#the screencap from journeys end breaks my heart

[pixiedane]

[kieuecaprie]

So... I finished the main taskline (for now) for Toontown Corporate Clash. I won't say too much about the end but it was definitely a journey to get through, especially when the server started having issues and districts had to be reset which made making and finding groups a bit of a drag.

So, I figured it'd be nice to have a little collection of screenshots I took over the course of my journey. Of course, I won't dump all of them, just a select few I found neat.

There may be spoilers but I think most of the screenshots I'm about to post are just out of context stuff anyhow so... I'm gonna give you a fair warning anyway!

I believe I posted this a while back effectively saying that I have been playing TTCC and wanted to post this screenshot. I managed to catch the tailend of the St. Patrick's Day code event so I was able to snag some stuff, including the clover that became a mainstay on my deer.

I think this may have been the first of many buildings I would take on by myself over the course of doing the main taskline so I guess I took this screenshot to comemmorate my first building (plus it was in Toontown Central, where buildings are kind of a rarity even on private servers) and the fact I barely made it out alive.

This was before I learned the power of Prestige Throw, btw, that little prestige gag carried me pretty hard with its self-healing properties.

I just liked visual bugs and this one kind of tickled me. You can still get on the elevator, it's just bugged for some reason. No idea if this was a server thing or the behavior of the base code of the game that it ran on.

Funnily enough, BB was the first playground I got to the final kudos rank-up task for just so I could go see Rainmaker, who would otherwise be known as Misty Monsoon if you searched through some ARG stuff (or read the wiki, I guess).

Her fight was an ordeal the first time through and was frightening and was definitely a step up from the easy gameplay of the babby game that came before it.

I spared her, in case you were asking. Fortunately, my group decided to do the same.

I hated going through YOTT even though I liked the vibe of it all. The dialogue was painful to read but this one with Seymour in particular was chuckleworthy. Kind of appreciated that. Keep at it, TTCC writer's team!

I think this was taken during my runs through Sellbot Factories for the Sellbot parts. I admit, it was a little nervewracking at first to utilize the group finder because, up to this point, I was just using it to set up groups for battles I absolutely needed to do (Derrick Man, Land Acquisition Architect, Public Relations Representative). No idea why this screencap in particular, maybe I just found the name "Medieval Pheasant" on the Turkey toon to be quite amusing.

Fishing was my first activity I'd end up maxing on this server. As customary, I grade games based on how fun their fishing is. I'd give the Toontown fishing, as a whole, a decent 7/10. Fish Bingo is a nice sidegame and casting and reeling is super quick, also a good source of currency and ended up filling my bank to the brim.

A screenshot from... some attempt at mity, I don't know the number tbh. Tried the old "befriend a cog" trick during the mist phase and my heart shattered into a million pieces afterward...

Going through Mezzo Melodyland (At the time of writing, I have the rank-up task available to go from 9 to 10, gonna hold off on that for now but I'm coming for you, DAVE BRUBOT!), and I run into a taskline about a kazoo maestro who wants me to go find someone who is the kazoo kid. I already knew where this was going but I didn't think they'd actually go through with the bit.

Good one!

Shut up and leave me alone.

The only screenshot I ever took in a Cashbot Mint. Honestly thought it'd take a while to clear out the 4 Coin Mints, 4 Dollar Mints, and the 2 Bullion Mints but they were snap compared to the Lawbot and Bossbot facilities... especially in wait time, yeesh.

Come on, you had to break into Reid's van at LEAST once! I hope she didn't mind me coming in, I mean, I do pay her a ton of jellybeans, after all!

My first capped track was Throw, predictably. And I think Lure followed soon after and then it took a while before Sound, Squirt, Zap, and Toon Up would join them. Still got Trap and Drop left to go and I don't look forward to levelling Trap again.

This wizard really wanted the... ahem... minglussy. iamsosorry

Lawbot Lawfices... They were kinda fun but waiting was a bit of a drag. Although I think at one point, someone pointed out that you could play Toono on the couches. WHY COULDN'T BOSSBOT HQ HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!

Speaking of, here's a screenshot from a Bossbot Cog Golf Course. Don't tell me which one because they all felt the same to me, and it was at that point that I really felt the drag. This part was probably one of the biggest hurdles imo and I don't blame anyone for not really wanting to do anything related to Bossbots unless they ABSOLUTELY had to. (Speaking of, if any friendos wanted to do cog golf courses, I'd gladly run it because I don't want them waiting half a century for a group.)

Short detour into the High Roller stuff for MAYpril Toons event. I was sad that I couldn't fight Sads but the High Roller fight was definitely something else. And if they could pull that off for a permanent, non-canon joke of a manager, what could they do for 2.0? Gosh, imagine. The next few are also High Roller related, I had to grind for a bit to get the stuff out of him. (I still need one more item from him, barring another update that adds yet another goalpost, but it takes a while to beat him even with optimal strats.)

Holy meh, Toriel Toontown real.

This one is from one of the CEO fights. I took this one because the game was taking its sweet time waiting for everybody and found the cogs with their hands in the same position as the grief kiwi sticker to be quite funny.

While I was doing the DDL taskline, I ran into this where Featherbedder and a bunch of cogs were just... snoozing. And there was literally nobody fighting them. Guess they just wanted a slumber party, huh?

Hehehe... yeah, game show. Would be crazy if there was one in Mezzo Melodyland hosted by a robotic green duck who is a fusion of two cog managers that we've previously fought, right?

And the end of the road, for now. It feels... weird now that I have ALL FOUR task slots to fill up but it'll be a great boon when grinding out those kudos tasks! I'm not quite done yet with TTCC and I don't think I will be for a while, after all, I have drops to collect, suits to perfect, departments to experience fully, and a couple other stuff left unfinished.

I will say that I absolutely enjoyed my time in Toontown Corporate Clash and I wish the team good luck as they push onwards because this is probably the most polished Toontown experience I've ever... erm... experienced.

[abbydramarambles]

The REAL Ending CLOY

This is my headcanon and you can’t tell me otherwise. The epilogue in Switzerland is set a few years after the events of that piano concert. They have already found a way to be together more permanently. To me the house doesn’t seem like a vacation house, it seems like a home home. 

There is that photo of Se-ri on the bridge, not something one would frame for themselves. RJH definitely lives there. Check out the north Korean coffee kettle and other souvenirs as well. This is the sort of stuff one would have in their home.

The only thing holding RJH to North Korean is his parents, the fact that they could be killed if he were to defect. After they die, he has no reason to stay. We’ve already been shown that he is resourceful and would know exactly how to get out. Not to mention that everything in north Korean runs on money, if you have connections like Se-ri and RJH do....anything is possible. And to me these two people with all their power, well they would find a way.

Dan’s mother travels out of the country a lot as well for business. I think the 2 weeks is the longest trip Se-ri takes while RJH’s parents are alive. It’s not the only trip of the year. I doubt her employees would be saying “you’re going to Switzerland again??” if it was a once a year sort of deal they wouldn’t think she had a man. They even say “it’s lasting a while this time”. Come on who in the world would think it’s a relationship if their boss goes to switzerland for 2 weeks a year. It’s her favorite 2 weeks of the year because of it being uninterrupted time. 

Well with her wealth and his determination, and connections via his family, I'm sure they'll find a way eventually, either it is his parents passing away (since it has been about 6 years between him going back to NK and the epilogue meetup), or him somehow getting a long term mentoring position at Switzerland. You’re telling me Dan’s mom a department store owner can swing to Europe anytime, and Se-ri who created a whole scholarship for her man can’t swing something in collaboration with Papa Ri?

I got the impression the student performing his song on stage was a full-time student in Switzerland. RJH is not studying abroad but is teaching NK scholarship winners. Seri has been traveling back and forth a lot but these two weeks are the longest continual time they have together. 

When Seri first sees him in Switzerland she asks how dangerous his journey was, and he didn’t answer, just said he got on the wrong train but reached his destination. “Destination” implies a final location to me, not just a two-week stay. For two people who find it torturous to be apart for even a moment, destination would not have been thrown around like that. It could’ve taken his Dad some time to manage the politics to make a permanent teaching position with the National Symphony. He did see his son cry in the car after leaving her. That man is powerful, the 3rd most powerful man in North Korean. A political manipulation genius, a man always one step ahead of the others. He got his son and 5 people in and out of South Korea. You best believe he can make it happen. He’s not going to sit back and leave his only son living without his only dream. Plus RJH was never a flag waving patriotic North Korean anyway. He already expressed that he wanted to stay with SeRi in South Korea, have a child that looks just like her. It’s kdrama script writing 101 to not have your lead character mention a deep desire such as this one unless its foreshadowing or serves a larger purpose. And Park Ji Eun is no noob writer. 

Let’s look at the way the show itself references fate and destiny. Regardless of how impossible it may seem, these two always managed to find each other again. Fate is pushing them together and is on their side. I don’t think fate wants them to meet 2 weeks a year. Fate didn’t make them meet in Switzerland, in North Korea, in South Korea, and in Switzerland again for 2 weeks a year for the rest of their lives. I can’t entertain that.  A lot of people think that the epilogue on the hill and when she meets him for the first time again in Switzerland with the parachute are the same time frame. I don’t think so. I really do think the piano concert is the ending and the picnic is the epilogue. It’s years from then, when everything has been sorted about how to be together permanently and it’s a window in to happy every after. Just look at their body language and expressions in the last scene, they are totally at peace and seem to have gotten everything they wanted. Even the music radiates peace. Listen to the lyrics of Sigriswil that play as the camera pans out “wandering this strange night, won’t you be here by me? now I hold your hands, with you I’ll be alright...how does it feel, my friend? It’s been a long day and night” THEY ARE NO LONGER WANDERING ALONE THAT IS THE POINT. period. It was a “long day and night, but now I hold your hand” ... how does it finally feel to have your happy ever after....my friend. IT REEKS OF OPTIMISM and closure. In film making the atmosphere says everything about what is unsaid in the script. 

You best believe he won’t leave a stone unturned to be with her, see her grow old and live in the house of dreams with their twins. Just the fact that he vocalized this thought in the show leads me to believe that it did indeed happen. 

Believe in what the show is telling us to believe. What it’s showing us, not telling us even. That love will always find a way. 

