#this arc was great 10/10 for emotional damage

[moonlight-blue-rose]

I'm finally finishing the 1863rd arc yayyyy

Ch 299

1863rd hsy will stay to lead them ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)

Also the Fourth Wall is working so hard, trying to keep kdj’s panic attack at bay. He still can’t believe what happened… ;-;

Unavoidable… I wonder was Gabriel trying to protect something or someone. A person who cares about the other angels… choosing the lesser of two evils seems like something they would do

I can’t help but adore the way he cares for Uriel… He wants to help her. She helped him so much and showed great care and love. Kim Dokja just wants to do the same for her awwwww

Jophiel staying is something I never expected. But Gabriel saying that kdj & yjh remind them of their own companionship with Uriel… Both of them need each other, I see…

Ohhhh I’ve seen this quote before! Can’t believe it’s from this arc. No matter the choice, the end is inevitable… Whether you want it or not, the world keeps going ahhhhhhhhhhh Such a good quoteeeeee

*cries* he wrote down the information they could useeeeeeee

And hsy unsure whether she could accept this… It’s no longer the world kdj knew. They aren’t his companions. Yoo Joonghyuk is no longer there. Yet, he still cares so much ;-;

SHE GAVE HIM HER COATTTTTTTTTTT

Giving your coat to someone else is a love language

Doksoo nation, we are winningggggggggg

This is so cute ahhhhhhh, what the fuck, Kim Dokja has no right to say something like that, this stupid rat *shakes my fist at him* So cuteeee ahhhhh

Just the fact that you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist…. Awww man, these paragraphs make me feel things ;-;

Hold on a minute, this is ominous as all heck! You can’t drop something like this and disappear! Every story has a beginning and will one day have some kind of end. Even if it’s left unfinished, this too, will be an ending. What kind of story can exist without these things?

Ch 300

Because it was a choice only someone who loves the story with his whole heart could make. Because, even if no one could understand, there were things he wanted to protect. Things he couldn’t sacrifice for the end or for his own gain. Because there is love, and it may not be enough to change the way that story was supposed to end, but it was there. It was enough ;-;

*crying noises*

Oh you little bitch-

I have a feeling that Kim Dokja’s own belief for his story will play a role in this as well ahhhhh

Where-or when- was Kim Dokja thrown????

Ahh immediately meeting someone newTM and kdj just giving us crumbs to their identity. Such a kdj move

Lmaooo poor Kim Dokja, being embarrassed to say his modifier. Don’t worry, sweetie, your modifier is lovely

Ah, yes. Finally – the infamous Squidja lmaooo

The 1863rd arc was lovely, despite all the p a i n. I will be sure to reread it in one go in the future. But for now, let’s see what orv has in store!

[le-trash-prince]

Dean & Kenta

So I am obsessed with the parallels between these two scenes in Episode 10, and I’d like to break it down a bit.

Here we have two characters who have failed their father figures due to their involvement with Charlie's accident. These conversations both begin with physical blows.

Both Kenta and Dean deny that they intended for Charlie to die.

Tony tells Kenta not to bother coming back if he messes up again (I interpret this as a veiled death threat—does Tony ever let people just walk away?). And Alan asks North to call the police on Dean. Both Kenta and Dean are each facing exile from their families.

There is, however, a contrast in the setting for these conversations. Tony and Kenta are at Tony's house, which we know is full of people. They are even out in the open, rather than in Tony's office. But they are completely isolated, as is the standard for this home. They are standing on a black walkway with a black doorway behind them.

Alan and Dean, on the other hand, are surrounded by the X-Hunter team, by people who are directly affected by what is happening. Even though it is just the two of them talking to each other, North is literally right there with them. They are standing in a beam of light with a bright window behind them.

I think there is a lot to be said about the connection these scenes draw between Tony and Alan, although I'm not equipped to comment on parenting styles (I welcome any input). But I don't think any other part of the series has drawn such a clear comparison between these two and the roles they are trying to fill. Their emotional reactions speak a lot to the difference in their character. While both are angry, Tony is filled with entitlement—his finances have been damaged by Charlie’s, while Alan is filled with grief—his family has been broken.

One thing I’d also like to highlight is Alan’s constant use of the word “family” towards his employees throughout the entire show (I know this can be problematic irl sometimes, but it’s quite apparent here that Alan really thought of them as his family), while that word seems to be entirely missing from Tony’s vocabulary, even though these people are legally his children. X-Hunter is Alan’s family, while the Chen Foundation orphans are Tony’s property.

Family is a recurring theme in Pit Babe (insert Fast & Furious reference here), and these scenes do a great job of showing contrasting perspectives on family. "Family is not everyone's safe zone." Family can hurt, family can heal, and family can fail you.

In the end, as seen below, Tony quite literally throws Kenta away from him, while Alan lets Dean slip from his embrace.

Kenta ends the scene framed almost completely by black, but his face is bathed in light, and he is standing upright, while Dean is the opposite; he is on his knees, bracketed by light, his face entirely in shadow.

I also find it interesting how much this dialogue of Dean's feels like it could have come directly from Kenta himself.

To me, Kenta and Dean are on very similar trajectories, but moving in opposite directions. They have both been background characters, observers in someone else's story, and they're both unhappy with where they are.

Dean was revealed in his scene to be a traitor to his people, and I think Kenta’s scene is showing us that he is in the same position—without coming out and saying it directly. In my opinion, it’s some very nice visual storytelling that’s doing a great job of building up what is coming for Kenta’s arc.

[mortemappetens]

Every Sorcerer is a Little Mad

As early as *chapter 3 of the manga, it has been repeatedly suggested that in order to be a (good) sorcerer, one would have to be a little bit mad. In fact, it sort of became a recurring theme, at least in the earlier section of the manga, having been mentioned at least twice that I can remember (**once by Satoru in chapter 4, ***and again by Kento Nanami in chapter 19).

Thereafter, it is less said and more shown to have some truth to it (Megumi when deploying his incomplete Domain Expansion, Satoru with Toji and Hanami, Sukuna and Mahoraga, Yuki and Kenjaku, to name a few).

With the Culling Arc confirming that Cursed Techniques (CT) originate in the Right Prefrontal Cortex of the brain (RPTC), it got me wondering if the “madness” is a product of neural enhancement or neural damage.

So, just for fun, I decided to dissect the character of Satoru Gojo, arguably the maddest of the bunch, from a neuropsychologist perspective.

As mentioned, in the world of JJK the RPTC is where CTs originate. In the case of Satoru, his CT is the Gojo clan’s Limitless. In 2007, Satoru had figured out how to essentially keep his technique perpetually active (and some, having placed conditions on his Infinity to automatically distinguish between threat and non-threat, with the goal to add poisons to the list of threats). Shoko, at the time, commented how doing this would essentially fry his brain (that is, it would obliterate his RPTC), a comment that acts as a premonition as he does just that during his fight with Sukuna (chapter 230). At the time, his counter to Shoko was that he was simultaneously running Reverse Cursed Technique (RCT) in order to mitigate any brain damage; however, in chapter 144, Yuki Tsukumo had also suggested that even RCT cannot heal scars.

Was Satoru really mitigating brain damage, or simply delaying an inevitability?

In the real world, the RPTC is implicated in emotional regulation (in particular, it is more responsible for negative, inhibiting feelings, including risk assessment and consequences), visuospatial processing, and social cognition (i.e. the ability to understand and interpret the thoughts, feelings, and intentions of others, contributing towards social behaviour and interpersonal interactions).

Satoru is essentially perpetually running his CT as well as RCT in the background, thereby damaging, healing, and scarring his RPTC over and over again, for the duration of 10+ years. That area of the brain must be so heavily lesioned and scarred due to prolonged abuse. And, of course, it has completely altered his ability to appropriately regulate his emotions, has inhibited his risk assessment, and has all but destroyed his social cognition (how can bro not see that Utahime hates him?). Is Satoru mad because he is Satoru, or is he mad because his CT/RCT has essentially given him sustained brain damage?

There’s another character I’d like to point out that has not mentioned that madness is indicative of a good sorcerer, nor has displayed any madness. If anything, given the circumstances, they have probably displayed the most realistic emotional reactions to everything that has been going on.

Atsuya Kusakabe.

That guy has no CT (****chapter 254), and instead is a student/alumni(?) of the New Shadow Style School.

Is his notable lack of madness due to the fact that he isn’t continuously damaging his RPTC? I think the accounts of the other adult sorcerers answer this: “He’s a kind man”.

Ultimately, in order to be a good sorcerer, a great sorcerer, you need to be a little brain damaged.

