking for the monarchs, but still is a pretty bland part of the formula. But even taking this into consideration, as mentioned, I really liked these episodes by themselves, you know? The first episode was a really strong one, they have an episode focused on Urara that is also pretty good, and there's the one who's probably one of my favorite episodes ever where they're going to eat a cake but the cake goes missing and Komachi starts acting like a detective and they go on this very fun accusation game that later gets tied in with the villain of the episode and is just very absurd and also a lot of fun.

Another point I absolutely love for this season is the upgrade the girls got in terms of designs and powers. I love their new look, it's like they're wearing uniforms of different colors and it's just a new sleek design that in my mind really works well as bringing new air to the show. I also love how the new transformations look, much like what happened with Max Heart they got more vibrant and dynamic, and the new group roll call is also gorgeous, one of the most iconic of the franchise for sure. I also love the new attacks, especially Lemonade's, Mint's, and Aqua's that are very different from their season one attacks, I also like how despite not having an incantation/spell the animations aren't so long, they hit the sweet spot perfectly. And despite being more generic, I like the new phones they use as transformation items, if I wasn't so broke I would try to get one for myself because I really dig the design.

And speaking of powers, the action in this season has been SO GOOD??? After how much Yes relied on stock footage spam I wasn't expecting the jump in quality for the fight scenes would be this big. I don't know if they changed the art director or whoever is responsible for this part in the show in-between seasons but in these episodes, it has been awesome, the animation is very fluid, the fights are exciting, and even though the attack spam has been an element for some of them because the stock animations are shorter it doesn't feel as bad as in other seasons. It's sad that the show can't have everything so in a lot of cases whenever there's a fighting scene that is more detailed it means the other points in the episode will have drawings that are off-model (the most common thing I've noticed was Eyes in weird positions), but I think it's a fair trade.

The last part of this review will be to talk about the characters, and I'll start with where I have more problems just so we can end this up on a positive note.

So, it's not a secret my least favorite characters from the Yes cast are Coco and Nuts, and well that hate from season 1 comes back here but with some aggravating factors. Starting by the easy one, Nuts so far has been useless, if he had stayed in the Palmier Kingdom I wouldn't have made any major difference, at least not for these first 12 episodes. He's just there because the team needs a hub and for some reason, Karen can't use the storages of her family that aren't in use for herself, and that's it for Nuts.

Coco on the other hand... oh gosh. Do you know when during the first season I complained that Coco and Nuts human forms seemed like different characters than their fairy forms? So what happens with Coco here is something similar but is not really related to their form change and more with the character himself. Like, in the "prologue" in episode 1 fairy Coco is pretty much the Coco we left at the end of the last season then the butterflies appear and they have to go to the human world and getting there Coco assumes a sulky personality, thinking he alone is responsible for everything that is happening, and he starts to avoid the girls because he doesn't like that Nozomi is having to fight again, and yadda yadda yadda, and then Nozomi gives a speech to him and he's back to normal AND THERE WASN'T EVEN AN ENTIRE EPISODE OF HIM BEING LIKE THAT!!!!!!!! Like, I wouldn't like it if they had kept going on this line, but I think is much worse that they put in something that seems like it could be something deep, serious, that could bring interesting things in the future, and just drop that IN EPISODE FREAKING TWO. And then after this, he also loses his purpose, because Nozomi's infatuation(?) with him only comes up again in Episode 12 where they use it to make Nozomi feel jealous (which as we saw in the first season is a great plot, am I right?). All he does is be awfully dismissive to Milk and her letters, which yeah is in-character with what was shown in season 1 but it doesn't make it any less awful.

And probably the part of the plot I like the least is the royal drama that goes on with the Four Monarchs and Coco and Nuts. And the reason why I hate this is because when you stop to think the Monarchs are right to doubt from Coco and Nuts, but the show is obviously on their side so they wanna make the Monarchs seem like pricks that don't trust in CocoNuts despite they being such good guys. But like, they're two monarchs that rule over a kingdom, and they left their people unattended during a time of crises where the kingdom is rebuilding itself when it's pretty obvious that a certain brown squirrel could've been left behind and do the things people in power should do and lead their people. And the worst thing of all is that this could've been avoided if instead of making a shot of them looking at the Kingdom in the "prologue" they could just have them in whatever reunion they were having with the monarchs because then we could be in CocoNuts defense since in the first time they were absent from the kingdom was because everyone else had been taken and in the second time they would be in a much similar situation to the monarchs that also left their people without a leader to follow because they were under imminent attack. And I know this is a kids' show, I shouldn't be complaining about this since this is a thing kids would miss anyway, but well, I'm not a kid, I'll look at these things as an adult, and I could come up with a way to make them have the same results, without major alterations, but with a better justification for everything they were trying to do, and if even I, a nobody, can think of this, they most definitely could've come with something better.

Leaving the rants behind (just for a little bit), we have probably the most important addition to this cast, Mimino Kurumi, Milky Rose, also known as our favorite butt in the ass fairy, Milk. Speaking first about Milky Rose, I love her, I've always had, her design is great, her transformation item that doubles as a weapon is a lot of fun, and she's powerful as hell. I also like how we saw the process of Milk finding the Blue Rose seed and taking care of it as the episodes would go so it wasn't something that came out of nowhere, which I appreciate. My problems here come with how they portray Kurumi because while with the other girls she still acts the same, with Nozomi is like they reverted her character to the way she was back when she was first introduced and I don't like that. It's a cheap way to introduce a conflict that shouldn't even exist. And speaking of things that shouldn't exist, why is she keeping her identity secret anyway? Like there's no reason at all for that, is just to keep the secret vibes but even that doesn't work because while the show didn't tell our protagonists he information so they are in the dark and living the mystery, we as an audience already know Kurumi is Milk so it's a secret that it's not a secret thus it's not interesting.

But here's where the positives start to appear again because we also have Syrup's (and Mailpo) addition to the cast and I really like him. We don't have much info on him yet other than a few flashes of his past/thing he's looking to find in the Cure Rose Garden, but these episodes served to establish how he'll interact with these characters and the things he has learned with them that help in building the base for his development. Another aspect of him that I like is that he's very connected to the "delivering your feelings" theme of the show, and not just because he's a delivery boy. He's something that sees the emotional value of things and these are things he wants to protect, and judging by his actions I feel like the only way he feels so keen on this is because he probably lost something or someone important to him and that will connect with his backstory somehow, and I'm very excited to see more of him (and to know if my theory is correct too).

I wanted to have a paragraph for our heroines but not a lot changed for them, they had good character-focused episodes in this first batch but none of them actually was developing anything, at least not anything that was new so there's not a lot left to talk about them. And I kinda feel the same way about the villains, the Eternal is pretty much like a museum and I like their concept as villains, but Scorp wasn't very interesting as a general, and Bumbee became Team Rocket (which is not a bad thing) so there wasn't much out from the villains just yet for me to be able to give them any more elaborated opinions.

All in all, this was a very good set of episodes and I'm feeling that the journey with GoGo will be a good one.

So, that's it from me for now, what are your thoughts on GoGo? Are you also in the team that thinks this OP slays and it's one of the best of the franchise like I am? Did you also felt compelled to buy one of those rose-scented aroma diffusers after this show? Let me know what you think in the comments down below. Stay healthy, stay safe, never stop resisting, thank you so so much for reading until this far, and until the next time, see-ya~

#Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo #Yes! PreCure 5 GoGo #precure

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troybarnesbucky · 4 years

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I woke up and decided to analyze each 9-1-1 pairing with regards to timing and also buddie

I just woke up and all im gonna say right now is this: this is long-winded but basically it takes a look at all the relationships on 9-1-1 and compare the timing and level of intimacy to that of buck and eddie’s relationship.

at the end of season 1 of 911 I remember watching and realizing they were gonna push the whole bobby and athena relationship, and I was surprised, because I didnt think there was any preamble or much hinting to it. but I guess it made sense to me - they were both single, both in the same social circle, they got along. sure, made sense. and then season 2 comes along and they’re smack dab in the middle of their relationship and we have zero time to adjust to it as an audience, but once again, we quickly did (mind you, I did not watch it live as intently as a fan would, but I do recall a lot of episodes because my mom watches the show and I remembered a lot when I was catching up myself). at this point bobby and athena are happily married and I really do love them together, genuinely.

then, maddie comes along and there’s a bit more to the story. she has a lot going on, a lot she’s been through and we spend much of her first season getting to know her and watching her confront her past and create her own present. chimney had a bit of a rough start with relationships (.... tatiana, sorry love, but you could’ve had it all sis). her and chimney start out as friends but it’s very clear from their blossoming friendship that the writers intend for us to want a relationship for them, and we DO. because theyre adorable together and genuinely have so much chemistry and they’re good for one another. it’s a bit of a slowburn but we get there eventually, so much so that in the season 3 finale, we find out maddie is pregnant! which yes, did make me cry shut up.

hen and karen had a rough start. even if they did look happy, they went through a ton of shit in the first and second season, especially the first season. which is fair; hen cheated on karen, and a large part of her storyline revolved around her ex and having to fight for denny. but there’s so much love between them, and a heavy history that is palpable through the screen. by the time season 2 comes around, they are a bit more grounded, and more so by the time season 3, too. it was interesting to think about their relationship is comparison to the others, which we watched blossom in real time. especially in season 3, because we see their love and support of one another during their attempt to have another child, and yes I also did cry when they met nia for the first time and no I will not elaborate. hen also went through a lot of shit this season; karen, despite what she went through, was and continues to be super wonderful and supportive, if a bit wary (but its okay because drunk karen and chim was a gift and we were well fed) for a second. their relationship is everything and also karen carries the whole show’s sense of humor on her back, I said what I said.

then we have three more main relationships: michael and athena’s, which is over in episode 1; buck and abby (im not counting ali because genuinely she was in three episodes, im only looking at the main relationships for each character), which starts and ends in season 1; and eddie and shannon, which technically starts before season 1 and kinda ends in season 2 but then she dies.

personally I dont think there’s much to add about michael and athena’s relationship. firstly, michael is a doll and if they hurt him in season 4 I will riot. but more so, the show gave us a LOT to work with in terms of their past relationship. also, it was interesting as a viewer, to learn about them from the bottom up. we see the tail-end of their romantic relationship and watch it get replaced with a genuine love and care for each other and their family. it’s a stark contrast to what a lot of shows on television would go for; it has a bit of rough, bumpy start, but by midway through season 2, they’re both on steady ground in terms of personal family life, and it’s actually a breath of fresh air. their dynamic is heavily surrounded by love for family, and we love love love that.

I think with abby and buck we all liked it a little, at the start. buck was sweet to her and we see a change in attitude and an effort from buck that is clear to have never been made before. abby is also a pretty admirable character; she takes care of her mother, is incredible at her job as a dispatcher, and she struggles with maintaining personal relationships but still gives it a go with buck. and buck, from the start to end of the season, grows a lot, both independently from and surrounding their relationship. as a viewer I watched the show way later on, so I knew abby was leaving and honestly, I really did like her and their chemistry. as we go into season 2, we have buck, who is still living in abby’s place, and then the introduction of eddie.

so here’s the thing; this is where I was trying to get to. the show (the writers) made and continue to make interesting character and relationship choices. with eddie and shannon, there is a very clear closeness and chemistry between them that yes, does get revamped for a little. there is also history, which is very important and can’t be disregarded. but more than anything, we are looking at timing in this meta. eddie comes along in season 2 and there are a lot of things happening: hen and karen are getting back to normal, athena and bobby are suddenly dating, buck and abby are - despite what buck thinks - very over, and chim is single and ready to pringle, plus maddie is new and freshly separated from d*ug. as we go through season 2, we see development with athena and bobby, very clearly on their way to a stable relationship and marriage. hen and karen are working through things, we don't really doubt their relationship either. both maddie and chimney are single, and they become friends, and we very quickly, as viewers, realize where the writers are taking us and what they want us to think.

so now im gonna get on my clown shit when I talk about buck and eddie. specifically, regarding the writers and their timing and why I think they’re either really stupid or actually very smart.

listen, everyone loves slowburn. hell, I'm writing a buddie au that will probably end up being like, upwards of 80k words and it’s gonna be a slowburn. buck, at the beginning of season 2, is in denial. im not gonna go through details but I will say that like..... okay, he’s heartbroken and thats fair. eddie, through means of “what a man,” is introduced and within one fell swoop, buck is immediately jealous and then like, twenty four hours later, they’re besties. tea. totally fair. in terms of timing, especially regarding relationships, there really aren’t many things to note: buck goes through that weird thing with taylor kelly, eddie goes through his drama with shannon, and when shannon wants a divorce, it kinda all goes to shit. by the end of season 2, we have buck trying to move on (and also nearly dying by means of a firetruck but thats not my point but also writers wtf) and dating ali (guys how do you spell her name lol) while eddie deals with the aftermath of his (ex, technically but I don't know if its mean to say that) wife. there are more than a few moments between buck and eddie that hint to a potential romance and feelings, like the santa scene and multiple others. then, season 3 is very very interesting.

buck and ally(? seriously I don't know) are broken up, eddie is focused on christopher and actually, also buck, and then the tsunami happens. there is also not much going on in terms of other relationships on the show; maddie and chim get their shit together while also having a crazy season starting and ending with talking about having kids with a brief intermission of “I cant say I love you” and nearly dying on both parts and albert appears lol (and then disappears, too?? wtf). athena and bobby are pretty cool, hen and karen are trying for kids and hen wants to be a doctor. we have some others, like josh, who go through too much shit for my liking and deserve better, and michael, who...... deserves the world.

okay. cleared that up. but timing-wise, if we look at the writers and their regard for timing, then we see this: any time two characters are single and there’s an ounce of friendship even hinted, they end up together. fine, that’s fair to say because we’ve seen it, right? after the tsunami, which is a WHOLE OTHER thing im not getting into, we have the lawsuit, eddie fighting, lena bosko (yall can be mad but she was hella cool), hen killing that cello (I think) player, michael getting sick, wow this season was fucking insane holy shit.

but in terms of character relationships and timing, a lot goes on with buck and eddie. in this one season alone, we go from eddie being the first one to hug buck at his surprise party and christopher giving buck a card with “bff” on it, then buck almost dies (again) and eddie is, quite frankly, the only one who takes no crap from him after he quits and then the tsunami and buck literally tearing himself apart to find his best friend’s son and collapsing at the sight of them reunited and then “there’s no one I trust more with my son than you” (is that the quote, I don't know it by heart) and THEN heart eyes, and then the lawsuit and supermarket and “you’re exhausting” and “christopher misses you” and “I couldn't even call you to bail me outta jail” and then the “I’m hearing a lotta ‘I’s, buck” and “I forgive you” and then the Infamous Kitchen Scene and me endlessly screaming WHY WAS BUCK’S HAND ON HIS BELT LIKE THAT? but also very pointedly I will say eddie fighting specifically when he can’t talk to buck and then it stops around the time he can hmmmmm. and also “this is eddie’s house im not really a guest here” then the fuckaifajfgkjfglgakjdgag tunnel collapsing and buck literally, once again tearing himself and everything apart for a diaz, digging with his bare hands and the defeated look on his face and refusing to think about eddie dying and eddie very nearly dying but then recalling christopher, his family, buck, then christopher and buck, then christopher and buck again, then a rare shannon appears, and then it’s just-

okay. OKay. O K AY. ok. here’s what I think. either the writers are incredibly smart or just viciously stupid, or the third, lesser liked option, they know what they’re doing and don’t give two shits. they are sitting on, and quite frankly they have created, a fucking goldmine. but in terms of timing, and relationship choices, we have eddie and anna(?) as a brief thing that will either reappear in season 4 or never be touched again, then abby’s lame-ass apology that was just her attempting to justify her actions by claiming she simply just should’ve told buck sooner. but a lot of this season explores buck’s loneliness, and in a way, too, eddie’s.