Cloy’s ending also reminds me of  very heavily of (spoiler) that of “my love from the stars”. It was written by Park Ji-eun, the same writer as CLOY. So yes they are forced to be apart in that show too, but he finds his way back and each time they meet its for longer and longer and its implied that one day it will be forever. If an alien could find a wormhole to make it back to his love interest, north korea isn’t looking too bad. Same thing with her other star crossed lovers show “legend of the blue sea”. The mermaid finds him again against all odds and they live happily ever (plus a baby). Hey I’m just saying that the precedent has been set on how this seperation works through our writers own works. Having seen all of Park Ji Eun I know exactly how she structures her endings. It’s almost always the same. The mermaid made it back, the alien made it back...north korea is where we draw the line? They’re only apart for awhile till they figure it out, and they work hard to do so.

Whatever this image is from TVN left it unaired. They shot something they had to pull back. My crack theory brain says she looks a bit pregnant. Actually, that ain’t even a crack theory, I stand behind it. Son yejin is so slim, and judging by the material of the dress it just wouldn’t fall like that unless they were trying to make her look pregnant. Like LISTEN, just LISTEN to me. They put in the effort to get the actors in these outfits we have never seen before, they even gave seri flowers...whY?? There are no other purely promo shots that didn’t have footage attached. The only ones I can think of are the ones they took in front of a greenscreen for the photoframes inside their house. THIS WAS A REAL SCENE THAT WAS DELETED.  South Korean dramas pre-film certain scenes (like the swiss ones) and live film the others to make slight changes to the storyline based on audience reaction. During airing there was quite a lot of political backlash a la north korea. 

There are some stills TVN released that weren’t screencaps. But ALL of them were in outfits relating to scenes we have seen, such as this one.  It just would make no sense for them to go out of there way to get this image on the jam packed expensive swiss schedule and not just do greenscreen in korea like they did for all the other promo material UNLESS it was a real scene. 

So you want more evidence for plot points that indicated the original, unaired, together forever in Switzerland ending?

Let’s look at some details, at one point in Episode 14 when Jeong Hyeok's father is meeting with the bad guy Senior Colonel who tries to use photos of Jeong Hyeok in Korea as a bargaining chip, he says "You should retire quietly. Using your health as an excuse won't raise any suspicions." now whilst this may be a casual reference to him being old and that health issues are plausible, it's also possible Jeong Hyeok's father has had some long term illness they've not mentioned which would add to why it wouldn't raise suspicions.

The main reason I thought of this is it would sort of line up with some other details, in the finale when they're deciding whether to send them back or not, at the NIS briefing they mention how the North has requested keeping it quiet and confidential, they mention "They want the confidentiality term to be five years. They're being sensitive about it because one of them is a high-ranking officers son". Then if we fast forward toward the end when Se-ri is receiving the timed messages, a year passes after her birthday message from Jeong Hyeok, after that scene we see Jeong Hyeok having his farewell meal with the townspeople and preparing to leave after being accepted as a pianist for the National Symphony Orchestra, presumably around the same time as Se-ris birthday given that scene was right before. Se-ri then comes up with her Switzerland Music academy idea probably a few weeks or month or so after she read RJH's text about meeting and then it tells as it's one year later, Se-ri waits but doesn't meet him and returns home, her mum says "It breaks my heart to see you return in disappointment every time" which if that's a correct translation it means it's been more than once by this point. Add up this entire timeline....guess what it comes out to. FIVE YEARS. That’s how long it takes them to sort out a permanent solution for their problem.

When he chooses to defect it will be much easier for him considering he’s making trips to Switzerland already. All he would have to do is walk into a South Korean embassy in Zurich. They have an open door policy for North Koreans, he doesn’t even need to cross the DMZ again. 

You want even MORE proof? Okay my friend, I’ll bite. Why are there photos of a couple with children?? Honestly come on I really don’t have to say more.

They had to leave the ending open. Due to the political situation, they couldn’t exactly show RJH, a North Korean, defecting. Pretty sure our buddy Kim Jong-un would not be chill with that.  However ridiculous it is, the show had multiple attacks on it while it was running by political parties saying it violated the “national security act”.

The ending was clearly cleverly re-edited to be less explicit so the viewer can read between the lines but the show-runners can protect themselves from lawsuits and public sentiment regarding a sort of maybe illegal situation. If you believe they met for two weeks a year for the rest of their lives, you don’t know RiRi Ri-eally well ;) 

[kurtstinypurse]

blaine in s6: a journey thru plaid

While digging into season 6 as I so often do, I couldn’t help but notice how much plaid Blaine wears. Typically known for his bright colors, bowties, and the occasional hat, Blaine's sudden affinity for plaid - as well as darker and more muted colors - got me thinking. As I dug deeper, I realized that Blaine wears plaid in all but one scene with/about Kurt leading up to their reunion kiss, and then his wardrobe changes again. What could this symbolize? 

Warning: this could be totally reaching (okay, it absolutely is). I fully believe RIB did not do most things intentionally, but filling in the gaps of Blaine is one of my favorite things to do. At the same time, the wardrobe department kicks ass, so I wouldn’t put it past them to have done it on purpose. 

Thanks to a meta post exchange with @spaceorphan18​ for getting me to finally finish this post off after sitting in my drafts for the better part of the summer!

This is pretty long, but the screencaps should be worth taking a gander at, at the very least.

My general thought is that plaid symbolizes Blaine’s desperate attempt at a new life - a new life without Kurt. Moving back to Ohio, working at Dalton, dating Dave (the big whopper here). Blaine is in a dark place after his breakup with Kurt - it had to have been bad for him to drop out of NYADA and move back to Ohio, and it was bad enough for him to need therapy (the therapy he already so badly needed, but that’s for another time). Bowties come in and out throughout season 6 - sometimes a bowtie is the only plaid, and sometimes there is no bowtie at all - but regardless, the plaid is oddly consistent.

Dave wears a lot of plaid. He’s a simple flannel guy, we all know that. History aside, we find out that Dave is pretty damn understanding of Blaine’s situation with Kurt in the end. While he and Blaine are together, he seems happy, agreeable, and easy. Blaine craved something easy after the struggle of breaking up with Kurt and everything that led up to it, too. Dave was really different from Kurt, too, yet somehow he was intrinsically connected to Kurt, which was an odd transitional state that likely helped and harmed - either way, he didn’t quite fit Blaine. Dave wore plaid, so then Blaine wore plaid. The plaid/color pallette were really different from his usual choices, and they didn’t quite fit him, either, but there Blaine was, trying to make it work in an attempt to move on. You can read more about my general Blainofsky meta here.

Here are most of the outfits (with some notes):

Pre-Season 6: The Breakup

The breakup finds Blaine in a plaid button down, bowtie-free, and a dark maroon cardigan. Though it’s pre-Dave and pre-season 6, this can foreshadow what’s to come, at least the loss that’s about to occur. The general color scheme and lighting of this entire scene is very dark, too. The breakup wasn’t out of nowhere - their relationship had been in a dark place for some time (and you can read more about my analysis of their breakup & reunion here).

Blaine & Rachel at the Lima Bean

Our actual first look at Blaine in season 6 is when he updates Rachel about what she’d missed and tells her about the breakup. Plaid bowtie.

Blaine meets Kurt at Scandals

This is a tough scene for Blaine, and it’s one where I would’ve liked to see more of his perspective. Like I’ve said before, I don’t think he ended up dating Dave out of spite or “revenge” towards Kurt. He had no reason to think Kurt wanted anything to do with him, let alone he’d be coming back to Ohio. It’s more likely that things with Dave took off and snowballed, and it wasn’t until Kurt wanted to meet up with him at Scandals that Blaine had an “oh shit, this might hurt” moment.

Outfit-wise, this is his first deep-dive into muted plaid, and of course, Dave is right there with him. 

Blaine yells about Jane 

Alright, look. I’m not trying to say this theory is perfect, and it’s a bit of a shame it takes a hit right off the bat. But this is the only time Blaine doesn’t wear a lick of plaid between 6x01 and 6x08. There may be a reason, and there may not be. He’s definitely projecting here, and he’s making an unfair stab at Kurt by accusing him of poaching Jane on purpose after seeing Blaine with Dave. Regardless of wardrobe, it’s a bold indicator that Blaine’s not as over Kurt as he might think he is.

More plaid along the way...

Klaine in the Elevator

It’s interesting how not Blaine-like Blaine looks in this scene. Shirt unbuttoned, bowtie off, all frazzled and muted colors. Visually, he looks nothing like himself, and he’s never been more in denial of his feelings for Kurt than in this moment - and like it or not, healthy or not, a huge part of who Blaine is is his love for Kurt. 

“This doesn’t mean anything.”

Yeah, okay.

More plaid in between...

Blaine breaks up with Karofsky/runs to Kurt

Not only do we have a plaid shirt in these scenes, we have the bowtie from the proposal. It’s a great connection here between what Blaine’s holding onto in his present - Karofsky - and what he’s finally learning to accept and hopes to grab onto for his future - Kurt. This is a pivotal moment for Blaine, but it’s not quite time yet for him and Kurt.

(Also, can I just say, his face here hurts my heart)

Kurt runs to Blaine/Klaine reunion kiss

Finally, finally, the moment has arrived, and “everything’s fine now” (yeah, okay, I’ll let you have that for now, Kurt), and they’ve gotten their acts together. Aside from “Somebody Loves You,” this is the most colorful Klaine scene we have, and finally, too, Blaine is sans-plaid. We’ve got bursts of color from the wildly decorated apartment, echoed in his stripes, we’ve got the blues and the yellows that carry over from their long-ago proposal outfits, and it’s all happy and beautiful and birds chirping and the rest of it! (Hmm, birds.)

Post-marriage outfits

Something interesting here is that Blaine’s wardrobe has definitely evolved from his McKinley days in particular. Gone are the crazy bold color combinations and flashiness, and though the color- and pattern-mixing and color-blocking remains, he tends to wear darker tones. I’d like to think part of this is him accepting himself - although he didn’t spend a lot of time single after the breakup with Kurt, removing himself so far from Kurt in many ways did give Blaine the opportunity to grow without him for the first time in ages, and there are definitely indicators of that, though I would’ve loved to see more of it on the show.

I’ll admit, I first thought that the plaid rarely reappeared after the wedding, but upon closer inspection, it’s definitely still there - but there’s something to be said for the fact that I missed it. Apart from his outfit when Sue gives them a honeymoon, plaid is no longer the mega-standout and focal point of his clothing. His wardrobe evolves again, and though he retains the plaid, his style once again looks more like him. It’s a matured amalgamation of who he once was, who he tried to be with Dave, and who he is now and will continue to become. 

But if Blaine’s growing, and if Blaine’s learning to accept himself, he no longer has such a need for flashiness and to stand out. He’s growing up, and he’s maturing, and you can see that in his clothes, though he still retains his own quirky flair. 

