#the fact that he wasn't bigger in the episode feels wrong???

[lover-of-mine]

X

[notafunkiller]

Bucky Barnes is the best super soldier

How it was subtly emphasized in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier:

He always holds back

With the Flag Smashers and even with John Walker. We could see the difference in the last 3 episodes. Sebastian Stan did an incredible job making it clear in a subtle way.

I want to mention that famous "Stay there" scene, and how it was visible Bucky was not punching as hard as he can in the fight with John.)

This is the thing about Bucky, he isn't after the kill, he just does his part. He doesn't try to show off his skills or that he is a good guy. He doesn't try to play the victim role, either. In the scene where Zemo fake-activates the Winter Soldier in Madripoor, he just makes a point. He's obviously not even trying hard.

If he wanted those in the club dead, they would be. But his self control was wow. Sebastian acted so well, his exes said everything.

*And to be honest, even when he was TWS, he could have killed everyone, but he didn't. He could have killed all of the Avengers in Civil War is they were his mission, but they weren't. This is how Natasha survived when she met him, too. It depended on what kind of mission he had (if he wasn't allowed to be seen, then the witnesses would die too, but otherwise? He didn't bother).

2. His skills

People tend to forget how smart and good at making strategies Bucky is. He's been fighting (even though he hates fighting and never wanted to be in the army) for years before he was even captured by Hydra. And this is the reason why government still want him, after all. They can use his strategies as a leader (*cough* Thunderbolts *cough*).

In the last episodes of TFATWS, we could see how he outsmarted everyone. Karli was so terrified of him.

3. Karli Morgenthau

And talking about Karli, the phone call was interesting:

She asked him if he's not tired of fighting for the wrong side, and then told him she's fighting for something bigger than herself.

"And with all the bodies you've collected, have you ever been able to say the same?"

The first thing I wanna point out is how everyone talks about the deaths Bucky caused when he was controlled by Hydra, but everyone ignores the fact that all the Avengers killed far more, but since we consider them the good side, we just don't care.

Clint, Tony, Steve, Wanda etc. They all cause(d) far more deaths than "two dozen" (known assassinations - to quote Natasha), and neither was controlled. The double standards are something else, especially for Clint. (One of the reasons why Tony was on the other side in CW was because of his guilt, after all.)

The second point is how Bucky's answer says a lot more than we might realize at first:

"You don't think I ever fought for something bigger than myself? That's all I ever tried to do, and I failed twice."

Even as TWS, Bucky had to be convinced he is on the right side, that what they do is to save the world, to give "the world the freedom it deserves".

Even brainwashed and put to sleep all the time, he had to be lied to. Bucky as TWS was a victim too. He is not a victim only because he didn't have memories or control, but also because they lied to him and used him as a toy. That milk scene is so loud. (And I am gonna talk about it in a different post). He had no rights, no choices. He was used to being tortured.

[And I wish they explored it more. We deserved and deserve a WS film - maybe with him in Romania getting back his memories, writing in his journal etc.]

"You think your cause justifies all this death, but in the end, the nightmares won't go away. You're gonna remember all the ones you killed. Trust me. Don't do this. Don't go down this path."

Despite being on opposite sides, Bucky still said this to Karli, trying to help her, to make her see the big picture, sharing how he felt and feels.

He is on "the right side". He is a hero, and Bucky being thanked by that man for saving everyone's life was touching.

4. Baron Zemo

You can see how smart, strong, and rational Bucky is when he decides to break Zemo out of jail (his plan was amazing too), risking so much (his relationship with Wakanda people and his own freedom) to get his help for the mess. He puts the cause above his own (huge) trauma. And this makes that moment in Madripoor even more disgusting (he is treated as an object, as a toy):

Zemo: Tell us what you know about the super-soldier serum. And I give you him, along with the code words to control him, of course. He will do anything you want.

The way he keeps his composure, reacts and manages the situation... absolutely incredible!

This conversation also says a lot:

Zemo: The desire to become a superhuman cannot be separated from supremacist ideals. Anyone with that serum is inherently on that path.

Bucky: Maybe you're wrong, Zemo. The serum never corrupted Steve.

Zemo: Touché. But there has never been another Steve Rogers, has there?

Bucky positions himself below Steve, who's considered a good hero, a good person... like no other. But Steve never had to go through what Bucky did: from being kidnapped like that, to being tested on, to falling off the train, to being tortured, and used, and brainwashed for decades, and put to sleep when he was not needed and having n "keepers".

Also, interesting how all Steve wanted was to fight (for a good cause, but still)... and fighting still means violence, meanwhile Bucky never wanted to fight, not even before becoming TWS, in the army (and yet he is still great at fighting. And he is deadly, even when he holds back.). All he wanted was peace.

Despite not getting the "perfect serum", despite being brainwashed, put to sleep, and forced to fight for decades, he is still himself. He never gave in to the dark side for real. He fought in his own way. The first thing he did when he woke up was to choke the Hydra guy with a whole new arm!

Bucky is so underrated: from his intelligence and fighting skills, to how human he is. Being flawed, keeping his sassiness and charm from the 40s, but getting more mature and carrying his past on his shoulders... he's so relatable and real. And every day, he shows Zemo he is wrong.

The show he makes in his final scene with Zemo is absolutely fantastic. He doesn't just prove the point he isn't defined by the serum and Hydra (AND not even by Steve, thanks to Sam. His speech made him realize the important thing about himself: that he decides who he is, not others - even those who know him before becoming TWS- "And this might be a surprise, but it doesn't matter what Steve thought. You gotta stop looking to other people to tell you who you are." parallel to "Steve believed in you. He trusted you. He gave you that shield for a reason. That shield, that is… that is everything he stood for. That is his legacy. He gave you that shield, and you threw it away like it was nothing. [...] So maybe he was wrong about you. And if he was wrong about you, then he was wrong about me."), but also that he is superior.

When Zemo tells him that he decided to let him alive (probably so he can kill Karli) and basically calls him a killing machine: "programmed to kill", Bucky plays the role, lets Zemo talk him into killing Karli, and then Bucky watches him waiting for his own death.

[Also, Bucky's line: Imagine my relief is hilarious.]

The acting was incredible: the shock on Zemo's face and the amusement and somehow relief on Bucky's after he pulls the trigger and lets the bullets fall... He proved him he's THE standard of the super soldier. Because despite everything he went through, he is the best.

Zemo telling him to cross his name off felt like a fresh start (+ telling Nakajima the truth).

5. John Walker

John, on the other hand, is lucky Bucky is an understanding person. He gets what is like... the pressure, the environment, the loss, and even tries to help.

Bucky: Don't go down that road. Believe me, it doesn't end well.

John: I'm not like you!

Of course he is not like Bucky, because Bucky has control. He is not killing to get revenge in a cynical way.

