#the only thing though is that it makes me feel like rewatching season 01

[fragilelovelythings]

Not quite prejudice, not quite pride

Summary: Greg has been utterly obsessed with Mr. Darcy for years, terribly yearning for a man like him, yearning for a meeting of sorts in life where he’d be blinded by his existence and absolutely wrecked by the touch of their hands.

So he spends his days getting high, watching and rewatching his favorite movie, daydreaming about his crush, and also jerking off furiously to the man's frozen image on the TV screen.

This goes on and on for years. His teen years are spent nurturing a nonhealthy obsession until one day he’s grown up, at odds in his life, and forced to look for some help with his mom’s family name. He’s never cared about being a Roy or whatever but once he takes a glance at Shiv’s fiancé, he knows it.

He’s fucked.

Chapters: 2/?

Tags: E, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, masturbation, unhealthy obsesesion with a fictional character, Greg is IN LOVE with Mr. Darcy, Freeform from Pride and Prejudice, buckle up mfs, we are getting unhealthy obsessions, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Greg should stop smoking that much weed, Greg you nasty horny piece of shit, I Love You, no beta we die like logan

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52649014/chapters/133173706

[strandhai]

About Blitzø

So I have rewatched Helluva Boss again (and again and again) and there is something I can't get out of my mind. So tumblr has to suffer now or otherwise this won't let me sleep.

Its about S1 Ep 02 Loo Loo Land (and later than in S1 Ep 07)

First of all: this

Blitzø making finger puplets of Milli and Moxxi and then getting started on the "threeway". That one got my off guard because I just saw it in my fifth rewatch.

I think yeah he may be attracted to both of them but I think its more because of the kind of relationship Moxxi and Milli have. Blitzø wants something like they have for himself. He wants to be part in that kind of relationship. Didn't matter if its his own or (in this case) Milli's and Moxxi's. He is fucked up, how fucked up he is we truly see in episode 7 but also before

We have seen before that he is breaking into M&M's apartment and also into their bedroom

"Hey now I have watched thise two pork many times and honestly they make missonary look relativly exciting..." (Blitzø, Ep07)

Later in Ep02, when Stolas is taking Via to the circus we have a short flashback of her when she eas young, with a Clown Blitzø in the background. (Eithe rhe really was there when Via visited or they just merged the flashbacks)

We get a first glimpse at Clown Blitzø. He is still stuck in the circus, there a now white blotches on his body at this time point. He just hates that clown.

And it escaltes quick after Robo Fizzarolli spotted Blitzø. So even if he hates that Robo clown, Blitzø probably wouldn't have done a thing if Robo Fizz hadn't decided to play dirty.

"Oh my is that Blitzø my sensor spotted up there... I guess the kiddis are still running away from you"

"The 'ø' is silent now"

"Ah... just like your audiance always was, when you told your lazy jokes here"

"Bitch I am making more money killing people than you do beeing a cheap-ass robo-rip-off of an overrated sell-out jester"

"Oh.. someone's salty, real or not though people love me... does anyone love you, Blitzø ?"

"No, but I am really good with guns now.."

At this point, at first watch it dosn't make sense. However with the knowledge of the Episode 01 Season 2 "Circus" we get much more background information. So rewatching this now makes much more sense.

We know that Blitzø and Fizzarolli have been best friends in childhood and their teens (I am almost suspecting there was somekind of relationship, I mean look at them..) an dhe has the pictures still on his phone!

So what ever happened it wasn't that Fizzarolley had been the better clown (or not only because of that) but I have a feeling that he left Blitzø behind for what was fame and money (at least from Blitzø's POV). I guess it has something to do with Fizzarollis Robo limbs. So what ever happened to him, happened in his late teens/tweenties and got him to leave Blitzø behind.

Then there is the picture of Blitzø with his Mum and Sister (which is the one that finally makes him cry) his sister left him (if we believe Verosika she is in Rehab) and his Mother left (death or not, she left him one way or another) so all people he ever loved left him behind.

Because he never was good enough for them to stick around. Not worthy of love. He hates himself and I belive he often thinks "no one cares if I am here or not" we see it at the picture-wall in his flat (his own face is crossed out in everyone of it) and we get a glimpse of it while he has his bad drug trip (S1E06).

"Yet you still shove away anyone who gets too close until they resent you for beeing a selfish shit..." (Verosika)

"Are you afraid to love people, Blitzy?" (Stolas)

"I belive your selfconscious is trying to tell you, that you simply can not fathom proper intimacy but also craving as well, it's rather unfortunate, sir, considering its often how you treat those who stand by you such as myself. Are you worried I may have enough of it as well?" (Moxxi)

He is afraid, because everyone he ever had loved had left him behind (for better or worse). And well we don't need to speak about the whole Symolic shit of that trip. Als his greates fear are there (Striker, Verosika, Robbo Fizz,) and then Moxxi and Stolas, the latter one on his throne above Blitzø, the colden chains. The point that he isn't fighting against the chain but just let it happen.

And Stolas whole behavior is playing into it, giving him the impression that the Prince only wants his body, even if we now knew that isn't the case. But also after the what happened in S1E03 Spring break with Verosika I think he covers much behind bodily affections. It's the way he goes with Stolas after the Prince gave away a interesst in it.

I think thats the point. He gives his body becaus sex is probably the only language he can speak, because never was any one interested into more than that. The only thing he is good enough for.

We also knwo about his abusive father (thanks to S2Ep01) who never gave a flying shit about his son. This is just adding up to the pile of shit.

Also: the white blotches. It makes me sick because I just eanna now so badly how the fuck he got them. I think we all agree that they are scars. So what the hell happened and have it soomwthing to do with Fizzarollis missing limbs and his aversion for overeager fans?

Is that the reason Blitzø first decided to become a bodyguard before he founded his hitman buisiness?

And if they had been best friends, why the hate between them? What Fizzarolli did in Ep07 had been more than cruel. So they definetly parted on really bad terms.

Oh god, so many questions and not enough answers....

[obscuralll]

Guys idk this random emptiness suddenly hits me fucking thanks togashi and now i just want to be nostalgic about how i met hxh bc no lie hxh shaped me

I started reading hxh when i was 10 i checked the publishing date of my vol 01 comic and it was 2013 yeah i know it was very late but i live in indonesia what do you expect

My first impressions

Gon *h-holds gently*

Killua *hhh-h-holds gentlier* sqroonch a fucking living heart *😟😟😱s r e e c h*

Kurapimom

Leoridad

Die tonpa

Illumi is mine MINE he cute asf i repeat cute as fuck oh and he prob plays minecraft

Rihanna where’s the album why you’re with the zoldyck

The zoldyck radiates same energy as the kardashian don’t change my mind

Hisoka you stay AWAY from the bois ass

And i refuse to think about what happened at the heaven arena...

Chrollo pls adopt me

Then i stopped around greed island arc bc there were no new volumes in my local book store for like a year💀💀

But thank god the anime was started to air in animax... i remember watching hxh was my coping mechanism on my awkward transition from elementary to middle school lmao

But the anime was only until the end of greed island i deadass thought it was the fucking end gon and killua had finally find ging so now it just ends?? You know what??? F u c k ! (idk it was kite, and the new seasons aired like more or less a year after that)

THEN THE COMICS REEMERGED FROM NO WHERE ALL SUDDENLY... Now it’s 🐜 time

But damn togashi... Since when it got so depressing???

And that’s on post chimera ant voidness✨

Around that time (or should i call it... The Great Depression) my aunt went to japan and bought me hxh vol 19 and the special hand book idk i don’t really know the name bc it’s entirely in japanese and hunter alphabet (yeah the “minecraft enchantment table alpahabet” lmao)

This book made me feel like a real hunter lol i used to always carrying it everywhere even though i can’t understand a word

Yeah i also did the water divination thing and i was so confident that i’m a specialist... Good old days

I made a nen poster which were my drawings of nen principles and types ajshsgs

My parents were confused as hell lolll

And i bought the hunter license and Gon’s necklace thing i still have it until now just don’t know where hhh

Hxh was the first anime that made me UGLY SOBBING especially in the comic bc it just hits different... But for real how can such a chemistry being built between a blind girl and a monstrous being??? I could write an essay for this but for now: respect togashi ✊

Hxh left me with so many questions there will be unlimited story if you breakdown all the important characters

I really want to know illumi’s teenage life

Hisoka’s past

Phantom troupe past (i remember in one flashback they were passing-throwing a cassette and it was drawn like it has crucial role BUT IT’S NVR MENTIONED AGAIN bet togashi forgot lol)

The troupe’ members character backgrounds (how they met, their personal life out of the troupe activities)

Gon’s birth (i read it some where that it might be possible that he has no biological mother bc gon was actually from gi card or sumn?? I need to research)

Nanika origin (the most make sense theory is nanika is ai from dark continent that might be brought by zzig zoldyck)

Netero-ging or Pariston-ging encounter

At this point idk how many times i have rewatched and rereading hxh... But i prefer reading actually and i still bought the physical comic too... The latest vol in my house atm is 36 and i continue by reading online

I just... Want to read new hxh😔🥺

...

I was 10

And now i’m almost 17

I’ve never been this obsessed and being in a fandom this long, despite all the ✨tortures💫either from the story itself or the hiatus

I’m so mad...but

I really pray for togashi’s health

It just... hxh is not just a fiction for me... Idk it feels real an essay may not be enough for me to describe it... haha💀

I literally forgot why am i writing this... It’s supposed to fill the void now i am the v o i d 😔😔😔

[a-yarn-of-purple-prose]

Rewatching The X Files

I was a huge X Files fan when I was a teen, watched all of it several times, collected magazines, had posters in my wardrobe. The works.

Yet

It’s been about 20 years since I last watched the first season.

But it IS 2020 and this year never ends, so what the hell, let’s revisit my teenage years.

So now, for your consideration, Saoki Reviews The X Files Season 1:

01 - Pilot

Some bits of it feel like X Files from an alternate reality. I had forgotten how there is absolutely no explanations for the weird corpse. Still, a classic 8/10.

02 - Deep throat

Many firsts!

The First time Mulder does his trademark Be Stupid Go Alone thing and gets a brain scrub as a reward.

The first time they sneak into a military installation to look at UFOs (and isn’t it weirdly romantic? No? I was the only one with the ufologist boyfriend?).

First sight of the military UFOS. First comment on the Roosevelt crash as a thing that actually happened.

So much commentary on ufology that was actually a fringe thing at the time but now is old potatoes. It's episodes like these that remind me The X Files were Culturally Important. Besides that, I still like the whole government conspiracy vibe, it makes everything more instigating. Good episode, 8/10. There is a reason it was chosen as the 2nd episode in the season.

03 - Squeeze

The first Tooms episode. Still creepy, still good. I just love Scully here and, hell, I'm impressed Gillian Anderson had such a grasp on her character this early in the series. I wonder if this episode was filmed later in the season. Good plot, great monster, amazing vibe 10/10.

04 - Conduit

First Mulder Pain episode both because it's the first time we hear about Samantha and because it’s the first time he says anything about his past beyond his job. The actual plot is very hazy and nothing really gets explained (which makes this a weird choice for 4th episode), so I can't give this much more than a 6/10.

Please take note that next time Samantha’s abduction is described it will be different.

05 - The Jersey Devil

The one with a naked lady. I love the crazy Mulder shenanigans in this one and the Scully Gives a Go at Having a Life Before Desisting subplot. Still, not a favorite. 5/10

06 - Shadows

I had completely forgotten this one and there is a reason for that. The plot is actually decent, but it's like the first book in an urban fantasy series about a lady and her ghost daddy solving financial crime, ie, not much of an X Files episode. Nice poltergeist activity though. 6/10 for that moment Scully convinces Lauren to help with the investigation because it will calm the ghost and Mulder goes all "but you don't belieeeeve" like he isn't a trained psychologist.

07 - Ghost in the Machine

Kinda hilarious from 2020 considering we have a whole host of smart home devices and they hardly succeed at understanding if you want a 50 or 15 minutes timer because Accents Hard. Can you imagine Alexa trying to murder in self defense? And succeeding? Yeah. Nice episode if only for Scully's "I was at home wearing flannel and heels" outfit. 7/10

08 - Ice

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT This is a very common horror setup and it delivers perfectly well. Also there is that "let's check each other for parasites" scene that is just perfect. 10/10

09 - Space

Not bad, but not memorable. This kind of very American, NASA story with politics and aliens was kinda popular in late 1980's, early 1990's so it's no mystery it gets an episode in the first season (when it seemed they were going through a checklist of science fictional conspiracy greatest hits). At the end it occurred to me that if this series ran in the 2000's those "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND SCULLY" speeches Mulder does would totally become a meme a la the Hannibal one. Anyway, slow episode, not very much my kind of story. 6/10

10 - Fallen Angel

Ohh I remember this one! It's the one in which Mulder badly infiltrates an air force operation, gets his ass kicked, his camera broken, makes friends with another ufo freak in the brig and then we learn he is Notorious among UFO freaks. Noice.

It is also a bit of overarching plot piece in the before time, when tv series were mostly monster of the week things and no one did overarching plots.

And we get the first Mulder against the committee bit as well.

Anyway, 9/10 with a point loss for feeling like a middle episode in a 3 part story.

11 - Eve

I just love that Mulder looks at an exanguinated corpse with 2 puncture wounds to the jugular and goes "of course, cattle mutilation!" when vampires are just there (ah, alright, at this point in the series it hasn't been properly established that all sorts of weirdness exist). Anyway the puncture wounds were actually never explained so there. What actually is in this episode: government experiments, clones, evil children in matching outfits, Mulder looking like the cute dad you see in the rest stop, the fact that Scully is poison-resistant like a damn D&D druid. Also, I believe this episode sprung Orphan Black into life (regardless of the Actual Truth, whatever it is). All in all a nice 9/10 because, again, though it is a very cool episode it offers no explanations on the actual crime. How DID they exsanguinate the dads? Where did the blood go? How come police never found out the girls grew digitalis, same thing used to poison their dads?

12 - Fire

The One In Which Scully Is Jealous. Phoebe has a Very Horrible English Accent or maybe it was the script writer doing a horrible attempt at English vernacular, anyway it’s trashy. Also, damn girl how can you not know what a three pipe problem is? TUX MULDER ALERT I dislike that Mulder had to see Phoebe snogging the lord to realise he was being DUMB to play into her seduction, but then again Mulder is emotion-dumb.

13 - Beyond the Sea

Amazing Scully episode. That moment when Mulder cradles Scully's face and asks her to please take the day off to mourn her father? And she goes nope? Fuck I printed it.

Just look at her NOPE face!

