#this is also why people dislike the episodes that focus on the people who live in beach city. and decry those episodes as ''filler''

[juney-blues]

For the last time, the Diamond Authority in Steven Universe isn't a stand-in for actual fascism, it's a vehicle for the queer power fantasy of getting your transphobic grandma to understand.

[immortalthunderstorm]

Criston Cole and Fandom Perception

There seems to be this idea that Criston's character and motivation solely revolves around Rhaenyra, which seems to be a fandom-wide belief. I won't deny that she plays a part on his development, but even that is more about who he is than what she means to him.

I'll provide my personal interpretation.

The overarching theme for Criston, something that was deeply explored by Jaime as well (who in the books refers to Criston as a man of duality), is that the idea of knightly valour in theory is rarely applicable in practice. A knight in theory is meant to be honour-bound, fearless, principled and chivalrous, obey each of their vows. Their name and the Ser they have earned is a badge of prowess and honour.

Especially the Kingsguard, having sworn off all "earthly" pleasures in order to serve their monarch for life, have a deep sense of focus on this as their duty is a singular one, while also having sworn their knightly vows before their Kingsguard ones. The Kingsguard is seen as this incorruptible, elite force of the very best of knights, a high office to have and the dream of even many of the highborn knights. The societal regard for this office is also very high.

Criston is not highborn. He's the son of a steward, Dornish, and unlike many highborn sons who are trained and fostered to rise the ranks and bring glory to their already established name at tourneys, he had to get there the hard way. The show makes this explicitly clear in the scene where Otto suggests choosing a knight with a good name to the Kingsguard, and Rhaenyra chooses Criston for his real experience (points can be made that she's also attracted to him, or impressed by his tourney feats, but she is not in the wrong here. Most knights at this time have never seen real battle, as Rhaenys says to Corlys)

His vows represent everything he has accomplished for himself "all that [he] has to [his] name" - his entire self worth.

Criston's speech on the boat is not about him being in love with Rhaenyra. He explicitly says he thinks it's the only way to wash the stain off his honour and name. He's desperate and of course it's a bad plan, but it's the only way out he sees with the prospect of death and torture now looming over his head in ever waking hour (see Ser Lucamore the Lusty). That's why he's so jumpy the whole episode and the next. He's paranoid about being exposed, and that's why he's so angry that Rhaenyra simply wants him to be her "whore". She's not in love with him either, it's all just about sex for her while it's a life or death situation for him. That's why he breaks down to Alicent so quickly and almost unprovoked, and confesses and asks for a swift death.

"I took an oath. As a knight of your Kingsguard. An oath of chastity. I've broken it. I've soiled my white cloak. And it's the only thing I have to my fսcking name! I thought if we were married, I might be able to restore it."

His devotion for Alicent also isn't primarily motivated by his dislike for Rhaenyra. To him, she's his second chance to live up to his ideals. She's his "Lady of Honour", the person he sees as the perfect example of a dutiful woman (as fostered by the society they live in) . Her he can chain his own sense of honour to, safely devote himself to without conflicting feelings, and be his idealistic version of what a white knight should be.

I'm not saying his behaviour is logical, knightly hypocrisy is one of the central themes across GRRM's work, but it's a lot more complex than what a lot of people make it out to be (everything is about Rhaenyra)

I'm also tired of this situation being simplified to "he's just an angry Incel" by this fandom. It's much deeper than that and I don't get the absolute demonisation of Criston who's a very complex character.

People just love to look for some ulterior reasons to justify their hatred for a him. It's absolutely fine to dislike Criston if they want, but applying these pseudo-psychological frameworks to him is getting old very quickly.

He is not an incel, he pretty much tells Rhaenyra he's been with at least a couple women before joining the Kingsguard, and it's not like he's angry at her because she doesn't want to sleep with him, on the contrary she pretty much offers him to be his 'paramour' and he gets upset because he doesn't want to be used for sex at the risk of his life. The whole point is his extreme sense of honour and paranoia of breaking his vows.

Similarly the Madonna-Whore complex doesn't check out because this only applies to his dislike for Rhaenyra, not sexually active women in general. Criston hates one (1) woman and that's more for personal reasons than religious extremism - he's very respectful and polite to the prostitute in ep 9, does not treat her as someone lesser or sullied or sinful despite being religious. He pretty much says to Aemond that all women should be treated with respect.

This man insults one woman (who he has personal beef with) once, and immediately apologises for it, yet the fandom seems hellbent on him being some raging misogynistic incel.

(If we want to start throwing stones, Daemon calls people bitches, whores and cunts in almost every episode lol.)

[fandomsandflyingstingrays]

Full thoughts on season 7! (Or at least, as many as I can remember, sleep-deprived and emotional as I am)

Starting off positive: things I liked!

THE RUTHARI REUNION WAS EVERYTHING

Runaan's gentle kiss to Ethari's hand? The way the camera rotated around them for their kiss?? Their hug afterwards??? Ethari's little "my heart"???? This was worth the six-year wait

The moonfam in general was one of my favorite things about this season. Runaan calling Rayla his daughter again, his and Ethari's unconditional support of her, the way they interacted with Callum... it was exactly what I dreamed of

And speaking of Runaan: his speech to Ezran in 7x09 will be living in my head forever. The way his tears weren't pretty, they were real. The was he said "I'm alive". It was such a stunning conclusion to his arc

On that note: the voice acting? Spectacular. Callum and Soren had me in floods of tears when they met in the ruins of Katolis. And don't even get me started on Zubeia during her fight with Avizandum

The lighting and music were also so on-point

TERRY'S REDEMPTION ARC LET'S GO

His speech to Claudia was stunning

Also, his "hello, Zuko here" moment made me cackle

I love that he and Soren are on their way to friendship, I always thought they'd get along

I also really liked that Aanya was present throughout the season! Every time she was in an action scene I was screaming

I thought the plotline with Miyana being pregnant was really interesting, because it presents a moral dilemma that isn't explored a lot. Plus, the way Karim reacted, calling the baby his heir and never his child, was very telling of his mindset and priorities

This is going to sound really weird, but I loved the moment of Rayla taking up Runaan's bow to fulfill his promise. Like, obviously it's tragic and I was in tears, but also, it really shows her respecting Callum's agency? She was able to respect his choice and put his wishes above her own needs, and it was cool to see

I'm so glad they addressed the bird theory. There was way too much of a focus on Pip for it not to go somewhere

Things I disliked:

There were times when the animation really threw me off. Like, after Callum froze all the guards in 7x02 and they were trying to break free, they were just... tapping the ice with their weapons. Really slowly. It kind of axed any urgency. And during Ezran's speech at the end, some of the characters in the background were just... done in a completely different style? I'm sure it was a reference to something, but as someone who doesn't know what that was, it really took me out of what was supposed to be an important scene

There was a lot of explaining things over and over. Yes, we know Aaravos never lies, you don't have to keep telling us. Yes, we know the Orphan Queen wielded the nova blade, you don't have to keep telling us. Yes, we know people are not all good or all evil. You used to be really good at showing that instead of making speeches about it once an episode

Also just a lot of monologuing? Like, why did Callum have to explain in detail to Aaravos his plan to trap him before he did it? I know we the audience needed to know but from a strategic point of view, it was... not the smartest he's ever been. It would have made more sense if he was trying to explain it to Rayla, I think

It didn't really... feel like a finale. They left a lot of loose ends open, and beyond that, it felt like there was very little payoff for things that had been set up throughout the arc. Why did we spend two seasons looking for the nova blade if we were never going to use it? Why did we spend all arc foreshadowing Callum's corruption if it was never going to happen? I get that they left it for arc 3, but even so, the resolution of an arc should still feel like a resolution, much like arc 1 did

(Also, are we ever going to come back to that hallucination Callum had? Like, is he not at all concerned by the fact that he had a conversation with himself with seemingly no magical involvement?)

I wish we had gotten to see Anya act like a person. It was great to have her around, but it felt like she was in queen mode the entire time, and I'm really curious about who she is beyond the crown

Finally- the thing that I disliked the most was the way things with Callum, Ezran, Rayla, and Runaan were handled in 7x02, because it made it very hard for me to root for Callum and Rayla afterwards. I totally understand that Rayla has an attachment to Runaan and Callum has an attachment to Rayla, but neither of them seemed to actually consider Ezran at all. Like, here is this twelve-year-old boy, who just lost the home he lived in his entire life. Who lost his father at a very young age and, as a direct result, was forced into a responsibility that he absolutely should not have had to carry. I feel like at the very least the people who are supposed to love him the most could say, "hey, I understand that you're angry" instead of treating him like he's totally unreasonable. And then! They just leave him! A twelve-year-old who just lost his entire home! Who has literally no other family! And whenever they talk about mending things, it's never, "oh, I'm sorry I left, I'm sorry I never took time to validate how you were feeling", it was just "we're family, we'll find our way back to each other eventually". That's not how it works. When there's a hurt like that, you don't just stop being angry without coming to an understanding. I love Runaan, and I wanted him to be free and happy, but I also think that he did in fact commit a murder (yes, technically just of a bird, but he didn't know that) and it's reasonable to expect him to face some consequences. Even if it's just, like, community service. You can be merciful without condoning

But just to be clear: I have absolutely no ill will for anyone with different views on this plot point. My frustration with it is more from a personal perspective than a writing one- my dad was killed a few years ago, so I'm siding with Ezran from an emotional standpoint. But I thought the plot was worth mentioning, since it really affected how I viewed the rest of the season

Overall, as a season, book 7 had a lot of moments that I really loved and will be rewatching very often. But as a potential sendoff, it didn't really leave me with much of a sense of closure. Fingers crossed for arc 3, I suppose!

[rosakuma]

Predictions on What Might Happen in Drdt ch.3 Part 2

Continuing from part 1:

Hu: So going with Hu, I think with Levi being injured, David being revealed to be a scumbag and distrustful, and Eden probably not being able to be the best condition to help everyone, Hu will probably try taking this role as leader. To which…will immediately backfired I feel like. Mostly because Hu is as flawed and a hypocrite as everyone is. Hu has always trying to be the mother role model for the group and we seen how her efforts to be fails. Along with the fact she did let herself get too attached to Nico for whatever reason(maybe she sees her self in them thus why she projects in protecting them so much) which lead to her defending an almost murder and worsening Ace’s state to commit to his plan. She says at the end of ep16 she doesn't believe they need to blame themselves for Ace killing Arei. Which while yes, it is Ace’s fault for killing Arei and making others dislike him. But that does not mean that they’re all innocent in this either. Her, David, Veronika, Teruko a little bit at the beginning, Nico, and Arturo with the part with Eden are responsible factors for the entire mess happening too. I think Hu will try to deflect blame off of her and focus on trying to gaining Nico’s trust again, to which I think they’ll probably blow up on her. Why? Oh well mostly because of her constantly talking over them and trying to defend them resulting them looking worse. This I think will also leave Hu in a vulnerable state to where she might struggle in this chapter as well.