yes, eddie has christopher, and the others? they have families and significant others. buck has no one (except maddie but you get my point) to go home to. I think, in terms of timing and thematic elements, this season took the time to explore the loneliness of two men, but also by doing so, only high-lighted their need for one another, their love for one another. in the past, that has lead to two couples getting together: athena and bobby, and chimney and maddie.

so, my point is, season 4 is the make it or break it point. we got (weak-ass) closure with abby, eddie’s anger and regret with shannon (and yes, christopher), an exploration of both of their loneliness, and a very, very clear rocket launch of their closeness and dependence on one another, in season 3. it started with a lot and ended with closure on all extraneous factors that could have possibly deterred the two of them from a potential relationship. more so, abby is getting married and buck has no choice but to move on; he may not have loved her anymore but he needed the closure (and no I do not think it was good enough and I think buck deserved more but that’s not my point).

this can’t be read that much into. it’s not subtle, it’s not subtext. it’s very clearly there on our screens, with every small or big line. they mean a lot to each other. anyone with eyes can say that, has to say that. the problem is, what’s the intention? like, are the writers actually doing what I've just said, setting up for a slowburn, taking it season by season. you can look at it that way, and it actually doesnt take a lot to get to that point of a thought process. there is a HUGE, fundamental shift in buck and eddie’s relationship in season 3. there is a perceived difference in their friendship versus both their relationship with others and the friendship between others. denny doesn’t call chimney his best friend, “his chimney.” athena has never once told hen she trusts her children with her more than anyone in the world.

there are a lot of interesting choices that have been made over the course of three season, particularly this past season. there are also a lot of possibilities for the upcoming season. we may see a return of that teacher, we might see buck fall into other women, we may see eddie not fully over shannon, or (hopefully not) an abby return. it’s just a matter of waiting, but there’s no denying the way things were left off; buck and eddie were both single throughout the entirety of season 3, considerably closer and not guests at each other’s place, both very lonely in spite of the people around them, closer to each other than the rest of the 118, both have a family member (or more than one for eddie) to keep them anchored. buck is, yes, more lonely, but they are both left off in the same place. my question, more than anything, is whether it’s intentional after all that’s said and done. and if it’s not, then why, pray tell, are the writers following their OWN very clear and self-fulfilled pattern of timing and relationships to an even stronger extent than they ever have?

#buddie #911 meta #9-1-1 #911 on fox #911 fox #evan buckley #eddie diaz #buck x eddie #chimney han #maddie buckley #bobby nash #athena grant #henrietta wilson #karen wilson #michael grant #long post #but yeah #this is my thought process

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precuredaily · 5 years

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Precure Day 150

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 02 - “Full Throttle Passion, Cure Rouge!” Date watched: 2 October 2019 Original air date: 11 February 2007 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/xjAlUBg Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

Ah, man, what a good episode. We learn a bit more about Nozmi and Rin’s bond, about Coco’s past, and about the villains. Plus there’s some great character beats. It’s still kind of a dense episode like last time but since it’s not introducing everything there’s some room to enjoy the moment. Let’s start!

The Plot

Nozomi can’t wait to tell Rin about becoming a superhero but Rin thinks she’s just playing around and is a little concerned at how spacey she’s being. Nozomi continues to insist that she’s telling the truth as they wait for class when Coco, in his human form, walks in, introduces himself as Kokoda Kouji, and announces he’ll be their homeroom teacher for a while.

(Notably, his family name basically amounts to “It’s Coco”, or you can derive “Coco” from the first syllable of each name)

After class, Nozomi drags him outside, and he explains that he wanted to stay close to her for the sake of Precure. Rin overhears this and asks what’s going on, so Coco explains to both of them about his homeland which has been devastated by the Nightmare Corporation, and how he needs the Dream Collet to restore it. Rin is understandably skeptical, but after Coco accidentally transforms back into his true form in front of her, she begins to believe his story. Nozomi asks her to become a Precure with her but Rin declines.

At the same time as this is happening, we get to see Nightmare headquarters for the first time: a giant, spooky skyscraper. Girinma announces to his boss that he’s found the Dream Collet but it slipped through his hands. The boss, Bunbee, mocks him and tells him that he needs to find the Collet for the sake of their boss, Despariah.

Back in the classroom, Komachi and Karen come looking for Nozomi to ask her what happened in the library the other day, but Rin tells them she isn’t around. Later Rin flashes back to a time when she and Nozomi were young children, and Nozomi got hurt. Her worry is that Nozomi is impulsive and will hurt herself without Rin’s help. Nozomi also recounts the event to Coco, explaining that with Rin’s help she was able to forget the pain and keep moving forward. Coco segues this into an explanation that his best friend is trapped in the Dream Collet, and they need all 5 Precures gathered to release him, as well as to gather all 55 Pinkies to make a wish and restore the Palmier Kingdom. A Pinky happens to show up right there, but Girinma has been antagonizing Rin, chasing her to where the pair are, and Rin begs Nozomi to stay out of this Precure business, it’s too dangerous and she’ll get more than just hurt. Nozomi, however, is confident now, and tells Rin to watch her as she fights for Coco’s dream. She transforms into Cure Dream and begins to fight Girinma,

At the same time, Urara is sitting on a bench, practicing her lines: “I don’t want to put my friend in danger.” At that moment, a red butterfly flies past her, and her curiosity gets the better of her, so she follows it.

On the battlefield, Girinma has turned a lamppost into a Kowaina and uses it to grab Dream while taunting Rin for being scared, as he says that this is what happens to the fearless. Rin flashes back to her childhood again, this time she and Nozomi were walking down the street at night when a large bird flew in front of them and spooked Rin. Nozomi wishes the fear away and helps Rin stand up and keep walking. Rin says that of course she’s scared of the monsters, but what she’s most afraid of is losing Nozomi, her best friend, and she wants to do anything to help her now! At that moment, the butterfly appears and lands on Rin’s wrist, transforming into another Pinky Catch and allowing Rin to transform into Cure Rouge! Rouge battles Girinma, insisting that she and Nozomi have always been together, and will be together forever, and then launches her special attack at him: Precure Rouge Fire. This takes the form of a butterfly trailing a rope of fire, and it knocks Girinma into the Kowaina, freeing Nozomi and allowing her to use her finisher to destroy it.

Girinma retreats, the girls reconcile, and Rin says being Precure was too dangerous to let Nozomi do it alone. The Pinky is still around and Coco instructs Nozomi in how to catch it in great detail.

DX Pinky Catch in stores now, only ¥2000

As the two girls and Coco celebrate their victory, we see that Urara was spying on them from behind some bushes, and she asks out loud to herself “What’s a ‘Precure’?” DUN DUN DUN.

The Analysis

Rin is my favorite character in Yes 5, which is why she’s my avatar while I work through this series. This episode really demonstrates what I like about her: she’s very down-to-earth, kind of snarky, and gives Nozomi a lot of crap, but it’s because she truly cares about her and Nozomi isn’t exactly a clear thinker. She worries about her friend, and worries that she’s overstepped herself. Rin was surprised to see how Nozomi had matured without her realizing it, because she met Coco and found something to work towards, but she was still getting into trouble, so when Rin saw the extent of the danger she was in, she couldn’t do anything but to save her friend. Remember this down the road.

This is our first proper introduction to the Nightmare Corporation in their natural setting. Unlike the ANCIENT EVIL of the last three seasons, Nightmare is just a business, and their business model includes opportunities for advancement and presumably higher pay. Instead of being destroyed, failure means termination. Their secret base isn’t a cave in an alternate dimension, it’s a conference room in an office building, and the board is made of a bunch of people with Kowaina masks on.

Since the major theme presented so far is finding and chasing your dreams, having an oppressive corporation as the villain faction makes an interesting foil and a very interesting commentary on Japanese society, where conformity is everything and corporate employees are often expected to work brutally long hours at the detriment of their health.

We get to see just how much of a dreamer Nozomi really is in this episode. As soon as Coco says he wanted to watch over her at school, she blushes and assumes he means he wants to date her, which she’s certainly amenable to. Then, in a gag that results in him falling on top of her in a compromising position, she blushes deeply before pushing him off and declaring that she has a very specific plan for her first kiss: under a Christmas tree with her boyfriend. (remember this!)

Another good gag is that Urara has a penchant for reading scripts that tie in quite nicely to whatever is happening at that time. In episode 1 she reads “You have to find your own path yourself!” right as Nozomi is running by wondering what she should do with her life, and in this episode she says “I don’t want to put my friend in danger” at precisely the moment Rin is thinking that about Nozomi. I don’t remember this gag from my previous viewings of the show so I’ll be eager to see how frequently it happens.

Speaking of her, I really like how they keep the other cures-to-be involved in the show before they actually get to transform. Urara is usually sitting alone, practicing her lines when someone or something comes along that grabs her attention. This is how she wound up spying on Nozomi and Rin’s fight, and will play into her becoming a cure. Komachi and Karen are also fun. They were baffled by the magically restoring library the previous day and want to ask Nozomi for an explanation. Their slightly different reactions betray their personalities: Karen is concerned about the wellbeing of the school and students with unexplained phenomena occurring, while Komachi views supernatural events as an exciting change of pace. Karen calls her “curious” for that, but Komachi says she prefers the term “inquisitive”. She’s similar to Honoka in that regard. Anyway, since it’s still a few episodes before either of them gets to transform, I’m glad that the writers thought up a natural way to have them around and incorporate them into the story, which makes it more natural when they do finally get to go. There have been shows that basically introduced the new cure the same week as her first transformation, not counting pinks for obvious reasons, so going back and seeing a show where they laid the groundwork is retroactively refreshing.

It’s interesting to me that despite being nearly 20 years old the first time I watched Yes 5, I didn’t really recognize how blatant the product placement was. The Dream Collet is clearly a toy, although unlike some artifacts from the previous seasons it at least looks like it could reasonably be a sacred artifact from a mystical civilization. The Pinky Catches are fairly small toys compared to the phones of the last three shows, being essentially large digital watches, or wrist-mounted v-pets. I always thought the fact that you have to open the glass cover to transform was a little weird but it’s not the end of the world. What really gets me, in the sense of “how did I not realize they were peddling toys”, is the bit at the end where Coco gives Nozomi a very detailed lesson on how to catch a Pinky, which for all intents and purposes is just opening the lid to the watch, shaking her wrist around, and then closing the lid. I assume there were some interactive elements in the toy where you could play with the captured Pinky but I don’t really know. Within the show, opening the lid gives Coco an instrument to lure the Pinky over to the Precure catching it. For Nozomi, this episode, it’s a bell. I don’t remember if it changes by cure or by Pinky or what so we’ll find out together.

Catching 55 Pinkies constitutes our Macguffin quest of the year, but since there are so many of them, each individual one isn’t a major event like the Prism Stones, Heartiels, or getting seven Miracle Drops and I’m pretty sure a lot of them get caught offscreen after a while. So far they’ve done a good job of not making it seem like the Pinkies are the be-all end-all of the plot.

I would be remiss if I neglected to mention that Rin’s seiyuu is Takeuchi Junko, who notably voiced Kenta in Splash Star immediately preceding this, but is probably most notable for being the voice of Naruto. Rin’s voice is a little higher pitched than in those other roles, which I assume is closer to Takeuchi’s natural speaking voice.

Additionally, Girinma is voiced by legendary seiyuu Nobuyuki Hiyama. His list of credits is extraordinarily long but he’s recognizable for his high-pitched voice. Notable other parts include Freezen in the second Max Heart film, Viral in Gurren Lagann, and Ikkaku in Bleach. Something I like about Girinma that I almost forgot to discuss is how he sounds very sly and confident when speaking to the girls, but pitiful when facing Bunbee. He stammers a lot in the office because he’s afraid. Also, his name is derived from kamakiri, the word for a praying mantis. Now you know!

Also there was a funny Kamen Rider reference near the beginning and that pleases my toku-loving heart.

youtube

I do want to talk about the music, and the clothes: both school uniforms and Precure outfits, but I will save those for a later post. Next time, things are going to get lively and lemon-scented as Urara takes center stage. Look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 1 kettei!

#Precure #Pretty Cure #Yes! PreCure 5 #YPC502 #PCD150

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bodakim · 5 years

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Could you recommend anime to watch?

I can :D Though maybe I will repeat myself about some very well known anime because... I don’t watch that many anime. I usually watch 1/2 anime per seasons (if I feel like something could interest me), and now it’s mostly anime with yuri subtext (I won’t use yuri bait because I don’t like the negative connotation of that word) or yuri. I read way more manga and doujinshs, usually :D - So well to get over it, non gay anime I really enjoyed back then (and that are, super well known) : GTO, Chobits, Jigoku Shoujo (hell girl), The Ancient Magus Bride, Pandora heart (though I recommend the manga a bit more), A Silent Voice, Tamako Market (though Midori is clearly gay).Jigoku Shoujo was one of my fav anime for a long time... It’s a bit of horror (but I was able to watch it even though I don’t really like horror). Season 1 and 2 were awesome, season 3 was... Surprisingly a bit gay, not that good quality but still really enjoyable.They recently did a 4th season and I absolutely don’t recommend it because it was meh. Kyoani anime in general are just amazing anyway, and A Silent Voice by Yamada is a must see.

- Yuri sub anime: Hibike Euphonium (obviously), Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight, Yuru Camp, BanG Dream!, Kakegurui, Little Witch Academia, Maid Dragon, Madoka MagicaI will always recommend Hibike since it’s my favorite anime :D (I think it’s pretty much visible through my Tumblr :p). S1 is amazing, S2 is awesome until ep 9, then some additions are... A bit stupid.I obviously recommend Liz and the blue bird, because the movie is a masterpiece (even though Nozomi and Mizore aren’t my top fav ship so it didn’t impact me the same way as it did for some people. I do love them but yeah.)I haven’t watched Chikai no final yet, but I know that Ishihara did some stupid additions that aren’t in the novel, though in the end they are apparently pretty much skippable and wouldn’t change the movie.

Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight is my second fav anime (and I really hope for a S2 like they did for BanG Dream, with the chara from the game :3 I want my child animated But beside that little detail, everything in the anime is just great.

Yuru camp became also one of my fav anime because it’s just so comfy and relaxing... Even I who don’t really like camping, it made me wanna try it out.

BanG Dream the anime is a bit special. I really love the game, I watched the first season before I actually started playing. A lot of people say that S1 wasn’t good, I don’t agree with that. The first half is a bit slow, but then it’s really good and enjoyable. S2 was also awesome, but I think you need to play the game first if you wanna understand who is who, among the other bands (except Roselia that is already introduced in first season.)

Kakegurui is super twisted and strange but it’s really good (if you can go through the weird mood).

Maid Dragon is hilarious (and Kyoani Anime, so you can be sure of the quality) and it’s one of the anime I had the most of fun watching.

Madoka is a classic.

Little witch academia was also a great anime, though I must admit that I am not THAT into Diakko compared to a lot of people (I do love Diana, but I have like no opinion about Akko).

- Yuri anime: Yagate Kimi Ni Naru, Kase San (OVA), Citrus

Yagate Kimi ni Naru is for me the best yuri (labelled) anime made so far in my opinion (if we don’t count Hibike that I consider as yuri). They totally nailed the manga and the quality was really great (the musics were amazing) despite a little drop of animation quality due to budget at the end.