So many good ship moments (the hospital!). I like to think that this was when Scully noticed she would fuck some dude up because of Mulder, which in her language means she Actually Likes him instead of just trusting him and finding him cute and smart (which is how peasants generally define being in love). The plot is a bit The X Files does Silence of The Lambs but hell I'll take it. Even secondary characters are good in this one. 10/10

14 - Genderbender

I like the creepy small town with creepy religious people which are actually dangerous thing, it reminds me to be afraid of white people. Huh Mulder is already taking Scully with him on his "I'll just sneak back" moments. Not sure when the change happened.

Mulder goes full Call of Cthulhu character a while there.

And Scully has her own Cyberpunk 2020 mood going on in the end.

I like this episode, it has some very cool visuals, plenty of running around with lanterns and getting into weird places and the aliens are very cool... But there isn't much going on here huh?

Also they're literally Rocky Horror Picture Show aliens. Anyway 8/10 for the aesthethics and enbyness (I'm the "weird alien enbyness is ok" sort of enby).

15 - Lazarus

The One in Which Scully Has An Ex. You know, I like this episode and almost remember it. I remember the premise at least (and Mulder wearing the cute ops jacket). Anyway it's a cool Scully Is a Cop episode and we get to know that she used to date people once upon a time. I do think they could have found a place to stick a reference to Willis' diabetes before he gets into a diabetic coma, but I don't blame them for losing it in the edit. Props for Mulder for proving he is a Good Agent for time enough to save Scully even if he did not, in fact, save her (which is good. Not that everyone else in the situation died, but that she did not need saving.). It's a nice cop stuff episode 8/10.

16 - Young at Heart

A Mulder Is a Cop episode to match Scully's, but I don't like this one as much. Cool X File, but the whole "Mulder doesn't plays by the book anymore" thing has already been made obvious in all those times he went awol and did his Mulder Thing. Anyway 7/10 for the Mulderisms (is the Mulderisms website still around or did it go down with geocities?). PS: They do not, in fact, hear about that dude ever again.

17 - E.B.E

Oh oh The Lone Gunmen! Also "The truth is out there, Mulder, but so are lies" <3 <3 I really love this episode as a concept for the whole series. There is aliens and several layers of obfuscation that in the end might just be an elaborate lie. There is long road trips, running and infiltration. There is a Mulder Moment of going alone. It's perfect, really.

Also, when they were following the truck, did they stop by the side of the road when they switched the driver and if so did Scully scoot the car seat all the way to the front so she'd actually reach the pedals? Anyway 10/10

18 - Miracle Man

Great spiritual/religious episode with Actual Investigating and someone persecuted, even if not for the initial crimes. Also I now see the little dude was very much Jesus’ Second Coming, which accounts for why this episode didn’t get as many reruns on TV over here. 10/10 because I also loved Millennium.

19 - Shapes

You know, writing this I feel like I should have kept count of some things. Mulder saying "I want to believe", Scully saying she's a doctor, Mulder doing His Mulder Thing, Scully writing reports, those things. Yeah. I guess it’s not in my reviewer bones or something. Anyway it's a werewolf story and it's pretty good, bad monster suit and all. They do manage to use Native American beliefs in a worse way than the Werewolf: The Apocalypse tabletop game tho, and that is pretty hard to forgive. 6/10

20 - Darkness Falls

A stinker, if I may say. The idea is very nice and I guess I'd play a whole horror game based on it, but the actual sequence of actions that made it into the episode is pretty boring. Still, I like how in the end they imply the government is going to torch the whole of the forest, because it just drives home how some cases can't possibly be closed in a normal way. Anyway, 4/10 being generous.

(this episode left me with a fanfic idea involving coverups, our local government and the Amazon forest, but I’m not sure I want to write it)

21 - Tooms

The sequel. So many iconic scenes and dialogues here. I almost printed a whole scene, then took a deep breath a chose sequence, but I’ll be nice to you and put a single print so as to not fuck you tour timeline too much.

Squeeze and Tooms are probably my favourite episodes in this season, a regular opinion I'm sure, but I don't care. So iconic. 11/10 with a bonus point for that scene.

22 - Born Again

A good one, but the script is a bit messy and it’s yet another creepy child. I had a friend that resisted watching X Files because there were too many creepy children and I guess she was right.

I do like the deaths and give top marks for the closed room PK death. 7/10

23 - Roland

I don't really like this episode, even with the brain-in-a-jar core idea (which is a soft spot of mine). There is a lot of murder and very little investigation, the ableism was already bad in the 1990's (trust me, I was there) AND it is basically a send up to The Lawnmower Man through X Files lenses. Not My Thing 6/10.

24 - Erlenmeyer Flask

I love this episode so much I was barely coherent in my notes. Take a look:

Such a great end to the season. Deep Throat, of course. "It would have to be, by definition, extraterrestrial." Mulder parkour! The embryo is hilariously plastic. TRUST NO ONE "They're shutting us down!"

I don’t think I need to say much more than that, besides 11/10.

***

General points:

They are both so baby! There was NO WAY I could know that considering I was baby last time I watched it. Everyone looked old for me back then and markers like “in their 20′s” were too far in the future to be anything but abstract.

Gillian Anderson is amazing.

Turns out I still love this series to bits. It’s strange, a bit like rekindling a relationship.

Yes I am one of them bisexuals that could not/would not choose between both Mulder and Scully, even if back then I was all “I Admire Her” and “I Want Him” when in reality it was more like “gimme them both I dunno what I’ll do but gimme”.

In sum, The X Files holds up like fine wine. Onto the second season!

[venus-says]

Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo Episodes 01-12

Roses are red, but roses are also blue.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[codynaomiswire]

Varian’s Redemption - Some Personal Reflections

In watching and rewatching the season 03 premier of TTS/RTA, I came to have some reflections that I thought would be good to share, as there were several aspects of the episode - particularly in Varian’s arc - that really resonated with me and got me thinking, and perhaps may resonate with others as well. In being personal reflections, these aren’t meant to be so much a critique of the episode (though I may draw attention to certain storytelling factors here and there where they are relevant). Rather, it is meant to be an exploration of themes in the story and how they relate to the real world and to theology.

As a Christian theologian, I like to try to see things through the lens of faith - even those things which may be seen as belonging to the secular world. This often times includes the TV shows I watch. In looking at things through this lens, I sometimes find certain images, phrases, or themes that really strike me as having a richness to them that warrants further exploration. For quite some time now, I’ve felt Varian to be a very compelling character in TTS/RTA, and especially as this episode touched on his journey to redemption, there were certain parts of it that got me reflecting on them, and how they may relate to real world themes and theology. A lot of these themes are very large, so my thoughts on them are by no means exhaustive, but I thought it would be ok to share a little bit of them. So, here are some of those reflections.

“Forgive and Forget?” - Crisis of Memory, Crisis of Identity

“Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future.” ~ Lewis B. Smedes

“Inwardly, in our own self-perception, we are much of what we remember about ourselves...In a similar fashion, outwardly, in the way others perceive us, we are what others remember about us...We are not just shaped by memories; we ourselves shape the memories that shape us.” ~ Miroslav Volf, The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World

“Forgiveness is setting the prisoner free, only to find out that the prisoner was me.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom

If I had to pick a favorite scene from this episode, I think it would have to be the jail cell scene. What struck me about this particular scene was learning how Varian’s motives had changed from all-out vengeance on Corona, to erasing everyone’s memories of his violent and manipulative actions. While we do not see it happen on-screen (though I wish we did), it is made evident that while in prison, Varian came to know that his past actions were wrong, and he came to want a new start without that past following him around for the rest of his life. Yet Varian didn’t believe that forgiveness from the citizens of Corona for such actions was possible, so he figured that erasing the memory of his actions would have essentially the same result as forgiveness - that is, being a restoration of his identity and relationship with everyone else as they would no longer carry feelings of resentment towards him. With the memory of his past actions gone, he could start from scratch like nothing bad had happened, right?

Of course, in real life, we aren’t given the option of erasing the memories of our past wrongs from other people’s minds. But I do think the idea presents an interesting question to the audience - If, like for Varian, it were theoretically possible for us to erase all memory of our past wrongs, would we do it? The trouble with answering “yes” to this question is that if we could remove the memory of our past wrongs from others’ minds, it would be an alteration not just of our own identity, but also the identities of those who would be affected by such a change. Both good and bad memories influence who we are, and we saw this happen with both Frederic and Arianna as they had their memories erased. Varian may not have had Frederic and Arianna angry with him anymore, but they still had parts of their identities robbed from them in having those memories removed, and they in turn wronged other people in forgetting whom they were supposed to be.

Given all that, while Varian may not have wanted to cause physical harm anymore, such a plan did still have a selfish element to it, it was harmful, and it still kept him imprisoned to his past wrongs. Perhaps Varian planned to use the memory formula on himself as well, so he also would forget everything along with everyone else. But even then, would that truly be a restoration of his identity? Especially with Quirin’s fate still hanging in the balance, would he truly be able to move on or prevent things from going wrong again in the future? Could he guarantee he would be on a better track than he was before (especially if he never remembered the lessons he learned from his past mistakes)? How many times would bad memories have to be erased from that point onward in order for there to be no more guilt and shame in his life? Would he still be morally responsible for what happened, even if nobody remembered that it happened? What about those for whom past wrongs meant an unalterable fate that not even a memory wipe could fix, like Quirin?

(It’s also worth noting here that if Varian had succeeded with his memory formula, and had he sidestepped the hardship of forgiveness in favor of mere forgetting, Rapunzel would’ve forgotten the moon incantation, and Quirin never would’ve been freed in the end. O_O)

It is interesting though to see how this episode so closely associated forgiving and forgetting together. On one level this makes a lot of sense. The idea is very cliché, and even the words “forgive” and “forget” (in English at least) have very close linguistic associations. However, a lot of us know from experience that while it’s an easy and catchy phrase to say - “forgive and forget” - the idea of it is far from easy, with the “forget” part being all but impossible in a lot of cases. It seems that the more someone needs forgiveness, the harder it is to actually forget the action that they need forgiveness for. It’s one thing to forgive someone who accidentally bumped into you. It’s another thing to forgive the person who deliberately caused you physical harm. You’re not very likely to forget something like that happening to you. And yet, who needs the forgiveness more out of the two?

That’s the dilemma that we find Varian confronting in the scene with the jail cell. While he does feel repentant and wants forgiveness badly, he knows the idea of forgiving someone for actions like those he pulled would be a very hard thing to do. He needs forgiveness in order to restore his identity and his relationship with others, yet it feels like it is just the thing he can’t truly get if people remember what he did. And how could they possibly forget all of the chaos he got up to in season 01 and now season 03? In that moment he’s talking to Rapunzel on the other side of the bars about such feelings, it really makes you wonder who is truly imprisoned in that moment as he’s listing all the things that even he hasn’t forgiven himself for.

However, as things go on, Varian begins to find that forgiveness doesn’t necessarily entail past wrongs being completely forgotten. Rather, forgiveness is the process by which we learn to remember the past differently. This doesn’t mean that everyone pretends that Varian’s past wrongs weren’t so bad after all, nor does it mean that they have to have their memories of them wiped from existence, or altered beyond recognition in order to continue on with hope for the future. It does mean, however, that his past wrongs are remembered through a lens of love, compassion, and the will to not let bitterness have the final word. The efforts then start to be made to heal from those memories. “Healing” is not the same thing as “cure,” however. The scars may still remain in this life, and may still be visible. But scars do heal, the pain and visibility can fade over time in some cases, and it is possible to live with them.

(The idea of time playing such a key factor in healing and forgiveness is probably also another reason why everything feels rather rushed in this episode. While a lot of key points were hit, they were hit rather quickly, and in a more realistic scenario, Varian and Rapunzel coming to a place of forgiveness between each other would probably have had to take more time that what we see in canon.)

It also hits a point of realism at this point in the story where Varian is afraid of the uncertainty of being forgiven by everyone, which is something that most (if not all) of us have felt at one time or another. Especially when we live in a culture that can be very unforgiving, and where so many things we’ve done don’t ever seem to be forgotten on that tangled web we call the Internet, it really can feel unbearably imprisoning or hopeless when we try to restore identity and relationship after our past mistakes. In some cases, the conflict between parties can be so extreme that even just trying to talk about forgiveness to one another can be daunting, dangerous, or in fact impossible due to various circumstances beyond our control. There may also be circumstances where a restoration of relationships back to what they were is not possible, either due to natural or just consequences of actions, or due to a party not wanting to give or receive forgiveness. If we are the ones to have done wrong, and we do feel remorse and want forgiveness, the idea of likely not finding that forgiveness can be crippling, as we see Varian reveal to be feeling as he opens up to Rapunzel. At the same time though, as Rapunzel asked Varian, “How do you know if you don’t give them the chance?” We must not do further injustice to others by underestimating their capacity to enact forgiveness, nor give up on the possibility of us ourselves finding that capacity as well.

This whole thing made me think how from a theological perspective, the hope that we have as Christians is that our identity is rooted in the person of Jesus, and because he always sees us through the eyes of love, compassion, and goodwill, we can always find forgiveness through him if we ask him - both for ourselves and for others. Even if the rest of the world turns their backs on us for the things we’ve done, or if we find ourselves struggling to be the ones doing the forgiving, there’s always hope that God will forgive us, redeem us, and help us through that process. This is also a process that we must not rush out of a mere sense of obligation to do it. I think a lot of Christians, unfortunately, feel a pressure to rush to feelings of forgiveness in order to fulfill God’s command for us to forgive. But “feeling” isn’t the same as actually coming to “realize” something, rushing forgiveness does not bring about true forgiveness, and it doesn’t leave room for the most complete healing to happen. Some wounds require time to be healed in the deepest layers - to have gauze put into them to keep them from closing up too soon, where infections can be left to fester while hidden under the surface - before the final sutures can be applied. Similar with the wounds of the soul. While Christians need to always be willing to take the path of forgiveness, forgiveness is a process, and we need to be willing to allow it to be a process so that identity and relationship can truly be restored and we can be truly be free from the chains of resentment.

Love - The True Source of Freedom from Shame

“The first thing that must be said about shame is that it is a good thing. Shame is a painful feeling that we are not the persons we ought to be: to be ashamed is to have a sense of our fractured lives, a longing to be whole. To rid ourselves of shame is to lunge into make-believe: for to be without shame is to live in the illusion that we are all we ought to be...There are two situations in which people feel no shame. The first is a state of wholeness. The other is a state of illusion.” ~ Lewis B. Smedes

“Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source.” ~ Uncle Iroh, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 2: Earth, Episode 09 - “Bitter Work”

“I sometimes think that shame, mere awkward, senseless shame, does as much towards preventing good acts and straightforward happiness as any of our vices can do.” ~ C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

One of the biggest themes that we see occur again and again in Varian’s arc is that of pride. His ultimate goal was to make his father proud of him. I get the feeling from his first episode (“What the Hair!?”) that this urgency to make Quirin proud of him comes from a place of shame as much as it comes from a place of simply wanting to please his father. Varian doesn’t feel like he’s being the sort of son that Quirin would be proud of, and this makes him feel ashamed. Even as Varian tries to be that son that he believes Quirin would be proud of, he never feels like he’s doing good enough, and so the shame persists again and again, and it keeps on bringing him down. (“Not again, Varian.”)

