#the growth they've already shown this season !!!!!

[dangerpronebuddie]

No but I want Eddie to call Buck about Chris and his parents because it might be the thing that actually makes him realize he does have a place in Eddie's life, and it's not going anywhere. In 7x04, even after all this time, he still thinks Eddie can replace him anytime he wants. I want Eddie to call and say anything remotely like "I need your help" or "I just... need you" or "can you come over?" Just something to tell Buck he is needed- not for what he can give, but for who he is. I need Buck to think of "you act like you're expendable, but you're wrong" and actually believe it. I want him to get over the insecurity he still carries. Eddie won't move on and find someone better. Buck is his person and I want Buck to believe that. And the only way he will is if Eddie tells him.

[clandestine-j]

It'll never NOT be WILD to me that we saw that by the end of the begin episodes and by the introduction of Bobby's…that Tommy is cool with the 118. Like, he's well liked, he's getting drinks, he's cracking jokes, him and Hen have a dynamic (she's coming for his lunch)

But we have to hate him because of his past.

We have….

A person who started a chain of events that lead to over 100 deaths with however many simply injured or has lost loved ones.

A person who cheated on his partner on a whim but didn't tell her until she was already moved in, trapping her.

A person who not only treated the mother of his child wrong (being able to run away TWICE when she couldn't) and when she did leave, he didn't bother to check on her (or even ask her mother was doing okay??? like that's your sons grand-mother dying of cancer and you're not gonna check on her once? see what the funeral was like, when it seemed like she was nothing but nice to you. unlike your parents to her daughter) and then she does come back, is happy to use her for sex while denying her a chance to re-connect with her child, then using his next girlfriend as a black out baby sitter and breaks up with her in the shittiest way possible. AFTER this best friend told him to end it AND THEN, STILL, hasn't learned his lesson about treating partners better because he finds out his girlfriend used to be a nun (didn't even make it to the nun part), refused to communicate with her until the last second, used her as a baby sitter, cheated on her by having an emotional affair while using her as a baby sitter. AND IT WAS ABOUT TO TURN PHYISCAL BEFORE SHE WALKED IN. DATES OUT IN BROAD DAYLIGHT.

But we're supposed to hate someone who learned, changed and grew.

Now, I still love the characters despite what they've done.

I just think it's wild, we're treated like shit for enjoying a characters who has shown growth and learning, and most of that hate is coming from fans of man who has constantly treated his partners like shit and has yet to learn from it depsite his big age. Now, don't get me wrong, I like the drama of it and I love the character but at least I don't pretend like he's JESUS.

It's just wild. We get shit for liking a character that grew, even if we didn't see it all but some can like a character that's gone through seasons of treating partners like shit and not learning his lesson and no one should say anything about it.

Ya'll are funny.

[bootlegramdomneess]

Sydney and Pain

Been thinking about Syd's 3 of swords tat

The Three of swords represent emotional pain, disappointment, hurt, a sorrowful experience. grief and loss, Sadness depression. it also symbolizes letting go of emotional pain. Letting the sorrow and pain transform you.

It reminds us that pain is a natural part of life and in that pain can lead to incredible growth and healing. I often explain this when I do readings for people. It's not the best card to pull, but also not the worst in the grand scheme of the universe because it's all about learning Lessons and growing from them.

We don't know Sydney's full story yet. We've seen glimpses and i'm unsure if thisis done purposely or not, but it's due time. The 3 of swords is such a poignantly poetic card and It's interesting how they've shown this tattoo in particular twice now.

Sydney's a cautious being. I don't necessarily see her as an avoider so much as someone who too has been through some shit and now is heeding caution. I hope they strip her bare next season because we're already starting to see some deeper parts.

What I have seen is how Sydney deals with pain and discomfort in using humor which is a healthy response and not avoidance. I hope they go deeper with her character. It's like we're trying figure her out like Carmy is.

She has become very guarded which looks like avoidance. She is protecting herself in some way because in Season 2 she had no problems talking about her dynamic with her dad to Carmy and thinking Emmanuel may be ashamed of her. This all stopped after she found out about Claire.

[justanotherblogger]

Small Tang Ramble

Right now, I have started rewatching the entire Lego Monkie Kid series from the start while I wait to see the recent season 5 episodes (that I was suckerpunched with when scrolling through Tumblr and having some stuff spoiled whene I didnt even think a new season would come for at least a few more months).

Then, when I finally got to season 4, I noticed something interesting with how they handle Tang's powers.

At the start of the season, it's revealed that Tang's cheat sheet, given to him by Azure Lion, was something that supposedly should've been helpful to someone "mysticly powerful, comparable to the Great Monk, Tang Sanzang", then the sheet should be a piece of cake so to speak.

Then we see how Tang struggles and has a hard time finding where his friends are located, but then a Golden Cicada helps him to find Pigsy, which was the same one that flew around the Samadhi Fire ritual site when Mei had it reunited within her.

That's not my topic right now, though, so I'll just skip the "random destiny bugs" (name given to me by a friend), and keep going towards my main point.

Anyways, skipping a few episode to when the meet the Great Master (I forgot the guys name), we see how Tang got berated for his lack of courage and work ethic. Then Tang and the rest of the gang are put to train, and I'm not exactly sure on how long they were in training for, but I'm going to assume a few hours at the sky visibly got darker near the end of the montage.

(I'm pretty sure that something akin to a stop in time for them to train would have been stated in the show itself if that was an explanation for how long they have been training for, so I'm gonna rule out any sort of "checkpoint" or "rest stop" rules here, like when you can stay in a safe space for whatever amount of time and come out with little time passed afterwards.)