Kase-San is just an OVA so it’s super short, but it’s super cute

Citrus is a must see because it also became a classic, though I do believe that you understand Mei a bit better during the 2 first arcs if you read the manga. I have a bit less interest in Citrus than what I used to (I collectioned like, a lot, and it was my fav serie until volume 10 arrived) but I can tell that the anime was really enjoyable... That is, if you do enjoy the manga in the first place (since the manga is not really for everybody, tastes and all).

Beside those, I am... Not super fan of the yuri anime that have been made before Citrus... I did enjoy Kannazuki No Miko and Strawberry panic a fair bit, so I could also recommend them if you wanna watch them, but I consider them as “yeah that’s fine” more than “really amazing”. For Kannazuki No Miko I think it’s mostly because of the mecha background that wasn’t really my thing.

So yeah, that’s pretty much that ... At least that’s the series that come into my mind when I think about recommendations

#Question #Anon #Anime Recommendations

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eeriehowl · 5 years

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halloween sequels ranking, now that i’ve watched all of them

halloween 2 (1981) : 4.5/5

very good! the plottwist is a little poorly tied in, but reasonably so because it was forcibly pushed into the script last minute, literally. so i can’t really blame them for not doing a perfect execution. otherwise, good moments throughout highlighting the characters personalities, and the jimmy bloodpool scene is priceless. it just makes me lose it every time. keeps the spirit of the original and also brings in mr sandman as a soundtrack, which is delicious.

halloween 3: season of the witch (1982): 2/5

honestly giving it points for the androids and the creepy concept with the masks alone. the masks have a fun design too, even if simple! i want one of those pumpkin ones. ✨👀 but the main character is a boring generic action hero type and doesn’t intrigue me whatsoever. and his fellow female lead doesn’t do much for me either until the very end. the buildup to the climax is boring and long, but once the climax is reached, some fun scenes ahead at least. the yellow goop out of the androids, yesss.

halloween 4: return of michael myers (1988): 2/5

mmmm. here we go down the hell that is the Jamie storyline. i’m not a fan of the addition and michael starts getting ooc in behavior starting here. i find it weird he even targets Jamie to begin with, and no, the family bond alone doesn’t feel like enough of a motivator for his character. i missed laurie. also, he pretty much lost his stalking aspect for the most part. i liked the rooftop fight, it was a fun little concept. michael’s OWO what’s this scene is probably the best thing in this movie, lmao. felt in character with his bizarre behavior. the plottwist at the end doesn’t make sense, not with context from later movies in this storyline either.

halloween 5: revenge of michael myers: 2/5

jamie story line continues. still doesn’t intrigue or scare me. even if a child in danger is usually a scary concept, the way it is handled here is just... not scary. maybe because of that lingering feel that’s still there from the last movie. the feeling that this is an unlikely target for michael. really takes me out of it. there are some fun and spooky scenes scattered here and there though. they subtly start hinting at michael being cursed in this one, which is a dumb plottwist that takes so much away from the original narrative of evil that made michael scary. doesn’t go hard apologism like the rob zombie remake though and keeps the whole ”its a curse” aspect subtle enough. the movie after this one though..........

halloween 6: curse of michael myers (1995): No

skip this one if u know what’s good for you. google the house chase scene if u wanna see michael fall down the stairs, but otherwise, big avoid on this one. this one goes further into the whole ”michael is cursed actually” storyline, it makes me snore. some people say it is better with the producers cut, but it’s really not. i’d argue that makes it worse. bunch of additional warnings for that one. the only thing that’s okay is that loomis is having a pretty chill time.

halloween: 20 years later (1998): 4/5

after so many mediocres and shitters, it felt nice to see a movie that did the franchise justice again. it also played mister sandman in the opening, which of course has me immediately. i liked the dynamic between laurie and her child here better than the one from halloween (2018), i felt that one was not as well handled. he had more character and was a better actor than karen’s actress. michael was back to being more of a stalking predator than the ”i’ll kill anything in my way” michael that 4-6 went with. all the laurie and michael development was interesting and their final showdown was really satisfying all around. too bad the next one pops.

halloween: resurrection (2002): 1/5

it kills off laurie on-screen early on and the acting is as sloppy as can be. i gave it one point bc there are semi funny parts after laurie’s death. it’s way more of a comedy after that than a horror movie. not good comedy for most of it. idk why they included the death scene at all, it just angered me.

rob zombie’s halloween (2007): No.

michael has rats for like 1 minute in the opening. otherwise, hard pass. gives michael an intricate backstory with a bunch of sad times, making his family shit, grasping at every straw to justify his behavior with a detailed sad backstory. this movie tries to make him an anti-hero instead of a villain, basically. explains waaayy too much about him, as john carpenter already said about it. he’s supposed to be sort of like a cryptid, this really did not stay true to that. graphic rape and violence and no subtlety what so ever.

halloween (2018): 2,5/5

the more i look back at it, the more it’s flaws shine, really. i had a good time watching it last year, but a big part of that is just bc i love watching halloween movies. i was thrilled to see laurie n michael again. but the handling of it is not great. the movie does not manage to make me care about allyson and karen, and they got a lot of screentime. i found myself often longing for a laurie or michael scene. but even so, the michael scenes didn’t feel very in character either, this one fell back to making michael a generic slasher villain. he kills everything that comes into contact with him and does no stalking what so ever. laurie’s scenes are fun however n the effects on her mental health after all this horror were believable and that car scene really HURT. also, michael’s akward creepy behavior patterns are pretty much voided except for that one scene where michael let’s this teen finish talking about his love problems for no reason before killing him. the ghost sheet over the girl was just a cheap reference to the original. of which the movie speaks of too much btw. i felt the references were very tacked on for the most part, except laurie’s little disappearing act. that was a real good one. doesn’t feel good that they’re making a sequel in the sense that it’s probably not gonna be great, but feels good in the way that i get to see my fave characters some more. 👀

#😏✨#text heavy af youve been warned #violence mention -#rape mention -#horror -#i was about to go idk why i wrote this #but i do its for me #ty for the food @ myself #death mention -#halloween (movie)

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karenpage · 6 years

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you’re honest. you never lie to me

an essay (?) about Karen Page + the importance of the truth.

I’m going to preface this with yes, I ship Kastle, but a lot of the details, the facts and the principles that will be shared throughout this post are some of the primary reasons I do, and not intended to necessarily change people’s perspectives to their own romantic pairings.

We’re going to open with Daredevil s1, where it all began.

The introduction of Karen’s character is flanked by ‘guilt’ by ‘the truth’ and what it means depending on where you’re standing when you look at it. She’s framed for murder (an ultimate act of dishonesty), because she was investigating the truth - she lost her job, lost everything, in her pursuit of what was actually happening behind the smoke and mirrors of Union Allied. And at this point, it just looked like money being moved around, which, while illegal and immoral, wasn’t as violently criminal as say, organized drug trafficking and gang-related violence (like the Italians or Kitchen Irish).

She relies on Matt and Foggy trusting her. She relies on that blind faith. And the few times Karen lies to them (and she does lie initially) was rooted in her paranoia. Her fear. Especially when you continue further on and she’s almost killed in her holding cell, and she doesn’t know who to turn to, who she can place her trust in.

Enter: Daredevil. (that’s a fine looking high horse)

He’s representative of good, working along the margins of the law (vigilante justice), but it is absolute. Of course, she has no way of knowing the shape of his moral code, but he’s the first person shown to save Karen so she latches onto that ideal fiercely. A continued theme of her thinking that Daredevil is the end all be all; he’s saved her, he does what’s ‘right’, or at least what the man beneath the mask believes to be.

Karen’s story arc through the entirety of season 1 is the pursuit of truth. It starts with Union Allied. It starts with Ben Urich. And then it twists into the guilt of Karen feeling the weight of the truth she unearths - doing what’s right, what’s just, starts to come at an incredibly high price. Karen’s life is threatened ROUTINELY, and she persists. She doesn’t stop.

I don’t think it’s necessarily a death wish so much as it is: people have died on this journey and to stop? To give up because she’s scared? Would be an insult to them directly.

And then she’s at the business end of a gun. And then she’s got so much blood on her hands she can’t breathe.

We now know (with the release of dds3), that Wesley wasn’t the first person she shot. That Karen Page has always been perfectly capable of handling herself but Wesley’s death is important in the shift of her reality.

It isn’t black & white any longer.

Because self-defense has a very narrow threshold and while her life would continue to be in direct danger if James Wesley was allowed to live, right then, and after the first shot into his shoulder, he wasn’t an immediate threat.

Karen emptied the clip into him and buried that trauma, that guilt, way down deep.

But his isn’t the first life she’d taken. It isn’t the first ghost that sits in her shadow.

So why is Karen so interested in the absolute truth, every inch of it laid bare even if it makes her look bad? Even if it’s ugly?

Cut to Daredevil s3e10: Karen.

After two seasons of Daredevil and one season of The Punisher teasing the tragedy of Karen Page’s backstory, we’re given insight into what’s clearly a defining set of circumstances for her later behavior, for her grief.

Karen made bad choices, and bad things happened; her brother dies in an accident caused by her addiction, by her abusive boyfriend and it’s an absolute, soul-rending ache that we see reflected throughout her adulthood thereafter.

But her dad, a man who had no sense of responsibility, culpability, let his denial of their circumstances make decisions for them and was emotionally abusive -- he took away her ability to grieve. Her ability to take the blame in guilt.

He made the death of her brother about him.

Karen was CLEARLY upset when he told her that she wasn’t ‘there’, that the sheriff was going to call it a one person incident because their family didn’t need more suffering. After her mother’s death, now her brother’s, what would that do to her father if she ended up in prison? It was exceptionally manipulative on his part to phrase things the way he did and that stuck with Karen.

A lie. Not the first but the one that defined her relationship with the truth. With honesty. With justice and vengeance.

A lie that blamed her brother for his own death and a lie that haunted her each and every day, and will continue to until she’s able to come to terms with the truth of it.

We see a scene of her looking at the newspaper (a clipping about the accident), and I think there’s a deliberate parallel there to a scene in dds2, which we now segue into. (we’ll come back to dds3 after, I just thought this was a necessary bit of past information that ties into .. well .. pretty much everything).

Onto dds2, or; the inevitability of Frank Castle.

The theme’s that tie Karen to Frank are constant, and, in my opinion, needfully heavy-handed.

Karen learns there’s a man killing criminals, a man who sees the wrong in what people have done and is taking them out with military precision. He doesn’t miss his targets, so why is she lucky enough to get away from The Punisher? What if he knows what she’s done? What if he, like Ben or Ellison, dug a little too deep and saw why she’d come to New York in the first place? Or caught the scent of James Wesley, the gun at the bottom of the Hudson.

What if she deserved it?

The guilt complex manifests tenfold after she kills Wesley, and continues on throughout season 2 with Karen believing that the reason Frank Castle exists as a concept, is due to the nature of the city. That really, these vigilantes are a product of circumstance. When people like Wilson Fisk rise to power, when there’s a wound in a city of that size, it doesn’t just go away. It leaves a permanent mark and Karen’s literally dedicated her energy to defending the downtrodden. To helping those who need help.

To learn the reason ‘why’ behind every defense sentencing.

It starts with: he has to have a reason. He knows who his targets are, it’s not a madman gunning down randoms. So there’s logic to what he does, however, distorted by perception, but logic nonetheless.

We see Karen throw herself headlong into this internal, isolated investigation BEFORE they have reason to dedicate their time and energy to finding a probable defense for Frank.

Karen goes digging before she’s obligated.

Because she needs to know. Her truths (how many of them now?) are all buried, all dead, all six feet under so that desperate endeavor for honesty and absolution drives her to break into Frank’s house after seeing the files. After seeing what happened to him.

And it grows from there.

Karen finds the truth, wants the truth, and starts to see her grief in the haunted flint of Frank’s eyes and while all of this is happening, her relationship with Matt Murdock has shifted into something romantic. She trusts him. Gets girlish and sweet, maybe even a little vulnerable in his company.

And in the middle of Karen talking to Frank, in the middle of Karen rooting around in a past that so many have tried to cover up, to hide, Matt is routinely and repeatedly betraying that trust.

Truth. Honesty. Integrity. Components to the walls that Karen keeps up around her, why she keeps most things, most people, at an arm's length.

They either hurt her. Or they die.

And she wears plenty of guilt for that. Karen’s her own worst critic, her own judge, jury, and executioner.

Now, Matt’s odd behavior is initially explained by Foggy as ‘drinking’, which wasn’t meant to be a lie that’d hurt Karen ultimately. Foggy did as Foggy does; he protects his friends, and maybe he’d panicked a little and that felt reasonable, right? Better than telling Karen Page that the vigilante she’d been enamored with is actually the blind man that she’s grown separate, and intimate feelings for.

Again, we look into Karen’s past and we see that she struggled with addiction; pills, powder, alcohol - she’s been there. And her empathy towards Matt, all those hours spent worrying .. are housed in betrayal, ultimately. And he can phrase it like he’s protecting her but really, they both know better, they knew better, and Matt was probably afraid of what would happen if she knew.

A lie is still a lie, no matter the intentions behind it.

Now Frank’s this sort of ... emotional lifeline for Karen after that first act of heartbreak is echoing around in her mind. Walking in on Matt and Elektra (which, and while I personally resent pitting two women against each other, I recognize the significance and circumstances of; this is all meant to dialogue about Karen Page, not to paint or argue opinions).

She turns to Frank, finds comfort in HIS justice, and it’s definitely an act of emotional projection. Her family is dead. Her family did not, and cannot receive the justice they deserved but Frank’s? That’s an honest to god tragedy (nobody comes out of that okay).

Their relationship continues in such a way that’s built on bald honesty. Even if it’s ugly, maybe especially then. Regardless of whether or not it’s chosen to be read romantically, it is significant, the line Karen has with Frank is probably one of the most important of her character: You’re honest. You never lie to me.

We know why that trait stands out among the rest. After all she’s learned about Frank, knows the skeleton’s in his closet; she doesn’t judge him. Not when the dust settles and the blood on their hands runs the same color red.

Guilt and grief are hard to differentiate when you’re in the thick of it but Karen’s always drawn a pretty distinct line.

No matter what, above and before all else; we are our truths.

And when she collapses in front of her wrecked car (Ben’s, car, isn’t it?), she’s faced with two ghosts: Kevin’s, and Frank’s (he’d told her he’s already dead, what difference does another bullet through another skull make?)

And then he’s dead for real, she thinks. She’s grieving a dead man, loving and mourning him all at once. The scene with Matt hearing her heartbeat? It was done deliberately; he knows what hell he’s put Karen through by then, he knows she’s come to care about Frank in a way that he fundamentally disagrees with, but can’t talk her out of.

But Frank lets Karen know. It’s a pointed scene, on the rooftop. What is it, to be a hero?

It’s not Midland Circle. It isn’t dying, and staying dead but living in the margins and letting your friends hurt.

It isn’t telling her: I’m Daredevil, and letting the mortification and pain and rage of the last year wash over Karen Page.

So we’re at Daredevil s3 (with an inclusion of The Punisher s1, and how loving dead men makes Karen Page switch to espresso)

We’ve already touched on her backstory, so I’m not really going to reiterate that here and now.

But the big Lie. The big HURT for Karen this season is Matt.

He died, but she refuses to believe it (even if she can’t know absolutely either way. Matt’s her friend. As angry as she gets at him, as dumb as he gets, Karen loves her friends fiercely).

He’s ‘back’, but not really. Karen feels absolutely and fundamentally betrayed; if Matt was back, he wouldn’t let us think he was dead.