"That serum doesn't exactly have a great track record."

John kept judging Bucky every time they spoke, somehow placing himself above this "broken" man.

"This is all really easy for you, isn't it? All that serum runnin' through your veins. Barnes, your partner needs backup in there. Do you really want his blood on your hands?"

This is so wrong on every single level, especially because Bucky didn't choose to take the serum, and he always had his friends' back. He's loyal and ready to sacrifice himself.

The "funny" part about this is John ending up taking the last super soldier serum vial. All the judgement, the disgust, the patronizing tone, just to do that. Plus, of course, to kill someone with the shield.

(John proves Zemo's point about super soldiers, and Bucky does the opposite.)

And what is it easy for Bucky anyway?

He's under government conditions (so CACW coded), he has a vibranium arm that I bet the government would try to take after he dies (HOPEFULLY WHEN HE'S 200 YEARS OLD IN HIS BED, as Sebastian wants too) if he isn't in Wakanda, he is haunted by nightmares (which also can mean he is still Hydra's TWS in another universe as we found out from Strange), and he has to learn how to live for real. He's smart, charismatic, has values and principles, and he's incredible.

We need to see his version of TWS going after everyone Hydra helped. TWS is him, a part of him, and doing that on his terms, having control over it would help him heal.

[pesky--dust]

Do you believe Will orchestrated the escape? Was he intending to flee with Hannibal or was he genuinely planning to kill him?

First of all, I think that Will is a character whose behavior we cannot predict - just like Hannibal said.

In the first season, Will was vulnerable, but in the second season, he started manipulating people to get what he wanted, and he told Alana and Hannibal that he was an unreliable narrator of his own story. And I believe that this is true throughout the series, to a greater or lesser extent.

In The Wrath of the Lamb Dolarhyde attacked Will in a motel. Will was aware that Dolarhyde wanted to meet Dr. Lecter, Dolarhyde himself told him so! And this scene, according to the script, ends with the following words:

CABAL. The synonym for this word is intrigue.

So I believe that Will decided to use Dolarhyde to free Hannibal, knowing now that since Hannibal loves him and Will plays it right, Hannibal will do whatever Will asks him to do.

So yes... I believe it was orchestrated by Will to some extent.

However, was he intending to flee with Hannibal or was he genuinely planning to kill him?

That's a good question! And I will repeat what I have already written: I think that we cannot predict Will's behaviour. In Mizumono he called Hannibal at the last minute and was not sure what to do until the very end and in The Wrath of the Lamb Will tells Bedelia, "Decisions are made of kneaded feelings. They're more often a lump than a sum". It is what actually drives him.

I think he wasn't sure how this escape would turn out. Would Dolarhyde kill Hannibal? Both of them? Or would Hannibal kill Dolarhyde and him? Maybe just Dolarhyde? Or maybe he'll just leave the FBI's dirty work and not get his hands dirty in the process?

And so, another pillar of this series is curiosity. I believe that apart from his feelings, Will was also guided by his curiosity about what would happen. In my opinion, there was no grand plan. "Everything that can happen happens. Has to end well, and it has to end badly. Has to end every way it can", "If everything that can happen happens, you can't really do the wrong thing. You're just doing what you're supposed to do" (Primavera).

[EDIT, because I forgot to write about something I find important]

In ... and the Beast from the Sea, Will tells Hannibal, "I'm not Fortune's fool, I'm yours". "I'm Fortune's fool" comes from Romeo and Juliet. It's about acceptance of the fact that you have no control over your life, because everything is up to fate; Will tells Hannibal that he is his fate and so he accepts it. And in the very next episode Will finds out that Hannibal in fact loves him.

In The Wrath of the Lamb, when Will comes to Hannibal to ask him to be a bait, in his memory palace, he stands on the skull engraved in the floor, where years ago Hannibal left him his broken heart. Will accepts Hannibal's heart now and chooses him, with all its consequences, not knowing what would happen.

[END OF EDIT]

And in The Wrath of the Lamb, Will tells Reba that Francis couldn't watch her die. When Dolarhyde shot Hannibal, Will reached for his gun. I think that both curiosity and his own feelings made him want to protect Hannibal and kill Dolarhyde in this very moment.

His feelings after killing Dolarhyde caused him to throw himself and Hannibal off the cliff (personally, I think the fall didn't happen at all and is just a metaphor, but that's a topic for another post), knowing that he would never feel better.

This answer turned out to be longer than I thought, so tl;dr:

Yes, Will orchestrated the escape.

Will is driven by his feelings, curiosity and whims (as Chilton said in Hassun), so I think that he didn't have any bigger plan than freeing Hannibal and see what would happen and then ended up being driven by his feelings. So I would say that he neither planned to run away with Hannibal nor to kill him. He was acting on the spur of the moment. If Hannibal killed Dolarhyde? Great, one serial killer down. If Hannibal had killed both Dolarhyde and Will? Okay, they're finally free from each other. If Dolarhyde had killed him and Hannibal? Finally it was all over. But Dolarhyde killing Hannibal? Oh no, Will couldn't bear to look at it.

[uptoolateart]

A few things to say, here.

First, credit to my teenager, who said, 'It's interesting how Ladybug and Cat Noir grow up right after seeing that they can't do it all on their own. It's like the death of the ego, that kind of thing.'

Indeed - a huge step in maturity is to see that it's okay to ask for help. This is paralleled by the next episode, when Adrien overhears his friends asking why he didn't tell them just how bad things were at home. This is so common with not just children but even adults trapped in abusive relationships. You feel like it's your burden to carry and no one can help you out.

In fact, if Adrien had told all his friends the extent of what was going on, they might have told their parents, and one (or all) of them might have contacted an authority who could have helped raise a legal case to get Adrien away from Gabriel. But this just doesn't occur to you, when you're the child. Not when you've been groomed to accept that this is just 'what adults are like'. It's hard to accept that there are better adults who would move heaven and earth to help you - especially because it means accepting just how awful your own father (in this case) is.

This is 100% why Cat suddenly lashed out at Gabriel and felt able to get out his real feelings - because others made him see just HOW wrong it all was. He finally accepted what his father is. He's primed to find out that he's Monarch. I don't even think it'd be a shock, now.

(More below the images)

Then - after so many years of Cat being 'the sidekick' who wasn't always necessary, who stepped aside while Ladybug got most of the praise, it was beautiful for him to have this moment of realisation that actually everyone loves him too - that he's just as needed. The fact that it first came from Kim and Max somehow made it even bigger - the two characters who've emoted the least and shown the least sensitivity all this time were reaching out for him.

