#this show has like 7 love triangles and most of them could be solved if these two just kissed smh

[vanmarkus]

i love how neither of them bats an eye about the fact that Clark considers Lex to be "very close to him"

[royalequeenofships]

HSMTMTS Season 3 Predictions and Character Analysis

Ricky & Nini:

Ricky and Nini have a complicated relationship. I feel like they have the whole dynamic of “right person, wrong timing” vibe. They have chemistry and a bond with each other. However, for them to grow as a couple, they really need to have character development first. Nini really needs to figure herself out and who she truly wants to be and figure out her dreams and how she wants to pursue them. We had the whole YAC arc in season 2, where she goes there because she thought it was something that she wanted, but she realized that YAC was not truly what she wanted and isn’t what makes her happy. So, she’s slowly trying to figure herself out with independence and not relying on anyone except herself. In Season 1, most of her moments were with Ricky, with only the YAC arc really showcasing her independence, but her reliance on others in season 1 and parts of season 2. For example, Kourtney was the one who submitted her application to YAC, and partially her reasons for coming back to East High were also her relationship with her friends and Miss Jenn. Also, the fact that Carlos posted her song online, and she asked Ashlyn for help to write “Ain’t see nothing.” However, in episode 11 and 12, really starts showcasing her independence and stop relying on others for her journey. She BECOMES the one other people rely on, she hypes everyone up for their performances and is really figuring herself out and blossoming like the Rose. It is a great metaphor for Nini’s journey, and the fact that she herself calls Jamie’s brother instead of other people doing it for her, really makes it more special. Gina could’ve easily called her brother and be like “Oh yeah I have this friend who’s a great songwriter, yadda yadda.” But she does it herself, which is really great. Now with Ricky. Many people would agree with the fact that he truly does need therapy. He needs to learn how to handle change, and dare I say, realizing that other people are more important in his life. Personally, I felt like Ricky was very selfish this season. Last season, he was being selfish as he broke up with Nini because he couldn’t say I love you, and once school started again, he wanted Nini back so badly, but he proved himself worthy at the final episode when he stops being Troy to give Nini a chance to perform for YAC. However, this season once he and Nini are back together again, he was being selfish and thinking of himself again. When Nini goes to YAC, all he could really think about was how HER leaving was affecting him and his relationship with her.

For example, he would ask Gina for help on HIS own relationship, and sending Nini the message of how much he missed her and wishes she would be there because HE misses her so much. And thinking that Nini came home for him and him only. Plus, he thinks that the rose song that she wrote was SPECIFICALLY related to him, and then the whole situation with Miss Jenn and his dad, in which he was only thinking about himself and his feelings, with no regards to theirs. However, in episode 10, he finally stops being selfish and really opened his eyes to his surroundings, as he helped Carlos with his song for Seb. I hope this development continues, and once he realizes that he needs to stop being selfish, and is able to handle change and mature as a person, then maybe the Rini ship can happen once again. Another thing I’ve noticed about their “angst” in season 2 was the long-distance relationship, especially in episode 3. Although, Ricky and Nini were in the same city, throughout the episode, it still felt like they were going long-distance, which was probably foreshadowing their breakup. They only communicated through their phones that episode, and even at the end, their songs for each other wasn’t sang in person, but through the phone. As for predictions on the Rini relationship, I think that if Tim only plans on 3 seasons, then Rini will probably get back together at the end of Season 3, but if he has 4 seasons planned (which I am hoping for), then Rini will probably get back together then. Now we also have to take into consideration the career of Olivia Rodrigo. We do not know if she wants to continue with HSM, and even she herself is not sure. What I think will happen is, if Olivia decides she wants to take her music career to the next level, I think a really easy way to write her out without breaking the contract, would be to have her travel to L.A. to work on her music for the summer, so that there will be reason as to why she is absent for most of the season. This will probably take 1 episode to do and Olivia can spend the rest of her time focusing on her music. However, if Olivia decides she still wants to work full time in this season, then she might stay in Salt Lake and do the musical and write some songs for Jamie, etc but personally I think Olivia would want to focus on her music more than the show, as she posts about it more on social media than the show, and even with interviews. Nini might return for the final episode when summer ends and the new school year starts, so Olivia might just be in like 2 episodes. That’s my take on Rini for now, we get back to Ricky later.

E.J. & Gina:

Portwell is literally my favourite ship of the series, and it is just amazing. I personally would not like to see any angst in their relationship next season, but honestly it is probably going to happen and here’s why. Their relationship was built really steadily and took a long time to flourish. With other couples, like Seblos, Redlyn and Kowie, they got together awfully fast, taking 2-3 episodes to truly get together. So, the angst that those couples go through gets resolved rather quickly. Seblos with their relationship gets solved within 1-2 episodes, for the whole “does he like me because im the only gay one” storyline. Redlyn has the whole “Antoine” situation (which I will get back to later) and the “Red’s future” which again, took 1 episode to resolve. And Kourtney and Howie took 1-2 episodes to resolve the whole “Howie is from North high” and “Why Howie seems weird”. The reason is because those couples got together really quickly, and therefore their angst can be easily resolved through that, and wouldn’t really take time to fix. As you can see, Rini took a while to really get together. They were childhood friends off screen and we get to see their past relationship through flashbacks in season 1, but technically they took around 10 episodes to fully get back together. They have their cute., fluffy episodes for the first 4-5 episodes of season 2, but then their angst slowly starts to build at episode 5-6. It drags on until episode 8 where they fully break up, and counting episode 9 with their take on how they’re handling the breakup, so that’s around 5 episodes worth of angst for the couple that took 10 episodes to get together. So, with Portwell, they’ve technically been building them up at the end of season 1, but we’ll truly count the buildup starting from the Quincenero episode, which is episode 5, and they had 7 episodes worth of relationship buildup. So, I think, for the first 4 episodes, we’ll see some fluff and cute moments between the two when summer starts (and hopefully some kisses cuz like please I need to see at least one), but the angst will probably start in the middle of the season. It might take like around 4-5 episodes to fix, but I truly believe that they will not break up, and it will get resolved either near the final episode or the final episode of the season. Now for the REASON of their angst. I truly think the only “angst” worthy storyline is about EJ going off the college. As I can’t think of anything else that can topple their relationship. Firstly, EJ knows about the chocolates, which makes me think that he probably knows about Gina’s past crush on Ricky. Secondly, they resolved the whole “Big Brother” situation, and EJ knows that Gina doesn’t see her in that way. And the character development of E.J. and Gina. Back in season 1, they were arrogant and straight up ambitious people, who really don’t care about how others feel, but they truly changed as people in season 1 and 2, and had their character development moments. The contrast with them and Rini is that Season 1 focused on rini’s relationship development and season 2 and maybe 3 will really focused on their CHARACTER development. For Portwell, I think that would be flipped as they already had their Character development in season 1 and 2, so we probably will see their RELATIONSHIP development in season 3. So, since they already had their character development, I think it would be pointless to have unnecessary drama about their personalities or jealousy or whatnot, since they truly developed as people. So, the only thing I can possibly think of for their angst is EJ college arc. I know that they will probably fix it, but still I’m dreading to see it as I don’t want Portwell angst anymore. ☹ (ALSO PLEASE GIVE ME A PORTWELL DUET!! I NEED IT! Also, an EJ solo)

Ricky & Gina:

Personally, I do not ship Rina. I don’t think they would make a good couple; however, I think they would be really good friends. Someone they could confide in about their issues like Gina said “Sometimes I tell you things I don’t tell anyone else” and Ricky being like “I think we do that for each other.” We didn’t really get to see Ricky and Gina resolve their issues in season 2, partly because of Ricky’s character development. I am hoping to see in season 3, Ricky working on himself and fixing up his friendship with Gina. I think something that might happen is when Gina is going through her angst with EJ, and Ricky going through his own angst with Lily, they might be able to give each other advice and on how to handle it. However, PLEASE for the love of God, do not drag the whole love triangle back, because we do not need it. Gina has truly gotten over Ricky, and Ricky never seeing Gina as someone for his romantic relationship anyways, and he really needs to work on himself more, they should not be together as a couple. However, I do hope that they amend their friendship and is able to confide in each other once more, which I think will be cool and really help with Ricky’s character development.