So much for him promising he’d stop lying.

And at this point? There’s no degree of self-preservation to it, he doesn’t mask it as keeping them safe. He just cannot live with what he’s become. Matt Murdock dies with the love of his life under midland circle and Daredevil’s fit-together broken pieces.

Karen’s don’t fit with his, but she cares, and she persists. Because that’s what Karen Page does.

She helps. In spite of or despite the circumstances, Karen Page does the right thing in the face of all the wrong.

Her forgiveness to Matt is slow coming and hell, her defense of Frank to him at the very beginning communicates volumes as to where her headspace is.

Karen’s tired of grief. Tired of being tired. Tired of people dying in the name of her truth; look at the Bulletin. She’d pushed the Jasper Evans lead, she’d pulled on that thread KNOWING it’d bring Fisk’s wrath -- she still has nightmares -- and that’s because discrediting her, the agent of honesty and truth, is imperative for the liars to keep good in the business of lying.

So Karen uses her truth as a weapon when she goes to Fisk herself.

No one else gets caught in the crossfire because of her. No one else dies. this is the shape her justice takes and it is as brave as it is stupid, admittedly.

We close the season on transparency; all seems well with Nelson, Murdock & Page. Truth sits behind her teeth at all times but lying doesn’t go away, it sheds it skin and it grows and Karen Page values honesty. Values justice.

Not how it looks to her alone. But how it fits into the to City they call home.

#p #my meta.#karen page #daredevil #karen page meta #kastle #kinda?#not really but I want to tag it so people don't have to see it if it's blacklisted!#character: karen page #meta: karen + truth #long post for ts #THIS IS REALLY LONG AND I HAD 100000000000 FEELINGS BUT #here it is #long post

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cmhoughton · 6 years

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This interview by Karen (the Site Admin for Diana’s pages on the LitForum and previous CompuServe forum) is split up into two pages. It’s been ten years since she started her blog, so this interview celebrates that. However, since the pages took FOREVER to load I will spare everyone the frustration and post them both here.

However, since this is long, I will put it behind a cut:

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Outlandish Observations, I'm very pleased to bring you my first-ever interview with Diana Gabaldon! Frankly, the idea of interviewing Diana Gabaldon was a little nervewracking for me at first, even though I've known her online since 2007 and we interact almost daily on TheLitForum.com (formerly the Compuserve Books and Writers Community). I've never interviewed anyone before, and it took me a while to decide what questions to ask. I did my best to come up with questions that are somewhat different from the usual things people always ask her. I'm just DELIGHTED with her answers, and I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I did! (The photo above is from my first meeting with Diana, at a book-signing in Maryland in 2009.) You've published a number of novellas and shorter pieces in the last few years. What do you see as the advantages of the shorter format, for you as a writer? They're shorter. <g> I.e., I can finish one in much less time than the four to five years it takes for one of the Big Books. Basically, it's a bit of a mental vacation to deal with something that's very interesting, but on a smaller scale--and offers a quicker gratification in completing it. The novellas offer me the opportunity to go explore the byways of minor characters and interesting storylines that lie outside either the temporal or the logistical reach of the Big Books. Do you still write in "pieces" when you're working on a novella or short story, or is it more of a straight-line process? I always write in disconnected pieces, no matter what I’m writing; that’s just how my mind works. (I had one interviewer recently pause for a long moment after I’d answered one of her questions--obviously thumbing down her list--and then say, “I had a lot more questions, but you seem to have answered most of them already, while you were answering the one I asked you.” I apologized <g>, and explained that I inherited my digressive story-telling from my father--he’d begin (usually at the dinner table) with a recollection of someone from his past, and would start telling you a story about them--but every second paragraph or so, something he’d said would start a digression that added social context or personal opinion or associated history or data on location, and then without missing a beat, the story would swerve back onto its main track--until the next digression a minute later.) As I always tell people, “There’s a reason why I write long books; it’s because I like digression.” You've made very effective use of Twitter and Facebook in recent years, and many fans are addicted to your #DailyLines. How has the rise of social media affected the way you interact with your readers and fans? With your busy schedule, where do you find the time? Well, social media has sort of grown up around me. Back in 1985, I first went “online” (a concept that really didn’t exist in the popular consciousness yet) when I got an assignment to write a software review for BYTE magazine, and they sent with the software a disk for a trial membership with CompuServe (aside from government services like DARPA, “online” in the mid-80’s basically consisted of three “information services”: Delphi, Genie and CompuServe), so I could poke into the support forum the software vendors had set up there, and mention it in my review. After writing the review, I had a few hours of free connect time left (in a time when you were charged $30 an hour for using CompuServe—at 300 baud, dial-up), and so I started poking around to see what else was available. I stumbled into the CompuServe Literary Forum. This was not (as people sometimes assume) a writer’s group. It was a group of people who liked books. There were a few writers there, of course, both established and aspiring, but the main focus was simply on books: reading, impact, thinking in response to reading--and it was also just a fertile ground in which enormous, digressive and fascinating conversations could flourish (there was one truly remarkable conversation that became known as “the Great Dildo Thread,” that went on for months…). Anyway, that was where social media (which didn’t exist as a concept yet, though plainly it existed in fact) and I met. The next step was my website, established in 1994 (I think I was the first author to build a website for readers--and my eternal thanks to Rosana Madrid Gatti, who generously did the hard work of making and running the site; I sent her material and she’d post it for me (this was a looong time before WordPress and other blogging software made it possible for anybody to communicate directly with the world online). I did the website mostly in response to reader’s enthusiasm; I got a LOT of mail (regular letters) about the books, from people being complimentary, asking questions, taking issue with various aspects--but all of them wanted to know more: why did Claire do this, where did I find out about botanical medicine, did people really do that…and most particularly--when was the next book coming out. So the website was a means of answering reader questions--both for the readers who had asked those questions, and for the entertainment of other readers who perhaps hadn’t thought of those questions, but would be interested in the answers. The benefit of only having to type an answer once (many people naturally ask the same questions) was obvious--as was the benefit of being able to inform people of pub dates, book-signings, etc. So, knowing the benefits of such a channel, when other channels became available--AOL, for instance--I’d use them, at least briefly, and see whether they seemed helpful. Some were, some weren’t--I never bothered with MySpace, and in fact, it took some time for me to try Facebook (which I still use sparingly; I never go anywhere on Facebook other than my own page, and it’s what they call a “celebrity” page, which means that I don’t take “friend” requests. Nor, I’m afraid, can I read the private messages that people kindly leave me there--at the moment, the page has more than 700,000 members (or whatever you call regular visitors), and if only one percent of them send me messages…that’s 7,000 messages. There’s no way I can even read that many messages, let alone respond to them. Twitter also proved to be very useful; it provides instant access to a lot of people--and more valuable than that, it provides organic replication. If you post something interesting, many, many more people will see it, beyond the people who actually follow you. And it’s very good for making short-term announcements or asking urgent questions, because somewhere in the world, the person who can answer that question is awake and reading Twitter. <g> What's the most challenging, or frustrating, or difficult part of your role as consultant on the TV series? (I understand there are things you can't talk about, but can you comment on this in general?) Well, frustrations are of two types: 1) when a scriptwriter has done something that I think is not consistent with a character’s…er, character, and I can’t get them (“them” meaning not just the scriptwriter, but the production team in general) to change it, and 2) when they’ve shot something absolutely beautiful, in terms of acting, honesty, emotion, etc.--and then cut it out of the finished episode. What's the most fun part? The fun lies in seeing something remarkable evolve from a huge number of component parts, day by day by day. It’s like watching a forest grow in stop-motion time that speeds everything up. Would you be interested in writing another script for the TV show, after BEES is done? Yes, I would. It was a deeply interesting (if occasionally frustrating) experience. Script-writing is a very collaborative process, in which the script writer ultimately does not have complete control over the final product, which may have been rewritten several times by different people. That’s a very different experience from being a solitary god, as novelists are. <g> But it’s a fascinating experience, both in the consultation and writing (and revision and revision and revision…) and in the eventual final result: the filming. Filming is long, tedious, hard work--but very entertaining. As the OUTLANDER TV series approaches its fourth season, we're starting to see many more readers who've found your books as a result of the TV show. Aside from the effect on book sales (which must be considerable <g>), I'm interested to hear what you think about that. Do you find that people who found the TV show first tend to have different expectations, or different reactions to the books? People who’ve read the books first definitely have different reactions to the show <g>, but I don’t think the reverse is really true. I haven’t heard a lot of show-first people express any sense of shock or disapproval as to things happening in the books--they expect to see an expanded version of the story, with a lot more detail and more storylines, and that’s what they get. Many OUTLANDER fans, including myself, have re-read (or re-listened to) your books many, many times. Do you have a favorite author or authors whose books you re-read often, and if so, what is it about those books that makes them stand up well to re-reading? Yes, dozens. Right now, I’m re-reading all of Dorothy L. Sayers’s Lord Peter Wimsey novels, for probably the twentieth time. (I continue to enjoy them, but to be honest, I’m re-reading them now because I can put them down easily in order to work.) James Lee Burke would be another one, though I haven’t re-read his Dave Robicheaux novels as often as Sayers. And then there are Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin novels--I’ve read the series maybe three times, but listened to it on audio probably twenty times, at least--the reader, Patrick Tull, is fantastic, and the story always holds my interest while dog-walking or gardening. Like these, all the books I feel are worth re-reading depend on unique and engaging individuals. I like to spend time with these people (and on a lower level, I enjoy seeing just _how_ the author did what they did; knowing as much now as I do about the craft of writing, it’s hard to avoid seeing the techniques in use--a book that can suck me in sufficiently that I _don’t_ notice the engineering is definitely one I can re-read).

Part 2:

I'm not a writer of fiction, but I love it when Diana explains various writing techniques. So I thought it would be interesting to explore this particular one. I was astounded, and very grateful, that Diana replied in such detail! Be sure to click on the links about halfway through this post to read the examples from the text. *** SPOILER WARNING!! *** If you haven't read WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART'S BLOOD (Book 8 of the OUTLANDER series), you may encounter spoilers below. I was listening recently to the section of MOHB that deals with the Battle of Monmouth. It must be quite a challenge to write a complex series of scenes like that, with so many moving parts and different characters involved. Are there specific techniques that you use in writing battle scenes in particular, to give a sense of immediacy or heighten the dramatic tension? Managing a complex situation in fiction comes down essentially to Point of View. You have to know whose head you’re in, and stay firmly there. Until you change to a different point-of-view character, that is… Who the point-of-view character is determines what kind of detail will be available to you, and guides the shape and flow of those periods of the text that belong to that specific character. For example (as you mention the Battle of Monmouth section of WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD), the first thing I considered was whose viewpoint(s) to use in depicting it. I’d read several accounts of the battle, including a very detailed step-by-step description provided by one of Osprey’s Men-at-War books, so I knew the general character of the battle: it was a huge military encounter, involving more than 10,000 troops on either side, multiple commanders, and a ragged, rolling terrain that didn’t accommodate the standard eighteenth-century military formations and positioning At All. (No one chose the ground on which to fight; that particular stretch of farmland was just where Washington’s troops caught up with General Clinton’s troops, who were retreating from Philadelphia with a large number of fleeing Loyalists (and their property) under the army’s protection.) It was also a very long battle, fought from slightly before daybreak until well after dark, on one of the hottest days known (temperatures were estimated--ex post facto--at over a hundred degrees during the hottest part of the day). And it was an indecisive battle: neither side “won”--the British withdrew with their dependents and baggage trains and retired toward New York (which is what they’d been doing when the Americans attacked), and the Americans staggered back to their camps to recover, tend the wounded, and bury their dead. The significance of the battle, though, was subtle but Very Important--the Americans didn’t lose. This discomfited the British extremely, and heartened the Americans to an equal degree, enabling Washington to pursue his campaign. OK, so we have a very complex mess to describe. Obviously, no one person could possibly see enough of the battle to have any idea how it was going, let alone what strategy was in use. So I knew from the start that I’d need more than one viewpoint character, and could then switch among them as needed to give their separate takes on what was happening to them, and the reader would get both the necessary information as to what was happening overall, and the sense of chaos and struggle that marked the day. Obviously, Jamie Fraser had to be one of those characters; he’s a central figure of the story, and he’s a trained and very experienced soldier. So I contrived a way for him to be in command of a sizable (though informal) company of militia during the battle. Militia companies were normally fairly small bands of thirty to fifty men, who signed up for short enlistments and returned to their farms or businesses when the enlistment period ran out, and a great many militia companies joined the American army just before this battle--not all of them were documented, and thus it was entirely plausible for the temporarily-appointed General Fraser to be in command of several. So, Jamie would naturally see combat, both personally and as a commander. He’d be in communication with other commanders, and would know the proposed strategy, as well as specific moving goals as the battle was going on. And he’d be interacting with the soldiers under his command and responding to emergencies. [NB: Notice, through these examples, the sort of details that each character is conscious of and how they respond to them.] Example #1 (Jamie in the cider orchard) Then, of course, I wanted Claire. Both because she’d never leave Jamie on a battlefield alone again, and because as a surgeon, she’d have a completely different view of the battle. She’d be handling the wounded who came off the field, in a series of medical procedures/emergencies, but would also have a general sense of the battle as a whole, gained from the things the wounded men told her while she was treating them. Example #2 (Claire tending the wounded at Tennent Church) But we can’t overlook the other side of the conflict. What’s going on, on the British side? Well, we have a choice of POV characters on that side: William, Lord John, and Hal. I used both William and Lord John (Lord John’s thread has been running through the whole book and the punch in the eye Jamie gave him at the beginning is affecting what happens to him throughout the battle and its aftermath). But while Jamie and Claire are carrying out fairly orthodox roles in the battle--a general in command/soldier on the field and a combat medic at a static aid station on the edge of the conflict--William and Lord John aren’t. William’s been relieved of duty and Lord John is essentially trying to stay alive long enough to reach the British lines. Both of them, in storytelling terms, can drop in or pass through just about any situation I need or want. They aren’t compelled to follow orders or fight through a set conflict; we get a revolving set of pictures of the British side of the conflict and its various personalities from them. And finally, there’s Ian Murray, Jamie’s nephew. He’s a scout for the American side, so is not fighting on the ground, but--like William and Lord John--can occur just about anywhere during the battle. And like William and Lord John, he’s fighting a personal battle (whereas Jamie and Claire are fighting the more usual kind of battle involving troops and military movements). So Jamie and Claire are providing a more or less structured view of things, while William, John and Ian are giving us the smaller, vivid glimpses that add both to the overall picture of the situation and to the encompassing sense of chaos. Or at least we hope that’s what happened… And to close this exegesis <g>--note that each character involved in this battle has his or her own arc within the battle: how they enter the battle, what happens to them, what decisions they make and what actions they take--and finally, how (and how altered) they emerge at the end of the fight. -------------------------------------------- Many thanks to Diana Gabaldon for taking the time for this very interesting interview! I really appreciate it.

It’s always interesting to read Diana’s comments on her own process, and I like what a fan of books she is.

#diana gabaldon #outlander #book quotes

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densiland · 6 years

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A Line in the Sand (9x23) and Ninguna Salida (9x24) - DensiLand: Analysis of all things Deeks & Kensi

A Line in the Sand (9x23) and Ninguna Salida (9x24) – The one(s)... where everything is broken

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, a DensiLand Analysis returns! (And thanks as always to ncislosangelesfan.com for all the screencaps!)