Nico: Nico will definitely struggle thanks to the consequences of their actions last chapter. With almost committing murder on Ace, this will lead to them probably being isolated by the group or the group being suspicious on their actions towards them. I mean Nico really is screwed as if another murder happens, they will immediately be a suspect. Rose will have hard time forgiving them or even to hang out with them since they made her felt used+ even themselves admitted to not trusting anyone. Hu trying to hang out with them will make them both look bad since it will be hard for anyone to trust them not being suspicious of the next murder. I think Nico will go through a rough patch next chapter due to this and have a hard time taking responsibility since they think no one will ever forgive them for it. I hope maybe Nico can be able to still apologize in the end and make up with Rose or anyone for them to have potential friends again.

Levi: Okay so Levi’s fate is undetermined right now due to whether or not Arturo can save him. Personally I believe Levi will live and go through a character arc of learning how to empathize with others and even grieve over deaths since I think Ace’s death/sacrifice will help with this. Mostly to show Levi that despite how hard it is to understand people, there are people who care about him and want him alive despite him being revealed as a murder. To which I hope Levi ends up as a survivor as I am very interested in this potential character arc for him. Although the question remains will Levi be able to participate in the class trial for ch.3 or be out of commission until ch.4 like how Nekomaru was in DR2 when he got fatally injured?

David: Alright..lets get to David. So with David definitely taking the antagonist role and knowing his goal towards the killing game. I assume he will take advantage of causing murders to happen just like in ch.2. Which while it will be harder for him to easily manipulate others since he reveal his true colors, I think with how this group is going, they’re going to make his job easy. Also begs the question about Teruko’s secret since we know that David actually has Teruko’s secret and not Xander’s(evidence in the second bonus episode ). Will David reveal Teruko’s actual secret, keep quiet about it until later in the story, or use it to blackmail Teruko into something since we know that secret will destroy any trust others will have towards her.

Rose: Finishing off with Rose, just like Charles, she is traumatized by Levi almost dying and Ace dying. My girl cannot catch a break huh? I think Rose’s mental state is getting worse with her memory affecting her in both forgetting and remembering the deaths clearly. Not to mention being tired all the time and Nico’s betrayal towards her. This can lead to bad things for Rose if she cannot get good support from others like Teruko or Eden. I mostly think Rose will be involve with the possible storyline with Nico next chapter while maybe developing a stronger relationship with Teruko since she defended her in the trial.

With that out of the way of establishing where each our characters are at, lets start discussing how I think the chapter will go.

I’ve seen people in the fandom point out how Drdt seemingly follows some similarities to DR1 specifically in each chapter along with the motives. To which if true, then that would mean ch.3’s motive would be about money. Now if the trend of the motives not actually being the reason why a murder occurs continues, then it makes sense no one in the group will murder for money. The only two characters I think could actually used and need the money is Teruko and Rose. We know clearly Teruko isn’t going to do that as even though it technically would help her not be homeless anymore, she already decided on living in the killing game since it provides her nesscities free of charge. Plus I think she would believe her luck would just destroy the money or anything she bought with it anyways. Now Rose on the other hand could actually use the money as a way to maybe get out of her debt to Richard Spurling since he is the only reason to get her family out of poverty. But I don't think she will murder anyways as she doesn't seem like the kind of person to plus her mental state of seeing dead bodies is so bad, I don't think she’s capable of committing murder without it scarring her permanently.

So what will actually cause the murder? Simply put, discord in the group. No not the app or the chaotic draconequus, the huge disagreement on the group’s part. What I mean exactly is how I think everyone will be at each other throats for having another murder committed. There definitely some in the group who either is to blame to some part of Ace killing Arei, think they are to blame for what happened when they’re not, or are innocent in the matter. The people who caused part of the problems last chapter I think will try to deflect blame off of them and create discourse in the group about not accepting consequences of your actions. This will cause others who want them to take accountability for it to be frustrated and might cause people to isolate each other out of distrust(basically pull a Teruko). Now not everyone I believe will be like this as I think Teruko, Charles, Whit, Rose, Levi, and Eden will be out of the equation in terms of the blame game. J I think definitely with being the most outspoken on murder and morals will be the leading one in wanting others to take accountability even if she doesn't forgive the murder for killing. Hu I think will try to not take any blame for Ace’s murder, Veronika will either deny it or accept it without guilt, David dgaf he’ll either admit it or say f*ck off, Nico while taking accountability for doing wrong in committing the murder, won’t apologize for it as they don't expect forgiveness towards them plus not thinking its their fault for others’ actions(hence that secret quote) and Arturo we know definitely will try not taking accountability for his actions since he already doesn't want to acknowledge he has a part in his sister’s death.

With that being said, there is two ways I think the daily life will go in terms of how it will lead up to the murder.

Way 1# Matchmaking~❣️

That's right! Whit is going to match make everyone! Truly if everyone joins together and form the ultimate polycule, everyone shall be saved!/j Okay okay for real though, I do believe Whit will actually use his match making talent, but not for shipping wise and instead to try to get everyone to be on friendly terms again. Mostly like the stress of the group might have Teruko or Charles suggest to Whit to try using his talent to help everyone. This can lead to some interesting combos and a potential pair that might end up causing the murder.

Why you may ask? Well going onto how DR1 ch.3 went. Celeste manipulated Hifumi into killing Kiyotaka before then killing him to be able to escape with the million dollars promised by Monokuma. Meaning victim B work with the killer to kill victim A and then the killer killed victim B would they were working for. Thus allowing the two victim count to happen.

Way 2# Despairful Entertainment 😈

With the group in shambles and barely hanging with everyone blaming another for what has happen, this cause others to be more distant to each other. With high tensions, you think there would’ve been more drama right? Well perhaps, but I assume everyone would think it be better to rather interact less with each other while still seeing each other. Thus less conflict and paranoia of someone trying to murk them. While leaving in the air of who is to blame for this misfortune upon them. I’ll cut to the chase here and say this route is mostly the idea for a Veronika culprit or at least victim B route. Mostly because this fits her of taking matters in her own hands just to be able to entertain herself again or in a twisted way, try getting the group back working together for one goal? Because with no one interacting with each other or willing to hang with each other, this will cause Veronika to probably panic and worry since her excitement over horror or murder is the only thing preventing her from committed that on herself.

Okay going through the two scenarios, who would be our main culprit and who would be our victims? Since we established that the culprit this chapter would have to be a girl or one of the guys to balance the gender ratio, lets go over our options.

Culprit option 1: Veronika Yep, kinda obvious she was a pick with route 2 tailoring to her. Not to mention a lot of people(including me) are thinking she’ll die in ch.3 as she does fit the vibes of a ch.3 killer. Now yes, there has been conversations before that disprove she would try to commit murder as that would prevent her from continuing the killing game to see all the thrills and kills+she might not want to die since her secret is her trying to take up her talent to prevent SH. But in this scenario, she’s desperate and push to her limit to act. Even if scenario 2 doesn't happen, I can see this happening in scenario 1 IF Veronika gets paired with David. Why you ask? Well since David’s would still try to continue his goal of ending the killing game via getting everyone kill, I can see him trying to manipulate any of the others in a way they don't suspect it to get them to kill. Not to say that David gonna immediately tell Veronika to “Go kill someone”, but rather put the idea in her head via paranoia of what will happen if no murders happen. Which kinda would be karma in a way towards her because she used scare tactics to scare Ace into good behavior when it just increase his paranoia and desire to kill to save himself. David using a scare tactic or something to increase Veronika’s paranoia of what will happen to her if she doesn't act sounds perfect to me. Plus even though this isn’t really a thing to have to be required to fit the parallels to DR1’s ch.3, the ch.3 culprit of that game was very obivious and since we all think she’s gonna be the culprit, yeah it fits the bill. But unlike Celeste, I think Veronika would be able to create a way more complicated murder that makes it hard to pin it on her since she has a lot of knowledge on murders thanks to her horror talent.

Culprit option 2: Hu Sorry Hu nation for accusing your girl again, but to be fair….she would make sense to be a culprit this chapter. NOW HEAR ME OUT! Hear me out, this is in no way saying Hu will be the killer because of Hu hate. Despite me being mad and disliking Hu at the moment, I do like her character in being a flawed individual who’s trying to change from the past. Though we know despite Hu trying to change from the “hopeless” girl she was in the past, she’ll been struggling with that in trying to be the mother/supportive figure role. Knowing how Hu is going to face consequences of keep trying to defend Nico from last chapter will cause others to either not trust her word anymore or be upset at her trying to know what to do to help the group without letting them decide since she is known for kinda talking over others(mostly Nico). Not to mention our poor girl will probably be struggling trying to take the leader role that David had now that he’s no longer fulfilling that and the support role since I think Eden will be in a bad state of mind to be unable to fulfill that role too. With all that pressure and this group looking down hill, I can see her survival instincts kicking in and telling her “You must escape”. Now that would kinda be too similar to Ace’s motive of “I don't want to die”, which is why back then I thought she was the ch.2 killer as before I figured she would kill Arei to be able to live and change. But perhaps this time the motive while also being to live, Hu probably would commit murder to avoid having to pay for what she has done. Specifically her secret quote is what makes me feel like she could be a culprit whether this chapter or the next. Hu: I want to pay for what I’ve done. But even then, I still want to live. Hu feeling responsible for what happened last chapter whether its either to cause Ace to commit murder, defending Nico despite them being in the wrong, or to talk over others like Nico and projecting what she think they’re feeling(when its actually her), I can think it would be some something hard for her to accept. Hu needs to feel important as while we don't know much of her backstory yet, Hu seems to need to be this role as perhaps it's what only keeping her going to prevent her from going back to her old self. This could definitely work in scenario 2 even if I tailored that route to be more of Veronika route as with the group in shambles, Hu can’t be the role figure to help them. To save them, to save herself.

Culprit option 3: Arturo Arturo is as of right now actually kinda hard for me to see as a ch.3 killer as much he might fit the vibes, I feel like the end of ch.2 is actually setting up some character development and spotlight for him that doesn't seem like its leading to him committing murder? But let's go over the hypothetical anyways in both scenarios. So if scenario 1 happens, whether he gets paired with David who manipulate him or someone else, I can see the activity just not working regardless and tensions are still high. We know that Arturo will definitely get some blame into Arei and Ace’s deaths as while he may didn't increase Ace’s paranoia to kill, he did threaten Eden. To which if he never did that, then Arei wouldn’t have died from Ace over hearing their conversation. Now yes while it can be argued since they brought it up that Ace might’ve was just trying to kill Eden regardless since she is the easiest to kill, Arturo just gave Ace an a opportunity to get him possibly Scot free with killing either of them and blaming the other. We know that Arturo struggles and feels like he can’t save any lives not just because he’s specifically a plastic surgeon, but because he feels responsible for not being there for his sister when she killed herself because of him leaving. So I can see the killer route for him in a way to not feel responsible for indirectly

causing Arei and Ace to die. Along with if the scenario of Levi not making it, that would increase his mental state to be worse in blaming himself or others in failing to save people.

With the main options out of the way, I’ll go ahead and give a mini explaination why I don't think anyone else could be the culprit for this chapter before I get onto the victim options.