Ricky & Lily:

Now this one. We know they will not be endgame, and I am 90% sure of the fact that Lily does not have romantic feelings for Ricky. Sure, she might find him attractive (and I mean who can blame her, Joshua Bassett is gorgeous), but she definitely does not like him in that way. We can see it when she “confesses” to him, she said to him “I like your brown hair and brown eyes” which are all physical descriptions of him, nothing about his personality which makes sense because she barely knows him, so how could she develop feelings for someone she doesn’t know. She has also stolen the harness, so we know that there would be no way that she likes him, and at the end of season 2, we don’t even get to see her feeling guilty about doing it, because she likes him. So that definitely setting in stone on how she’s only using him and manipulating him. Now for Ricky, yes you might be thinking “oh he’s calling her, why?” But Ricky does not know what we know. He was not there when Lily was talking to Gina about their roles as Belle, he was not there when Lily was laughing at Big Red, he was not there when she had a conversation with Miss Jenn, and he was not there when she planned with Antoine and when she stole the harness. In Ricky’s eyes, the reason that she was so mean to them is because of the Menkies, and their schools were enemies and rivals for it. He doesn’t know about Lily’s evil and ambitious side, and he believes that the Menkies might have made her that way. For example, he knows that the Menkies has turned Miss Jenn into someone different and a little bit mean, so he assumed the same for Lily, and when she asked for a second chance, Ricky gave it to her as he didn’t know. I feel like for the first couple of episodes, it will show Lily and Ricky “bonding” or getting to know each other, but Lily lying about the whole situation and really planning something behind his back, but we don’t know what yet. Maybe Ricky will be like “Huh, she’s a cool person, I’m starting to like her.” But then figuring out her plan, and finding out that she stole the harness. He then will be very upset and kind of heartbroken as he gave her a chance and she was only manipulating him the whole time. Maybe then, his character development will continue to grow and he will realize that he does not need to be in a relationship right now, and that he needs to work on himself and mature as a person. And I think him and Lily’s “relationship” will be a strong pushing point that he needs.

Seb & Carlos:

Now Seblos is one of my favourite ships in the show, and I love them to bits and pieces. However, as regarding their relationship, I feel like they have already resolved all their angst in season 2, it will be hard to make up angst for them in season 3, if they ever have one. I would like to say this though, I knew there was going to be angst for them in season 2, but the way they built it up, I thought the angst would be about how Carlos’ family is really rich, and Seb can’t compare because he lives on a farm, and it might make him self-conscious. Cause that’s where it seemed to be leading in the first few episodes of Season 2 (the sled, cashmere etc.). However, they brought a completely different angst to them which I thought was pretty surprising. Personally, I think they should’ve done the “class/money” difference in season 2, and then maybe the whole “why are you with me” angst for season 3, but maybe they MIGHT switch it around for season 3, and have the whole “class/money” difference then. Although, that’s probably the only “issue” I see for them ever, cause they’re a power couple and like what other angst could there be? Maybe they’ll introduce a new love interest but I highly doubt it because they already resolved the “I choose you always” in season 2. So, hoping there’s no Seblos angst, but if they do decide to throw in one, that might be the one they’ll do.

Big Red & Ashlyn:

Again, Redlyn is one of my favourite ships and they’re just so amazing. However, their storyline is hopefully again, all fluff for season 3, but one thing I realised that they didn’t really resolve in season 2 was the whole “Antoine” storyline. After episode 7, they never really talked about it again and introduced the new angst next episode with the whole “Career” thing. I feel like Antoine will be a more recurring character in season 3, as he only got like what? 10 minutes worth of screentime this season? (Maybe even less) and especially at the end as he joined Natalie in the final scene. So maybe there will be more of him in the next season, and slowly moving in on Ashlyn and making Big Red feeling like he’s not good enough, and then maybe Redlyn will FINALLY get their “I love you” confession then, because WE NEED IT! I’m manifesting for Redlyn “I love you” next season, and I think the whole situation with Antoine would be a nice way for Ashlyn to TRULY confirm to Big Red how much she loves him and how grateful she is for him, and vice versa. (Also manifesting for more EJ and Big Red friendship moments, like maybe Big Red goes for EJ for advice for his relationship with Ashlyn, and maybe EJ confiding in Big Red for Gina as well)

Kourtney & Howie:

As for Kourtney and Howie, they’re probably still going to work at the pizza shop together and continue to bond. A plot point that I think will be very interesting is maybe Kourtney trying to convince Howie to move to East High, but Howie kind of not wanting to, because he spent like 3 years there and it’s kind of his home. That might be a nice storyline to do, or it can be the opposite, where Howie is trying to transfer to North High, but Kourtney being worried like “Is he going to North High for me? I don’t want that, what if he hates it here”, but Howie confirming that he’s going to North High because the environment for him is better there and less competitive and toxic than North High. That might be a storyline that can happen for these two. I would also like for them to have a duet as well; I think Dara’s strong voice goes well with Roman’s soft voice and it would mesh well together.

Miss Jenn & Mr. Mazarra:

Now this one is a toughie, but I have some theories. Now we know that Ricky has given Miss Jenn permission to date his dad, which is another great character development for him, as he’s handling change and seeing other people’s happiness. However, as soon as he gave her permission, Mr. Mazarra confesses his feelings for Miss Jenn, which seemingly makes her happy, as we did get to see a little smile on her face when he did. Throughout Season 2, Benjamin was really the one comforting her, and giving her courage for the Menkies. We see it through episode 8, when he helped Miss Jenn film the commercial and how he put so much effort into making her coffee and setting up a table, just so she could relax. Same goes for episode 10, when she confides in him, and he acting like a therapist to her and accepting her anxious feelings, and helping her feel calmer and better. They are both opening up to each other. And I believe Miss Jenn truly appreciates him as a colleague and a friend. Now another moment is when Ricky’s dad comes to the show with flowers, and she was talking with Mr. Mazarra at the moment. When he called out her name, she smiles awkwardly and immediate turns to Mr. Mazarra saying something along the lines up “Why we always running into him?” and very awkwardly makes his way to him and you could tell she was slightly uncomfortable, with her awkward smiles and everything. This really contrasts from episode 3, where she herself walks up to Ricky’s dad and starts up a conversation, and how now, it is the other way around. Now, the whole problem of Mr. Mazarra leaving for Caltech. He confesses his romantic feelings to Miss Jenn, and really emphasizes on how she’s the only one who is stopping him from running off the California, which I believe that she is a big part of why, but also not fully. We really get to see Mr. Mazarra bonding with a lot of the students this season as well, E.J., Ricky, etc. I feel like he truly cares for his students, and in season 3, maybe he is thinking about if he really wants to stay in Utah for his students and of course, his budding relationship with Miss Jenn. Now, there was a scene in episode 4, where he was confiding to EJ about his rejection from Caltech. And he admits to EJ how he doesn’t think about Caltech very much anymore. He’s made his peace with it. This kind of mirrors EJ’s situation about Duke. EJ didn’t get into Duke from his own accord, but rather his dad got him in. Same can be said for Mr. Mazarra, EJ’s dad made the call for him for Caltech, and he didn’t really get in from his own as well, as he said previously, He was rejected many, many times. So maybe next season will really show him and his decision of staying at East High back in the fall, or leaving for Caltech. Now moving back to Miss Jenn. Next season, I feel like will focus on her and the students more, as this season, she was a really crappy teacher, and kept pushing them due to stress and wanting them to beat her ex at the Menkies. This season, I believe that she will return to the teacher that she was in season 1, and really focusing and hyping up the kids’ talents. I would love to see that Miss Jenn come back, and really help her students. Of course, the whole love triangle debacle will probably be fixed, I can maybe see Miss Jenn going out on a date with Ricky’s dad but thinking of Mr. Mazarra the whole time, and Ricky’s dad is a good man, so he might notice something is different about her, and tells her to go for it, her relationship with Mr. Mazarra before he moves or something. Also, since in season 2, we got to see Mr. Mazarra comfort Miss Jenn a lot, maybe this season will have Miss Jenn comforting Mr. Mazarra about Caltech, and if he truly wants to leave his students. Another thing I’d like to maybe see is Mr. Mazarra singing a song for Miss Jenn. We know that Mark St. Cyr has a good voice, as we saw from the Christmas special. So, him singing to Miss Jenn even though he doesn’t like musicals that much and all that, would show a lot of character development from Season 1.

