#this is probably my biggest complaint about the first two episodes

[glimblshanks]

Also while I did enjoy all the world building for Orion I wish they had made Tendi less,,,uh,,,stupid?

Like girly you grew up on this planet. You should already know that it's normal for women to pirate while pregnant. You should know that the grand pirate queen isn't going to go for a compromise. You should know that you can't expect an Orion pirate crew to stop killing people before that expectation has been communicated.

I mean this woman is basically a princess on her home planet. I don't care how much she loves Starfleet, it's weird that she doesn't seem to know her own culture's norms. Especially considering that she didn't seem to have this problem in Something Borrowed. Something Green

[thatrandomlemononyourcounter1]

The Problems With TMNT 2012 April O'neil (And Why It's The Writer's Fault)

(side note this accidentally low-key turned into an April O'neil defense post, and I apologize.)

Hello everyone! This post was seven pages on google docs so that's fun :D

When I was younger, I thought April O'neil was so cool. She was part Kraang, had multiple guys chasing after her, and was training to be a kunoichi.

As I got older though, and rewatched the show, I realized that while her character was cool, there were a lot of issues with said character.

Now, before I really start, I want to clarify, I do not dislike April! In fact, I still think she's a really cool character with a lot of potential. Unfortunately, said potential has been lost to the grasp of time and space, but that's not her fault.

A lot, and I mean a LOT of people don't like April. The most common complaints I hear about her are as follows. A, she led Donnie and Casey on. B, she's a Mary Sue. C, she got too powerful too fast. D, she's just annoying and two-faced.

Let's start with point number 1.

The Love Triangle between Donnie, April, and Casey is one of the most controversial things in the show. Some people love it, most people hate it, not that I blame them. The biggest point against the love triangle was that it deterred from the characters, and was honestly just kinda gross and cringey.

This could not be more true.

I could make whole other posts on why Donnie and Casey's characters would've been so much better without the love triangle, but this is an April post, so let's talk about April and the first point where the writer's screwed up.

Introducing April as a love interest

If there was one thing that I could take away from TMNT 2012, it would be the fact that they introduced April not as her own character, but a love interest. The fact that they did this set the stage for what April's character was meant to become.

If they had simply introduced April as her own character, then we would've been able to get a better grip on her personality.

But no.

April had never really been a love interest in the iterations before tmnt 2012, and that was because she usually stood in as an older sister figure for the turtles. Yes, some fans shipped April with the turtles, but it was never implied in any of the previous shows that any of the turtles had a crush on April or vice versa.

I don't know why TMNT 2012 decided to change that, but they did.

Making April the same age as the turtles wasn't the problem, and honestly, neither was shipping Donnie and April in the show.

It was how they did it.

In shipping the two of them, they dumbed April's character down to just a love interest, and made her seem bitchy. They wrote her having romantic moments with both Donnie and Casey, and supposedly turning both of them down at other moments.

A Foot Too Big is one of the most controversial episodes in TMNT 2012 period. The episode consists of Donnie rescuing Bigfoot. Bigfoot then proceeds to follow Donnie around like a lost puppy, invade his personal space, touch him without consent, blah, blah, blah. This causes Donnie to realize that just like how Bigfoot is acting is making him uncomfortable, how he's acting around April is probably making her uncomfortable. He then proceeds to tell April that he was going to try and start leaving her alone, and that he understood he was probably making her uncomfortable.

Then, in one of the most controversial moments ever, April grabs him and kisses him, saying "You're my mutant."

Yeah.

Prettttyyyy bad.

I think this incredibly out of character for April, and I think that the entire reason this scene happened was so that they wouldn't lose their most played gag, well tied with making Mikey look stupid after proving him to be smart time and time again, but that's a post for another time.

An excellent point that I've seen made by others was that the whole love triangle was never planned to have a solution, it was there to be played for laughs, which in turn, made April's character suffer for it.

I do believe that April's character would've thrived if not for the love triangle, and I believe that Donnie and Casey's characters would've been better off as well.

Point 2: April's a Mary Sue

Boy oh boy.

First of all, let's look at the definition of a Mary Sue.

"Unrealistically lacking in flaws or weaknesses."

So...people want to call April bitchy, and then call her a Mary Sue, as if being bitchy isn't a character flaw?

This is argumentatively one of my LEAST favorite arguments against April's character, because usually the argue-r defeats themself when they say the statement.

"She's annoying." That's a character flaw.

"She leads people on." That's a character flaw.

"She let herself get controlled by the stupid crystal." That's a character flaw.

April has a lot of flaws, and that's one of the reasons why I think her character could've been really interesting!

Let's take a look at some of the things that build April's character, and therefore make her not a Mary Sue.

April is shown from the very beginning of the show to be more of an action-oriented person, not always thinking things through.

(i.e. in S1 EP6 Metalhead when she went to go investigate the Kraang warehouse by herself or even in S1 EP1 Rise of the Turtles when she tries to come up with a plan to escape the Kraang's holding her hostage)

This is a character flaw, and it's one that we see a lot throughout the show.

April is also shown to be very empathetic. You can see this in multiple instances, such as when Karai admitted that she believe Splinter was her father, and April believed her.

This isn't necessarily a character flaw, but it has gotten her into trouble a few times. Usually her empathetic attitude helps more than harms.

April stands up for what she thinks is right. This is an important piece of her character that ties into her empathetic attitude.

April is sassy sometimes.

April can hold a serious grudge.

But, she can also be forgiving.

April is stubborn.

So, as I've pointed out, April definitely has a personality. It's just that usually, these elements of her character were ignored in favor of the love triangle, dulling down her character overall, and making her sometimes seem like a Mary Sue.

Speaking of the Mary Sue argument, let's take a gander at another requirement for being a Mary Sue, which is "everyone likes them, and people who don't like them are shown to be wrong for not liking them."

This is NOT true for April.

TMNT 2012 had no problems making Karai and April have serious beef, and Karai was never shown to be in the wrong for disliking her, except for when Karai took it a step too far.

Obviously, most of the other characters (who aren't villains) like April, because the other characters that are shown are her friends, or friends of friends.

Another aspect of the Mary Sue argument was that the character was usually too powerful without a reason, or out of nowhere.

This also ties into point number three:

April got too strong too fast/April's too strong

Okay!

So let's get into this point.

When I was a little younger, I used to think that people who argued this had a point, but again, as I've gotten older and applied my critical thinking skills, I realized that this isn't actually true.

Some people didn't like that the show made April half-Kraang, claiming it was too strange, just a way to make a female character seem like a 'girlboss', and of course a variety of sexist comments.

I am among the lovers of half-Kraang April, mostly because I think it was a really interesting take on the character.

But! A lot of people claimed that her "kraang" powers were too strong, making her unlikeable.

You want to know how the writers remedied this?

By making April get possessed by the Aeon crystal! (In my opinion, this was actually a really interesting writing direction)

Whiiichhh...of course a bunch of people also had a problem with.

Look, I can't make you like the Aeon crystal writing choice, and I'm certainly not about to try, but, by making April get possessed, the writers inadvertently added a flaw to their apparent "flawless" glorified love interest.

Now, it's been a hot minute since I watched any of the later seasons of TMNT 2012 (mostly because paramount plus is my mortal enemy (side note if anyone has seasons 3-5 downloaded feel free to DM me wink wink)), but I think I remember April losing some fights.

It wasn't like the narrative made her invincible, is my point.

So yes, April was strong, but she wasn't insufferably strong to the point where it was annoying.

I often see this argument used against Captain Marvel from the MCU as well, and I loathe it with my entire being so.

Now for the "April got too strong too fast" complaint.

I just gotta ask, did we watch the same show? /hj

April was shown to have something strange going on with her since season 1! Her powers were alluded to multiple times, so it wasn't like this was a last minute writing decision.

Her power grew stronger as the seasons went on, and there were a few episodes in each season that showcased this, such as S3 EP7 Eyes of the Chimera.

Yes she was strong in season 5, but that's because it was the last season!

As for her ninjutsu skills, it's the same thing. She'd been training since season 1! She grew as a ninja over time.

Now, for the last point:

April's just annoying.

Yeah, if this is you, I don't know if I can change your mind. Also if this is you, there a many times per season where I agree with you!

But let me tell you dear reader the same thing I tell myself.

It's not the character, it's the writers.

Unless the very idea of April O'neil makes you mad, my guess is that most of the gripes you have with her character are the writers' fault. The not choosing between Donnie and Casey, the 'character trait swaps', all of that was the writers.

None of those things are April's character.

Conclusion:

If you made it all the way down here, and read all of it, I applaud you.

Overall, I can't make you like April, but I can attempt to analyze her character and give you the finished analysis, that is mostly just me blaming all the problems of her character on the writers.

April had the opportunity to be an amazing character, and that opportunity was poured down the drain.

But, there are still some redeeming things about her character, and those things are the things that made me like her.

So, like most things in life, if you focus on the positives, you'll be okay.

This was CJ and her April O'neil analysis, that accidentally turned into a defense post.

Sorry if none of this post made any sense, I wrote it at midnight after a very long day.

[thebroccolination]

CHARACTER ARCS IN THAI BL (featuring examples from SOTUS, Be My Favorite, and The Ex-Morning)

So, Krist's done two BL series so far with another one on the horizon, and it looks like The Ex-Morning is going to have the same thing that made SOTUS and Be My Favorite so strong: The Character Arc.

One of my biggest complaints about Thai QL series is that most of their protagonists don't want anything. They just kind of walk on camera, act cute, and fall in love. Some sad stuff happens to them, and then the good stuff happens to them again, and then the story ends.

We all know these series are made as a vehicle for the actors. They include just enough fluff or spice (or spicy fluff) to trend, then companies lean on the ensuing hype to sell sponsored products, concert tickets, merch, ten-minute fan calls, fan signings, fan meetings, and top-spender events.

But most series lose me when their protagonists don't even want something that drives the story. And then there's no obstacle to that want.

Want: Arthit wants to hide behind a persona. Obstacle: Kongphob wants Arthit to allow him behind the persona.

I think SOTUS is such a successful slow-burn because it's a well-crafted story of push and pull between two well-developed characters in direct conflict with each other (in personality, philosophy, life experience, class, etc.).

And that conflict builds with each of the three installments:

The conclusion in SOTUS happens once Arthit is fully himself around Kongphob: shyly smiling and laughing while he does a dramatic reading of Kongphob's written account of his hazing experience.

The conclusion in SOTUS S happens once Arthit allows himself to be seen as Kongphob's boyfriend by the outside world (represented by his coworkers).

And the conclusion in their Our Skyy episode—as well as their story overall—happens when Arthit allows the world to see him as Kongphob's fiancé (represented by a ton of passersby in an airport).

By contrast, a lot of other series feel to me as if they haven't been edited or explored beyond a first or maybe second draft. It's difficult for me to get emotionally invested in a story when the characters are just pretty people who say things to each other. And I mean, in all fairness, considering the breakneck speed these are made and released at, writers probably don't have enough time to make anything more profound than that.