Teruko and J: Obviously not going to commit murder(unless self defense probably) because against murder. Plus no ill will strong enough against anyone to push them to kill. Eden: In mourning rn and has no grudges against anyone to kill them. Also probably similar reasons to Teruko and J. Charles: Literally cannot commit murder unless the method allows him to be far away when he does it thanks to his phobia. Also no reason to commit murder anyways. Whit: No reason I can think of why he would commit murder. Maybe if Charles is the victim? But kinda a stretch that would happen. Rose: Similar to Charles, her memory and mind feeling like it's breaking down would prevent her from being able to commit murder. The trauma it alone would not be able to let her live peacefully if she succeed. Nico: I don't think they’ll commit murder again after almost committing one and regretting it. Not to mention currently dealing with guilt and blame of murder allegations stuck to them.

Levi: He is literally dying, how would this man commit murder? Not to mention that 1. Levi if he survive would be set up for character arc of learning to care for others as Ace’s death started the set up for it, so it's strange to throw that away and have him kill. 2. While yes Levi doesn't feel remorse for if he kill a person, that doesn't mean he would actively go out to kill anyone in this game. We don't know why he killed his dad, but it's apparently not a big deal enough where the police didn't even bother with his case. One guy he killed was in self defense while the other two he did chase after them to kill them. But it could be argued that Levi only did that maybe because he thought they come back for him and kill him for killing their leader.

David: While David does want a murder to happen to be able to end the killing game, I don't think he would commit it as it would be too obivious he did it and then they would get it right. Plus he seems important enough as the antagonist to at least survive until ch.4 or 5(it fits him better to die in ch.5 to me).

Now lets get to the fun tragic part of who shall be our victims? To get out of the way, we’re going to exclude Teruko, Nico, and David from this as Teruko is our protagonist and Nico I don't think will be killed as they have a potential character arc for them to go through + gender ratio is only trying to balance out the girls and guys(not to say that Nico is invincible in terms of being killed). As for David, I'm just assuming plot armor of being the antagonist will allow him to live, at least until ch.5 since other antagonist like Nagito and Kokichi lived until that chapter. Also picks for the killers will be feature as victims whether they were a victim from the start or manipulated into killing before being betrayed or killed by someone else who caught them in the act.

Victim option 1: J So J I cannot see as a killer in the game with her strong sense of morals against murder and the fact she seems put together enough to not let any grudges to make her kill someone. But I can see in the scenario if she is at the wrong place, wrong time she could end up as a victim. Maybe Arturo killing her could be him snapping at her for her blaming him for the deaths of his sister and the others, but I think less likely to happen.

Victim option 2: Eden Eden being a very vulnerable state of grieving over Arei and what has happened can allow her to be off her guard to be pick for a target. But I will say that Eden will probably surround herself with others to keep her safe and to have as company to comfort her in losing her dear friend. Not to mention Eden will maybe still try at least helping with dinner with Hu so she might not be an easy pick if there’s at least someone near her.

Victim option 3: Charles So a couple of people in the fandom thinks that Charles will actually die in chapter 3 due to Whit’s joke line in chapter 2 about Charles dying at 3. Honestly it's a bit of a stretch for me. Like yeah I am a Charles survivor truther, but also if Charles was going to die, it would only be if Whit or Teruko wasn’t with him. Even if conflict arise between him and Whit, I don't think that will prevent him from having someone he trust be around nor Whit from not worrying about him. So I actually think Charles is safe here+ there is still more to explore with him that I don't think death would help be able to expand his connection to the main plot if he died.

Victim option 4: Levi

Okay this option I really don't like because I do want Levi to live til the end or at least long enough to complete his character arc. But here’s the thing. Potentially depending on Levi’s state on whether he’ll be bedbound in the infirimy or be active in being able to move, if the former is true, then that leaves Levi very vulnerable. I can see him being guarded/check on by a caregiver, but that doesn't eliminate the possibilities of either A. His caregiver kills him, B. The killer sneaks in when the caregiver left their post and kills him(allowing them to frame the caregiver), or C. The killer kills both Levi and his caregiver. Like I said, I don't really like this option as it feels disappointing if Levi wasn't allow to live as that makes Ace’s sacrifice worthless in the end. But I wanted to at least share the possibility.

Victim option 5: Whit

To be honest, Whit has a lot potential right now to continue living since he’s a mystery in terms of his mom, his true feelings, and whether or not this guy is the mastermind or traitor. So it feel weird if he just…died right here. Plus only way I can see someone targeting Whit is if its to get back at him for his match making idea I had for scenario 1 failing for them. Which is most likely not to happen. Also I just realized how funny that sounds, it make it sound like the killer killed Whit because he couldn't get them a gf, bf, or partner in the process. Whit be like “Sorry man, not my fault you have negative rizz”. Immediately gets stabbed. Not to mention he’ll be hanging out with Charles and Teruko a lot, so I don't think anyone could jump him easily.

Victim option 5: Rose

Alrighty now we’re getting to someone I can believe to be a victim for ch.3 even though I hate it because she is my top fifth favorite character. Rose is definitely not doing good with her mind failing her in her memory on other things except for observing objects or scenes in detail. To which now with Levi being shot and Ace dying from cardiac arrest, that makes the amount of people she witness dying or getting hurt 5(if she was looking at Ace’s execution). That number alone is probably destroying her and is worse as now if Levi survives, she won’t be able to stand looking at him as well like how its hard for her to look at Teruko due to just seeing her all bloody. This along with her possible narcolepsy leaves Rose very vulnerable to become a victim. Or worse, maybe she’ll actually let the culprit kill her to put her out of her misery. Rose already feels like her life is ruined with being in debt to Richard Spurling and not being able to create anything of her own. Add not being able to focus on things anymore with only seeing bodies, I can sadly see Rose taking the killer killing her as a mercy to end her suffering….if this happens I will cry hard and only hope she could at least make up with Nico before she dies(or alternatively have a scene like Hifumi to Aoi but with Rose to Nico).

Victim option 6: Arturo

Arturo to me if not the killer this chapter can either go as a victim or surviving until another chapter(I will say it would be interesting if he ended up as a survivor). I can see him possible becoming a victims more out of the other options of the guys specifically if Veronika is the killer. This is mostly due to her being around him the most besides J(well actually it's more of him being around J more). Perhaps if Arturo in a bad mental state if he fails to save Levi or is getting blamed for his sister’s death again, I can see Veronika perhaps taking advantage of this to bring him further in despair before then striking when he’s not suspecting it. Or alternatively trick him into a trap to maybe go to the movie theater room to think she just wants him to watch another horror movie, to then BAM! Here lies Arturo Giles. I kinda hope this doesn't happen cuz I am a big Venturo shipper(idk guys maybe he can fix her he cannot).

Victim option 7: Hu

Hu to me feels like she could fit more as a killer or the second victim than the first victim to be honest. I say this as Hu will most likely until being pushed away by most of the group’s conflict will remain close to others like Nico or Eden, which prevents the killer from immediately getting to her unless they plan to get Nico and Eden too. Now if Hu were to be the second victim and work maybe with the killer, I could see this happening in the hypothetical Veronika as the culprit scenario. We already know the two made a pact to keep each other's secrets a secret until the time to reveal them. So who’s to say that they wouldn’t make another pact to work together? There’s noting in the rules indicate that one cannot kill more than one victim nor that possibly two blackneneds can escape.

I can see where Veronika strikes a deal with Hu to both of them committing a murder and then escaping together. Which leads to two possible scenarios of A. Veronika betrays Hu(or alternatively in Hu!culprit route she kills her and betray her) thus paralleling Celeset killing Hifumi after Hifumi killed Kiyotaka for her. Or B. Both Veronika and Hu kill two people and then the trial only one of them can be voted for. I doubt the latter option will happen, so I feel like the former the way to go. Plus we could still have Hu’s secret quote come into play of maybe her talking to Veronika about having regrets over killing someone and wanted to pay for it, but she still wants to live. Where Veronika takes this as her possibly backing out of their plan and thus, kills her before she spills.

Victim option 8: Veronika

Getting to our last option for a victim being Veronika! So I can see Veronika being a victim this chapter in three ways. Like stated before, if Veronika planned a murder with Hu as a partner and then was betrayed by her, then she would be the second victim. Another way I can see Veronika being the victim is if she actually planning for her own murder. What I mean is what if Veronika(whether its Hu or maybe even Arturo) wants to end up as a victim to create a complex murder mystery to both fullfill herself of an entertaining murder, to sucumb to despair from not being able to keep herself entertain, or in a mess up way, get the group back working together by figuring out whodunnit for her murder. As bonus, the killer gets a free chance to escape the game if the group fails. The last option as she would say is boring as Veronika ends up as a victim via suicide. This option is really only if Veronika fails to be able to entertain herself in the killing game and instead succumbs to despair. Personally, I believe Veronika would try to fight against this and plan a murder before doing that. She’s all for the excitement of thrills, chills, and kills! Why would she waste the opportunity to enact on a murder mystery to just plainly end it all?

Now that we covered all our potential killer and victim combos, which out of all of them do I feel most likely to happen next chapter?

For the killers, I am tied between Veronika and Hu, but leaning towards Veronika a bit more.

As for the victims, I feel like for the female victim it might be Rose. As for the male victim, it's tied between Arturo or Levi as both scenarios I can see.

It will be awhile before we can see if anything I brought up might lead to something or be disproven and end up as a fun what if scenario. But I like to while participating in the community share some fun thoughts and ideas of what could happen. We have all the time in the world to speculate, so let's give it everything we got!

[insufferableprotagonistpoll]

Round 1

Propaganda why Dean Winchester is insufferable:

"This man is racist against anyone other than humans and abused the people he was supposed to love the most. He literally abandons Castiel at his most vulnerable and never lets Sam leave the whole hunting monsters thing. Worst part is that the fandom will get behind him and defend him because what, he’s pretty? Pretty much a terrible person, more like. I sympathize with his backstory but Dean has ZERO character development during the course of 15 whole seasons. When he DOES have development it involves abusing someone. Sam tries to be a normal person and always gets punished for it. The only hint we have that Dean might’ve been trying to change is a piece of paper in the final episode AFTER HE DIES. then guess what? Sam lives out his whole life and has a family 😭 that’s very, very telling."

"misogynistic scumbag. theres also a few different times that dean finds teenagers sexy with the most recent and prominent example that i can recall being the scooby doo crossover episode in season 13 where hes super into daphne who in the version they chose for the episode is 15-16 and is interacting with her as if shes a real person cause they got magicked into the episode. he treats everyone around him like shit and the only time the narrative agrees that thats a bad thing is when he has the mark of cain put on him and hes acting no differently than he does usually its just now acknowledged that hes treating others like shit. ive been rewatching the show for shits and giggles with a friend and wow he really does not treat anyone well but i wanna focus on how he treats sam for a second cause dude's hobby seems to be ignoring what his brother wants and lying to sam about doing stuff that directly concerns him the demon blood and souless things are reasonable cause those were both Bad for sam but theyre still part of a wider pattern and the most prominent example of this being when dean tricks sam into letting gadreel possess him and actually gaslights sam about it with the whole ordeal ending when its revealed gadreel lied about who he was and while possessing sam murders a friend of theirs. his voice is just also stupid as fuck im sorry this is just petty but he just sounds like hes trying so hard to be gruff n intimidating but he just sounds like a kid pretending to be batman"

"Dean’s list of sins is crazy long because of how long the show ran, but the key thing for me is that post-locking Sam in the bunker (season 4 I think?), I just can’t enjoy their relationship anymore. I normally love their sibling dynamic, but Dean’s ultimate worst past-the-point-of-no-return moment for me was demonizing (pun intended) his little brother for being “addicted” to demon blood, which only happened because of a series of events that were either Dean’s or someone else’s fault, not Sam’s. I also really dislike how the fandom treats Dean like this angel (pun intended) who has done no wrong and even tries to justify the MULTIPLE times he’s beaten up and otherwise abused his little brother. Canon Dean is like the polar opposite of fanon Dean: he’s homophobic and racist (jokes about a Black man being sexually assaulted in prison), misogynistic (take a shot every time he calls a woman a slur and you’ll die of alcohol poisoning), and abusive."