As an aside, I’m a huge proponent of Kurt and Blaine continuing therapy, both separately and together after the wedding. A girl can dream that they learned from their mistakes that a ring or two isn’t a quick fix. At the end of the day, though, season 6 offered an important journey that Kurt and Blaine so desperately needed in order to come together again in a healthy, compatible way, and I do think they learned a lot from their time apart.

Blaine is a tough nut to crack in a lot of ways - there is so much under the surface, and there are so many gaps to be filled in. It’s the unfortunately inevitability of Blaine being characterized in retrospect, considering he was never meant to be such a permanent fixture to the cast and to the show. It’s difficult finding ways to anchor a character that lacks a foundation, especially a character as dependent on another as Blaine is to Kurt in so many ways. However, I find it really interesting to weave the thread between everything Blaine offers and make it make sense - and his wardrobe in season 6 is an interesting parallel in this part of his journey.

[glittering-snowfall]

On Elsa and “Out of Character” behavior.

Sometimes I see arguments between different groups of people in the Frozen fandom - with some people criticizing Elsa’s actions in F2 by calling them out of character and other people defending them by saying her actions are in-character. But here’s the thing - I think both groups are a little misguided. One side just wants to use anything to tear the movie down, but the other side just wants to defend the film when sometimes the people who critique it have valid issues.

First of all, I don’t agree with people who try to paint Elsa as OOC in F2 by saying that her actions make her less “refined” than in the first film. This idea of Elsa’s “refinement” feels more like stereotypical headcanon than canon.

In F1, Elsa feels liberation when standing in the free air, without the weight of queenship weighing upon her. Thus, in F2, her choice to stay in the Forest could parallel that if written well.

The trouble is, for some reason, F2 decides to write a narrative where Elsa’s own desires and sense of self are not the catalyst for her journey to explore herself. Her mother’s Voice is the catalyst, so instead of telling a story where Elsa drives herself forward, the film tells a story where Elsa is led by larger forces beyond her control. This becomes worse when we factor in the origin of Elsa’s powers. They’re “a gift” for her mother’s action and while we’re supposed to see that in a positive light, I just don’t.It feels like Elsa being forced on a path in life before she was even born - a path that doesn’t come from her but instead comes from her mother. The destiny narrative makes Elsa a pawn - and I know I’m not “supposed” to read the film that way, but there is textual evidence to support my perspective. The fact her powers are tied to her mother rescuing her father and not to Elsa herself. The fact that the spirits decided these things for Elsa because how could Elsa decide while still in the womb?

When people use superficial reasons like Elsa’s “refinement” to call her OOC, they sometimes criticize Anna being queen and treat that as OOC for Anna - but I’ve personally always liked Queen Anna. I feel the role suits Anna and that she makes a capable leader, making tough decisions in difficult times across both F1...

and F2.

So I don’t think the superficial readings of either sister being OOC are true.

But here’s the thing - I DO think that Elsa comes across as somewhat OOC in F2 compared to F1, just not in a way that the superficial readings ever get across. Let me explain.

In F1, we see over and over again that Elsa is deeply and sensitively attuned to Anna’s emotions.

When Anna is in pain, Elsa feels it. She doesn’t want to hurt Anna - either physically OR emotionally.

And when she does hurt Anna emotionally, it breaks Elsa’s heart. F1 makes clear over and over that Elsa doesn’t want to do this - makes clear over and over that Elsa understands the terrible emotional pain Anna undergoes because Elsa has felt a pain akin to it.

Look at the look in Elsa’s eyes in the screencap where Anna is walking away. You can see such anguish in Elsa’s eyes, such regret. If Elsa felt like she safely could, she’d reach out in a heartbeat.

Over and over, the first film stresses that Elsa understands Anna’s emotional pain, that it hurts her more than anything to hurt Anna emotionally even as Elsa feels like she has to do that because of how she has been raised.

And then comes F2 and Elsa’s connection to Anna’s emotions... lessens to some degree.

It’s still there in this moment. Elsa clearly hates doing this.

But we don’t get to pause on Elsa’s emotions. We don’t get to linger with them.

The next time we see Elsa is here:

When I first saw this moment in the theater, it felt... abrupt. This was the scene that was in all the trailers, and when you watch the trailers, you think something will lead up to this.

And then the film just cuts directly to this moment. It just... happens, with only the conversation from before as build-up - only conversational exposition.

We don’t get to pause to breathe with Elsa, to have the full weight of her reflection after sending Anna and Olaf away. She must have reflected on that as she made her way to the Dark Sea and it must have hurt... but we don’t get to... see it.

We don’t get to see an incredibly crucial emotional moment that could show Elsa reflecting on Anna’s pain and Elsa’s own pain.

We just cut to this and focus on Elsa being... Awesome.

And then we get Show Yourself, and Show Yourself is all about Elsa’s joy and validation... and in the process, Elsa reflecting on Anna’s pain gets pushed to the wayside.

Now, in the past, I’ve gotten angry at Elsa for this - because it felt acutely OOC to me for Elsa to... lose sight of Anna’s pain in such a way.

And when I got angry, anti-Elsa people jumped on my anger and tried to use it to justify their agenda - and I don’t want that.

You see, anti-Elsa people try to frame this as, “Well, Elsa is just Like That. She pushed Anna away for her safety before and now she’s doing it again.” Anti-Elsa people treat Elsa like she’s just... naturally callous.

My point is not theirs. My point is that Elsa (at least, the Elsa we see in F1) is NOT “Like That.”

In F1, we see over and over that Elsa is not naturally callous. We see so much how Elsa connects with Anna on an emotional level.

From my perspective, the anti-Elsa sentiment is just as shallow as the people who throw around the word “refinement.”

But in F2, Anna kind of gets... dropped from Elsa’s journey. The focus becomes Show Yourself, and then Elsa freezes.

I know that I struggle with these scenes because I feel for Anna so much, because I agree with Anna’s perspective and her desire to protect Elsa, because I disagree with Elsa’s choice to go on alone. (Again, my disagreeing doesn’t mean I’m saying that Elsa is a bad person the way anti-Elsa folks do. I know that Elsa loves Anna and wants to protect her. I just... wish the two characters could have resolved the matter in a different way, through communication and through love. And I’m not saying the conflict of Elsa’s decision and Anna and Olaf’s anger was bad. It’s actually a really intriguing scene where the characters all kind of right and kind of wrong. There’s depth there... but my problem is the film doesn’t really explore that depth later on. We don’t get the sisters talking together about the emotional crises that drive them.

We don’t get... anyone... talking together that much. Elsa and Anna seem on different wavelengths, Anna and Kristoff seem on different wavelengths. Miscommunication is a plot device. And I know you’re going to tell me that it’s supposed to be mature, that it’s supposed to reflect the characters’ trauma - and it does reflect that trauma incredibly well, but...

I just want to see the broken people I saw forming a family being able to communicate in a positive way for more than the last several minutes at the end. I don’t care about the maturity of miscommunication that translates into surface-level scenes. There’s as much maturity in a family healing together than in reopening wounds for drama’s sake.

So maybe, my use of the term “OOC” is wrong. Maybe it’s not OOC for Elsa to go on alone (because she wants to protect those she loves dearly), but the rushed nature of the following scenes don’t allow the emotional impact of that particularly complex scene to land. Instead of letting us feel its full weight, the film moves to other things.

I’ve praised the slow, brooding pace of F2 before, but at times the pacing can still be rushed. So maybe it’s not a characterization problem but a pacing problem.

Still, I... I can’t shake the feeling that F2 presupposes that Anna is in the wrong - and I just disagree with that presupposition.

The film frames Anna as though she has to learn something. She gets the chance to reflect on her life in aching and beautiful clarity in The Next Right Thing. The film has her apologize directly to Kristoff for leaving him behind because she was just “so desperate to protect” Elsa. And because of that, the term “codependency” gets thrown around - often by anti-Elsa folks who have weaponized the term.

Here’s the thing though. Anna has an incredibly understandable and rational position in F2. She doesn’t knw what is going on. All she knows is Arendelle could be in danger, her sister has been hearing this voice and hasn’t told her, her sister could be in danger, and Pabbie has further entrusted her with keeping Elsa safe.

Not wanting your only surviving family to die when they are put in a position where they are forced to do incredibly dangerous things is not codependency.  “I don't want to stop you from being whatever you need to be. I just don't want you dying, trying to be everything for everyone else too. Don't do this alone,” is actually an incredibly clear-sighted perspective.

I don’t know. When Elsa is forced into extremes in F2, it’s often framed as heroic - and oftentimes, it is heroic. Seeking the truth about Runeard at the expense of her own life is an incredibly noble, compassionate, and heroic thing for Elsa to do. When Anna goes to extremes to protect Elsa, it’s framed as... desperation. Even though I just want to desperately cry to the screen sometimes, “But Anna is in the right, Anna is in the right, Anna is in the right...” 

Maybe my mind has been exhausted by different factions in the fandom trying to place blame. maybe fandom in general is too focused on judging characters and so that hurts the discourse because we have people judging and condemning Anna as a character and judging and condemning Elsa.

Maybe Frozen 2 means to be broadly humanistic, with the characters all being partly right and partly wrong, so we can empathize and love them all. If so, that’s beautiful.

But I don’t like the presupposition that Anna is “too desperate” and I don’t like how that’s beaten home for her in such a torturous way. Maybe I just empathize with Anna too much and I see my pain in her pain across F2 and so the film just hurts to watch.

Maybe it’s because I wanted to see this family talking together openly instead of going on individual journeys of self-discovery.

I know I’m speaking from a personal place here - because the bond the sisters have (especially in F1) means the world to me and is among the most beautiful connections I have seen in fiction, so I’m sensitive about it.

But I needed to get these thoughts out.  