That's why I admire Be My Favorite director Waasuthep for requesting more time to work on his script. He was so passionate about that project, and he says to this day that it's his favorite of his works. He basically took apart the original novella's plot, carved it down to a handful of elements, and built it anew from scratch. Last year, he said on a podcast that fans were complaining because they wanted to see the series as soon as possible, but when presented with the choice of "make a worse series faster to appease fans" or "take as much time as possible to craft the story as it deserves to be told," he bravely, boldly, and correctly chose the latter.

As a result, Kawi has arguably the most dramatic and well-executed character arc of all the Thai series I've seen. In episode one, he's self-isolated, timid, avoidant, and selfish. In the last episode, he's a confident, openly queer, and affectionate member of a found family he built alongside the person he loves.

And even better than just having a want, Kawi has a conflicting need.

He wants to be with someone (Pear, then Pisaeng). But what he needs is to be vulnerable enough to let other people love him. Pisaeng tells Kawi in episode two that he's being bigoted against other people for assuming they won't like him and automatically shutting them all out. Then Pisaeng reinforces that point later by telling Kawi that people would like him…if he actually showed them who he is.

And since Kawi's want is at odds with his need (he wants to skip the vulnerability part, which leads to his ruinous potential future with Pear), he's not just externally challenged by his father's illness, his lack of social skills, Not's general unpleasantness, and the inherent dangers associated with changing time, he's also challenged by himself every step of the way.

Seeing Kawi go from self-isolation, in which he assumes the worst of everyone he meets, to warmly hosting a cheerful Christmas party with the beloved people he chose is immensely satisfying as a viewer.

And now in the upcoming Ex-Morning we have an entire series seemingly focused on Pathapi's character arc of challenging the person he's become in order to rekindle his broken relationship with Tamtawan. I've been craving a good exes-to-lovers plot, and I love that it's KristSingto who'll deliver that to me.

Ultimately, it delights me that in all three of Krist's BL series so far, his anxious, reactive characters are forced to self-examine and become calmer, gentler, and happier. SOTUS and Be My Favorite are just as much about self-love as romantic love: Arthit is happiest when he's self-confident, Kawi is happiest when he's vulnerable, and we'll see what Pathapi's whole deal is soon.

Ex-Morning director Lit (who also directed the first SOTUS installment) said in a recent podcast that in the early days, Thai BL directors used to only compete with each other, but they're well aware that their work is on a global stage now. Considering the amount of work that's gone into the script for The Ex-Morning, I'm tremendously excited for the story he helps to create. \:D/

Strong, nuanced characters are what I need from a series, and for them to be at their strongest and most nuanced, they really need that character arc to land.

[kaleldobrev]

Spitting Image

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Fem!Reader

Summary: You think Dean looks like one of your favorite characters. Dean on the other hand...doesn’t see the resemblance.

Word Count: 2.8k

Warnings: Cursing (5x), Insanely minor spoilers for S3 The Boys

Authors Note: I’m sure there’s someone that has done this already, but I wanted to write this because I believe Dean would probably be one of the biggest The Boys fans there ever was | I also just really love Soldier Boy and just need S4 | This is my first time using gifs throughout the fic so let me know if that’s something you like. I mainly did it so if you haven’t seen the show you know what scenes I’m referring to. But you don’t have to watch the show in order to read this | If you liked this, don’t forget to like & reblog. I really appreciate it! Feedback is always welcome ♡

When you and Dean first met three years ago, the two of you instantly clicked. It was a strange feeling for Dean at first, because the last time he had felt this kind of instant connection to someone, they turned out to be a siren; and he wasn’t about to fall for that again. Thankfully, because you too were a hunter, you had let him subject you to all the usual tests to prove that you weren’t some kind of monster. Silver, holy water, bearing your non-vampire teeth, and even showing off your anti-possession tattoo; the whole nine yards. Dean subjected himself to the same kind of tests as well, to prove to you that he was not a monster either. You had told him that he didn’t have to, that you believed him when he said that he wasn’t some kind of monster, but he did so anyway, without complaint.

Not only did the two of you share a passion for classic rock, Clint Eastwood movies, bacon cheeseburgers, and classic cars, you also shared a love of a tv show that barely anyone he knew, or you watched: The Boys. One of you, neither of you could really remember which of you had first mentioned it, but as soon as one of you did, it was like a light bulb went off. “Holy shit! You watch it too?” You had said. Not soon after that conversation, the two of you had started dating, which caused you to jokingly ask Dean, “Was me liking The Boys the final test if you were going to date me or not Winchester?” He remembered laughing at your comment. “No, I wanted to date you the moment I laid my eyes on you but, you liking the show did give you bonus points.”

Week One. Today was the day; the first three episodes of The Boys was going to be available to watch today, and you honestly couldn’t be more excited. “This is what I hate about tv shows now. One season is like five episodes, and then when it’s over, you have to wait another two or three years for the next season.” Dean started to complain, but you couldn’t help but agree with him. “Back in my day, you only had to wait like four or six months for the new season. Or, if it was a cartoon, the next week.” Dean continued. His, ‘back in my day’ comments only made you chuckle as you were only a few years younger than he was.

“Well, at least we can enjoy three episodes tonight, and then one each week for the next couple of weeks.” You said, trying to add some kind of positivity to the situation. Once you walked into the bedroom you shut the door behind you and started relying the list of quote-on-quote supplies that you needed for premiere night. “Okay, I got the popcorn, you got the beers. We’re both in our comfy lounging clothes. Is there anything else I’m missing?” You asked, making your way to yours and Dean’s shared bed. Dean was already sitting in bed with the remote in his hand, where he had already placed a beer on each nightstand – one for you and one for him.

As you stood at the side of the bed, Dean turned to look over at you with a small smirk on his lips. “Just for you to bring that ass over here with the popcorn.” Dean winked.

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” You replied, giving him a wink back before sitting next to him in bed; both of you sitting with your legs crossed. You placed the popcorn bowl in the middle so the two of you would be able to have easy access. Grabbing the remote that Dean had placed in front of you, you hovered your finger on the play button. “Ready?”

“I’m ready when you are Beautiful.” Dean said – you had never pressed the play button quicker your entire life.

As the two of you were watching the show, there was one scene in particular where you couldn’t help but raise a brow. Without any kind of warning to Dean, you pressed the pause button on a scene that showed a black and white photo of Soldier Boy and a group color photo of Payback. You did a double take just then, looking at the screen and looking at Dean. You couldn’t help but think that Dean looked like a spitting image of the actor that was playing Soldier Boy. After looking at Dean for a second time, he couldn’t help but look at you with a slightly confused, yet annoyed expression on his face. “Y/N, why’d you pause it?” He asked.

“You’re not…you’re not seeing this?” You asked, sounding slightly baffled.

“See what Sweetheart?” He voice sounding a bit more confused now.

You pointed at the screen, as if it should be obvious what he should be looking at. “You look exactly like Soldier Boy.”

Dean turned from looking at you to looking at the screen, eyeing the black and white picture of the man before him. He squinted his eyes, and unsquinted them just as quickly before looking back at you again. “What?”

With an annoyed huff, you got up from your spot on the bed and walked over to the screen so you can point at the picture. “You don’t see it?!” You questioned, amazed that Dean could not see the clear resemblance between him and the actor.

With a sigh, Dean got up from his spot; doing his best to humor you in the moment even though he knew for a fact that there was no way he remotely looked like the character. Getting up close to the screen he stared for a moment, doing his best to focus on the picture. “Nope. I don’t see it. I mean, the dude has a mask on.”

“Dean, that smile, clearly yours. And plus, I think I’ve seen you with a mask on plenty of times to know what you look like with a mask on.” You said. “Two words: Zorro roleplays.”

“I…” As soon as you said that, he looked back at the screen again. “No. I still don’t see it.”

“I honestly don’t know how you’re not seeing it! It’s like looking into a mirror!” Your frustration was starting to show in your voice. You walked back over to the bed and sat back down, Dean following your lead.

“I’m sorry Sweetheart. I’m just not seeing it.” Dean said. “Can we finish watching? We got two more episodes to watch tonight. And we’ve waited like a year and a half for this season.”

“Fine, fine…Soldier Boy.” You whispered the last two words, hoping that Dean didn’t hear you.

Dean’s head snapped to look in your direction. “What?”

“What?” You asked, almost too innocently for his liking.

“Did you…did you just call me Soldier Boy?” The way he asked, you knew for a fact that he had heard you.

You hesitated to answer for a moment. “No…”

Watching episode three was a struggle for you. It was so hard not to picture Dean now in the Soldier Boy scenes because of how much he looked and sounded so much like the actor playing him. “Fuck, you would look so good in that suit.” You whispered, barely audible as you watched a flashback scene taking place about what happened with Soldier Boy and his team when they were in Nicaragua with Grace Mallory.

“Say something Sweetheart?” Dean asked. You could see in your peripheral that Dean had his face looking toward you instead of having his eyes on the screen like you.

“Nope.” You turned to face him. “Why?”

“I thought…” Dean thought for a moment whether or not he was going to comment on what he thought he heard you say. Fuck, you would look so good in that suit. But decided that it would be best to play dumb for now; he didn’t want to bring up the weird argument you guys had during episode one. “Nevermind.”

Week Two. The next week rolled around, and it was time for episode four. “I can’t believe that the season is already halfway over.” You commented.

“Don’t know why they can’t do thirteen episodes like a normal show. None of this eight episodes crap.” Dean complained, doing his best to try and set the show up like you had showed him to do so many times before.

“Alright. As usual, I brought the popcorn, you got the beers, and we’re both in our comfy clothes. Anything else I’m missing?” You walked over to the bed, holding the giant bowl of extra buttered popcorn that Dean had requested.

“You sitting next to me.” Dean winked. “Come bring those soon to be insanely buttered fingers over here.” His comment made you laugh. “What’s so funny Gorgeous?”

You sat on the bed, taking your place next to your boyfriend, and looked at him with absolute awe. “You.” Was all you said before kissing him.

“Oh come on!” You said, pressing the pause button. “He even sounds like you when you sing!”

“What? That sounds nothing like me!” Dean exclaimed.

“Yes, it does. That’s exactly what you sound like when you sing.” You argued back.

“I-I’m not that bad. That guy –” Dean pointed the screen, “that guy sucks!”

“I’ve heard you sing Rapture by Blondie countless times. You sound exactly like that.” Although you had only known Dean for a short amount of time – three years to be exact – you have heard this man sing all the time. More often than you would have thought for someone like him. Between the long car rides, hearing him randomly sing when he’s in the shower or working on Baby; even at karaoke night down at the local bar when he’s had a few too many, you were far too familiar with his singing voice. Your boyfriend couldn’t really sing, but he enjoyed it. He wasn’t horrible, but he wasn’t necessarily the best either.

“I don’t sound like that! That guy right there? Clearly tone deaf.” Dean couldn’t believe what he was hearing right now. He knew for a fact that he wasn’t the best singer; he didn’t sing because he was good, he sang because he enjoyed it. “Are you calling me tone deaf?”