In one sense, some of Varian’s shame is warranted in his story. That is, we see in “Rapunzel’s Return” that Varian comes to admit that he feels shame upon realizing that he wasn’t being the person he was supposed to be, and it impresses on him that he had done wrong things. Even his alterations to his appearance when we first see him again seem to be a way of trying to mask the shame he feels before he finally acknowledges it. This particularly becomes evident in the above shot of the episode where he holds his smiling bandana up to cover his shame-filled face.

What we end up finding out in the end, however, is that Quirin always loved, accepted, and valued Varian as his greatest treasure, no matter what shortcomings Varian may have felt like he had. Varian didn’t need to pull off any grand feats in order to be valued by his father. He had it from Quirin all along. (Granted, it may be a character flaw on the part of Quirin that he could’ve done better to express these things to Varian so he wouldn’t have become so desperate to strive for something he didn’t realize was already there. So this may have also a learning experience for Quirin as well.)

From another perspective though, I like to think that the more enduring resolution to Varian’s shame and insecurities was not the fact of whether or not Quirin was proud of him, but the fact that Quirin loved him. While both “pride” and “love” are often thought of as simply emotions or states of mind, love is much more enduring than that. Feelings and thoughts come and go, but you can still love someone without feeling warm feelings towards them in the moment. You can also love someone without necessarily approving of their actions. Love involves the whole person, and goes beyond feelings of pride. While love can certainly involve feelings of being proud of the beloved, it is also more than that, and ensures that our valuing others isn’t based on their performance. It’s loving-grace that is truly the source of freedom from shame, not pride.

I personally wish TTS/RTA emphasized this a bit more in the reunion scene between Varian and Quirin, but there were moments of the scene that did make me think of it (like the scene ending on the lines, “I love you,” between the two of them). One shot in particular that stood out to me was Varian rushing into Quirin’s arms as Quirin emerged from the amber. I’m not gonna lie - when I saw this moment, it honestly made me think of Easter. The idea of God sacrificing for us on our behalf, then coming back to life again, and meeting us even in the midst of our mess to love us and reunite with us really seemed to have something of it captured in this moment, and that is a beautiful thought to me. While God wants us to do good, he also knows that we are not perfect, and he loves us and welcomes us back with open arms even after our biggest messes. His love for us never changes, never gives up, and it’s in that where we can find true freedom from our shame.

“It’s your mess, but it’s my kingdom.” - The Role of Grace

“But if I practiced true philosophy, as Socrates meant it, I should change my ugly soul into a fair one. And this, the gods helping me, I would do. I would set about it at once. The gods helping . . . but would they help? Nevertheless I must begin...I would set out boldly each morning to be just and calm and wise in all my thoughts and acts; but before they had finished dressing me I would find that I was back (and knew not how long I had been back) in some old rage, resentment, gnawing fantasy, or sullen bitterness...I could mend my soul no more than my face. Unless the gods helped.” ~ Queen Oruel, Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis

“The gods have been accused by you. Now’s their turn.” [The Fox] “I cannot hope for mercy.” [Queen Oruel] “Infinite hopes - and fears - may both be yours. Be sure that, whatever else you may get, you will not get justice.” [The Fox] “Are the gods not just?” [Queen Oruel] “Oh no, child. What would become of us if they were?” [The Fox] ~ Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis

By definition, grace is something offered to us even though we don’t deserve it. It’s always unmerited. It doesn’t try to keep score on things. It is favor freely given.

In Varian’s story, the role that grace plays in his redemption comes from Rapunzel, where she presents forgiveness as a real possibility for him, is willing to actively give him the chance to redeem himself, and then save him from burning up with the airship. While Varian feels like he ought to be the one to go up in flames in order to save Corona because the situation was “his mess” in the first place, Rapunzel saves him from this, and takes on the danger herself. While I can understand some fans’ wish to have seen Varian be the one to pull off this stunt himself, or perhaps have him and Rapunzel do it together with her hair saving them both, or (very rare to find, but I have seen it) some fans feeling like Varian actually going down in flames would’ve been the better fulfillment of his redemption arc.

It certainly seemed like Varian felt like he deserved to go up in flames in that moment, or at the very least that it was on him to bring an end to the mess he made. It is definitely a good thing that Varian felt the need to accept responsibility for his actions, but of course the dilemma lay in the fact that while such an attitude was a noble one, it would’ve only resulted in his death in the end if Rapunzel hadn’t stepped up to do it herself. She also had the magic hair that would shield her from the explosion, while Varian did not. Rapunzel was the only one out of the two of them who had the key to getting through it all and ensure everyone’s survival.

This did make me think about how God has grace for us when we do wrong, and how he was/is able to deal with the grand mess of our sins on our behalf. Of course, this doesn’t mean that we don’t do all that we can to make things right, or that we ignore the need for justice to be done in the world in the here and now. It does mean, however, that part of the redemption process must include grace going hand-in-hand with atonement and the will to make a change. We don’t need to despair at our weaknesses, or our inability to fix everything. God is our strength in our weakness, and he has taken care of the final barrier for us on our path to redemption.

“I’m not giving up on you.” - Redemption’s Pain, Gentleness, and Response

“We are, not metaphorically but in very truth, a Divine work of art, something that God is making, and therefore something with which He will not be satisfied until it has a certain character...One can imagine a sentient picture, after being rubbed and scraped and re-commenced for the tenth time, wishing that it were only a thumb-nail sketch whose making was over in a minute. In the same way, it is natural for us to wish that God had designed for us a less glorious and less arduous destiny; but then we are wishing not for more love but for less.” ~ C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

(Had to use this gif in conjunction with the above quote. Just seemed too good to pass up. xD)

It was quite amusing when watching this episode for the first time to see Varian officially make his choice for redemption by throwing a bath bomb. In addition to it just being a funny gag, it also seemed kinda symbolic in its own way - like Varian beginning the process of cleansing his soul of all the burdens he was carrying. Despite his initial eagerness though, the next thing that immediately happens to Varian in this moment of weakness is him being locked up, and then having to go through a time of pain in sorting out his feelings of guilt and shame with Rapunzel and the others, and Eugene showing a clear distrust for him at first. (And having a bit of a humbling moment with Lance revealing his goatee to be fake and wiping it off.) Before all that, Varian had also already been through the pain of previous soul-searching (what with his shifting motives). As he was sitting in the cell with Rapunzel, Varian was probably wondering when all of the pain he was going through would finally end, things could get better, they could finally “learn to trust again,” and he wouldn’t have to be caught up in any messy situations anymore. But Rapunzel and Co. not giving up on him helped him to be able to continue on, even with things not yet quite right.

When we finally come to the end of the episode, and the scene where Quirin is released, we have another moment that really stood out to me, with Varian calmly snapping Rapunzel out of the moon incantation’s trance. When dousing her with water, shouting at her, and shaking her by the shoulders didn’t work, I was genuinely surprised to see Varian shift to take a gentler approach with her, and very nearly whisper his words of reassurance to her. (MEGA kudos to Jeremy Jordan for his voice performance in this moment!) In experiencing and receiving the forgiveness, grace, and love from the others, Varian was able to respond in kind by giving some forgiveness, grace, and love of his own. It wasn’t any grand action that Rapunzel needed in that moment. A still, small voice was what she needed then to be brought back, and Varian was able to give it.

My very first thought when I saw this moment was thinking back to the story in the Bible where God called to Elijah in a still, small voice in his time of distress (1 Kings 19:11-13). Elijah had been through a lot, and he was in a lot of emotional turmoil. Before then, God had made himself known through some pretty big displays of power. But in that moment, when Elijah needed him most, he found God not in the spectacular things, but in the most quiet and gentle of sounds.

I really felt like the moment with Varian gently calling to Rapunzel really hit home to me what that could look like. And the actual words of, “You didn’t give up on me. I’m not giving up on you,” really added to it for me as well. In finding and remembering that God never gives up on us, we can also be given the desire and perseverance to not give up on others, not give up on ourselves, and not give up on reaching back to God ourselves. Even if all we can do is respond in our own still, small voice - a voice said in either pain or gentleness - it may make more of a difference than we think.

(Varian’s posture and emotion here also reminded me of praying, which also really struck me when I first saw it.)

[arabian-bloodstream]

Full Circle All-Around

I’ve referenced my whole Full Circle theory with regards to Arya and Gendry in the past, most specifically in this meta post titled, well, “Full Circle, Baby!”  To sum it up (which is from an earlier post—Arya + Gendry = Ice and Fire):

Gendry and Arya are essentially the getting-it-right version of [Robert and Lyanna]. Gendry is strong, stubborn, handsome like his father, but he’s also good and loyal and knows to treat his Northern lady with respect and love for exactly who she is. Arya is strong, willful, beautiful like her aunt, but she’s also loyal and steady and would never betray her vows, her home and leave the rest of the world to destroy itself.

Robert and Lyanna began this story. And it ended BADLY. So I think that George R.R. Martin–with all of his foreshadowing and seed-dropping (he wrote a love song for Arya and Gendry, ya’ll!)–intends for Arya and Gendry to *finish* this story happily. They ARE the ship that is promised.

Well, I’ve begun to think that this whole full circle theory of mine may be more widespread than just Arya and Gendry. Obviously, I could be completely and totally wrong. And in one week’s time (well, less than one week) we will know for sure whether I am or not! (Totes, totes possible!) Here is what I’m thinking.

Let me preface this by saying that I read an interview with Maisie Williams about a year ago. I cannot find it now. I have looked. It was not during the pre-press for the season, so it wasn’t something that was picked up as particularly stand-out-ish, more of an off-hand comment, one line in a paragraph or two about Game of Thrones in a fairly long interview she was doing about her app, Daisie. Definitely before any press for the final season even remotely began.

It stuck out to me, though. Paraphrasing what it said, basically it was along the lines of… I had to go back and rewatch season 01 to really get what happened with Arya in the end. Now, she’s been much more circumspect and cagey in her pre-press for the season, but that line there in that interview was pretty much ignored but it always lingered in my mind. For me, the only scene I can think of that makes sense with the current narrative on display this season alongside with everything else that aired prior to this season is one of her scenes with Ned: the infamous “that’s not me” scene.

I’m one of those who feel that the scene has always been misinterpreted. Arya was not telling Ned that she didn’t want to get married, she didn’t want to settle down, didn’t want to ever be a Lady. Rather she was telling him, she didn’t want to just be some Lord’s Lady, his property, just there to sit by him, look pretty, run his home and bear this children. This is the dialogue in that scene:

Arya: He wants to a knight of the Kingsguard. He can't be one now, can he? Ned: No, he can't be. But someday he can be Lord of a holdfast. He'll sit on the King's Council. Well, he might raise castles, like Brandon the Builder. Arya: Can I be Lord of a holdfast? Ned: You will marry a High Lord and rule his castle. And your sons shall be knights and princes and lords. Arya: No, that's not me.

Ned basically was all, ‘Oh, you’ll be the little woman, doing womanly things as women have always done.’ And Arya was all, 'Uhm, I’m gonna rule the world! I’m not just gonna run the castle, I’m gonna be the Lord of the Holdfast—basically run the whole place.’ (Note, that is pretty much exactly what Gendry was kinda asking her to do… but I digress.)

I mention this because this one scene, Arya mentioning that she wants to be the Lord of a Holdfast *and* Ned predicting that her sons would be knights and princes and lords is the only scene in the first season that does not completely track with just about everything else that would fit with Arya’s presumed expected ending.

So taking that into account, let’s finally hit on my full circle for the whole gang theory.

Arya and Gendry = Lyanna and Robert

Daenerys = Aerys II

Tyrion = Jaime

Jon = Ned

Now, how does this track? Well…

Arya and Gendry succeed where Lyanna and Robert failed. They wed, joining the houses of Stark and Baratheon.

Daenerys succeeded in burning down King’s Landing already where Aerys II failed.

Tyrion, like his brother, Jaime, will kill the sovereign he has sworn to protect to do the right thing and protect more innocent lives.

Jon will send the Queenslayer North to spend his days like Ned wanted to do to the Kingslayer, but failed. Remember, Tyrion spent time at the Wall in season 01. Tyrion was supposed to take the Black in exchange for his life at Joffrey’s trial. And he has been celibate since he married Sansa, which was shortly before the trial, and we were reminded of that celibacy this season. A man of the Night’s Watch is supposed to be celibate.

Yes, there is a question of ‘Is there still a Wall? Is there still a Night’s Watch?’ Well, they weren’t guarding against the Undead so much as the Wildlings. And I don’t know how long the Wildlings are going to stay happy beyond the Wall with all that’s happened. So… it could come back up sooner rather than later.

And Jon will have the power to sentence Tyrion to such a fate because just might wind up being the last Targaryen King.

Oh, and why did Tyrion and Jaime both succeed whereas only this current generation succeeded while the earlier one failed? Well, because, you know… the Lannisters always pay their debts.

Now, let’s take take that Arya and Ned scene into account one last time. Jon, if he is the King, will need heirs. Technically, I do believe he cannot have children; he is a fire wight. Therefore, he would likely make his siblings’ (in all but blood and name) children his heirs. Bran… yeah, no. Sansa likely will never marry or have children. That leaves… Arya. Making her children—her sons, as Ned predicted, knights and princes and lords.

So, yeah, it could all come full circle to how it began. Robert and Lyanna didn’t get together, but Arya and Gendry will. Aerys II didn’t burn down King’s Landing, but Daenerys did. Jaime killed the sovereign he swore to serve and protect; Tyrion kills the sovereign he swore to serve and protect. Ned didn’t get Jaime sent to the Wall, but Jon will send Tyrion. And the only ones who succeeded in their “tasks” both go-rounds were the Lannisters because the Lannisters always pay their debts.

Again, I could be totally, totally wrong, but… full circle. It all tracks.

[love-little-lotte]

My Top 11 Favorite Outlander Episodes (Seasons 1-3)

Hello! I’m back again with another Outlander post haha. What did you guys think of the latest episode? Wasn’t much of a fan of it (what the hell, Roger?) but I’m kind of looking forward for the next episodes now. 

But that’s not what this post is going to be about. I mentioned from my Outlander Obsession post that I would like to discuss about the cast and characters of Outlander, much like I did with The Handmaid’s Tale before. But then I realized that there are so, so, so many Outlander characters that made an impression and it would be impossible to fit them in one post. So, I decided to make a Top 11 Favorite Outlander episodes. 