And Satoru Gojo? He is the most brain damaged of them all.

Well, was.

I think Megumi Fushiguro’s got the crown now.

*Yaga Masamichi when interviewing Yuji Itadori for enrollment

**Satoru Gojo when testing Nobara to confirm her madness

***Insinuated by Kento Nanami when describing the world of sorcery

****Mei Mei on Atsuya having no CT with the brain, and instead “reacts” with the spine

[sideblog-usernametaken]

Spoilers for Pokemon Horizons Episode 67 below:

So the battle between Liko and Roy was fantastic, it showed off how both of them have progressed as trainers and how much they've bonded with their pokemon. The fight choreography was great, Floragato learning Feignt by accident and Fuecoco evolving were both hype, and the pacing was tight with excellent animation. Like, this is how you script and direct animated pokemon battles.

However, I'm still a bit bitter about the outcome of the match.

Narratively, it fits and shows their character growth. This is Liko's first real loss that she takes without it having a massive emotional impact on her, and now that Roy has started fighting strategically instead of move spamming it makes sense that he's gotten much better at battling. The latter is especially important given his goal is to battle the Shiny Rayquaza.

It also makes sense from a more meta narrative too: Roy was the only one with an evolved starter so it makes sense Fuecoco evolves now and it makes sense that he goes on to win the battle after. Not evolving Fuecoco would've either resulted in Roy stagnating, or Fuecoco just becoming too strong to be believable anymore. They could've turned it into a subplot where Roy is concerned Fuecoco hasn't evolved when Quaxly and Sprigatito both did. But no other pokemon has gotten that level of concern regarding evolution and Roy isn't the kind of character to get hung up on a detail like that so it definitely would've felt forced. This was the right time for him to evolve and I kind of expected it going into the episode.

So why do I feel bitter about the battle's outcome if everything about it makes sense and it met my expectations for the episode?

Because Liko deserves a break.

Seeiously, she has been fighting uphill for this entire arc with nearly every battle putting her at a heavy disadvantage in either typing or level. Her basics test? Yeah throw her at the Bug type gym leader, her only two pokemon are Grass and Psychic which are both weak to Bug. Her double battle against Rika? Yeah have her go up against the one Poison type on Rika's team (This one is slightly less egregious than everything else because the Clodsire does lose its stab poision damage and Katy is helping for the first half, but still). Her implementation test? Yeah, send her to the Ice type gym leader who's pokemon are at minimum 5-10 levels higher than hers, don't worry about the fact that both of his pokemon are super effective against her main too (Ice and Flying both beat Grass). She has to confront the Explores on her own? Have her run into Amethio and his Fire/Ghost Ceruledge that can counter both of her pokemon. She has a climactic battle with one of her friends in the finale? Yeah pit her against the one with the Fire main and Flying second (Which has paralysis moves to cut down Floragato's agility). Oh, and for funsies, give Liko the other disadvantage of her second pokemon only really start battling this arc, so she doesn't have the time to get a good sense of how she battles until it's too late.

Seriously, the only battle in this arc that I can think of where Liko had at least a type advantage was against the Garganacle. Even then she was battling against someone trying to take her out instead of someone battling for fun.

Meanwhile, Roy more often than not gets type advantages, and Dot's arc focuses almost entirely on her character outside of battle so it doesn't really matter if she wins or loses because either one works. It's like the writers are intentionally putting Liko at a major disadvantage because she's genuinely become a really good trainer, but the plot demands she keeps losing for character development.

Seriously, the level of strategy and competency she showed in her fight against Grusha should've gotten her a passing grade. It would've gotten her a passing grade from any other gym leader, heck she probably could've beaten most of the other gym leaders. But instead the narrative keeps beating her down so she has a valid reason to have low self esteem instead of letting her have some wins to give her a better sense of self confidence. Like, Roy failed his first try at the implementation test because he needed something to deeply rattle him to bring about a change in his fighting style. That's an example of a loss being effective for character growth. But with Liko? It's like she's not allowed to see the progress she's made until the second to last episode of the arc, and in the finale she gets shown up by Fuecoco evolving.

The only real saving grace of the battle's outcome is Geeta and Rika reaction. They recognize that Liko has the skill to take on the Champion track and seem completely unbothered by the fact she lost to Roy. That means they probably realized all of what I said above, and came to the conclusion that if Liko's this good working against these kinds of disadvantages then she'd be incredibly strong once she levels up some more or catches a full team. If that's true, it would explain why they didn't have the same talk with Roy since he's largely had an advantage in most of his battles.

Ideally, I'd end this fight in a tie. Have them knock each other out at the same time to establish that they're on even footing, and they both get the benefit of technically not losing. This ending would also build tension for their inevitable rematch.

I really hope the next arc gives Liko some more wins because she really needs it. At this point in her character arc having her continue to lose and deal self esteem issues would just mean she's stagnating. They need to have something more substantial to show her growth, especially since one of her main character flaws before this arc was her letting other people win when she could've beaten them. You can't just tell us she's talented, then show us she's talented, and then keep making her lose unfair fights so you can drag out her self esteem issues longer. She doesn't have to win every fight but she should at least be able to show off in a fair fight every once in a while.

[thefringespod]

Its #AudioDramaSunday somewhere so we're going to do a late post!

Starting things off with episode 7.5 of @tellnotalespod where Leanne once again breaks my heart 💜 The way Leanne writes people talking about their queer experiences will always gut me, they're so wonderfully done

Up next, early release for @souloperatorpod episode 8. I sent @totcoc0a a 4.5 minute long voice message after that one. Do with that what you will

@camlannpod episode 7 did irreparable damage to me <3 I listened to it after having emotional damage dealt by TNT and SO which made it hurt 10 times worse. The reveal about Dai was *so* well done but also Ella Watts I'm shaking you (affectionate)

@woebegonepod episode 153 also did emotional damage to me. This was a great week for dealing emotional damage to Pine! 153 was one part fun and funny and one part me grasping at my chest going "Oh gods" over and over again. It was great! Easily in my top 10 eps

This week saw the triumphant return of @thesiltverses ! The twists and turns of this episode were phenomenal and I cannot believe how much it made me root for Shrue. Just 10/10 writing and Sarah Griffin went above and beyond with their performance

The Magnus Protocol also returned this week and gods was it something. The statement itself was absolutely enthralling but the plot bits outside the statement have been rattling in my brain. Mr. Bonzo has a license to kill. I will live in fear forever

@audistorium released a new episode on their patreon which was read by the incredible @madd-vo! I cant wait for public release so I can scream about it. Lemon wrote a 10 minute long episode that has wormed its way into my brain forever

Speaking of Lemon, he also made a heartfelt and tear inducing video which has been released on the Audistorium socials. I'm so lucky to get to know Lemon and to see this show he's building, he's so kind and the way he's building his community is incredible

Here on the Fringes, I have recorded the first draft of the Q&A! It was very long and rambley so I am going to be giving it a listen and then possibly recording some bits to be better answers, but expect that coming soon!

And over on @forgedbondspod we have 11 episodes left to write! I'm so excited to write this final arc of the show and share it with my cast. Speaking of my cast, I've gotten some more recordings in for the first half of the show and gods yall they're so fucking good

If you would like to support the Fringes and Forged Bonds and whatever else I make next, you can do so at patreon.com/PineTreePods! And if you have suggestions for content you would like to see on patreon, please let me know!

That's all for this week! I'm looking forward to what lies ahead and can't wait to share stuff with yall

[kariachi]

Made the mistake of watching OSP's 'Noodle Incident' video and while it's not the same thing ended up reminded that I hate hate hate how they handled Kevin's scar.

Cause like here's this little bit of additional intrigue added to his future self's character design. A self that is first seen, I would like to point out, at a point over twenty years post-OV in universe. Like, Alternate universes or no, we first see that scar on a Kevin who is in his forties. He's barely if eighteen in OV. So it's not like any of us were really expecting to get to see what happened. Especially when the show gives us shit like 'Kevin fights Vilgax' and 'Kevin is murdered' and 'Kevin gets a hand taken off' with no lasting effects, it rather sends the message that this is 1) something that did serious fucking damage to leave the first visual scar on our mains, and 2) not something we're liable to see because it couldn't live up to expectation and has twenty-odd years to happen in.

So what do we fucking get? What do they do when they decide to show us how this intriguing scar happened? Do we get Kevin fighting some great foe? Some scene that gives an impressive character moment to go with a very notable scar on a character who was a villain the first time we saw it and is now a treasured friend? A stupid moment that wouldn't have lived up to people'd imaginations but would have been funny and let the shipping people write patch-up fics where people tease him about 'oh Vilgax can't leave a mark on you but a toaster oven-'?