Overall Plot:

Now, I have a few theories about summer. I’ve seen a lot of people saying they will go to a camp like “Camp Rock” which I think will be very likely to happen, and they put up a musical. What I can also see happening, is like High School Musical 2, where they go to a resort for work, and then putting up a musical there for the audience as well. Or they could just stay in Utah, and just relax for the summer, and not have any musical but just a lot of original songs about their summer in general and the stuff they’re going through. If they do a musical, I don’t think that they’ll do a musical from a movie or theatre, but rather write their own musical. I think it would be a really interesting concept, it can show us more imaginative and creative concept for a musical and have more original songs for the season. I would truly love to see that.

So that’s all for the character analysis and predictions I have for Season 3, sorry if it’s long lol

[destellolunar]

SABRINA'S MONTHLY OBSESSIONS:

MARCH 2021

Fics:

Heal by AzulRoma (@roma-northr)

Tomorrows that follow @little-miss-sunny-daisy

Quiet light by coveredinthecolors

White winds blow by @helpless-in-sleep​

Waiting for you by @misssophiachase​

Picturesque by @supernutellastuff​

Edits:

The wolf posters by @recyclingss

Rebelion by @labime​

She will never forget him by @klavscaroline​

Big bad wolf by @lyannainsomnia

Magic of pegasus and tangled fusions by @klarolineagainnaturally

Blogs:

@parallel-outlines

@likemypulse

F i c s

HEAL — AzulRoma

Summary: Devotion told through the pain swallowing their hearts; a display of love through the act of cleaning each other's tears. [One shot]

Why am I obsessed?: The way of words this author has it's wonderful, it's truly something else. This is a very underrated story and most people should know about this beauty and this author. Her writing style is really deep and I absolutely adore the way she writes Klaroline, their scenes always get stuck in my mind, it's the perfect mix of intense emotions and sweetness. This is an emotional story, but it's precious.

WHITE WINDS BLOW — perfectpro

Summary: Caroline Forbes waits anxiously in the Riverlands to hear of the return of her betrothed, Elijah Mikaelson, from the uprising against the mad King Silas. Instead, a letter arrives from his younger brother, Lord Niklaus, telling her of Elijah's death and offering to uphold the joining of their houses himself. She will become the Lady of Winterfell, but Lord Niklaus, waiting at the heart tree, is a stranger. [One shot]

Why am I obsessed?: I'm trash for GOT au's, and the univese building in this one is exceptional. The narration it's so genuine, I honestly felt like I was watching a show and it was really magical. The way the KC relationship evolves is full of tender, how they slowly built up a bond despite the tragedy it has behind was such a joy to read.

QUIET LIGHT — coveredinthecolors

Summary: Caroline Forbes sets off to the Bahamas with her boyfriend, Elijah, where she'll finally meet his brother for the first time. But as it turns out... she knows Klaus Mikaelson a little too well.

Multi chapter: 1/10 (in progress)

Why am I obsessed?: This is a love triangle between our favorite originals and it's genuinely amazing! By the time I got to the end of the first chapter I was freaking out, and now, the anticipation is consuming me. Plus, Luiza's writing is the most glorious and poetic thing ever and adds so much climax into the story. It's filled with drama and I want all of it!

TOMORROWS THAT FOLLOW — sunnydaisy

Summary: How was she supposed to know that the cute guy she had seen on her morning run was a prince?

That’s what she gets for deleting her Instagram.

Multi chapter: 3/? (In progress)

Why am I obsessed?: Modern royalty fic with prince Klaus and actress Caroline it's everything to me! It's beautifully written and the story is so intriguing and charming. It's super fluffy and it's the perfect one to put a huge smile on your face. Besides, this was the story that made me obsessed with the modern royalty trope. It's so good and brings light to my life.

WAITING FOR YOU — misssophiachase

Summary: Detectives Klaus Mikaelson and Caroline Forbes are forced to work together on an organised crime case. Given their growing attraction and close proximity solving a murder is the least of their problems. [One shot]

Why am I obsessed?: The world building here is so good, it's an amazing story and although it's about detective KC it goes beyond that. The importance the author gives to all the chacarcters, how she lets them grow in so many aspects, the details, the dynamics, everything it's sensational. I love this one so much.

PICTURESQUE — supernutellastuff

Summary: She doesn’t talk to Klaus about feelings. Ever. Or at least when she’s sober. Sure, there are times when their friends pass out and the two of them lie on the rooftop, looking at the stars, and talk. Or times when they go to clubs and instead of trying to pick up people they find themselves in a corner spilling their guts amidst the pulsating lights. But alcohol or some other form of intoxication is definitely involved.

Klaroline (with a little Steroline) AU/AH where it's a miracle the gang still have working livers seeing that they spend more time than they should at the bar.

Multi chapter: 7/7 (completed)

Why am I obsessed?: This is a really engaging story and one of my favorites parts it's the dialogues. The pining was there but also some angst that show how an incredible way with words the author has. The chemistry between Klaus and Caroline is so real and it was delightful to get to read all their progress. It is fantastic!

E d i t s

THE WOLF POSTERS — recyclingss

Both in my heart and soul I believe The wolf by Yokan is canon, so these posters are everything I needed to complete that happiness. It's not only an amazing idea but the edits are fantastic! She captured the essence of the story so well and I can't stop staring at them. They are so stunning!

REBELION — labime

Is this one of the most stunning moodboards I have ever seen? Yes, is it. I adore the black and white aesthetic and the intensity of the pics. It's absolutely and perfectly gorgeous, it's so evocative and the overall atmosphere for the are it's inspired by it's unbelievable.

SHE WILL NEVER FORGET HIM — klavscaroline

This edit is stunning, I really love the inclusion of those pink roses and the overall aesthetic of it, but one of the reasons I'm obsessed with it it's because it's filled with so many deep emotions and feelings. It's beautiful and tragic, and I'm a mess everytime I read the little drabble it has. I adore it.

BIG BAD WOLF — lyannainsomnia

I could stare at this edit and everytime I will find something that I love. I consider dark aesthetics and color scheme a little bit tricky, but this one is perfection. The manip is so well done and the moodboard it's quite unique, I got goosebumps for how amazing it is.

MAGIC OF PEGASUS AND TANGLED FUSIONS by klarolineagainnaturally

We should be all thankful for having Lottie's talent and creativity on this fandom. I mean, KC x Barbie fusion? I never thought I needed that until I knew it was happening! This gif set it's stunning and has all the barbie vibes, and combining my younger self favorite story with my favorite couple it's a dream come true.

The tangled manip it's so realistic, like how? The color scheme just screams fairytale and I'm trash for it. I know everytime I'll watch Tangled I will only think about this beauty.