"Misogynistic asshole and too many of the things he does get treated as not actually bad or even good by both fans and the show when he violates peoples autonomy and is incredibly abusive to the people he loves the most. And it wouldn't be as annoying if people didn't justify so many of his behaviors or if he ever changed or even just was seen as a bad guy in the show more than he is."

">Was a misogynist (loved to call women skanks, bitches, hoes)

>Used gay as an insult multiple time during the show's run (idc if he's gay an homophobic, that's still insulting)

>Beat up his brother for being possessed

>Beat up his brother for losing his soul (not his brother's fault)

>Used dubious consent to get his brother possessed in a different unrelated possession incident after possession was being used (badly...this is supernatural after all) as a metaphor for SA

>Threatened to murder his brother when he was hallucinating (yay we aren't ableist)

>Locked a child up in a box

>Threatened to kill the child he locked up in a box

>Made a creepy, sexual comment about a barely-legal high school girl

>Got the woman and kid he was living with memory-wiped"

"Really mean to Cas (called him a child, zero respect for him, calls him family and casts him out when the angels are looking for him), and an absolute dick to Jack (threatening to kill him CONSTANTLY)"

Propaganda why Batman/Bruce Wayne is insufferable:

"Always has to be right. Does the most janked up stuff and doesn't care who it hurts. Imposes his will on others to the point of willing to bodily harm them if they do not comply (and yes, this does include his children)"

"I’ll also support Batman as a candidate because of the slapping Robin meme, which is annoying, and because he is just way too much. Too much all the time."

"Has to always be right, regardless of situation. Because somehow the billionaire has knowledge of how middle class people think."

"Obviously it's the writers who have screwed him over, but my gods the fact that he can do whatever he freaking wants and still be "the hero" bcs hes the main character is insufferable. He killed his son (slit his throat) in one canon, in the canon where said son survives, he’s beaten half to death by Bruce, who of course is "in the right" because B thought J had tried to murder someone. He can hit his kids, he can be a total asshat to people, and yet he's still framed as being in the right for doing so, simply becaude he's the protagonist. There's no character development, no "whoops maybe I shouldn't have hit dick/punched tim/beaten and exhiled jason" - and it's so damn infuriating. He used to be fun. He used to be a good dad.

Now he's just an insufferable prick."

"Oooh look at me, I'm brooding in my cave because my parents died and this gives me an excuse to be a bad father, he's SO ANNOYING"

"Always has to be right. Will literally alter the makeup of his kid's brain because said kid doesn't live the way he wants him to. Acts like his worldview is the only one that matters."

"he is always portrayed as good and right by the narrative even if objectively he's a pretty terrible person"

[confused-much]

I'm on the 5th episode of live action ATLA and so far I enjoy watching it. Is it the perfect copy of the original cartoon? No. Does this make it bad? Also no!

There are changes to the story and characters but for me it doesn't make it that bad. I don't treat this show as the perfect retelling of the cartoon, just a different version of the story. And honestly? With that mindset watching the show is better.

Of course, this show is not without flaws. Zuko's scar is tiny, Aang doesn't really get to be kid that much, Sokka lost his misogyny, Katara lost her anger.

But at the same time, I feel like the change of their character traits works. Aang isn't thinking only about fun because he feels guilty for abandoning the world. From the first episode people tell him that because he was absent, the war went on. Of course Aang will want to help others now. Of course he will think of going to North Pole, especially since Kiyoshi told him to go there.

Sokka lost his misogyny but he still has different traits. He's struggling to be a warrior, he doesn't think that his engineering skills are worthy pursuing. His scenes with Suki are for me at least adorable to watch. They are both awkward in different ways because this is the first time they see someone from their opposite sex from a different nation. Of course Sokka would want to flex. Of course Suki would try to show off her fighting skills - she's a god damned Kiyoshi warrior and a daughter of the ruler of the village, of course skills in a fight will be her major focus.

Katara lost her anger, true. I think the scene with discovering Aang is weak. But she still gets a mini arc about her emotions and grief/PTSD from the night her mother died. She still is shown as brave when she decides to go against Zuko and his crew alone while Aang was talking to Kiyoshi. And she still has her morals during Omashu.

So for every disappointment, I feel we get something in exchange. At least in the first 4 episodes.

I really like how they empathize the war and how cruel it is. And also that even in Fire Nation there are rebels who oppose Ozai. Sozin's attack at Air Nomads was heartbreaking, seeing how the Air Nomads fought but ultimately lost due to comet was chilling. I feel that people blaming Aang and accusing him of running away and disappearing is also well done because that's something that would happen. People would lost hope, people would try to test Aang or accuse him.

Also, as a Kataang disliker, I am SO glad that so far, I don't see any romantic/cute scenes with Katara and Aang. The secret tunnel is great because we don't have implied kiss between Katara and Aang, instead we are shown a sibling love. I hope this trend continues and that Katara and Aang won't have any romantic scenes. I mean, the kid is 12, Katara is 14 and she had to grow up really fast. She's more like an older sister to him than a potential crush.

Overall, so far I like this show. It's not as awesome and true to the source material as One Piece live action (because OPLA IS the best live action adaptation, go watch it!) but it's still a nice watch. I feel like some people just don't want to give this show a chance simply because it's not the original. Like, why we can't have both?

[flower-boi16]

Why I LOATHE The "Amity Hates Hunter" Headcanon

In the TOH fandom, there's a certain headcanon that's been floating around in the community. You've probably seen a fan comic or two about and even an animatic video, that being, the "Amity hates Hunter" headcanon. After analyzing the show further and gaining a better appreciation for it, I can safely say that this headcanon absolutely sucks. Now there's nothing wrong with people having headcanons or anything, you can headcanon whatever the hell you want, but I really feel that this headcanon in particular spreads a really bad misconception about Amity and Hunter's relationship and kind of misses the thing the show is going for. So in this post, I'm going to analyze this headcanon and why it just. Does not work.

1. What Is The Premise of The Headcanon?

Before I dissect this headcanon let's first establish what this headcanon is about. Basically, the premise of the headcanon is that Amity doesn't fully trust Hunter after his redemption since she hasn't forgotten about the time he threatened Luz's life so he could get the titan blood key from her, and so she still dislikes him and hasn't bought his change yet. She would be more skeptical of him, basically.

Alright, so now we've established what the headcanon is based on, let's now get into the real meat of why this headcanon doesn't work. I'm going to talk about Eclipse Lake, Any Sport in A Storm and Labyrinth Runners and analyze each episode in terms of how they demonstrate why Amity wouldn't hate Hunter.

2. Eclipse Lake

Eclipse Lake seems to be an episode that is heavily misunderstood by the "Amity hates Hunter" crowd to me, as some people seem to forget certain things about Amity and Hunter's relationship here and ONLY focus on Hunter threatening Luz to Amity's face. This is where I bring up my first major point here; that being, Amity relates to Hunter. Amity and Hunter are directly meant to be parallels to each other, and Eclipse Lake does pretty clearly show that. Hunter throughout the whole episode basically does a "you and me are not so different" thing with Amity, with how they both have to live up to the standards of the people they care about and are afraid of disappointing them, and eventually, when Amity sees Hunter literally dig his own grave, Amity realizes that he is right, they are both kids held up to high standards by their shitty parents that they are afraid of not meeting.

And THIS is what people often miss here; Amity relates to Hunter. She's been in the same position and circumstances as him - after all, she knows exactly what it's like to have shitty parents, so she would empathize with him given their similar circumstances. And this could also mean that Amity would realize that Hunter, in some way, is being abused by Belos - which again, she would empathize with given she used to be in similar circumstances to him. She wouldn't hate Hunter, she would empathize with him because she sees herself in him, she knows what it's like to be in his position, to have parents who force you under pressure to meet high standards that you may struggle to meet.

Then we get to the moment that kickstarts this headcanon - Amity giving Hunter a hand in friendship, only for Hunter to betray her trust after he notices the titan blood key, and then threatens Luz's life in front of Amity so she could give him the titan blood key. After that, Hunter flies away with Amity having a disappointed expression on her face while she looks at him. I think some people tend to misunderstand this moment too - now, do I think Amity would trust Hunter after this? Not exactly, but that's until we get to...

3. Any Sport in A Storm & Labyrinth Runners

I'm gonna cover Any Sport in A Storm quickly since there isn't much to say, but it and Labyrinth Runners support my second major argument here; Amity doesn't have a reason to hold Hunter's past actions against him anymore. In Any Sport in A Storm, Hunter disobeys a command he was given by Darius just so he could protect his friends and fix his mistake, and at the end of the episode Willow shows Luz and Amity a group picture of the emerald entrails, ofc they see Hunter in the pic and they gasp and the episode just kinda ends after that.

Now, after Eclipse Lake, it is correct to assume that Amity wouldn't trust Hunter, though she could still heavily see herself in him and relate to his situation. But now in Any Sport, Amity is just given the information that Hunter disobeyed an order he was given and went out of his way to protect his friends, we don't know the exact conversation that happened after that moment but it's still a sign to Amity that Hunter's making a turnaround. "But Hunter kidnapped Amity's friends!" Why yes, he did, but he also went out of his way to fix his mistake and again, disobeyed an order he was given which would have risked his position in the EC. I don't think the other characters, including Amity, wouldn't factor that in. So while Amity still wouldn't fully trust Hunter - she would still see some signs that he is making a turnaround.

Then comes Labyrinth Runners. Now, I want you to pay attention to what Hunter does in this episode, because it illustrates my point of why Amity wouldn't hold any of Hunter's past actions against him anymore. In Labyrinth Runners, he...

Saves Gus from Adrian

Helps save the school

Gives clear information on what's going to happen on the day of unity

I think what Hunter does in Labyrinth Runners does make up for his past actions, which keep in mind aren't the worst things characters in this show have done (Cough Cough Lilith kidnapping and almost killing Luz in her battle with Eda Cough Cough, Amity almost getting Luz dissected Cough Cough), and so it wouldn't be out of character for Amity to trust him, especially when he saved Gus, aka, one of Amity's friends. This combined with the past stuff I mentioned about how Amity sees herself and relates to Hunter AND how Amity could just see Hunter as someone who was just lied to and manipulated by Belos which, I'm pretty sure the whole hexsquad would see him like that, means that Amity doesn't have much of a reason to be an ass to Hunter.