And then, this - them all dealing with the situation in Ladybug's absence. Cat led the team. We've seen her do it without him so many times. This time, he finally stood on his own. He handled it without having to lean on her and truly proved himself to everyone. I've been waiting for this for aaaaaaaaaaaaages. I always said of course he needs support, but he also needs to save himself. He wasn't previously capable of this, but he is now.

It also goes back to what I said at the start - maturity comes from seeing that it takes everyone, not just you. Pound it, Cat Noir.

[almacambiondaughterofsaleos]

Helluva Boss's Failed Attempt Of "It's You"

If Helluva Boss last episode was the Anti-Telescope, this is their failed attempt at "It's You" from Bojack Horseman. The message is that the main character should stop making excuses for his behavior and realize how much he hurts people when even their bigger supporter turns on them. However, it doesn't work because of the fact someone who also needs to learn that lesson but is being given the biggest amount of excuses and never apologizes himself for what he's done.

Overall, it feels the message is hypocritical if one person has to learn this lesson and it's to the same guy who is probably a bigger example of someone who never apologizes fully for his actions and put others through the wringer for it. Sorry, no matter how these stans say it Stolas is babied while Blitzo is the one who gets the bashing. He gets to have excuses for why he cheated on his wife, why he treats Blitzo like shit, and even why he should have his feelings returned (even though he never earned it by being a condescending pos).

While the moral is good for Blitzo to learn so that he needs to change, it comes off as tone deaf treating Stolas as the person he harmed because he himself has bigger sins against Blitzo. If Stolas wasn't here and it was just Blitzo going on apology for everyone he harmed that would be different. However, Stolas isn't given an ounce to reflect why Blitzo wouldn't be apologetic over his treatment. Despite how defenders say it will come later, they always say that and as it turns out Stolas is still given baby hand treatments and not getting to the root of what he did wrong.

The bigger person who needs "It's You" treatment isn't Blitzo but Stolas who goes throughout this series not reflecting and growing. And the narrative's attempt to act like he does is gaslighting when he still feels entitled, condescending, and obnoxious to Blitzo. And again guy still is self-centered that he cares about what he wants over what Blitzo really wants. The guy is more like Bojack than Blitzo is and the show needs to realize it.

[autumnmobile12]

Feminism in Castlevania

One of the things I liked about this series was how it represented both positive feminism and toxic feminism.

The positive elements are small and carry their weight through the tone they set, as they should. If displays of feminism are over-the-top, then they become pandering and discredit the message they are trying to send.

Despite this series's flaws, I will forever appreciate the hell out of the fact they didn't go with the 'reformed chauvinist' character arc for Trevor. When he's first made aware of Sypha, she's just the Elder Speaker's 'grandchild.' Gender neutral term. And when he finally meets her and realizes she's a woman, his only reactions is, "Granddaughter, then." There's no overt reaction, there's no patronizing comment of how 'it's too dangerous for a woman down here.' "Granddaughter, then," is the only comment he ever makes that she's female, and that's all the series needed to set the tone for that part of his character.

It shows he's not against women fighting.

It shows he doesn't view women as weaker or inferior.

It shows he's aware women are capable of fighting and sees nothing wrong with that and sets the building blocks for the fact that Belmont women were fighters and this is nothing new to him.

It shows he's doesn't blame Sypha for putting herself in this predicament with the Cyclops by going down there in the first place. (Actually, considering he went into the catacombs under the assumption she was dead, he was probably relieved he didn't have to haul a corpse back to the surface.)

Show. Not tell.

The only thing he really questions is why she was sent down there alone, but he ultimately decided it wasn't his business. And he figures it out later when it's revealed she's her caravan's only mage.

The other part worth considering is while he's perfectly willing to insult Alucard, he never insults Sypha the same way.

He also doesn't make a habit of protecting her. They are both equally balanced in watching out for each other during their fights in Season 3 and Season 4. The only time Trevor says he'll protect her is in the Hold and that's only because he knows she's busy setting up a complicated spell and carrying out the bigger part of their master plan. In this context, he's not even her protector; he's just back-up.

Alucard's treatment of Sypha is similar, but they sadly don't have too many moments where they talk one on one. He's polite to her and I honestly feel this is his parents' influence of raising him to be a gentleman. (I mean, Lisa doesn't hesitate to call out Dracula for his lack of manners during their first meeting.)

Greta introduces herself as the headwoman of Danesti.  Nobody questions that. Hell, St. Germain even comments it's a shame someone with her talents was wasted in such a provincial area like Danesti. Rude, but this is more of a dig at Wallachia being a backwater, uncivilized sty and nothing at all about her being a woman in charge.

We can also see this to a lesser extent with Zamfir being the unquestioned leader of Targoviste's resistance, but again, we don't get a lot of info.

I've already done an earlier post on Carmilla, so I'm going to reiterate a few of those points here: A huge part of Carmilla's character and motivation is her disdain for men.  Hector is a just a tool to her.  Dracula’s Generals are made up of men.  The vampires are ruled over by a ‘stupid, old man.’

There's also the fact she just doesn't care about her sisters. She refuses to give credit to Morana for her part in handling the logistics of their invading army, which Striga calls her out on. So she's still putting herself above the others. But the really telling part is her reaction to seeing Isaac in her final episode. If she cared about Lenore in any way, she would have demanded to know if she was still alive, did he kill her, what had he done? Instead, she's still shouting about how the world is full of idiots and she's better than everyone else.

This isn't feminism. This is pure arrogance, bitter vindictiveness, and plain narcissism.

Unlike Morana, Striga, and Lenore, Carmilla never talks about their plan of conquest in the terms of safety or security. It's always to the tune of vengeance or even just to prove she can do it. It's always about her fury of being treated as 'less than' because she and her sisters were just women. And it all culminates in a cowardly suicide because she couldn't stand the thought of losing to a lowly human like Isaac.

I don't want to be too harsh with Carmilla. I do like her as a character and I think she's a brilliantly written foil to Sypha as far as the feminism angle goes. This is also the medieval period where the conventions of society more often than not benefited men. I get it, I really do. But a tragic backstory still doesn't excuse toxic behavior.

[chaifootsteps]

Hai, I wanted to air out some HH feelings and thought this was the best place to do so. I never watched the original pilot. After the first trailer dropped I figured that the show wasn't gonna be for me, it just wasn't my comedy style. But I did watch Addict when it dropped.

I thought it was really cool that a fan song got an officially animated mv! And I thought that it did a really good job at being subtle with Angel's SA...until the end. They added a whole new verse to the song to, from how I saw it, put in a flash back to an SA scene. I don't know why people don't bring that up more with Addict. A whole new verse to do that scene. Especially since it's supposed to be the hopeful/uplifting send-off after the credits.

But then when Michael was let go I went to the replies on his tweet. I stopped looking through them after I saw 3 different people post a gif of the SA shot in Addict under their well wishes. Just...why would you put something like that under your "We'll miss you! We loved your performance! Good luck" message to a VA? Why include the worst act against that character to your VA send-off?