B l o g s

@parallel-outlines is the queen of klaroline gifs and no one can tell me otherwise. Her blog is art! Her gifs are everything to me, they are so realistic, so aesthetically pleasing, so cohesive and perfectly made. I could spend hours and hours in her blog and I will never get tired, there is so much art to look at and it's unbelievable how talented she is.

@likemypulse I recently found out this blog and I have spent so much time on it. Their edits are full of colors and they are super eye catching. The way they match the pictures and made such beautiful edits it's something that I really love and that I look up to. It's such a gorgeous blog!

[aion-rsa]

15 Best SNES RPGs Ever Made

https://ift.tt/3gFkLz0

SNES games might not be much to look at now, but in many ways, they were a massive improvement over any console games that came before. SNES developers could create massive worlds with detailed sprites that actually looked like what they were intended to represent. New advances in technology also meant that games could take their first real steps toward becoming the kinds of cinematic experiences we arguably take for granted today. And while 4 MB wasn’t even a ton of storage even space back then, it was still more than enough to fit an impressive script for a 40-hour story.

In short, the SNES was almost perfectly set up to be the home for RPGs. While the console RPG scene was still finding its footing at the time of the Super Nintendo’s release, many developers were more than willing to dip their toes into the genre to see what kind of experiences they could craft. That combination of experimentation and all-time great creative voices eventually resulted in some of the most beloved role-playing games ever made.

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the SNES in North America, now feels like a great time to look back at 15 of the best RPGs on the SNES. 

15. Shadowrun

In the early 1990s, console RPGs were synonymous with turn-based combat and medieval settings full of knights, sorcerers, and dragons. So, no one really knew what to make of a cyberpunk game with real-time combat set in a dystopian Seattle. However, those who stuck with Shadowrun found one of the best and grittiest stories of the 16-bit era, as well as some surprisingly innovative conversation and hacking systems.

Shadowrun was truly ahead of its time in almost every way. While it didn’t get that much attention when it was released, games like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Ascent proudly carry on its legacy to this day. Even the Shadowrun franchise itself finally got its due with a trilogy of successful PC RPGs released over the last decade.

14. Soul Blazer

Even today, Soul Blazer is a title that not many gamers have heard of. Admittedly, it’s a little rough around the edges. Arriving early in the lifecycle of the SNES, the graphics and music aren’t quite up to par with the best games of its era, but the gameplay makes it a worthy addition to this list. Taking some inspiration from Actraiser, another beloved Quintet game, your goal in this action RPG is to clear out various lairs, rescue various souls (that could take the form of plants, animals, or other humans), and free the land from the evil Deathtoll.

Quintet would go on to hone Soul Blazer‘s best ideas in several other games (including Terranigma, another fantastic action RPG that sadly never made its way to North America). Unfortunately, Quintet shut down in the mid-2000s, and it’s unclear who exactly owns the rights to these games at this point. That sadly makes any official re-releases of these often-overlooked gems unlikely.

13. The 7th Saga

The 7th Saga is an excellent example of a game that had a lot of great ideas that never quite came together. Probably the best thing about the game is the playable characters. You have seven to choose from at the start (including a robot and an alien), and you eventually meet six other characters that you can either fight or recruit. It was also one of the first RPGs that didn’t include completely random combat. Enemies could actually be avoided through an innovative “radar” system.

Unfortunately, The 7th Saga is also unforgivingly difficult, with some enemies always surpassing your stats no matter how much you level up. So, while it may not have aged as gracefully as other games on this list, it’s an utterly fascinating project with incredible ideas that have since been incorporated into numerous genre classics.

12. Breath of Fire II

To be honest, Breath of Fire II doesn’t have a particularly memorable stand-out feature. Sure, there’s a town-building feature that lets you fill a town with various NPCs you meet throughout the game, but it’s easily ignored. Having a giant talking armadillo in your party is also pretty cool, but it’s obviously hard to recommend the game based on that alone. 

So why should you play Breath of Fire II? Well, it’s just a very solidly told fantasy story with a lengthy quest and strong turn-based combat. It’s nothing flashy, but it’s a strong overall entry into the Super Nintendo’s RPG library.

11. Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals

The release of Lufia II was overshadowed by the release of the next-gen systems and a SNES library already bursting with classic RPGs. It took a while for a lot of gamers to dig up this hidden gem, and some gamers simply never found it at all. To be fair, the story (which features a typical fantasy hero who has to save the world from the four evil Sinistrals) is a little mechanical, but Lufia II features some of the best graphics and music of any game on the console. Plus, there are tons of puzzles to solve and a 99-level randomized dungeon to eventually tackle. Honestly, Lufia II might feature more “gameplay” than any other Super Nintendo RPG.

While it’s billed as a sequel, Rise of the Sinistrals is actually a prequel to the first game, so you can feel free to dive right into it without playing through the first (though Lufia and the Fortress of Doom is well worth checking out as well). 

10. Harvest Moon

Arriving at the tail end of the SNES’ lifespan, Harvest Moon made a lot of gamers re-examine what an RPG could actually be. There’s no combat and no great quest to save the world. You’re just a simple farmer growing crops and raising livestock on the land you inherited from your grandfather. It sounds boring, but the gameplay loop is remarkably addictive. There’s a reason why the Harvest Moon series continues to this day and has inspired dozens of imitators, spin-offs, and sequels (most notably Stardew Valley).

Admittedly, some of the recent Harvest Moon games haven’t lived up to the series’ standards, but thanks to charming characters, witty writing, and its simple yet deep gameplay, there’s a very good argument that this first Harvest Moon game remains the best in the franchise.

9. Illusion of Gaia

The spiritual sequel to Soul Blazer exchanged the town-building mechanics of its predecessor for more involved combat, which honestly made it a better game overall. Illusion of Gaia also forgoes the traditional leveling of most RPGs for a roguelike system where protagonist Will can choose to increase his attack, defense, or health stats after clearing each room of enemies. As such, how you choose to proceed can make the final bosses of each dungeon significantly easier or much more difficult.

While it’s not technically set in the real world, Illusion of Gaia does incorporate several real-life locations, such as Egyptian pyramids, Incan ruins, and the Great Wall of China, leading to some of the most unique locales in any SNES RPG. It’s also a much better-looking game than Soul Blazer, fixing one of its predecessor’s biggest flaws.

8. Secret of Evermore

Square Enix (then Squaresoft) is primarily a Japanese developer, but after the massive success of multiple titles in the ‘90s, they decided to give an American studio a crack at the Square formula. While the basic gameplay of Secret of Evermore is obviously inspired by the superior Secret of Mana, Evermore mixes things up by restricting combat to just you and your trusty dog. There’s also a new alchemy mechanic that allows you to create potions when battling the game’s many tough bosses. 

For better or worse, Evermore is also graphically a much darker game than other Square titles of the era. It all mostly works here, but Square was ultimately not interested in pursuing Americanized versions of its games and Evermore is now more of a curiosity than anything else.

Read more

Games

25 Best SNES Games of All Time

By Chris Freiberg

Games

25 Best RPGs Ever Made

By Matthew Byrd

7. Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen

More of a military strategy sim than a typical RPG, The March of the Black Queen might be the most demanding game on the SNES. You will spend a lot of time managing units, some of which include ninjas, griffins, and witches. But when you pick just the right strategy, it’s oh so rewarding to watch them take back the continent of Zetegenia from the evil Empress Endora. It also features one of the denser stories of any 16-bit game. Many of the best plot beats may even remind you more of Game of Thrones than Lord of the Rings.

This is actually considered the fifth episode of the Ogre Battle saga, and while several sequels were produced over the years, the first four games that would have presumably featured the rise of Endora were never made. Sadly, though, Square Enix now owns the property, it doesn’t look like the Ogre Battle saga will ever be completed either. 