The reason why I'm talking about how long they've trained for, is because after (what I assume) is a few hours, Tang is able to teleport a WHOLE AIR BALLOON, RIGHT ON TOP OF WHERE THEY NEEDED TO BE, WITHOUT HIS STAFF NO LESS.

*ahem* We know Tang had struggled with the teleportation magic from the beginning, even with his staff along with only transporting 3 people, and the magic level required to do so is comparable to the Monk, who is very powerful considering what we've seen in how his training was revered by the great master for being extensive plus how the Monk focussed only on his studies, and in-show examples. (Ex. Releasing the heavenly seal put on monkey king singehandedly, sealing the Samadhi Fire along with three others, then also Sealing the Lady Bone Demon to where she can only escape through her self reflecting or a rare, mystical key, etc)

I'm just saying how it's very impressive how Tang could go from barely being able to teleport accurately with 3 people, the staff in hand, to figuring out how to teleport accurately, how to teleport something as big as an airship, and then gaining enough focus/mystic power to do the teleport without his staff for this first time shown in the show. And remember this: all of this growth was in, at most, half a day.

And we know how long the Great Monk had to study to get to where he was, "learning everything there was to learn" with him blocking out anything else to focus purely on his studies to get where he was, and yes, he probably studied more than just the teleportation magic in his time, but Azure said it himself, that someone "mysticly powerful, comparable to the Great Monk, Tang Sanzang" should be able to figure out the cheet sheet, or at least versed in the mystical topic.

I already showcased how much work is really needed through that comment, but then Azure showed it again in his comment of "if hes learned it in the mystical arts.." describing how this would have needed to be taught like how they gang were forced to with the Great Master. We already know how hard the training from the Great Master was to get even a fraction of Mk's power, and considering how heavily it's put on how the Monk only studied and studied when it was talked about, with the students in the flashback looking like the ones under the Great Master, I would assume learning the mystic arts takes a similar amount of time and effort.

And now that my points have been laid out, you guys get it when I was gobsmacked at how quickly Tang grew in the time with the Great Master, reiterating my point of how Tang was able to figure out HOW TO DO TELEPORT AND AIRSHIP WITHOUT THE CHEAT SHEET, WITH HIS BARE HANDS, IN A MATTER OF HOURS when it was heavily implied (from what interpreted) that doing something like this would take a considerable amount of time and training, even for the Monk as he was said to only focus on his studies to optimize his mystic abilities and to block any distractions.

And then to add to this, it was only ever shown in the show that Tang only read throughout the entire training session. Whenever we see him in the montage, it's him reading scrolls no matter what. We never see him practice, or even mimic any of the moves or exercise that I would assume would be on those scrolls for him to learn. Then, the first time he ever put those ideas he read about into practice after using the staff the entire time before and messing it up, he was able to make the transportation of the airship fast, accurate, and without the help of the staff entirely.

TLDR: Tang is either so good at cramming that he was able to shorten a good year of learning into a couple hours, or he's severely gifted in the mystic arts with the right training or examples. Either way, if you gave this man a week in the scroll library with some noodles and motivation from the Great Master, then I would assume he might actually become one of the most powerful characters LMK, given the time to do so. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[kitkatopinions]

The RWBY writers: *Writes five seasons of Blake being stubborn, feisty, active, and passionate, standing up for herself, calling out Weiss when she's anti-faunus, speaking her mind, doing what she wants and only changing her mind if she's been given a good argument, being willing to call out others, trying to take a more realistic approach, has broken away from a toxic and controlling person she's stood up to repeatedly since then, yells "he's mine" while attacking someone she thinks is actively hurting her people, has opened up about her feelings repeatedly, doesn't back down from a challenge, acts openly exasperated when her friends or acquaintances are being stupid, is mature enough to recognize that even when her friend is reminding her of Adam that it doesn't mean that she is Adam and calmly explains her initial hesitance and explains what reassurance she needs before deciding to believe her friend anyway, saw her horrible ex trying to kill people and jumped into a fight with him while proclaiming she wouldn't run away, and then when her friend got hurt gave him this look

And only ran away when it was Yang's life on the line after tricking him and saving Yang despite having been suffering from a stab wound, etcetera, etcetera.

The RWBY writers: *Writes Weiss to say she'd been used to Blake being 'the quiet one' at the end of V5, implying that the writers want us to think that Blake's behavior in the early seasons had been muted and that now that she'd had a growth arc in V4 and V5 (badly done or not) that she would be more feisty, more outspoken, more self-assured, more passionate, and even more action driven than ever. Which would make sense considering that we saw her take Sun's words to heart concerning the personal growth she needed to do, and seemed to start moving in the direction of shedding her self-hate and blaming herself and start learning to accept love and care instead of pushing people away. And the writers also seemed to want us to believe that she was becoming more of a leader and V5 seemed to mark her finally fully moving on from what had happened with Adam.*

Also the RWBY writers: *Proceeds to write Blake to randomly turn into a meek wallflower who doesn't usually stand up for herself, needs frequent help in fights, gets insecure when she thinks people are unjustly mad at her, plays peacekeeper with her friends while trying to manage their angry moods with soft tones like a mother attempting to corral toddlers in the middle of temper tantrums, doesn't fight or argue when people make anti-faunus cracks at her or call her cat ignorantly or otherwise, flinches and grimaces when Yang gets angry, hides behind Yang when she feels threatened, doesn't really talk things through, is no longer active and is content to wait for her friends to tell her what they should do, the closest she's gotten to active has been in V9 where she was telling her friends about a story they all already knew, hasn't called out or even casually argued with her friends on anything iirc since V6, doesn't care to attend rallies against Jacques Schnee, is characterized like a sweet, caring, shy girl who needs reassurance when her romantic interest goes on a different mission than her, has no problem at all with Yang going red-eyed at the mere suggestion that they should ever take missions apart, acts like she thinks she's going to be hit all the time and wouldn't be able to do anything if she was hit.*

Some RWBY fans: "I am just so happy that Blake is healthy now and gets to be her true self now."