Even I can’t believe it’s been 4.5 seasons(!) since I wrote & posted one of these. It’s a testament to 1) how burnout I was from the incredibly long “The Frozen Lake” (5x10) effort and 2) how life can change.

Before we jump into the episode, I want to express my gratitude to the entire cast, crew, etc. for creating these incredible episodes, episodes that have been sorely missed in regard to their quality, entertainment, storytelling, conflict, action, and so much more. It made me remember everything I loved about this show and characters.

So why these episodes & this post now? This all stems from our incredible @wikideeks team and our reviewer Karen. I was so excited to share my comments on these episodes on her review post. I found I couldn’t stop writing! It grew far beyond what was appropriate for a simply “comment” and I immediately felt that pull to write this post - almost exactly the same feeling that drove me to start this blog in the first place! Just know it’s not as chronological and detailed as my previous posts grew to be, as they had gotten out of control. (Plus, I wanted the most important stuff IMHO at the end!)

Preparing for the episodes - In seeing who was writing & directing these, I was excited! Then I thought, "Oh no, Military! What is he going to do to them this time?!" Like others said, where has THIS pair of episodes been all season?! THIS is the quality you get from people who have "institutional memory", who have been there from the start and can pull from the mountain of backstory. What an epic reminder of what this show has been and still can be. The rest of this I'll break into categories & characters.

HANDICAMS - Like someone else said, it was too erratic this time. Were they different cameras or the operators running? It was too jarring. Callen's pursuit with no music, which I'm sure was a purposeful choice, didn't just feel like NOT their show, but also not a professional network show at all. Weird.

(Simply because this photo should be posted.)

2 HOURS! - It was a glorious NCISLA movie that so many of us have longed for! Definitely worth it. Quality from top to bottom!

MOSELEY - Let’s just get this out of the way, as I don't want to spend much time on her. Initially, I expected they were pulling a "Granger" - hate him at first and then grow to love him. Nope. Not even an inkling. This character &/or actress (???) were consistently abhorrent. (It probably even made some of us apologize for the times we were angry with Hetty.) Not only does Moseley (thus Ms. Long) need to go based on all of this character's out of line words and actions, but I also hope it's done in a spectacular way. No slinking out silently to raise her kid. No, this is deserving of a public shaming from the entire team and epic firing by Hetty (in her most bad-ass fashion)! Deeks and the rest of the team deserve to be avenged. (Can you tell I’ve gotten pulled into the Marvel Universe since my last post?)

HIDOKO - As to not be forgotten, even though we didn’t “see” her Hidoko deserves mention. Good actress, interesting character. But it really depends on what TPTB might have in store for her if I’m invested in having her back. She's probably alive, but either way I'm ok. (But if she's dead did it have to be in such a graphic way?!)

ISSUE OF CHARACTER - I loved the continued thread of "character", as like Karen, I immediately had a flashback to Deeks & Sam's conversation over the chess game on the stakeout. Seriously, how do you question Callen's character? (Even Callen wonders this...)

SAM - They kept making such an issue of his continuous bleeding and I don't think it was just due to his slowing down/not keeping up with this case. It feels like there will be something more with this. It's no surprise he wanted to go after the kid, based on his own, and I like how he acknowledged the entire team was in this together. I'm curious why Moseley didn't snap at him the way she did Deeks.

FIRED - Yeh, that happened. (See the Surf Log over at wikiDeeks - tough to keep so short, thus this here!) I think we’ve all been waiting for a season or so for this too happen. Whether it was from Granger losing patience, LAPD pulling another stunt, or who knows what else, this had been foreshadowed for quite awhile However, the reason for this was outrageous, as there was no real basis other than Moseley pitching a hissy fit. (Reign it in Gayle!) Yet, like Deeks I was still utterly shocked.

For a moment. For some reason knowing Hetty was still there gave me confidence and peace that the decision would be reversed. Eventually. (And yes, a rascal indeed!)

Also, I don’t get why no one else on the team defended Deeks. That was disappointing. This was a very different reaction than when Callen turned in his badge.

Can we also appreciate this Tyra Banks-like “Smeyes” (pronounced Smize) from Deeks/ECO? Knowing he can testify against her (& with Kensi as a witness) is all we need as faith that he’ll be back.

BROKEN TEAM/PLANE SCENE - Skipping ahead, (don’t worry I’ll come back to “The Garage”) I actually loved the plane scene, of seeing them all at odds with each other as 1) it's something that rarely happens, especially at the same time and 2) creates the intrigue of how they come back together.

(Thoughts about Silent Kensi are ahead!)

(Who else shouted & did a fist pump when they saw Deeks emerging from the car? What? Oh that was just me? I bet if you’re reading this you did too!)

Yet, based on what had happened, sadly there was no way this was a happy reunion. If anything, it just ramped up. The tension in that fuselage was combustible!

Call me a “raging optimist” (like my BFF does about me with my honors students, even though that’s the opposite from my natural default), as it applies here. Even when I see it with my own eyes faith springs eternal when considering Densi. They’ve invested too much for too long for it to be otherwise.

This single utterance, “I’m still your partner. At least one last time.” Ouch! A punch right in the feels! The bittersweetness of this possibly being their last mission together.... NO. Absolutely not. I am not having it! So let’s unpackage this:

His words might initially just sound like carrying out his responsibility (even though he’s technically fired) of being Kensi’s partner, of “having her back”. It’s so much more. I know you Deeks; I’ve got your number! It’s simply be a pained cover for his unwillingness to leave Kensi.

He used the word “partner”. We all know how much that term actually carries, and it’s far beyond their work pairing, even if that was the jab he was taking. The other word holding a lot of weight here is “last”. Is this Deeks drawing a line in the sand (stay with me) specifically to get Kensi to see how serious he is and to force her to consider “their” finality? If so, this is a risky move in knowing how Kensi can’t be forced into anything.

Speaking of...

THE GARAGE SCENE

DENSI - That scene. Those actors. This is the brilliance that brought me (& probably you!) to them. I know so many people are just longing for the "happily ever after". In the long run yes. Yet if you know anything about me (from this blog), I'm a fan of the long-run, the journey, of overcoming obstacles. I've become accustomed to having the minority viewpoint on this.

Some comment they thought Densi was already past this topic. While yes, it's been a regular subject, I don't recall (like Deeks) there being any firm conclusion. Perhaps people aligned the engagement with agreement regarding kids and “getting out”, when that's clearly not the case. What they showed us were each of them being at absolute odds/opposite ends of a spectrum with each other. When in order for them to be together is a compromised (not like Kensi referred) negotiated middle ground. A happy medium if you will. I understand having kids does tend to be an absolute; however, the when, where, how, etc. are fluid.

DEEKS - Dear Lord, when Deeks uttered, "I don't think we should be getting married." - the tormented look on ECO's face CRUSHED me. (BRILLIANT & BRAVO!) Deeks has only recently made firm moves & plans to get out. (Kensi has never been one to make personal choices quickly.) The events earlier in this case and season have seemed to only escalate this. To me, it feels like anxiety & fear are pushing Deeks to get them out "before it's too late". (Although the “knocked up” comment was wrong in so many ways.)

He’s now become desperate & pleeding. ECO gives us a Deeks who is coming undone, even beyond his post-torture recovery - & it’s beautifully vulnerable.

This may feel smothering to Kensi who isn't YET there. (He's always been ahead of her with their 'ship.) As always he was willing to work through it before he’s pulled away. Still, he gives us hope: HE GETS TO THE PLANE. He gets to her.

KENSI - Yes, I left her for last, because again if you know anything about me, Kensi's my girl, a character I can relate to in too many ways. So here's my defense of Kensi.

First, it's too easy to project onto her in the garage as she says very little in the middle of the discussion. Silence it tough to interpret accurately without infusing your own beliefs. Second, that silent characteristic is pure Kensi. She withdrew, just as she has so many times before. Here, huge kudos to DR, as she isn’t able to rely on words, but instead must carefully express non-verbally to convey Kensi’s thoughts & feelings.

Some might be angry that Kensi hasn't "evolved" past this, but in unexpected situations we naturally gravitate back to what we know, what is customary to us. Kensi simply reverted to her natural default. She was struggling to handle everything Deeks was putting on her in that moment and I believe was working to try to get a grasp on the warring thoughts racing through her mind.

Third, someone else commented that maybe she has for some reason learned she can't have kids. Intriguing, but a stretch in my mind. As if this was true I'd suspect she'd feel driven to tell Deeks. Why? Out of fear he would leave her and she had to know, had to get it over with. I prefer to read this as fear that maybe she won't get pregnant; that this would make her feel like a failure to herself and Deeks. She (&/or he) would feel so ashamed then THAT will make them fall apart. She's trying to get in front of a potential future situation that might not even be reality - at least as far as we factually know at this point.

She's silently screaming, as her very worst fear is coming true: She believes he's leaving her. While Deeks' initial words might lead to that thought, that's not really what he's saying. (And he says that!) He needs (they both do) to work through this topic before they get married.

Kensi's turning to go back to the job, yelling at him about her job, of who she is, is "just" her reverting back to what is known, solid, and safe - her job. Her job that won't change. Her job that won't betray her. The one thing that's always been there for her to escape to. Something that makes her feel proud, satisfied, and fulfilled. A job that very rarely puts personal, feeling demands on her.

Finally, let's not forget in the field she screams at him, "We stay together." While it might have been in the heat of the mission, those words extend far beyond their professional partnership - just as Deeks’ final lines in the plane. This is the fight in Kensi, the grit of doing whatever is necessary, even if it's painful to get to resolution. (Think of how much time & effort she put into tracking down her father's killer.) And just as Deeks got to her in the plane, she didn’t get on the chopper; she stayed with Deeks.

Yes, she’s angry. But is she really angry at Deeks? Maybe on the surface. But it’s just as likely she’s frustrated with herself of not being able to find a way to get out/to see beyond this job, of not having worked this out solidly with Deeks before this point, of having walked away from him earlier. We know an angry, fighting Kensi isn’t going to let anything get in her way; the struggle is perhaps her biggest obstacle is herself. Yet she’s able to break out, even if it’s verbal lashing demanding that she & Deeks stay together on the ground. This shows us she's not willing to really walk away or lose Deeks.

For all the times their ‘ship has “appeared” more one-sided, of Deeks being the one chasing after Kensi, here we get the opposite. (We’ve seen it before, but more quietly & casually, like when she was trying to see him after the torture, when he was in jail, even when he’d been shot & in the hospital.) Her single line is all the hope I needed. (Hope from Kensi Blye, who woulda thunk?!)

ONE LINGERING ASPECT - There's one thing I am struggling to come to terms with. Kensi has seen Deeks having been tortured, of temporarily walking away from the job once. We know he somewhat came back to NCIS because of her, but did she think it would be that simple? That all of these near-misses would have no impact on him? (Remember Nate said the trauma is physically & psychologically cumulative.) That he's made of the same steel that she is? That he would simply bounce back (again)? She lives like she's bulletproof even though she's already been proved otherwise (coma). If it could happen to her, wouldn't the same hold true for Deeks? Does this not also scare her?

Seems strange, especially for a daughter who lost her own father at a pretty early age. How has she not considered that for her own future and that of a potential child/children? As someone who experienced this loss myself, I personally would work to avoid that at all costs.

CLIFFHANGER - I actually like this, not knowing what's going to happen. Of course that's maybe because this show has trained me to expect a positive outcome (eventually). There are so many potential permutations and combinations of outcomes to consider and keep us invested over the summer - something that's been sorely lacking the past couple of years. So I say, "BRAVO!"

Finally, as fate would have it, today my daily lunchtime Dove Dark Chocolate wrapper contained, "Keep them guessing." As Deeks would reply, "Done."

-------------------------------- P.S. As for all the swirling rumors of ECO leaving fully or partially, until he says, who truly knows. While I personally subscribe to an “all in or all out” mentality, the man has to live his life. Yes, he has a family to support (which is easier with a full-time gig), but it also has to be a life well-lived. We all have dreams and aspirations, work to avoid stress and boredom - celebrities included. For him to go into a recurring role, would be disappointing and lessen both the show and Densi. I would never be happy for us to lose Deeks. (The only support I’ll put here is for DR & Kensi; she was here before Deeks and is a complex and compelling independent character in her own right. She doesn’t need Deeks or any other man to be a significant individual character.) ECO & Deeks leaving completely would be devastating, something I personally refuse to consider.

#NCIS Los Angeles #ncis la #NCIS: Los Angeles #NCIS: LA #NCIS:LA #densiland #densi #deeks #Marty Deeks #kensi blye #deeks x kensi #Eric Christian Olsen #Daniela Ruah

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 6 years

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That’s a lotta debuts...

Rokuhoudou 12 (FINAL)

Ankoro mochi.

Temari seem to be round ball-like candies.

Youkan is a jelly-like sweet. Manjuu are sweet buns.

Kintsugi.

Tsundere grandpa strikes again, LOL. (There was another one in Saiki Kusuo, come to think of it…)

You can see some of the previous customers in these pans, like Isago.

I think tsundere grandpa said umai (“delicious”) after he was served the tea.

You can see…er, I forgot his name, but chicken tempura guy…dancing around in the background, LOL.

I feel sorry for Isago. He didn’t get much of a word in there…

Can we not with the shaky cam???

The framing of this show is exquisite. Just look at how Yakyou is backlit by the shop, showing how isolated he is in comparison to the warm Rokuhoudou Night inside.

Putting these two brothers side by side and back to back is really something special, symbollically. It shows how they’re equals.

Gure’s got his duck boat coat (happi…?) on.

Gure even has a duck boat shirt!

That one pose when Sui and Tokitaka declare Gure/Tsubaki’s combo to be like a festival…Tsubaki’s got no pupils for comedic effect there, ha.

Karamimochi.

“It goes down easy.”

Tsubaki…sensei? When did Gure start calling him that? Or is that just a joke name, like Gure does?

Haha, Isago’s face was scary.

Tsunozaki even got Yakyou some osechiryouri! That’s committal to the man!

Sui’s hanging with Kotsuru and her grandpa in the ED. Interesting.

There’s a little rubber duck on the table near Sui.

The lanterns say “Edo” on them.

Sui’s camera is a “Nion”, LOL.

Hey wait a second! This last shot of the guys looking at the night sky is what they normally show in the ED, but it’s in a different style and from the back.

Okay, that’s a wrap! I’d be glad to see another season of this just based on the warm and comfy atmosphere alone…

BnHA 51

Was it just me or was the taxi CGI?

Can we please get Mineta out of this show already???

They animated Mineta with such…er, gusto. Why???

Why is there a rabbit? More importantly, why are the girls wearing Iida’s glasses?

Meanwhile, Bakugo’s just going ZZZ…I think he has the best taste, simply because he chose to ignore the competition, haha. Update: I thought about it and Bakugo was being really nice this episode, surprisingly. Maybe he really is mellowing out!

I don’t really get Tsu’s popularity, but at least I understand her feelings of becoming anxious when everyone disobeyed her request.

Boueibu HK 12 (FINAL)

Sorry, I’m just really mad and disappointed at myself…so if I seem out of sorts and willing to laugh at everything, then that’s why.

“Bing”? Why “bing” and not “oof” or something else?

Uh, subbers? There’s no exclamaton mark on the ep title, y’know?

CGI arrows? Now there’s a usage of CGI I’ve never seen before…Update: They’re actually spears.

Wait, does that mean Zundar, Dadacha and Wombat come from Honyara Land too????

Uncle??? Oh great, more family business. *sigh*

Hey, this soldier-making machine is kind of like the mech…alright, I’ll stop with the comparisons to season 1. It’ll only make me feel bitter.