No.

Do they at least, if they're so big on having this happen during the Rooters arc, make it happen in Rooters of All Evil, to showcase that this is a different sort of danger they're dealing with while symbolizing the mark Servantis already left on Kevin's life? Using the scar and the fact that the kids' Rooter uniforms are the same outfit Kevin 11k wears in Ken 10 to try bolster the idea that this is the point in the timeline where we lose Kevin?

No.

He gets kicked in the face by his bestfriend while trying to reveal that he hadn't actually turned on him.

That's it. There's no fucking weight to it, it just happens. It doesn't have any reason to do more damage than anything else we've seen happen to him, it's not at some emotional moment, it doesn't have any symbolic significance, it's not a character moment. It just happens.

And yes, scars do just happen in life, but this is fiction. This is fiction, and a scar that'd had the fandom's imagination for years. You can have it just happen, but you can't have it just happen between big important points. Because you know what happens then? Fans go 'that's fucking it?!', as they have every right because you decided something that had their imaginations didn't deserve the fucking effort. It can be a footnote within the big important points, but after a point you have to do something with it. There's gotta be some sort of weight.

And the thing is, it falls under the same problem that happened with BenKai. The scar, the uniform, Ben and Kai, all of it is the result of somebody deciding that all that shit from Ken 10 1) had to be given an explanation, 2) had to be canon to what was very clearly a changed timeline given Kevin wasn't evil anymore, 3) had to be shown as happening during this time period however they could shove it in, 4) with the exception of giving us Devlin's mom because gods forbid we touch the Holy Gwevin.

Kevin in Ken 10 was in the Null Void, wore a distinctive outfit, and had a distinctive scar? Well clearly we have to show him having been part of a group stationed in the Null Void where that was his uniform, and he'll gain the scar fighting Ben- because Ben's always the most important- before being revealed as still a good guy because we can't actually double down and let him be evil again (he's popular and besides it might hurt the Holy Gwevin).

Ben has kids with Kai like a decade from the present? Better reintroduce her to the show.

Ben is already seeing someone and he and Kai's personalities haven't matured to the point they work yet? Better bring Kenny in from the future to push them at each other and then have his current girl just casually drop him so he and Kai can be a thing.

And all this could be done well, is the worst part. Not the way they did it, but it could have been done. But it wasn't. It was rushed in at the end without proper care given, leaving us with shit that should have been big deals or fun moments that instead are just kinda there at best and annoying at worst. Like they learned they only had so many seasons left, realized there were things from Ken 10 that had never been touched on, and panicked.

By all right Kevin's entire future should have been changed? Doesn't matter, shove it all in at once so we can say we answered the questions.

Ben ends up with Kai sometime in the next decade? Jam them together, put pressure on with their future son, just make it a thing don't worry about proper development.

Hell, even with Gwen. Gwen ends up being able to work with Charmcaster's stone beasts and such in twenty-off years? Fuck it, she's got Charmcaster in a bag on her shelf and goes from there.

It was unnecessary. They were loose ends that could have been left hanging with no ill effect. Even if you really wanted to show shit like 'hey remember Kai, Ben has kids with her someday' you could just reintroduce her in the show without having to push them at each other right then. 'Gwen's going to learn Charmcaster's tricks someday' you can have the last time they're shown together involve them parting on decent terms or some shit without having her hold the woman in isolation against her will until she decides otherwise. But no, they were so fucking desperate to clean up any loose end that didn't risk pissing off fans too bad that they just threw out what I assume was whatever first idea came to somebody's mind.

It's a waste of potential, a waste of intrigue, and it aggravates me to my fucking core.

[coloursofhappiness]

Just some anxiety thoughts. ⚠️Spoilers if you're not caught up with the manga ⚠️

The Gojo x Sukuna fight is seriously stressing me out. I really feel like anything could happen at this point. Gege might want to take this opportunity to kill off Gojo, which would at least make sense, even though I hate to think about it. Yuuji is the main protagonist afterall, and having Gojo being able to kill off the remaining antagonists on his own doesn't quite feel like great storytelling (unless Gojo wins but is somehow unable to continue fighting?) But on the other hand, Gojo dying would be so disappointing, plot-wise (I won't even talk about the emotional damage). I've seen people talk about how it would bring closure to his character, but I don't feel like it would. He has unfinished business with Geto. Right after being unsealed, he said he wanted to give him a proper burial, and him dying without being able to do that would feel so wrong. There's a whole arc about his past, about their relationship and how it fell apart, so it feels really necessary that Gojo gets his closure with it (also I need it for mental health reasons). Geto and Gojo's decisions (Geto deciding to commit genocide and Gojo not going after him, then not burying his body after he finally kills him like 10 years later) have had so much impact on the whole story, I hate to think it would end like that. Annnd at the same time, it would kinda suck if Sukuna dies because he's a cool villain so fuck me I guess

[vendettavalor]

⚔️ TV Tropes ⚔️

OBJECTIVE: Browse this website and select 3-10 tropes that represent your chosen character. You may elaborate on these selections if you wish, but it is by no means necessary.

SUTEK MET'HARK

A BEAST IN NAME AND NATURE: An unfortunate consequence of being a child of prophecy - and not the good half of it - is that Sutek is known by several names with very negative connotations. The Black Dragon, the Great Destroyer, or just Mordeu (Death God). As a Sith, his new name of Darth Gore also falls in line with this trope.

BAIT-AND-SWITCH BOSS: In Sutek's case, Sidious is the bait-and-switch. After his fall, Sutek ends up taking over and ruling the Empire from the shadows. He's not named emperor and does not keep power centralized, instead maintaining the idea that the Empire is just "fractured and scattered" to hide the fact that it is still very much alive while he's working on the Palpaclones in preparation for the rise of the First Order.

DRAGON-IN-CHIEF: Followup to the previous trope - despite taking over in Sidious' absence, Sutek still doesn't end up being the true villain in the end. That remains to be Snoke, who takes over once Sutek is redeemed after saving Aurelia.

EX BIG BAD: Sutek post-redemption. Everyone knows what he did since he does come clean after all. They come to realize that he was behind a lot of the more horrifying projects of the Empire. But he's no longer actively working with the Empire and is trying to atone for his misdeeds.

GOD OF EVIL: While not his official title, this is what most people perceive Sutek as. Regardless of the fact that his prophecy states that he can bring peace and harmony to the galaxy if he works well with his sister, the fact that he is the incarnation of a destruction god whose fall ultimately did play a vital role in a creation myth is often conveniently overlooked just so his character can be boiled down to and automatically assumed to be evil. After all, it's easier to assume that destruction god = death god = evil god = reincarnation = evil child. Even if he was just a baby.

INVOLUNTARY SHAPESHIFTING: To a certain degree. Unlike Aurelia, who takes great steps to stop her dragon form from emerging because she has no control over it and doesn't want to acknowledge that it exists for fear of the damage it could do, Sutek leans hard into his. He does have control over it for the most part, but like his sister, intense emotion can just have it BURST out at random.

JUSTIFIED CRIMINAL: In his own mind. Sutek turned to the Dark Side after a mission gone wrong and no backup almost caused Aurelia to die. Because the council didn't believe Sifo-Dyas and his visions. Because it seemed like the Order was more concerned with answering to the Senate than to the people of the galaxy it claimed to serve. And because his own people seemed convinced that he would do nothing but bring about the end of the galaxy as they knew it, no matter how much good he did. He genuinely thought that having the power to control everything via the Dark Side would allow him to prove everyone wrong and protect Aurelia.

PACIFISM IS COWARDICE: A belief shared by a lot of Sith, including Sutek. The idea that the Order is pacifistic by nature and maintains peace by either serving one side or simply ignoring conflict that doesn't involve them despite their self-proclaimed role as intergalactic peacekeepers makes them cowards in his mind. And he refuses to stand by them for it.

STRIKE ME DOWN WITH ALL OF YOUR HATRED: Sutek, especially towards the end of his Sith arc, will goad his enemies into striking him down. It's an ideal taken from Palpatine. If they strike him down, he taunts that they will be just like him, or that they will simply have removed one cog from the machine of the Empire. Further down the line however, it's done more ferally and more as a cry for help: strike him down and put an end to what he is and what he has done.

YOU WOULD DO THE SAME FOR ME: In reference to how Sutek saves Aurelia after brainwashing her into becoming a tool and a weapon of his destruction. Upon realizing that rather than fulfill his intended goal of protecting her he's about to be the cause of her death, he rushes to stop her before she can gore herself. When asked why, he apologizes for everything he has done and all the hurt he has caused her and reiterates that despite it all, she would have done the same for him.