Like, Blake prior to the end of V5 was not "the quiet one" who was so so so super not confident and wasn't her true self. Her relationship with Yang didn't "fix" her and make her confident. The writers haven't actually shown her to be better and healthier and stronger and more sure of herself than before. If anything, they've given us the exact opposite.

How the hell am I meant to think Blake has gotten better when the writers specifically now write her to act this way ever since the beginning of V6? How am I meant to take their 'you used to be the quiet one' seriously when it isn't true? When the opposite is true and she becomes the quiet one in V6? It really just feels like they and a lot of their fans literally forgot who Blake was and replaced her with a whole new person and I'm sitting here like

How is she now "Not the quiet one" and before she was "the quiet one" when she was five times more outspoken and acted more confident and passionate and feisty before? I do not get it, I do not understand how I'm supposed to think she's more healthy now. I do not know how I'm supposed to think that she's done all her growing and is now much better when she actively seems worse off than she did in V freaking 1.

[theerurishipper]

Love reading your analysis post. Thought I'd bring one into the table and let you read my thoughts on a certain character.

.................................. Frankly, I never truly regarded Chloe's character, particularly in her capacity as Marinette's "bully" during Season 1, with the seriousness it seemed to attract. While many viewers hold strong negative sentiments toward her character, my exposure to various novels and manga has shown me instances where characters akin/similar to Chloe were portrayed with greater depth and nuance. In these narratives, authors skillfully delved into the character's animosity towards the protagonist, often weaving a compelling backstory that shed light on how resentment stemming from a childhood marked by neglect or abuse could transform an individual into a more morally compromised figure.

Sometimes, these characters underwent substantial development and personal growth, whereas in other cases, they remained stagnant, allowing the main character to recognize and acknowledge this stasis. This literary divergence underscores the difference in storytelling approaches between Thomas Astruc and many of the creators in the manga and novel realms I've encountered. While Chloe's character in "Miraculous Ladybug" might have played a minor antagonistic role the Astruc creator intent appeared to extend no valuable lessons. In doing so, he presented characters like Chloe as just plain evil while the ones I've encountered with authors would rather use their antagonistic and bully characters as cautionary examples, demonstrating the potential consequences of their actions, whether they ultimately experienced redemption or not.

I find it challenging to take the strong animosity towards Chloe seriously, particularly because of Astruc himself and his own hatred for her, as the creator of a children's magical girl cartoon, it's crucial in my opinion to maintain a clear boundary between one's professional role and personal life. The fusion of personal grievances with one's job can only exacerbate anger and resentment, which is counterproductive. I believe that past personal matters, whatever they may be, should not influence the production of a children's show, as these shows have a profound impact on their viewers.

Miraculous Ladybug, being a widely popular series among both children and adults, should have been carefully considered for its messaging. It's perplexing that the show wasn't discontinued earlier, considering the negative messages that the writing team appears to be conveying. The fandom may also share some of the responsibility; perhaps they've had encounters with individuals akin to Chloe in their own lives, which contributes to their strong reactions. Regardless, the show has already garnered a substantial amount of criticism for Chloe's character. Why the fandom continues to perpetuate and even endorse such negativity remains unclear. Furthermore, the fanbase's inclination to label her as psychopathic and devoid of any redemption, in similar way to Marinette's belief that she can never change, is bewildering and raises valid concerns.

When I mentioned that I never perceived Chloe as Marinette's "bully," I understand that this perspective may not be universally shared. To me, Chloe never posed a genuine threat, unlike Lila, whose manipulative nature was far more concerning. Chloe struck me as someone who was all talk and little action, often emphasizing her privileged background by calling out for her father's help.

In an ironic twist, I actually view Chloe as Marinette's rival more than her tormentor. It's intriguing how Marinette and the rest of their class didn't cower in fear of Chloe. Despite her wealth, Chloe seemed to attract little genuine affection from her peers, as most interactions with her revolved around attempts to control or exploit her, or simply to gain something from her. The way even the show's creators seemed to discard her character makes me sympathize with her on a different level.

Perhaps it's a sign of growing older, but I now perceive Chloe as a rather pitiable character. I can't muster any anger towards her, and witnessing the fandom labeling her as "evil" only makes me inclined to challenge such judgments. If this is how they perceive a child, then they might benefit from reconnecting with reality, as this is a rather misguided and stupid perspective on their part.

I suspect what really irks the anti-Chloe faction is that we choose to empathize with her, even though it may not align with their perspective. It's important to clarify that we're not in the business of justifying or excusing her actions or behavior, nor are we hiding behind her parents' shortcomings as a shield for her conduct. Instead, we're highlighting a nuanced aspect that's often overlooked in the fandom.