He's fully proved he's trustworthy, the others trust him, and so would Amity. I think it's also worth pointing out that, I don't think Amity would blame Hunter for what he did in Eclipse Lake. She knows why he did what he did, and again, she's been in the same circumstances as he was; I don't think she would blame Hunter for being desperate to gain his abusive parent's approval to meet his expectations since she was in the same position too.

So, in conclusion, Amity wouldn't hold any of Hunter's past actions against him, she doesn't have much of a reason to do so, since now he's proven himself trustworthy. However, a lot of people tend to ignore all of the stuff I just mentioned, and they create fanworks where Amity threatens Hunter in some way, which leads to a certain thing about this headcanon that pisses me off...

4. It Makes Amity into an Asshole

I think this is my biggest issue with how the fandom often characterizes Amity and Hunter's relationship; Amity just becomes an unlikeable asshole in all fanworks that spread the "Amity hates Hunter" headcanon. I am not going to name any examples here because you've probably already seen at least one fan work portraying Amity this way. Fanworks like these tend to ignore all the stuff I previously said in the last two sections and have Amity be an asshole to Hunter, which actually VERY OOC for her.

As if these works try to portray Amity as some kind of girl boss who "Is so protective of her girlfriend and will murder anyone who tries to harm her!", which is fine until you factor in all the outside context, once you do, Amity doesn't come across as a protective girlfriend in these fan works, she comes across as an asshole bullying an abusive victim when she has NO REASON to. Amity isn't a girl boss in these fanworks, she has no reason to treat Hunter like this for the reasons I already mentioned, yet people ignore ALL OF THAT in favor of Amity threatening Hunter cuz it makes her "cool" I guess.

Amity would be the first person to understand Hunter's situation and why he did what he did - she's been in the same position as him, and now, when he's proven that he's trustworthy to her, why should she be an ass to him? Do you see why it's annoying how OOC Amity is made in these fanworks? Really, this headcanon should just be called "Amity bullies Hunter" because that's what it is, Amity being an asshole to an abuse victim when she has no reason for doing so. I don't mind the idea of Amity being a protective girlfriend for Luz, it makes sense for her character, but when it comes to Hunter the fandom flanderizes it to an absurd degree.

5. Conclusion

I could talk about this longer and mention how this headcanon was basically formed from nothing but avatar comparisons and nothing else but I haven't seen Avatar yet so I can't really comment on that. Besides this post getting long enough already (I saw when I've made far longer essays on the internet). In conclusion; Amity wouldn't hate Hunter. Not in the slightest. This idea thankfully is starting to become abandoned by the fandom with more people recognizing that it is just. Does not work. And while that's nice I still kinda thought it was time for someone to fully analyze why this headcanon does not work (and that person was me babeeeeeeeey). So uh ya....bye.

[ecargmura]

Cherry Magic Episode 4 Review - You're A Wizard, Tsuge

As the first half of the episode has shown, Tsuge has become a wizard now. Like Adachi, he has gained the power to listen to people’s hearts. How will Tsuge use this to find a love interest? Well, he found one already. That was darn freaking fast. Who does he fall in love with? The cute deliveryman Minato.

I think their ship name is called Tsugemina. Anyways, Tsugemina’s portrayal in the live action is a bit exaggerated compared to the manga and anime (which are pretty much identical). In the live action, Tsuge is very dramatic when he falls for Minato and when he realized he’s in love, he actually bashes his head against a bookshelf. When I watched the live action, I thought that Tsuge was a bit of a weirdo, but reading the manga and watching the anime made me realize that the way Tsuge is portrayed here is more faithful as he is a stoic man by nature. While the Tsugemina section seems short, that’s because the Tsuge chapters are pretty short in comparison to the main couple; there aren’t a lot too, so who knows when we’ll get another segment of them in future episodes.

I do like the Tsuge and Adachi scene. As Tsuge is a novice wizard, he’s unsure how to make use of the power, but for Adachi, the power has brought good things into his life; Tsuge even notices this too as Adachi has become a bit more talkative, especially when the topic revolves around Kurosawa. In the manga, this scene actually takes some time after the second Tsugemina scene as Adachi had mentioned that he read Tsuge’s new book and noticed the change in his usual heroine types as he added in a heroine with the exact same description as Minato, showcasing how down bad he is for this guy he barely knows (heck, he doesn’t even know his name until later on). Despite the changes, I do like the scene but I dislike the fact that Tsuge gets blocked from the chances he gets to talk to Adachi about the magic.

After Tsuge and Adachi meet up, the episode then shifts to Adachi being the focus character, which I think is a rather good way to transition. Adachi gets jealous for the first time when he sees a pretty lady talking with Kurosawa and starts getting insecure about himself. Despite his jealousy, he does realize that if he did get jealous of that woman, that means he does like Kurosawa in that way. I do like how he was fast to process that and accepted it right away. It sort of shows that even if he doesn’t have romantic experiences, he’s still mature enough to understand what love is.

It’s kind of sad to see why Adachi’s so hesitant towards romance. I sort of get it. If I heard someone say that it’s impossible to date me because of the lack of experience, I’d get insecure too. I’m glad that Kurosawa exists to show that Adachi can be loved no matter how much he adverses romance. The part where Kurosawa comes over to his house was sweet; however, how the heck did he know his address? The way Kurosawa thought about how he’d cherish all of Adachi’s first was heartwarming. I legit stomped my feet in a giddy mood. Why is this anime so cute? Why are they so cute?

No worries, though. The pretty lady happens to be Kurosawa’s sister, Mari. She’s hilarious as she feels like a typical older sibling trying to pester her brother to get what she wants: to stay at Kurosawa’s place until her boyfriend apologizes to her. She even followed him to Adachi’s house via GPS. I do like how Kurosawa feels like a bullied little brother here. She is also good with words as she managed to convince Kurosawa to stay at Adachi’s house, to which his simp self accepts after fantasizing a domestic AU he conjured up in his mind. Haha, he’s such a simp.

Oh and uh, the voice actor trivia of the week is that Gen Sato, Minato’s VA, only has done BL recently. Like out of the four main cast, he has the least amount of experience in BL media but I’m sure that’ll change. In the drama CD, he was voiced by Kouhei Amasaki.

What are your thoughts on the birth of the side couple? How about Mari as a character? What about the whole Kurodachi segment? What did you think about the episode as a whole?

[raisinushigher]

hi im just gonna put my thoughts on every clone high ship i can think of here

jfgogh - i think its cute. i can definitely see jfk like uplifting gogh and him falling in love over like the most basic display of kindness and jfk just being like “haha woah there guy i didnt mean it like that” but then he realises he Does

gogh x gandhi - LOTS of mixed feelings on this one but it is pretty interesting truth be told. like, the way gogh didnt just sit back and take what gandhi did to him and instead retaliated, i like that, i like the thought of two tiny guys having the most unnecessarily intense rivalry ever, but i know that isn’t really the way the ship is portrayed often rather than wholesome stuff . you interpret ships however you want though

gfk i think is the name for it - im so sorry as a gandhabe connoisseur i know how annoying it is when people say this about a ship that absolutely entraps you but i think jfk and gandhi are more accurate together as just silly friends who see eachother like once a month. jfk casually brings up a girl hes dating (or rather just having sex with frequently) and gandhi is like wait what happened to the other one? like hes very out of the loop but he listens and they both hype eachother up a lot

ceasgogh, gogh x christo, ceaser x christo, whether it’s any of those seperately or polyamory - i love this one so very much for literally no reason. maybe its like a nostalgia thing cuz i remember people talking about them sometimes in 2020 and being like Aw that’s cute but idk something about them feels so like. objectively correct. like yep that’s the little background trio standing together in an episode as they should be

abefk i think - i like it!! even though it’s barely known apart from jokingly i really like the classic 2000s rivalry between a nice boy and an asshole jock thing that was going on between them before ponce’s death, i admit i miss their interactions. i miss how theyd refer to eachother with their last names. also the part in season 2 episode 6 where they both were recalling memories of the grassy knoll and abe went “i used to get food thrown at me” and jfk continued “i used to be the one throwing that food”. i like them

joanabe - i know this one is like barely a ship but i still need to talk about them badly. their friendship is so important to me. the way its always been them whether it’s joan crushing on abe or the other way around, they’re just so special to eachother in any and every way, and both struggle with the choice of helping the other or doing things that hurt the other but ultimately raise their chances of getting together. tbh im so interested in whats gonna happen with them in the finale, and in the next seasons bc i doubt their back and forth crush thing is gonna last the ENTIRE show like itll be getting a new sort of premise or main character focus which im excited for

joanfk - some of the fanart is absolutely adorable COUGH COUGH ORT SMORT COUG but its just not for me man. biggest two factors as to why i dislike it being how it overtook the fandom, and how to me they just never had any substance. they have a fun dynamic and the season 1 finale was sweet but idk it just never affected me that much. also bc i always knew it was gonna crash and burn. like that is not a stable couple as cute as it is sometimes. like at all. and im happy episode 7 finally addressed it

abe x cleo - again, not really a fondly talked about ship, but they are pretty dear to me. it’s the way cleo was clearly playing with abe at the start but actually saw the charm in him and was actually upset when he finally digested his feelings for joan… i really hope they’re gonna be good friends in the future bc episode 7 seemed to be sort of a start for that friendship and them learning to be ok around eachother after the finale…

joan x cleo - ive always been scared to talk about this one bc some people see them as sisters, which i Really dont. they never acted in a sisterly way at all, and the living together thing lasted for like what. one episode. so i doubt it had any affect on how they view their relationship. but again absolutely fair if it makes you uncomfortable for this reason! but yeah i do like them. very very good trope and there can be some really cute stuff done with them dynamic wise

gandhabe my heart and soul my romeo and juliet my sun and moon my red and blue - AUGHGGGGG MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE. EVER. IN THE WHOLE SHOW FOR EVER they just have such sweet interactions and everything they do they do with the other in mind and i want them to have an emotional reunion in the season 3 finale sO SHRGFRHRVRRRRR RR RBR R R R. RR R. sorry this is mostly incoherent screaming rather than actual words I just DUCIGJGN LVOE GANDHABEEEEE EEYEHEEE THEYRE END GAME!! THEY ARE END GAME WHETHER ITS AS FRIENDS OR ROMANTICALLY RHEY ARE THE ONES

ok now onto the ones involving the new gen clones

harriucius - i like them its the second het ship in the show ive ever actually liked!! they just both go so well in so many ways, they both have almost the exact same struggles and cope in similar ways, but harriet has more of a hands on attitude with her problems, while confucius tends to avoid things. im VERY interested in how their relationship will go and i dont really think anything’s gonna happen to them bc i cant picture the show pairing either of them up with anyone else (mostly confucius tbh 😭)

joanharriet - i WISH this one was more acknowledged by the fandom like i think its the least popular one at least involving the newbies.. can you tell im a sucker for ships that are literally just two close friends who love eachother more than anything. lol. when i think of them i think of episode 5 which makes me extremely happy. like look me in the eyes and tell me that was not an absolutely beautiful wonderfully wrapped episode

johnfucius - gonna be honest i dont like this one. i know this is a really rich thing to say while talking about clone high season 2 but it just felt rushed, and especially with how they barely did anything after sleepover. like they were literally crying both of them being like OMG I FINALLY HAVE A FRIEND!! and then they proceed to have the most stale interactions with the most notable one being in the next episode and it’s literally just confucius encouraging jfk to avoid his problems like he does. not really good. but again if you enjoy them all the power to you, im happy you found something you like that hasn’t been ruined and seems pretty docile and chill compared to all the other ones :o) it’s very much a mostly fandom based ship

kahlopatra - BEAUTIFUL. BEAUTIFUL. I HAVE NO WORDS JUST BEAUTIFUL. there definitely was a lack of suspense like based off the intro and the slight buildup throughout the series BUT that literally doesn’t matter. out of every canon couple they are the absolute cutest im obsessed with the effect they have on eachother. especially on cleos side of things like ahhh!!!! she found someone she actually connects to genuinely!!!! i am so happy for her!!!!!!