“What? No. Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just saying, I honestly cannot understand how you don’t see or hear that you sound exactly like this guy.” In that moment, you felt an idea hit you. Pointing your finger at Dean you said, “You know what? I’m getting Sam. He’ll agree with me!” Getting out of bed you started making your way toward the door; Dean following close behind you. “Sammy!” You called out once opening the door.

“Y/N! No! We’re not getting Sam involved.” Dean said, a hint of frustration and slight annoyance in his voice.

You stopped dead in the middle of the hallway, turning around to face Dean who you almost collided with. “Cause you know I’m right!”

“What? No! I didn’t say that!” He pinched the bridge of his nose; there was a small part of him that didn’t believe that he was having this kind of quote-on- quote argument with you.

“Sammy!” You called again, practically marching your way down the hallway.

Sam came out of his room, which was pitch black; the only hint of light was coming from the flashing lights of the tv in his room. “Y/N? Everything okay?” Sam asked, partially stepping out of his bedroom.

“Okay. Me and Dean need a debate settled.” You began. “There’s this character on The Boys called Solider Boy and I honestly think he a spitting image of Dean. Even sounds like him. But Dean, can’t see it or hear it.”

“I think she’s wrong. Clearly.” Dean chimed in.

Sam looked at the two of you, almost in disbelief. He didn’t know what he was really expecting to be honest, you and Dean had gotten into all sorts of debates since you two have known each other; some of them more ridiculous than the previous one. In some ways, it almost reminded him of some of the debates him and Dean would get into. They were slightly childish, but also weirdly passionate when it came to their side of the argument. “Alright.” Sam rubbed his face. “Show me what you’re talking about.”

Back in yours and Dean’s room you had episodes three and four pulled up: the flashback scene that had quite a bit of Soldier Boy lines, and episode four where he sang Rapture. After the three of you watched both parts – Dean rolling his eyes 90% of the time; you turned to Sam waiting to hear him hopefully agreeing with you. “I mean…” Sam looked at the scene that you were paused on and looked at Dean and then back at the screen. “Kinda. Like, if you squint.” Sam finally said.

“Ha! I win!” You slapped the sides of your legs as Dean said that. His reaction about what you were expecting.

“No! No! He said if you squint! That’s different than a flat-out no.” You argued.

Week Six. It had been a couple of weeks since you and Dean had your weird argument – more like debate – about whether or not he did in fact look like the actor who played Soldier Boy. You were a firm believer that he in fact did, which you thought was a compliment because you had thought that the guy playing him was probably just as attractive as Dean was. But Dean on the other hand, was of the opinion that he did not look or sound remotely like the guy and could not believe that you could even compare the two. “It’s like comparing apples to rifles.” Dean had told you. “Dean, that doesn’t even make any sense.” You replied. “Exactly my point.” He said.

After the first couple of episodes, you had decided that it was best to not bring up the debate again, knowing that the two of you would never agree. It wasn’t the end of the world of course, but there was a part of you that still could not believe that Dean couldn’t see it. Even Sam; who you really thought was going to agree with you, really didn’t. You had thought that if anyone would agree with you, it would be him.

You were currently in the Bunker kitchen with your back leaning against the counter waiting for the popcorn to be done. You were doing your usual weekly routine where you were the one that made the popcorn and Dean was the one that gathered the beers for the two of you. As you were watching the seconds count down on the microwave you heard heavy boot steps coming into the kitchen; full well knowing that it was Dean. You had been living with the man long enough to know exactly what his footsteps had sounded like, and you were also aware that you and Dean had the Bunker all to yourselves tonight. What made it slightly strange though, is that his boots didn’t sound like the ones that he normally wore. “I was thinking, after we finish the finale tonight, we could go for a nice long walk.” You said as the microwave beeped. Taking the popcorn out of the microwave you turned to see Dean; your jaw dropping. “Son of a bitch. Where did you…How did you…” In front of you, Dean was in full Soldier Boy costume – minus the mask; you were impressed that he even had the shield.

“Uh, Charlie.” He almost seemed embarrassed. “I uh, I called her up a few weeks ago.” He walked into the kitchen more so he was now on the other side of the counter that you were currently behind.

“You…you asked Charlie to get you a…Soldier Boy costume…?” For one of the first times in your life you were utterly speechless. You and Dean had roleplayed before and have seen each other in some…interesting costumes, but for you, this took the cake, especially since you knew Dean thought he looked nothing like the man. You wondered what had changed his mind, or even if he did change his mind, and was just doing this to appease you.

Dean let out a small, slightly embarrassed chuckle. “Yeah.” He put the shield down on the counter. “I asked her to get it for me. Mainly…Mainly for you.” He mumbled the last couple of words, but they were still loud enough for you to hear. Your face lit up a bit at his comment. Even though he really disagreed with you that he looked nothing like the man, that didn’t mean he couldn’t indulge you in your fantasy; considering you have done that plenty of times for him, and well…he did have to agree with you on one thing: he did look pretty good in the costume.

“Well, I uh…” You walked around the counter and stood in front of Dean, placing your hand on his chest. “I’m definitely gonna have to send her a fruit basket cause…fuck.” You wrapped your arms around his neck, and he wrapped his arms around your waist. “You wouldn’t…You wouldn’t want to roleplay would you?”

Dean smirked, clicking his tongue. “Would I have to wear the costume the whole time?”

“Only for a bit.” You smiled.

[spaceorphan18]

You may have answered this a hundred times before, if so, point me to your previous answers! How would you have improved Kurt’s story in canon? What are the major things you would have changed, and some of the niggles and minor things that drive you mad?

Hi! You know - I don't mind getting these kinds of questions again. My answers tend to change as the years pass.

I'm not sure if there's anything major I'd change? I don't mind the overall structure of his story (@snarkyhag - omg, I used the word 'structure' for the first time in forever, feels nice, lol.) But Glee has very jaggedy story telling, in that it does highs and lows but doesn't do details or in-betweens very well.

I think his arcs in Season 1 and 2 are pretty well done, and despite me always wanting /more/ - the show was about an ensemble, and he did relatively well. I really have no complaints there.

In Season 3, I would have liked his story to be less attached to Rachel and more on an individual path. Everything that happens in his story line (that isn't related to Blaine) is a consequence or set up of Rachel's story line, and it's maddening. I don't mind that he doesn't get into NYADA -- I wish he would have stayed out, tbh, but the narrative around him getting or not getting in should have been devoid of what Rachel's story needed to be.

I also wish he and Blaine had had more intimate moments -- I don't mean, necessarily, kissing/sex/romance -- but more moments where the two of them are just them together, in a more relaxed way. Hard to do in a school setting, sure, but things like the missing Box Scene from the Christmas episode sprinkled in more often would have been nice.

Of course - I would have loved so much more in Season 4. More fall out from the Break Up. More of Kurt exploring New York City. It would have been nice to see Adam developed as a real relationship for Kurt. Just seeing more of how he felt, and how he was struggling with moving, and being in a new city, and leaving friends and family, and missing Blaine, etc, etc. There's such a rich story there -- but the show, ultimately, was about a high school glee club, not up and coming college kids, and of course, Kurt's story still ended up tied in to Rachel's. (Of course - on the flip side Season 4 gives us such rich material to fanfic around -- so much good fic arose out of this era.)

Season 5 is hard to articulate - there is such a complex variety of things going on - with Finn's Death, the engagement, and all of Rachel and Santana. I wish Kurt would have more of his own individual story line. I know he got the band and Elliott - but what does he really want to do with his life? Again, I do wish we had Glee - the College Years for the full season.

I love the NYC arc - and the exploration of the Klaine dynamic, but I would have seen more the highs there, too. I realize TV needs conflict, and the writers knew where they were going with the story, but I don't think the June story line necessarily worked now that I'm this far out, and I would have liked to see them more navigate the ins and outs of a relationship.

Season 6 I would change less than you think. My biggest thing is that I'd rewrite the entire Klaine part of the Wedding episode. Kurt needs a catalyst (probably the one thing that still bugs me the most) to run back - the writing is just awkward.

But also - Kurt and Blaine don't get a single, private conversation between getting back together and the locker scene in Dreams Come True. I realize it's more about the show winding down - and that scene is essentially their 'happily ever after' moment, but it would have been nice for the show let Kurt (and Blaine) reflect on marriage and taking that next step. But also, having a conversation about how their lives are moving forward when back in New York.

The epilogue was nice, but I would have moved it farther than five years -- and I'm somewhat indifferent about them having kids, but twenty-six feels young for them being dads.

Idk, those are the major things. There are episode to episode minor-ish things, too, I guess. Like why did Kurt give back the tape in Michael? Why did he have to be a jerk to Quinn in On My Way? Stuff like that where I don't agree on the writers' charactierizations.

Thanks for the question, Nonny! It was nice to get back into writing meta!

[tumblydove]

Donkey Hodie Season 2 Mid-Season Review + Episode Predictions

With new episodes coming in a little over three weeks, I wanted to go over my overall thoughts on Season 2 so far while we're in the middle of a hiatus. I also wanted to discuss the episode titles for the rest of the season, revealed on the WGAE website, and my predictions for what the episodes may be about.

Overall, I think that Season 2 of Donkey Hodie has been an improvement over the first one. This season took what Season 1 established and ran.

One of my biggest complaints for Season 1 was that there were a lot of characters and pairings that we didn't get to see enough of, such as Duck Duck, Grampy, and Stanley. I don't put this too much on the creators, since the pandemic did limit the stories they could do, but seeing Donkey and Panda every episode gets tiring. Luckily, this season fixes this issue. We get a much more diverse cast in each episode, and we even get to see all four pals together much more often!

Speaking of characters, we got one major new one so far: Cousin Hodie! Cousin is a perfect addition to the show- he fills the gap as the little brother character, but not too little that he can't have specific traits or join in on Donkey's fun himself.

The puppetry also took a big step up this season. Woth no restrictions, the creators had the option to go full-out, and they certainly did. We have probably had more green screen and crowd shots in this half that we did in the entirely of Season 1.

I've been taking so positively about this season- what is it in this season I don't like? Well, the character designs and their updates were a bit jarring at first, but I've since gotten used to them. Some morals have been reused from the first season, which comes off as repetitive.

Favorite Episode: This was a hard one. Ultimately, though, I think that Cousin Hodie's Rainy Day and its pair episode, Grampy's Guppies are the encapsulations of all of the good merit Season 2 has going for it. We get all four of the pals, Cousin Hodie, the Rainbow Tree, great songs, and even better puppetry from the latter episode's fishing.

Honorable Mentions: Ruff Night, How Does it Feel, Best Ball Fest, and Bob Dog's Balloon Bother, purely out of the fact that they are Bob Dog episodes and he is my favorite of the pals. Any episode with all four of the pals in it also counts, since I love seeing all of them together!