These episodes are entirely my favorites. So I don’t care if you agree with me. I’m just sharing to you my fave episodes. You can definitely share your own as well. I also chose episodes from the first three seasons because Season 4 is just starting. Maybe I’ll make another one when Season 4 is done. 

So, shall we begin?

#11: Season 1, Episode 15 - Wentworth Prison

This episode was such a roller coaster, I swear. Since I don’t know anything about Outlander (I just recently started reading the first book, thanks to a suggestion), I was caught off guard when this episode happened. I don’t really have the stomach for torture scenes, so this one almost made me cry. The next episode is more, um, detailed for sure and is more harrowing than this one, but I couldn’t bring myself to rewatch that episode just yet. 

The Wentworth Prison episode, however, is more bearable to watch. I especially love Claire in this episode, since she portrayed a strong modern woman. Jamie rescues her a lot - when she was almost assaulted by Black Jack Randall and the one with the witch trial - and now, we get to see her rescue him. Despite the dangers ahead, she didn’t stay put and she was ready to risk everything.

This also highlighted the acting chops of Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, and Tobias Menzies. They were definitely convincing as their characters, especially Sam and Tobias. I bet this was not an easy episode to shoot (as well as the next one), but hats off to them! 

#10: Season 2, Episode 11 - Vengeance is Mine

Ah, this was such an entertaining episode. I watched this in a public place on my phone while I was eating lunch, and I had to stop myself from screaming when the Duke died. The Duke of Sandringham is one of those characters that you love to hate! And it was such a pleasure to watch him die (most fittingly) in Murtagh’s hands. Mary also got her revenge to the man who raped her, which really ruined her prospects with the love of her life, Alex Randall.

Claire, also once again, became the heroine of the day when she sacrificed herself so that the Redcoats would leave them alone. Thanks to her quick thinking, she was able to save Jamie and the others, and crossed paths once again with Mary, saving her as well. 

#09: Season 3, Episode 1 - The Battle Joined

Finally! All of the events in the first two seasons led up to the historic Battle of Culloden, and it was a delight to see it. Though they only had snippets of it, it was so satisfying to see Jamie finally end Randall’s life. He finally got his revenge! But this triumph is temporary, when Jamie wakes to realize that most of his friends lost their lives in the battle, and that Claire is not there with him. 

Claire, on the other hand, is adjusting to her new life in Boston with Frank. It wasn’t easy, of course, but she was able to make life bearable. She learned to have a new relationship with Frank, even though it was not what they had before. Not only has she to overcome her new relationship with Frank, but also her status as a woman in the 40s, especially since she was regarded as one of the bravest women back in the 18th century Scotland. 

#08: Season 1, Episode 1 - Sassenach 

The episode that started it all. I started watching Outlander because I was bored one Sunday afternoon, but when I watched the first episode, I knew that I came across something special. 

The episode showed a small backstory of Claire in the war and her relationship with Frank, which made us sympathize her character when she time travelled to the 18th century. It also showed us Claire and Jamie’s first meeting with the dislocated shoulder scene! Sparks were definitely flying when they first met, I swear. The title of the episode is also one of my favorite term of endearments Jamie uses for Claire. 

#07: Season 2, Episode 4 - La Dame Blanche 

I have a soft spot for period dramas and dinner episodes haha. Maybe it’s an after-effect of Downton Abbey. 

Other than that scene though, this also introduced us to another villain in the Frasers’ life - Comte St. Germain. That piece of shit tried to poison our favorite feminist icon but being the baddest bitch that she is, she survived. This was also the episode when Claire finally reveals to Jamie that Black Jack Randall is actually alive, and that he will get his revenge. Jamie also got over (more or less) his traumatic experience, and finally has sex with Claire after months. 

#06: Season 2, Episode 13 - Dragonfly in Amber

This episode reduced me to tears! So many goodbyes. So many heartache. My poor heart can’t take it. Though there was a small piece of happiness (Claire is pregnant, again!), it was also the reason why Claire has to go back to her own time for the safety of her unborn child. 

Claire and Jamie’s tearful goodbye were so heartfelt and real, and both Cait and Sam acted so perfectly in that episode. I especially love Jamie’s lines: “Lord, ye gave me a rare woman, and God, I loved her well” before making love to Claire one last time. In the end, though, we find out that Jamie never really died in the Battle of Culloden and Claire makes up her mind to go back to see him again. 

Oh, and we also get to see Brianna, Claire and Jamie’s daughter. She’s an interesting character, for sure, and I can’t wait to see more of her. 

#05: Season 3, Episode 6 - A. Malcolm 

Yes! The most awaited reunion! After 20 years of being separated from each other, they finally reunite. Even though they’re much, much older than they last met, the passion is still burning and the love they feel for each other is still there.

Aside from the most-awaited love scenes, my favorite scene in this episode is Jamie finally seeing photographs of Brianna. It was such a wonderful moment, that after 20 years of not knowing what happened to his wife and daughter, he is finally aware that the sacrifice he made 20 years ago was worth it. The couple also had a lot to talk about after not seeing for so many years. I watched the whole season 3 in, like, a day so I cannot imagine the agony the fans had to endure while waiting for this episode haha. 

#04: Season 1, Episode 7 - The Wedding 

Ah, of course. You can’t have a Top Favorite Outlander Episodes without including this episode. This episode showed Claire and Jamie’s first kiss (which was weirdly during their wedding lmao) and their first love scene/s (they had sex, like, three times in this episode). 

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I don’t think Claire was in love with Jamie when she married him, but she was obviously drawn to him, and she felt a strong attachment. This was the beginning of an understanding Claire and Jamie shares - may it be physically, or romantically.

Plus, the costumes and setting were breathtaking. Claire’s wedding gown was absolutely charming, as well as the wedding place. It really gave me the 18th century feels. The flashbacks were also nicely put, as it gave more personality to other characters. 

#03: Season 1, Episode 9 - The Reckoning 

Correct me if I’m mistaken, but this was the first episode that Jamie was narrating, instead of Claire. We finally get to hear what he was thinking about the entire time. It was also in this episode where he truly admitted that he was indeed falling in love with Claire.

Claire and Jamie also get their first major fight as a married couple. The whole screaming match they shared was so... entertaining to watch haha. I could watch the two of them bantering the whole day, I swear. And when they forgave each other? Gah, tears me up all the time. 

Though the whole “disciplining the wife” scene was cringey, I guess it was still necessary especially because this was set in the 18th century, and husbands really do that to their wives. Jamie apologized in the end, though, and promised never to do that again and they had the most mind-blowing sex scene in the whole series lmao. 

#02: Season 2, Episode 7 - Faith 

This was one of the saddest episodes, ever. Or probably the saddest one. Claire losing her baby was such a punch to the gut. The whole scene with Claire singing to the baby was also such a heartbreaking moment. Claire is not a stranger to losing family members, since her own parents died when she was really young, but losing a child is something she never even imagined, also probably because she thought she could never conceive. 

The whole scene with the Comte and Raymond was also a nail-biter. The whole thing was directed perfectly and without flaw, and I love seeing the Comte receive his bitter end. Claire is someone you would not like to mess with. 

Caitriona Balfe in this episode was such a force to be reckoned with. Her acting chops were truly highlighted in this episode, and I could definitely feel her pain and anguish. I couldn’t imagine how she handled those feels, because ah, she was so amazing in this one. 

#01: Season 1, Episode 11 - The Devil’s Mark 

This episode is the best, really. The directing, the acting of everyone, the whole thing leading up to the witch trial... ah! Geilles is actually one of my favorite characters, even though she’s a villain. She’s tough and clever, and I have a weakness for female villains because it’s such a breather. Geilles is a very interesting character, for sure.

I’ve already suspected that Geilles was something else, when Claire saw her dance in the woods before, so I wasn’t really surprised when she was also from the future. Lotte Verbeek’s acting was so good, and I couldn’t imagine a better Geilles than her. 

Also, I always believed that this was the episode Claire finally realized that she’s really in love with Jamie. She finally trusts him enough to tell him the truth. And despite all of that, Jamie accepts her and even took her to Craigh na Dun so that she can be together with Frank again. He was ready to give up his happiness, his love for her, so that she could be happy.

But Claire didn’t go through the stones. She decided to stay with Jamie because yes, she’s in love with her. She also told him to bring her home to Lallybroch. It was actually in the next episode where they say “I love you” to each other, but her staying is also a sure sign that she was indeed has serious feelings for him. 

So, there you have it - my Top 11 Favorite Outlander episodes. Most of them are from the first two seasons, because those two are my favorites are more memorable to me. 

This is probably going to be the last lengthy Outlander post I’m going to make, unless there’s something exciting that will happen in the future episodes and I’ll have to rant about it haha. 

[weerd1]

Star Trek DS9 Rewatch Log, Stardate 1906.13: Missions Reviewed, “Crossover,” “The Collaborator,” “Tribunal,” and “The Jem’Hadar.”

Kira and Bashir are coming back through the wormhole when their runabout’s warp engine malfunctions. After a harrowing passage, they emerge into the Alpha Quadrant to find DS9 is still in orbit around Bajor. 

They are immediately captured by a Klingon ship, but those warriors take one look at Kira and fumble over themselves trying to please her. Bashir has studied century old logs however and has an inkling as to what has happened. They have crossed into what a century before James Kirk called the “Mirror Universe.” His influence on mirror Spock was initially good and the Terran Empire became benign…only to be conquered by an alliance between the Klingons and Cardassians. Now Terrans are slaves or somehow beholden to the alliance. Kira finds her counterpart—The Intendant—is basically in charge of DS9 and Bajor…and may be insane with power.

 She employs Mirror Sisko as a boytoy and pirate, but he resents it. Bashir gets mirror O’Brien to help them and a little human slave revolt provides enough of a distraction for Kira and Bashir to make it back into the wormhole to find their way back to their own universe.

Nana Visitor is eating this one up.  Not only does she get to sport a rubber outfit, she is definitely at TOS levels of villainy as The Intendant. Though, at some point, some director had her walk away in that outfit just to have a character call her back…so she could walk away again. Gulp. This episode is really the best of the DS9 MU episodes, as they get a little less credible with each one. Of course, “Enterprise” will go to that well (though they do it rather exceptionally well managing a sequel to both “Mirror, Mirror” and “The Tholian Web) and the MU plays a huge role in the first season of “Discovery,” which I will try not to spoil, but trust me it’s worth your time. Although Orci and Kurtzman who wrote the first two Kelvin Timeline movies cite the TNG episode “Parallels” as the basis for their alternate timeline, let’s look at the MU. Whatever differences happened in the past the separated it from Prime, there is still a Starship Enterprise commanded by Kirk; still an NX-01 with an Archer. Still a Terok Nor with Kira. History WANTS to happen a certain way in the Star Trek multiverse, and yes “Parallels” gives us 180,000 examples of how similar but different those timelines can be, it all goes back for me to the MU. One day though I will have to share my theory that “The Prime Timeline” is at least five different alternate realities.

“The Collaborator” has Bajor finally preparing to elect a new Kai since Opaka stayed in the Gamma Quadrant back in S1. Vedek Bareil, Kira’s boyfriend now, is about a shoe in, but Kai Winn arranges for a Bajoran collaborator to return from Cardassian exile. 

He brings evidence that during the Occupation, Bareil provided information to the Cardassians as to the location of a resistance cell of which Kai Opaka’s son was part; they were massacred. Winn gets Kira to investigate, and she indeed finds that Bareil erased the data. When he finds out she knows, he pulls his name out of the running for Kai, and indeed Winn is elected. Afterward, Kira discovers more evidence proving Bareil couldn’t have been the collaborator. Indeed, he was not. He covered up the fact Opaka herself had provided the information, including the location of her son, to save the 1000 people who lived in the area the Cardassians were going to exterminate to stop this cell. Winn is now Kai, but Bareil could not let Opaka’s memory be tarnished.

This is a solid episode that does what one would not expect- allows Louise Fletcher’s Winn to become the Bajoran Pope. Setting up years of follow on conflict, it’s a hard story to take, but dramatically wonderful. Along with all that, there is a scene where Kira admits to Odo that she loves Bareil. Odo is visibly hurt by this, but quickly covers it up. Apparently this was improvisation on Rene Auberjonois’ part, which the writers immediately set upon. Good for them; Kira/Odo is my OTP (look it up, old folks).

This season has TWO “let’s screw with O’Brien” episodes apparently, as “The Tribunal” has O’Brien trying to take a vacation, only to be detained by the Cardassians and put on a public trial. 

Of course in Cardassian court, the trial is just to demonstrate the State’s case, as you have already been convicted and sentenced, and you are ALWAYS guilty. O’Brien is given a lawyer, whose only job as the defense is to get O’Brien to confess faster and show remorse so “the people” can take pride in justice done when the execution happens. Odo manages to use his old status as an officer of the Cardassian courts to intervene, but it is when Sisko finds O’Brien was framed by a Cardassian deep cover spy the Chief is publically granted clemency, the Cardassian plot uncovered.

Poor Miles. He goes through so much crap.  Apparently at one point Ira Steven Behr as showrunner had a card up reading “O’Brien must suffer.” The Kafka-esque trial setting is effective here, and Fritz Weaver as the Defense Attorney who really isn’t is pretty good.

 Some nice call backs to the Maquis episodes as well as the crime O’Brien’s accused of is stealing photon warheads to pass to the terrorists…who have no idea what’s going on. Also nice to see Odo is just as cranky in the courtroom as he is on the Promenade.

Season two comes to an end with “The Jem’Hadar.” Sisko is planning a wilderness planet getaway with Jake in the Gamma Quadrant when Jake talks him into bringing Nog.  Quark uses that as an opportunity to tag along to try to convince Sisko to let him use the stations comm screens to play commercials (you know, like all the gas pumps do now). While on the planet they find an alien woman on the run from vicious soldiers called the Jem’Hadar.

 They are the military force for The Dominion who keep coming up all season.  When they go missing, the Jem’Hadar deliver a message to their friends at DS9 to stay out of the Gamma Quadrant…and they have destroyed the colony of New Bajor already. The Federation sends a Galaxy class starship, the Odyssey, to flex its muscle and rescue Sisko and Quark (Nog and Jake have made it back to the Runabout and are trying to fly it when the cavalry arrive). Sisko and Quark escape with the alien Eris, but Quark reveals she could have escaped anytime. 

As they are getting away though, the Jem’Hadar destroy the Odyssey with all aboard. Back on DS9, Sisko accuses Eris of being what the soldiers called “The Founders,” but she is a Vorta, the middle management of the Dominion. She does escape, leaving DS9 to realize that there is an advanced, ruthless enemy on the other side of the wormhole, and when they come through, DS9 will be their first target.