[buffyannesummrs]

creator tag game!

tagged by the LOVELY: @thosefunkylittleguys 

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

maggie thank you for tagging me in this 🥺 honestly you and clare were such an inspiration to me to start making content of my own and sharing my thoughts on this silly little website! I literally only started creating content in the past week LOL I am slowly learning to open up and share myself, as silly as that sounds! so I think I literally only have like 5 things to share and all of them are just supernatural parallel edits akjhsjkdfhskl 

1. Buffy “Lover’s Walk” monologue // Supernatural Deancas: this is not so nice to look at because I didn’t edit the screencaps at all and the text is too small LOL but I really love that monologue and I put a LOT of thought and effort into the images selected! ❤️ I feel like this quote really encapsulates like the behemoth of the deancas story: 12 years and such a journey!  Plus it just has such fun Spike phrasing - what’s not to love! I liked the parallels I included in here (purgatory hugs, MWWBK + S15 divorce scenes, starting and ending blood sigils) and how they tied into the quote. I really enjoy the finished product hehe 

2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Grave” // Supernatural, “Swan Song”: I mean it’s such a cliche, character breaks free out of mind control / evil  / etc. for love of another character, but it does get me every time. I love this buffy speech so much, it’s really an example of buffy at its best, where a phrase like “crayon-breaking willow and scary-veiny willow” can actually encapsulate so much heart and meaning. I also love the exchange of like “I’ll kill you.” “It doesn’t matter, I’ll still love you.” I felt like it went beautifully with swan song, since that’s really the thesis of dean going to lucifer - no plan, no hope, but where else would he be? I liked this one! 

3. The Haunting of Bly Manor, “The Beast in the Jungle” // Supernatural, “Lost and Found”: my first ever edit! I have not been able to stop thinking about the burial preparation scene since I first watched it, and one day in the shower the bly manor quote popped into my head and bowled me over. it’s very simple but I really like it!

4. Supernatural, “Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets” // Buffy + Giles: this is definitely my favorite in terms of aesthetics - I actually got photoshop for this one ladies <3 I am still figuring things out, but I do really like how this one turned out with the color grading etc. and this just made my heart SO warm to make. can’t express the amount of times I stopped to sigh with a hand pressed to my heart, “that’s his LITTLE girl!” it was so fun to get caps of baby buffy and giles from the early seasons. the quote is very simple, but I love how it ties to the pieta image of season 5 (will I make a post about buffy as the christ figure and giles as mary….who’s to say) 

5. Buffy Season 6 // Famine’s speech to Dean : oh I do LOVE this parallel. rewatching supernatural with meg recently we watched that episode and as soon as Famine started talking I was just like “HELLO.” I really liked the caps I selected, put a lot of thought into them and really what each one meant for buffy. I have many more posts I want to make in terms of buffy and dean’s character similarities 

oh also honorary mention - the cas confession speech // spike “touched” speech parallel meta I wrote right after the confession aired! it’s just sloppy stream of consciousness but the dots….I was connecting them…….

I have also created some fics but currently those are JUST for me have not been bold enough to put them into the world hahaha. I do love to write and I am pretty proud of them though 

if anyone ever wants to send me buffy or supernatural questions / food for thought so i can continue to clown PLEASE feel free <3 always love to discuss

WAIT I FORGOT TO TAG PEOPLE: @lexaprodyke @lazarusr1sing @effyeffa @jenderossackles @fionaappletini if any of you want to share, please do! <3 

[blaster-aichi]

IF24 speculation screaming

               Preview

With all of the preview caps available, there’s been a lot to take in; from Ibuki with Majesty Lord to Emi’s fairy wings to all the boys’ younger selves playing together in the park. So this might be a tad all over the place but hoping to condense thoughts coherently.

— Emi and Aichi are both shown to be wearing their powered forms; this might be as part of a flashback which covered Emi’s first interaction with Aichi after his disappearance, allowing Shuka to remain in the season past her sacrifice. For Aichi, there seems little reason (or even if it’s possible) for him to done the Alfred costume at this stage, and with his eyes normal, I’ve my doubts that the new screencap of him takes place in the present, more so after the glimpse in the preview after IF23. Something assuming full control isn’t likely to care what state he’s in or continue any pretense that he has any control over himself. It might be in part why Aichi hasn’t paid that much attention to Ibuki, picking to brutalize Ren instead, when their history might be crucial in the foundation of IF’s story. It may come from Emi and Kai’s taking flight, comparing the Aichi of then to the one of now radiating all kinds of ominous energy or Nome’s recounting earlier events. The point for Emi when Aichi was no longer missing but the enemy; she was well aware by her and Shuka’s infiltration in the first episode and we’ve been shown notable moments through their fight, but not the moment when they discovered the identity of the Jammers’ commander-in-chief.

— Twitter Fanguards are excited at the prospect that the young boys playing in the park is a sign that the timeline’s resolution will grant the ideal timeline where no-one is left alone. To be cautiously optimistic, the thought that had come to my mind initially was the scene being a depiction of a timeline that Kai and/or Ibuki are fighting for or one they imagine might have come about if they had done something differently, sparing Aichi the anguish of his IF childhood and connecting everyone far earlier. If it’s the former, there’s hope that IF25 might serve as an epilogue to emphasize on giving us an glimpse at this perfect timeline while the Outside World characters establish all is well on their end and returning to their normal lives.

              Destiny Conductor 2.0 Nome

The glow of Nome’s screencap insinuates his usage of the Akashic Records, but the smile he has is rather ominous, suggesting that his taking off after recruiting Ibuki and Suiko always had a much more sinister undertone to it. The possibility that’s been sprouting personally since Kourin was debunked as being the one pulling Aichi’s strings is that Nome has been the one in that position all along.

During the PsyZombie arc, it’s possible that, whether through Takuto or by another means, Nome became infected by Brandt’s power, positioning him as his brother’s successor. With Brandt defeated once, by taking hold of the Akashic Records, he/it was able to take an entirely different approach: if it couldn’t twist the original timeline to its will, it would use another. The starting point: the boy who crushed Brandt’s ambition.

As established by Takuto as the strongest, Aichi became the primary target of this second effort. Whether the Aichi of IF is his Outside World self pulled within the world and overwritten to live a second childhood like Kai-kun, or the one native to IF World, it works either way.       — Outside World Aichi, who might have still held a fragment of Brandt’s power within him from Destiny Conductor’s direct involvement in his sealing, through his Psyqualia which has remained tainted since, thus never freeing him entirely from the power, even though he was unaware ever since, had that exploited as a seed from which his imagination would fester from the below.      — IF World Aichi, whose life was monitored by Nome, to prevent any future possible encounters with Vanguard. Using the Akashic Records, Nome mapped out both Kai-kun and Aichi’s so the former’s would be as happy and peaceful as possible while the latters’ plunged him into the depths of solitude, haunting him with images of Kai-kun to ready Aichi for breaking, by his own hand or seeing Kai-kun by happenstance. As a result, Aichi’s power had no outlet and festered, spilling over ultimately when Takuto appeared and turned the key. In the scenario of Outside World Aichi, his line “it’s been a while, Kourin” would reference their time together directly, but in the case he was native to IF’s timeline, it might be Brandt speaking through him. In a manner of speaking, IF serves the same purpose as the Sanctuary from Legion Mate; a means of containing Aichi so that he can’t wreck havoc, whether in good way or bad.

The colour scheme of Aichi’s power has resembled Brandt’s and his binding Kai-kun resembled Link Joker’s (a clan with which Brandt has a connection) power to Lock — Ibuki even saying “Unlock” while Superior Realizing Harmonics Messiah — so until it’s 1000% debunked, I’m still clinging to this theory that’s been building over the past few months.

Aichi isn’t Nome/Brandt’s sole target, however. Charged with their duty to oversee the multiverse, the Tatsunagis are in the enemy’s sights. Takuto and Kourin placed half of the family within IF straight away, Rekka and Ren following and we were witness to Nome roping in Ibuki and Suiko. Aichi was used as bait in order to draw the family in its entirety within a world that is distorted to the point of requiring intervention, where the strongest fighter has been twisted into the enemy. There’s simply no coincidence about collecting them in one place, Takuto was used as the objective for Rekka and Ren.     — Takuto specifically has the additional motivation of being the failed first Destiny Conductor. If Brandt has been within Aichi, that might have been reflected in his demeanour leading up to and during the meeting with Takuto; there’s not enough to discern if IF Aichi truly has the hostile side we’ve been seeing or that be a result of the current crisis.     — Like Aichi, if  IF Kai-kun is the Outside World version sealed, that would likewise remove him from being an immediate threat, as one of the strongest Vanguard fighters. Meaning that Ren and Ibuki, as the other greatest threats to a Brandt resurgence, were perfect candidates for the remaining Tatsunagis’ teams, bringing all the vital players for Brandt’s previous failure onto the board.

And in a world without Vanguard, a world where Aichi is overflowing with power that even he couldn’t control, it’s the perfect time for Nome to step onto the stage and reveal himself.

              Emi, Kai and Aichi

The screencap of a winged Emi and Kai gives the impression that they, alone, are heading to the final battle with Aichi, and it’s tremendously fitting. Emi began this journey with one partner by her side, and this way, she would end it with one. Though the nature of that partner will have changed drastically: from someone important to her, who belongs to another world, to someone invaluable to Aichi, presumably native to the timeline with them.

The dynamic between IF Emi, Kai and Aichi is quite unique; with the state of the multiverse in mind, Emi represents the life of isolation Aichi has lived until this point, the only person who was with him throughout years of torment and loneliness. Whereas Kai embodies the possibility wrought from other timelines; what Aichi could and should have grown into, the friends around him that Aichi was meant to have connected with. They represent Aichi’s family and friends respectively, the two people most important to him in IF’s timeline where one was his reality, his daytime, and the other his long-off dream, his nighttime. Both, equally, want him back, even if it might cost the existence of the three of them — like Aichi, they’re prepared to sacrifice themselves if it means grasping what they believe is right.

For those who know Fate/Grand Order, IF very much resembles a Lostbelt, so at the resolution of the fight, with its correction, the world is likely to vanish — with anyone who belongs there. If Aichi, Emi and Kai are all native to IF — and they’re the only characters at the heart of this story who we don’t know for certain come from the Outside World — Emi and Kai separating from the others spares their friends the anguish of losing someone else right before them. The Outside World characters know the cost, but they don’t have to witness it, and can remember Emi and Kai by their happier times. Ibuki and the others instead are charged with stopping Nome’s ambition with the family and their partners gathered as well as seeing the small Kai-kun and Aichi meet, so their assignment to correct history is complete.

Emi and Kai’s battle with Aichi is a much more personal one, so they go ahead to save him by their own hands. Emi to get back the brother she’s been chasing all along, Kai to see the happiness he was gifted shared with the person who gave up so much to protect it, whom he wants to see smile by his side, who he wants to return Blaster Blade to. When Aichi is rescued, the three of them remain together, accepting the end of their world and their anguish. Kai-kun doesn’t return to his parents, having already made the choice of Aichi and the original timeline over them long ago, it serves as a demonstration for Aichi’s eyes that he won’t be left behind in the shadows anymore. After losing so much, none of the trio are alone as they watch their world fading away, reconciling and huddling or even Kai-kun and Aichi having a cardfight so that Kai can share with Aichi the fun they were supposed to have, Emi watching as her brother shows the side she’s always known him to have before someone else. It’s bittersweet, but all three of them could be united and experience true happiness at the end.