Least Favorite Episode: While I didn't outright dislike these two episodes, The Goalies/Mousy Hodie were the least memorable to me, which is a shame since Alice Dinnean returned for them. Avid DH fand know that she was the original choice to play Donkey, but dropped the gig because of time constraints. As for which one was worse, I'd say Mousy Hodie. Mousy's selfish behavior was never really addressed, even after Donkey took her break. Yeah, they took a break from each other but Mousy never apologized for hogging all the turns. The episode just felt incomplete and, dare I say, "torture-esque" for Donkey.

Dis-Honorable Mentions: Purple Polka Dot Party. This episode suffers the same problem as cheesy Con by overindulging in a problem that could have been solved extremely easily with some critical thinking. Panda could have flown some of his pals to the party, than come back and get the others. Or, he could have simply refused to let Penley come since there was no room. Rather than have that be the problem, add a problem that could have no clear solution, like having Panda's spaceship break down.

I'll also mention that episode's pairing, Someplace Cold. The Puzzling Penguin is unlikeable asf and would have been more if not for her catchphrase. This episode just felt repetitive.

And, finally, I'll add in Speedy Delivery and Donkey Wonky Tea Party. I didn't dislike these ones, but the morals felt too repetitive too soon. Why doesn't Donkey just use the moral she taught Turtle-Lou to remember her pals' stuff too? Just comes off as confusing.

So, yeah! Season 2 > Season 1. If Season 1 is a 7/10, then season 2 is an 8/10. Hopefully Season 3 breaks that and gets a 9/10. Of course, this could change since we still have many Season 2 episodes that haven't premiered, but this season has been going well so far, so I'm not expecting those episodes to be awful.

Speaking of episodes, let's talk about the new ones that WGAE revealed!

Meemaw Heehaw's Recipe Mystery: Grammy Hodie??? It can't be! I wonder what the recipe is- maybe Flying Flapjacks lore? anyways, I'm thinking this might be a nice wholesome Donkey family episode. Maybe Cousin (or even more shockingly, Dodie) will be in it.

Extra-Large Crunchdoodle: Another Crunchdoodles episode! Looking forward to the lucid sequence with the characters dancing that we've gotten in every Crunchdoodles episode so far!

The Great Wait: Oh, look, another waiting episode. These episodes are notorious for being either fairly entertaining or extremely boring. I have a theory that we may be seeing Mike in this episode (as you may recall, he is a mouse with muscular dystrophy that was revealed in a casting call last year.) My initial thought was that we'd be seeing him in Gameshow Gaffe. September is Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month, the episode's plot talks about fairness and fun, and the episode is written by Jill Cozza-Turner according to the WGAE, who wrote Hee-Hee Hide and Seekers. This may still happen (and I would be a bit disappointed if it didn’t), but if now my second thought is him appearing in this one. The casting call also mentioned he likes looking for new creatures with his binoculars, so maybe he and Donkey are waiting to find a new creature? Excited for this one! (Please don't bore me out as much as Acornball did.)

Hee-Hee Hide and Seekers: I don't have many predictions for this one since we kind of already know what it's about. The Everything Explorers are back, and Mike is here guaranteed! I wasn't a big fan of Everything Explorers in Season 1, so maybe this and a new character will change my mind. I'm looking forward to seeing how the show tackles the topic of disability.

A Donkey Hodie New Year: New Years' Special! Maybe the pals are trying to stay up long enough or coming up with resolutions? I can't help but feel disappointed this isn't a Christmas episode, but I can't say I'm not excited for this one regardless. The last half-hour special, A Donkey Hodie Halloween, was great, so my expectations are high for both of the specials we'll get in this season.

A Donkey Hodie Road Trip: My original prediction for this episode was that this would be the one where we'd get the Daniel/Donkey crossover. Maybe the pals go on Trolley to The Neighborhood of Make-Believe? Obviously, that won't be the case, but I still think Trolley will be in this one. We know he'll appear in three Season 2 episodes, and we only have two with him in them so far. The question becomes, where are the pals going? Maybe to Another Place, where Dodie lives, or to wherever Cousin lives.

Quick-Quack Pack: I am reminded of Quack Pack anything I look at this episode title. Outside if this obviously being a Duck Duck episode, I really don't know what to expect from this one. My expectations are high though, since this would be the last Season 2 episode produced, and the Season 1 finale, Return of the Golden Crunchdoodles, was fairly great.

Find A Way to Fix It: This episode could really be about anyone or anything. The ambiguity makes me look forward to it, but I really don't have any thoughts on what it may be about.

That's it for my thoughts on Season 2 and the upcoming new episodes so far. Thanks for reading my long tanged about an anthropomorphic donkey and her friends!

[cagednoob]

Aight I never mentioned this- but I did finish Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and overall… 👍 it was pretty good?

More under the cut that are obviously spoilers.

Now it being a story made up by the turtles is a pretty good idea tbh?? It kind of took me by surprise, but I can appreciate it a lot. And also it was relatable to see Leo sitting in bed drawing the comic (was there so much as a kid).

And this reason is why I can excuse some clunkiness of some of the plot moments.

My one complaint about it is it feels like the boys kept their brothers too in character? If that makes sense LMAO. Idk anytime I wrote about my brother as a kid no doubt I bastardized his personality.

But to be fair… they did grow up only knowing eachother for their entire lives until this point. Which probably did help them keep them in character. The others (such as Ray, Wingwave, Leatherhead, Stunkbug) I can just wave off since we don’t really see them a lot in the movie already.

Now the one thing that did throw me off… Where is Bebop and Rocksteady?? And Mondo?? The duo seem to be implied to have left or gone rogue in someway since Donnie (?) asked if they were on a rampage. But idk! Just a weird thing I noticed and couldn’t get outta my head.

-

The animation is stellar, and the designs of the new guys were fun for me. A couple of times I rewinded it just to watch a scene again and the East River Three probably had my favorite designs that were introduced (Mustang Sally and Lee my beloveds) and the Anemenies were also super cool since I don’t think we’d seen coral mutants so far in any iteration?

Pigeon Pete is ok, I think he gets his point of being the new comic relief tbh. I had fun watching his scenes (until the detective scene). I think having him talk made him worse for me somehow lol. And Metalhead (rip little guy) was very cute which surprised me as I’m typically not the biggest fan of robots.

I have no idea if these characters are real btw. Pigeon Pete I’m leaning towards…. Maybe? Just because he is seen in both the Arcs.

But it presumably had to happen since Splinter learned how to talk after mutation. So eh. But also him speaking Vermin (or whatever it’s called) is funny to me.

Also the human designs look… a lot better in 2D LMAO. Which is understandable, but it was one of the FIRST things I noticed when the humans appeared.

-

Now stories, they’re ok. I thought it was clunky at some spots, but it’s teenagers making it up. So it gets a pass from me.

Now I think the first Arc (told by Leo) is better than the second Arc (told by Raph). HOWEVER… I enjoyed the characters introduced in Arc Two way more. They were just more enjoyable for me to watch, Sally and Lee especially and both their designs are sick af.

It could be that the first arc was advertised more maybe? Or it was simply I preferred the first arcs story more. I did however dig that each arc was a different turtle telling the story and if there is a season two I can only hope that Donnie and Mikey can tell a story.

-

Now for things I disliked (couldn’t find a redeeming thing) is….

The Purple Dragons, Rat King aaaand the random animal violence?????

So the Purple Dragons isn’t a big thing but I just didn’t care too much for how it was done. Teens telling stories aside, it just felt… not right for me. It felt weird making Angel the aggressive one and Hun the more docile one. Which I did grow to like these characters I just couldn’t put that out of my mind.

Idk might just be me

Now the Rat King reveal with it being Splinter (and sewer rats worshipping him). Nothing really, I just don’t like it LMAO. Idk as a kid I could get behind it, but now that I fully know the two as separate characters it doesn’t work.

Aaand finally the random animal violence-

This is a weird one for me and I started to notice it after Ralph’s episode in Arc 1. There is just?? Random bad things that happen to animals? Such as the zoo scene specifically (kind of), the chickens that get ran over in an attempt of a joke, cat hit by flood of water, another cat that Genghis kept almost eating, and probably more I can’t remember.

The last one especially was when it got to bothering me. Cause it was trying to make all of that kind of humorous and it just… wasn’t sitting with me. I’ve never been a fan of that humor, I never will be and it’s just weird how much of it was in twelve episodes. Which again I can maybe say “teen boy humor” but even then?? I don’t think I can here tbh gang. It’s just…. Yeah that doesn’t land well for me.

There’s probably more I can add later, but these are my thoughts at the current moment about it. It’s a good show, animation is great and the story can be clunky at times, but it’s got a reason for it. Designs are fun as well.

[mdhwrites]

THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS!... Is Good.

And that understated response is also kind of my condemnation of it. That as an independent, Youtube dark comedy series, it's just about what you'd expect. Really in your face with some elements, lingering a bit too long on others but in general pretty enjoyable. After all, if a series about existential dread and parodying game development for its comedy and horror sounds appealing to you, you will probably like this.

BUT if that thumbnail makes you squint like I did, you might not come away with an amazing opinion of it. I actually saw this thumbnail when it first came out and IMMEDIATELY dismissed it as not for me. Like I said, I actually did end up liking it, its visuals are much better than this thumbnail suggests, but it is kind of in your face with how 'weird' it is, at least times, like you'd expect from this picture.

But I did like it. I'm just in this weird limbo where I like it... But I don't feel inclined to really praise anything. Nothing in this wowed me. The biggest compliment I feel like giving, no caveats, is that the animation is genuinely good. How it's being used isn't always for me but I can respect the craft and effort put into it. A couple errors here and there but honestly nothing that I wouldn't let slide in a bigger professional work for the most part (there's once where the glitch effect on Pomni's hand is just gone when it shouldn't be as an example).

I have two main complaints so far that worry me going forward. The first is a pacing issue. You could cut four minutes out of this, lose nothing and really help there be some amount of snappiness to this. Have the comedy and horror both flow better because it's rarely trying to build a bunch of tension or atmosphere with its slowness, it's just... Slow. Period. Not to the point of being bad but to the point where you start feeling how long things are taking.

The other has to do with the main character: Pomni. She has no personality currently. Narratively that's actually fine. She's effectively just accidentally dropped herself into purgatory and that's a pretty shit situation and where a lot of the existential dread is from. There's no way out and very little to do. That is HARD to handle. The problem is she never gets to break the image of a trauma doll for the entire episode. At best she shows that she's willing to abandon this place for self preservation which could lead to her choosing the inhabitants over herself later... Or just as well be for emphasizing a 'natural' reaction to the place. I don't know because as far as who she is, a tweaked out expression with little thought behind the eyes is kind of all we have.

I do want to give one scene a shout out as a change of pace from these two critiques though: The scene when Pomni comes back to Ragatha is actually really good. The glitchy animation is great, the voice acting on Ragatha is really good, Pomni apologizing is a good sign that she'll grow to care for these people and while I won't say the scene couldn't have been done more quickly, the slower pacing actually did allow for the unsettling elements of the corruption to seep into the scene rather than just feel like a gimmick. The show does have genuine promise and that scene was easily the standout of the episode for me.