That was when I really knew that Angel wasn't going to be handled well. Not just because of the needless scene inclusion at the end of Addict, but because of how the fans were treating it.

I wish I could say that I didn't see Poison coming. I wish I could say that I thought they would wait longer than episode 4 to show it. But honestly, I expected that shit to drop in episode 2. I expected there to be reoccurring scenes for the whole first season.

When Addict just *had* to shove that scene in at the end and the video got so popular I knew they would go bigger with more budget. I wanted to think I was just doomstorming (brainstorming while filled with dread), but the fact that they had done such a great job with the subtlety and threw it all away at the end for shock value sat wrong with me. I honestly don't know why nobody brings up that ending scene of Addict.

And I wanted to have hope! Addict had shown Angel dolling himself up to wreck havoc with Cherri and I thought that would be something! That he would have wrecking shit be a kind of escapism or therapy and he'd be trigger happy or explosive happy, or that Cherri would just...be there for him at all! But she's gone from what I've heard, and now we have Poison.

It makes me feel like a loser, baby.

Speaking as someone who loved Addict, hell, who remembers Addict as their gateway drug into Hazbin? These are all extremely valid points! Also, that thing with Michael is vile, this fandom's got zero sense of how to behave then or now and he really did dodge a bullet.

Me, I never minded the ending to Addict so much because, while we do see that shot of Valentino raping Angel, it amounts to a split second. More importantly, the video ends with Angel daring to believe that things might be better at the hotel, and then Nuggets kisses him and he smiles and it's a happy, hopeful note.

One thing we can agree on, I think, is that Poison makes Addict look like high cinema. It's all of the worst things about Addict and absolutely none of the good.

[respectthepetty]

Be my favorite has got me. I’m down the rabbit hole as it were. I didn’t mean to be here, I fell and I refuse to get out of said hole.

Also….. Is this the first time I am seeing a characters growth and story through self realisation without the love interest?

Like Peesaang went on this journey from seeing the two men kissing in the club, going to the bar, going to see Max, and really taking the time with his feelings. I loved it!!!!!!

Not the ‘ I don’t like men, I just like you’ like….. A to the Men (amen) am I right?!

I'm going to be honest with myself - I've been in this hole since 2021. The initial 2021 trailer (with MIKE!) told me Be My Favorite was either gonna be a mess or a masterpiece, but I prayed it wouldn't be mediocre, so I am THRILLED that My Strange and Obnoxious Fixation™ has paid off. If the second half hurts us, y'all are going to witness a full grown adult have a meltdown on your dash that could rival one of those badass kids in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, but, so far, IT'S A WIN for me!

And the biggest reason is because of the characters. I am truly invested in JittiRain's evolution here because this is not her norm. I was very prepared for miscommunication, manipulation, and misdeeds, but instead we are getting MAGIC!

I'm sure other shows have done the self-realization journey without it being directly tied to the love interest, but what I'm liking about it here is it just isn't Pisaeng. Usually, the dynamic is one of the leads is pretty solid while the other has to find his way, but both of these guys are figuring it out, and we get to see that evolution. In fact, all the characters are working through their issues.

I read a few posts today of people stating they are feeling better about Kawi now after he showed growth from his initial behavior in the first few episodes. Same with Not. I still dislike that little jerk, but him sending a message to Kawi wishing him good luck was nice to see after he roasted Kawi for trying to find a talent.

Also, Kawi still helped Pisaeng on this journey of self-discovery, but Pisaeng didn't go on this journey to get Kawi. Kawi wasn't treated like the pot of gold at the end of the queer rainbow. Kawi questioned Pisaeng in episode four. He asked Pisaeng why he hadn't been direct about his feelings with Pear. Kawi asked Pisaeng what he was doing when he went in for the kiss. He told Pisaeng to be honest, with himself.

Pisaeng, a guy who believed he was being honest and open, having his actions questioned made him haul ass out of there. Kawi jump-started that reflection.

But Pisaeng is honest and open. He spoke to Pear the next day. He saw the men kissing, and although hesitant, he went to that gay bar. He spoke to Max and decided to confess to Kawi. Then, he returned to the bar.

I hope, and feel, that we are getting the same story from Kawi. He hasn't been honest with himself for a long time, and this statement isn't about queerness. This is about his life in general. However, he doesn't react the same way as Pisaeng. Kawi needs more support. He needs a bigger push. He needs people to guide him. Because for over a decade, Kawi has had nobody and feels like he has nothing.

Pisaeng has known something was wrong with what others believed to be his perfect life, so he was quick to adjust. Kawi has dreamed about what he believed would be his perfect life for at least twelve years, so he is very reluctant to reevaluate the choices he believes will get him that perfect life.

Kawi is doing everything under the guise of getting Pear and more money, but just like Pisaeng, he will have to be honest with himself and realize he is doing all of this because he is extremely lonely. Kawi doesn't need to get laid and get paid; he needs friends.

Both Pisaeng and Kawi need a friend.

And that's what I love about this. You're right! We aren't seeing a story of growth that involves the love interest.

Instead we are seeing stories about change that involve friends.

Because if we are being honest with ourselves, we all need a little help from our friends.

[italianpersonwithashippersheart]

Only Friends Ep 3 Thoughts

Nick is going to be the most heartbroken of the all group. No matter how open or good or bad or bittersweet his story ends we are going to see a character that is fundementally different then the one we saw in episode 1.

There is also the possibility we are setting up Nick as becoming a bit of a stalker with Boston. Or that the cameras will have a bigger impact on the future. Also I was wrong, Nick wasn't lying about his parents, I guess I was just picking up on his discomfort with Nick in the scene.

I can't decide if I think Sand or Ray are the ones in that relationship that is going to get more hurt. Because Ray is kind of toying with Sand, but unlike Nick, Sand can tell this about him, and doesn't trust him. It feels like all of Sand's instinctict are screaming at him to run away in the opposite direction, but he just can't help himself.

I can't get a read on Mew. It's obvious that Top is not what he is looking for, it's so obvious he has to be able to see it. No one is that clueless. But then why does he stay. I also can't see him as already fallen for him. They have not convinced me that Mew is falling for Top yet. It kind of feels like a status symbol or something.

Boston is such a manipulative bastard, Nick is so desperate for affection, for a solid footing for anything. He needs to talk about this with someone but Boston keeps trying to convince him to keep this a secret. I have decided that I will forgive Nick for every single crime he could commit no matter how morally dubious. Boston is pissing me off that badly.

Top and Sand definately know each other. They hate each other. Badly. And Top doesn't want the others to know he knows Sand.

Once again, Boston is such a bastard. A really you love to hate him kind of character.