[hall-of-merlin2]

Magic, Monsters and Merthur - 1x02 - (Merthur)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Right! This turned out way longer than both of the other posts. I’m sure you Merthur shippers will appreciate this.

I know I do.

The Merthur content in here is incredible!

No more rambling!

<_><_><_>

03:31

*snicker*

Cutie.

<_><_><_>

03:41

CASE IN POINT.

<_><_><_>

04:55

GWEN TOO. SHE’S AN ADORABLE CUTIE FOR HELPING MERLIN WITH THIS DUMB SHIT.

This particularly <3

And, as a bonus, she’s cute.

<_><_><_>

05:39

Hmm...

You sure about that sweetie?

(Also, yes, I am purposefully making the screencaps as awful as I can. I want my eyes bleeding out of my sockets by the end of season 1.)

<_><_><_>

10:08

Ah, the infamous line. What does it mean??? Does Arthur like Merlin now??? Arthur is still mean after laughing at Merlin’s joke!!!

Means nothing, I think. Merlin probably spoke what Arthur was thinking, or it was just so unexpected that Arthur could only reply with a chuckle, basically saying “Did you really just say that?” with a quirked eyebrow, raised in disbelief.

I mean, how many people do you think could openly say something “negative” about a knight? Not a knight, that’s for sure, let alone a servant, a peasant. And Arthur is still trying to adjust to having this… This curious thing as his personal servant, just as much as Merlin is trying to get adjusted to being pressed under a boot for the first time in his life.

And I think, judging by their conversation that I will mention later, that they both feel something similar for each other.

A certain trust.

And… Yeah, trying to keep the “I want to kill him” thoughts to a minimum.

<_><_><_>

19:10

First, it was “Good Luck”.

Then, it was a pat on the shoulder.

And it’s all only happening because Merlin realizes that Arthur gets extremely nervous before every fight.

That is someone who is stressed. Very much. On the brink of breaking down.

Merlin can’t address that, and he doesn’t. He just does these little gestures in hopes that Arthur will just take a deep breath when he remembers them and focuses on the fight with a calm mind.

And that’s just… That’s just so sweet.

Merlin was handling Arthur’s stress before the pratty prince even realized he was stressed.

<_><_><_>

21:40

Gaius acting surprised that just after he mentioned that if they had the antidote, they could have a chance of proving Valiant’s guilt, Merlin immediately got up and nearly ran out of the room – Gaius. Do you seriously not understand that Merlin loves getting into trouble?

<_><_><_>

“I don’t like the guy, but that doesn’t mean he’s cheating.”

“Gaius is preparing an antidote to the snake venom, when Ewan’s conscious, he’ll tell you what happened.

“If you fight Valiant in the final, he’ll use the shield, it’s the only way he can beat you. 

“Look at it! Have you ever seen snakes like this in Camelot?”

***

“I wouldn’t lie to you.”

...

“I want you to swear to me what you’re telling me is true.”

“I swear it’s true.”

...

“Then I believe you.”

24:43

This is the convo I was referencing earlier. Just the fact that Arthur doesn’t deny the obvious proof Merlin has with him, but still is in denial because a knight using magic is unheard of, and just impossible in his mind, since knights are… valiant, but then Arthur asks Merlin to swear, like an equal to him knight would, to prove that they are not lying, he thinks of Merlin as honorable enough to understand the importance of swearing, even though he probably wouldn’t expect any other servant to. From the second episode Merlin is different from others in Arthur’s eyes.

And that’s not even taking into account the implications of this scene. Merlin comes to Arthur because he trusts that Arthur won’t dismiss him and throw him into the dungeons for badmouthing a knight, and will hear him out before giving a final verdict. None of the other knights would have even listened to him beyond “Valiant is using magic!”, they would have shut him down then and there. Arthur is different from others in Merlin’s eyes.

It’s episode 2 guys. It’s episode 2 and already we have scene like this!

How the hell can it go up from here?

It can go up and beyond what we know as gay.

I mean bisexual.

Or demisexual? I kind of liked that theory…

What we know as Merthur! There.

<_><_><_>

27:01

Like here!

Merlin whispers an important thing – not getting close to the shield – but Arthur hadn’t thought of that, so he lets himself be reminded of that by Merlin, when he could have told him to shut up instead.

IT’S EPISODE 2.

<_><_><_>

30:50

I know I’m missing the point of this scene, but…

This time?

Is he talking about…

I think Arthur’s talking about his armor.

Like… Yeah, it actually is quite important. If the armor’s not tightened properly, or it’s rusty, or if it’s not fixed/cleaned since the last day, then it’s a pretty big deal in a fight. It can cost one’s life, and Arthur’s putting his in Merlin’s hands with all of his duties.

This is why this episode breaks my heart – because Arthur truly had no reason to distrust Merlin or not believe what he’s saying, and Merlin had no reason not to share what’s going on with Arthur when they’re going on a dangerous journey. After this whole mess Arthur is far more dismissive of what Merlin says, especially since the boy doesn’t have nearly as much proof as he had this time. Yes, Valiant did prove to be using magic, and what Merlin said did come true, but I think Merlin himself is less keen on sharing his suspicions with Arthur or anyone else other than Gaius, if not to avoid this whole emotional mess, then to avoid the difficulty of explaining how he knows things and their legitimacy. No more just… walking up to Arthur and saying what’s happening, no more Arthur believing him.

It’s just… agh.

<_><_><_>

“[Valiant] will use the shield against you.”

“I know.”

“Then withdraw. You have to withdraw-”

“Don’t you understand? I can’t withdraw.”

***

“Valiant will kill you. If you fight, you die.”

“Then I die.”

36:01

God… Damn.

This is how every knight is, isn’t it? It’s better to die with honor than to live in shame.

A perfect tenant to live by to die before you’re 20.

Unless you have a secret warlock to protect you, then you’ll make it.

To 30.

<_><_><_>

36:38

Some people say that Merthur became canon in the second episode.

I just want to do my part and point out that this is how Arthur reacts when Merlin leaves after the prince shouted at him.

First time was right after that god-awful court session, the second after Arthur sadly admits that he can’t withdraw, and he must die before he disappoints his father.

<_><_><_>

44:19

I don’t think he is. I think he’s just repeating what Uther has ingrained into him – to only care about himself, and his own accomplishments, to never take the help of other people, because he doesn’t need other people, he alone can and will take on the world.

That’s not talk of someone who’s ashamed of being saved by a girl, but someone who thinks that they were capable of doing whatever it is by themselves. And because they didn’t, it turns to denying facts and just propping themselves up, focusing on what they did rather than what the their helper did.

He will never know that it wasn’t just Morgana who saved him that day, but also Merlin, Gaius too and even Gwen, but acknowledging that getting help from other people is a thing he did and understanding that without them he would be nothing is something he still struggles with until season 4 and a bit beyond, so let’s just…

Let’s just hate Uther for making Arthur so hard to deal with in the beginning.

And let’s praise the people around him for having the patience to live with him and the gall to call him out on his bullshit from time to time. Those people deserve a holiday, several of them.

<_><_><_>

44:37

Arthur approached Merlin to sneer about Morgana! Out of all the people in the ballroom, Arthur felt that he couldn’t talk about Morgana behind her back with anyone, except for Merlin.

How would a knight react? How about another noble? A servant?

Neither of them would either agree with him or tease him about it, which Merlin would do if only he didn’t feel slightly awkward that THE PRINCE FUCKING ARTHUR JUST WALKED UP TO HIM AND STARTED TALKING LIKE THEY WERE FRIENDS.

Heh…

Yeah.

Merthur was canon by episode 2.

AND THEN HE APOLOGIZES FOR TREATING MERLIN HARSHLY ONCE HE NOTICES THAT THE POOR BOY IS CONFUSED ABOUT WHY HE’S TALKING TO HIM.

SJGNOIUDRHNGIUJSRGUJNRDOIUNGVJKJNGRNIUERJNGUIHNJHBK

PRECIOUS BOYS.

<_><_><_>

45:25

I think Arthur just enjoys putting that look on Merlin’s face.

Don’t take that out of context.

<_><_><_>

The episode starts with Valiant getting his snakey shield, and murdering a guy. It ends with a feast in Arthur’s honor! Even though all he did was stab his sword into Valiant. Quite heroic. Uther approves.

<_><_><_>

The Magic

The Monsters

[razberryyum]

The Untamed/陈情令 Rewatch, Episode 13, Part 1 of 2

(spoilers for everything MDZS/Untamed)

[covers MDZS chapters 52, 53 and 54]

WangXian meter: 🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰+🐰🐰+🐰🐰+🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰+🐰🐰+🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰

(Each WangXian scene automatically gets one 🐰 even if they’re just thinking of each other; one scene can earn up to five 🐰 depending on the intensity of WangXian-ness. Each scene is separated by an “+”. In rare instances, certain WangXian scenes are so full of WangXian love that they warrant more than five 🐰...the last scene of this episode is a prime example of such an instance)

The last 10 minutes of this episode, starting from this moment, is probably one of the most giffed, vidded, screencapped, blogged, reblogged, tweeted, retweeted, etc scene in the entire show, so there’s really not much more I could say about it that hasn’t already been stated and echoed by many, many others. Suffice it to say I absolutely love it: I love how the scene was constructed and performed, and I am still amazed that it exists at all. It is perfect, adorable, hilarious, and simply precious. Even though it is still a few degrees tamer than its novel counterpart (I’ll get into that in the second part of the post), the scene still managed to fully capture the spirit of the original. It really is so damn perfect, thanks in large part to Lan Zhan’s sublime reactions. Seriously from now on, under “gay panic” they should just show Lan Zhan’s face while Wei Ying is taking off his clothes:

Strangely enough, this disrobing moment always reminds me of a WangXian scene that occurs much later, during Wei Ying’s second lifetime, which was left out of The Untamed because...well, there really is no bromance way to interpret it. It’s the scene in Lotus Pier when Wei Ying is up in the tree looking down at Lan Zhan, and he thinks, “if he catches me, I’ll....” For some reason, whenever I watch this moment, I instantly think of that scene, except in this case, I always imagine Lan Zhan thinking, “If he takes off his clothes, I’ll....” The sentiments and circumstances between the two scenes are hardly related, and yet I feel a similarity between them because in both instances, figuratively speaking, the person directly affected—Lan Zhan in this case while in the Lotus Pier scenario it’s Wei Ying—seems to be standing at the edge of an emotional precipice, and a little nudge is all it’ll take for them to fall right over and become overtaken by the emotions they were feeling. For the later Lotus Pier scene, Lan Zhan does catch Wei Ying, and I think that’s when he realizes his feelings for Lan Zhan. Whereas with this moment, I don’t know what would’ve happened if Wei Ying had successfully taken off all his clothes in front of Lan Zhan, but I feel that Lan Zhan was deathly afraid to find out himself, hence, his overreaction.

~~~

I love that Wei Ying pulled that stunt because he figured Lan Zhan was such a prim and proper fuddy-duddy that the idea of being naked or seeing someone else naked would've been enough to shock him into spitting up his bad blood. While that isn’t an unreasonable assumption, it doesn’t quite hold water since we’ve been seeing how Lan Zhan is around Wei Ying all this time and had been privy to his point of view leading up to this moment. As a result, I feel like there’s two realities going on at the same time: what Wei Ying thinks is happening and what Lan Zhan is actually experiencing, which is sheer panic because he already had feelings for Wei Ying but has been more or less keeping a tight control over his emotions. With Wei Ying’s in advertent act of temptation, his control was quickly slipping away. It’s no wonder he became so overwhelmed that he vomited up all that blood; it's like an anime’s equivalent of a nosebleed.  

Wang Yibo really hit it out of the park with his performance in this entire scene: I was truly impressed with how he so capably brought to life the spectrum of tumultuous feelings Lan Zhan was experiencing. While Xiao Zhan has plenty of opportunities to emote due to the nature of Wei Wuxian’s character, Wang Yibo naturally has the shorter end of the stick due to Lan Zhan’s stoic nature, so most of his emoting is usually restricted to just his eyes. As a result, chances for him to fully break out of that restrained façade is rather rare, and I think he really relished the opportunity, taking full advantage of it and gave it his all in the limited capacity that he was able to without getting out of character. His reactions really ran the gamut of emotions: there was pain (due to his injury), shock, confusion, indignation, the aforementioned panic...erm...vomiting, then gratitude, jealousy, displeasure, hope, annoyance, and finally sadness about Cloud Recesses and his family. No wonder he fell asleep shortly after, he must’ve been exhausted from emoting alone.

I think it's a significant point that Wei Ying mentions that Lan Zhan has never spoken to him as much as he had in the cave since I believe it is here that Lan Zhan has finally, truly fallen in love with Wei Ying. That’s part of the reason why he opened up to him much more than he has ever done with anyone else except for Big Brother Xichen. I’ll hold off on talking more about this until the next episode but I would definitely consider the Xuanwu cave as a landmark event in their relationship, especially for Lan Zhan. In the novel, he actually starts crying in front of Wei Ying because of what happened to his home and his family. Here in the show, while he did get teary-eyed talking about Cloud Recesses...

...he still obviously held back, not letting his tears actually fall.  At first I thought it was a shame that Team CQL made that change from the book since it was such a heart-breaking yet sweet moment, but since my initial viewing of this episode I’ve learned to really appreciate that choice. It means that the only times Lan Zhan has ever really cried was because of Wei Wuxian.  That’s just so utterly beautiful it makes me emotional.    

Still, the fact that Lan Zhan had such a moment of vulnerability in front of Wei Ying was a strong indication of how much their relationship has deepened. Even during their journey to the Xuanwu cave, there were a number of small yet significant moments that further illustrated the steady growth of their bond. As usual, they were constantly focused on each other, always aware of what was happening to the other person so that they could offer support. In addition to offering Lan Zhan a piggyback ride and then asking Wen Qing to slow down the procession for his sake, Wei Ying was generally just so attentive to Lan Zhan, bringing him water during their rest stop, which actually earned him a rare smile...

...and then when they got moving again, Wei Ying was right by Lan Zhan’s side to help him.

Even if Wei Ying’s attentiveness can be attributed to his considerate nature, what adds meaning to their interaction is Lan Zhan’s behavior in return, since he’s constantly going against his known reticent nature by exhibiting his concern for Wei Ying, such as when he worriedly calls out Wei Ying’s name after Wen Chao kicks him over the ledge:

It’s like once again, seeing Wei Ying endangered, Lan Zhan forgets all caution and his surroundings and just zeroes in on Wei Ying.  Even though he was seriously injured, he still raced down those ropes to the bottom of the cave so that he could help Wei Ying.  

Not to mention, while they were distracting the Xuanwu so that the others can escape, Lan Zhan pretty much sacrificed himself to protect Wei Ying, thereby worsening his leg injury.  

 Interestingly, in the original version of that scene, Lan Zhan actually got caught in the jaws of the Xuanwu so Wei Ying had to jump in to rescue him, which resulted in him carrying Lan Zhan on his back. In other words, Wei Ying did actually end up giving Lan Zhan a piggyback ride after all. I’m not quite sure why Team CQL decided to omit that detail. If it’s a censorship issue, carrying an injured person on one’s back seems a reasonable enough thing to do...and it’s not like there wasn’t a piggyback ride later on. If it’s a strength issue on the actors’ part, if Wang Yibo can manage to carry Xiao Zhan, I’m sure Xiao Zhan could have done the same to him, especially since he has a few inches of height on WYB. I really can’t figure out why they omitted the piggyback ride in the drama. Strangely enough, the donghua also left out the piggyback ride as well. Again, considering what they kept in the scene (Wei Ying is half-naked, Lan Zhan touches the brand on his bare chest), it is rather puzzling why a relatively harmless piggyback ride didn’t make the cut.

Continued in Part 2...posted

[sam-winchester-admiration-league]

Happy Birthday Sam Winchester! By Lynn Zubernis, full article here.

In celebration of one of our favorite Winchester’s birthday, we’re looking back over Season 14 and how far Sam has come – and at the incredible acting of Jared Padalecki that has brought Sam to life so vividly and made us all fall in love with him. Every guest star who has ever been on Supernatural has talked about their surprise to find that the leads of the show, even after all this time, are not just “phoning it in”. That they care so much about this show and these characters that they “bring it” every single time – even when it’s someone else’s coverage.

At this point, they’ve talked about how it’s not exactly like acting anymore – they know these characters so well, they can just become them. And it shows.

So on Sam Winchester’s birthday, here’s a look back at Season 14 entirely in screencaps – which tell the story of Sam’s emotional journey and of Jared’s incredible acting talent.

Early Season 14 found Sam grieving the loss of his brother, possessed by the archangel Michael and lost to Sam. Hence what the fandom lovingly dubbed the ‘beard of brotherly grief’. On a totally shallow level, Jared looked hot like FIRE – but on an emotional level, he made it achingly clear that Sam was in incredible pain. It shows in his every expression, in the look in his eyes, in the way he carries himself. My heart broke for him.

Jared can portray pain like nobody else – physical pain, the way he did so authentically in Red Meat, and emotional pain, as he’s had to do for much of this season.

In the midst of his own grief, Jared also showed us the empathic side of Sam. Sam Winchester has a tremendous ability to put himself in other people’s shoes, no matter who they are. He’s done it with Rowena, and thus has developed a sort of bond with her. He’s done it with Jack, creating a closeness and making Sam a father figure to Jack.

In one early episode of this season, he even reached out in empathy to Nick, understanding all too well what it means to have been possessed by Lucifer.

It clearly cost Sam so much to do that — Nick was wearing Lucifer’s face, bringing back all of Sam’s own trauma and PTSD — and Jared shows us every bit of that, without a word needed. A flinch, a fleeting expression, and we know.

Sam having to confront his brother, knowing it was Michael and Dean was trapped inside, was clearly painful for him too. There wasn’t even any dialogue about it, but just one look – and you knew.

Even as he was grieving, Sam took charge – became the accepted ‘chief’ of the band of AU hunters who moved into the bunker in Dean’s absence. He clearly commanded their respect and loyalty, and even as he didn’t sleep and we all knew he couldn’t keep this up forever, I think every single viewer stood up and screamed their approval when Sam stood up to the demons like the fucking badass that he is! Go through him? I don’t think so.

Sam Fucking Winchester, everyone.

The season wasn’t without its humorous moments, or it wouldn’t be Supernatural. Jared and Jensen excel at comedy and this season Jared had some priceless moments.

Sam stuck in a fantasy world where he’s a prissy 1950’s esque homeowner and husband, much to Castiel’s absolute dismay, was one of the funniest scenes of the season – anyone who doubts that Padalecki could carry a comedy just needs to watch this!

Some of my favorite scenes of the season, as always, were the emotional moments between the brothers. These often happen in the car, lit with breathtaking beauty by the talented Serge Ladouceur. When Sam Winchester tears up, I can’t help reaching for the tissues myself. There’s nothing contrived about it; Jared’s own empathy and sensitivity make it all so genuine that I can’t help but react too.

The hands down most moving scene was in Prophet And Loss, as Sam finally breaks down and begs Dean not to sacrifice himself in the Ma’lak box. In the episodes leading up to this one, Sam has struggled to accept what Dean feels he has to do, knowing that Dean is terrified he won’t be able to keep Michael locked up in his head forever. At the same time, his fear of losing his brother and his horror at what Dean’s fate will be are growing stronger and stronger.

Eventually Sam breaks, and Jared shows us it in excruciating detail.

I loved this scene the first time I saw it, and maybe even more after we heard what it was like to film it. Jared had broken down on set too, unable to get the lines out and emotional and frustrated with himself. It was shortly before they made the very difficult decision to end the Show after next season, and I can’t help but think that much of that emotion was real – and all about saying goodbye to Dean and Sam, for real. Jensen said that when the hug came, it was as much Jensen hugging Jared as Dean hugging Sam, and that shows too. The raw reality of this scene makes it one of the most memorable in the show’s long history.

That scene was perfection. Just look at him, at how much emotion you can FEEL just pouring off the screen.  It hurts.

Season 14 included Supernatural’s landmark 300th episode, “Lebanon”, which saw the return (finally!) of Jeffrey Dean Morgan – and the shedding of probably more tears than have ever been shed on this show!

From the long overdue heart to heart that Sam had with his dad to the Winchester family’s tearful goodbyes, all the actors brought their A plus game. They were all unafraid to show vulnerability, and thus let their characters do the same.