6. Final Fantasy IV

Plenty of RPGs were released before Final Fantasy IV (also known as Final Fantasy II in North America at the time of its release), but this was the true turning point for the JRPG genre. Of course, the graphics and sound were better with the move to more powerful hardware, but what really set it apart was the distinction of being one of the first RPGs to actually feature a fully fleshed-out plot complete with a complicated love triangle and a sympathetic villain in Golbez. It was also the first Square game to include the Active Time Battle system, which showed that JRPGs didn’t have to just be plodding turn-based affairs.

Honestly, the only downside of playing Final Fantasy IV on the SNES is that the original English translation is a little iffy. That’s been fixed in later ports and remakes, so while it might not be worth checking out on the SNES anymore over other options, it’s still worth playing in some form.

5. Super Mario RPG

Both Nintendo and Square were arguably at the height of their abilities in the mid-90s, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that when they finally teamed up, the result was an absolute masterpiece. Super Mario RPG expertly combined the beloved Mushroom Kingdom setting and Mario platforming with Square’s top-tier storytelling abilities and advanced RPG combat systems for a truly epic game. 

Those who have played through Super Mario RPG still yearn for a true sequel developed by Square or, at the very least, the addition of Geno to Super Smash Bros. Given how beloved the game is, it’s surprising that Square and Nintendo still haven’t teamed up for another RPG. The Paper Mario and Mario and Luigi games are good, but none have surpassed this classic.

4. Secret of Mana

Closer to The Legend of Zelda than Final Fantasy in gameplay, Secret of Mana was perhaps the most innovative RPG of the ‘90s. It introduced many gamers to faster, varied combat, three-player multiplayer, and an absolutely massive game world. Even better, it’s all wrapped up with some of the best music and graphics of the generation. While still confined to the 2D limitations of the SNES, Secret of Mana’s systems are closer to what we see today in modern RPGs and action games than anything that came before.

While this game has been ported and remade perhaps more than any other game on this list, none of those versions quite match the first release. The original version of Secret of Mana still looks and feels timeless. 

3. Earthbound

RPGs were generally considered more niche games in the ‘90s. They rarely sold well, but at least did well critically. Earthbound is even more unusual because the initial reviews were rather tepid, yet it’s now considered one of the greatest games of all time. Most gamers just weren’t ready for an RPG set in the modern world that alternated between the cheery enthusiasm of childhood and the ominous alienation of growing up. In that way, Earthbound could be considered a PG-rated South Park that debuted two years before South Park even premiered.

Surreal, satirical, and sometimes just plain weird, Earthbound remains one of the more unique and innovative RPGs ever made. It’s a triumph of the genre that dozens of other games have attempted to emulate, but none have yet surpassed. Now, if Nintendo would just get around to finally putting out an official English localization of the sequel…

2. Final Fantasy VI

Two decades and nine sequels later, there are still some RPG fans who consider Final Fantasy VI to be the pinnacle of the series. That’s debatable, but it’s easily the best of the 2D entries as well as a kind of swan song to the gameplay that introduced many gamers to RPGs for the first time, with its pitch-perfect ATB battles, a huge, varied world to explore, and an epic, apocalyptic story. 

But it’s the cinematic aspects that make Final Fantasy VI stand out. The rousing soundtrack pushes the SNES to its absolute limits, making moments like the famous opera scene and the final battle against Kefka feel especially epic. Square arguably came to rely on CG movies a little too much in later games, but Final Fantasy VI is proof that the developers were master storytellers long before that.

1. Chrono Trigger

Is there really anything to dislike about Chrono Trigger? The time-traveling story that sees our heroes journey across millennia to save the world is simply outstanding. The characters, from Frog to Magus, are among the most memorable in any RPG. While the combat system might be a little simpler than some of the games on this list, letting party members team up to use their “Tech” abilities in different ways is endlessly customizable and entertaining. Of course, all of that occurs before you even dig into the new game plus and dozen different endings.

It’s difficult to label any video game as truly perfect, but Chrono Trigger may be the closest thing to perfection that gaming has ever seen. More than two decades on, it remains a high point in the RPG genre that all gamers need to experience at least once, and it’s easily the very best RPG on the SNES.

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The post 15 Best SNES RPGs Ever Made appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[astonishinglegends]

Ep 201: The Disappearance of Frederick Valentich Part 3

“I am prepared to swear on oath or submit myself to any lie detector test to substantiate this, my statement.”

– Don Cox, who observed a triangle-shaped UFO for 45 minutes from his yard in Adelaide, 385 miles northwest of Valentich’s last known location, just 28 minutes after his radio fell silent.

Description:

As we wrap up our coverage of the Frederick Valentich story in Part 3 of our series, we'll continue our conversation with Melbourne resident Chris Tyler about his research into the case and other possibly related UFO incidents around the same time and area. We'll also examine the Australian Department of Transport accident report's remaining findings and discuss its conclusions. As you begin to reach your own conclusions, it's essential to keep several factors in mind which make the usual mundane explanations seem inadequate. The high number of independent sightings of aerial phenomena occurring in proximity to the disappearance suggests Valentich wasn't alone in witnessing it. The distance a Cessna cowling was found from a potential crash site and the lack of definitive markings makes its discovery inconclusive. Even if the cowling did come from Valentich's plane, it still doesn't account for what caused him to ditch, let alone other missing debris and Valentich himself. Perhaps the most surprising revelation comes from the summary of the report itself. Rather than dismissing the possibility of a UFO entanglement, an official government statement lists it as one of four likeliest scenarios. Remember that Valentich himself never suggested he interacted with a UFO in his last transmission, despite being painted as obsessed with them by his skeptics. When these factors and more are taken together, it's no wonder this incident is one of the most baffling and tragic in the phenomenon's history and leaves us all to wonder, what happened to Frederick Valentich and where did he go?

Location:

Moorabbin Airport, where Frederick Valentich took off from on October 21, 1978, headed for King Island across Bass Strait.

Reference Links:

“UFO suspicions still cloud disappearance of Frederick Valentich” from Melbourne’s Herald Sun

The strange noises heard on Valentich’s last transmission, posted on Facebook by A.U.F.O.A. – Australian UFO Action

“How the 40-year-old mystery of a UFO in New Zealand lives on” from news.com.au, about Quentin Fogarty’s UFO experience

The UFO Documents Index on NSA.gov

Cape Otway Lightstation

“What is the Aurora Australis?” on Universe Today

The Green Flash

“The Disappearance of Flight N3808H, Puerto Rico, 1980” blog post by “karl 12” on AboveTopSecret.com

“Disappearance of flight N3808H 28th of June, 1980” with pilot’s radio transmission on YouTube

“UFOs, USOs and the Island of Puerto Rico.” by “karl 12” on AboveTopSecret.com

“Jet Fighters disappear as they approach UFO in Puerto Rico” section of a documentary on YouTube

“Two F-14s kidnapped by UFO near Puerto Rico” forum thread on unexplained-mysteries.com

“The Valentich Disappearance: Another UFO Cold Case Solved” by James McGaha and Joe Nickell on Skeptical Inquirer

“Spooky Space ‘Sounds’” from nasa.gov

“What Is This Flying Object??? Occurred at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse - 1/7/2021” on YouTube by Wes Snyder Photography

The “PPRuNe” forum or “Professional Pilots Rumour Network” discussing Valentich's radio transmission

The Melbourne Marvels podcast and their episode on “The Unresolved Disappearance of Frederick Valentich”

“10 Truly Bizarre Incidents From The Bass Strait Triangle” from Listverse

The Unsolved Mysteries Wiki on Fandom.com for the Frederick Valentich episode

“Lost yacht mystery continues 30 years on” from abc.net.au

Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on Wikipedia

“Race Tragedy Tale / Oracle CEO tells all to St. Francis Yacht Club” from SFGate.com