That last part was a doozy. We got Boston and Top fucking in that car. Nick starting his stalker behavior. Sand almost giving in and hooking up with Ray again. Mew calling Ray and he immidiately going to him and it was clear to Sand that Ray was just using him. That's why he pumped the breaks.

I am so happy we are finally going to adress the fact that Mew must know about Ray liking him (even before his confession, if that's real). And that Nick will talk about Boston with Sand. I really hated how alone he felt this episode.

[itsclydebitches]

nah, bit the fact old!jaune of all characters watches bees kiss and is like "I've waited so long for this to happen" it's like, bro, please leave. get out of here.

Finally watched the episode!

That line makes absolutely no sense to me. Last interaction Jaune had that was bees related was him (understandably) assuming that Yang would be worried about Ruby being mad at her and he notably doesn't realize that she actually meant Blake. Then he goes into survival mode when Yang falls, having no time to reflect on Blake's reaction because he's off collecting the civilians, and then he spends literal years, likely decades, living in the Ever After, entirely removed from his friends' lives and, frankly, with bigger things to worry about than another team's romance. Jaune has to confirm that this is really Team RWBY, a moment which to me read as both hesitance that what he's waited so long for has really come to pass and ensuring that his mind isn't playing tricks on him. That's really what Team RWBY looks like, right? That's what they sounded like back when I was a teenager?

So you're telling me that Jaune, who to my recollection has NEVER shown that he knows what's up with Blake and Yang (that was his role with Ren and Nora) and who has now spent half a lifetime away from these girls to the point where he needs to reassure himself that he can even properly recognize them... was waiting "so long" for them to kiss?

Agreed: nah.

This is just another version of Weiss' earlier comment. As much as I liked it at the time for being the closest thing to confirmation in a then unconfirmed tale, Weiss likewise hasn't expressed any impatience, knowing looks, or other background hints to tell the audience, "I know they like each other and am waiting for them to overcome their fear and just SAY IT already." RWBY consistently tries to retcon things via dialogue. What do you mean Blake/Yang wasn't an established slow-burn the whole cast was aware of? Here are Weiss and Jaune saying just that!

Don't get me wrong, I'm ECSTATIC that they're finally canon, both because fuck yeah queer rep and, frankly, because I'd long grown sick of having my guard up in regards to this ship. But reaching this point doesn't erase the tumultuous journey getting there. Already I'm seeing a lot of folks going, "Of course RWDE is unhappy. They're homophobic 🙄" but the reality is that none of our criticisms have changed. We've said for years that RWBY needs to confirm the bees, but that confirming them won't suddenly free the writing of its long-term problems. Waiting this long was one of the biggest problems, so of course it's a bittersweet moment. You finally did the thing fans wanted you to do years ago and you did it with a number of pitfalls, not the least of which was scaring a good chunk of your fanbase into thinking we might end this series by being told we'd just been 'reading into things.' That's... a lot to unpack. I feel like I ordered takeout and it arrived five hours late. It's now stone cold, the food was only meh to begin with, and waiting in annoyance all night has now put me off my appetite. The response to that isn't usually a, "Why are you whining when you got your food??" Like yeah... I got my food... but damn, can you really not see how the experience of getting it impacts my feelings towards the food itself?

[navree]

Do you have any headcanons for our golden boi sunfyre ? 🥺

Sunfyre my beloved I'm so sorry all this happened to you in my perfect world absolutely nothing goes wrong with him whatsoever and he gets to live a long and happy life being the prettiest boy in all of Planetos.

I think it's, like, basically canon but technically not confirmed, that Sunfyre is a hatchling from Dreamfyre, given the name similarities and the fact that Dreamfyre is much older (my pet theory is that Sunfyre's egg is Thee Egg that Rhaenyra chose for Baby Baelon and that Daemon subsequently stole).

Sunfyre was not a cradle hatchling. It appears that none of the (on screen) Hightower-Targaryen children had cradle hatchlings (given that Helaena claimed an already old dragon between episodes 6 and 7 and Aemond of course claimed the oldest dragon), either because none of their eggs hatched or Alicent just wasn't placing eggs in their cradles for it. Around when Aegon was two or three, still very young, he somehow got his hands on Sunfyre's egg, and soon after Sunfyre hatched. Sunfyre has never known a life without Aegon in it, and Aegon barely remembers a time where he didn't have Sunfyre. They practically grew up together, though Sunfyre at a much quicker rate.

Seeing as dragons are meant to have an intelligence level on par with humans (even tho ASOIAF and all related media kinda seems to forget that and has relegated them to the role of "cats" but with nukes attached), Sunfyre is aware that he is The Hot Girl. Sunfyre is ridiculously vain, any time he's flying with Aegon on him to command him, he's primping and preening and deliberately flying into as much sun exposure as he can so everyone can see the glint of gold off his scales.

Sunfyre and Aegon are ridiculously close. Far closer than any other dragon and their rider that we've seen in the entire franchise. Yes, even closer than Dany and her children (Dany would have won out but being the first person to raise dragons in over a century means that she clearly doesn't have the right tools for it which is why the kids get rascally in ADWD in a way we didn't see at the Targaryen peak). Like, however close you think they are because of the canon stuff (Aegon's grief when he died, Sunfyre literally dragging his broken body to Dragonstone because he sensed Aegon was there and needed him, all that horrible stuff), that's the tip of the iceberg. They're close not just emotionally but honestly to the point where it's almost like they have a psychic bond. It's rare that Aegon even needs to speak commands verbally, he and Sunfyre know each other incredibly well, almost as if they can literally just sense what's in each other's heads, feel each other's emotions incredibly keenly (that thing dragons and dragonriders have where they can physically feel each other's pain, but multiply it by one thousand). It's borderline mystical, especially when factoring in that both Aegon and Sunfyre only seem to start really recovering from their respective Rook's Rest wounds after they've been reunited on Dragonstone, as if they literally needed each other's presence in order to heal.

Stolen from Twitter (can't remember which account but I saw it and I wept like a baby): Aegon sings to Sunfyre sometimes. Sunfyre really, really likes it. Like, basically turns into a huge overgrown kitten when that happens, tries to get all cuddly even though he knows that Aegon's too small for it now that he's gotten big.