Besides finally showing us the Jem’Hadar, Vortas, and letting something happen with The Dominion, this episode has some great interaction between Sisko and Quark. The Ferengi points out how accepting the Federation is, until some race like the Ferengi have values that don’t fall in line. It’s an interesting argument on tolerance, and how accepting the Federation as a liberal democracy really is across the galaxy. I would normally complain that a concept like that deserves its own episode, but DS9 handles this sort of thing regularly enough not to mind the question getting sidelined too much. I tried to remember back to when I first watched this episode, if I had any inkling just what the Dominion would become on this show, or if I had any clue who the Founders were just yet.  Though not precisely a cliffhanger, the wolf is at the door by the end of this episode, promising that the foreboding feeling we are left with will only get worse in Season 3.

NEXT VOYAGE: Season 3 kicks off with “The Search” and we get to see just how Defiant the DS9 crew can get!

[almaasi]

reaction post typed while watching SPN 14x05 “Nightmare Logic”

oh, what a perfectly soft and emotional Destiel-parallelly piece of Meredith Glynn artwork. so precious, so loved~

03:47pm

things i know about this: meredith glynn wrote it

LET’S WATCH

-

03:50

noooo maggie don’t do things like this alooooone

-

i like the music as she enters... kinda weird and sparkly and awkward

-

03:53

sammy...... you know what you need

someone to do the night shift

if only...... you had.............. someone else........................

*looks pointedly at dean*

-

03:55

where does sam get the financial resources for shit like body cams

we never see them running credit card scams any more so........ ???????

-

03:57

i love these cable things by the roads

so aesthetic

-

03:58

even more spooky pretty music as dean and sam enter the tomb

-

03:59

dean and sam lie so effortlessly and so in sync

i always enjoy seeing them do this, ever since dean told a firefighter he needed to go back into his apartment because he has a yorkie who pees when he’s nervous

-

04:01

aw man i thought the “colleagues” would be cas and jack

bobby and mary’s cool too

-

04:02

bobby’s wearing a cap like michael’s

and mary’s wearing a coat like cas’

..does this mean this story’s gonna be about dean’s war between those two things, like the two worlds he knows

bobby’s parenting vs. mary’s parenting

michael’s need for him as a vessel vs. cas’ love for him as a bestest buddy bro friend

not sure how bobby = micheal / mary = cas but i’m sure there’ll be some kind of explanation later

OR maybe they’re just costumes and they mean nothing

but......is that ever true? trenchcoats are automatically a cas thing now. and that cap is so iconic as michael now???

-

04:09

i relate to this lady in the suit who has had Too Much Of Everything

i enjoy seeing people know their limits and expressing them to others rather than continuing past breaking point

sam’s doing great but also....... no

take a page from this lady’s book, sammy

-

04:11

mary’s walking with sam

and i just wanna take a minute to appreciate how EASY meredith glynn’s episodes are to watch

her scripts flow so gently and everything makes logical sense

and her characters are coherent

there’s just this nice touch of emotional human realism cloaking all the supernatural weirdness and i so, so appreciate that

like.. for me personally, there’s not a single writer on the current team whose writing comes close to glynn’s

i want her to write more episodes with cas though, i know she’d write him just right

i honestly feel like i’m being hugged by someone as i watch this

so soft around my heart

is good

-

04:16

sam: “you [and bobby have] gotten pretty close lately”

mary: “i thought so too”

OH WAIT I GET IT

I GET THE COAT AND THE HAT NOW

IT’S A DESTIEL THING

OH MY FUCKING GOD HOW DID I MISS THAT

IT’S SO BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS HOLY FUCKING FUCKDISAFKDSHGF

even the casual viewers will probably have noticed this one. i know it took me a second but as soon as this discussion happened it clicked

 this is probably the most obvious parallel they’ve ever done i think

i didn’t see it before because i didn’t EXPECT it, you know?? ugh this is so validating

-

04:22

now every word mary says, i’m just envisioning how it applies to cas’ perspective too

“he’s been hunting all the time, he won’t take a break even for a second. there’s something on his mind”

yeah, that mICHEAL HAT, quite literally sitting over his head like a dark halo

-

04:26

the music in this episode is just so pleasing to my ears

-

04:31

things i appreciate:

normal people being all “wtf you hunt monsters” and just being present while dean and sam talk about their shit

sam’s reference to “hunteri heroici” (my all-time fave episode besides “scoobynatural” jdgd that was five years ago what the hell)

-

04:35

me: takes screenshot of this very pretty, very anxious lady because i want my hair to do what her hair does

-

04:36

oop we just found the dean mirror and now we get to hear someone talk about the things he feels and offer advice that ultimately helps himself

god i love this

AND THE FACT I CAN UNDERSTAND THIS PARALLEL AND WHY IT’S HAPPENING

AGAIN SOLIDIFIES THE DEAN/CAS THING WITH BOBBY/MARY

because what mary said about bobby = what cas thinks about dean = what’s true about dean = this lady being overworked = dean not taking time off from hunting

(although it does seem to specifically apply to sam as well ?)

and sam mentioned earlier about how the dad he knew and the dad mary knew were different people, plus the earlier mentions this season about john’s problematic parenting (i forget when)

yeah that really makes a point of saying john abused his kids, for sure

-

lady: “he was gone all the time, working for us, he said”

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

-

lady: “i worshipped him when i was a kid. didn’t know any better”

oh deanie

please take notes

please know it’s okay to be angry at john and not continue to love him in a way that excuses his behaviours, even 14 years after he died

-

wait wait wait

dean tells her to let it go, it’s the past, there’s nothing you can do about it now so it’s just baggage

WAIT

THAT MEANS

THAT MEANS HE LET THAT SHIT GO ALREADY???????

WHOA

OKAY COOL. COOL COOL COOL I’M PROUD OF YOU

now go be gay with cas

-

“i try. every single day.”

hell yeah dean winchester giving good mental health advice to people and also millions of depressed people with various traumas watching this

ngl this legit just helped me a tiny bit with my issues with my own dad

urhgutguugb meredith glynn you are the good we need in this world

..............suddenly getting real emotional because goddamn i wanna meet her someday ;~; i wanna meet 1. misha and 2. meredith glynn, maaaaybe 3. jensen idk

mEREDITH GLYNN IS MY KINDRED SPIRIT

and DEAN WINCHESTER HELPS ME BE A MORE SELF-ACCEPTING PERSON

yay

-

04:49

no but like.......... everyone seemed to enjoy last week’s episode, i only saw people posting good reviews. and i felt bad not not enjoying it, even though all the things people pointed out should’ve been right up my alley, something about the overall thing just fell flat for me

but this one

this one speaks to my heart

-

04:53

maggie: “i didn’t mean to get caught--”

sam: “no no no, stop that. you did nothing wrong. okay?”

sam being a better dad to maggie than john ever was to anyone

-

04:57

OH NO BOBBY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!

-

05:01

dean: “you’re giving him transfusions?”

nurse: “keeps up his iron”

suddenly i don’t trust the nurse

trying to take over the property maybe? a la scooby-doo, it’s always about real estate

-

05:02

dean: “sasha, could you go....... make me a ....sandwich ?”

DEAN NO

(i type, in pain, as i laugh)

-

/rewatches that interaction because it was actually really sweet the way dean mouthed “go” to sasha and she understood

-

05:05

i’ve wanted a djinn story for SO LONG

(even wrote one myself - Prince of the Ether Realms)

trust glynn to be the one to re-weave the exact threads of this 14-year saga that also interest me specifically

also kudos for the fact she’s so obviously knowledgeable about the ENTIRE HISTORY of the show, as opposed to certain other writers who seem to contradict previous facts and re-reference things that were used differently before to make an important point, thereby nullifying the first point when used a second time

-

05:11

hunter with the shaved head 10/10 style

headcanoning them as non-binary and into girls because of reasons

also there was a slight continuity error, this hunter hugs maggie twice in the two consecutive shots

-

05:15

bobby: “it ends the same” [with bobby dead, i guess?]

mary: “no. you are not allowed to give up on me”

seeing this as dean and cas again

yeah i saw someone mention how at the end of last episode, dean suggesting they drive off a cliff and sam being like NOPE kind of reflected the wrongness of the they-all-die-at-the-end for the finale of SPN

and i think this brings it back to that again

i agree that the best ending is the one where they live to fight another day, not go out guns a-blazing

and this is cas telling dean he’s not allowed to give up and die because he wants to live side-by-side for as long as they can

i just really really want cas to say that to dean in a soft emotional scene like this. we don’t really get those unless they’re parallels??? and i wANT MORE DEAN AND CAS TALKING ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS DAMMIT

-

05:20

DEAN AND CAS PARALLELS um i mean BOBBY AND MARY GOING OFF TO HANG OUT ALONE IN A CABIN OF LOVE AND HEALING

GDI LET DEAN AND CAS DO THAT TOO

but also awwww i actually kinda like the mary/bobby thing? because at the core, they ARE dean and sam’s parents, really

family don’t end with blood etc

bobby was the dad john never was

-

05:23

sam: USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM

this is so satisfying

next up: hula hoops of salt and iron knuckle-dusters

-

05:25

i love love love that dean can have a healthy mental approach to this shit, finally

i’m so fucking proud of him you don’t even know

i just......... i really wanna see him not only return to baseline mental goodness, but then overcome that and become greater at his zen thing, and then AT LAST be ready to accept cas’ love for what it is: romantic and everlasting and epic, and not have to interpret it into something else or ignore it to protect himself

-

05:28

that light over dean’s shoulder is the angel on his shoulder

but is it michael or cas?

i’m going with cas, given that michael is a dark-hat-halo

-

05:30pm

it’s over

that was amaziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing ;u;

bless meredith glynn for existing and bringing us such beautiful stories

BUT WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE GARDENER

WHY WAS HE THERE besides to ~add some colour~??? and i guess a red herring for viewers, so we have someone to suspect?

(idk. i never suspected him, because he was black and meredith glynn is better than that - unless she was trying to trick racist viewers?? (i know there's a lot of them, i saw the super-toxic comment section on instagram when jared, jensen and misha posted a “vote beto” thing the other day. and there was a poll mentioned at comic con once, half the american spn fanbase are republicans??? guess they really love guns and fascism))

i don’t really have anything to add here, i said it all as i went along

that dean/cas parallel....... oh boy

just please please please pleASE can we have Actual Destiel and not just parallels and hints. like. they barely talk???????? HOW IS THIS A SHOW WHERE TWO OF THE MAIN LEADS ARE CONSTANTLY FRAMED TO BE IN LOVE, WE’RE TOLD THEY’RE BEST FRIENDS, BUT WE ALMOST NEVER EVEN SEE THEM TOGETHER ANY MORE

HOW IS THIS HAPPENING

anyway the costuming was just so very UNSUBTLE and obvious and i think a lot of people would’ve caught that parallel even if they weren’t looking for it

music was good, directing was good, sasha’s hair was good, nobody we know actually died, that was good too

10/10

ten thumbs up

yeee

[forallandmore]

I posted 619 times in 2021

6 posts created (1%)

613 posts reblogged (99%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 102.2 posts.

I added 715 tags in 2021

#0 - 36 posts

#buddie - 150 posts

#911 fox - 125 posts

#supernatural - 108 posts

#9-1-1 - 87 posts

#destiel - 76 posts

#favorites! - 51 posts

#mcu - 38 posts

#fire family - 23 posts

#tfatws - 21 posts

Longest Tag: 123 characters

#there’s something so important about their relationship already and if eventually they started dating not much would change

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

my stream cut out at the end so I missed the whole BT "I love you" scene so I've been getting it second hand

and I just saw the gifs??? and I know I haven't seen the whole thing but sir what is happening with you face?? never in the history of love has someone said ily and really meant it with their face looking like THAT

anyway I'll go watch the whole thing tmrw when the ep is up but until then... v skeptical of buck and his frowny face

8 notes • Posted 2021-11-30 04:19:04 GMT

#4

okay but the way this show has had so many episodes in the last 3.5 seasons end with a buddie scene/conversation/activity that even though I know they aren't talking right now for ~reasons~, I still expected them to?? I was watching the last five minutes waiting to see them again?

it's just so obvious that something is missing when they're not together

19 notes • Posted 2021-11-16 15:25:57 GMT

#3

dumb fricking weewoo show why are you making me feel like this about christmas couldn't we have one (1) nice thing

20 notes • Posted 2021-12-07 02:07:52 GMT

#2

okay but can we talk about everything going through buck's head when eddie was in the ambulance alone though??

the first time he's in a situation where eddie might die and buck fully KNOWS now about the will?? like he knows now that if eddie doesn't make it out he's going home to christopher, officially as his kid

like he knows this when he's telling athena they can't send in the tac team but he's the only one who knows this

and then he hears the gunshot??

and then he doesn't go home to christopher??? he goes to the loft??

pardon me while i go silently break down in the corner

36 notes • Posted 2021-11-01 16:51:50 GMT

#1

*watches 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 lone star crossover*

*spends half an hour on tumblr freaking out about it*

*immediately rewatches both episodes*

54 notes • Posted 2021-02-02 14:39:40 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[hgfstreamchats]

Centuarworld: Part II

Zephra859:41:03 PM

I can guess why but come on, Blades, Zulius is clearly the best character

thenightetc9:41:08 PM

Wait, is this the right episode?

Knock Out9:41:09 PM

He is!

thenightetc9:41:33 PM

I think we may have skipped over the mole one.

Knock Out9:41:38 PM

Oh, true.

Zephra859:41:49 PM

oops lol

Knock Out9:42:01 PM

Unless anyone is in favor of skipping the mole one.

Zephra859:42:12 PM

I'm fine with it

Knock Out9:42:19 PM

It's not a favorite.

thenightetc9:42:26 PM

Alright.

Knock Out9:42:35 PM

Unless you like it, night human.

thenightetc9:42:49 PM

Ehhhhhh.

Smokescreen9:43:12 PM

owo whats this

thenightetc9:43:13 PM

It's somewhat plot-relevant, that's all. For anyone who hasn't already seen it.

Knock Out9:43:28 PM

"Something something her tail tells jokes now."

Smokescreen9:44:05 PM

Oh, rip

Zephra859:44:13 PM

Hi Smokescreen!

Smokescreen9:44:19 PM

Hi Zephra!!

Knock Out9:44:19 PM

Smokescreen!

Smokescreen9:44:23 PM

Woojit!!!

thenightetc9:45:36 PM

Their FACES.

Zephra859:45:44 PM

The best spell in the show

Knock Out9:45:57 PM

By far.

akabra9:46:51 PM

hiya

Zephra859:46:56 PM

Yoo

Knock Out9:47:07 PM

Hello!

akabra9:47:13 PM

it is ME, the dude from the server obsessed with ultrakill

Knock Out9:47:24 PM

Ched is the only character on this show I never learned to like.

akabra9:47:37 PM

I'm lagging ugh

Zephra859:47:50 PM

HERE WE GO

Zephra859:47:53 PM

FAVE SONG

Knock Out9:48:06 PM

Because we all have a Splendib.

akabra9:48:32 PM

also why do they need the sash

Zephra859:48:35 PM

I have an entire bar full of Splendib's and Zulius's

Knock Out9:48:42 PM

There's a piece of the key attached to it.