“'Holy grail' or epic hoax? Australian Kelly Cahill's UFO abduction story still stirs passions” from ABC South West Victoria news

“Capturing the Light” – The true story of Dorothy Izatt on Amazon Prime

Close Encounters of the Third Kind feature release date information on IMDb

The Frederick Valentich case on the original Unsolved Mysteries, Season 5, Episode 2 on Amazon Prime

“Last Light: the Valentich Mystery” from The History Listen with Kirsti Melville on ABC.net.au

“Disappearance of Frederick Valentich” on Wikipedia

“What Happened to Frederick Valentich? Possibly the scariest UFO case ever” by OzWeatherman on AboveTopSecret.com

“Valentich Case Files Finally Released” by Kandinsky on AboveTopSecret.com

“The Valentich Abduction/Disappearance: 40th Anniversary” by MirageMan on AboveTopSecret.com

“The Abduction of Fred Valentich” from The Unexplained Files on Discovery UK – YouTube clip of Melbourne Flight Advisor Officer Steve Robey describing his radio communication with Valentich

Complete episode on the Valentich disappearance from The Unexplained Files on the Discovery Channel

Cessna 182 “Skylane”

Valentich’s missing aircraft report online, from the National Archives of Australia

Download of Valentich’s missing aircraft report as a PDF

Bass Strait

Moorabbin Airport

“'Truth' was out there after all –An accidental discovery sheds new light on the mysterious disappearance of a pilot in 1978, writes Miles Kemp” from The Advertiser

Australian UFO researcher, Keith Basterfield

Melbourne, Australia

Tasmania

King Island, Tasmania

Visit King Island at kingisland.org.au

“Biography of Bette Nesmith Graham, Inventor of Liquid Paper” on ThoughtCo.com

Bette Nesmith Graham on Wikipedia

Australian crayfish

The TCAS or Traffic collision avoidance system

“What C.S. Lewis and Martin Luther Would Say About Our Coronavirus Panic”

Black Death

Second plague pandemic

“Plague was one of history’s deadliest diseases—then we found a cure” on NationalGeographic.com

Suggested Listening:

Melbourne Marvels podcast – “a podcast about true stories from Melbourne” CLICK HERE to listen to their episode on “The Unresolved Disappearance of Frederick Valentich”

Check out our good friend Gledders’ paranormal podcast, ANOMALY, where he, his co-host Steve Freestone, and Forrest discuss some of the more weird and wild events of 2020 and more in his latest 2-part series. Click here to subscribe and listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, the website at anomaly.co.uk, or anywhere excellent podcasts are found.

And then after that, check out Gledders’ “80’s Mix Tape” for the best in 1980s music, Saturdays, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the UK, or stream anytime at Huntingdon Community Radio HCR 104 FM!

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Credits:

Episode 201: The Disappearance of Frederick Valentich Part 3. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel. Sound Design by Ryan McCullough; Tess Pfeifle, Producer, and Lead Researcher; Research Support from the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2021 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

[vwildmonk]

4, 7, 8, 12, 19, 20, 28, and 33 for Lin!!!!

Thanks Whirl! This was a fun mix!

4. Do they cuddle/snuggull/hug in their sleep? Do they talk in their sleep?

Oh Lin for definite is a sleep hugger. This monkey when not Absolutely Drop-dead ‘I will lie where I keel over and wont move at all’ exhausted practically burritos herself in whatever she is wrapped in. If someone is nearby her hand and tail do just unconsciously wrap around them, and she does curl around or on them slightly bc if you are someone she would Let herself fall asleep around you are Trusted and she will ensure you are kept safe and know you are loved even when she isn’t awake. Protective like that.

Talking? It varies. There are either very content monkey chittering noises and the odd happy swear... or on the worse nights if someone really listens they do hear her repeating names. She’s protective, and unfortunately sometimes the mind twists that into worst case scenarios backlit by fangs... at least the nightmares are rarer nowadays.

7. Do they prefer warm, mild or cold baths/showers?

Warm! This monkey likes this luxury. Cold blast to start so she actually wakes the peck up or changes track from her thoughts and can enjoy it, but after that it’s as hot as she can get. Do NOT ask how long it takes that fluffy fur to dry and brush out afterwards. Network has to ‘help’, which certainly ends up fun.

8. What's their view on socks/shoes/pants?

Pants- very important! They have pockets! Also very fond of skirts as they are flowy and quite frankly peckin’ excellent and can have secret pockets!

Socks- she can give or take them, honestly prefers barefoot as then she can get good grip on things when on smooth floors, but can be nice, and are good in shoes.

Shoes- Loves them! Loves shoes so much! She can wear them again! They make fun noises as she goes about on different surfaces and it is the most Peckin’ Fantastic thing. Now she has the 1ft tall heels from Lethe she is even more pleased, she’s SO tall (she’s really not, she’s 4’6, she is still shorter than the majority of folks she knows but shhhh, she’s having a blast).

12. If they could live anywhere, where would it be? What kind of house would they have?

House wise? Network always. She honestly can’t imagine living anywhere else as Network-Sweetheart-Nettle is not just a house, they are her Sweetheart, her home, the heart of everything she has known for a long time. The idea of NOT coming back to them is unfathomable.

However if she could move Network to somewhere else? I think she’d most certainly move out of Toontown, even though it is the place she knows So well- better than she knows the back of her hand in fact. She knows the roofs and the streets and their familiar patterns and connections to the detective world very easily. But it would be nice to get away from the constant noise and chaos and it’s many plot-starting and plot-related scenes that send her heart and mind racing not always in the best way. Go somewhere a bit quieter or at least less extreme constant action packed; where she could go to Toontown for jobs but also know that some case or misadventure wasn’t going to burst through her doors at odd hours or the radio constantly blare the local crimes on a loop. She’s got a place in mind that she would move herself and her lil Rai to if she felt she could, has tried to think how she would ask even though she knows the answer would most likely be positive. But as she Refuses to leave Network it’s a shelved thought.

19. Who do they miss the most right now?

Honestly, she’s been doing pretty great on reconnecting with people. For the gap period of time she Deeply missed her dear mentor/partner Almond and her lil niece Wendy. As well as her Stagehand family she had been pushing herself away from to keep as safe as she could from herself (with certain factors and the red tinged nightmares further deepening that desire to get the distance from them all). Then when on the run there was the compounding with her new family and connections, but she’s rekindled all of those now. Makes sure to visit her old family and her new family often. Even if just for a tea and chat. She’s certainly got her favourite places to go and her key triangle (Network, Manor/Halloweentown, Dulcis Agency). She’s doing genuinely, honestly, well in this area of her life.

So in a sense? Right now she misses her past self. The young Pompom who saw the world with such wide-eyed optimism and hope. The Goldie who was a little less world battered and paranoid. The Lil Lin who didn’t flinch at things that she can’t quite understand Why, who didn’t freeze or panic or have to take a chill pill and clutch her broach to stop phantoms rearing their heads. Who believed every crime could be solved with a happy ending and every case if she worked hard enough could be solved with no one getting hurt. Where everything was safe. They were rose tinted glasses that got cracked a long time ago, and her scar even though it is now healed is a constant reminder of what lurks in the dark. Why she can’t let herself just be happy and relaxed… and every time someone she has loved has dropped to the ground or some news she Should have known if she had just Looked comes to light has cemented this. She misses when she ‘Knew’ everything was safe and would be alright, even as she knows now the Best state things can be in within this Plot-driven world is Truly Fine.

20. What kind of touch do they need the most right now? Forehead kiss? To hold someone? To be held? [Insert other options here]?

She needs a Giant F-ing Bearhug, a grounding force good, safe, squeeze.