“You wanna step outside, huh?!” – Uh, Manza? You’re already outside…

“…they project a shadow behind them.”

I love how they’ve managed to retain Kamopapa’s uncertainty in the subs.

Hey, with all the best shows I’m able to see parallels to the themes in weird moments like this one. So seeing Ata relate to Furanui shows how there’s a parallel between Ata/Ryoma/Kyoutarou, Wao/Kamopapa/Karurusu and Kamopapa/Karurusu/Furanui, and I couldn’t see that in previous seasons (either that or it wasn’t there), meaning this show is thematically better than seasons 1 and 2.

Aw, brotherly love…

Admittedly, season 2’s Postcard Memories (that’s apparently what you call the style with a lot of streaks) are the best, so I can see why one measly eyecatch from season 3 can’t compare…this one doesn’t have any streaks on it anyways, so it’s not like it could.

“Stop ducking responsibility!” – Was that a pun on kamo? Or a typo?

Hey, just like season 1. Why is it that people believe upright stalks in tea give you good luck anyway?

Aw, I wanted them to keep tradition with this moment and have Taiju go, “I don’t know.” But no matter, keep watching.

Well, here’s the lyrics to Happy Ready?????! Sing along, friends!

It’s interesting that Ata/Taiju/Maasa’s swords have details on them that match their outfits.

*giggling at how stupid and silly it all is, plus how infectious the song is* But seriously guys, those wands aren’t microphones…

…*surveys the bath shot* Wait, where’s Ata??? Update: He comes in later.

So they’re going to stick with their guns and say that Kamopapa is a duck? I see, I see.

Wait, they flew to the school (in the OP)?! Has that ever happened in the previous episodes?

See, even if Happy Ready????? takes the stage, the OP is the best in the end! Hahaha…sorry, had to rub it in there.

That second-last sentence means something along the lines of “If we could meet again, I’d be happy.” That’s literally speaking, though. They probably stuck “are you happy?” into the ending just to piss people off, though, hahaha…or to admit they got caught up in all the catchiness of Happy Ready…

Anyways, that was (probably, LOL) a better ending than season 1 in regards to story and themes, so that’s just great! Happiness for everyone! See you again someday.

Island 1

I got so unsatisfied by how small the offerings were this season and needed something to keep my mind off a huge annoyance (one I can’t get rid of, you can see me being troubled by it in the Boueibu commentary above) that I know I’ll hate myself for watching this show, but…here we are.

Kid with amnesia. *sigh* Anime trope count: 1.

Robot dogs? That’s so early 2000s.

Ridiculous anime hair. Trope count: 2.

I knew that faceplant was coming because I read up on reviews before starting this (that’s specifically why I thought I was going to hate it), but on the other hand…thank goodness I didn’t have to see his (I already know his name’s Setsuna, so Setsuna’s) junk.

So if Marine Day (Umi no Hi) is celebrated on the 20th (see the calendar in the background of Karen to see what I’m talking about)…it must be July in universe. Just from a quick Google, it might be 2015 or it might be 1875 (see one of the Google results that says when the holiday began)…then again, Marine Day is celebrated on a Monday…

*raises arm to the sky to block sunshine* Trope count: 3. I need a bingo chart for these tropes, man.

This “outsiders must stay away” reminds me of Shiki, which is…uh, not the best comparison, considering what I’m comparing.

The one with the dandelion hair is…meant to be voiced by Hibiku Yamamura, right? I heard she was switched out because her company didn’t want her to voice the girl, which is the only reason I know this show in the first place.

What a lurid angle Karen’s been shot from…you can focus on her *erhem*(whispers “nonexistent balls”) from here.

“…you can punch or kick me to your heart’s content.” - Well, at least Karen avoids bringing up the trope count (by slapping Setsuna).

“…I’m off the hook.” – No need to spell it out, Mr Obvious. I’m grumpy here plus not really enjoying myself, so if you make any false moves you’re in for the drop.

Why are Setsuna’s eyes so small in comparison to everyone else’s anyway?

Well, the song finally got my attention. Congrats, you’ve just won my non-apathy, Island. (sarcastic)

“Cruzeiros” seem to be the currency on the island, huh? By the way, there’s a movie called The Island involving a gory staple gun scene. You might not want to refer to this show as The Island for that reason…

The bear slippers are an odd touch (aka an interesting detail), don’tcha think?

“You’re really rich.” – You don’t say, Mr Obvious?! (That’s strike two. You can do better than that, show!)

The way the mother converses is like the mother from Big Bang Theory, only with less talking…

His bed isn’t even springy, yet he bounces…? What?!

Why are all the main girls we’ve seen so far tsundere???? Why does she (Rinne) have a choker??? Most importantly, why am I using so many question marks???

Turtle apron…I’m not going to judge that, now, am I? It’s actually cute, in a vague sort of manner.

Ugh…tsundere acts are terrible when you’ve had to witness them thrice…

The monologuing…it’s losing me…but what’s a tachyon? Okay, here you go.

*falls over, starts having a nosebleed* That…was a comedy moment, right? Completely lost me…

How did Setsuna get back to Rinne’s house, anyway?

Uh, Rinne? Why aren’t you afraid of sexual predators? Are you really alone on Urashima?

Somehow I anticipated the last part of, “When the light touches me, I’ll die” before it occurred.

Rinne kinda looks like Menma when she’s just in a white dress. Update: I haven’t even watched AnoHana, by the way.

Anyways, that was boring. That’s a drop.

Hanebado 1

Another show I’m going to hate myself for…oh great.

Welp, I’ve read around about the shows on offer and this was one of the more favourable ones. I can see why, because aside from the boob jiggle and random slow mo, it was pretty well-animated.

What’s up with the extra-long ribbon in that girl’s hair, though?

Random yuri moment (on the paper, mentioning the “queen” of something)…? Not what I’m here for, but okay…

Short-haired girl seems to be way too angry. Why so serious?

I don’t have that much badminton knowledge, but I do know YONEX (see bag) is a real badminton brand.

Urgh…those panty shots, boob jiggles etc. are really making me regret watching this. However, there’s a real dynamism to this OP’s visuals that really sparks my interest, which is really saying something.

Apparently “hane” is what you call the shuttlecock in Japanese (aside from the more obvious “shuttle”). Makes sense, as “hane” can also mean “wing”.

“Bad” as in short for “badminton”. Not actually “bad”, y’know?

Strangely, they sexualise Aragaki the least. As if she’s the manliest in the bunch. That’s already true without saying that though, since she’s got the short hair and savagery more typical of a man.

There’s a box where the tilde should be, LOL.

They pretty much make the girls think about either boys or the sport. Can’t girls have more objectives than that? Diversity, people, diversity.

Can we not with the butt shot? Seriously, you can tell this was made by a man with a passion for badminton.

Why don’t we see these girls’ faces? *makes face of confusion*

Seriously??? This is what passes as comedy this season??? “Mistaken for perv”??? Ick.

Huh. For once, Aragaki speaks some sense. Considering what’s been bringing me down since before I watched Island, I completely get that feel, Aragaki. Maybe I’ll watch your show, then, if you can tell me how to feel again.

What’s with these feet shots, though? They’re almost as weird as the fanservice ones…

Hmm…the palpable tension…Alright, this gets another episode. If the fanservice is intolerable, I’m outta here.

Angolmois 1

I read some good stuff about this on ANN. This should be great!

I think I’ll end up liking this OP…and everything else about this show. Just look at that animation!

Wadatsumi…isn’t there a manga named after him? Update: Yes, there is!

Is it just me, or does the show look a bit…grainy?

Teruhi seems kind of like a siren for some reason…hmm…should I be suspicious of her?

Ryuugyuu Palace = Palace of the Dragon King.

ANN (I think it was) said Goryeo = Korea. Not sure which Korea, but…maybe at this stage, it was one unified Korea.

Whoa! Teruhi’s got some sadism behind that smirk…! Wouldn’t want to die by her hand, for sure.

The thing is…I wouldn’t normally support anything involving Mongolians, because most of my expertise comes from China/Japan (both forces who traditionally aren’t that happy with Mongolia…then again, they aren’t very happy with each other, either). However, I can see myself getting behind this for sure now that Teruhi’s shown her hand.

Tsushima Island.

Basically, Kuchii is the equivalent of an Australian convict…just with less water between his homeland and his new land.

Everything in this show looks like a Postcard Memory, geez.

I can see the little night vision boy being like a wakizashi in Touken Ranbu, i.e. a fast one who leads the pack.

Oh dear…just when I was enjoying the show, Teruhi gets captured. Dang. Just what I was waiting for (sarcastic).

Wait, a blonde blue-eyed person using the Gikei style? Wuh? Must be a missionary or someone related to one. Maybe he’s Dutch…?

Is that Gon-oh, never mind. It was Kuchii.

“A message from the ones watching Goryeo.”

At least Kano’s treated like a non-damsel in distress!

Why do I think these Mongolian ships are CGI? I’m not sure myself…

Hey, this title card reminds me of Nobunaga no Shinobi! In fact, the two are pretty similar, it’s just the war that’s different.

Despite my slight misgivings, this is a strong contender for best of the season already! Phew…it could even take out Hinamatsuri…and that’s an interesting prospect, huh? Especially because I don’t have a winter show to take that spot.

Angels of Death 1

I checked up what satsuriku means and apparently it means “slaughter”. So yeah, that’s a perfect translation…not to mention I haven’t read ahead on this show, so anything for it is a surprise.

I thought the OP was going to happen after that titlecard, but nope. Just an OST track…

Why would anyone talk to a typewriter? Sure, it responds to your voice, but…eh, I guess anything happens in a horror show.

Geez, those wall effects are realistic. Just like I’d expect from a game adaption. Now if only I had an adaption of Alice Mare, which I’ve played before…

The effects on the walls remind me of Despera promotion, actually…

Should horror shows and other media teach a consumer the value of life? Or the horrors of humanity? Who knows, maybe both…?

Like dude, don’t wonder if there’s an elevator when there’s a sign right in front of you saying “elevator passage”!

So, uh…what happened to the bird, Rachel?

Wellllllllll…that’s not sketchy at all. Your doctor saying he’s actually your doctor, that is.

I wonder if Rachel’s sewing up of the bird represents her insanity…or her humanity…

(Trigger warning…?) Why does the doctor’s words seem so much…like a paedophile’s?

CGI door…geesh. Why is it I get the feeling Rachel’s being dragged along on a plotline she can’t deviate from?

What’s with this awkward pinning position? Sometimes it’s meant to be sexy, sometimes it’s meant to be horrific, but this…with the doctor’s tongue hanging out, it looks kind of dumb and takes you out of the show.

Aw, c’mon. The slicing of the head was enough, you didn’t need to add blood rain to it…

“I’m a grown-ass man, you know.” – For some reason, I found that line funny.

That’s a lot of blood splattered on the walls…maybe too much for a human…? I’m not a medical specialist, don’t ask me.

Hmm…I don’t know about this one yet. In mystery terms, it’s better than Island – it does pull twists off very well, simply because I can’t really see them coming. However, as a horror, there are a few eyebrow raises involved. It’s good enough to keep for now, but it’s probably going to get lost in the rabble later on.

Harukana Receive 1

Ooh no, I’m going to hate myself for this…I’m only watching this for my resolutions and the fact all the good stuff debuts late! You understand???

Is it just me, or are all the shows getting English titles on their titlecards from day 1 these days? It was the same with Satsuriku no Tenshi…

I’m already zoning out of this episode a tonne, and that’s just the plane zooming overhead to establish the setting!

I don’t get the green edge of Haruka’s eyes (note I read up on this show with the ANN preview guide beforehand). I mean, why is it green???

Wait, in the airport it’s only women. C’mon, that’s just unrealistic. Not to mention there’s a bit of emphasis on how Haruka’s…tatas…move, which is vaguely annoying.

Sorry, but there are some reallllllly ugly CGI cars in the background that distract me a lot. It’s pulling me out of the show.

All the girls so far have had green-edged eyes, but this one’s got red…

Oof…that sun…that sand…I can smell the beach already. At least that’s a pro of this show.

And…boob jiggles. One last strike and I’m kickin’ you out, show!

Why are all anime turtles called Kamekichi? I mean, Touken Ranbu’s Urashima’s turtle is also called Kamekichi…

Narumi (red-edge) actually has purple eye edges. My bad.

I thought the ball was going to hit Haruka, just for comedy. At least I was wrong…

There’s something really CGI and round about the ball. There was this beach volleyball game I remember seeing someone play, and the ball looked exactly like that.

There’s something vaguely annoying about Haruka’s enthusiasm. For the show, it’s nice for the sake of moving plot (and “plot”)…but I find it a bit grating.

Narumi reminds me of Ahagon (Umiko) in New Game.

Why do I feel like I’ve heard the “we don’t need aces” spiel before? (Not just because I read about it a few days ago, too.)

Geesh, more boob jiggle.

Is it just me, or do Kanata and Narumi look similar when there’s a closeup on them?

Oh yeah, protip. Mikasa is an actual provider of volleyballs. Not just an Attack on Titan reference.

They were clearly trying to go for comedy with the lines and stuff. I learnt from Acchi Kocchi that if I’m not impressed with a comedic moment time and time again, it’s likely the show will fail on me.

Wait, these girls are cousins, right? This is edging into yuri right here…eesh.

There’s something oddly realistic about the sand. I’m not sure whether to be happy about that or not.

What was up with the slow-mo??? Urgh, it frustrated me!

Actually, Narumi is kind of like Hifumi from New Game as well…quiet and unable to stop others from pushing her around most of the time.

Chanpuru.

Nothing came up on Google about inamuduchi. Update: Oh, it was because I typed its name wrong. Fixed it!

Rasmus…Faber? The guy who attracted me to Asterisk War??? He’s here??? That’s it! That’s the last straw! Every show he’s assigned to is terrible for me, and this is no exception!

(Trigger warning) Lemme guess…Kanata’s parents died and so she couldn’t play anymore.

Turns out Mikasa (the volleyball guys I was talking about earlier) helped out with this show too. No wonder it seems true to life…but that Kamekichi joke was terrible. Terrible, I tell you.

See? I did hate myself for that! Urgh!

Update: That was Haruka’s mother??? I thought that was her older sister???

Chio’s School Road 1

Why…do I get such a bad feeling about this show???

Tsuugakuro literally means “commute to school road”, so thank goodness I don’t have to deal with that mouthful.

What’s with the boob jiggle this season??? That’s why I passed on this show initially! Also, are those really bad graphics…intentional?

Alright, because this OP ends with a man’s fly being down, I’m going to stop it right there. I could do without that in my life…

…Alright, Plyasm talked me into properly watching this one. If I hate it again, it’s his fault.

…(exasperated tone) Dude. I like the gamer girl trope, but not the boob jiggle. The heck am I meant to think???

As much as I can relate to not wanting to be pointed out in order to not stand out, I feel like that’s just there to make an objective of the endgame. I don’t know why I think that, I just do.

The kitty is very fluffy at least.

How is Chio not slipping as she runs across the rooftops???

For a second, I thought the bird was trembling in mid-air! That’s just impossible…y’know?

Huh? I don’t get the yellow monkey joke…and that’s not a name pun either. It’s just a random statement made from exaggeration with no basis in the language! My enemy when it comes to jokes!

Okay, when even side characters have bouncing balloons under their shirts, I. Just. Don’t. Get it.

Panty shots…the only thing worse than boob shots.

Assassins don’t help people, though…

The reaction faces…aren’t even as good as Mahou Shoujo Ore’s, c’mon. They’re just…kinda there. They aren’t even memeable.