The final thing is a personal one. I didn't find Nier Automata very compelling but I don't find existential dread that interesting unless you DO something with that question. If your whole point is "Doesn't monotony and entropy suck?" (not saying that's Automata's point, just that that's how many sidequests felt) that I just don't get into it. I don't find that by itself interesting. The plus side is that the cast is actually made in a way where they could be a bunch of archtypes just put together for an ensemble... Or they could be various responses to trying to deal with this dread. To showcase how one handles the concept of eternal monotony and repetition.

I just don't know if that's actually what they're doing. I don't really know what this show is doing besides "Everyone wants to get out of this game dev purgatory." That's not a bad concept but I wouldn't call it a great pilot. It is good enough that I'll be keeping an eye out for episode 2 and I might try out the studio's previous outing, Murder Drones, which I've been recommended by my Discord before.

And if literally any of this sounds even intriguing to you, I really do suggest trying the show out. It's good enough that it deserves your support as a very well made, indie animation project and I hope it gets better and better as it goes forward.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[sanjispudding]

OPLA thoughts

I decided I wanted to sit down and pour out my thoughts on Netflix’s Live Action One Piece. I’m going to start by saying this: It was a beautiful adaptation. You could feel the love from everyone involved in every single scene. 

Before we fully dive into this, I want to make a mini disclaimer that, yes, there will most likely be spoilers.

Let’s start with an easy one, the soundtrack. One of the things I love about the anime is the music and I can say the same about the live action as well. Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli knocked it straight out of the park with every track. The sound that left me when I heard Bink’s Brew in the background could only be described as a surprised squeak. And then, in episode 4, when our crew gets the Going Merry…I teared up. We Are?! In the live action?? Absolutely brilliant. But let’s talk a bit about some of the original tracks. “Chop Chop Cannon” might be my favorite. I can’t explain why, I just love the circus music. Arlong’s theme went so hard I don’t even know where to start. Belousova herself stated that “Wealth, Fame, Power” is a combination of Luffy and Roger’s themes, and that Roger’s theme is Luffy’s in reverse. If that doesn’t clue you in on how fantastic this soundtrack is, I’m not sure what will. So, if you get a chance, I highly recommend simply listening to the soundtrack. I can’t lie, that’s what I’m doing as I type this out.

Another easy bit to talk about: the cast. Everyone, from our main crew to the villains and even the side characters were perfectly cast. 

The Strawhats especially had me smiling from ear to ear. Iñaki Godoy’s performance as Luffy has a special place in my heart. He embodies the purehearted energy that Luffy is full of so well. I’ve seen little complaints here and there about certain scenes of him “refusing food” but you need to see the context of when he does and why. For example, one of those scenes happens when Zoro is hurt. Luffy wouldn’t sit there and have a feast when his friend is hurt. That’s not our captain. I could probably write a paragraph on each actor and their performance…But that would turn this into an essay and I don’t think anyone wants that. 

Initially, when the trailer first dropped, I was unsure of Arlong and the Fishmen. But after seeing the episodes, they were so well done. Arlong was just as threatening and scary as he was supposed to be. The use of prosthetics instead of CGI was a wonderful choice and only added to the beauty of the show. It gives me a lot of hope for how they could handle Chopper in the future as well.

I said this before, but I love the fact that things are different in the live action. You get to experience these characters and story beats again in a way that feels so new it’s almost like you’re seeing it for the first time again. I constantly wish I could go into One Piece blind again, and this adaptation sort of allows me to do just that. Things I thought wouldn’t make me cry again, definitely did. Two of the biggest examples being Sanji's goodbye to Zeff and the Baratie, and Nami asking for help. 

There are also SO many Easter Eggs for fans to find. I won’t point them all out, that would turn this into a longer thing than necessary, but it adds so much to the series. Things as small as known characters wanted posters to things as obvious as Nami reading the story of Nolan to Zoro.

Now, this isn’t to say that this adaptation is without faults. Nothing is perfect. One of the bigger complaints I’ve seen and have to agree with, is that Usopp and Sanji should have been more present in their respective arcs. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we get a season 2 and we get to flesh out their characters more. It’s what they/we deserve. I don’t fully get why we introduced Garp so early either, or kept Koby and Helmeppo around for so long. I don’t think it was a bad choice per se, just an odd one. It does have me wondering about the next meeting, if the live action gets there that is. Hopefully it does, the War arc would be fantastic in the live action.

It has been an absolute joy to see people who have never given One Piece a chance before, watch it now. Oda created something special and it’s amazing to see new fans of all ages come out of this adaptation. These new fans are in for a wild ride, especially if we get more. With Loguetown and Alabasta set up as our next arcs, the future of this series is looking bright. If they thought the reception of these 8 episodes was great, just wait until they introduce us to Chopper and Robin. Crocodile remains one of my favorite One Piece villains and seeing him in live action would be a dream come true.

[redrocketpanda]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

hey - absolutely always okay to ask me about my favourite characters (or favourite anything's). I haven't unboxed them for some time and am frankly excited to wave them in everyone's faces again (though picking a top 10 is hardddddd - this could very easily have been a BNHA/HQ/JJK list but I restricted myself to 1 character per media)

Bakugou Katsuki (BNHA) - beloved boy, loml, star in my sky, etc etc. forever #1 of any + all lists. I adore grumpy characters who find themselves caught up in being loved into character growth by their friends, but I think the main reason he's my #1 is that I see a lot of myself in him. I too was a very angry young person with a superiority complex who went on a journey into letting others in, allowing myself to experience joy and love, and dismantling ideas of perfectionism. I don't think I'll ever truly let the pricklyness or slight god complex go though

Bokuto Koutarou (Haikyuu) - beloved boy #2 because who doesn't love Bokuto??? We are all rendered weak in the face of his endearing and endless puppy energy. I love how loving, optimistic and tenacious he is. Oh, and let's not talk about how relatable some of his other qualities are (prior to watching HQ I almost verbatim quoted a complaint Bokuto makes in a completely different context). love himmmmmmmm

Sarah Harding (The Lost World) - One of two of my biggest role models as a child/teenager. I wanted to be like Sarah so bad and had also wanted to work in animal behaviour in part bc of her. She's completely badass, and as an adult I also have a newfound appreciation for how she handles communicates + asserts her boundaries in her relationship with Ian

Padme Amidala (Star Wars) - The second of my biggest role models as a child/teenager. Leia didn't grow on me until I was older, but I was obsessed with Padme. I feel like the fandom + Episode III does her dirty, but to me I adore how intelligent, caring and assertive she is. I studied politics at college because of her!

Gojo Satoru (Jujutsu Kaisen) - Possibly my favourite of all of the shitbags that I love. I remember desperately pleading with myself to not fall on my face for Gojo during the first episode of S1 and made it until the credits... Why do I love him? He's heinously obnoxious, self-assured, hilarious, extremely powerful, and a complete walking disaster of a man.

Cristina Yang (Grey's Anatomy) - I don't watch Grey's Anatomy anymore but I used to be obsessed with it. I still own S1-6 on DVD and have very fond memories of it. I always loved Cristina for her blunt directness, self-belief, intelligence, and approach to friendships/relationships. Plus, my best friend in college identified me as a 75% Cristina/25% George personality so Cristina has also been very dear to my heart for that reason lmao

Achilles (The Song of Achilles) - It wouldn't be me if I didn't include Achilles on a list of favourites. I named my dog after Achilles because I love him so much and joked to my (poor) boyfriend that if we ever have a kid together, their middle name should be Achilles. Madeline Miller's depiction of Achilles is my favourite and love him for very similar reasons to Bakugou tbh. Give me a man filled with unbridled pride and arrogance with god-like physical prowess and I'll probably love them forever (plus also, ow my heart)

Kassandra (Assassin's Creed Odyssey) - *heart eye emoji* but fr I have such a fondness for Kassandra. She's the perfect mix of stoic big buff lady, hilariously sarcastic sense of humor, and absolute heart of gold. I love her characterisation and think she's such a fantastically written character. Plus... I want her to pick me up and cuddle me so bad

Lilo (Lilo and Stitch) - I think it's a tragedy that Lilo is often forgotten due to not being a Disney princess bc she is honestly such a wonderful character. Lilo and Stitch is one of my favourite movies, and I admire how resilient, loving, eccentric and curious Lilo is

Xandri Corelel (the Xandri Corelel series) - The Xandri Corelel is one of my favourite sci-fi series and that is, in part, bc of Xandri herself. She's the first autistic woman I encountered in sci-fi and I adored how the series explores how her autism is what makes her an excellent head of xeno-liaisons. She's also bisexual and polyamorous so even further brilliant rep for me, and tbh is just a great character all round

I tried not to write an essay but it's really hard when I could talk about these characters all day but hopefully this was vaguely fun/interesting for people to read And in case anyone is interested some of my other favourite characters who didn't quite include the top 10 include: Jirou Kyoka (BNHA), Kirishima Eijirou (BNHA), Itadori Yuji (JJK), Nishinoya Yuu (HQ), Tanaka Ryu (HQ), Kuroo Tetsurou (HQ), Miya Atsumu (HQ), Zagreus (Hades), Moana and Rapunzel (Disney), Fang Runin (The Poppy War), Kunigami Rensuke (bluelock), Bachira Meguru (bluelock), Sebastian (Stardew Valley), and Vash the Stampede (Trigun Stampede)

[aaronymous999]

Overview of my thoughts on all the main movies/movie franchises/tv shows of the MCU, also a ranking on what’s worth watching:

Ironman: Tony Stark is an awful guy and these movies reek with some weird propaganda and odd writing choices, but if you like Robert Downey Jr’s acting and the funny quips? Enjoyable enough films.

Captain America: 2/3 of his movies are pretty good once you look past more propaganda, although I think after the first movie it’s not as big of an issue for him. He’s a bit boring but his first movie, propaganda aside is pretty alright. I was so fucking tired during the second one so I barely remember it but I’ll trust everyone else’s judgement, it’s probably good. Civil war is god awful.

The Incredible Hulk: Half this movie is retconned, they recast Bruce Banner, they don’t really bring up this movie ever again and it’s awful don’t watch.

Thor: ALL of his movies are aggressively mediocre, yes even Ragnorok, that movie is only enjoyable because of Hulk. Thor is a boring character, his first movie is an alright one off but pretty boring and he has no need to have four movies like c’mon. His villains are not enjoyable and honestly I’d recommend skipping all but maybe the first ( if you already like Thor ) and Ragnorok, because that movie has important plot stuff.

Avengers: All pretty alright movies, especially Endgame that’s a great movie ( Scott Lang my beloved, tbh he makes it great ) and all of them are plot important would recommend.

Guardians of the Galaxy: All bangers left and right, amazing movies, hilarious, can be watched separate from the MCU spare for the third. The characters are wonderful and the only weak members of the bunch were post Guardians 1 Groot and Drax, but even then they were alright.