It's also worth acknowledging that in this fan community, there's a tendency to grant leniency, especially when it comes to Marinette, often attributing her actions to her age of 14. It's somewhat peculiar how this grace isn't uniformly extended to all characters, with Adrien, for instance, being a prime example. That sort of being a hypocrite.

When it comes to Chloe, I can't help but feel a sense of pity—a very human emotion. I believe there might be individuals out there who have experienced something akin to Chloe's situation, or perhaps they've been a little like her in their own past. If the show's creator chose not to redeem her character and allowed her to spiral further, it wouldn't necessarily be a problem, as long as they conveyed her role as a cautionary tale.

Beneath all the layers of her character, Chloe emerges as a profoundly desolate 14-year-old. I may not particularly like her, but recognizing the underlying sadness in her character is something I believe many people can relate to.

What the point of this show exactly? I thought Magical girls shows were to inspire hope. If the protagonist herself deems her to far gone then what the point. I thought a magical girl is one who doesn't lose hope and to inspire characters like Chloe not to damn her.

I'm glad you like my posts!

And as for your analysis, I don't have anything else to add! It's a great analysis of Chloe. I do agree that Chloe's relationship with Marinette is rather vague. If Chloe did bully Marinette, which I'm not denying, then it's played for laughs more than anything, which makes it confusing as to just what their dynamic was like. Chloe is a bully, but her actions are never taken seriously by the narrative, which sends a muddled message when you start to pretend Marinette was deeply mentally scarred by this when you've spent 5 seasons making a joke out of it.

In the series, Marinette has more of a rivalry with Chloe until Seasons 4 and 5 decided to pretend Chloe was some kind of serious threat whose only go to move wasn't yelling for her daddy all the time. In Origins, Marinette seems more disgruntled than actually troubled that Chloe is in her class again, and even snaps back at her when Chloe does that thing with the bubblegum. Chloe is just the mean-girl archetype, someone with whom the main character has a rivalry. And I personally do interpret Marinette and Chloe's dynamic as one where Chloe bullied Marinette and I am really not going to downplay that, but I also see where it can come off differently, considering the show never really portrays Chloe as a significant threat. Clearly there are scenes in certain episodes where Chloe is being a bully which are taken seriously, but a lot of the time they are not. It's just the archetype, it's up to one's own interpretation.

Thank you for your ask!

[alitgblog]

volume ix thoughts wooooo we're out of casa

first off, return of a legend: the beach hut

i was fully expecting the compatibility test to be more like the season 1 compatibility test with the zodiacs because that's fun but i guess that's less of a pot stirrer than a fun game to have. though the narrator poking fun at it i guess is making fun of the fandom for thinking it was gonna be horoscopes 🤣

so very obvious ass test though especially with the two answers only about the two guys you're pursuing, which I think is a missed opportunity to throw more lore about the guys in there. or at least make it not as obvious? really goes to show how surface level the characters are compared to, say, the Mr. and Mrs. Challenge towards the end of S2

I'm going for Jin and Max rn so I thought it was funny their personalities were boiled down to "funny" vs "extroverted" and my MC had to pick between the two as if they were mutually exclusive

anyway just nearly got Jin lmao

I'd like them to stop with the Claudia/Theo storyline because it feels like they've already decided they're done with each other and are ready to move on? However, Claudia being compatible with Theo on paper but like not really feeling it is an interesting idea. Like she feels she's got no other option to stay safe except for him and they like each other enough. Meanwhile Bea's settling for Liam because he's shown any interest in her at all. (Let them date each other if MC can't! They deserve better!!)

also I know that I joked about Theo being just some mildly attractive white guy to fawn over and settle for but the way that Claudia is just settling for him? actually upsetting like I'm so sorry, Theo 😟 I didn't mean it I thought he was fine after the first dates 😖

Hari mention! I was pretty sure the game forgot about him lmao

anyway the compatibility thing still doesn't make the most sense because like,,, why did all the guys get the Villa girls and none of the casa girls? I just think we should stir up some shit. I know it's annoying but it is the perfect opportunity to try to make Emel angry at Oakley again by saying he's most compatible with some casa girl. And she can show growth by not getting upset this time.

idk why but Kyle's poem to Emel is giving wannabe rap crew vibes (i.e. I'm missing S1 I'll take what I can get). Also, Claudia said he's giving game player vibes?? I'm actually so upset with how the LI's are all interchangeable because simply this cannot be the same Kyle y'all are fawning over (it's not 😭)

I'm kind of curious what it's like replaying on a straight route bc personally my heart hurts every time they show Claudia's little sad face but like I have to talk to Max it just makes more sense because MC can't couple with Claudia in stick or twist

Close your eyes and pick at random is actually hilarious as an option for stick or twist and I almost did it

i've already said my piece about Sienna, I love her design. I will admit though, her open mouth smile is a little stilted but people get botox so... not out of the ordinary lol. The bigger problem is how her hand on her hip is a little fucked up (color in between the lines, fusebox!)

as someone not on a Theo route, I really don't understand why he's sticking with Claudia unless he's got some personal turmoil he's working through and trying to actually reform his player ways. And I wish MC could talk to him as a friend and we'd see that. like in the way S2, you get to know Rocco's insecurity about never finishing university and Gary's anxiety even if you aren't on their routes

Anyway I'm still upset at the forcing MC to couple because she's single thing. They could've still had her coupled with Jin (or even with Hari it would work) and then she can either walk in single or with a casa boy. And then she's the main character: just say that the single islanders don't get dumped post casa (like it's SUPPOSED to be) because in that situation, she's the only one! Or if you need the numbers to be right, literally Emel is right there. She can come back to Oakley later if anything

still not the best stick or twist could've gone in terms of drama (or maybe that's just bc I've been looking at spoilers), but compared to S5-6, not too bad (I assume also s7 but tbh I did stop right at stick or twist for that season)