TAGGED BY: @valorums (this was so much fun <3)

TAGGING: Anyone who feels up for it!

[lenteur]

random thoughts about strong girl nam soon, episode three

(read more because i always get carried away lol and this post might contain spoilers)

the look of realization on nam soon's father's face when he recognizes his daughter. You can see him being torn. He knows she's his daughter, call it paternal instinct but at the same time, it's like he doesn't know how to approach her / doesn't want to bother her further. You can clearly see the look of disappointment on his face when she has to go. Disappointment because he doesn't know if he'll ever meet her again. A missed opportunity. A second kidnapping happened, at least in his mind. She's so close but then she's gone.

He ran after her but it was already too late

nam soon is so aloof most of the time that it's funny. She's adjusting to korea from a "foreigner's perspective" there's this décalage between her and the rest of the population and it creates a lot of hilarious situations (ex: her walking off while singing a tune)

she's just so straightforward and unpredictable sometimes and that's why i like her

i really like that they're giving all women in the family their own story and how each one is infamous for something totally different.

Go grandma go!! you show them how strong you are

the slomo in the fight scene = thank you for that

how she slapped him and he went k.o i just full on laughed

the do bong soon x ahn min hyuk scene was a little treat for everyone :)

the nam in scenes don't sit right with me. A lot of fatphobia and making fun of him for eating too much. It's a pity because the show could've used his eating disorder in another way. Talking about it seriously and seeing his journey on weight loss or feeling good in his body and mind. Instead they chose to make fun of him for eating a lot. I'm disappointed

oh so the drug made by doogo caused damage on both ms park gwang ja and the passenger on the plane. The plot thickens.

You can see hwang geum ju has a lot of empathy for others because she believes if she has empathy, people will be kind to nam soon. So it's not natural empathy for others, it's more of a strategy to reach her goal of finding her daughter alive.

In general, her statement is true because if you're kind to others they'll be more likely to be kind to other people as well. But, as shown in the drama, she has an ulterior motive for her empathy/kindness. When she'll find nam soon, i wonder if that empathy will still be in her or not.

Kang hee sik kept his promise. Nam soon was lucky that the first person she meets when landing in korea is a police officer. That way he could get help from his colleagues to find nam soon's mom.

Seeing hwang geum ju cry and release all the worry and fear she had for 20 years, you can see how her reaction is not the same as the one she had with hwa ja. She's very emotional when it comes to her daughter and that's a normal reaction.

Very interesting how the mother corrected herself when calling the dad (from nam in's dad to nam soon's dad). She's held this resentment towards him for so long, but now that nam soon is back, she shares this info with the father and she acknowledges he is indeed her father. It's like nam soon brought them back together.

Geum ju and nam soon finally found each other but they're leaving us on a cliffhanger. That's not fair!

Overall a great episode. I admit i was impatient to see the mother-daughter reunion but I'm glad they developed the villains' arcs a little. Things are progressing and that's all i could ask for.

I'll rate this a 8.5/10

[alittlebitofeverything04]

New Drama Alert - Weak Hero Class 1 (Status: Finished)

Alright chat, let’s have a chat (haha, I’m sorry). So new post series alert. In this post, I’m going to rant about a kdrama all social media talks about when it comes to great dramas; Weak Hero Class 1. Just finished today since I got inspired by Study Group, a new drama I’ll post about later, and damn. Do I have to say, I was not disappointed. Expectations exceeded actually. Was actually bawling my eyes out a little bit ago, still kinda am, and just from that rare occurrence when watching a kdrama, an automatic 10/10 for me. But seriously, I need to rant about this show and its arcs, writing, just everything. So I’m not stop wasting time and yap to help cope with the emotional damage this show left me.

Weak Hero Class 1 Review

1. Introduction - Right from the start, Sieun slamming a book against someone was an amazing start to the series. Great hook, and great misleading character introduction for him. At least, that’s what you think when you first meet him after the intro. But another great this show does is the set up. As this little crash out was just gonna be pay off for the character arc later. And gosh, what genius writing. Also introducing my favorite, Suho, another misleading character intro as we see him sleeping in class and not caring about school. Even though it is using the typical kdrama bully trope, the show finds a way to make it fresh and not feel repetitive in future episodes. Great setup and great introduction again.

2. Writing - Again, let me glaze, but the writing in this show is incredible. One of the best I’ve seen in kdrama so far. This show excels in emotional writing and relationship writing that makes the audience feel attached to these characters while also making each character feel unique with their own personality. Hell, sometimes even the villains get a bit of the spotlight, even if they are just obstacles and setup for future characters. But, another thing I love is how everyone in this show is gray, morally wise. No one here is 100% good nor bad, their home lives and past setting up to make them understandable but not excusable from their actions later on. How it shows and poses questions of what it means to take it too far, how much pain you can take before you say enough and that just because you were hurt doesn’t make it right to dish it out on others, especially your friends. So when our favorite characters does something bad, we of course shout at them no but we understand why they’re doing it. All around, fantastic writing as it takes such a tired out and simple bully concept and finds a way to tell an engaging story about insecurity, pain, and morally questionable themes.

3. Characters - By god, have I never felt so horrible for such a set of characters. Like please, give my boys a break. Especially for Beomseok. And now, I’m going to defend my boy since I’ve been seeing a lot of hate for the character. Now, what he did was inexcusable, terrible. I’m denying that and neither is anyone else in the show. It’s goes back to one of my praises about the show; accountability for its characters. Both from the law and the characters themselves. Beomseok is someone not introduced till episode 2, and we see him as a very shy, quiet kid who keeps to himself. Or at least tries to till the bullies get a hold of him and start pushing the kid around like they did Sieun. But when Suho and Sieun come to his rescue, he still feels hesitant to hang around them, till Suho starts making him feel welcomed and part of the group. Then, they get into some trouble with a gang and Beomseok’s first choice is to just pay the money and get it over with. But his friends say they wanna catch him and lock him up for good, and we see him fighting back against it. Now, the audience may start to see him as a coward and they’re right. I did at this point, even when he goes back on their plan to just give them money, especially if it meant that Suho’s life was at stake. Then, the trio get into trouble, Suho and him get taken, and now they’ve beaten the gang leader and got him thrown in jail along with his associates. Still, Beomseok doesn’t too thrilled about it, and we see why when he gets home to his father who finds out the news and pays the police to keep it under wraps. And, sensitive content, but the little moment of just the punishment his piece of shit father gives him changes everything we know about Beomseok’s character. The complete perspective shift was well done and jarring to saw the least. Now we as an audience understand why he’s the way he is. He’s not a coward, he’s terrified of his father finding out and beating him for trying to make things right. For bringing attention to himself when his father told him to stay low. How he’s practically opposed to making friends or having people know him in fear of his father. So when he goes off the rails, does the bad shit, betrays his friends when he gets a moment of revenge against his bullies from the same people who bullied him, he feels accepted, completely buying into the venom the other bullies spilled about him being Suho’s gofer.

Also wanna talk about people saying ‘All this over Suho not following him on Insta.’ It wasn’t about the Insta following, it was about Beomseok’s insecurity getting the best of him and telling him that Suho was looking down on him and didn’t think he was good enough to follow him back. Remember, Beomseok’s character is all about impressions, how people view him. The first person to ever notice him didn’t bully him and actually treated him like a friend. So when, he doesn’t see that he followed him, but he followed a girl and was paying more attention to her after just barely meeting her, the thoughts in head started to spill lies. I can relate to him in that, but of course, I didn’t nearly kill anyone over this. But Beomseok’s character was a ticking time bomb. The kid was bullied so much that he had to transfer and get therapy for it, starts gettig bullied at his new school about it, then if he tries to ask his father for help, he’ll just get beaten for it. He’s abused everywhere, no wonder the kid went off the rails when given the chance. All the years of abuse, emotional degradation and self-hatred pilling on with no support or outlet, Beomseok finally snapped. Kids like him unfortunately sometimes go down this path as they feel some sense of control and validation through putting down others. He unironically became the people that treated him like shit, that pushed him down his path. His character really is the saying ‘Hurt people hurt people.’ But when he sees Suho not moving, the fog over his brain lifts and he sees through the glass clearly. And the way he breaks, everything crumbling around him was just heartbreaking. At the end of the day, he was a kid who needed proper reassurance, as all of this was due to miscommunication, insecurity and harsh reality.