Samejima Gakuen…enjo kousai (compensated dating)…? *giggles a bit properly for the first time this episode*

Is it just me, or do the teacher’s eyes not match? One’s blue and the other’s…brown? I don’t know.

It’s the start of the second segment in the first episode…and I can see this premise wearing thin already…

Why do the little men on the crossing signals have hats, anyway?

*sigh* Another panty shot…

I think the spinning made me dizzy…it was probably done like this to maximise laughter, but it sure didn’t make me laugh.

Ouch, wouldn’t want to be on the end of that kendo practice sword…and he hasn’t even hit anyone with it…

I thought…she was going to say “thank you”…that would’ve at least gone for the feels. I just feel vaguely disappointed, y’know?

With that, it’s another drop…but I can’t really complain to Ply either because I didn’t entirely hate it, either…Maybe if I understood the gaming references I could understand it better, but it’s a flop nonetheless.

Music Girls 1

Oh dear…as soon as I went in, I immediately got a feeling of “I will suffer from this, won’t I?”

Girl, c’mon. You’re at least 2 years too old to be playing with dolls.

Wait, are we welcoming Japan or are we being welcomed to Japan? Dangit, English!

Kotoko looks like obvious comic relief, you can tell from the face alone.

Roro looks like she’s 10! Heck, what is her deal?

I feel like all of the show’s production budget went into animating that one sequence with the cows. That was just an imagination sequence, people!

Wow, suddenly you’ve caught my attention, show. Just by having the pigtailed girl’s hair go up when she was surprised.

Hey. Wasn’t Mr Ikehashi suffering from salt in the eyes? Shouldn’t he have cried it out more than that? Why didn’t anyone clean up the salt afterwards? It’s questions like these you need to answer, show.

The background characters in this show look terrible, by the way.

*sees a loving pan of the girl (Hanako), starting from her boobs and stopping near her mouth* Okkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…I’m really regretting the decision to watch this now.

Why is it that the shows this season look so good, but they’re so trash under the surface, trying to break through??? (referencing a Coldplay song)

Didn’t you guys notice the name “King Records” in the opening credits? When that plane was there? Okay, well, now you know. “Pine Records” isn’t the most blatant of shout-outs, but the spirit of it is still kind of there.

You don’t get the candy-stripes of the girls’ outfits in this show? I don’t, either.

Hey…you’re kidding, right? 2D animation! Not even Idolish7 did that to the max! You really have my interest now!

That girl’s counting in English wasn’t bad. At least not enough to require subbing.

This eyecatch…makes this girl look like an extreme loli…

“That’s why you know the steps.”

I can see the blueprints for the shipping now – Uori x Kiri…(sarcastic)

Wait, so when did Hanako listen to On Stage Life anyway???

Why do they colour the whole girl in with luminscent blush? It’s kind of weird…

Why haven’t Hanako’s parents actually gone looking for her???...Oh, spoke too soon.

CITIZEN clocks are an actual thing, haha.

How does Ikehashi know Sachi???

Oh dear…well, at least her singing was enough to surprise me.

Have you noticed most of the Music Girls’ fans are male??? No, all of them are! Aside from Hanako, that is.

I just know I’m not going to memorise these girls’ names at all…

Okay, if this doesn’t have a card game to go with it sooner or later…then you can have as many digital cookies as you want.

Strangely…I had a much better impression of this than I thought I would. It’s better than some of the other shows simply by being mostly devoid of fanservice, anyway, although there is a loli in there…I think her name was Roro.

Cells at Work! 1

Yay, finally something I was looking forward to! It’s been a few years since I did biology classes, but I’ll give it a shot!

Ohmygosh, LOL. I still remember that dendrites look like trees…or aliens.

Aren’t white blood cells a little bit yellow due to the plasma they have…?

“Another blunder!” doesn’t quite equal “Machigaemashita!”, but it does work in context.

I never thought I’d say this…but I can see why Red Blood Cell is considered moe. Endearing, but not too annoying! Plus just a hint of cute.

Oh yeah…platelets. I forgot about those guys.

The Helper T Cell looks like Kazuma from Noragami! Wahaha!

To quote Web MD: “The spleen also helps fight certain kinds of bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis.” That’s why the killer T cells are being threatened with being chucked into the spleen.

Thank goodness they explain all this stuff, like hemolysis. I’d probably be lost otherwise…I probably did learn it all those years ago though.

Capillaries are meant to be small veins, right? No wonder RBC is getting all confused…there must be tonnes of them in a body.

Huh? *has to suppress laughter* Even RBCs have senpais, LOL!

That RBC doodle on the door is so cute~!

Why does this pneumococcus keep announcing what he’s going to do anyway? He keeps losing the element of surprise, man.

Mucosa. Also apparently called “mucous membrane”, which is a term I’m a lot more familiar with.

The pneumococcus was CGI in his bubble for a second there…

Oh, it’s been a while since I saw the term “eosinophil”. Apparently, it’s a kind of WBC.

Oh…dear. I think I remember reading once that your average sneeze is 2G (as in, this G). So if you ever thought your sneeze was powerful, now you know. *cue The More You Know GIF*

I think I ship it already, the unrequited love of a WBC and an RBC. Also, WBC is probably going to be bae of the season, even though he’s…well, a WBC. And a muscleman.

I’m not quite sure what gas the RBC has in the ED, but I think it might be CO2…

Ooh, definite keeper!

1 note · View note

dmcreif · 7 years

Text

The people who figured out Matt Murdock is Daredevil during season 2

One thing I think of after the conclusion of season 2 of Daredevil is that I think two characters probably figured out Matt's secret identity on their own: Frank Castle and Karen Page.

Frank Castle:

Frank almost certainly has to have figured out Matt was Daredevil. And I think he figured it out before the season 2 finale.

There’s a lot of evidence for this:

When Karen is interviewing Colonel Schoonover, right before she realizes he’s the Blacksmith, the colonel talks about Frank’s talent for doing impressions, and his awareness of subtle behavioral details. In the Colonel's words, Frank has "a sixth sense about tics and subconscious behaviors." This character trait is very prominent throughout Frank’s interactions with Karen. Karen keeps a pretty good poker face, but he is able to pick up on her mood shifts and nonverbal signals with an uncanny accuracy that she clearly finds unsettling. Frank is an expert at reading people and situations, which is likely a skill that kept him alive in combat and has helped him in his current crusade against the criminal underworld. It’s actually interesting, given this, to note the degree to which he misreads Matt in their rooftop argument. Of course, that long conversation on the roof is about both of them projecting and seeing the enemy they want to see, so thematically, that discrepancy makes sense.

Frank and Matt (as Daredevil) have a bunch of very long conversations, during which Frank has more than enough opportunities to get to know Daredevil’s voice and speech patterns, his facial expressions (from the nose down, anyway) and any number of other identifying features like height and weight. Even if, by Frank’s own admission, he doesn’t care who Daredevil really is, it doesn’t mean he wouldn’t still notice those details, and then have them jump back out at him when he finds himself sitting in front of Matt Murdock. Not only does Matt, in both identities, talk a lot, but he also brings up the same ideas. Remember that the theme of vigilantism and what it means to be a hero comes up again and again in this show. It pervades almost all of Matt and Frank’s interactions. At the hospital, and during the trial, Frank clearly observed that this blind lawyer Matt Murdock, who kinda resembles Daredevil in height, weight, body build, and voice, also shares Daredevil's views on the Punisher ("You're unhinged" <=> "He doesn't know the difference between right and wrong") and is weirdly enthusiastic about superheroes. Matt’s “May I call you, Frank?” before the botched cross-examination seems to further establish this. Owing to this, it's possible to read Frank and Karen’s conversation about Matt in the diner scene as another hint that Frank has pieced things together. His questions about Matt’s subterfuge (”You never lie to me.” “Does he?”) is Frank’s way of asking Karen, “Has he told you that he’s Daredevil?”

There have been discussions about whether Frank might have seen Matt’s face during the climactic battle with the Hand in the season 2 finale, and so far it's a blur. It’s dark, there’s a lot going on, and Frank is sniping from pretty far away, so he might not be able to see much. But it’s also possible that he could have looked at Matt through his scope, and gotten a good enough glimpse of his face to recognize him. At the same time, though, would he bother? Would he care? His “See you around, Red” is a little tease from the writers that he might know, without actually confirming anything. But, he probably knows, given everything discussed above.

It goes without saying that Matt’s blindness is always a factor in these kinds of situations, but Frank would likely assume– as Foggy and most other people would – that he fakes it. However, there’s actually a chance that Frank knows Daredevil is blind and/or has some kind of extrasensory perception, which leads into a related topic: Matt’s casual use of his powers around Frank. As mentioned above, Frank is really good at picking up details and reading people. He’s also a highly trained combatant who, as second nature, would be one to analyze the fighting styles of his enemies to find their weaknesses. A guy with Frank's level of experience ought to conceivably notice that the person he’s fighting never needs to look at anything, as happened a few times when Matt was rescuing Frank from the Irish. If he were to think hard enough about this, it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to hypothesize that, at the very least, vision is not Daredevil’s primary way of perceiving what’s going on around him.

And Frank clearly knows about Daredevil’s hypersenses, because Matt is not subtle about using them around him. Traditionally, Matt tends to play down his powers in the presence of those who don’t know about them (which, for a long time, was almost everybody). He lets people assume that he’s just your average non-powered martial artist/acrobat, because letting people in on his hypersenses would essentially mean revealing his weaknesses (it would be bad if the wrong person were to, say, learn that the Devil of Hell's Kitchen is really sensitive to loud noises). And Matt starts whipping out his enhanced perception around Frank from the very beginning. It’s possible that Frank starts picking up on them as early as the conversation on the rooftop. Matt detects the Vietnam veteran coming up to the roof, and the use of the audio/visual cues that the show has implemented to indicate when Matt is using his hypersenses in this moment suggests that Frank probably can’t hear anything. Right after this the staging gets a little difficult to figure out, but it looks as though the open door into the stairwell could be around the corner from where Matt is tied up, and therefore outside of his visual range (if he had one, anyway). So, when Frank removes the gun’s safety for Daredevil’s benefit, he could be testing the limits of Matt’s hearing, since it’s clearly a very quiet sound, given the old man in the stairwell doesn’t notice it. And during their conversation in the graveyard, Matt admits to eavesdropping on Frank whispering "One batch two batch penny and dime" in another room. If Frank didn’t know there was something up with Matt’s senses before, he definitely does now.

The first time that Matt and Frank run into each other after Frank is broken out of jail, is when they run into each other on the Blacksmith's boat, when Frank has mistakenly identified the guy he thinks is the Blacksmith. Suddenly Matt shows up in the Daredevil suit to interfere with his interrogation--stop him from killing the guy--except Frank heard him coming. After this, when Matt talks about going after the Blacksmith "Frank's way," that is, by killing him (and Matt crosses himself), Frank to talk him out of it. Frank mentions "doing it [Matt's] way," as in bringing the Blacksmith to justice, as if Frank knows or understands that Daredevil works from inside the justice system (of course, Frank later went out and straight up murdered the actual Blacksmith himself in the next episode, but that's not the point here).

Karen Page:

Unlike with Frank, it's more ambiguous as to whether or not Karen figured out Matt's secret identity before Matt revealed the secret to her in 2x13, but I think she DID figure it out on her own. Everything that has thus far been established about this version of Karen Page supports the idea that she could– and probably did– figure it out herself. She is someone who notices details and makes connections and spots clues that other people miss (she located Wilson Fisk’s mother; she unraveled the whole conspiracy behind Frank’s family that Reyes had tried to cover up). Karen is fixated on mysteries, and on finding hidden truths, and we know that she is intrigued enough by Daredevil that she probably spends a lot of time thinking about who he might be, and why he does what he does. Knowing Karen, she probably tracks his movements, and has noticed a correlation between Daredevil’s more vivid heroics and Matt’s unusual injuries.

True, in season 1, Karen only encountered Matt in costume once, when he rescued her from the assassin that Wilson Fisk sent to her apartment, and she didn’t have much reason to speculate about Matt leading a double life, barring the occasional strange injury, or Matt being unreachable the night Fisk bombed the Russians. Although maybe she did deep down realize that the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen could only have known that she was in trouble because he followed her there.

But season 2 is brimming with opportunities for Karen to put the pieces together, as Matt’s secret identity develops more and more cracks, like the way a crack on a car windshield grows the longer you don’t bother trying to fix it. There are a few clues to suggest Karen might suspect Matt is Daredevil, or at least, is a gifted person, but not many:

First off, there was that exchange when Karen visited Matt after he got shot in the head by Frank Castle ("How many times can I hear that you fell down the stairs or you walked into a door?" "Well, you know I'm blind-" "And you know that I'm not an idiot.") It's pretty clear that she's never bought any of the cover stories Foggy has made for Matt's injuries. She accurately suspected that the "car accident" Matt had was the result of Fisk attempting to kill him. And it's pretty clear that the "drinking problem" cover story Foggy invented wasn't holding up either. Those are the first cracks. Another occasion might be the Grotto sting when that went south. Karen was there with Foggy. She saw Foggy freak out in person over Reyes' stunt almost getting Daredevil killed. So she knows that Daredevil is someone Foggy knows. Another occasion would be when Reyes was killed. Matt heard the sound of the gun being racked and pushed Karen and Foggy to the ground right before the first bullets began flying. I'm sure once Karen got over the initial shock, she may have unconsciously thought "Matt's blind. How did he know the gunman was there and know exactly when the shooter was about to fire on us? Neither me nor Foggy heard nor could see the gunman." You could argue that perhaps everyone was too preoccupied with a dead district attorney and Foggy getting shot to really question it. Still, though. The blind guy yelled for everyone to duck before the shots were fired. And if Matt clearly didn't see anything and no one else heard or noticed anything beforehand, that should raise some suspicion for Karen. So I think that Karen did notice that, once she wasn’t so busy dealing with conspiracies and playing dodgeball with bullets.

There was even a line during the diner scene with Frank that I thought could be interpreted as suggesting that Karen already knows: “[Matt]'s the kind of man that hurts people. Not like you, but... he damages them. Breaks them."

Then there's Karen’s reaction when Matt rescues her and the other hostages from the Hand. He singles out Karen in the crowd of hostages, approaches her, and asks "You okay?" and she says "Better, now." Considering that the Marvel Netflix shows defy the typical norms of superhero shows, I think they’d avoid the cliche of “no one recognizes the person under the mask, even if they've been completely intimate with them”, because that’s absurd (look at Arrow - he just brushes on some green eyeshadow and a hood and apparently he's unrecognizable.) In that one scene, Matt puts his concern for Karen’s safety ahead of his secret identity, and he gets close enough to Karen that there's no way she does not recognize him. She did date him at one point, she kissed him on a couple occasions, she’s seen him in civvies practically every day for the last few months, so she certainly had to recognize his lips, his chin, his voice (he doesn’t change his voice at all), and his body structure. Plus, he's caressing her face in the same way he did so when he kissed her in the rain back in “Penny and Dime”. This overly familiar behavior toward her in costume should make Karen’s suspicious (you can see that despite what’s gone on, the tenderness between them was definitely still there. From the viewer's point of view, it looks like they locked eyes, and from Karen's point of view they would have). And Karen is smart, observant, and excellent at making logical connections that others don’t notice. She noticed Matt’s injuries when he broke through that window, and it looks like she recognizes these injuries when he meets her at the office. So she clearly concluded that Daredevil is someone who is in love with her and personally cares about her safety, since he singled her out of all the hostages to see if she was okay. Karen knows of only one person who could possibly fit that description: Matt. She knows that the only times Matt has ever gotten mad at her were when he learned that she was doing something that he feared would get her seriously hurt (disregarding the Union Allied NDA and getting jumped outside Elena’s apartment; sneaking off and breaking into Frank Castle’s house; insisting that she’d continue digging into the Blacksmith even after getting shot at twice in the span of a day). Plus, Karen probably considers herself a vigilante magnet by this point, and so does Brett (”Is there any shit-show you’re not a part of?”), and she clearly wonders a little bit why Daredevil keeps appearing in her life. There is a lot here for her to work with, and she’s drawn a lot of accurate conclusions about people like Fisk and Reyes based on many fewer clues than this.