So fyi when I played Casa, I had my MC go for Shawn most of it, and then last minute switched to Max because I remembered she's a musician and I thought that would be cute. That being said, I wish it was like in the too hot to handle game where you unlock certain dialogue if you happen to have something in common with a character. Because why is Max explaining music stuff to my musician MC?

is Hari not an LI? Because they made him seem like one and then just all of a sudden we're not talking about him, it's only about Jin and Casa Boy. And I'm fine with not all the boys being LIs, but it is odd the way he's just shoved to the side in the story

Okay so I'm writing this as I'm playing and it seems like maybe he is. They just forget to mention him most of the time.

Hari and Hazel are a hot couple though. like I don't love Hari's design but like if he was drawn better?? I see it.

the swimming game is a fun idea but imagining everyone splashing around to get to MC is so funny. like I can hear it in my head and it's not the best game, but for the fictional game in the app it's fine.

although why tf is Theo suddenly interested in MC? I haven't been romancing him at all but for the chat at the pool I couldn't decide between any of the characters I'm actually kind of interested in so I had MC go talk to Theo and then he was also flirting? then the pool game he also thinks MC has the best chat?? sir I barely know you

omg not emel deflecting the drama to Claudia (and it's about her hookup with MC???) oof this is the drama I crave I think we're gonna need a movie night soon

so not too bad yet I just hope these storylines can come through!!

[chaotictarlos]

Do you honestly believe this fight is ever gonna be brought up again? They've already wrapped the story up and they're moving on to TK and Owen. Look if you don't want to discuss it just ignore me, but I'm incredibly disappointed in the show and in how TK has been treated and I'm surprised that literally no one else is. I'm probably not gonna watch anymore. I love TK and I'm tired of watching him be the Tarlos punching bag. I didn't in any way mean to imply that just because you aren't it makes you a "bad fan". I'm also tired of watching Carlos be treated as perfect (again, narratively) when we all know he's not. But it's incredibly hard to appreciate his flaws when the show won't acknowledge them. I have a hard time being invested in a ship that is so majorly biased in one party's favor. Idk I'm just sad that one of my favorite ships is turning out this way.

The last 4 episodes, narratively, have been about showing that Carlos is not perfect. It's been about showing that he trips up, that he lies, that he doesn't handle his emotions the best way all the time. It's been about showing his insecurities and showing how much growth TK has gone through as well . It has shown us a lot, rather than telling us point blank.

TK didn't run, when he found out Carlos' secret - season 1 TK would have, hell even season 2 TK would have. Instead, he stayed and talked and expressed that he was upset but despite that he still wanted to marry Carlos because he loves his.I think it was this post that triggered them because he loves him.

We saw Carlos scared, short tempered and lashing out at TK even though he shouldn't have. He shouldn't have blamed Iris going missing on TK or ever implied that, that wasn't right and he should apologize for that.

He shouldn't have lied to TK about staying with Iris and instead going off to play detective because he believed her. He could have told TK that, could have let him know. But he didn't and that was shitty.

I don't see how you can keep saying the show is painting Carlos as perfect because it's not, it's literally given us a list of various reasons as to why he's not.

TK blamed himself because that's what he does. I fully believe he has anxiety and that's something - at least it's something I do as an anxious person. TK didn't have all of the information, he based it on their last interaction and he assumed Carlos was mad at him but at the same time he knew that wasn't right. His anxious thoughts were fighting with logic, and in the end logic won out.

Do I think this will be brought up again? I'm choosing to be optimistic and say yes, that it will eventually be brought up again in some way. Do I think it'll be in the way we all want? No, I don't think it will be.

Here's a great thing I learned a very long time ago when I shipped things that were not canon: you can't always base how you feel on a ship based on the writers and the show. Once that ship is out there, many people get their hands on it and create beautiful masterpieces without it even being canon. (This is the first show I've watched where the ship I like is canon). You take the ship, you take what you get out of it and you make it your own.

I also think it's false to say that literally nobody else is disappointed in how TKs been treated, because I've talked to several people who don't like it. Myself included. Maybe people haven't been as public with it as they have on their thoughts about other story lines going on right now, but I can tell you I've at least talked about it with others privately.

I also don't think the show has made TK Tarlos punching bag, I think a few fan opinions have and there are fans who like to blame TK for everything - which he shouldn't be. I think there are valid reasons for everything that he's done and when looked at with context makes sense.

It's okay to be sad, it's okay to be upset. Don't let a show ruin what you love. That's why we have fan creators and people who invest their free time in creating beautiful things.

[softranswolves]

Derek x Theo x Jordan

Ship It

What made you ship it?

Ohhhh boy(s). I'm a slut for soft x rough ships in general, as well as redemption as relationship builder, so already I've shipped Derek x Theo and Derek x Jordan. Putting them all together is *chef's kiss*.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

Derek and Theo both made life-changing mistakes in their youth, and they carried the guilt until it became a part of who they were, however consciously or subconsciously. Derek became closed off, angry, scared. He lost his family and couldn't bear to tell Laura or Peter (from what we are shown, at least). Theo lost his sister, and honestly his family too, even if that wasn't explained. His parents are terrified of him in 5x02, making it clear that he has done something to them in the past, whether himself or allowing the dread doctors to. Already I love Derek x Theo because of this - by the time we meet Theo, we've seen Derek go through so much character growth and learning. Seeing that interact with the chaos of Theo, seeing himself in the kid, would be fascinating, and Derek who we know by the time of season 5 would likely have sympathy and want to help Theo because he sees himself there. He may not be able to relate to taking his sister's heart, but he can fathom being responsible for a sibling's death.