But another character I wanted to rant about was Sieun and his fantastic character arc. How he went from the quiet boy to total badass was greatly written. It’s first established how smart he is, shown by how he’d rather study than talk to people and how great his grades are. I love this also goes into his personality and what makes him tick, as his parents have never really paid attention to him, not even his academic accomplishments. So he’s like, what’s the point in trying to make friends since no one really cares for me or what I’ve accomplished? Then Suho shows up and throws all that out the window. Suho was the first person in his life to really care for him, regardless of his grades or not. His first ever friend. Someone that stayed even when he tried to push him away. So when Suho nearly dies, his friend who cared for him and fought for him, he breaks. He crashes out and goes to get revenge just Suho would do for him. Taking what he learned from him to strike fear into the bullies and make them pay for they did. Really and truly this time. I love how it shows that while Sieun may not have the fighting skills that Suho does, he’s damn smart enough to make up for it. Using the environment and his smarts to his advantage when it comes to fight was such an ingenious way of making strong without making him a copy of Suho. It made his fighting style unique and in the ending episode, shows how he combined his knowledge with his fighting that gave him the under hand and victory against even an experienced UFC fighter. The arc of him standing up for himself and not being closed off anymore makes him one of the best kdrama characters in the genre. Of course, Suho was amazing as well, acting like a sort of shield and guardian for the others, even apologizing and trying to make Beomseok see reason after what Sieun tells him. That understanding someone and what they’re going through can make a difference. Let’s just pray that he wakes up next season.

4. Acting - Phenomenal. Absolutely brilliant. Brought me to tears, laughter, anger, all the emotions. The 7th episode was enough to make me bawl on its own. Just from the amazing chemistry between and them really getting the audience to be invested in their characters and relationships so when the emotional stuff happens, you feel the distraught emotions they feel as well. They made it feel so real and so fun to watch and I couldn’t be more happy with the cast they’ve presented to use today.

Overall, this show was a fantastic watch. One of the best shows, just in general, that I’ve ever watched. The story and writing make it engaging from the start and find a way to use a simple concept and make it exciting with new obstacles and writing that keep the audience hooked. If not the writing, then the characters themselves are enough to make you feel like part of the gang and cry with them when it all goes to hell. Highly recommend and give this one a try if you have time. But that does it for me, hope enjoyed this longgg ass tangent. Just had to get it off my list since it was so good.

Until next time, bye!

[mermaidsirennikita]

ARC REVIEW: Fall for Him by Andie Burke

3/5. Releases (in audio) 9/3/24.

The Vibes: dislike for Secret Reasons, family baggage, and serious home renos

Heat Index: 6/10

The Basics:

Derek Chang and Dylan Gallagher have disliked each other from the start. Or rather, Derek has disliked Dylan and Dylan has responded in kind. But when Dylan falls through the floor and into Derek's bed, they're thrown together in a big way. Dylan wants to fix the damage himself—and Derek wants to avoid being caught with the dog he's really not supposed to have there (thanks to a breed ban). So... they're stuck in the same one-bedroom apartment for now. And can't seem to keep their eyes off each other.

The Review:

This was going super well for me in a lot of ways. I really love the premise, the meet cute is adorable, Dylan and Derek have great chemistry off the bat, and I appreciate their respective backstories receiving an equal amount of attention. Something I critiqued regarding Burke's last book, Fly with Me, was the fact that the story felt like it belonged significantly more to one heroine than the other. Here, we got POVs from Dylan and Derek, and they came to the table with their own baggage.

Derek is dealing with the long ago death of his father and the impact it still has, having been thrown into this "man of the house" role far too young. Especially with regards to his freewheeling younger sister, as we discover. Although I have some mixed feelings about how this ended up coming to a head, I really appreciated Derek as a character. He was my favorite of the two, and I totally got where he came from, even if he didn't always make the best choices. He was refreshingly real in that sense.

There was a point towards the end wherein I kind of felt like... a lot of things got pushed onto Derek in a way that he didn't really deserve? And it felt like the story wanted me to agree that this was an important part of his development, he deserved this critique, so on. I just wasn't really there. Team Derek.

Dylan, on the other hand, has ADHD and sort of... struggles to be taken seriously by his family. Which was really touching to me, as someone who received an ADHD diagnosis not super long ago. While I wasn't as drawn in to Dylan, I still liked him, wanted to read more about him, appreciated his bond with Derek. Did it sometimes feel like Derek had to step up to the plate for Dylan when Dylan kind of should have taken care of his own shit as an adult? Yeah, at points. But that could be my own inherent oldest sibling energy coming into play.

There were some pacing issues, for sure. While I liked that these two started falling for each other fairly quickly, we kind of went from "was physically into" to "using pet names" a bit too son. It's not that we needed to brake on the physical intimacy—the emotional component was where I got confused.

More troubling for me was a scene in which a neighbor calls the cops on Derek and Dylan. This... was handled in a way I found really tone deaf. Jokes about cops dunking on a wrongful call just don't play correctly to me—not when people die due to how poorly cops handle wrongful calls. And this whole time, the cops are being antagonized by Dylan's sister (who I just didn't like—she took up way too much space in general). It just left a bad taste in my mouth.

So while this was in some ways a step forward from Fly with Me, the issues just made it less enjoyable for me overall.

The Sex:

I did love the sex in this one! It's not a super sex-heavy book, but you get several good scenes, including a particularly excellent incident with knee pads. I mean, they're renovating a house, right? I also really liked the discussion surrounding why one character could be more hesitant about sex.

That said... we taper off left in the middle of a major scene, and I didn't love that. FINISH HIM!

Fall for Him had a strong start, and I wish it didn't have the problems that kept it from hitting the finish line in the same shape. There is a lot of good stuff here. But the flaws are pretty distracting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[moffnat]

This game is so much worse than I ever thought possible.

The Good:

Environments are gorgeous. Graphically sound.

Good music. Love the homages to Trespasser, which had one of my favorite tracks in DA history.

Fun combat with a learning curve. Makes you want to try different builds.

Basically everything that did not require a writer is well-done.

I'd like to give a special shout-out to Davrin and Emmerich's writers. Congratulations, you two had the only well-fleshed romances and wonderfully-written characters in the whole game. (Aside from Solas, who is always a delight, but he has maybe 10 minutes of screen time so it's hard to count him.)

I'd also like to give a shoutout to Taash's VA, who did not deserve the hand they were dealt. You're amazing.

I also love female Rook's VA, the European one. Love hearing an accent that isn't just British in my main character. It gave the character a lot more personality. (If only this game deserved it!)

The Bad:

Act 2 has more holes in it than a tryptophobe's nightmare.

Taash. Jesus Christ. I don't need to say anything about them, just watch this video and then try to defend this character to me.

Bellara's whole character arc was boiled down to dealing with a brother who wanted to "make the elves great again." Come on, can you not give me something more original and lore-friendly? Does everything have to be about how religion is fake and genocide is bad and fascism sucks and BLOOD RITUALS, oh my god, the blood rituals. This is a fucking fantasy game. Take us into a fantasy, not a thinly veiled, poor excuse for writing choices that are clearly you processing your own trauma of real world problems.

None of your decisions from past games matter. I felt more emotion at finding the Joining Chalice from Origins in this game than any other part of the entire fucking game. OG Bioware let players craft their own unique story in this world they created and Veilguard said, "nah, doesn't matter." It does matter.

NO mention of the Hero of Ferelden during this new weird Blight? NO mention of who's ruling Denerim? NO mention of Hawke? In the fucking Fade?

They disrespected Dorian with the most homophobic haircut imaginable.

The Ugly:

Where the fuck is the romance? I've just started act 3 and I've had one, ONE, single romance scene with Harding who is supposed to be my girlfriend. The writers straight up lied on Twitter when they said they consulted intimacy experts. What did you call them for, a free 5 minutes? An exchange of two emails tops? A brief convo at a vegan no-cops-or-military-allowed cafe?

Isabela making a faction that hoards treasure but "makes sure to give cultural artifacts back to their people for a finder's fee" is the most laughable thing I've ever heard. Isabela? The one who fucked over the Qunari and Kirkwall? That Isabela? You deflated her tits AND her personality and that's two steps too far.

I can't believe OG Bioware spent over a decade building the mage/templar dilemma only for Veilguard to say "sorry, too problematic."

The trans representation is disastrous to the point of actually doing damage. Again, I'll let this video take the stage. I fully agree with it.

The Grey Wardens are your military equivalent in this game and they were not given military treatment. I mean to say -- suffering the massive, gutting losses they suffer, and Bioware chose not to go into PTSD, survivor's guilt, the (a)morality of aggressive recruitment, side effects of being trained for war, the immense brother/sisterhood that goes into it, or suffering with loss and violence. NO one paid any due respect to the Wardens after what they went though! (But we all know the military is too problematic of a topic for these inadequate writers. God forbid they speak to someone they disagree with or do any research ever.)