A heartbreakingly short time after they once again lost their father, Sam and Dean also lost their mother (again), which gave us some emotional flashbacks to the time that Mary shared with her sons (that unfortunately we didn’t see much of until then). They were brief moments, but powerful.

The season finale found the brothers having another emotional heart to heart, Sam once again refusing to go along with his brother’s plan to sacrifice himself. Once again, Jared lets us see Sam’s anguish – and his determination. As much as he knows Dean wants his blessing for the suicidal plan, Sam refuses.

By the end of the season finale, Sam’s disillusionment with Chuck is clear. So is his rage at being used all this time, as a puppet, as the star of God’s “favorite show”.

Sam is strong and solid in “Moriah”, determined to do what he thinks is right.  And that’s where we leave Sam Winchester, as we go into the last hiatus and try to prepare for the last season.I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to mess with him.

Happy birthday, Sam.

We love you.

And thank you to Jared Padalecki for giving so much to this character and to this show – and to this fandom – for fourteen years. We would never have had this show and this extraordinary SPNFamily for all this time if you hadn’t been so talented – and cared so much.

[buddha-in-disguise]

Television ships

So I'm wading in again into those murky waters and TV ships, plus when fans go too far on hate, particularly towards opposing fans or the actors/actresses in the roles.

The longer a show (or movie franchise) runs, the chances that a fan fight breaking out increase.

Every long standing fandoms over more years than I care to think about, in which I’ve been invested, had its ups and downs. 

The earlier ones (as my age dictates), weren’t fought online, but via the printed word or face to face. 

Hell yes, I’m that old. 

Anyway - years ago, this all was from media articles, monthly newsletters sent via snail mail, to fan clubs (often fan clubs with no formal running beyond an occasional meet up in a pub locally), and phone calls that were via landlines that were fixtures you were stuck with in one spot and couldn’t move beyond the cord length! So in other words, from nineteen hundred and frozen to death and the Stone Age of fandom. 

Occasionally it could get heated at the pub where a fan meeting might’ve been arranged, and a few drinks imbibed. I don’t ever remember fisticuffs being thrown, but raised voices weren’t an uncommon sight. 

Sadly today more hate towards cast on Supergirl went out. That people simply seem unable to recognise or understand that just because someone plays a certain role, it absolutely gives no-one the right to attack them personally over it. It is vile.

How does the love at the heart of fandom become something so caustic? 

It’s usually a ton of different reasons, but leaving out the full whys and wherefores this could happen, when new cast and storylines appear - especially when older cast or storylines have been dropped - it fractures the cracking even more between fans. 

Faint lines become cracks. Cracks become chasms.

The new versions of what’s on screen can often seem to be nothing more than attacks on what or who came before them, so by extension, is an attack on the fans who loved them. 

An actor or actress might get asked a question asking them about a specific aspect of their character and possibly those around them. They have the right to respond on how they might see something occurring. That doesn't mean it would happen or is planned.

If they're being asked in regards a known aspect of their role, again it isn't on them if you don't agree. They are merely playing that part.

This is on the show as a whole.

Note I say the show - this is an important distinction. 

If things do change that you don't agree with, don't attack those involved or even other fans (as often also starts to occur), if you disagree with something so much.

However, even previously staunch fans might well now watch for completely different reasons to what drew them into the show to begin with. 

It doesn’t mean there are other staunch fans who should move on or agree with a direction a show might take. You are just as valid in what you want. 

These two points of view are equally authentic. 

In regards LGBTQ+ representation; as difficult as it is to palate for a lot of people, there are also other reasons why those aspects might shift, or not emerge at all, regardless of how much fan support there might be.

We’ve (husband & myself) been around long enough to know what poor and good representation looks like. Heck, good representation is still nigh on impossible to find.  

But consider this. 

Representation is also more than just one group and there are some (like transgender people or gay men or POC) who’ve had even less. They deserve more, and sometimes that starting point is horribly bad. By horribly bad, I mean nothing has come before them.

We’ve also been around long enough to know it isn’t black and white. It isn’t linear.

Just like coming out, you constantly have to do it. That sometimes means taking what is the worst outcome, but using it to steadily push for the better ones. It sometimes means you might have to take that step backwards to move forwards. 

It can also feel unsavoury to do that. 

It is an exhausting situation, to constantly push for better representation. 

This is a process. Occasionally that process will force steps back - but as long as the overall push forward is bigger than that, it will carry on. 

So take on board what others see as great or groundbreaking representation. As in the case of Nicole Maines.

We were at the one fan meet and greet with Nicole, and it was pleasing to hear how much she talks with those producing the storylines, how they also talk to GLAAD. 

There is a lot that resonates for us in Nia’s story as a transgender woman. A lot my husband wishes he could’ve seen as a child growing up, not in his early 50’s. 

Think about that. 

For all the complaints might be that there isn’t good enough representation, it’s taken until someone is in their 50’s to get even a fraction of what you might have seen. 

At the end of this, if you don’t agree, and your opinion makes you say something that is intentionally hurtful (directly or indirectly to a person or group of people), it's a bad thing.

If you read comments, and immediately believe it’s an attack on you and your love for something or someone, when there is absolutely nothing to hint otherwise, even if you believe wholeheartedly it’s an attack - for a good example Twitter - and subtext or subtweeting, when in truth on any other given day it could merely be nothing more than a generic comment. 

If you always feel targeted, if you always look at the worst outcome or reasons behind things, it’s leads to those feelings becoming your normal. 

So - Distrust, feeling targeted. In themselves, they are something everyone feels at some stage. If though it’s a constant state for you - that is not normal. 

Also make sure when you do read something, you are reading it correctly. 

Too many have jumped on a poster over a post or comment, and are twisting or misrepresenting what was said.

Be absolutely sure you’re not putting your own bias into things, when if you read more carefully you’d see it wasn’t what was said at all. 

It’s why I also try to never respond to anything as a knee jerk reaction, because I always try to be sure that a) I’m reading something accurately, and b) my own bias isn’t tainting what I might perceive or how I might reply.

I’m also always open to talk to someone calmly, and I will always listen to differing points of view. 

That doesn’t mean I will accept being dictated to. 

If anything, I always ask does this need to be replied or spoken about at all? 

Stop.

Pause.

Ask yourself these things.

We all have a duty of how we behave.

It is not cool or clever to be vicious over it, if you decide on all out attack, in the words of Chyler; it makes you a jerk! 

Scroll past the posts. Do not engage. Do not be that jerk. 

Misgendering, or in the case of my husband, misgendering and being talked about as ‘that thing’ is transphobic. Azie has faced similar language or attacks that have been outright racist in nature. Nicole has faced transphobic abuse constantly online. If you agree with anyone who posts those things, or are someone who posts them, that doesn’t put you in the jerk territory, but the utter asshole territory. This is the one area of intolerance I have with people. Bigotry of any kind is deplorable. 

Be ready to back up stuff with proof if you can. Don’t just repeat others, rinse and repeat. Know what you say is true, and accept you might be asked to prove it - and if you can show that proof, do so. Don’t be offended if you are asked. Not everyone will have witnessed events as they happen. 

People don’t always think to grab a screencap of things when emotions run high, and sometimes tweets get deleted for various reasons. That doesn’t mean it’s demonstratively untrue - but be aware you should always try to discuss with accuracy. 

Finally for this post at least.

Try to be more kind.

Try to accept we are all different and we all have differing journeys. 

Try not to hate.

Don’t be that asshole.

[joyfulprincessdragonlover54]

How to Train Your Dragon to Me (Edited) 

I would like to start off by saying thank you to @hello-em75 for creating this awesome project for the fandom on Tumblr.  I think it’s truly wonderful how it’s being encouraged for all of the fans to share why this franchise is so special to them as individuals.  I also appreciate how it was encouraged for everybody to do it in whatever way they feel the most comfortable. Mine will simply be by the “Text” page of Tumblr.   I’m afraid I’ve never had the unique talent in fan art or tribute video making.  Yet even before I found out about this fantastic HTTYD themed project.  I always hoped to create a post in which I could share my love for this franchise with other devoted fans.  And why it means so much to me. So once more, thank you @hello-em75 for conceiving this brilliant idea. It’s not about competing against other fans. Instead it is about everyone diving into their personal stories with the franchise and keep supporting all the fans who are shy about their love for it to speak out. We all want to hear what everybody has to say.  No pressure to be concerned it won’t be good enough in comparison to anybody else’s level.   Only share how you feel. I just love it! 

My story in being introduced to How to Train Your Dragon was back in February 2010.  I was 21 at the time.  Always been an animated film lover.  I won’t deny that my fiber stemmed from mainstream studios. Even still, I was always up for traveling off the beaten path.  Found some spectacular hidden gems. DreamWorks has quite a few of those.  Be that as it may, I never would have predicted the film I was about to see would create such an impact on my life.  I saw the trailer and thought to myself “ What an interesting film. I wonder if it will share the same DNA with another DreamWorks film? Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmeron.”  

Needless to say it became far more then an “interesting film”.  My soul was re-awakened! I say that without of any kind of irony or exaggeration.  I’ll first address that this was the film that introduced me to the value of 3-D format. Nope it was not another famous  record breaking box office hit.  How to Train Your Dragon was the one who changed my perspective of how this can benefit a story on screen.  Rather then manufacture it as the sole reason to see a film.  I was engaged from beginning to end. 

One of the main reasons the story appealed to me was how it synonymously displayed it’s lead character as someone who was identifiable and admirable. There were uncanny traits Hiccup and I have in common.  Sometimes it felt borderline identical.  It was as if the filmmakers had been clandestine in studying many of my struggles and displayed them on screen for the world to see. A medium that has done a swell job at bringing to light self identity issues people from all walks of life grapple with.  Yet his resilience and resourcefulness despite being an outcast in his society is commend worthy.  And that was well before we even reach the middle of the first film.  This was already becoming a consolation piece of fiction for me. 