Zephra859:48:46 PM

I've seen this exact confrontation a dozen times

Knock Out9:48:47 PM

My kind of bar.

akabra9:49:15 PM

why can they not punch eachother over ot

Zephra859:50:54 PM

whole a$$ mood

thenightetc9:52:23 PM

Her face.

akabra9:52:59 PM

that guy did not in fact have a cheer

thenightetc9:54:42 PM

I do feel bad for her.

akabra9:54:52 PM

i frozw

Zephra859:54:54 PM

poor girl is SO not cut out for this

Knock Out9:55:45 PM

Someone help her.

Zephra859:55:54 PM

Zulius is trying, man

thenightetc9:55:56 PM

She's. Already walking on her tonails all the time.

Zephra859:57:26 PM

SO FAB

thenightetc9:57:34 PM

Zephra was that your mic

Zephra859:57:46 PM

Wait that's my mic that's on??

Zephra859:58:26 PM

Oh snap Y'ALL HEARD NOTHING

Knock Out9:58:42 PM

Not to worry. You have a nice laugh.

thenightetc9:58:55 PM

Annnnd THAT'S why I feel bad for her

akabra9:59:48 PM

it keeps freezing

Zephra859:59:54 PM

(buries hands in face) stooooop

Zephra8510:00:46 PM

SA;DLJFSDLK LOSING IT

Zephra8510:01:08 PM

beware the cute ones

Zephra8510:04:03 PM

the creature of this show actually uploaded one of these on her twitter

thenightetc10:04:33 PM

Wammawink why

Zephra8510:04:54 PM

Everybody's got a kink

thenightetc10:05:07 PM

No reason to drag Glendale into it though

Zephra8510:05:23 PM

true lol

thenightetc10:06:14 PM

Yes. Just one thing.

Knock Out10:07:06 PM

This one certainly is an...experience to rewatch.

thenightetc10:07:16 PM

It really is.

thenightetc10:07:28 PM

He tries.

Zephra8510:07:55 PM

with new context, yeah... he's really just trying to help people man

Zephra8510:10:02 PM

HER TEARS ARE RAINBOWS I CAN'T

thenightetc10:11:25 PM

"Let's move on!"

Zephra8510:11:32 PM

Not sus at all

Knock Out10:14:08 PM

If I transformed into something out of Tiny Bee's universe, I'd be tempted to take a dive into a whale's mouth too.

Zephra8510:14:22 PM

I'm sure you'd make it look great

Knock Out10:15:01 PM

I would, but thank you nonetheless.

Zephra8510:17:27 PM

Aww Sunfish

thenightetc10:17:31 PM

ikr

Zephra8510:23:37 PM

'That one's mine' kldjs;afkads wammawink

Zephra8510:23:57 PM

oof we've all been there

Knock Out10:24:02 PM

Oh yes.

thenightetc10:27:24 PM

awwww, she's tired

Zephra8510:27:55 PM

Glendale honey NO

Knock Out10:28:22 PM

I like how ever so slightly awful Glendale and Wammawink are to one another.

thenightetc10:28:35 PM

Oh god

Knock Out10:28:44 PM

Let him speak!

Zephra8510:29:42 PM

Creativity is being stifled for all

thenightetc10:30:49 PM

Why.

Zephra8510:31:11 PM

I hate how much I love Comfortable Doug

Knock Out10:31:58 PM

Life would be so much easier if you could hate him completely, and yet...

Zephra8510:32:24 PM

srsly

thenightetc10:34:03 PM

gaaaaah

thenightetc10:34:22 PM

WAMMAWINK?

Knock Out10:34:56 PM changed the video to Knock Out's screen

thenightetc10:36:08 PM

Everything okay there?

Knock Out10:36:51 PM changed the video to https://www.netflix.com/watch/81134550?trackId=155573560

Knock Out10:36:51 PM changed the video to https://www.netflix.com/watch/81134550?trackId=155573560

Knock Out10:36:51 PM changed the video to https://www.netflix.com/watch/81134550?trackId=155573560

Knock Out10:37:07 PM changed the video to Knock Out's screen

Zephra8510:37:59 PM

It's not a real stream night unless things go horribly wrong and Knock Out is spending half the night frustratingly trying to fix it

thenightetc10:38:07 PM started the video at

thenightetc10:38:21 PM

There, there

thenightetc10:38:43 PM

Also ignore whatever that was.

Knock Out10:40:13 PM What *was* that?

thenightetc10:40:16 PM Oh, there we go!

Zephra8510:40:46 PM I wanna know more about Trevor

Knock Out10:41:10 PM Likewise.

Knock Out10:41:18 PM The clones never get old.

thenightetc10:41:21 PM It's working now and that's all that matters.

Zephra8510:41:28 PM they honestly disturb me

thenightetc10:43:47 PM aaaaaaaaaaaaa

Knock Out10:43:50 PM "Convince each one of what needs to be done." They stole two of them.

Zephra8510:43:54 PM Bye Lizard Person, we barely knew ye

Zephra8510:44:15 PM It got the job done lol

thenightetc10:44:42 PM oh dear

Knock Out10:45:00 PM PIT.

thenightetc10:45:31 PM Try vbrowser instead of screenshare

Knock Out10:46:10 PM CHANGED THE VIDEO TO Knock Out's screen

Knock Out10:46:53 PM CHANGED THE VIDEO TO Knock Out's screen

Knock Out10:47:54 PM CHANGED THE VIDEO TO Knock Out's screen

Knock Out10:49:21 PM It won't unless I subscribe.

Zephra8510:49:33 PM uuugghh

thenightetc10:49:40 PM Here, let me do it

thenightetc10:49:45 PM It'll just take a minute

Knock Out10:49:49 PM CHANGED THE VIDEO TO Knock Out's screen

Zephra8510:50:01 PM YAAAY

thenightetc10:50:03 PM Oh, nevermind

Zephra8510:50:49 PM Rider really took the whole 'my horse can talk and is a weird cartoon now' in stride didn't she

thenightetc10:50:58 PM She really did.

Knock Out10:51:01 PM I mean, she did come close to stabbing her.

Zephra8510:51:04 PM that's kinda something I would imagine takes more than a second of adjustment

Zephra8510:51:35 PM fair, but it's still pretty fast

thenightetc10:52:23 PM Centaur statues.

Zephra8510:52:41 PM the Centaurworld one had human statues

Zephra8510:54:08 PM THE BUMMER DIMENSION

thenightetc10:54:41 PM Pfffff

thenightetc10:55:10 PM I'm sure it's fine.

Knock Out10:55:15 PM It's probably fine.

Zephra8510:55:33 PM Nowhere King: (shows up 15 minutes late with Starbucks)

Knock Out10:55:49 PM Hah!

thenightetc10:56:09 PM What the hell kind of starbucks do they have where YOU live

Zephra8510:56:11 PM god I love this guy's design all

Zephra8510:56:28 PM sooooo creepy and cool

Zephra8510:57:46 PM Oh my god THIS AGAIN

Knock Out10:57:51 PM I'm so tired.

Zephra8510:58:01 PM why do all your streaming services hate joy, Knock Out?

Knock Out10:58:02 PM CHANGED THE VIDEO TO Knock Out's screen

thenightetc10:58:33 PM Honestly, the vbrowser one works a lot better

thenightetc10:59:03 PM I'm sensing some backstory here.

Zephra8510:59:16 PM WHY DOES THAT MAKE ME LAUGH SO HARD

Zephra8510:59:25 PM just 'no'

Zephra8510:59:27 PM sdkj;lfasd

Zephra8511:00:56 PM Zulius actually SAYING 'gasp' FFFFF

Zephra8511:04:09 PM GOD THIS FRIGGIN' SHOW

Zephra8511:04:57 PM Rider finally absorbing how weird this all is

thenightetc11:06:55 PM It kind of looks like part of him is already getting out

Zephra8511:07:17 PM OHH SNAP

Zephra8511:07:59 PM sorry gotta brb

Zephra8511:08:44 PM my grocery delivery is almost here, I'll have to go in a minute

Knock Out11:09:00 PM Glad you could make as much as you did!

thenightetc11:09:05 PM Backstoryyyyy

Zephra8511:09:15 PM Zulius is all of us lol

thenightetc11:09:20 PM he IS

Zephra8511:09:32 PM oh god this is intense man

thenightetc11:09:44 PM What did she DO

Zephra8511:10:10 PM Sadly g2g now

Zephra8511:10:20 PM Thanks for the stream, Knock Out! Say hi to the fam for me!

Zephra8511:10:24 PM Bye everybody!

Knock Out11:10:25 PM Always!

thenightetc11:10:33 PM Gnight!

Knock Out11:10:35 PM Good night!

thenightetc11:11:30 PM Sheeeeeeee... made it to centaurworld!

thenightetc11:12:37 PM HA

thenightetc11:13:42 PM NEITHER DID YOU

Knock Out11:14:24 PM All because he charmed you with some "I forgive you"s and "Let me lower my head so you can stab me in it"s.

Knock Out11:15:36 PM Wait, did she just say what I think she said?

thenightetc11:16:32 PM 😭😭😭😭

Knock Out11:19:32 PM And there we have it!

thenightetc11:19:35 PM Man, I can't wait for the second season of this.

Knock Out11:19:44 PM Agreed.

Knock Out11:19:54 PM Hopefully by then, we'll have a reliable streaming service.

thenightetc11:20:03 PM It's going to be amazing, I know it.

thenightetc11:24:14 PM Me, too!

thenightetc11:20:47 PM Honestly, I think it's just the screensharing thing.

Knock Out11:21:12 PM It's always *something.* That's the problem.

thenightetc11:21:29 PM Me and my friend use the vbrowser mode pretty frequently and that always works fine

thenightetc11:22:08 PM You do have to make an account for it, but there's not a ton of setup, just setting a password and email address iirc

Knock Out11:23:08 PM I'll keep looking into it.

thenightetc11:23:19 PM Not like that other one where you were supposed to download software and all that nonsense.

Knock Out11:23:50 PM I appreciate a lack of nonsense!

Mimic11:24:34 PM very desirable quality in a steaming service

Mimic11:24:38 PM *streaming

Mimic11:24:38 PM *streaming

thenightetc11:26:51 PM Did we want to finish up with something else?

Mimic11:28:14 PM I do have a short youtube thing if we do

Mimic11:28:48 PM CHANGED THE VIDEO TO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmQE4qdb9fg

Mimic11:28:53 PM PAUSED THE VIDEO AT 0:00:00

Knock Out11:29:49 PM CHANGED THE VIDEO TO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmQE4qdb9fg

thenightetc11:31:16 PM Heh.

Knock Out11:32:50 PM PAUSED THE VIDEO AT 0:02:58

Knock Out11:33:00 PM JUMPED TO 0:02:50

Knock Out11:33:00 PM JUMPED TO 0:02:53

Knock Out11:33:13 PM I think that's a decent note to end on.

Mimic11:33:16 PM yes

thenightetc11:33:22 PM Thank you for hosting!

Mimic11:33:28 PM thank you!

Knock Out11:33:36 PM Thank you for putting up with all the technical difficulties!

Knock Out11:33:39 PM Good night!

thenightetc11:33:39 PM It is nice to mostly be able to actually watch the stream. Enter a message...

thenightetc11:33:54 PM THESE technical difficulties are nothing compared to the usual ones with discord.

thenightetc11:35:15 PM Thanks for toughing it out anyway!

thenightetc11:37:03 PM And goodnight!

Knock Out11:37:19 PM Good night!

[shameforskam]

okay so i’ve been doing some investigating mainly for fun but also in an effort to try and confront some of my biases about each season of skam and the focus on each love interest and i thought it might be fun to share it with you guys, although the results probably won’t surprise many of you that much

so in order to do this i recorded 3 things:

the total amount of time the love interest appears on screen

the total amount of time the narrative focuses on them

the number of clips they are seen/referred to in

1. is self-explanatory; 2. refers to screen time + anytime the main/characters are texting, calling, talking about, or doing something that is directly related to the love interest (ex. Isak watching romeo + juliet because of Even); and 3. because i wanted to see how consistently the narrative gave some kind of update on the main’s relationship with the love interest, so this is also more than just clips they appear in 

in regards to the total focus i tried to be as concise as possible, anytime the focus was on a subplot or other issue the main was facing i didn’t count it even if it had some connection to the love interest, for example in s1 the plot of Eva dealing with the aftereffects of hooking up with PChris obviously relates to Jonas a lot but a good portion of the time the girls talk about it they only talk about the Eva/Iben/PChris part or how it affects the girl squad, so even though that plot effects Jonas’s part of the story it has it’s own seperate focus and issues so anytime he isn’t directly mentioned i didn’t count it (hopefully that makes sense)

now before i get into the numbers i just want to say i’m completely aware that storytelling is much more nuanced than just the amount of time you spend on things and that there are obviously narrative reasons for it all but as it’s a story created by someone nothing about it was set in stone, every decision influences what the story becomes and is therefore open to being analysed

i recorded everything to the second and rounded to minutes at the end and then calculated the percentage from each season’s total run time, i also actually went through each season twice because i thought of a better method so these numbers are the averages of both run-throughs in an attempt to account for some of the human error (and before you think i’m crazy this was all just a side thing as i rewatched the seasons because counting things is like a stress reliever for me) anyway this is what i got

season 1 (Jonas) total runtime- 03:48 min

screen time- 01:02 min- 27.2%

total focus- 01:34 min- 41.2%

number of clips- 43/58- 15 without Jonas

season 2 (William) total runtime- 06:23 min

screen time- 02:17 min- 35.8%

total focus- 03:44 min- 58.5%

number of clips- 52/59- 7 without William

season 3 (Even) total runtime- 04:10 min

screen time- 01:16- 30.4%

total focus- 01:57 min- 46.8%

number of clips- 41/48- 7 without Even

season 4 (Yousef) total runtime- 05:45 min

screen time- 00:53 min- 15.7%

total focus- 01:28 min- 25.5%

number of clips- 30/52- 22 without Yousef

now with s4 there’s the dilemma of e10 since it’s a special episode and spends the majority of the time not in the main’s pov, so if you eliminate the 7 pov clips (while keeping Kjære Sana because that doesn’t have one pov) the number of clips equals 30/45 leaving only 15 without Yousef (equal to Jonas), but the screen time and total focus only goes up 2% so it doesn’t make much of a differnce there

so this has some pretty clear conclusions which unfortunately confirm my biases although everyone had less focus than i thought they would but anyway here’s some of my thoughts/conclusions/whatever 