Enter Jordan. We get Jordan somewhat in the middle of Derek's evolution, with him first really popping onto the radar in s3, which is also the time after Derek has not only once again lost part of his family (Erica and Boyd, almost losing Cora too) but also is sitting with making another big mistake in trust (Jennifer). He still can't fathom the damage possible when it becomes clear Stiles is the Nogitsune. He's afraid of that potential for someone to make a slip in judgment or misplace their trust and make a life altering mistake. Jordan isn't. Jordan rolls with the punches and actively seeks more information, wants to learn about himself and the supernatural. He's one of the first to just shrug when faced with it via Lydia, who he just assumes is a psychic and doesn't question it.

Come seasons 5 and 6, Derek is an evolved wolf - literally can change his shape to that of a wolf, and grew enough to be able to push past some of his trauma to embody the inherited full shift (we see so few full shift werecreatures and two already have Hale blood so inheritance rather than luck of the draw is the conclusion I take). Theo begins as a masquerade, someone we do not know once we see the end of 5x02 and understand everything he has told us, and the pack, is a lie. He doesn't even know himself because he has put on the mask too tight, repressing everything else except ambition and what a group of pseudoscientists told a literal child. Of course he believed them, just like Derek believed Kate and then Jennifer. Throughout season 5 we think we know Theo, but then Kira sends him to Hell (or teen wolf's equivalent) and he later gets a speedrun version of therapy via his sister repeatedly confronting him with what he's done. His greatest trauma face to face. Just like Kate in season 1 constantly taunting Derek (just with less heart-ripping-out. At least literally/physically.) This speedrun for Theo continues once he's resurrected and sees the fallout of what he did, as he is forced to interact with the pack once more, this time without his mask or the dread doctors shielding him.

Finally (sorry for the ramble lol) we have Jordan. Jordan, who is at war with his own supernatural side, the Hellhound that likes to think of its host as just being gone. The man who wasn't born or bitten but was saved and lives in coexistence with violence and death. But Jordan himself is softer, has love and care and patience. Patience that Theo and Derek haven't really had, at least not as unconditionally as Jordan provides. He doesn't take their bullshit, ever a realist, but he also doesn't hold the weight of what they've done over their heads. He understands. He sees them as they are and takes what they give him and he knows when they are being genuine. He shows them a better example than what they had forced themselves to be after their decisions cost people their lives.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

After an unintentionally long explanation on shipping, I don't think so lol

[ramblingdisaster73]

Damn, I really need to stew more on all this, I don't know what to think yet. But I just wanted to say that now I need, not wish but NEED, next episode to be such a good parallel of both 2x08 and 3x04 after all the angst we went through. I want to be shown Carlos realize his mistakes in a dreamlike/flashbacks fashion, maybe even with virtual Andrea, and I want TK & Gabriel team, and I crave a tearful reunion.

(Maybe we could also get a bit down the line some other obstacle for tarlos and Carlos tackling it differently to show us his growth, like they've done for TK last season and also this one.)

I also need 4x04 like, right now, Is it too much to ask?.

It's gonna be a loooong week.

p.s. sorry about the rent, I just needed to let it out

If 4x04 is really a big Tarlos episode, then we may get some of that. If they are drugging him, I can see them doing some type of flashbacks/dreams – maybe the still of Carlos we saw with what looks to be Andrea would be from that. It would be a perfect parallel with 3x04 – and we all know how much this show loves it’s parallels.

I also don’t know what to think about a few things and am trying to reserve judgement until next week, wait for that last piece of the puzzle that hopefully makes it all make sense. Or at least some of it.

I can say that the cast is absolutely killing it this season and I am grateful for that.

I can understand why Carlos would be upset with TK for talking to Iris, I get why he is panicked about finding her, and he is right to be- but dude, like you put the two of you on this time frame – not TK.

I hope he realizes that he can’t control everything and everyone around him – since he is literally now in a situation he has zero control over, this may be the direction. Maybe even the lesson he learns. But they need to show it, it needs to be on screen.

So far, it’s lie on top of lie. I am more convinced of an Carlos/Iris reunion (not romantic – just that will be the one that matters to him) than I am of a Carlos/TK reunion. I may be wrong on this, but considering the first 3 eps, that is the way it looks to me.

I am figuring out that the episodes that just leave me with more questions give me a lot more inspiration for writing and this episode is loaded with questions. By the time the next one airs, I will have worked through some of my issues with the storylines, and I will probably enjoy it more.

I am interested in the TK/Gabriel team up – glad Owen won’t be involved, even though the way they cut the promo it looked like he would be, but we have already been told multiple times that he won’t be available. It will be an interesting dynamic, that’s for sure.

[wereallywork]

10 Proven White Label Facebook Advertising Strategies for Boosting ROI

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Define your target audience: Before you can create effective Facebook ads, you need to know who you're targeting. Use Facebook's targeting tools to define your audience based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and more. This will ensure that your ads are shown to the people most likely to be interested in your products or services.