Then they bring in Toothless.  A character that in it’s roots is exceedingly difficult at earning sympathy from the audience.  Animal driven films in animation have a notorious history of dividing movie goers.  If they talk it seems cliche.  The redundant corny trademark people roll their eyes at.  If they don’t talk, the audience sees them as mere props for the human characters in their story.  They can’t resonate with the audience as they don’t know how exactly to relate to their plights if it is not verbally stated.  It becomes even more staggeringly challenging as he is a dragon.  For fiction has a long history for interpreting these fantasy creatures in the villain bracket.  Even author G.K Chesterton made a significant point on what their role was in literature.  “Fairy Tales don’t tell us dragons exists. We already know they exist.  But that they can be beaten and killed.”  The filmmakers of this franchise took a bold risk at turning this classic notion on it’s head.  Hoping the audience would be willing to surrender to their story.  That by using a different but equally classic adage of “The eyes are the window to the soul” the audience would understand and sympathize with Toothless as much as any human character.  Now Toothless to this day still has his detractors from professional critics and amateur movie buffs alike.  Regardless of that, he has touched my heart beyond compare! He is a fully realized character who is multifaceted and has his own dilemmas. 

Book series author Cressida Cowell, directors/screenwriters Dean DeBlois and Chris Saunders are so brave for taking this chance in creating a dragon themed narrative that is not about conquering a monster as a ritual in transitioning into adulthood.  But about the obstacles of earning trust from a creature that is long ingrained in everyone’s mind is apart of evil forces who live to bring humans emotional torment.  Sure this franchise is not the first to explore this theme.  And nobody on the creative team tried to take credit for it.  They all openly acknowledged their inspirations and thanked them for it allowed them to take a closer inspection of why it is rarely explored in text or on screen.  What they did though was unconventional (in terms of mainstream studio features)  in it’s own right.  

At it’s core is a love story.  Not the typical owner and pet fictional iteration.  A genuine brotherhood team love story. One that requires slower pacing.  Another risk the creative team was willing to gamble on.  Earning trust is not immediate.  Mainly being Hiccup’s goal to prove he is not a social leper. He initially intends to kill Toothless. His own unique empathy for Toothless leaving him conflicted.  He does not grasp why he is ashamed of what his tribe does despite all of the rules and regulations drilled into his conditioning.   But his conscious tells him otherwise. It is wrong to murder this frightened creature. He deserves to be released unharmed.  A travesty to the Viking culture he grew up in. Hiccup freeing Toothless then Toothless sparing Hiccup’s life is a shocker! Neither quite comprehends why they just gave their sworn enemy a second chance at life. But this question is an internal odyssey Hiccup is willing to take. 

Hiccup did not dive in head first expecting  Toothless to cuddle up to him and offer him a ride on his back.  This had to be a gradual process.  Trial and error. Repetition and reinforcement.  Compassion and respect.  All of these features were crucial of guiding their story about strangers who met under negative circumstances and would later become brothers in arms.  The filmmakers shamelessly display every bit of this.  Hiccup and Toothless unexpectedly become dependent on each other.  Hiccup needs to brainstorm and invent contraptions as to feel worthwhile as his upbringing as has gone awry.  Brute strength and fast reflexes are not in his being.   Toothless needs to fly to survive. Navigating from island to island in the archipelago.   They each believe their purpose is to make it by in a society that wishes to subjugate them.  They just want as little confrontation as possible.  The chance encounter of Hiccup trapping Toothless with his own version of a catapult and him later venturing into the forest of Berk to find him was the beginning of their “Forbidden Friendship”.  Hiccup and Toothless alike always knew they were misfits. But neither ever dreamed of having the agency of seeking someone or something out who could potentially be like them.  They both believed they were all alone in the world. That is why I find their journey so rewarding to watch! 

They never expected to find one another.  Let alone feel so joyfully fulfilled.   This in turn was why I was so emotionally caught up watching the films.  In particular the first one.  Pretty much everything they do contradict’s their society’s dictation.  Their lives are literally in danger by merely engaging with the other presence.  Their secret of knowing and allying with one another is a secret that casts as much liberation as it does a burden.  They can be themselves when alone together. Exploring new ideas and places. Yet Hiccup’s tribe is acutely aware something is off.  Initially believing that he is inadvertently discovering dragon weaknesses that could lead to concocting a plan to eradicate all dragons.  Hiccup’s time with Toothless runs dangerously low.  My heart was in my throat with dread they would be separated from each other.  Hiccup and Toothless together gives them a purpose to live! I wanted them to live happily together and in harmony in their society. 

Such a love story is often over hyped and I could care less as is has their characters saying a bunch of frivolous dialogue with empty gestures.   Love is proven through consistent actions.  The hardships Hiccup and Toothless would have to painfully face head on to reach a happy end was not glided over.  The creative team was not shy about offering it’s share of agonizing lows.  Hiccup’s self-esteem dropping to practically zero.  Same goes for Toothless.  I still can not get over how blatantly the filmmakers do that to these precious characters. It’s so harrowing it hits me every single time.  Yet these emotions happen in reality.  These fantasy animated films are a mirror to it.   No happy ending is worth getting if  the characters don’t hit rock bottom.  

This is precisely what this entire franchise stands for and why it has become my all time favorite piece of fiction. It is as emotionally draining as it is fulfilling.  And I want to keep returning to them.  Both films have this in spades!  For me personally this is is so rare to watch a film that has all three of these qualities.  But the HTTYD franchise still had unexplained factors I can’t wrap my mind around  that it stands above anything else I have ever come across.  All I know for certain is that it is special.   And I am forever grateful to have discovered it.  

Also a huge shout out to Animation screencaps for these! They alone can define this beautiful under-rated love story.   :)  

[ohmythatoikawaboy]

Season 1 Episode 25

The time had to come eventually, right? The time to watch the last episode in season 1.

Easy, right? After those intense matches, after all those tears, this last episode will be just a nice return to daily life, to laughs and smiles. Right?

Wrong. I was expecting something nice for this episode and I only suffered more than I’ve suffered with the rest of the season.

So we start with the usual flashbacks because our baby crow Hinata is traumatized after the match. #PoorHinata

We get to see the Karasuno boys regretting their life choices while sad music plays:

Isn’t Tsukki supposed to not care anyway?

At least we’re blessed with a very beautiful Asahi. Bless that hair.

I’m not entirely sure if Kageyama was hating himself or taking a nap.

Why does a single piece of paper hurt so much, holy shit. Maybe I’m too sensitive. But this is only the first minute so get ready for a painful ride.

I don’t know why but I wasn’t expecting to see this and omfg I know this is going to hurt so much, why is life so unfair.

As you would expect from Oikawa, let’s be real.

(He’s so scared deep inside. It’s like he knows this is going to hurt. He knows he won’t be enough. So he tries to hide it the best he can.)

I have a theory that Oikawa uses “chan” with the players he actually admires. Ushijima, Kageyama.

Iwaizumi.

It seems like a childish thing to say, but it’s charged with meaning. He admires all those players and needs to remind himself that they’re human too. He wants it to sound like he’s belittling them but, in fact, he’s just showing that he deeply respects them.

Ushijima is done with Oikawa’s shit, though.

How about no.

And leave them orphans?

Thankfully Suga exists and he can read Daichi.

If Suga says he stays, he fucking stays.

“If the first and second-years asked me to leave, then I’ll think about it.”

WHO THE HELL WOULD ASK SUGA TO LEAVE???? WHY WOULD YOU WANT HIM TO LEAVE???

Asahi looks so scared omg as if he thought “oh shit Suga said I might leave and if Suga says it they might kick me out of the club”.

#PoorAsahi

And then Asahi keeps on talking and he says he doesn’t plan to go to college (whyyyyyy) and Daichi does the “biting your lip” thing because this is so hard for him and I didn’t need all these feels in episode 25.

I can’t deal with all these sad scenes with random incredibly cute moments like this.

Look at Suga’s blep.

Look at how beautiful Asahi looks there.

We’re blessed.

LOOK AT THEEEEEEMMMM

This is when Daichi tells them he wants to keep on playing with them and their faces are just like “yeah, of course, we already knew”.

And here we have my son Yamaguchi saying he didn’t have fun losing and talking about how things get serious in high school and he wants to be able to do something for the team.

I love how Yamaguchi is determined to keep on fighting.

And can we talk about how Shimada just became Yamaguchi’s regular coach even if he gets nothing from it? (save the satisfaction of seeing Yamaguchi succeed)

Bless everyone in this show.

(Why are teachers’ rooms so cool in Japan omg)

SURPRISE SURPRISE

SUGAWARA HAS NO CHILL

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST SUGA SCENES I’VE EVER SEEN TBH

Meanwhile, in Sakanoshita:

BLESS UKAI

Then they talk about Aoba Johsai (and I always love it when people talk about Seijoh).

And yet they’re going to lose anyway and it makes me so sad.

This hurts so much.

I’ve had to watch this scene several times and it always makes me tear up.

I personally find it kind of unfair that brute force can break everything else.

(SPOILERS FOR SEASON 3) Thankfully, after season 3, we see that there are ways to win against brute force, which is kind of a relief. It kind of stands as a metaphor that you can win even if you’re not the (physically) biggest and strongest person on this planet.

(But that breaks my heart even more because it means Seijoh has never been good enough to win against Shiratorizawa, while Karasuno beats them on their first try. While Oikawa has spent years of his life training to try to beat Ushijima and failing to do so, Kageyama did it on the first try. And it fucking hurts, to be honest.)(END OF SPOILERS)

I love how this scene began with Ukai, and smoothly linked his words to the Seijoh match, to Oikawa’s words which, in turn, lead to Hinata running away as frustration takes over him.

(By the way, Daisuke Namikawa speaking with a shaky voice is 10/10 voice acting, as I always expect from him, but breaks my heart so much that it’s unbearable.)

This kinda feels like a shoujo anime.

Random screencap because Asahi looks incredibly beautiful during Takeda’s speech.

(They’re not going to listen to you, Takeda-sensei. It’s pointless to try.)

Look at how many fucks they’re not giving.

(This is ideal to show to someone who hasn’t watched this anime without giving them any context. I wonder what they’d think of these screencaps.)

Remember how these two started as enemies? And now they’ve bonded so much that they do this sort of rage therapy together.

Someone will have to pick up those balls, you know.

That back flexibility, holy shit.

Abs.

You’re not crying, we’re all crying.

WHAT  WOULD KARASUNO DO WITHOUT HER

HOW DO THEY DO THAT

I love how she just squats

And Daichi thought the young ones would want them to leave. HA HA.

Poor Ukai

THIS DEFINITELY FEELS LIKE A SHOUJO

And I love that they’re closing the season with this, the way they opened it.

AND THE FINAL PICTURE AFTER THE ENDING

They’re all ridiculously cute.

So, that’s the end of season 1! I loved this episode even if it’s a sharp contrast with the previous episodes. I was expecting something calm and it was, kind of, but it definitely didn’t waste a single second. The way it shows everyone’s frustration and sadness and their journey to overcome their weaknesses as a link to season 2, when they’ll actually address all those issues, is so smooth and interesting. The way different characters are linked through the same scene is brilliant.

I will have to get ready to rewatch season 2 now, my favorite, but also the one that hurts the most. If the first season already hurt, I can’t imagine how I’m going to feel after I rewatch the second one.

I hope you enjoyed my random thoughts so far!