This is not dark fantasy. This is not Dragon Age. This is not moral dilemmas or beautiful characters or violence and tragedy. This was a game written for the whitest, brattiest tenderqueers on Twitter dot com who bitch about how the media they consume isn't good enough for their purity cult.

The only thing Veilguard has left me with is a desire to replay older DA games to remind myself what good storytelling feels like.

finally starting veilguard, wish me luck

[motherwasapapafucker]

You've obviously spoke about the Ghost as a Superman figure within the larger context of Doctor Who but do you think the opposite is possible? A Doctor-like figure within a larger superhero setting?

There's been a couple of attempts, never quite as....jarring as the Ghost but that’s pretty much down to mad scientists and time travel being far more commonplace in superhero settings than overtly super-heroic figures are in Who. To the point the handful of times Who has played with that (Conundrum, Starfall, The Return of Doctor Mysterio) all draw at least some of their story out of the jarring presence of a superhero figure within the narrative. There’s a really nice sequence in Conundrum where the Doctor “explains” the presence of the superpowered figures in a way that reads like he’s as much kidding himself because he would like to think it’s possible as genuinely trying to explain how these people have gained their abilities. Which really feels like a deliberate building on “I wish...I wish I believed in wishing wells” given how Conundrum plays out. There’s obviously the conflation of Captain Britain’s Merlin and Who’s Merlin a couple of times, but that’s really overstated even if only in terms of Britain’s Merlin functionally different beast to the point any doctor connection is largely a minor detail as any attempt at creating a Doctor-like figure. I think then, when it comes to your Doctor-like figure the big thing that would distinguish them from other standard mad scientists and science heroes is the face changing, and basically none of your overtly doctor-influenced characters actually do anything with? Your big one in a standard setting is Professor Gamble in Power Man and Iron Fist #79, who really stands out in terms of being the only doctor-lite comic figure overtly building on Classic Who rather than Cultural Juggernaut David Tennant Doctor Who. Some overlap with Dr. Mysterio’s use of the Ghost in the conflation of the real and fictional but in very different directions; Gamble writing a fictitious account of his own life, dreadlox a fictitious account of the Incinerators. Gamble’s personal Dalek-stand in born of rogue temporal cleaning devices that have decided destroying space and time is the only way to clean everything. Where the overlap falls apart is the fact that Power Man and Iron Fist is arguably a far more flexible book at that point in its history than Who is by the point of Doctor Mysterio. So #79 is less of an out of genre moment so much as just more weird shit happening to Danny and Luke. As far as I know Gamble has popped up here and there since then, and is one of a fairly sizable amount of Who references across Marvel/Marvel UK (Yeah yeah we all know about Death’s Head, W.H.O. and aw that pish) The other big, very very direct and direct to Cultural Juggernaut David Teannant Doctor Who is...weirdly…Qubit in Irredeemable. Which is barely relevant to this question because it’s really not a standard superhero setting beyond the superficial, but bares some comment given it’s arguably the most prominent of recent takes and really hard to ignore how much he’s just David Tennant with a James from Twin Peaks forehead and LEGION hair. Also worth commenting on how fucking strange his entire role in the arse end of Irredeeamble is given the final 20 or so issues largely devolve into “The Tenth Doctor fights Evil Superman.” Given how little that aspect is remarked upon, and how incongruous it is with the broader attempt at presenting an Evil Superman story that gradually pairs back to show that the character’s never really been evil superman because for him to have that “turn” you basically have to have it be the tip of an iceberg that sketches back decades and ultimate reveals the character was never really Superman in any way beyond the iconographic. So the fact that happens while he’s fighting David Tennant is really strange, though I do like so much of that spilling out of the Plutonian forcing Quibit into one of those big, painful NuWho moral decisions, but I really struggle to care about Irredeemable beyond thinking Incorruptible was generally the stronger book towards the end. You’ve also got things like the Allred/Slott Silver Surfer that overtly drew influence from contemporary

Doctor Who, but it’s building on an already distinctive character so it can never really function as a direct one for one. I know, vaguely, that Ben 10 had a Doctor Who figure. But having never watched the show I’m not sure how he appears within the show and tbh I don’t care enough to look into it. I suppose the thing is that Doctor-lite easily slides into a superhero setting without losing too much and without drawing too much attention to the homage while someone like the Ghost is, by basic nature, designed to be at least somewhat strange within the larger normality of the show’s present day. The closest point of comparison I can think of is something like Silver Sentry in TMNT; There’s really nothing in TMNT or Doctor WHo that precludes the existence of “proper” superheroes, nether show is exactly the height of realism but the sudden introduction of basically superman presents a fundamental shift in their respective idiosyncrasies. I imagine people would be tempted to draw a comparison between the Milligan Shade the Changing Man revamp under Vertigo and Who, and given it’s MIlligan I’m sure there was some influence their even if only in terms of an English-coded otherworldly figure who undergoes startling changes across the run, but tbh it’s basically a passing resemblance and kinda overlooks the fact that Shade kinda hilariously preempts a lot of where Who as a franchise goes during the 90s and 2000s. It’s presentation of Shade’s changes as far-more psychologically damaging than classic who’s regeneration compared to some overlap with how NuWho treats the event particularly, but also in terms of the EDAs there’s a fairly notable arc where Shade gives up his heart to cope with a torrent of emotional loss and devastated worlds. Make of that what you will. I still haven’t answered the fucking question have I, right since you’ve asked me you’re going to get my shite, because here’s how I’d do it. There’s only one way really, one word Metalek Because the fucking rule don’t they? Morrison’s first, best Dalek-homage. The Xenoformers from Galaxy X, sentient construction vehicles serving masters that no longer exist. Terraforming the Galaxy one world at a time. Bow before Metalek. So yeah, those guys exist and they’re fucking great. I have...more thoughts than I’d like to admit about the “Metalek Empire” that’s really just self-indulgent pish. But that’s DC comics. So they exist, and they present what’s probably the best approach to a Doctor-alike in a superhero setting. In the same way the Ghost might as well be Superman in a setting where he isn’t the soul focus, you’re Doctor Who figure might as well just be Doctor Who in a setting where, building on the fact the key elements aren’t that notable, they really don’t stand out that much, so what then? Well he’s the mad scientist, but a good mad scientist. Counterpart to all the lunatics and madmen with their metal monsters, who is he? Who’s the grant morrison character fighting the dreaded metalek menace when they aren’t intruding on Superman’s narrative? Who spent decades trapped on earth, leading a reformed STAR Labs into a strange, wonderful new world? It’s Leo Quantum isn’t it. Basically, Leo’s one of those characters like Lan-Shin in Smashes the Klan or John Henry Irons who click perfectly into place with the larger idea of Superman’s social network. And given I’m an egotist, I’m going to do what I like with him building out of that admittedly bullshit old idea he’s future lex back to repent. If the Ghost is a version of Superman who’s world exists in the shadow of the Doctor, Leo would be a version of the Doctor that exists in the Shadow of Superman. He’s not literally Lex, he’s your Kristin Wells/Legion/DC One Million figure, possibly a future Luthor, possibly the first child of the Luthor/Kent families coming together in the far off 42nd century. A temporal adventurer who’s early experiments caused all his potential futures to crash down on top of him, transforming him into a hypertime singularity. His technicolor dreamcoat crafted from fifth world

wondertech, regulating his body to ensure each hypertime strand gets its time in sun while keeping the darker fringes in line….most of the time. Or at least, that’s what I’d do, feel free to discard this as mental bastard bullshit.

[juleswritesthis]

Roswell NM 3x11 Thoughts (I have a lot of thoughts!!!)

Contrary to popular opinion I really liked this episode. Yes, the science was so made up it was funny, yes certain character choices are hilariously silly, yes there was a lot of scenes filled with exposition dump, yes characters disappearing for episodes not to be mentioned as if they don’t exist is jarring & annoying, and omg yes, the Wyatt arc (if you can call it that) fell flat and was a complete waste of valuable screen time. So yes, I agree with most everyone’s assessment. That said still a very enjoyable and entertaining episode setting up the final concluding 2 hours of the season. Let’s get into it.