Lil Lin is a toon who has seen so much and still feels as though she has to scale a mountain to combat and fix everything. Always So Much to do. To keep Einquell safe, to keep Toontown and Halloweentown safe, to keep Her Family safe. She wants to make the world safe for her nieces and nephews and her CornMaze family and her Dulcis family, not to mention her Son- who has been through so much which she has to keep working to ensure he is safe and hidden from those who hurt him before. She can’t rest as she has to do All The Stuff. She needs a hug to make her Stop. Even just for a minute. Help her come back into her own mind and her own body, especially when she gets frazzled or something hits a trigger that sends her off kilter.

Lin doesn’t like viewing herself as small, but she will admit it’s nice to be held and have someone support her for just a minute. She would also admit with some prodding that just being able to sit with gentle contact is nice. The casual and absent minded gestures of familiarity that show people are comfortable around her.

But also the more deliberate touches are wonderful: she has her favourites. A hand cupping the back of her head or ruffling her hair, hand wrapped around hers, being tugged to see something or grasped to mentally show her things through Echo by Lethe and Rai, knuckles brushing as mugs are tapped together. Those little memorable touches that are interwoven through all her memories. Her hands are one of the favourite things about herself she has, that sort of touch with others is both needed and cherished.

28. What would they do if they could go back in time?

In an ideal world: Be there.

Be there for her Lil Rai when he had no one. Be there to find the information and stop things that would happen to so many different folks, get them to better places sooner, find out Why they are the way they are- like what the peck is up with Teal perhaps. Take the stress off Almond and lessen some of those new scars she now sees. Be there when the folks she knows so dearly were hurt- those she met on a certain demi-plane and witnessed their stories spring to mind here. She would go back and stop that terrible moment in the maze and at the dinner party and the times when things went wrong and where people hit the dirt because she was too slow or too blind or wasn’t enough to stop any of it. She’d fix all the things she wasn’t good enough to do or be there for.

But when not thinking of others… actually she’d always think of others. As even if going back in HER story, she would have stopped the first stagehand going missing before stopping the exact moment she got bit- if she’d just noticed and got on the Shady Deal case sooner, brought in Almond and got to that warehouse at the very start- took it to the source sooner, maybe it would have helped. (She doesn’t know this but it wouldn’t have changed her narrative much at all, once she was noticed... ) at least it would have meant less people under her care would have gotten hurt.

But she can’t change the past, so she has to do the best to do and solve Everything Better now. She just hopes she catches enough.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

hey steph!! hope you’re safe and well at this time, i was wondering if you knew of any johnlock fics which involved the paparazzi, or interviews, or s + j being on tv, or generally in the public eye/as celebrities (not as an au, just having a celebrity status similar to what was in the show),especially if they’re publicly together. thank you so much!!! sending my best wishes to you 💞💗💓

JOHNLOCK IN THE PUBLIC EYE

Hey Nonny!

Ahhh, I actually don’t have very many:

The Newlywed Game: Johnlock Edition by patternofdefiance (E, 9,020 w., 7 Ch. || Fake Relationship, Fake Marriage, Friends to Lovers, Humour, Romance, Smut, Case Fic, Self-Esteem Issues) – John and Sherlock pretend to be married in order to be contestants in a Newlywed Game. Of course it’s for a case. Of course it doesn’t stay that way. Part 8 of I Blame Tumblr

Paparazzi by SilentAuror (E, 10,543 w., 1 Ch. || Virgin Sherlock, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Post S3) – John moves back into 221B Baker Street after his marriage falls apart and the paparazzi won't leave him and Sherlock alone about the status of their supposed relationship. Sherlock, of course, never denies it, until one day he does...

And of course the AUs (I know you didn’t ask for them, but in case other lovelies want them:

Children of the Revolution by BadNewsForBrainWork (E, 7,655+ w., 4/? Ch. || WiP || Moulin Rouge AU || Prostitution, BDSM, Multiple Pairings) –  John is an English writer travelling to the small village of Montmartre in Paris, France is hopes of taking part in the Bohemian Revolution. As soon as he arrives, he gets swept up by the revolutionaries and taken to the Moulin Rouge where he meets Sherlock Holmes. He quickly finds himself caught in a dangerous love triangle that could risk his entire career and maybe even his life. (TO READ)

This Is Your Song by agirlsname (E, 79,990 w., 19 Ch. || Moulin Rouge Fusion || Prostitute Sherlock, Poet John, Acting, Singing, Dancing, Writing, Poetry, Musical, Song Fic, Heavy Angst, Unreliable Narrator, Sherlock is French, Love at First Sight, UST, First Kiss/Time, Frottage, Coming in Pants, Anal Sex, Switchlock, Clothed Sex, Crossdressing, Secret Relationship, Forbidden Love, Jealousy, Terminal Illnesses, Grief/Mourning, Breakup/Makeup Sex, Past Drug Use, Attempted Rape, Canon-Typical Violence)– When John Watson is invalided home from the army in 1895, he moves to Paris to rediscover his writing and find a new meaning in life. His old friend Stamford invites him into a group of artist friends, and suddenly John finds himself auditioning to write a show for the famous brothel across the street. There, he meets the most beautiful man he’s ever seen - Sherlock, the star of the Moulin Rouge. But Sherlock is already promised to the investor of the show, the rich Duke Moriarty. (TO READ)

Sherlock, P.I. by Callie4180 (E, 83,264 w., 11 Ch. || Magnum P.I. Fusion || Past Relationships, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Canon-Typical Violence, Stalking, Creepy Moriarty) – For the Fall TV Sherlock fusion project. Sherlock, P.I. is an American television show that follows the exciting adventures of genius private investigator Sherlock Homes and his friends as they live their lives on the beautiful island of Oahu in Hawaii. Sherlock solves crimes as he wrestles with the ghosts and demons of his past. (TO READ)

A Case of Identity – The Musical by shamelessmash (E, 83,147 w., 15 Ch. || 1950′s Hollywood AU || Musical, Case Fic, Undercover as an Actor, Dancing, Happy Ending, Kidnapping, Drugs, Fluff and Angst, Humour, Writer/Director John, Slow Burn / Romance) – A mysterious death on set causes chaos in Stamford productions latest movie. With the premiere date left unchanged, they must find a new lead actor and reshoot an entire movie in two months. Sherlock Holmes goes undercover as a lead actor in a Musical: a juggling act to solve a murder while singing, dancing and charming his way through 1950s Hollywood. The last thing he expected was to fall in love with the screenwriter along the way. Or as I like to call it: the case where Sherlock finally gets to dance. Based off this prompt. (TO READ)

To the Sticking Place by blueink3 (E, 121,973 w., 20 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Musical Theatre AU || Showmance, Friends to Lovers, Bickering, UST / RST, Fluff, Virgin Sherlock, BAMF John, New York City / Broadway) – Renowned Shakespearean actor Sherlock Holmes has finally burned all of his bridges in the theatre industry save for his constant director, Greg Lestrade. John Watson has made a name for himself in the musical theatre circuit, but age and injury are working against him. Can they reinvent themselves for an all-male Macbeth without killing one another? Part 1 of the Screw Your Courage series (TO READ)

Performance In a Leading Role by Mad_Lori (E, 156,714 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Hollywood / Actor AU, Secret Relationship, Falling in Love, Slow Burn, Romance, Coming Out, Fluff and Angst, Pining) – Sherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto. When they are cast as a gay couple in a new independent drama, will they surprise each other? Will their on-screen romance make its way into the real world? Part 1 of Performance in a Leading Role

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If anyone has any that they can add that meets Nonny’s request, please add them!

[atths--twice]

Chapter 7 is up today! Prompt #1 First Kiss 

I took a little liberty and made it post Triangle. I hope you enjoy!