Ant-Man: His first movie is fucking amazing and it doesn’t even feel like an MCU movie which is my HIGHEST praise. Only watch the other two if you REALLY liked Scott Lang and the first movie.

Doctor Strange: Boring character, first movie was just alright, second was only fun because of Wanda and America. Other than that both his movies are kinda boring.

Spider-Man: If you like Spider-Man, these are great and still really fun despite the- MCU-ness. But if you don’t like Spider-Man the hype kind of disappears and it’s easier to notice the flaws, honestly I’d just watch No Way Home if anything.

Black Panther: First movie is good and solid! No complaints, haven’t watched the second although tbh pretty fucked up what Marvel has done to Tchalla after Chadwick Boseman’s death- mini rant but do y’all know that in like every Black Panther media right now even outside of the MCU they just killed him off?! Like imagine playing an iconic character and you die, and like it’s cool the movies are honoring your legacy! But then they kill off your character in comics, upcoming video games, etc like what the fuck?

Captain Marvel: It’s alright, not feminist at all the alt righters have lied to you. Biggest flaw of the film is the military stuff, the Kree and Captain Marvel’s actress because she does not emote the emotions she is supposed to in scenes so she just ends up visually looking like an ass but the writing wants to make her out as a playful girlboss???

Wandavision: GOOD!! Underrated honestly, Vision and Wanda are both wonderful characters and the filming techniques and storytelling is amazing. The pacing is off like all MCU shows but I think Wandavision makes up for it!

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Boring. Falcon becomes Captain America at the end, boom all you need to know not worth watching, they don’t even explore cool characters like Issiah well and it sucks.

Loki: BAD SHOW. First 3 episodes are fascinating but then it becomes a shipping show all about Loki wanting to shag the female version of himself and it’s like dude WHAT. I never really liked Loki, but the TVA is a cool concept but it’s barely explored because of the Loki and Sylvia crap. The ending also sucks and explains nothing and the villain is boring.

Black Widow: It’s okay. Skippable.

What If…?: Eh it’s alright. Managed to make Thor more funny though than he’s ever been in his movies!

Shang-Chi: Pretty boring. Skippable.

Eternals: Boring and horrible and awful don’t fucking watch it it makes you brain hurt and oh my god was that harry styles at the end or was I hallucinating

Hawkeye: Haven’t watched it yet, I have a feeling it will be awfully boring.

Moon Knight: GOOD AND INTERESTING AND FUN!! MOON KNIGHT IS COOL! The depiction of DID isn’t. The best. They do show concepts in a more realistic way in terms of how alters are formed often as a survival method but it plays into some evil alter tropes and stuff so justified if you don’t want to watch. If you can enjoy the show despite that it’s a good watch! Steven Grant is precious I love him <3

Ms. Marvel: It’s? Alright I suppose? Middleground for MCU shows but ultimately skippable.

She-Hulk: I am. Mentally preparing myself to watch it okay I’ll do it later.

Werewolf by Night: Haven’t watched but I severely doubt it will be relevant to the overarching plot.

Secret Invasion; Haven’t watched. I hate Nick Fury.

[thesearchforbluejello]

We've been seeing your reblogs of SNW on our feed, and we gotta ask... Thoughts and opinions? Is it good? Would you recommend watching it to a trekkie who hasn't watched any of the new trek properties since the first few episodes of Discovery?

Oh man oh man oh man. I have a lot to say. If you don't want to read all of it, there's a TLDR at the end.

✅ episodic format: It's SUPER different from Discovery, so if you prefer the older episodic shows over the newer serialized format, it'll definitely check that box.

❌ season arcs: even though the older episodic shows have two partners and/or small (or large) season arcs, SNW doesn't really... There's one that connects the end of s1 to the beginning of s2, and it's a big deal, but it's not drawn out. I'm not even married to season arcs, but I do think that if they're doing silly filler episodes, ten episodes is too short for a season and thirteen would have been better for them. I LOVE silly filler episodes, so let's get that straight, but they're better when it's not taking up literally a fifth of the season.

✅ space hijinks and the risks of exploration: It oscillates wildly between silly and dark, sometimes between episodes and sometimes within the same episodes, but I see that as one of its strengths. It gets really goofy in a fun way, but it's also bloodier than older Trek... mostly just because they actually show blood. The crew commits so many hijinks and they're all friends and fun to watch together.

❌ character development: the actors are really carrying the characters alone for this one. The characters are all lovable and for the most part the actors are doing a great job, but frankly this is my biggest complaint about the show. We get very, very little development for any of the characters even over the first and almost complete second season. They're just still not well established. The writers seem to think "trauma" is the same as characterization... which like obviously it's not, so. I get very irritated (which you've probably seen in my tags) about the fact that there's often "development" for the characters that builds on a foundation that's basically just toothpicks. It still takes them a step forward, but it's always a stumble imo. I know some folks who are casual watchers who don't mind this though (I'm just neurologically incapable of casual watching). This is also apparently an unpopular opinion, but (spoiler alert) I also think Kirk is in it too much. He'll have been in at least 4/10 of the season 2 episodes, but he's not even posted to the Enterprise. I LOVE Paul Wesley's Kirk like he's my favorite Kirk nobody @ me but the show is about the SNW crew, not Kirk. They're struggling to even develop the seven major SNW characters, so constantly throwing Kirk in constantly is kind of annoying me. They also don't do full ensemble episodes, so often some of the major characters will only show up for one or two scenes and someone else will be the focus. This isn't my preferred format, but I don't hate it-- that being said, some characters are being seriously neglected because of it, but I won't fully rant about that.

✅/❌ Discovery tie in: you don't need to have seen Discovery to watch it. I watched s1 without having watched Discovery. HOWEVER, it will spoil the ending of Discovery s2 in SNW 1x01, just be aware (as in it will totally obliterate one of the big reveals in Disco).

✅Anson Mount: I say this as someone who's literally never seen him in anything else, but he brought his A game every episode and he's the absolute MVP of the series. Really great performances and he makes Pike an incredibly lovable character but also a really great captain.

❌ Discussion of disability: I have a lot of thoughts regarding the treatment of disability as a horrifying thing and equating it with death. Like, fear of physical injury is a very human thing because it's literally a survival response that's wired into us, but there's both some sloppy writing that equates physical disability with death and just a failure to actually explore what a disabled future means for a person. It's kind of hard to explain what I mean without obliterating an entire episode of Discovery and the whole first season of SNW if anyone else reads this, so I won't go into it but I will say this-- I didn't find this weak point to be bad enough to stop watching, and it involves TOS canon that they can't escape, so they're not doing something that's deliberately offensive and disrespectful, but they're not doing it particularly respectfully either.

✅ special effects: there aren't as many REALLY alien characters as Discovery, so there has been less major prosthetic design on display, but what there has been has been good and the CGI is great.

✅ Old school nods: there's so much campy scifi in this show. They do the bridge impact lean and shake thing and they have cool props and the uniforms are a little silly but also so well designed. The ship design is really 2020s and not classic Trek but there are still elements of that design and it's still cool as hell. Also, like, it's the fucking Enterprise, so I'm going to be feral over it regardless.

❌ CO and XO: Listen, this is such a personal taste-based opinion BUT I'm mad about it so I'm going to COMPLAIIIIIIIIIN about it. One of my favorite things about any Trek is the CO/XO relationship, whether it's on a ship or a station or whatever. I just find that a really fascinating dynamic, and it's so different every time. This show has a FASCINATING CO/XO dynamic and the actors have really cool ideas... but developing this at all would require the XO to ACTUALLY BE IN THE FUCKING SHOW. She's in every episode but often not for long. I have some major opinions on this, in case that wasn't obvious. They've done 17 episodes and this relationship hasn't been developed very much. We've had some good scenes and a good plotline, but my complaint still stands for reasons I won't spoil unless requested.

❌ Strange New Worlds: there are barely any new worlds, nevermind strange new worlds. Half the time it's just Star Trek: Doing Stuff in Space and the other half it's Star Trek: Hey We Found Something Weird in Space and Are Investigating It. Not a big complaint, just... not quite what it says on the tin.

TL;DR I love SNW a LOT. It's fun and it's silly but it also confronts the big philosophical questions of existence and morality that are central to Trek. I do have a lot of complaints, but honestly one of the reasons I have so many complaints is because I love it so much.

It's definitely Trek in flavor and it doesn't demand high commitment to watch it. Someone will inevitably yell at me for this, but it actually reminds me most of Voyager-- it's silly and the relationships of the crew are prioritized, but they do some really messed up episodes along the way too. It's a very different vibe to Voyager though, to be clear.

If you decide to watch it, let me know! I'd love to hear what you think :)

[crimsonblackrose]

Hey kidnappers, want to know what I’m doing? Bet you can’t guess. Making a Molotov cocktail. Scott, honey, why would you tell them that?

“i’m going to turn this overstuff whore house into the biggest campfire you’ve ever seen.” Scott, what? 🤣

Throws alcohol on the guy who shows up to stop him “I lied”

Look at you Scott, rescuing yourself. Jeez the amount of times your family writes you off as dead and you’re like so...resourceful.

“I did it” Omg this lil baby. All he had to do was get outside and they’ll leave him alone now because he’s not on the consulate soil. He’s so proud of himself. Good job.

“I’m back on American soil now. See you around!” waves at them and just walks off.

I believe someone just called to say “Hey your son rescued himself”

In a proud awed tone “Gentleman, my son has escaped”

There’s 20 minutes left. I know Scott, he’s not going to let that guy kill the adoptive dad he has that actually cares about him.

I was right! “I wanna go back”

Kay: Honey, you’re a musician. Scott: I’m not losing another person I love. (Oof, his girlfriend did die in his arms)

These two are fascinating. “Father died, we lost the apartment, our parents were evicted, our little sister was kicked out of school, but she sent this with me to give you  and she married a plumber”

“Why did you leave? We’re brothers”

ngl all i can think of is that @cookietastic​ must love this episode because of all the smoke, this guy is constantly smoking)

Mickey: Hey Scott proud AF of you for escaping on your own and coming back. Nice to see you.

“For the next 12 hours you belong to them, gentleman he’s all yours” Could you have worded that any other way? Any other way at all huh?

They’re taking hazing the new guy seriously by just yelling at him.

Aw they built a thing and are having him run through it with them to practice.

They make it sound like they’re bullying him, but really they’re trying to make sure he doesn’t die.

His dad arrived and started lecturing so our boy took a nap.

Aww both he and Mickey went up to tell Robert that it’ll be okay, Scott’s doing okay in the training, better than they thought he would. “He’s got talent”

How you normally sleep, hugging your hat to your chest. 🤣

After all these seasons, we see some affection? While Scott’s asleep?! (Robert gently brushed the lock of hair from Scott’s forehead) 😭😭😭😭 I’ve been waiting for so long.

“he’s my little boy”

“And mine” (robert)

Her face when he said that, like shocked and then nodding. “Yes, yes he is.” 🤣 Glad we’re all on the same page that ya’ll suck as parents. OMG ROBERT SAID THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD

“Strange we’re still parents, despite all our efforts to the contrary” ROBERT!