Jones is highly entertaining, overly good looking, and sometimes hilarious villain. Nathan shines bringing charm and depth to the role. Its important to note that Jones hasn’t caused any lasting damage to the group. Sure, he has tried to kill various members, he’s responsible for putting Maria in a coma & has kidnapped half the cast basically, kept our heroes busy all season. But when it comes to killing or destruction it’s really been focused on the dregs or racist folks of the town, the poor scientist in Santa Fe (I think it was Santa Fe) & the lady at the university last week. No one of any real consequence to our heroes. Now I have no idea if Maria’s vision arc has concluded because it hasn’t been mentioned in forever, but I’m assuming that there will be a major death by season end. Noah killed Rosa and the 2 other girls, abused Isobel for 10 years and destroyed the lives of all the mains. For Jones to be a real big bad there’s got to be some long-lasting consequences to one or more of our mains. Though I’m going into the final 2 episodes with excitement there is some concern. I don’t think any of the mains will perish but I do worry about Sanders and even Heath. (I’m really worried about Sanders y’all especially after that promo!!!)

Jones negotiation with Liz was bizarre. Why negotiate at all? Wouldn’t he just threaten to kill or maim people…what the heck is Liz’s bargaining chip against an all-powerful, evil dictator? If she doesn’t do what he wants he can just start killing folks she loves. It really is that easy. I get the whole creativity inspiration thing but fear for those you love is a great motivator. I was so amused that after hours of discussion Liz pulls out the big guns… free the sheriff. Was that her wild card? Really Liz? She may be a kick-ass scientist with a boatload of courage and sass, but I wouldn’t have her negotiating any of my needs anytime soon.

Isobel and Rosa scenes continue to delight. I think it’s clear Rosa won’t be in Season 4 much. As much as I will miss her, I’m glad that she will find some peace and joy at art school, she deserves it. Unlike Wyatt who does not deserve any tranquility because his redemption (if you can call it that) was not earned. Instead, his memories were wiped along with it any true feelings of guilt and remorse. How can we believe he has truly changed? What happens if his memories return? So silly and completely wasteful screen time (no offense to the actor who is quite good and likable).

The Dallas and Max scenes were wonderful. Don’t get me wrong I prefer the show not tell method. And Dallas conveniently having the entire Oasis history in a memory from his father then regurgitating those memories to Max (and the audience) was not the best way to convey the story. However, the actor who plays Dallas is ridiculously charismatic and I could listen to him recite the phone book (do those still exist?) and be entertained. Plus, for one moment I truly believe that Dallas had gotten through to the constantly self-sacrificing, martyr that is Max Evans. But as the promo for finale proves with Max asking Michael (why Michael?) to kill him, the words didn’t stick. Oh Max…

Speaking of, I truly feel so bad for Max. He’s had it rough. In a span of couple weeks, he’s been told he is a clone of an evil dictator, he isn’t the Savior but in fact a weapon to bring down the real Savior who also isn’t really a savior but a genocidal maniac (Michael’s words not mine) who slaughtered half his planet. Not to mention the “there has to be 3” doesn’t include him, as he isn’t part of the triad. And that because he is a clone, he doesn’t actually have biological parents or siblings or anything, well Michael, by DNA sort of, maybe? Oh, and he is the only thing tethering the evil, psycho dictator to life. I mean…

My hope for Season 4 is that Max gets to process everything he has learned about his existence. He hasn’t expressed how he feels the entire season and he deserves to. I hope the writers don’t have him get over it by season’s end with one scene or worse just sweep it under the rug. Like being a clone of an evil psycho, to be used as a weapon, without any real connection to Isobel and Michael? That’s got to have some lasting effects…please writers let me see it on my screen.

Speaking of show not telling, Michael’s new powers. I not a fan of Michael telling us a story of how he used his mind control powers accidently when he was 18. Can we please see these scenes so we can feel the true emotional impact?

As for these powers, strap in, this is a doozy (and might be controversial). I, like Michael, feel that taking someone’s free will, no matter who they are is not a good power to have; it’s not fun, it’s not cool. Michael is right that’s some dark shit and a power that needs to be used very sparingly and with a ton of responsibility.

I loved the scene between Sanders and Michael, but I have a couple issues with some of the dialogue. Sanders is the only living person (other than Jones) that knew and loved Nora. Thus, he can speak about her with authority. He is also the only person who is any kind of real parent figure in Michael’s. Thus, him saying Michael has no darkness can be believed. He knows Michael and he knows Nora. However, Sanders doesn’t know what its like to have powers, especially an immense power such as mind control. Though I appreciate Sanders’ perspective (and agree with him about the purity of Michael’s soul) I wasn’t a big fan of him brushing away Michael’s fears about having mind control powers and not wanting to use them. Yes, it’s important for Michael to recognize just because he has Jones’ power doesn’t mean he is or will ever become Jones. It’s not the powers that make a person. But the line about Nora not fearing her powers was not helpful. Nora’s powers were telekinesis, engineering (if genius is a power) and possibly miraculous crop growth. None of these powers take away a person’s ability to control their actions (well telekinesis to a certain point but in nowhere near actual mind control). So of course, Nora didn’t fear her powers.

I wish someone had validated Michael’s fears instead of brushing them away with a few words of you have no darkness or in Isobel’s case you aren’t like Jones/Noah. A person does not have to be evil or bad to misuse a power like mind control & for that misuse to have dire consequences. Can you imagine being able to make people do what you want them to do at any time? Even if your intent is to do good, it doesn’t mean it’s something that should be done or won’t have major consequences. Sort of like the ends justify means conversation between Jones and Liz. What is the line, do you recognize it and what’s to stop a person from inches towards the line and what happens if you cross it?

So, my wish for next season is for Michael like Max is given time to process what he has learned about himself and his powers. My wish is for Michael is to continue to struggle with when, how and if he should use the mind control power. That way even when faced with a racist sheriff that is holding a gun to his friends, he is careful, asks for consent and never takes advantage of this tremendous power. In addition, I do think it would be very interesting to continue to explore these powers and how they maybe could change a person? Take Max’s power to give and take away life force. He killed Noah and used that life force (and his own) to bring Rosa to back to life. Seems like a good exchange but ethically and morally having a person decide who lives or dies? And how would this all fit into religion with Dallas being a priest? These could make for some great conversations and strong character development. Fingers crossed we see some of it and not just get told in passing.

The music in the episode was amazing. The beginning with Nothing Else Matters and Jones is a tux… I mean… Also, the ending with the fight sequence, building the suspense, only for the reveal to be that Jones had wanted them all to come so he could trap Liz, Dallas, and Max along with Isobel and Michael (for extra leverage) in his mind. I’m confused about why everyone was sitting but Michael was standing? Is he able to move or is he able to resist his father’s mind control? I’m really looking forward to next week and for Team Human to come to the rescue (maybe).

Favorite lines of the episode:

Sanders to Michael: “You are just a pair of sad puppy dog eyes and a cowboy hat”

Jones to Team Alien & Liz: “Well, everyone seems a little tense” (LOL I love Jones!)

Dallas (or Isobel) writing on the wall to Jones: “KNOCK, KNOCK”

[rebo-chan]

OGH LOU EMOTIONAL DAMAGE!!!!

Never apologize for bringing up Ring battle that shit was tasty as hell. Besides the stuff you mentioned, another charming moment during the Ring battle was Ryohei saying he's raised the 10 meter rule in order to fit Hibari and Chrome in their chant. ksGJN he's so important to me. Also yes!! Reborn is such a character that you know he cares just generally, but when it comes out and you see how fierce it is, its just so cool. The "Xanxus, what did you do to Vongola the Ninth?" scene was just SO good!!!

As for Xanxus, I feel like a good future arc scene to point out that even though he's like /that/ we can deduce he cares about the Vongola is the classic "It doesn't matter if there's internal conflict. In times of crisis, when there's scum from the outside attacking us, the Vongola stand united" while just generally a cool line really help you as the audience member understand that for all of Xanxus's actions during Varia arc, the Vongola are so important to him. He takes his position so seriously!! They're his family and he won't let some outsiders ruin his family for him.

ALSO YES WE LOVE THE FEMALE SOLIDARITY IN THIS SERIES!!! On that conversation, Bianchi is a true girl's girl fr. She is never caught lacking when it comes to supporting the girls in the series, if nobody got their back, Bianchi got their back.

Mukuro and Chrome's relationship in canon actually drives me so mad its so interesting!! I thought it was immediately interesting how Chrome was the one who decided to reject his illusions because this whole time their relationship has been equal but it wasn't anymore after he had escaped from Vindice Prison. How he accepts this, but you can still see the worry on him where he tells Tsuna about everything that's happened. I actually feel so insane about Mukuro and Chrome as characters they're so fun.