tophucius - not much about this one its just pretty fun and silly . i feel bad for the people who thought something big was gonna be going on w them but the small details peppered in about them in sleepover were nice. i always liked how when confucius saw that topher typed your instead of you’re, he went “i thought so” like to me that confirms they do this all the time and they know it’s them. also really funny to imagine them being sworn enemies online but when they actually see eachother in school theyre Like oh shit hey man what’s up! hope youre well! like not even through gritted teeth or anything they’re just so chill irl for no reason

abetoph - Sigh i sure did save this one for last. while im a lot less comfortable with it now i still love thinking of them pre episode 8 and i do think their relationship is just ever so slightly more interesting now with the added double crossing n shit added to it. but im also sad they’ll never be the way they were may 24th to june 14th again . that specific time period of them is so comforting to me for no reason, all the memes and running jokes in the fandom involving them, all the wholesome fan work of them sleeping in tophers bed, watching stuff on tophers computer together, abe being tophers voice of the reason and the one person he actually likes, it’s just so … man. We Could Have Had It All. i love them for ever.

thank you so much for listening

[mananyx]

Ok, so its not surprised for everyone here that i like the MCU and that i have an hyperfixation towards it for better or worse. But i have to clarify that i dont think the MCU its a perfect franchise, there are certain entries that i genuinely dont like and others that i still dont want to watch because lack of interest or for anxiety (which it tends to change overtime). And its truth that im not very good when it comes to analizing media, but when I like a MCU movie or show, im completely sure that its because its great, i have a long list. But for this post i want to start with She Hulk.

I know that a lot of people dislike the show or they are not interested in watching it because they are tired of the comedy in the MCU or just tired of the MCU in general, or just because the CGI looks not very good, or some jokes just didnt work (im seeing you twerking scene), and also because is not realistic when it comes to handling courts and laws. And all of that its totally understandable, you dont have to watch or like the show if you dont want to. But i genunely have reasons to think that this show is great despite its flaws.

For me She Hulk is different from anything the superhero genre in movies and shows has ever done before because is a show that at first refuses to be a superhero show in the first place, despite the fact that Jen has powers, she just doesnt want to be a superhero, she just wants her life and her show to be just a simple and comedic lawyer show, so there is a bigger focus on her cotidian life as a civilian instead on her superhero identity doing superhero cool stuff, which in other superhero stuff most of the time is the opposite (or is the spiderman case in which despite Peter wanting to have a normal, he sees spiderman as a responsability that he is willing to accept), which is why i like the comedy of this show when the jokes are based or how Jen is trying to look for happiness in her own life despite those changes, and how she doesnt even try to be a role model to be inspired by little girls like Captain Marvel or Ms Marvel because she doesnt care for all of that, and a lot of times it feels very charming and wholesome.

But despite all of that the plot and the society constantly put her in superheroic situations wether she likes it or not, she is recognized as a superhero for the society, and her frustration is the feeling that she doesnt have control of her own life. Another thing that reflects that is how much she wants to be liked by people as just Jen, but everyone one around her just pay attention to her as She Hulk, whether its with love and admiration, or its with hate, and that affects her specially when it comes to dating, because despite of how much she wants to have a romantic relationship, men just wants to date her as She Hulk, but they are not willing to be interested in Jen. And i mean, a lot of people in the world have this anxiety in which your friends and relatives and romantic interests just like one part of you but they are not willing to like you as you as a whole, which tends to break relationships.

And what makes things worse is that she has to deal with incels as her enemies, men who extremely hate her for being popular and for having powers to the point of stalking her on internet and on real life with the purpose of making her life miserable. The only thing is that those topics are getting more explicit in the last three episodes, when the others still feel very light and sitcom, so i understand why most people didnt notice those topics to begin with and thought that show was just funny and thats it. And I feel like most of the time this show understand how hard it is to live as a woman. And despite me not being a woman i still relate to all of that because i myself have failed in having romantic relationships because of my own personality.

And with all of that it can be clear that Jen has an inner anger inside of her, despite the fact that in the first episode she said to Bruce that she is better controlling her anger than him, she just said that in a matter of overconfidence, but after dealing with a lot of situations, she ends up realizing that she is not so different from Bruce, even she can lose control of her anger, and when she does, everyone sees her as a monster. So she even have to learn to make peace with her own anger in the same way Bruce did years ago.

With all of that i want to say that for me She Hulk is the show that proves that most MCU main characters from Phase 4 and 5 has humanity and they are not just their suits.

[sokkastyles]

Do you think it was hypocritical of Sokka to get mad at Katara for stoping to save people at the fishing village and then turn around and train with Piandao for who knows how long when he was so worked up about staying on schedule when it came to her? If feel like it can be seen that way, especially sense Katara was helping others and saving lives and Sokka was essentially just helping himself because he didn't feel as useful as the others.

It just seems weird to me that it was such a big deal when Katara held up the schedule but not when Sokka did. Honestly I think this is one of the only times Sokka actually spoke about the schedule aside from bringing up they were a day early to the meeting point for the invasion. Also I like Sokka's episode I just feel like he shouldn't have made such a big deal if he was gonna turn around and do the same thing later. (This is probably just a writing flaw but I'm looking more for an in universe explanation)

I feel like this isn't out of character because Sokka has always disliked it when Katara went out of her way to help other people. See his "I hate it when she gets like this" in Imprisoned.

Although he does say they can't stop because of the schedule, by the end of the episode he says he will stay because Katara needs him, so I don't think it's hypocritical or bad writing for him to be more relaxed about the schedule in the next episode, but consistent character development. Sokka has learned to make time to help others, and then learns to make time to help himself.

Further, Sokka's objections weren't really about the schedule, at least not entirely. Again, Sokka's comment in "Imprisoned" implies that Katara going off on dangerous missions because of her bleeding heart is a regular occurrence, and it wasn't about the schedule then.

Sokka has always clashed with Katara when it comes to her bleeding heart. He hated it when she challenged Pakku, and we know Katara often gets frustrated with him for not understanding her faith in Aang, for dismissing her waterbending, and for dismissing her feminist ideals.

All of these things are connected, and I think they stem from Sokka's need to logically understand how the world works to cope with his trauma. Katara's response to trauma is her need to help others, and to have faith in her ideals.

I think this terrifies Sokka, especially if you consider how he considers Katara to be a mom figure to him, because their mom died for the same reason, sacrificing herself to save Katara. So, for Sokka to see Katara constantly sacrifice herself for others and put herself in dangerous situations must be very scary for him.

This is good character writing, and it's what's missing from "The Southern Raiders." Katara's line to Sokka makes sense in that context. Recall that in "The Painted Lady," Katara was overjoyed when Sokka said he wouldn't turn her back on her. She responded "Sokka, you really do have a heart!" And embraced him. It meant so much to her to have Sokka's support and to know he cared.

This is also why Katara accuses Sokka of not loving their mom like she did in "The Southern Raiders." Because she needs him to show he cares, especially about this.

This is why I've said the conflict in TSR between Katara and Sokka should have been revisited and had more of a focus, instead of Sokka just being there to parrot that Aang is wise. It's a huge backstep from "The Painted Lady" where Sokka did support Katara and defended her to the villagers even when he didn't agree with her actions, because he knew her heart was in the right place and that his sister needed him.

So I'm okay with Sokka not sticking to the schedule in "Sokka's Master," just wish that the lessons he learned about supporting his sister in "The Painted Lady" and "The Runaway" had had some followup in "The Southern Raiders," which really drops the ball on Sokka's characterization since Kya was his mother, too. He says this line but it's not really about him, it's about proving Aang right, and that's a shame because Sokka's relationship to his mom and how that bleeds into his relationship with his sister does deserve to be explored.

[flightfoot]

An ask to see if I'm crazy, wrong, or maybe I'm right...

I like the love square. I write the love square. I came into 5 all set to love adrienette finally sailing. It even rolled decently for several episodes! I didn't fuss about the kiss(it's comedic effect) the ladynoir/Marichat felt a bit rushed but I rolled with it. They've only got a season right?

Then Derision dropped and Marinette turned into a trauma victim. Like/Dislike it, canonically they want the take away to be Marinette=Trauma and Adrien=Trauma trigger.

So that's... a thing. Like, a 'Maybe you should put it all on hold and take care of that with actual professional help' things. It's... possible to overlook because setting but it's uncomfortable.

Then we go further along, with Adrien's lack of autonomy, and his struggle to find himself being highlighted, along with the actual abuse angle being a focus.

Then we get his letter in confrontation and in *isolation* it's so cute right? A couple in love! But, in context... 'I don't know what I want but I want Marinette'(paraphrase) and Marinette, Marinette, Marinette, *right* at the same time he's struggling to free himself from his father... It just takes me back to Wishmaker 'I always wanted to be what my parents wanted me to be.'

Adrien's been living his whole life for other people, and now he's just switching his parents for Marinette. I know it's supposed to be love and he's choosing as opposed to being forced but... the boy is still acting exactly in line with his damage, and in perfect proximity to the crisis he's having with that damage at home.

It's another 'Hey... maybe put this on hold and therapy?' moment, stacked on top of the Marinette moment. I want these kids happy and healthy, I want to enjoy seeing them flourish, but the way it's set up I just keep seeing red flags and *the show itself is highlighting these red flags* it just doesn't seem to want us to apply them outside of very specific terms and... that's just such a bad read on how trauma works and affects people.

So maybe this was more ramble than ask but.. I don't know what to do. I'll hopefully get to enjoy the heck out of Adrienette in the Movie since it seems like another angle for both of them.

Got any advice aside from 'Don't take it too seriously?' since S5 seems to want to be serious?

Hm. Yeah, that is an issue. These kids have always had some trauma (especially Adrien), but season 5 has highlighted it even more. As much as I've been having fun with the whole "Adrien doesn't know what he wants in life, but he knows he loves Marinette"... yeah when you actually dig into the reasons WHY Marinette is the only thing he's sure of, it's pretty sad. It's not just that he loves Marinette that much - though he does - but also that she's the one thing in his life that he IS sure of, a point of stability for him.

And yeah, like you pointed out, in Wishmaker his "childhood wish" (which was presumably part of the set of desires and emotions that was used to create him) was to be whatever his parents wanted him to be, and with him clinging so hard to Marinette now, there's some danger of him kind of transferring that to Marinette. Heck, we saw that in Kuro Neko with Ladybug, when he tried to make himself into what he believed she wanted him to be in order to make himself be wanted.