He’s all dressed up and ready to go. It...almost looks like he’s wearing eye masks, like he doing an at home spa. 🤣

“What are you doing here?”

Uh...they’re here to rescue you bud.

Oh no, not another martyr. Damn, everyone who truly loves Scott does this.

I’m so sorry Scott. Every damn time. His girlfriend had a higher cause that she sacrified her life for and his teacher decided he had an important cause to sacrifice his life for as well.

Baby’s first murder?

Yup. Baby’s first murder. They uh...his dad tried to avoid that. By giving him a gun with darts, and instead he picked up a gun with bullets.

The wind and his hair.

Control: I know you just murdered a guy, but you did a good job, you did the right thing. Scott: Horror so much horror.

Two parents, picking up their son from his first spy mission after he murdered a guy. Scott, probably having waited since he was in preschool for both his parents to pick him up from something. I’d also like to lodge a complaint. There was a partial angle shot of Robert embracing Scott, it was a bad angle, and it was quickly cut away to him standing at a distance. Which makes me think, there were probably more scenes throughout this series of Scott and Robert interacting and some editor was like no, that’s too mushy, we’re cutting all comfort between these two out. And I’ve got a bone to pick with whoever made that decision, and I’d also like to see all those scenes.

[consumeronionbulletin]

Our Blues (2022)

Ever want to spend a few months living in a small community in Jeju island? Now's your chance...

This show is huge. It's a sprawling slice of life drama with twenty episodes and maybe two dozen main and supporting characters. It's great, but it's a huge investment and probably not for kdrama newbies. It's worth watching, without a doubt.

What Worked

The actors are all good and they all brought their A-game. The writing does an excellent job of giving the whole story of these characters. Even when the focus shifts to another character, the show still gives us updates on everyone and keeps their story going, which gives the audience this a feeling like you're watching the lives of a real community.

Also, the setting was amazing, and the camera work did an excellent job of highlighting that.

What Didn't Work

There were very few missteps in the writing or the acting. My biggest complaint was not getting as much time seeing my favorite characters as I liked. It's hard to fault a show that is over twenty hours, and still leaves you wanting more in places.

I will say, that sometimes it felt like the show wrapped things up a little too neatly in a couple of arcs, but it does such a good job of putting the messiness of these relationships out there, that I was okay with that. I even welcomed it as I just needed a chance to breathe.

The Performances

There's too much to cover in a decent amount of time. I'll sum up things as best I can.

Shin Min-a as Min Seon-ah. Her character's arc was one of the highlights for me, as it gave enough context and backstory to help me understand several of the other relationships, while providing a touching and realistic portrayal of someone going through a very difficult time. It's messy, and there are no easy answers, but it's very good viewing. I also liked the times when we got to go back and check up on her later on in the show, even briefly.

Lee Byung-hun as Lee Dong-seok. I really disliked this guy at the start of the show, though he was amusing at times. But the more I learned about his story, the more I felt for him and by the end I enjoyed him. Some of that is in the writing, but the performance is what shown through. You could tell that this was a guy that has been through some stuff, and he's still trying his best to care for others in his own gruff way. Special shoutout to Ryu Hae-jun as young Lee Dong-seok. The flashbacks worked so well because of his performance.

Lee Jung-eun as Jeong Eun-hee. The actress does a good job of making this character fun and lovable while still being prickly and difficult. Her arc at the start of the show was awkward, but the portrayal felt real. Her later arc with Go Mi-ran was another highlight of the show for me.

Cha Seung-won as Choi Han-soo. He gave a great performance as the banker returning home under tough circumstances. The arc he was in was one of my least favorite, but that was because he and Lee Jung-eun did such a good job portraying a difficult relationship.

Uhm Jung-hwa as Go Mi-ran. I really liked the arc she was in. The writers did a good job of giving us all these layers to a complicated character that seems kind of shallow at first glance, but Uhm Jung-hwa was able to put all of that writing together to make Mi-ran come to life. I really liked the way her relationship with Eun-hee played out.

Han Ji-min as Lee Young-ok. I loved this character as well. I got a little frustrated with how mysterious the writers were playing things, but when we finally get her arc with her sister, it all makes sense and we get a few of the most touching scenes in the show. All of her scenes on the ocean with the haenyeos were shot beautifully and were amazing to watch, and that helped as well.

Kim Woo-bin as Park Jeong-joon. Every show needs someone who is a standup guy that you can depend on and Kim Woo-bin played that character beautifully. It's easy for a character like that to get lost in the background or to turn boring, but that never happens here, and that's great.

Kim Hye-ja as Kang Ok-dong. Her character's arc with Lee Dong-seok was well done, but also very hard to watch at times. Everything works and the story the show told us felt real and important, but I also welcomed the breaks they gave us at times.

Go Doo-shim as Hyeon Chun-hee. This was one of my favorite characters. She was a rock through most of it even though the show (and life) put her through some stuff. I had trouble with the arc with her son and grandson. It was still interesting, just rough to watch.

Roh Yoon-seo as Bang Young-joo and Bae Hyun-sung as Jung Hyun. I liked their story arc, it was sweet at times, and appropriately dramatic at others. Roh Yoon-seo was especially good and I loved watching what she did with the character. My only quibble was with the way Jung Hyun acted at times during the start of their arc (when he found out Young-joo was pregnant), but I came around as the character remained supportive throughout and it ended up being a good story arc overall.

Park Ji-hwan as Jung In-kwon and Choi Young-joon as Bang Ho-sik. I really liked the story the show told about these two. I had a big problem with Park Ji-hwan's character at the start (it didn't helped that I remembered what a terrible person he was in Black Dog), but as you learned more about them, you ended up feeling a grudging respect and by the end of the series they were both in a good place. I was never like "I can't wait to see more of them," but I still enjoyed them when they were on screen.

Everyone else. The cast is huge, and even the minor characters were given alot of care by the writers, which helped the actors bring their best to the role. I especially liked the performance of Jung Eun-hye as Lee Young-hui (Lee Young-ok's sister who has Down syndrome). You rarely see characters like that in any media, but the writers made sure and cover all of the complications around the relationship between the two sisters in a way that was thoughtful and rarely felt too preachy.

TL; DR:

This is a show that takes an investment to get through, but it pays off well. I learned after the first few episodes to just trust the show runners, and they made sure to tell a good story that was thoughtful, touching, and rewarding.

[sjofn-lofnsdottr]

I happen to be ~both~. And I can talk at length about both ships, so. I will be kind and use a break! Because I assure you, this shit is going to be L O N G.

The tl,dr though: dusk/estinien and dusk/farron both make me very happy whee

First, Dusk's NPC ship:

These two fucking dorks. I started shipping them as a bit of a joke. Dusk is this big helpful golden retriever weirdo, and here this edgelord wannabe batman comes flying out of nowhere, insults him, and then leaps away like he thinks he's cool. Estinien's introduction for me was hilarious, and I decided I absolutely needed to mentally push these two barbies together and make them kiss.

Even Nidhogg shipped it.

What was delightful for me was that I felt like the game kept ... agreeing with me, in a way. Estinien being Way Too Intense About Everything while also trying to Keep His Distance made it feel like he was struggling with getting too invested in this big stupid blonde, that he can't help but blurt things that are meant to sound bad-ass and important but come across as the world's edgiest flirting. You don't tell a man it's destiny to defeat your biggest adversary together without it meaning something, not when you have literally spent your every waking moment since your family died thinking about how you're going to murder the shit out of that dragon. You don't add an extra person into that revenge fantasy unless there are feelings, I'm sure of it.

I had no idea how important he would be in the actual MSQ, so I was a little sad at the end of the level 50 dragoon quest (I hadn't even finished 2.0 yet when I finished DRG's quests), where he has his little meltdown and disappears. Imagine my delight when he strolled back onto screen, trying to be so cool and mysterious. Imagine how he was probably privately dying inside, thinking to himself, fuck, it's that guy, that guy who saw me have a little Nidhogg Episode, that guy that I definitely do not have a crush on. Imagine him realizing wait, THAT guy is the guy Aymeric's been talking my ear off about any time I visit his office? Fuck!

That's right, play it cool.

Anyway, I was definitely pleased to see him again, and pleased to see he was still this tremendous way-too-intense weirdo. Forget the other elezen boyfriends being tossed Dusk's way, I only had eyes for the murder hobo in the silly armor whose face I'd never seen. Because their early dynamic kept making me laugh, the way they had very different ways of interacting with the world, yet still had enough stuff in common to Get Each Other. Even their stupid armor reflected it, since I insisted on glamming the blue dragoon set onto Dusk for most of HW. Dusk is much more cheerful and optimistic than Estinien, but ultimately they're both Ishgardian Intense about protecting people, and that was good enough for me to be entertained, at first.

And then the asshole did this, after Alphie says Ravana isn't a problem, because Dusk will murder him:

This was one of the first times anyone had suggested that maybe deciding "it's fine, Dusk will fight it" without knowing much about the threat, or volunteering Dusk without even asking, isn't cool. It meant a lot to Dusk, way more than I think Estinien would ever realize.

And just like that, the ship turned into a serious one for me (although it still makes me laugh sometimes, of course). Because it drove something home for me that I'd already been thinking about. At this point in the story, Estinien is pretty much the only person Dusk knows who kind of understands what it's like to be the Warrior of Light, since he's the Azure Dragoon. They both get a lot of expectations piled onto them that they're expected to just accept without complaint, to be the best living weapon they can be. Neither one is technically fighting their fight alone, but they're each respectively The Guy. And it's just ... nice knowing there's someone else who understands what it's like being The Guy.

And I think that's why he's the one who gets Alphie to realize how he's been kind of a shitty friend to Dusk with this comment. I know Alphie talks about the firewood all the time, but I think this is the actual first Big Influence Estinien has on him, the firewood is just the stand in because he can tangibly show having learned that at the drop of a hat. It's a lot harder to show 'I realized I was treating this person I admire like a tool and taught myself to stop doing that.'

I could write a lot about Heavensward in general and why that made me go ride or die for this ship, but suffice to say, I really enjoyed Estinien's devotion to protecting Ishgard extending beyond 'murder dragons,' even if he wasn't very patient with 'hang out with a heretic and try her plan first.' He still did it. I enjoyed that he told everyone they weren't allowed to come on his dragon killing date with Dusk. I appreciated that he didn't fight accepting the truth of the war when it was revealed to him, trusting what Dusk told him he saw was true, even though it meant what he'd been honed into was based on a lie the entire time. A lot of people wouldn't have.