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[cattimeswithjellie]

You know the only reason that the Empires folks aren't on board with the Hermits going home is that they are not familiar with the natural Hermit life cycle. They have seen the initial exploratory phase, in which friendly Hermits with no homes wander the server and begin gathering up tools as well as making charming little bases to hold their baby chest monsters. They have also seen the intense growth and development phase, in which Hermits are compelled to create massive farms and trading halls to overcome the significant disadvantage of living in a survival world without the infinite resources they crave. These phases have been generally pretty beneficial to the Emperors, who've had a bunch of new neighbors to show off to, plus a bunch of free labor in their own various farming projects. Nothing beats a Stage 2 Hermit on the grind when it comes to building a farm or trading with villagers!

The Emperors are in no way prepared, however, for the next stages of Hermitvolution. They are already vaguely dismayed at the size and scope of Hermitopia, which is merely one industrial district turned on its side and decorated, how would they cope with Stage 3, Megabase Development? Hermits in the wild need vast amounts of territory in which to create their ridiculously oversized build projects; trying to squeeze them in amongst the existing Empires would be like introducing a massive beaver colony into your average creekside subdivision. They are made to build and they must build, and woe betide anything that stands in their way. (Brief aside: the fact that we have not seen Doc "WorldEater" 77 in several weeks should be cause for a lot more concern than is being shown by inhabitants of the world in question.)

Even beyond the build phase, though, is the Destruction Phase, which inevitably occurs when the Hermits begin to complete or grow bored with their mega-projects. In the past, Hermits have been mostly satisfied by going to war with each other in epic landscape-altering conflicts later memorialized in song and animatic, but last season they celebrated the start of Destruction Phase by crashing the whole-ass moon into their server. It could be anything, is all I'm saying. They like a good wreckage.

The Emperors have a great thing going right now. They've gotten a ton of good stuff from their new Hermit buddies, builds and farms and a fun new Murder Hat to share around, and it's all been so nice. It is absolutely the ideal moment to wave goodbye, promise to write and that you'll get together again at the next death game. Surely nobody's going to do something crazy like try to keep the Hermits around by force, right? Right?

[acrosstobear]

Tbh I feel like the reason Haas is dropping him is because Mick is not with them for the long haul. There's been talks with other teams and there are already rumours Audi will want him, possibly as soon as 2024. I do really want Mick to continue, but if you look at it from Haas's perspective it does make sense. They've always said they do not like having rookies or developing drivers, they had to do that because of other reasons last year (financial, Ferrari). What they want is experienced, realiable drivers who can develop the car, bring it home and score points. If you're Haas, why keep Mick for another year and risk potentially more than with Hulk when he's gonna leave anyway??

I do wish Mick had a healthier environment to develop. Like the one Guanyu seems to have. Very supporting team and teammate and not added pressure. But I'm hopeful for Mick and I do think he could be a good choice for Audi soon.

this got long winded so i'm putting it under a cut but this is a great conversation and question, anon bestie.

i think for me the biggest problem is that Haas has never really shown true intention to get themselves to the front of the grid. Gene seems to use the F1 team as marketing for his actual business, rather than choose to invest and actually try and improve the team. so if Haas is only ever going to be, at best, a midfield team, WHY would experienced drivers want to drive for them, and quite honestly, with WHAT money are Haas going to hire those experienced drivers? at some point, you cannot have F1 experience without teams that take risks on rookie drivers. we all know that teams in championship contention are not going to be the teams taking that risk. the nature of the thing requires that the lower placed teams take on rookie drivers to give them the f1 experience that the championship contending teams require. because otherwise, all you have is an aging grid who can't race forever and no one to replace them because no one has experience. ideally you have a mix of rookie and experienced drivers as teammates, and when the more experienced driver moves on, the rookie takes their place as the experienced driver.

when we look at Hulk, he's got MAYBE 5 years in him? if he goes to when Kimi and Fernando raced until, and they only got to race until then because of their past accomplishments and continued ability to drag the most out of the car. Hulk does not have any accomplishments to speak of, nor does he have a continued ability to get the most out of the car. i don't seem him suddenly developing that while driving a difficult, temperamental car at best. i think your long term investment possibilities are higher in Mick, so long as the team ALSO steps up and delivers a car. again it comes back to -- if Haas are always going to be a midfield car, then drivers who have the ambition and the growth and results to back it up will always try and move on to better team. who knows though! maybe Mick's next seasons are respectable but not incredible (think Carlos/Perez style) and he never gets the call up to a better team. again, his long term possibilities just generally look better.

100% agreed for the last part. teams that embrace rookies and help them grow and develop are critical to the sport. where would Charles be without Alfa Romeo? where would George or Bottas be without Williams? we've seen what happens when rookies get thrown into the deep end at a top team and are expected to deliver no mistake performances every week (*cough cough* Alex Albon).

with regards to Audi, i think there's a lot still up in the air. we don't know when they will take enough ownership of the team that they will have an influence on drivers. they have not said that they will be title sponsors of the team from 2024 onward. personally, as much as i would LOVE to believe in it, i'm going to keep taking it with a grain of salt and hope that there are other options that come up for Mick in 2023 or 2024.

[menacing-anon]

I’ve seen a few posts speculating what Ismail might do wrong to still need to improve, and I think it's fair to predict and hope that they will, but I also don't want their actions to cancel the (small) amount of growth that they've demonstrated up to this point.

Having apologized, it would seem strange to me if Ismail mistreated Ava in a way that suggests that they don't actually understand what they did wrong and why it was so wrong, nor want to do better: it would undermine their apology. Besides, it would be difficult to effectively develop Ismail into a better person by the end of the season. If Ismail behaves like they didn't change enough in so long to sincerely try to make amends, how could they believably reach that point and more in only eight weeks?