I don't think that Adrien and Marinette breaking up would be a good idea - they both need each other and the stability they give each other right now - but I do think that once things are a little more stable for Adrien, he needs some therapy and to branch out in his own life, to have some stronger relationships that aren't connected to Marinette. Marinette has those, but Adrien... not as much, not to the same extent. I'm hoping once season 5 is over he's in a more free position and is able to discover more about who he is and what he likes.

[taikk0]

i dont think anon was referring to sps simple style, sp is a pretty controversial show. from what i've seen, it seems pretty bigoted? i could be wrong. sorry if this ask is rude, i don't mean to be rude, but yeah i think that's what anon meant

Oh no, not rude at all!! Sorry you have to apologize my response to that anon was a lot more srs than I intended I just wanted to get my point across, I'm all for open discussions :] to answer the bigoted question, I wouldn't entirely say no. but I can say that South Park was not made to make fun of minorities and spread harmful messages. The show presents bigoted behavior from the antagonists who are too stupid to realize they're wrong, it's up to you as the audience to realize that what they are the antagonists and that their actions should not be justified and supported. And even then, there are characters who outwardly speak out and work to fight against said bigots in the episodes they're in. However, the show also relies on shock humor. And this is a criticism on the fans part, but they really gotta stop saying "why are you surprised? It's South Park" as if being surprised over something gross or offensive wasn't the point in the first place. The ridiculous shit in the show isn't supposed to be normalized!! It's supposed to be absolutely ridiculous to the audience and catch them off guard!! You're not supposed to get used to it!! You're not supposed to like it, but you're not supposed to read too deep in it either, breaking down why it's wrong and why you found it shocking and why this is SUPER PROBLEMATIC!! Isn't the point. You just gotta acknowledge that "oh that's fucked up I cant believe they did that, that is so wrong" and just sit in shock for a bit and move on. Like, you can't tear the show apart for one joke when its purpose was for you to realize it's supposed to be ridiculous and wrong at the same time, and the show itself being aware of that fact. A lot of the offensive material circulating around on why South Park is bad lacks context. Cartman and Butters dressing up as chinese stereotypes? They are at a normal Chinese restaurant, harassing a Chinese family because they're idiots who believe that china will overthrow the world, they are asked to leave. Ike in a relationship with his teacher? Ike is a victim of a grooming that is not taken seriously by the police because the predator was a woman, portraying how male victims situations are overlooked in real life, the teacher dies in the end. Randy saying the N-word on live television? He is ridiculed and seen as a total asshole, he gets called "N-word guy" by the people around him and retaliates by making it illegal to call him that name, a satirical role reversal portraying the hypocrisy and sensitivity of white people (oppressors) where they make the "slur" against them illegal but not the slurs against the people they have oppressed for years.

But even after all this, I can see that there are other examples that I can't, and I am not willing to justify. At the end of the day, we all have to acknowledge that South Park was made by two cishet white men. (this was why I said I can't entirely say no) Their opinions will not always be right, and I'm sick of fans trying to justify some of their episodes and jokes just because they like South Park, South Park is not one of those shows you want to ride or die on. I personally have a few jokes and episodes I dislike and will absolutely never watch again, but that is not my main focus. Discrimination is not my draw, and I don't think that's the show's either. Now we're going out to discussion territory and more of personal opinion. I personally enjoy South Park because I feel very drawn to the characters and I find their character driven adventures and antics to be really entertaining. I don't care much for the social commentary. Not that I completely ignore it, it's just something I acknowledge is important in some episode's narratives, but not something I pay too close attention to.

I don't think I watch South Park for the intended reasons, and I don't think most of the fans over here on Tumblr do either. I can admit that I enjoy a version of South Park that isn't technically South Park entirely. I enjoy South Park for what it isn't, and that is a situational comedy with four little guys getting into all sorts of trouble <3

And the funny thing about this whole post is that I used to be a South Park hater.

I thought it was just a bigoted show where the only jokes it had were slurs and children saying fuck, right before I actually gave it a chance and was surprised to find out that it was more than I thought it was, and that I actually somehow enjoyed it.

It's kinda crazy to me that I'm technically defending SOUTH PARK of all things right now.

But uh yeah, I like South Park, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was, and I ended up hyperfixating on it. I'm not here to change anyone's mind and make them watch South Park because "it's ACTUALLY spotless and politically correct all the time, you're just sensitive ☝🤓" People are right to label South Park as controversial, and people are right to be offended by it when it's making fun of something it doesn't understand or without the proper nuance, and people are allowed to discuss and criticize the show for it. With all that said, The show is not emblematic of its own fans, and some of its own fans need to stop looking up to it like it's the bible.

Matt and Trey can be wrong, and even fans like me who enjoy it aren't too dumb and ignorant to recognize and rightfully not be in support of certain aspects of it when a line is being crossed.

This whole thing was supposed to end right after I attached the photo of the characters, but then I just decided to write more and so I puked this extra fluff out, sorry about that lol

[originalwinnercheesecake]

CBS Ghost’s: Why do they all have to be paired into couples now.

Hello Again. So on whole I really like cbs ghosts, but I have noticed with a lot of the episodes in season 2 my opinion of most epsidoes has been that they are a mixed bag. If the A plot is good the B blot won’t be, if the B plot is good then the A plot will just be awful. C plots are never more than maybe’s. I have been going over what parts of episodes I like and what parts  dislike and one of the parts I have decided I really don’t like is the sudden push to pair all of the ghosts up into couples.

The house residents are all a found family, that been true since the beginning. But in season one their kinship is kinda “island of misfits”. When you look into the ghost’s pasts you see that none of them really had that great of family’s to began with. Hetty, Pete, and Alberta all had unhappy relationships where their significant others cheated, and in Hetty and Alberta’s cases were also total crooks. Trevor and Thor were abandoned by their closest friends. Issac, in addition to being in a marriage he could never fully be happy in, he’s also implied to have been the butt-monkey of his social group so to speak. Flower was stuck in multiple cults/communes that drugged her and wouldn’t let her speak to outsiders. But now in death they all have each other, and even if they are often arguing, even if the property border forces them all to stay together,  even though they were all trapped in a pergatiory they all wished to someday leave.. at least they all had each other for comrades/shipmates/bro’s. And maybe when you think about it that was more than they had when they were alive....

All that was fine and well. But why in season 2 do they keep trying to pair and push everybody into couples? Why is that suddenly so needed, and such a big focus? What makes this worse is that while the rivalries (which no longer getting the attention they deserve) were funny, and the friendships (also not getting enough spotlight anymore) where cute/sweet, A lot of these romances are really bland, boring, and seem slapped to together just because these two weren’t in a couple already.

I mean let’s go over the couples

Sam&Jay: Our resident livings. Honestly these two are adorable together, and might eventually join my top 5 favorite sit-come couples list (The list is currently Moritcia&Gomez, Chandler&Monica, Red&Kitty, Hall&Lois...). What I love most abut these two is that they are both such quarkie individuals but because of their different quarks they are able to take turns being the sane one and, not necissarly grounding each other, but giving advice to the other on how to navigate what weird things happen. In just writing this I realize they are kinda like a sit-come, modern day, version of Fry&Leela who are in my opinion one of the best cartoon couples. But this is supposed to be about Sam&Jay. I like Sam&Jay. They’re crazy but they work

Pete&Alberta: This is the other couple I really like, and I am sad that their development was largely pushed to the side/just plane stopped in season 2. The show writers said they wanted them to be a slow burn, because they were not sure if Pete was really Alberta’s type. But then looking at Pete and Alberta’s past (Pete’s cheating wife, Alberta’s two-timing bootleg boyfriend, and the mob guy she also dated) the pair both had picked the wrong type of people when alive. Pete see’s Alberta for the amazing and deserving person she is. Alberta encourages Pete to take some risks and act with some gumption, while also being one of the only ghosts to respect Pete for being such a nice guy. Can the show back off or take a break with some of the lamer couples below to focus on these two.

Issac&Nigel: The Gay couple. I already know I am going to get crap for saying I am not crazy about them this season. Please hear me out before you flame. I liked them in season 1. Their awkwardness together was cute. I liked that Nigel never tried to push Issac, and I was really happy When Issac admitted to both Nigel and the other ghost (who already knew of course) that he liked Nigel. If you find my ranking list I put Nigel kinda low, but that was because we didn’t see him enough to really get to know him. That was one of the things I was excited for in season 2. Halfway through the season its been a disappointment. Nigel seems to have no personality. Because of this he and Issac cannot develop any fun banter or an interesting raptor;personality wise they are just to unbalanced. In addition there is no real build to their relationship. Like according to the Christmas episode it took 10 episodes for Issac to be comfortable kissing Nigel, but before that their was not mention of Issac having any hesitation in that part. In episode 2x01we learn Nigel like watching ants (do nothing). Okay so is Nigel into Anthropology? Cool that’s something to his character. Can I see more of him getting excited to show Issac different bugs? Issac likes musical theater right? So  have him pester Sam to put on a video of a play (something that’s not Hamilton) for him to show Nigel on a date. How are things between the pair and Jenkins? I do not want them to break up, but please show do better by them.

Thor&Flower: I have seen a lot of posts by people saying that they aren’t crazy about this pair. I agree, I don’t ship them. I didn’t like Flower much in season 1, she seemed like she was just a generic Hippy. Her and Thor possibly becoming a couple once she got comfortable with monogamy (weird didn’t Thor also talk a bunch about viking origi’s in season1 ) seemed like grasping at straws for something to do with both characters in season 2. I did not think Thor needed a love interest then: He had great friendships with Sam, Sass, Hetty, and now in season 2 we are getting more of his friendship with Issac and him trying to be a father to Bjorn. Flower’‘s development in season 2 has been awesome as well. We have seen more of Protester Flower, learned more about what the cult’s cost her, her relationships with her brothers (writers have apparently already been looking into older actors to play one of Flowers brothers should he decide to visit the B&B). We have gotten more on her friendship with Alberta, and her helping Hetty learn to embrace feelings of pleasure (best story arch of the season)... Thor and Flower is a forced ship that neither character needs to be interesting. Just drop it.

Hetty&Trevor: I did not see that coming. I really didn’t. I saw a post that tweeted Hetty maybe having a romance  this season. I figured maybe it would be with one of Nigel’s two friends (We don’t know Baxter’s sexuality and Jenkins could be bi). I was literally like Pete likes Alberta, Issac is gay, Thor would be to weird since he was basically her nanny as a child, I cannot imagine her or Sass being the slightest bit interested in each other, and of course she cannot stand Trevor... Yet here we are. I am just fine with these two hooking up, but that is it. If they became a couple, then knowing this show, they would start getting along. I like them being frenemies, They are funny frenemies.

Sass&car-ghost girl: Sass was the last one left. His one sided crush on Chiki went no where and could never be, and now they have brought This new car-ghost girl in and made it jump-out-and-hit-you-in-the-face clear that Sass is smitten with her at first sight... Sass is my second favorite ghost (Alberta is my favorite) and I think he is the funniest one. But the way the actor play’s Sass: mostly apathetic, with a dry wit humor.. yeah that doesn’t translate well when he tries to be caring or romantic. Sass is a good story teller, and a fun Bro, but he is not really a romantic guy, and I am honestly wishing the writers had gone the fan theory route of making him Ace.