Sunfyre does have a certain amount of affection that extends to other members of Aegon's family, his mother and siblings in particular, and even to their dragons. Yes, even Vhagar. Doesn't matter that she's ancient and bigger and dragon mee-maw, he'll still go into attack mode if someone attempts to fuck her up. Also, a bit cracky considering we don't technically know the full mental faculties of dragons, but he's closest to Tessarion, given that they're closer in age and also Daeron's apparently a natural sweetheart and that temperament might extend to Tessarion as well. (Addendum to this: Sunfyre spent a lot of time flying with Aemond and Vhagar when Aemond was recovering. Not even just when Aegon was babysitting and making sure Aemond wasn't at risk, but literally just if he was out around the same time as Aemond and Vhagar, he hovered a lot, just to be sure. Aemond has never talked about it but he thinks of it sometimes, when he sees Aegon drunk and wet eyed and feels that twinge of disgust and envy that he tries to push down, when he remembers there's more to Aegon than seen by the naked eye)

This is less about Sunfyre himself and more about his relationship with Aegon, but the bond Sunfyre and Aegon have was Aegon's first real taste of feeling unconditional and requited love. The bond with Sunfyre was the first time in his life Aegon felt that the love he was giving out was being returned to him, and that he wasn't at risk of losing it, the way he's afraid he's done with his siblings and with Alicent. It's why, even above everything else they share, Sunfyre is so important to him, and why he's gutted and griefstricken to the point of kinslaying when Sunfyre dies.

Aegon calls Sunfyre almost primarily by pet names, even when giving verbal commands. And like, really intimate pet names, the kind of pet names you save for, like, your kids. He calls him "sweetling" and "my darling" and "golden boy" and things of that sort all.the.time. Why do I think this? Because my brain spat "Sunfyre sniffs at the blood in the air. Aegon knows now is when he says the word, the fateful word, but he cannot speak through his heart pounding in his throat. Kill her, beloved, he thinks. Kill her for what her ambition did to us. To you. Even to me. Sunfyre shifts, and a keening growl rumbles low in his ruined chest." out at me and I have not known peace since.

When Sunfyre was still small enough and Aegon's siblings and Hell, even the Strong kids were still little, they all adored Sunfyre. They coddled him relentlessly and basically cooed over him 24/7, and both Aegon and Sunfyre were absolutely thrilled with it. Even when down in the Dragonpit with them, before shit started going sideways when some people had dragons and others didn't and the bullying and all, Sunfyre would still put on a bit of a show (as I said, vain) before Aegon would make him behave, which was Aegon's own version of his own show in displaying the bond and mastery he and Sunfyre have with each other.

Aegon had Sunfyre's skull prepped to line the walls of the throne room in accordance to House Targaryen traditions. Aegon III did take it down eventually (obviously, given the memory association), but he only took it down after Alicent Hightower had died and that last shredding of her children's legacy wouldn't hurt her anymore.

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

I just I’m raging at this weeks episode and I know I should be happy but I’m not I’m so pissed off.

So the girls knows what happened in Atlas but they’re bickering about if it's really as bad as it seems and if they completely failed or not which leads to this:

“What good is saving anybody if Salem just destroys the world anyway.”

“That’s how Ironwood thought, you don’t mean that.”

NO RUBY IS RIGHT YANG SHE IS RIGHT IF THE PLANET IS DESTROYED EVERYONE ON THE PLANET IS ALSO DEAD GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY UNDERSTOOD THIS WHY CAN'T YOU.

Also are we now really trying to "but the economy" the entire fucking planet? How are they deluding themselves into thinking protecting the relics shouldn't be a top priority? Why are we trying to act like Ruby is wrong for recognizing Ironwood was right when he was very concerned about Salem getting the world ending relics? It's absolutely disgusting how the show in continuing to drag James's name through the mud like I knew it would happen but fuck it's got me so annoyed.

Salem ending the world is a real problem to be worried about, handwaving it away as "something only a bad person like Ironwood" would think is just insane to me. She wants everyone and everything dead, Salem getting half the items she needs to do that should scare the shit out of everyone but as we find out later in the episode this is not the case and it is the last thing on their minds.

Yes, saving people is important, but the mains are ignoring the very real problem of no amount of people saving from disasters like Atlas will matter in a world ending scenario. Everyone will die if Salem gets the relics. And even if the gods lied about ending the planet if humanity isn't united that won't fix the fact that as of right now they have every reason to believe they will and need to be acting as if that will happen. And saying Ironwood was totally wrong and we did everything right, shows a callous disregard for the consequences if Salem unites the relics. Why is the show trying to make us root for these girls again?

Now you remember the damn cat???? The one who literally was sacrificing themselves for you? It took you this long to wonder if they're okay? Once again we find out the cat might not be so good a person this episode, but at this point the mains have been thinking they are a friend and can be trusted so once again them forgetting about the cat and the civilian is just a gross disregard for peoples lives that feels so weird right after the girls try and boost themselves up as better then James for trying to save the people.

Also Jaunes explanation on the story is so confusing because we don’t fucking know the story so we don’t know what went wrong or why. Or why their storm isn't as bad or violent and Blake and Yangs given they should be in a really bad emotional position right now with everything they have found out.

Let's also finally talk about the elephant in the room. Yes the bee's being canon is a very good thing. They said I love you and kissed so we cannot deny they are canon. This is very good and needed to happen but it happened five episodes late if I'm being generous and 3 seasons too late worst case. But even how they got together wasn't....great. A storm that forces them to tell the truth? They aren't saying it because they're ready to? They're being forced to? Okay. This is so weird and awkward.

I also have to wonder how they started mentally talking to each other and why neither thought it was weird. This whole scene feels so awkward and forced and even if it leads to a good thing we've been demanding that doesn't make the writing work. I also have to wonder, why is the bee's relationship "more important" then finding out about Salem getting the relics? Why isn't that a bigger concern for literally all of the girls? It should be that's for sure. And just do not even get me started on the damn comedy surrounding them all getting out of the damn storm just. Don't. This post is way to long as it is.

Aaaannnndddddd Jaune has Crescent Rose how boring. This is the dumbest way to get Ruby her weapon back. All of the theorizing about how her losing her weapon was a sign of her losing herself and finding it again would be tied to her finding herself again just got tossed out the window. The interesting and complex storytelling tied to that arc are just gone and I am so damn annoyed. It's been established for a long time a persons weapon is apart of themselves and we could have had a great arc about Ruby's search for Crescent Rose mirroring her search to find herself again. It could have actually been a good use of wonderlands weirdness that is once again not utilized in a meaningful way.

[mdhwrites]

Not sure if you've talked about him already, but what's your opinion on Matt Tholomule as a character? I feel like he's one of the very few (if not the only) characters who wasn't reduced to a softie after redemption like Amity/Lilith/Hunter

So 1. Shockingly enough, I never have and I'll get into probably why in a moment. 2. I can't be certain in my analysis here as I have only seen clips of For the Future and I'm not going to dig for his parts for this blog so I haven't seen all that he becomes but I have an idea. That idea also says that... Yeah, you're not wrong actually. Arguably, Lilith is soft enough and treated enough like a joke in S1 that TECHNICALLY her personality is intact post redemption. However, even if you argue that, she still seems like a parody of who she used to be.