I think issues with Ismail's behaviour should be with steps that they have yet to take, not their needing to take the same steps again because they didn't mean it enough the first time. I hope the story moves forward rather than re-doing what's already been shown.

[sizzlingpatrolfox]

what do you think about the latest episode of ITS

It was the last episode and honestly... The show didn't deliver anything at all 😆

I think a lot of things, so I will just write them in no order whatsoever just random thoughts because not much has happened so I don't really have an strong opinion... but still there are things that have crossed my mind.

- they were too far apart. It's cool that they wanted to give them space, but those houses were built only to show off and not actually to make them more comfortable or anything. Last season's house was just fine for all of them IMO. It was a decent size and they could spend time in the same room. I don't mind that they spend time apart, but if ITS it's supposed to be an ot7 show, then the accommodations could've favored that concept better. But it turned out to be a show as if they were all different locations and sometimes got together to hang out. Or at least the editing made it seem like that.

- I don't know who edits this show, if it's weverse staff, jtbc staff, hybe staff, etc but it feels different from other BTS content.

- I believe all the interactions are genuine, as I believe the non interactions are genuine too. I mean, this time we know for sure that there were jikook scenes cut out, the scenes that were shown in the teaser and the ATV photo, but honestly? If it wasn't for those clips being shown in other ways, if they told me that Jimin and Jungkook just didn't interact at all then I would've believed it. I think sometimes people take out of proportion the phrase "they are always together" because they aren't together all the time. Plus 4 days really isn't a lot of time to be away from someone. We know Jikook can be away from each other for 4 days.

- Just being inside a house is boring... if you'd film me (or anyone, really) inside their house at a time that they're supossed to be resting, you would get exactly what In The Soop: me on my cellphone, me watching TV, me studying, me feeding my cats.

- As I noticed last season, it's so interesting to me that a lot of stereotypes about Jimin still persist, such as he's the touchiest member, he's clingy, he's needy. Because both in season 1 and season 2 (as well as other BTS content) Jimin hasn't shown to be any of that -except with Jungkook tbh-.

Anyways... I think that would be everything. It's honestly a show that didn't really add anything to what I know of them as BTS, only reinforced things that I had already noticed like that taekook have definitely worked on their relationship (something I noticed back in 2020) and they are in really good terms this year.

I wish I had something more substantial to say but for that I would have to get substantial content lol, and ITS wasn't that meaningful to me. Tho I also think that BTS are adults and we've been watching them grow up and build their personalities for years and of course it would come a time when they've already decided who they are so it's not like they can keep showing new parts of themselves cuz maybe there just aren't any new parts. The only one who since 2018 has been slowly but surely bettering parts of his personality, is Jungkook. But I think he had a lot of room to growth and he did it at a slower pace than everyone else, so it makes sense that it's still going.

Or maybe I've just been a fan for too long and it's okay and human if you don't get as excited over things you've known for a long while.

PS: Anon, I would like to know your opinion too. 

[creek-cryptid-deluxe]

I was reminded earlier today (unintentionally) that I've not posted anything about my indoor plant babies in a WHILE.

Let's remedy that!

First up is Draco, the dracaena. He seems fine. He doesn't really show much change outside of his leaves going brown when he is displeased. I may look into seeing if I'm doing something wrong or if he's just a slow guy.

Then is The Morrigan, a cluster of monstera deliciosa. That sisterhood seems to be doing quite well. They've even got some new growth going on.

Mr. Wednesday, one of my prayer plants, is flourishing. If you remember, I split Mr. Wednesday into 3 in the fall. But he's already pretty massive again. I may need to divide him near the end of the season.

Adelaide, my monstera adansonii clipping that I rooted, is doing better than she ever has up to this point. She's gotten some new growth, which makes me *hope* she was just being slow because of the seasons....? Those top most 3 leaves have shown up in the last 2 months.

Violet Beauregarde, the African violet I got a year ago, is bigger than ever. She hasn't produced blooms since the ones she came with wilted, but the plant is definitely healthy. She gets new leaves, making her grow more round like her namesake, daily.

Lady Hiss, 1/4 of her anyway, is still being tall & gorgeous. Luna, my moonlight philodendron, got a new leaf a few days ago for the first time since she moved in, so we will see how things with her shake out this season.

Ponyta, the ponytail palm (pictured with Carl, who I will explain) seems...ok? Idk. She's hard to read.

Carl was an antelope statue with 2 massive hot pink horns. I got him when The Spawn was... 11? 12? She named him Carl after the Llama's With Hats character & whenever something went wrong in the house, we would go over to him & say "Caaarrrrrl..." then follow it up with asking why he did whatever it was that happened, in the same voice as his fellow llama from the cartoon. But when his antlers broke off, we gave him a mustache in the hope of making him feel better about it.

Mr. Nancy, my other prayer plant (who came from the splitting of Mr. Wednesday), is also flourishing as when I potted him he was only about 5 stems with leaves.

Next to him is Khoshekh Gershwin-Palmer, a baby rubber plant, who has gotten some new growth over the last month, too.

Mr. Slithers hasn't really grown but maybe spring will change that.

Jonathan has DEFINITELY come a long way. My brother & sister in law gifted Jonathan to me Christmas of 2019. He's significantly larger & taller. I don't think he needs a new pot just yet, though.

Aaaaand I'm @ my picture limit, so I will reblog to add the rest.