You also mentioned Haru and Kyoko doing whatever they could to support the boys. Not to talk about the boycott episode again haha, but even then, they don't stop the boycott because the boys give in and tell them ultimately but because they see the exhaustion on the boys, the scars on Chrome, Chrome telling them that Tsuna and co's injuries are far worse than hers and they give up because of THAT. They realize that whatever secret the boys are hiding doesn't matter, because the people they love are overwhelmed and they need to help. And that's?? so good?? Then for Tsuna to realize that they deserve to know after he's fooled into Kyoko running off and Kyoko telling him that he doesn't have to tell her. Like!! c'mon!! it was so good!!!

You make such an interesting point about Iemitsu too. He says that he cares and he DOES do stuff for Tsuna, but it's so vehemently rejected by Tsuna. It doesn't feel real because nothing Iemitsu says ever has any weight to it. Iemitsu tries to tell the audience he's a great and caring father, but we don't see it. Iemitsu tries to have bonding moments with Tsuna. Something that in a different show would stick with you as an audience member, but it doesn't HOLD up because he's not there! He doesn't show up when Tsuna needs him. And that's just so interesting. Thank you for giving me that brain rot haha

This show does character relationships so interesting you're so right. Definitely a show where actions speak louder than words.

I think one of my favourite moments in the series is the end of the storm battle. for one i am a die hard gokudera fan and in my opinion only the gamma fight surpasses it. And on the other-

The fact tsuna who is usually so reserved and just lets dera do his thing despite telling him quietly "you really don't have to"

Gets SO pissed at Gokudera for DARING to put his life on the line for this. A piece of jewelery and an empty title..

He calls it all meaningless if that means they cant just hang out together anymore.

Dera who links his own worth as a human being to his usefulness and position as a mafiosi is told "I just want you alive and by my side" in i think one of the most direct "this is the core of the whole series" moments we get.

When yamamoto faces ken he still holds back bc he doesnt want to get injured but as soon as TSUNA is in danger he says "fuck it" and gets serious.

In the shimon arc hibari picks up on tsunas depressive state and it annoys him so he changes that in his own way.

Its how mukuro in the rainbow trials cares for a tired fran.

Its how during the ring battles the girls and mama Sawada CONSTANTLY visit Lambo to make sure he is okay.

Its also how tsuna saves him in the first place. Fuck the rings, fuck the position, fuck this whole stupid arangement of fights- he has to save his family.

These people often get violent with each other and agressive, they bicker and they fight, but when the chips are down, all they care about is each other.

Most shounen protags have some kind of dream or goal, Tsuna just really really wants a quiet life and to spend that with his friends and family. The whole mafia buisness is just what he needs to do to keep that family he gained safe. Nothing tsuna EVER does is motivated by some ulterior motive for fame or riches. Its either him being FORCED into action bc he was literally kicked into it by reborn, or its because he has to resolve the situation to keep his friends and family safe.

The Caallone has a FUCKTON of members and so does the vongola and Tsuna really really really really REALLY doesnt care for any of that because in the end his own world is very small compared to the mafia.

I have to think of that one quote "why do you want to save this planet?" -"Because I live here!" for tsuna it would be "because my family lives here."

I mean be Tsuna isn't "heroic". Yeah he cares about other people and strangers, he helps old ladies, but when something is going on his go to isn't "I have to do something!" it's uauslly "man I hope SOMEONE does something. Not gonna be me tho!"

Sorry for the long ask i just wanted to rephrase what you said basically and send it back to you

HELLO AGAIN, thank you for the ask. Don't apologize at all for length, I'm absolutely foaming reading this.

I'm so glad you get what I was going for in the post. Those moments drive me insane. "They bicker and they fight but when the chips are down, all they care about is each other" and "Because my family lives here" I FEEL ABSOLUTELY INSANE ABOUT THESE LINES. You're so so right!!! The Vongola kids bully and tease and are nasty to each other, until it comes down to it and they fight tooth and nail for each other. Exactly what I was going for. The series doesn't need those scenes where Tsuna tells Gokudera he cares about him and they're warm and cuddly towards each other, bc it comes through in his words when meek and reserved Tsuna yells at him and tells him to stop trying to die for him or for some stupid ring. And I think that's so fun!! All the other stuff you listed also drives me so insane. For yamamoto, him letting himself get injured for Tsuna's sake was so good and Tsuna's love for Yamamoto shone through there too because Tsuna saw the injury and felt such immense guilt only apologizing for ruining everything for Yamamoto. Only for Yamamoto to go "No, I'm fine. As long as YOU'RE safe" like that's so good???

The Hibari thing?? How he sees Tsuna's depressed state over it all and all he says to comfort him is "Watch me." because that's all he could understand about the situation. That if he wins his fight, somehow Tsuna will cheer up. and its just so???? GOD ITS JUST SO FULL OF LOVE. Every character in this series shows love in their own ways and it drives me maddd

Mukuro taking care of a tired child too doesn't surprise me with his backstory. He's so gentle with people that are in "his care" even if he won't actively admit it.

The girls as well I'm so glad you pointed them out!! We so like to ignore them in this fandom and thats so sad bc the series makes it really clear that they are part of this equation too. That without their support, the fighters would not have made it. Tsuna could relax knowing Mama Sawada and the girls were watching Lambo and focus on his fight. And during future, he could focus on his training. Not to mention, they're just so supportive especially after they find out what's going on. The boycott episode and its resolution are some of my favorite scenes in Future, it makes me insane that the show gave the girls a Moment to remind us that they too are both deeply loved and ALSO love the boys just the same.

You're so right about Tsuna not being heroic, hell even in Shimon arc Enma is being bullied right infront of him and its Reborn that has to be like "STOP OR SAWADA TSUNAYOSHI WILL HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!!" He's kindhearted and he's got a good moral compass.. It's hard to explain, but you basically have to be IN Tsuna's circle for you to get that sort of "I will die for you" behavior kksjng otherwise he sorta reverts back to his "who me? im just a 14 yr old boy im nobody"

Thank you for sharing Lou (Or eternitas, whatever you'd prefer!) Spreading my own brain rot back at me very nice :^)

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Retrospective Review: The Lego Batman Movie

When I first saw The Lego Movie, I really wasn't expecting much. I loved Legos as a kid but a movie based on Legos didn't feel like it was targeted at me and was more for younger kids. I went with my friend and his younger brother and I walked out having had a blast, with Lego Batman being one of the scene stealing characters. However, I was still slightly apprehensive on whether an entire movie can be made on what was a fun, but fairly one note, side character. Turns out that I was apprehensive for no reason because The Lego Batman is not only a complete joy to watch, but is also surprisingly emotional.

The film actually does an excellent job of balancing the tone. At its core, this is an action comedy. There is a lot of humor, quite a bit of it at the expense of the previous movie version. The film has some good natured fun with BvS, Justice League, TDK movies etc.... But at no point does it become an outright parody. The film still manages to explore the character of Batman and the damaged and lonely person that he is, even in the context of a fun animated Lego based movie. And it also does an incredible job exploring the Batman and Joker dynamic. You genuinely feel bad for the Joker when Batman refuses to acknowledge him as his arch nemesis. The film very effectively explores how lonely Batman, and his refusal to accept help from Robin, Barbara Gordon, or Alfred. He even refuses to admit that he has a problem. The film has a great character arc for Batman as he goes from being a self centered hero to being humble enough to accept help to even. The plot is actually pretty fun because you get to have Joker team up with non Batman villains like Sauron and Voldemort, among others. The film is around an hour and 45 mins and its incredibly snappy. The film movies at a fast pace and you are never bored, and yet it managed to give enough character moments for the heroes and the villains. The animation is absolutely gorgeous and the action scenes are thrilling.

There is really not much here in terms of negatives. The film could afford to be a little longer, in order to let the characters breathe a bit and allow the characters' emotional journeys to be a little more impactful. The film is very much focused on Batman's character journey so the secondary characters, while all fun, don't exactly get a lot of character development. If you really wanted to nitpick, you could say that the defeating of all the powerful villains was a little too easy and the resolution happened very quickly. But that's really a fairly minor nitpick.

The voice acting is awesome across the board. Will Arnett is really great as Batman. He's having a lot of fun in the role but he also manages to toe the line between serious and humor perfectly. Zack Galifianakis is an awesome Joker. Michael Cera as Dick Grayson is funny as a young Dick Grayson. Ralph Fiennes is hilariously dry as Alfred and Rosario Dawson really good as Barbara Gordon. There are fun supporting roles from Jenny Slate as Harley Quinn, Channing Tatum as Superman, among others.

Chris McKay does a real good job as director. I don't know if he directed anything before this, but I liked The Tomorrow War, that he also directed, so I think he has talent. Hope to see his Nightwing project, if it ever materializes. Overall, this was a real fun time. An 8.5/10.