Which... is actually kind of true Matt too. Why it works better here is that rather than make fun of a character's trauma and disregard their background, Matt was always a bit of a joke and his final form is actually steeped in who he was. We were never supposed to take him that seriously which is... a mixed bag for him. I'm going to say a lot of nice things at least conceptually about where he ends up but I want to make something clear: I barely think of Matt normally. I will entirely forget he was in the show because he is extremely forgettable. The situation he's in and his plight are always far more interesting than "Kind of bad at being a jerk/bully" which is his primary personality for two of his three main appearances. He's just not got a strong enough personality for two seasons to leave much of an impression and for a supporting cast's supporting member, you need to make a bigger splash than he ever did to be remembered.

But then we get S3 where we get just that. The boy, from my understanding, turns himself into a god damn comic book character and its glorious. And... It actually makes sense. Matt always had an ego and a desire for attention but he was missing two things to get to the point he's at now. The first was a better morale compass so that he could be a good guy and that part we get to see. The other is a proper community and support around him so he wasn't always looking over his shoulder. I... don't know how much that part is true to For the Future but the clips I've seen imply that he's at least not being disregarded or constantly have to prove himself anymore. He's just another member of the resistance which is a HELL of a lot better than he's had before.

This leads to all that bubbling confidence coming out into a glorious mess that absolutely fits how some teens try to act 'mature' by acting confidant. By celebrating things like stubble and proclaiming to the mirror "I AM A MAN NOW!" Buuut it also seems like the show was kind enough to not make him purely the butt of jokes like this but actually allow him to show that he's a good guy nowadays. He still prioritizes things like Amity's safety and what not after all. Again, I don't know how accurately but what I've seen theoretically shows me that yeah, For the Future did do something right.

Hell, as a moment of positivity: In a vacuum, the main thing I truly don't approve of in For the Future conceptually is Kikimora. There is no reason to have her back, let alone not beat her there. But if this was a pair of episodes in a full 20 episode season, they could have potentially been a highlight of the season. There's a lot of good character stuff conceptually here and it's utilizing the fact that the side characters can be fun in TOH, even if many of them have been turned more into like the twins where they're pretty bland now that they're purely good as well. But... That's in a vacuum where this didn't end up being a filler episode in a three episode season where so many critical elements are just left hollow while we spend time with characters who haven't mattered for an entire season. *sigh*

Still, I'm happy for Matt fans that their character got such a good ending.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[teaandcrowns]

I don't ship kataang, nor any ship in atla, so when I say this I'm talking from more of a platonic perspective, but I really don't think Aang was trying to push his beliefs onto Katara as much as people think in TSR, just like Zuko didn't push her to violence. Aang shouldn't have said it how he did, but when he and Sokka said what they said, they didn't say it because they thought it was necessarily wrong, but because they knew killing someone would not help katara (although Sokka and Aang are very different here considering, especially considering Katara is Sokkas sister), and we find out later in the episode that revenge wasn't the suitable option for her. Yes, Katara wanted more than to just confront Yon Rha, but I don't think Aang was demonising Katara when he said she was like Jet. This part is really all up for interpretation, but Jet died a noble death and Katara mourned him personally, he was a child taken over by revenge after the grief of his parents and village, and Katara, Sokka and Aang all saw how it ended for him. And in the end, they don't stop Katara. They let her go, even if they're scared she might end up killing him, but even if she had, they wouldn't have shut her out. Aang himself had several instances in which he would have taken several lives (sandbenders) if katara hadn’t stopped him. That’s why he says, “I’m proud of you,”, not because shes proud she went by what he said, because katara arrived at that moral decision on her own, without the influence of external sources. That was all her- it wasn't Aang, it wasn't Zuko, or anyone else. Neither Aang, nor even Zuko, are forcing her to do anything as much as people say, or trying to force their opinions and wants on her. I definitely think that the point other anon said about the fact Aang physically can't get revenge is a good point- it means that even if he wanted to, he couldn't understand Katara fully because its impossible for him to be put in that position since everyone who attacked the air temples is dead by time. But that's the thing, everyone in the group has experienced different things, and that doesn't make it that they're supporting someone less or more because of it. Sorry if this was long, I just have a lot of thoughts on this

I think one can read TSR's interactions both in a friendship and in a relationship lead-up light, but it can 100% be read just in a platonic light. While I don't agree with all your interpretation, I do agree with some of it, which is part of the joy of fandom. As I'm sure you can tell, I also have a lot of thoughts on that episode (all the show, really), so having a lot of thoughts yourself is always welcome.

I do read Aang as trying to at least get Katara to see his point of view on the idea of confronting Yon Rha, but by reading that, I have to ask myself, Why? Why is he trying to get her to see things from his point of view? The most logical answer I can come to is because he wants her to agree with him. I don't even know if Katara doesn't see it from his point of view, because she never explicitly says—what she does say is that she knows he "wouldn't understand," which indicates to me that she, at least, very much feels that he isn't trying to see things from her perspective. I think that's where the bigger conflict comes in, and why she gets so mad, especially when he compares her to Jet. This is where I have to somewhat disagree with what I'm reading as you trying to argue: Katara knows Aang isn't referring to how Jet died in Ba Sing Se, he's referring to Jet's quest for vengeance against a (colonized) town of Fire Nation people. Coupled with that is the fact that Jet manipulated both her and Aang into helping him get things set up to destroy the town, with the intention of killing all its inhabitants.

Just like it's not a 1:1 comparison for Aang to compare losing a very much alive Appa to Katara essentially witnesses her mother's murder (which is a script-writing question I have: why in the world would Aang be written to say that when he could easily have said, "My entire culture was wiped out by the Fire Nation, I know how it feels to lose everyone you love," instead. That boggles my mind), it's certainly not a 1:1 comparison for Aang to make about Katara, wanting to confront a specific person who did her direct harm, to Jet, whose rage was directed at anyone of Fire Nation origin or descent.

I do agree that Aang says, "I'm proud of you," because he thinks she chose not to kill Yon Rha and instead forgive him because of what he said, but he's wrong. Katara chose not to kill Yon Rha because of herself, and she certainly did not choose to forgive him, which she explicitly tells Aang. Like I said, she ultimately is swayed by neither Aang or Zuko, and that also includes her final decisions about Yon Rha (both to not kill and not forgive him). Saying things like, "[Aang] and Sokka said what they said . . . because they knew killing someone would not help katara," is exactly the issue here as well. They're assuming they know what's best for Katara and what she needs, instead of allowing her to make that decision for herself. (Also, Aang does absolutely think killing someone is wrong, which we see is his very big conflict with the entire group regarding how to deal with Ozai, but you are right in that Sokka doesn't view it as wrong.) But again, that's likely why she gets mad at Sokka, too—because he's assuming he knows better than Katara what she needs and what's "best" for her.