Yousef obviously got the least amount of focus and it feels weird to have the confirmation that his and Sana’s story only took up ¼ of s4 and is about half of what the other love interests got

i also looked at Noora’s total focus in s4 (as this was an effort to confront my biases) and found it equaled Yousef’s at 25.5% (a lot of their focus overlays) i haven’t done a proper investigation into how this compares to previous seasons yet so i don’t want to jump too much to conclusions but i did record Noora’s total focus in s1 as well which equaled 32.4%; in s1 Noora has more physically screen time than Jonas and more screen time than she has in s4 but Jonas still has more total focus than her, unlike Yousef

although a lot of Noora’s screen time in s1 has nothing to do with Noora’s problems and is often focused on Eva or Vilde while her screen time in s4 is more often focused on herself 

the russ bus/Sara plot also takes up about ¼ of s4 at 22% and that plot has barely any connection to Yousef, i find this comparable to the Vilde/William/Noora subplot of s1 as that has barely anything to do with Jonas, but once again that plot in s1 does not equal the amount of focus Jonas gets 

s2 and s3 are interesting because s2 feels like it has more subplots but at the same time William gets almost 60% of the focus where Even gets about 45%

this is mainly (i believe) because Noora and William text so much, they text a lot, definitely the most out of every couple

so in s2 there are a number of times Noora will be texting/focused on William while the girl squad talks about something else, allowing subplots to happen while also focusing on William

whereas Isak spends a good amount of time not talking about Even to anyone, however the focus on Even is just as consistent as it is with William (both plotlines only absent from 7 clips)

i expected Even’s total focus to be higher since when i’m watching the season it seems Even influences most of Isak’s actions, but i think the main reason it isn’t is because i excluded as much as i could of Isak coming out that didn’t mention Even, as that’s it’s own separate issue (like i explained above); i did the same thing in s2 with the plot involving Nico

so while s3 has the least amount of plot that isn’t about the main, the majority of issues Isak deals with inherently have less to do with his love interest than s2

at the same time Even is the only love interest that appears in every episode of the season, the other’s are each missing from one episode (Jonas e9, William e4, Yousef e10) although they are still mentioned in the episode 

although each season’s runtime affects the percentage of the season the love interest gets focused on it’s interesting to note that Jonas and Yousef’s screen times are very close, only 8 minutes apart, and their total focus time only 6 minutes

of course s2 is the longest and William gets a whole hour of screen time and 2 hours of focus over everyone else 

one thing this made me realize is that i often see s4 compared to s2 in regards to subplots and such but now i see s1 and s4 are really the (somewhat) more comparable ones while s2 and s3 are similar to each other in the structure of their plots

also interesting that although s2 is like 2 ½ hours and 1 episode longer than s1 they have like the same amount of clips ??? 

in (some sort) of conclusion, Yousef got a comparable amount of time to Jonas and Even but definitely got short-ended when looking at s4 as a whole no matter what you think of subplots, Noora and Isak are obsessed with their boyfriends (at least narratively) although Noora really takes the cake, and i don’t really have much to say about Jonas’s times his numbers make sense to me, so anyway i hope you enjoyed these statistics, and if you have any question hit me up, much love 💙💙 

[kuuderekun]

https://jaredmithrandirolorin.blogspot.com/2020/01/tv-anime-writers-and-directors.html

As I've said I want to start talking on this blog about how I think Directors often get too much credit and we should maybe start paying more attention to the writers.

The thing that makes TV Anime a particularly interesting medium in this case is how there are usually less writers then directors.

The "Series Composition" credit seems to be the writing equivalent of being the Series Director, it's a job that in theory could be done by someone not writing individual episode scripts at all, but it generally isn't done that way.  Usually the writer with that credit also writes more episodes then anyone else and that includes the first and last episodes and a few other of the most definitely not filler episodes.  And there are usually only 4 or 5 writers in total, often only 3 who could be said to have written a significant amount.

However there are usually between 7-10 Episode Directors, and the first and last episodes usually don't have the same director.  And the series director probably actually episode directs less then he would have if he he weren't the series director.  And no director even comes close to directing as many episodes as the "Series Composition" person writes.

Some shows fail to give a Series Composition credit, at least on the main Database websites (MAL, ANN and AniDB), but it's easy to guess who was serving that function by looking at what and how many episodes the writers wrote.  Like Sukehiro Tomitia for the first season of Sailor Moon who I've already talked about.  He also seems to be this again for the Black Moon saga, but for the Doom Tree arc I would argue the most important writer was Shigeru Yanagawa.

For Sailor Moon S things are a bit different.  Tomita seems to no longer be obviously the most important writer, Megumi Sugihara wrote the most episodes for S, but still not as many as Tomita wrote for prior seasons, she wrote 10 episodes of S.  She had been around since season 1 but not quite from the start of it.  S had more writers total because of the newcomer, Youji Enokido who wrote 9 episodes.  Tomito did write the first and last episodes, but S is structured so different from season 1 that even that doesn't mean as much, the last episode of S is literally filler.  Tomita wrote 7 episodes total.

Three of Sailor Moon's writers including Tomita would leave after S to go work on other projects, to some extent I think they were writing less during S because they were doing the prep work for those projects.  The one I talked about in the Cutey Honey Flash post was the lead writer of Gundam Wing, if you've ever felt like Wing is the most Shoujo of all Gundam shows, that's because it was written by someone who spent most of the 90s writing Magical Girl shows.

Sailor Moon SuperS is the first season to actually have a Series Composition credit, which is given to Youji Enokido. Kind of surprising as he was the complete Newcomer for S, Megumi had seniority but I guess you can't have the lead writer of a show for girls actually be a girl.  Enokido also wrote the Screenplay for the SuperS movie, Black Dream Hole (the first two movies were written by Tomita).

Megumi and Enokido both left Sailor Moon after SuperS creating a situation where Sailor Stars the last season had no writing staff overlap with the first 3 seasons and two writers who had no prior Sailor Moon experience at all.  If you think Sailor Moon's quality went down hill it was definitely the writing staff that changed more then the directorial staff, the Series Director of Stars had been part of the Sailor Moon directorial team since Goldfish Warning!.  But I don't think the Stars writers are overall inferior writers, they were just at the time less experienced, some of them I know went on to write stuff that can compete with the early seasons of Sailor Moon.  When Sailor Moon started Toei hired some pretty experienced writers and directors because they knew this would be one of their most important shows.  But once those writers wanted to go on to other things they were replaced by relative newcomers.

The first 6 episodes of Sailor Stars I feel would work really well edited together into a 2 hour movie. What's interesting here is each one has a different director, but it was all written by two writers, the only two Stars writers who were veterans of SuperS, so ideally placed to write that season's epilogue.  Though they had no experience writing the Outer Senshi since Enokido did their episode of the Special, in which case they did surprisingly well.

Megumi doesn't seem to have done much after leaving Sailor Moon.  Enokido while doing SuperS wrote 4 episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion, all of them from the first half of the show.  I at first thought the only reason he had writing credits in the Rebuild films is because the first two redo/remake stuff from his episodes.  But then he also has a credit in 3.33 which has no connection to any episode he wrote.  So either their credits by default list everyone who worked on the original or they did consult him on something.

The first thing Enokido did after he left Sailor Moon was being the head writer of Revolutionary Girl Utena.  Yes I'm applying my maybe we give directors to much credit to even the most revered work of one of Anime's most worshiped Auteur Directors.  Utena definitely looks the way it does chiefly because of Ikuhara, and the basic idea of it's story started with Ikuhara.

But there is a segment of the fanbase who thinks Utena is the only (completely original to him) Ikuhara show that's great and are not so infatuated with his over hyped 2010s stuff, like WhiningAboutYuri on Tumblr, and that could be largely because the 2010s shows had completely different writers.  I personally enjoy his 2010s stuff, and probably consider Penguindrum more rewatchable then Utena.  But Utena is the only Ikuhara show I'd ever really put on a favorites list.  And YuriKuma's final act frustrates me, on a list of 2010s Yuri shows it'll always fall below Citrus on my rankings.  Of course even with Penguindrum I'd have preferred a happier ending.

And also on Utena Ikuhara was never even an Episode Director.  So he was at the top of the pyramid but there was a lot of delegating.  It was a collaborative effort on every level.  It's almost like when that one comedian makes fun of Steve Jobs getting all the credit for the iPhone.  Enokido may well have done more writing then Ikuhara did directing.

Enokido wasn't Utena's only writer.  One I already made a post about due to my love of some of his other work.  But a lot of the other writers seem to have Utena as the only Anime they ever worked on.  Including the person who wrote most of the Nanami episodes, how is it that person hasn't gotten more work when they're obviously a comedic genius?

Enokido however had the Series Composition credit and wrote 20 episodes, just over half.  They include the first five, episode 7, and 9, the two not as filler as you think recap episodes and almost all of the final Apocalypse Arc.  And he wrote the Screenplay for the movie.

Enokido would have a lot of post Utena work.  Not always stuff that is still well known.  He wrote 5 episodes of RahXephon, a show often compared to Evangelion that in my opinion is far better.  Maybe that's partly because Enokido wrote more of it then he did Eva.  He also wrote Redline which seems to be a popular racing movie.

But perhaps the most notable thing Enokido has done in the last decade years is Stardriver.  I haven't seen Stardriver yet mainly because it lacks a dub, but at this point I doubt it ever will get one so I might as well just give in and watch it subbed.  It's been described as like if Eva and Utena had a baby who grew up to do musical theater.

Stardriver's director is the same director as Sailor Stars, who had been an episode director on Sailor Moon going back to season 1 and also worked on Cutey Honey Flash.  He then worked on Fun Fun Pharmacy and a number of the shows that proceeded Pretty Cure in it's time-slot, and did episode 8 of the first season of Pretty Cure.  His visual style is certainly an interesting one to combine with the writer of Utena.

Gen Urobuchi is a rare example of a writer who's name gets mentioned more then the directors of the popular shows he wrote.  But sometimes his association is with the source material rather then the Anime directly, it varies.  I find it interesting how many of his shows have Yuki Kajuria on the music even though nothing else connects them.  Maybe they just naturally go together.

All that is just the tip of the iceberg.  There are plenty more Anime where I think the writer is more why I like them then the director.  I'll likely make more posts on this subject in the future.

One detail I'd like to point out before ending this post is that the two most popular up and coming Female Anime directors of the last decade also had female writers on their most notable work, who also wrote plenty of stuff directed by men.

[venus-says]

Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart Episodes 01-23

*insert Mayumi Gojo's voice here* MAX HEAAAAAART

(yes, I know I'm late, these past few weeks have been really messy, bare with me please)

Max Heart is a season I never had a lot of memories of, a huge part of the events of this season mixed with the events of Futari wa, for the obvious reasons, so coming to this was a new experience almost like it was my first time, and I enjoyed it.

Everyone knows sequels are very difficult, they rarely surpass their predecessors. I think Max Heart is a good exception to this rule, of course, it may be kinda unfair to affirm this since Max Heart isn't all that different from Futari wa, but I see it as a good improvement to the original. It still has the bad points that Futari wa had, but they managed to pick on the good stuff and bring it up a notch.

I think one of the things Max Heart does better than the original is its overall theme. When you look at Futari wa it's kinda difficult to pin-point what is the main theme it's trying to work, is it good vs evil? is it hope? is it friendship? is it just a nice story of two girls growing up? Maybe it's just to me, but this was never cleared in my mind. In Max Heart, however, I could find a pretty clear theme, at least for this first half.

Max Heart it's a show about emotions, actually, it's a show about people's feelings and (on a pretty small scale) how to understand and empathize with them. And in these first 23 episodes, it has done a pretty decent episode in showcasing different situations where the girls had to stop and think about not only their feelings but in the feelings of the others as well, good examples of this are Episode 13 with Nagisa and her Mom, Episode 17 with Honoka and the members of the science club, Episode 19 with Hikari and Nagisa, and episode 21 with Hikari and that random boy running away from home that appeared in the episode.

The plot this time around feels a bit weird, I don't know if this is the impression the general public has BUT, to me, it felt like they were a bit lost. For example, in the first half of Futari wa, you could clear arcs being made and you could pin-point when an arc started and when an arc ended, in Max hear (much like in the second half of the original season) I couldn't make this distinction. This isn't a problem per se, but the plot does feel wonky at certain times. However, I still like it more than in season 1, there the plot was basically there's this villain trying to end this magical dimension, go defeat that villain. While in Max Heart the plot resolves around trying to revive the Queen before that the villains could resurrect the Dark King, it's simple but it works, it's a more objective goal than in the first season and I think this is the reason why I liked this first portion more than I liked this same period of Futari wa.

The cast of the show has pretty much remained the same, Nagisa and Honoka are still the same characters from Futari wa but you can sense that they've grown and matured a little, a good part of that can be seen as they play the leading roles of their respective clubs and what I like is that they didn't make them magically smarter or more efficient just because they became older, they are there in inspiring positions but they both have their doubts and insecurities that makes it all more real, relatable, and interesting.

Hikari comes as the only new addition to the recurring cast and she's great, she's a bit robotic at times, which is comprehensible after all she's probably an existence that only came to life after the Queen perished, but she still is very cute and a pretty good character. What I love the most is that we're seeing her on a journey of discovering her own self which is something that is always exciting to see. I always had in mind that Hikari was a boring character, but she's actually pretty interesting and a great plus one in the show.

The fairies... are the fairies. Mepple and Mipple didn't change a single bit, they're still the same as they were in episode 1 of the original show. I'm very annoyed at how they reduced the Guardian and the Elder to two game-addicts that exist only to make jokes and give exposition, especially after seeing in the past season how great of a character the Guardian could be. Though I think it evens things when you consider the Heartiels exist in this season and even though their roles aren't all that big they all still have lots of personalities and is a joy to see them, from the ones that appeared so far my is Intelligen because she's a savage and is very fun. The other fairy that helps to balance things out is Pollun, that surprisingly has been the best fairy in this show so far. Since the events of the last season and since him becoming Hikari's partner he has grown quite a lot, the whining is still there, but it feels less annoying because we can see how genuine he is especially when it comes to his relationship with Hikari. I never imagined I'd say this, but Pollun is a good boy and he deserves a pat in the head. XD

Now, if there's one thing the characters department leaves to desire is in the villains. First, we're again going against the Dark King and his followers and that's boring, second their designs are even more generic than the seeds of evil, at least those could work well if you tried to sell them as a co-ed idol group, these ones just look like a mess, none of their designs stand out, THERE'S A GUY WHO'S BASICALLY SHADOW IRUKUBO, THEY ARE THIS LEVEL OF UNIMAGINATIVE I don't even remember their names, it's sad. The only thing they have going on for them is the butler Zakkennas that retain their greatness from season 1, also sometimes it's fun to see the evil guys babysitting the boy that will become the Dark King. Other than that? They're boring as hell.