I spent most of Heavensward expecting him to turn somehow, especially since I knew he'd lost it once already in the DRG quests, and was ready for some Dusk Angst to come from it. But he never really did, he was fully committed the entire time, and you could tell he trusted Dusk completely (and Dusk trusted him). At the end of Heavensward, I let my guard down about two seconds before Estinien himself did, which made that hit harder. Got my angst after all. :D

I have already rambled at length, and I don't really need to go over Estinien's whole arc. I think he's had a lot of growth since we met him, while keeping stuff I have liked about him since the beginning. And the game gives me every reason to think Estinien and the Warrior of Light are close, if I want to, and I very much do want to. For me, even if I look at the relationship platonically, I think they helped each other grow. They'd both been seen as tools to solve problems with, and had both gotten more complacent with the idea than they should've been. It's easier to see how unfair that is when it's happening to someone you're friends with, rather than yourself, and I think seeing that reflection in each other was really important for both of them. And that's going to form a certain kind of bond they just do not have with anyone else.

But also you can't have these two keep looking at each other like this every time they see each other for the first time in a while and expect me not to ship them. You simply cannot.

I won't ramble quite as much (probably) about Dusk/Farron, because I am way more likely to talk about that ship in general.

So I've been close friends with @petitfarron for years now. We met each other not long after we started playing FFXIV in early 2019 (I started in February, he started in April). Sometimes you just meet someone you click with, and Petit turned out to be one of those someones.

About two years ago (god), he was starting to get back into RP, and wanted to 'practice,' for lack of a better word. I hadn't RPed in FFXIV at all, but I was happy to volunteer. I had been learning anamnesis making silly shippy pictures of Dusk and Farron already, and he's always liked Dusk as a character to start with (I didn't RP, but I sure did talk A LOT about Dusk as a character to anyone who would listen), so although I said it didn't have to go that route if he didn't think it would make sense, the ship between Dusk and Farron set sail pretty much immediately.

And I'm really glad it did! First, there's the shallow, obvious reason. They are simply adorable together:

But I also really enjoy their relationship, because I think they compliment each other really well. Since the RP is just the two of us, Petit encouraged me to RP Dusk as the Warrior of Light instead of Random Adventuring Elezen #9263586. Farron, on the other hand, is just a guy. A guy who met Dusk after 6.0 ended, and got to know him as Dusk, rather than The Warrior of Light, and that is incredibly important to Dusk.

He can pipe up with is opinion if he wants, but from my perspective, Farron helps remind Dusk that he's actually still a normal person, capable of just doing normal things, with normal person wants and needs. He's protective of Dusk, worries about people starting to treat him like the solution to their problems again, worries about Dusk feeling pressure to fling himself into danger. At the same time, he loves how easily Dusk gives his time and care and kindness and love to people, and he trusts that Dusk truly wants to help them.

Dusk loves that Farron is kind, in spite of all the shit Farron has been through in his life. He loves that he's so curious about the world around them, and the people they meet. Dusk is too, and he's excited to share those sorts of experiences with Farron. He even loves visiting places he's been that Farron hasn't, because he gets to learn what Farron thinks of those places, and it gives him a new perspective on them! He loves that Farron's a stubborn optimist too, and that while he worries about Dusk, he will never try to convince him to be someone he simply isn't. He'll never ask him not to help, not to adventure, not to fight. He'll only make sure it's something Dusk really wants to do, something Dusk wants people to consider.

I also just enjoy poor normal-ass Farron learning to deal with his partner's extremely not-normal life. He's doing his best!

For a while, these two ships existed in different spaces for me.

In MSQ-land, Dusk and Estinien are ... complicated, never saying outright how much they care about each other. There are times I was like 'oh they totally made out here,' mind you, but I also think that after it was out of their systems, they go right back to pretending they're just bros, and thinking they're definitely pulling it off. They are wrong, of course, but no one's had the heart to point it out yet.

In RP-land, Dusk and Farron are engaged and nigh-inseparable. They're rarely apart, and most challenges they face are external, rather than conflict between them or their relationship styles. They're very much on the same page, and so fuckin' happy and sappy with each other. They are free serotonin for me, always.

Keeping them separate makes sense, right?

Except Petit and I will definitely be writing a lot of RP stuff based on whatever happens in Dawntrail, so it'll be MSQ-tastic.

Except Petit has also really loved the Dusk/Estinien ship, ever since I'd started talking to him about it years ago.

Except I have always thought of Dusk as polyamorous, ever since I made him up for a completely different game.

Except Petit thinks of Farron as polyamorous, because of how viis and viera are.

Except Petit also really loves Estinien as a character.

So fine, the two concepts can collide a bit. As a treat.

Another random WoLQotD/OC question

I thought I'd ask this while I worked on my other questions. :)

If you're a WoL x NPC shipper, what drew you to that ship and why? What makes that ship the pinnacle for you and your oc? Is it that you love the canon character you write them with, you find their dynamic interesting or something in between?

If you're not a WoL x NPC shipper, but you have a ship with another person, how did that come about? What makes that ship fulfilling for you? Has the ship impacted your relationship with that other person? Feel free to gush, I wanna hear it!

Oh, and pictures are a must (if you have them).

[otnesse]

Quoting @likeawinterbird since I can't even access his post, nor can I directly reblog in respnse

It’s Pokemon Best Wishes! It aired back in 2010, until 2013, and it’s the fandom’s whipping boy, because the league was lackluster, the character touted as main rival was weirdly disinterested*, and it was the first time the show sort of rebooted, to make it a good introduction to the basics for the younger generations, so Satoshi/Ash made some rookie mistakes in over-excitement at first and Pikachu was temporarily depowered in the earliest part [prompting bad first impressions and skewing the score between him and not-quite-main rival]. *(So completely one-sided for the first half, despite him being a rookie/new trainer, because Shootie/Trip’s some kind of child prodigy, and his own story is focused on someone else entirely.) Satoshi/Ash also had many other rivals (including one who better fulfilled the expected role of main rival, Kenyan/Stephan, and even had a great battle in the league!), and each of his friends got their own rivals and storylines too, but yeah, fandom whines and cherrypicks things to complain about eternally and never shut up about it. It’s not just seen as an “acceptable target,” it’s seen as undeniable fact, that it’s terrible. Many people write it off without watching it or after the first episode or two or fail to understand Pikachu’s Electric Type attacks were sealed and it was suffering from exposure to Zekrom, even though it’s stated several times in series, by different characters. Sheesh, I hated XY, but at least I gave it many, many episodes a chance! Its fanboys would jump down my throat, the anon hate was intense, people were lauding it from the first preview alone as an “apology for Best Wishes!” Iris, the main girl of the BW! series, remains to this day the only one to never get a collector’s figure or even any full-sized figure, toy or fancy collector’s item, and also the first to ever break the tradition of reappearing in the next series and meeting the new girl. She has pretty much no merch, just a recent chibi keychain as part of a set commemorating all the main girls, who also got several full figures… (hence why I made that figures post). To add extra insult to injury, she was also the first dark-skinned main girl. Ouch. sazandorable i’ll admit my brain just blanked on “are people seriously complaining about CLOUDS in bw! now.”. like, it’s op’s right, it’s true they used to be super pretty earlier, i guess that really sucks if they’re a big fan of sceneries. but REALLY? you gonna hate on bw for the CLOUDS? REALLY? FOR REAL. It’s honestly ugly, yeah, BW! has beautiful scenery, but rather than focus on that, it was just “yeah, but you see this specific part of the scenery? Ugly” and focused the post on that and told me it “doesn’t change a thing” that DP started it. :| /blocks

Honestly, the Trip bit was definitely one of the worst bits about Best Wishes. And I really didn't like how Pikachu was pillored like that all in a crass attempt at starting fresh even by their usual standards (even without Pikachu's electric attacks, he still had Iron Tail, so it's not like he COULDN'T use that instead to beat his foes, including that Snivy. That's my BIGGEST complaint, that they didn't have Pikachu just resort to other strategies DESPITE clearly having them.). Though I will state he was STILL a better rival overall than Paul was, that loss notwithstanding.

As far as the reasons for changing up Ash are concerned, I'm sorry, but if you're going to reboot the series, go the full mile and cut ASH out of the series and replace him with a new character. Don't degrade his character like that (The mistakes he made in that series were the kinds that even Kanto-era Ash, aka the time he actually was a rookie, would NEVER make. Case in point, somehow mistaking a human, Iris, for an Axew despite looking absolutely NOTHING alike. Probably the closest he ever got to making that kind of mistake was in the beginning of the Kangaskhan Kid, and even that was excused by the fact that Jenny disguised herself as a Chancey to catch poachers, and she was hiding in a bush.). And the league results for that one were inexcusable. Nor was the decision to not even have Ash partake in a side league [you know, something like Orange League or Battle Frontier] to compensate. And from what someone like Lizardo on Pokecommunity stated, the Gym Leaders overall were basically treated the same way as in AG (ie, not good at all), which actually comes across as even worse with the downgrade Ash got overall.

I also didn't really like Dawn's cameo especially when, last I checked, Unova DIDN'T have contests at all, so she had zero reason to even BE in Unova. I wasn't fond of May even reappearing at all in DP, but at least there was actual setup justifying her presence there regarding that Wallace Cup being trans-regional. Ash doesn't drop everything he's doing just to visit his friends while in the middle of a league, so why should they? And personally, I felt the show definitely should have done a true adaptation of that World Conference thing from B2W2, not just as a neat way for most of Ash's traveling companions to reappear due to either being Gym Leaders themselves or in the case of May and Max actually related to one, but also as a way to give true closure to Misty, but they didn't and just had a half-baked Junior Cup instead (to be fair regarding that bit, though, part of the reason was because Game Freak failed to let the anime producers in the loop regarding there being actual sequels to Black and White rather than a third version, so I could sort of see why they wouldn't go in that route, but I still think they should have ultimately).

That all being said, there were definite positives to the series:

For what it's worth, of all the things I have a problem with regarding Best Wishes, Iris actually was one of its positives ultimately, mostly because she came the closest to actually BEING a true successor to Misty. I did initially think her getting a Dragonite early on was a bit much, but after recent research into her backstory, I've changed my tune on that one due to realizing she's basically been battling since BEFORE she formally became a trainer (certainly far better than the OTHER time someone got an extremely rare Pokemon for no real reason [*cough**cough*Dawn's Togekiss*cough**cough*]). I also like that they learned from what happened with Misty earlier and made SURE she actually DID continue her goal, and even indicated she had no intention of becoming a Gym Leader until AFTER she became a Dragon Master. I mean, yeah, sure, her "Just a Kid" comments were a bit much, but on the other hand, considering Ash being badly mangled overall, I can sort-of tolerate it since she ultimately had a point there.

I also liked the fact that there were indeed some continuity nods there, like Clair reappearing, or how Ash reminisced about his Butterfree when raising a similar caterpie. I also liked that he did get his Charizard back ultimately. That was definitely a major positive for that series, especially after Ash's mishandling regarding character.

And while not a full positive (the manner in which they went with Team Rocket just left a lot to be desired), I will nevertheless give credit where it's due and state they at least TRIED to make them actual credible threats after being made bad enough jokes that even Takeshi Shudo regretted his vote to keep them on for AG (just wish it was more them taking down a Pokemon OTHER than Ash's Pikachu, though. Just having them beat one of Ash's rookies would have MORE than sufficed especially when a large part of their joke status was the result of them losing to Caterpie way back in the third episode).