And, having those different opinions and perspectives and conflicts isn't inherently a bad thing itself, but it is bad when Katara is seen by the audience as being in the wrong somehow and Aang in the right because the narrative never addressed it and/or the creators tried to push their own agenda of the scenario in commentary when that isn't reflected in canon. (I'm not trying to imply you're doing that here, but I mention it because I've seen many people cite that as a reason in their argument.)

[langernameohnebedeutung]

Im rewatching season 1 how crazy it is that liv could have- probably not, but it would have definitely changed things- stopped blaines brain business by supplying him with brains herself. It would have been nice to have another zombie during those early days to talk to, esp if liv still believed blaine was making a change in his life or whatever he said. Kinda like what lowell was to her but less british

(I actually have this very similar AU-idea that I like to explore at the bottom of my hindbrain 'what if Liv hadn't seen Blaine in that alleyway and had been willing to buy into his 'repentant drug dealer' persona and they had been on semi-friendly terms for the first season)(though I kind of like the angle that he still does the brain business thing. And Ravi and Liv (and Major, separately) catch on to the fact that a brain business exists and try to find out who is running it - and even clue Blaine in case he can help and perhaps he delivers them wrong information or otherwise manipulates them) so it's a bigger personal betrayal when they find out that it was Blaine all along)

The thing is, I think it's a bit of a veeeery soft retcon they did at the beginning of season 2 (or perhaps just a clarification) because when the cast talks about Blaine's original return in the second episode, they talk about how it was supposed to be very ambiguous where he's standing.

But at the start of season 2, Blaine mentions that Angus was his 'first customer' - and since the first person we see him infect for his business is Jackie (we don't really know when he infected the Meat Cute gang or when he stored Julien and the others in his freezer), season 1 leaves the option that Jackie was the start of his business and that he used her money to expand OR that she was just one of many in a row. Saying Angus was the first means he would already definitely have been at it for a while when he found out about Liv. (On the other hand, it could be argued that infecting and 'owning' Angus is so personal that it doesn't really count as part of the bigger brain business scheme. That maybe he just infected him to keep himself afloat AND to get back at his father and then only later decided 'hey, actually I can do this to everyone I want!' (or perhaps he just told Angus that he was the first, but personally, I like the theory that he went straight to Angus the moment he had a shot at revenge. Plus, I don't think he would tell Angus that he was the first if he wasn't - because that would be admitting how much power Angus still has over him.)

Though, I also think that the way in which Blaine infects Jackie...seems pretty routined and pre-meditated. And when he did that, it was before the alleyway scene so at that point, Blaine still thought Liv was going to give him brains. So to me that certainly always felt like the plan was to x two birds with 1 stone:

a) check out the people who are looking for me online and who are working at a morgue and stay in touch to keep an eye on them (and the cops by extension)(after all, he even does a similar thing in season 2, when he wants Liv to keep an eye on Dale for him)

b) do hapless remorseful drug dealer and fellow zombie act, secure brain, secure customer, play grateful that Liv is giving you brains but sell them off behind her back. Profit! >:)

(that's my personal interpretation though)

But I also definitely would have enjoyed if there had been a longer period of just...uncertainty about what Blaine's deal is and more time in which to perhaps explore Liv's feelings about Blaine's part in her infection and everything that happened at the boat party at large and also perhaps the way her feelings on the matter conflicted with Ravi's, who was a lot more willing to give Blaine the benefit of the doubt. (and you know who could have given us that??? the old 24-episode format!! ...but that's another passion topic of mine)

(On the other hand, it's also a topic that I feel a bit conflicted on because I've seen some people (cough reddit! cough) literally blame Liv for the bullshit Blaine does à la "ohh, surely Blaine wouldn't have gone and built a giant business on the back of murdered orphans if Liv had just shared that brain with him in ep. 2" ...which. nah. I think that is an obstacle that could be overcome without going full Mrs. Lovett.)

[katyspersonal]

Uuuuugh,,...

(A small rant about Miraculous Ladubyg)

Okay I've finally got up my arse and started watching 5th season of Miraculous Ladybug. There are so many cool things and developments, but I just got to the fuckin. ugh. episode where they retconned Marinette's genuinely weird stalkery obssessive problems over her crush as result of the trauma that Chloe caused to her on previous studying years. And I actually had Frenzy attack and need to pause from the weird headache.

"But wait Kat, it is a good message that having sympathetic reasons for questionable behaviour doesn't extempt you from guilt" Well it sure is..... except it doesn't work on Marinette apparently, because Thomas wants his protag to be basically flawless and never have her flaws truly addressed. And it sure doesn't work on Chloe, because she DOES have sympathetic reasons for being a school bully as a girl who is 14-15 (and was like, 13? and even younger? when she was a bully?); she has god fucking awful oppressive mother that kept neglecting her and garbage father that spoils her and never disciplines her! I still feel extremely bigger over the fact that they were trying to write Chloe through an interesting and valid arc of acknowledging her awful behaviour and changing to the better, but then Thomas stepped in and assasinated her character to make his point about how some people will never change because they can't give away their privileges. And like, okay, fine. But why at the expence of the abused and neglected spoiled teenage girl? And it was the worst part how he also tried to gaslight the audience into believing it was planned this way from the start when it wasn't.

Honestly, the easiest thing to do would be writing a new character to deliver this point about how "some people will never change". Heck, keep the trauma but make Kim 100% responcible instead of just making him a dumbass goof folled by Chloe, keep the stepsister thing but make HER the new spoiled bully one that was disappointed her sister became nicer and more down to earth with "peasants". Retcons in the TV shows cause me headache in general, but completely wrecking the pre-existing already built character to be hip with the kids and making her speak like such a caricature that NO real life bully could ever be this one-dimensional and bland is just awful. I feel like this is the actual case of the writer abusing his character, like... this show just feels like it is way too happy to keep beating Chloe up by making her so unrealistically evil that you just don't believe this writing. After having written her in seasons 1-2 as a realistic complex character that was an asshole but interesting and explained. And in the end, the worst, THE worst part is that in the end all it really does is absolves other characters from guilt and agency over their mistakes, flaws, negative emotions etc etc. Because everything is fucking always a fault of a teenager girl that the writers just hates so much.

I'll go back to watching it, and I hope there will be some cool development and improvement later that could help to undo this bitterness. :/ I am sorry it is the second time I am ranting about how Chloe was treated as a character, it is just something I deeply hate writers doing. Besides one (1) of my mutuals watches this show too xd Basically 1) do not retcon previously well-written characters to make a completely new point, just write in a new character (which applies to both Chloe AND Marinette) and 2) do not make a literal 13-to-15 years old character as stand-in for everything awful and wrong with the setting, this is just fucking cruel lol.