But if the villains' department has let us down, the visual department was in their best shape! I looooove all of the new designs and updated visuals the sequel got over the original. To begin with, the toys, while none of the devices, collectibles, and miscellaneous items from season 1 awakened my consumerist spirit, most items, if not all of them piqued my interest. From Mepple, Mipple and Pollun new commune forms to even the copy of that notebook they had in season 1 all toys got a very charming design, I think my favorite is the Queen Chairect, I love how extra that thing is and how it both looks like a vanity mirror and the Queen's throne, that's genius. Another thing that was upgraded and I really like are transformations and attacks, I love Black and White's transformation for Max Heart, it's so vivid, so powerful, so dynamic, it's everything their original transformation wanted to be AND MORE. Luminous transformation is quite good as well, is a very good contrast to NagiHono's more active transformation and it's pretty beautiful as well. While we're on this I love the redesign Black and White got, it's not that different from Season 1 but it's enough to make it stand out, I also love that even with Luminous addition they didn't lose this sense of unity in their costumes, they're still very different from each other but there are enough similar elements to tell that they are a team. Whoever was in the design department for precure in 2015 was on top of their game, for sure.

I'd usually end these with a portion dedicated to talking about the episodes in specific, but I already mentioned everything I had to comment on specific episodes here and there during this post so I don't think it's necessary. Instead, I wanna highlight something that I'm not sure if I mentioned in either of my posts about Futari wa that is the music! Sadly there was no insert sing in these episodes and the BGM is more or less the same as the one in the original anime, however, I would feel very bad if I had posted this without mentioning that the Max Heart version of the opening is the best version of DANZEN Futari wa Pretty Cure and nothing you say will make me change my mind. Also, while I still don't like the ending song (both endings are probably the most dated thing out of these seasons) I do think this one is an improvement in comparison with the ED of Futari wa.

In conclusion, Max Heart is a pretty solid sequel, at least up until this point, and I'm very happy I'm rewatching it now, much like with original series I've found a new admiration for this season that I didn't know it existed inside my evil heart, I hope the second half won't drop the ball and make me regret saying these things. XD Anyway, what are your thoughts on Max Heart? Have you rewatched it recently? What were your impressions of it? Let me know down in the comments. If nothing happens the post closing the book on Futari wa must come on Friday or Saturday and I'll be back on schedule for Splash Star on February 5th, let's pray things to go my way in the next few days. I'll see you, folks, around, bye-bye~

[jerepars]

The Con Extended Chapter Notes

Hyperlinks appear in blue (underlined on mobile). The story is posted here. Direct link to this chapter is here.

> “Look, it’s not like you’d really be dating me or be with me or whatever,” he began. “It’s just…see, you’re trying too hard.”

> “I’m offended,” I mumbled, already full of regret for even granting him a minute to waste. “Trying too hard at what?”

> “To impress Jughead,” Archie said it like it should’ve already been obvious to me. “Basic human instinct is that we’re attracted to the people who don’t try too hard.”

When I began writing this chapter, I looked for scenes that are dialogue heavy for Archie because that’s what I’ve gotten used to doing for Jughead. Even if it’s the same dialogue over and over again from the 13 episodes we’ve currently got. I feel like the way Jughead speaks is very distinct so his dialogue is always the toughest to write. If I can’t hear it in his (Cole’s) voice in my head, then I don’t think it’s the right dialogue.

Turns out that’s pretty much a Jughead-only problem.

I kept watching clips of Archie/KJ speaking and the parameters are...wide open. It’s easier. So bless Archie Andrews for that.

I have my own ideas about the persona I want Archie to take on in this story. In the second part of the chapter, Archie is described as clueless, unreliable, a fuckboy, a jock, a frat guy. I don’t think that’s anything new, and yes, those things will hold true in the story. But that’s just Archie on the surface. Because he is very involved in this story, I want to be able to look beyond the conceit that he projects and see his depth.

So with that in mind, it made me think of Beaver, a minor character from the ABC Family show Greek. He’s portrayed as this big dumb frat guy. But when it comes to explaining to Casey why Cappie and Evan can’t be friends in 4x04 (1:40 to 2:48), he acts as if it should be obvious. He says, "this is some pretty basic stuff". So in that scene, in that episode, it’s revealed that there is more to Beaver than meets the eye, there’s something beneath the surface.

I’m not sure if any of this makes sense without knowing the context of the episode or the plot of the show. But this is what inspired Archie’s persona at this point in my story, when he is presenting the plan to Betty, like it’s simple matter of fact.

> “It wouldn’t be as much a game as much as it would be a…a…a con,” Archie found the right word and then added, “and besides, can’t I just be a nice guy trying to help?”

> “No,” I said blatantly. “A proposition such as yours has to have some quid pro quo laced in it somewhere.”

> “Quid what now? I don’t know even know what that means.” Archie let go of my arm and put both his palms against the couch cushion and leaned back in place, against the empty air. The playful expression left his face. “Look, Betty, I really do want to help. My girlfriend and I broke up this summer and I’m still processing it. I feel like I need to be doing more than just writing breakup songs. I could use a project.”

> I had no idea that Archie Andrews had such a heavy heart.

I was thinking about how on the show, especially in the early episodes, Betty and Jughead both consider Archie to be their best friend. Even when this kid hurts them, wrongs them, they give him chances to get back in their good graces again. That begs the question of why to me.

The answer to that question didn't come to me immediately as I thought back on all of the rewatching of season 1 that I've done. It did become clearer when I went through the Archie clips. I think it's pretty subtle, buried in the shuffle of all the blatantly difficult things that happen to everyone else. In 1x02, Jughead confronts Archie about Ms. Grundy and talks about the Archie that he used to know (1:35 to 1:48), who always tried to do the right thing. And that's it--that's who Archie is, he's a nice guy that tries hard (even though he falls short sometimes...a lot of the time). He wants to do the right thing and be helpful.

I think Archie gets typecast as a "bad" guy in a lot of stories because of the way he breaks Betty's heart or because of how oblivious he is or how he loves girls, loves being in love with these girls, and/or goes from girl to girl. I guess I want to get away from him being the "bad" guy. I want to highlight why he is actually a good friend to these characters. I'm always cheering for Betty and Jughead. Of course I am. In this story, I'm cheering for Archie, too.

...this is probably another one of those things that might not make sense or seem important until much later in the story.

Possibly worth mentioning: the part where Archie says "Quid what now?" is my version of Archie saying "wait, the what now?" from the diner scene in 1x07 (2:30 to 2:45).

> Three eggs were yellowed and lightly simmering on the frying pan when I heard the knock at the door. It was just past seven in the morning, a few hours before I had to be at the dance studio. There were two parts to each dance production during the ballet season: rehearsal weeks and performance weeks. During rehearsal weeks, all the dancers in the company—principals, soloists, corps members, and apprentices alike—participated in about an hour of ballet class before a break for lunch and then rehearsal. Rehearsal times were staggered and divided up according to dance scene. But class was always at the same time every morning.

I don't know what time the Joffrey Ballet's company class is during their rehearsal weeks, but there's this series about the New York City Ballet, and in this clip about the corps de ballet (6:00 to 6:10), one of the dancers mentions that he has to be at work at 10:30 every morning. If you watch the video, I should warn you that he seems kind of entitled and whiny (I'd love to not be at work until 10:30; and when he says that he's working his body, what exactly does he think people who do manual labor do every day?), but it's the only video I found that mentions a time, and that was helpful to writing the details of the daily routine as Betty describes in the paragraph.

> For the autumn program, Giselle, a very popular classical romantic ballet, would be staged by the Joffrey for the very first time, and I had made the first cast. I would be in one scene—the Peasant pas de deux, a common interpolation piece for big companies that did productions of Giselle. I would be dancing with my pas de deux partner, Trev Brown, for the better part of nine minutes, but we also had two variations each within that time frame. Since it would be my first time in a soloist’s role for the company, I had a lot to perfect over the next several weeks.

Using Giselle as the production for the autumn program is carry over from Shell Games. It took me so long to figure out what ballet and what pas de deux would be reasonable to use for that story. What Betty says here is true--this season, the Joffrey Ballet is premiering Giselle. I already knew that I wanted this story to be set in Chicago and when I saw that, it was solidified. There is more about pas de deux and the Peasant pas de deux past this chapter. This is just scratching the surface so that the dance part of her life is dispersed throughout the story instead of hitting you over the head with it all at once.

There is a great in-depth background and synopsis of Giselle right here.You can also check the Wikipedia page if you're interested.

The Peasant pas de deux is an interpolation piece between scene 13 and 14 during Act I of Giselle. Interpolations are additional dances inserted into a ballet that were not part of the original composition. As Betty says, big ballet companies (Joffrey is big) include interpolations.

Variations are small solo dances, usually between 1-2 minutes. Betty mentions that she and Trev have two variations each. There is technically only one female variation in the Peasant pas de deux, but some productions have an interpolation within the Peasant pas de deux interpolation, adding a second female variation.

For Betty, I went with the Peasant pas de deux that includes the second female variation. If you want to know what Betty and Trev's dance might look like, you can check out this excerpt from Giselle done by the Bolshoi Ballet here.

> “Betty, stop. Eat.” Jughead stressed the last verb. “I don’t want to be held responsible for any sort of injury if you miss the count on your pirouettes because you didn’t get enough breakfast, just so that you could be polite. Don’t worry about me. I’m meeting up with JB soon. She said something about breakfast burritos.”

I've been listening to I Am the Avalanche's self-titled album a lot while writing this story. Part of "New Disaster" goes: Don't play that game 'cause I can't be held responsible / For any sort of injuries / I don't wanna hear it. I almost named the story New Disaster because in pulling a con, there is a game being played. Possibly injurious to something other than the physical body? I didn't go with that as the title, but here is my ode to it anyway. Snippets from other songs on this album might work their way into the story as well.

> As a member of the Joffrey Ballet, there were certain things afforded to me (and my fellow company members) as per the terms negotiated by the American Guild of Musical Artists, the labor union I belonged to. A supply of custom pointe shoes to my specifications, twice-weekly physical therapy, paid vacation and sick days, a 401K, that sort of thing. But maybe the most important thing I had access to was counseling. Joffrey had a resident psychologist and every Friday I made it downtown early before class for my standing appointment.

From that same series as the video about the corps de ballet, here is one about custom pointe shoes for company members of NYCB. I don't know exactly what being a member of AGMA covers for ballet dancers (obviously, how could I know, right?). I would imagine that it varies from company to company depending on the negotiations with that company. I know that for most big ballet companies in the US, the dancers are unionized by AGMA. I know that the dancers at Joffrey are part of AGMA. The fact that I took it upon myself to figure this out is like a reminder of how stupidly obsessive my research is. All I really wanted to do was make it feasible for the company to have a resident psychologist.

> Ballet would never just be a normal, steady job that could be turned off after 5 PM. What we did wasn’t ‘normal’ and it was all encompassing of our lives. I thought that ballet lent itself to a lot of mental barriers to get stuck on: whether or not we had the right body type, if we were on the right diet, if we were going to get promoted, if an injury was going to end everything for us, if we could even have healthy relationships—healthy anything—when we were so focused on the pursuit of perfection for our art.

There are a lot of articles about the psychological effects of ballet. I thought it only right to mention some of those issues. It was reading about the resident psychologist at Atlanta Ballet that made me feel like I even could.

> I wouldn’t have changed anything about my experience on the way to making the corps de ballet, on the way to where I thought I was still headed onwards and upwards in the company, because it had shaped me to have thick skin and become mentally tough. I just wished I’d been counseled even before I’d gotten my apprenticeship. I wished I’d talked to Dr. Donahue earlier and heard her encouraging words and integrated the coping skills that she promoted, back in the days of my adolescence. Dr. Donahue had been a ballet dancer herself, a former corps member with Boston Ballet. So she got it, what it was like for us, where the psychological blocks were, and how our lives were affected by ballet beyond the studios of Joffrey Tower and the stage of the Auditorium Theatre.

I mentioned Joffrey Tower in the notes for the previous chapter when talking about Betty's commute, but this is the first time it is actually mentioned in the story.

Joffrey Tower houses the rehearsal space for the Joffrey Ballet.

I think there's some misconception that Joffrey Ballet performances take place at the Chicago Theater because of its close proximity:

But the resident home of the Joffrey Ballet is actually the Auditorium Theatre. I got to go to an event there once and the architecture is absolutely beautiful.

> Friday mornings were an important maintenance day for me so that I didn’t capsize before the weekend. I didn’t elaborate why to Jughead as he stood in my kitchen. I continued preparing my food so I could stick to my schedule and get out of the apartment on time to walk to the bus stop at a casual pace rather than sprinting my way there. I liked to be early.

After reading this chapter, I think it's pretty clear why the story is called The Con. One thing that hasn't been made clear yet is the song it's named after, "The Con" by Tegan and Sara, the title track of their 2007 album. One of the lines in the song goes I'm capsized, staring on the edge of safe. That's why there is mention of capsizing in this paragraph. In the video chapter for the recording of this song, Tegan and Sara talk about how there can be different interpretations to the word itself, con (4:00 to 5:27).

And that's what I like about it. That's why I think it was the right title to go with, because it has a bunch of different meanings, not solely because of the con that Betty and Archie are working.

con (verb): persuade (someone) to do or believe something, typically by use of a deception.

con (noun): an instance of deceiving or tricking someone.

con (noun): a disadvantage.

con (noun): a convict.

con (verb): study attentively or learn by heart (a piece of writing).

> “He’s pretty much a clueless frat boy with fuckboy tendencies.” Jughead’s exact words were a little funny, but calculated and deliberate. I knew he didn’t describe Archie that way to be mean, but rather, for what he thought was my benefit. “I don’t know if you can trust him to not let you down. His lack of a poker face is endearing but…he’s kind of oblivious. Not the most reliable.”

Speaking of different kinds of cons...this piece of Jughead's dialogue is inspired by the Comic Con trailer for season 2 where Jughead tells Archie that his utter lack of a poker face is what makes him so endearing.

> Jughead took off his beanie to run a hand through his dark hair. An unruly lock curled over his forehead. A sigh came as he repositioned the hat on his head and spoke again, “Look, you and I are…we’re friends, right? Obviously because you’re Chic’s little sister but not only because of that. We’ve been around each other, sort of, for practically our whole lives. I should care about what happens to you. I think I should be looking out for you.”

Before I wrote in Jughead wearing the beanie in the first chapter, I thought about whether it was still appropriate for him to be wearing it in this AU. All the pictures and scenes from the show without "this stupid hat" suggest that, no, non-canon Jughead does not ever need to be wearing the hat so that the curl can attack us at all times.

And then I found the perfect instance in the story for him to be without it. So it stayed. And it's going to be so good when he has to take it off.

I can't stop laughing at the writing decisions I find myself conflicted over these days.