Judy Farnsby & Bjorn: I actually really like the idea of these two being together. Give me more of Judy showing up behind her son and his wife and calling them both terrible disappointment’s, only now have Bjorn show up with her and talking as if he is Farnsby’s stepfather.

[variousqueerthings]

AND LAST OF S5: THE BIG BANG

Soooooo I don't dislike it. All the kid!Amy stuff I really really like even!

but does it stick the landing?

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 7/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored, or having her emotional agency ignored by the plot): 5/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 6/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 7/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 3/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 5/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 6/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 5/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 6/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 6/10

FULL RATING: 56/100 (if I can count….)

Better than Pandorica Opens!

OBJECTIFICATION: Not too bad, good start. Amy is wearing (most of the time) the same outfit as last episode, and River is also just vibing

PLOT-POINT: This episode is ostensibly all about Amelia Pond's first Moment with the Doctor as an eye of the storm, and I like that

but Amy never really talks about it or does anything related to it. she does have a bit where she says she doesn't regret their journeying, but for some reason she's the main person who never really seems to... feel anything about it, like actually this genuinely was sorted back in end episode 1 for her

and the whole purpose of her having had this encounter is to bring the Doctor back from non-existence. there's a version of this story, where Amy's conflicted feelings about being abandoned, and even tbh about marriage are at the centre of the conflict

River is just there to be mysterious, you'll see later what's going on with her... maybe...

COMPLEXITY: A lot of forwards and backwards in time and the Tardis is exploding and we still don't know why, in the end they're baaasically running through a museum and the Doctor hooks himself up to the Pandorica and yeets himself into the heart of the storm

It's not egregious/it's possible to follow... there are unanswered questions.....

I also think it's hilarious that after all that supposed set-up, Rory just... takes him out of the box again. Into the box and out of the box

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: I need to ruminate on this a bit. getting married as plot is not a bad thing. I'm not a massive fan of the Amy/Rory romance and how it progressed (mainly because it mostly didn't and then suddenly shifted into a slightly different parallel universe where they're madly in love), so I'm not sold on Amy's adultness being centred in marriage

but this is not only a M*ffat thing. this show is very based in alloromance. it's just whether it makes sense that Amy... wants this... or if the plot just decided that now she does

do I think characters got closer? kinda yeah. Amy and Rory are married now, even though Rory is still characterised as permanently unsure of where he stands with Amy's "moods" (angry moods, sexual moods, sad moods, etc)

Rory: Are you okay? Amy: Are you? Rory: No Amy: Well shut up then!

I was kinda struck by how venomous she was at him, and then they hug and it's fine, but that's kind of what it feels like between them a lot of the time

Amy: are you just saying yes, because you’re scared of me? Rory:... yep

anyway, it changes things for the next season perhaps, now they are firmly married and not in the "will Amy or won't she" boat

and the Doctor came to the wedding! didn't disappear when he was called!

there is plot To Come that is set up... why did the Tardis explode? what is the Silence?

COMPANIONS MATTER: they're there for most of it, there's this whole backstory of Rory protecting the Pandorica for 2000 years, which is the basis of Rory and Amy now being this epic romance, and taken on its own it's pretty cool

Amy is there to experience things happening, so that she can remember it later on, and then she gets married, because in the end all of s5 is centred around the Marriage Of The Ponds and Amy learning that she can grow up (get married) and have adventures with the Doctor and those things don't cancel each other out

the Doctor does things and they all follow

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: eh, the Doctor solves everything and everyone's just tagging along, but I like the "we're all just stories in the end" bit. the Doctor is also just a story

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: not much of previous Doctor Who in this so... not terrible technically

“SEXINESS”: Why is Amy doing her whole "I'm gonna snog the Doctor" schtick? There's this bit also where she and Rory make out for ages and the camera lingers on it, because now they're passionate lovers, and fine, I guess, it's not the worst thing M*ffat has done

I am deciding to add River's whole... making the Dalek say Mercy. it's kind of a fantasy badass moment where she's being badass with a gun

and here I'm unsure whether to put Amy making Rory afraid or not, because it's definitely a M*ffat fantasy, but it also relates to Amy's whole... why this a good relationship? anyway. we'll put it here, because I'm sleepy, fuckit

Amy sauntering up to the Doctor and saying "We haven’t even had a snog in the shrubbery yet" is unfortunately just. it's in my brain

INTERNAL WORLD: we've met Amy's aunt! in that other world where the stars don't exist and the Universe is ending. and we've met Amy's parents! (wonder if we'll see them again)

it's kind of rebuilding things after episode 1 already gave us something of her life, but none of those character reappear. it's also hard not to know what comes next, which is.... nothing with any of this

especially considering Amy not remembering her parents is presented as a Big Deal in this episode, so her life is now straightened out (I was going to say normalised or returned to the ideal status quo, and realised all three of these are hiding the truth, which is that Amy's life is normative now -- she got married at last, and she has two parents like Normal)

POLITICS: Nothing much one way or another in this

FULL RATING: 56/100 (if I can count….)

I think this episode is defined by being not the worst of the season. It's strongest suit is not being super offensive, but it's also not extraordinary. Its weakness is in the companions again. Are they there to experience the Doctor doing cool stuff, or are they there to have narratives centred around them? How does Amy feel about her entire existence being bait? About being helpless to do anything in this whole thing that revolves in some way around her memories? she just kind of bounces into whatever the plot needs someone to do, never being particularly affected by what came before

[casualtheoriesandthoughts]

Why Chainsaw Man is irritating and absurd, but is still not bad. (Spoilers ahead.)

When I saw the first episode of Chainsaw Man, I was immediately put off by Denji's juvenile behavior, his sexual appetite being his only apparent motivation for doing anything (that, and staying alive to "preserve [his] new lifestyle"). The amount of blood spurting everywhere also generally deterred me from watching further, as I am not one for gratuitous gore.

One of my friends encouraged me to give it a second chance, so I did. I concluded that Chainsaw Man is irritating and absurd, but is still not bad. At least, not as in poorly made.

I don't ultimately like any of the characters, except for possibly Aki. That is because Aki comes the closest to having redeeming qualities. Relatedly, I also don't love the the way humanity is trivialized at practically every turn (Denji being the saddest example of this). But I'm less interested in giving an in-depth character analysis than an assessment of the overall vibe of the anime.

Most of all, what I dislike about the show is that it is absurd in its outlook. I don't mean being weird or really out there, I mean that it defies giving meaning to anything beyond a very superficial "wanting the good life" and "killing devils" (forgive me if I don't have the tightest use of the literary sense of "absurd"). And no, I do not think the latter is a sufficient motivation for the conflict with devils, since that doesn't even seem to be the point. Few characters have desires beyond pleasure, and is willing to dispense with morality to do so.

Aki is a good example of what I think is done in the show: his basic reason for wanting to kill devils is that devils killed his family and later, his friends. This isn't a bad motivation, but one that I feel is ultimately not done justice. (I am aware that this is only the first season, and that there is a manga. I did a bit of research and learned that more is done with the world and characters, so I'll focus on my impressions of the anime so far).

When Himeno dies, Aki mourns in his hospital room and Denji wonders at his own ability to feel the same. It raised important questions about how much of being human seems to consist in having relationships and commitments. There's so much going on in these scenes and I would say it's the one time that the show felt very compelling to me. IGN's review called this "cinematic", and I agree, which leads to my next point about absurdism.

The show's less shōnen-y moments, away from the action, spend a lot of time trying to show what the inner lives of devil hunters are like, which is mostly gray and sad. This is simultaneously poignant and not. Aki's affect is generally stoic and unfeeling, though not so much serious as emotionally vacant. His focus on devil hunting and general disgust for devils who kill his loved ones feels less emotionally charged than a principle that he's decided to live by.

Similarly, Denji's light-hearted demeanor and lack of a filter leaves very little to the imagination, giving me the distinct impression that Denji doesn't care about anything except Makima. At the end of the scene in hospital, Denji decides it's too much of a downer to continue thinking about death and loss. The delicacy of human feelings is left to languish without much fanfare.

And this is precisely what pisses me off about Denji and the show more generally. It doesn't seem to ultimately matter that people die, that devils are mercurial and seem to have engendered a moral vacuum in society or that Denji is a teenager whose development seems profoundly warped by all of it. Characters don't really reflect on this meaninglessness, and instead seem emotionally eviscerated by it. How did the world get here, and what has it lost in the process? Why should we care that life itself has been deprived of meaning?

Nothing is shown, and nothing is told either. This absurdity, in which many human experiences can't be taken for granted, is not very appealing to me. It's worth reading this paragraph on the themes of Chainsaw Man on Wikipedia, including the views of certain reviewers:

The loose comparison to Jujutsu Kaisen is also somewhat instructive here, as it highlights what I find ultimately unappealing about the anime's absurdity. It is generally difficult, I think, for people to connect with characters' whose humanity is fundamentally in question without giving them a chance to stake their own claim to that humanity. Unlike Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man's cast is never really engaged in reflection on the meaning of their efforts, their own goals or anything. I'm not necessarily saying that absurdism doesn't have its place, and shōnen animes certainly have been guilty of being saccharine in the extreme without much nuance.

But there's something about Chainsaw Man's violent atmosphere and morally gray cast that feels routinized and blunted. It grates on my usual sense that somehow this will turn out to have rhyme or reason. So to laud Denji's character as a commentary on capitalism feels excessive, especially when it's not really clear that the author has set out to do anything of the sort. Remarking on the few moments of pathos in the manga, Katherine Dacey puts it rather well:

"... no one is reading Chainsaw Man for these kind of emotional beats; they’re hoping for outrageous displays of gore and violence, and on that front, Tatsuki Fujimoto does his utmost to push the boundaries of good taste. "

It is this aspect that I find borderline immoral. I want to emphasize that while I'm just sharing my personal opinion, there's a part of me that feels that media and culture should be generative and thoughtful (that doesn't necessarily mean a happy ending or a conventional moral of the story, mind you).

That being said, Denji's one-dimensionality is sad and compelling in its own way. I feel for Denji because I see the way he's just been ground down. It seems that he's happy-go-lucky on the surface, but from this viewer's perspective, it can't help but come off as deeply saddening. The theme of objectification and the way people's fears manifest as devils has a powerful presence in Chainsaw Man, and I think it's one of the things I think truly ends up being compelling. The aesthetic of the anime goes a long way in making things feel bleak and pointless. Living in pursuit of even modest and trivial goals is better than submitting to the crushing weight of moral grayness, or so it seems.

Even so, the flattening of humanity that takes occurs feels alienating in the extreme. The casual treatment of tragedy and desire further drives home the feeling that none of this matters. Feeling that Denji's life is sad and undeserved matters little when the universe seems to defy giving that any weight.

I started out saying that Chainsaw Man isn't bad, but that it just grates on my sensibilities with its absurdity. It is a well-crafted anime with its visuals, story and commitment to a certain style. But its message is ultimately one that I don't care for, precisely because it seems to say that there isn't one. In denying the audience any sense of ultimate meaning, I'm left wondering whether it's worth watching at all.