Of course, while Karen may have figured out “Matt is Daredevil,” that wouldn’t explain his fighting abilities. It’s important to remember that Matt’s biggest secret identity protection has always been his blindness, so this could have dissuaded some of her suspicions. But by halfway through season 2 and finding Elektra in Matt’s bed, Karen is fully aware of Matt’s secret-keeping tendencies, so it wouldn’t be a stretch for her to assume–like Foggy did– that he has lied about how blind he actually is. Conversely, we are talking about a world that contains Kilgrave, a man with unbreakable skin, and a kid with a glowing fist. Superhuman powers are now a publicly-acknowledged phenomenon, and would be a viable go-to explanation for how a blind man can flip around on rooftops and beat up criminals. And Karen is a creative thinker. While she might not figure out the hypersenses/radar specifically, but she could easily imagine superpowers of some sort as an explanation.

But there’s one question that must be dealt with here: “if Karen knows Matt is Daredevil already, why doesn’t she confront him about it?” Well, there’s a reason for it. And here it is: Karen says over and over again in season 2 that she is tired of secrets– and with good reason. Ever since Fisk framed her up for murder, her recent life has centered around confronting lies and corruption. She knows how twisted the world is, and needs to feel that she will at least get honest answers from the people she cares about (that’s why she says to Foggy, "I cannot be lied to anymore"). At the same time, Karen's story arc in season 2 is about coming to terms with her own dark secrets. Like Matt, she is hiding a huge part of herself from the world, namely, that she killed James Wesley. It’s also clear by the final episode she has taken steps toward learning to accept that in her own life.

So with that in mind, I reason that Karen figured out Matt is Daredevil on her own. And then she decided that rather than confront Matt about it, she’d wait until he was ready to share that with her. It’s clear that she didn't seem to know, initially, why Matt asked to meet with her at the office ("What am I doing here, Matt?"), but she seemed to catch on pretty quickly the moment he pulled the mask out of the bag. And consider the way Karen's facial expression changes when Matt pulls the mask out of the bag. It goes from stupefaction to a look of surprise and shock before Matt says "I'm Daredevil", as if she had already guessed before he told her, but couldn’t actually believe it. The surprised look on her face is one that to me reads, “So what took you so long to just admit this to me?”

#daredevil #the defenders #matt murdock #karen page #frank castle #karedevil #charlie cox #deborah ann woll #jon bernthal

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readingsanctuary · 7 years

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly list prompt hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. The theme for this week is:

August 15: Ten book recommendations for ______________: (Skies the limit here…examples: for Hufflepuffs, for fans of Game of Thrones, for people who don’t normally read YA, for animal lovers, for video game lovers, etc.

Hi everyone, sorry I’ve been absent for the past week or so, catching up on everything at work left me more tired than expected. Then at the weekend I had a fall down some stairs that left me a bit battered and bruised. Basically, some bad luck on my end, although I did manage to get some reviews drafted, so they should be up soon. Right now, in honour of my recent reading slumps, I’m back with a list of books that I recommend for getting out of a reading slump. These are books that either helped me overcome a reading slump, or I found so compulsively readable that I couldn’t put them down.

1. Moxie – by Jennifer Mathieu

This is a recent read that really helped me power through a recent reading slump. I felt so powerfully about what was going on throughout the book that I simply could not put it down. The book resonated with me as a girl and as a feminist, and I really like the tone and overall message. Also it’s relatively short, which I find helpful because actually managing to finish a book can be a big help when you’ve been in a slump for a while. I have a full, gushing review for this book here if you’re interested in my more in-depth thoughts.

2. Letters to the Lost – by Brigid Kemmerer

I read this in a single day, in the car, even at the cinema where I was most disappointed when they turned the lights down to start the trailers when I only had eleven pages left! The point is, I couldn’t put this down, because I was so drawn into the story. With letters/emails at the start of most chapters, and the chapters being quite short, it was really easy to keep saying to myself, just one more chapter.

3. Harry Potter – by J.K. Rowling

It’s a classic, for many people it’s a childhood favourite, and that can be just what you need if you’ve been in a slump for a while. The nostalgia factor combined with the simple comfort of an old favourite can really help get you back on track. I’m well overdue a reread of this series.

4. Queens of Geek – Jen Wilde

This book is such a quick read, it takes place over the course of a weekend, which makes the story quite fast paced. Plus, it’s so cute. The characters are awesome and there is some amazing representation here. This book was easy to get into and impossible to put down, and I got so invested that I really want more books about these characters!

5. One of Us is Lying – by Karen M. McManus

This YA mystery thriller kept me tuning pages, at first for answers, then for the characters as well. I really enjoyed the way social media and public perception was used, not to mention how this book kept me guessing up to the very last minute. I would also recommend this if you like pretty little liars, I’m only on season 4, but it has a very similar vibe. I have a full review here if you’re interested in more of my thoughts on this one.

6. Witch Town – by Cory Putman Oakes

This is another book that really helped me find the joy of reading again recently. Witch Town is a relatively short book set in a world where witches are real and are pretty much forced live in segregated towns. The story takes off when the main character and her mum arrive at one such town, with the aim to rob it. It’s a really interesting idea, I loved the magic system and combined with the mystery element, this book was a real page turner.

7. Ms Marvel: No Normal – by G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona

Graphic novels can be great for tackling reading slumps, and I highly recommend Ms Marvel. This is my favourite ongoing Marvel title, with loads of fun teen superhero antics. This series has been going from strength to strength, and it’s great to see some representation too.

8. The Upside of Unrequited – by Becky Albertalli

Okay, there is a definite trend here, but I find contemporary books can be great for beating back a reading slump. They tend to be short, fast paced, and quick to read. This one is one of my favourites. I really related to the main character, and there is loads of great diverse representation throughout the book (some of it is ownvoices). I have a detailed review here if you want to know more.

9. Starflight – by Melissa Landers

So this book is just a really good time. It has space travel, a hate to love romance, and even space pirates! It’s exciting, and at times absolutely hilarious. I have so much love for this book, and it’s a relatively short on too.

10. Frostblood – by Elly Blake

This is SUCH a quick read, while it’s not the most original YA fantasy out there, it is so easy to get into. The plot moves quickly, and there is a lot going on, and it keeps you guessing enough that you won’t want to put it down. This book definitely helped me leave my reading slump behind. My review can be found here.

A surprising amount of contemporary’s made this list, but I genuinely find them to be quick and compulsively readable. I’m definitely a convert to them since I started picking them up this past year. If you have any YA Contemporary recommendations, please let me know, I’m certainly on the lookout for more to add to my TBR!

Want to chat, places you can find me:

Twitter @reading_escape

Instagram: @readingsanctuary

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Top Ten Tuesday – Recommendations to Defeat a Reading Slump Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly list prompt hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. The theme for this week is:

#book #book blog #book recommendations #Book Review #bookish #books #Harry Potter #moxie #Top 10 Tuesday #top ten tuesday #ya books #young adult #young adult books

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kalachand97-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on Globeinfrom

New Post has been published on https://globeinform.com/we-can-carry-others-out-of-darkness-column/

We can carry others out of darkness | Column

At some stage in the Easter season, which is well known till Pentecost, on June 4 this year, we’d locate that clergymen and ministers take the time to remind congregations of the meaning of the symbols utilized in baptism. They may speak of water, oil, candles, garments, the move, and the Holy Scriptures.

For me, I discover the white garment a powerful symbol as it means that the man or woman baptized has put on Jesus Christ. People who are baptized can trust that they’re one with Christ. Any such image implies that if certainly, we are one with Christ, we are to stay as Christ lived.

These days, I had the privilege of speaking at the memorial prayer within the Parish of St. Mark in Rothschild for one of the victims of the current tragedy in the area. We gathered to remember the lifestyles of Karen Barclay. In preparing my feedback, I used to be struck with the significance of Karen’s baptism. Karen put on Jesus Christ, symbolized with the aid of the white garment.

Jesus is recognized as Savior and Redeemer. Easter tells of his demise and rising, his saving us from the demise of sinfulness. If indeed we end up one with Christ, we too are to be saviors. Karen becomes able to be a savior through her love for others and her attentiveness to the desires of others. She lifted others up.

It seems that humanity appears for saviors, be it in our political life or private lifestyles, looking to locate a person who will carry us up out of darkness. Part of the Easter birthday celebration, then, is to take on the function of savior in our day by day lives via taking note of the wishes of others. We will do that politically, socially and privately. We are able to save others by an outpouring of affection that is grounded in divine love, as exemplified with the aid of the life, loss of life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Alleluia!

Analyzing within the Darkish

In numerous of the articles I’ve written, I have bemoaned the fact that our kids are not being taught well and that we are spawning a dumbing down of America. A number of my principal points had been that there may also come a time whilst we haven’t any electricity and consequently, no functionality of using our cell phones, computers, and a myriad of different digital devices. I used to be less worried about our time-saving conveniences and extra involved about our children now not being capable of function without the devices they rely on.

Lately, I ran throughout a piece of writing that designated the brand new imaginative and prescient of schools. one of the high faculties has carried out away with textbooks because the content material is absolutely virtual. they’re trying to combine online publications with head to head practice. one of the excessive faculty principals changed into quoted as saying, “To be educating children with a blackboard and chalk in an age in which you don’t should memorize the 50 capitals of the 50 states due to the fact you could Google it actually quick.”

This questioning is so mistaken that it is no surprise our kids are becoming mentally lazy. There are lots to be stated for being able to memorize things. The old expression is real: use it or lose it. In case you don’t use your memory every day, sooner or later you may not be capable of taking into account essential info that might be essential on your lifestyles. no longer the whole thing is on Google; some things you just must store in your head for future use.

I recall Studying a e-book approximately a soldier who had back from conflict. He turned into injured in an explosion and had misplaced all his facial features. He could not communicate or listen so he had no way to talk what he turned into feeling. As he laid on the medical institution mattress, the best aspect that also functioned became his mind and he suffered widespread frustration because he realized that he had in no way used it. He hadn’t study any books and hadn’t been interested in getting to know something and now he had endless years ahead of him with nothing to occupy his thoughts. He stored wishing that he had memorized something in order that he may want to have something to consider in place of this big desolate tract of nothingness. The e-book had a considerably have an effect on me and from that point on, I kept trying out my reminiscence on the whole lot I examine and heard.

Due to the fact youngsters are now not required to memorize information and save lots of portions of data of their heads, we have to now take obligation for generating a technology of youngsters who have to be entertained via expensive gadgets and who could have problem functioning without them.

We have most effective to observe what is happening in Japan to see that our children might not be able to deal with surviving herbal failures. As of the previous day, one of the newscasts said there had been 5.6 million homes and not using a power. Without a doubt put, they can’t use their computers or get at the Net. They cannot use their cell phones and they can’t text all of us for solutions to private or commercial enterprise problems. If the Japanese youngsters have been knowledgeable as poorly as American kids, they wouldn’t actually have discovered the way to write in longhand so that they could not report what has happened and how it has affected them.

For the people in Japan, whose children are still being taught traditional abilities, they have got an part. In the event that they have a flashlight, they can nonetheless study an e-book, write a letter, calculate their fees, and contend with something odds and ends that you’ll accomplish inside the Dark.

For the humans in The united states, maximum things would come to a standstill. our youngsters are being taught to read matters on a computer display screen in preference to in books. each person who has a love of Studying will inform you that your comprehension is extra cute when your eyes are searching down at a broadcast web page than searching up at that identical page. Each time I have had to edit a book or a person has edited one in every of my books, We’ve got always commented on the fact that we need to do a printout of the pages so that We can appearance down at the pages to capture the errors. The publisher of the newspaper who printed my weekly Recommendation column must have used his PC to edit his column because someday, his headline in ambitious print declared that someone whom he widespread become his “roll” model.

Full textual content Preaching Sermons – Bible Take a look at – The Four Columns of a Christian lifestyle

The 4 Columns of a Christian existence

As we all realize, you can’t build a valid shape without first laying an excellent foundation upon which We can erect the main columns a good way to preserve the weight of the relaxation of the constructing. Similarly, the 3 monotheistic faiths (Judaism, Muslim, and Christianity) all have predominant pillars that assist the weight of the edification in their ideals. The Jews have 5 pillars of faith[1], the Muslims have 5[2], and Christians have 5.

Now, I am not going to go into details about the pillars of other faiths, but we do need to realize the five pillars of Christianity. We’re going to do this because I am sure that if we requested all of us right here what the 5 pillars of our religion are, in different words, what we base our religion on; most people may also bet perhaps two or 3, however now not all. So, what are the five pillars of our religion?

5 Pillars of Christianity:

1. The virgin birth of Jesus[3]

2. The deity of Jesus[4]

3. The blood atonement of Jesus[5]

4. The bodily resurrection of Jesus[6]

5. The second one coming of Jesus[7]

Those are the fundamental pillars of our religion, that is, the columns that support our perception in God, His Phrase and His redemptive paintings. but now we need to ask; what columns assist the weight of day to day living? There are Four columns that aid the load that the arena produces in our lifestyles; therefore, this will be the topic that we’ll be exploring these days. these days we can explore the 4 columns that we have to build upon the inspiration.

I. Prayer

As I’ve stated and repeated many times, prayer lifestyles is an thing of our Christian lifestyles that we regularly pay very little attention to, or absolutely brush aside. And in most cases that is something that occurs because of our impatience. I say this due to the fact even though sometimes the Lord solutions our prayers at once, this isn’t always always the case. And that is something that leads many to think that God does not concentrate, or that He is not aware of what takes place to us. In other phrases, impatience leads many to end up discouraged and forestall praying. But the truth of it’s miles that prayer is the simplest weapon that we have to shield ourselves against the powers of darkness. however more importantly, prayer unleashes blessings in our lifestyles. I say this because prayer brings peace, deliverance, and miracles. The exceptional instance that I will use to illustrate the factor that I am attempting to make is what took place to Peter, while he turned into imprisoned to be done for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ[8].

Prayer brings peace into our existence. Permit’s take a closer look at what happened to Peter so that you better understand what I am announcing. In Acts 12:five-6 we discover that we’re told: “… Peter was consequently saved in prison, however consistent prayer changed into presented to God for him via the church. 6And when Herod was approximately to bring him out, that night time Peter changed into snoozing, bound with two chains between squaddies; and the guards before the door have been maintaining the jail… ” As We are able to see, Peter was thrown into prison chained to 2 squaddies, and changed into ready to be performed. What mindset did this guy demonstrate? was Peter begging the King to spare him? changed into Peter worried and frightened? The answer isn’t any! As We are able to see in These verses, Peter become napping. How turned into this possible? How can each person sleep with so much anxiety? He should sleep for two reasons. Number one, he knew that his lifestyles changed into not within the fingers of guy but in God’s palms. Range , “… regular prayer changed into provided to God for him by way of the church… ” Our prayers and the intercessory prayers of our brethren unharness peace in our life. Inform the individual sitting subsequent to you: prayer produces peace.

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