Out of the Triangle

Scully walked down the hall to Mulder’s hospital room, a bright orange plastic bag held in her hand, and a smile on her face. 

Skinner and the Gunmen left earlier that morning, but she and Mulder were not leaving until tomorrow, though he had been cleared to be released today. 

As he had been on a boat that busted into many thousands of pieces, no belongings to speak of, he was in need of clothes and toiletries, which she was currently bringing to him. 

She laughed inwardly, anticipating when he saw what she had picked out for him. Licking her lips, she opened his door, setting her expression to neutral. 

Finding his bed empty, she frowned as she set the bag of items down on said bed. 

“Mulder?” 

“Yeah?” Came a reply from the bathroom. 

“You okay?” 

“Uh… yeah… just a bit sore.” He walked out of the bathroom in his hospital gown, a grimace on his face. “I have so many bruises on my body. I feel like I’ve been beaten with a baseball bat.” 

“Considering the state of the boat you were on, you’re lucky it’s only bruises and not broken bones. Or a broken neck,” she said with a raise of her eyebrow. “What the hell were you even doing out there Mulder?” He looked at her and she raised both eyebrows. 

“I was looking for the Queen Anne.” 

“Of that I’m aware. And you say that as though it’s completely normal to go looking for a ghost ship. In the Bermuda Triangle.” She shook her head and he nodded with a shrug. 

“I just wanted to see if it was really there.” She scoffed and he pointed his finger at her. “You saw it too, Scully. You were even on it.” 

“Yes, I was.” 

“So, what’s your point?” 

“My point, Mulder, is that the ship I was on-”

“Which everyone believed had been sunk by a German U-boat.” 

“Right, and finding it was a big deal. But, the ship I was on was empty. Had been for a very long time.” She stared at him and crossed her arms. 

“Doesn’t explain how it just showed up out of nowhere, even if it was deserted.” 

“No it doesn't, that's true. Yet, you claim when you were on it, it was full of people, including me.” 

“Because you were there, Scully,” he said adamantly. “I saw you. I spoke to you, touched you, and…” 

“And?” 

“You were there,” he finished lamely and she furrowed her brow. “Are those the clothes you got for me?” 

“That was a wide subject change,” she stated as he walked cautiously toward the bed. 

“I’m just ready to get out of this gown and this hospital.” 

“Uh huh.” 

He turned his head and looked at her. She still stood with her arms crossed and a frown on her face. She knew there was more to his answer that he was not telling her, but she let it go for now. 

Picking up the bag, he started to look inside when he stopped and looked at her again. 

“You can’t be serious,” he said, looking almost disgusted with the clothes. 

“What do you mean?” she asked, trying not to laugh as she stepped closer to him. 

“What is this?” He took the shirt from the bag and she fought back a smile. 

“It’s a shirt.” 

“Ha! This is not a shirt! This is a lifestyle.” He held up the button down shirt and this time she did laugh. 

Knowing he needed only one outfit to get him home, she had shopped in the hotel gift shop, something that was not available in most of the places they stayed. It had a small section of every type of clothes, so she was able to get everything he needed. 

The shirt she picked was light blue with pink flamingos, palm trees, hibiscus flowers, islands, and white capped waves. It had dark brown buttons, which the clerk had happily informed her were made from coconuts. 

“Scully,” he sighed and set the shirt on the bed, reaching inside the bag to pull out the next item. “Scully.” He stared at her and she covered her mouth with her hand, holding back a giggle. 

He held it up and she laughed again at the salmon colored Bermuda shorts with spouting blue whales.  

“You cannot be serious.” 

“There is a pack of undershirts and underwear in there, too.” She laughed and he shook his head. 

“Scully, why in the world would you buy these clothes?” 

“You needed something to wear, I don’t have a car to go driving all over, the hotel has a gift shop… problem solved.” She shrugged and smiled at him. 

“And this is what you picked?” He held up the shirt and shorts against himself and looked at her. “Dana Scully, look at this outfit.” 

“I think it looks good,” she said, pursing her lips and avoiding his eyes. 

“You’re full of shit,” he said, setting the clothes down and staring at her. 

“I am? Me? The one who came to help you after you disappeared off of a radar? Of which you told me no plans before you left? I’m full of shit?” He stared at her and she raised her eyebrows. “I think you might want to rethink your comment.” 

“I couldn’t tell you.” 

“Why? Because I would tell you it’s a stupid idea? And possibly dangerous?” 

“That and then you would’ve inevitably come with me,” he said quietly and she frowned. 

“You didn’t want me to come with you?” 

“Not in the way you think,” he said with a small smile. 

“Then how do you mean?” He sighed as he looked down and then raised his head. 

“You were already saddled with the bill from our last… side trip, which was my fault. I didn’t want you… this was something I wanted to do and you don’t need to…” 

“Save you? From your stupid ideas?” She smiled and he sighed again. “Mulder, it’s been six years, I’ve been around for a lot of stupid ideas.” He laughed softly and she nodded. “As for the reimbursement payment, you and I split that, as you know.” 

“This was different. This was…” He started at her and nodded. “A stupid idea.” 

“Well, it’s nice to hear you admit it,” she said with a smile. 

“I’ll go get changed.” He picked up the bag and the shirt and shorts with a shake of his head. “I still can’t believe this outfit.” 

“You’re going to blend in perfectly,” she teased and he shook his head again, adding a loud sigh. 

He walked into the bathroom and she sat on the bed with a smile. His chart was hanging at the end of his bed and she lifted it up to see what medications they had been giving him the past two days. 

Codeine and a saline IV. Then Tylenol only. 

She set it back with a frown. Codeine could have attributed to his belief that there had been people on the Queen Anne, it usually made him sleepy. He had to have dreamed it all, because any other thought was simply not possible. 

But why had he said he loved her? She thought it was the medication, but codeine would not make him that loopy. 

“I don’t have shoes,” he called from the bathroom, cutting into her thoughts. 

“Keep looking,” she called back. She heard his sigh through the door and laughed silently. 

“Flip flops, Scully? Really?” 

“It’s the island lifestyle, Mulder, to go with your new snazzy shirt.” 

“I’m really not happy about this.” 

“Join the club.” He sighed again and she laughed quietly. 

The bathroom door opened and she turned her head to look at him, loud laughter immediately bubbling out of her. He stood and shook his head, his arms outstretched, showing off his outfit. She leaned forward, a hand on her chest, as she laughed. 

“Is it the flip flops? Because I actually think I like them. I might wear them all the time.” He looked down at his toes and wiggled them, causing her to laugh harder. 

“Oh, Mulder,” she said, trying to stop laughing. “It’s all of it. The whole outfit. I thought it would be funny and I was not wrong, but it’s so much better than I imagined.” She laughed, sticking her hand up, and closing her eyes. 

“Yeah, it’s… it’s something,” he agreed as she opened her eyes and saw him smoothing the shirt down. He touched the buttons and looked at her with a smile. 

“Those buttons are made from coconuts, in case that’s what you were wondering,” she said with a snort and he raised his eyebrows. 

“It was exactly what I was thinking,” he said sarcastically with a shake of his head. “If you’re ready to stop laughing, I’m certainly ready to leave.” She sobered up with just an occasional chortle as they looked around, making sure he had everything. 

“I can’t believe I’m wearing this,” he muttered and she stopped him from leaving the room with a hand by his chest. 

“You left me with no choice when you decided to come here. It was a stupid idea, probably close to one of the dumber ones you’ve had. But if you would have told me, I would’ve been here,” she said seriously, holding his gaze and he nodded.  

“I know.” 

“But, then I suppose if you hadn’t come here, you might not have met the other me, the me from 1939, traveling with Thor’s hammer,” she teased. “Question about that: how did she hold it? No mortal is supposed to be able to lift it.” She tried to keep a straight face, but as realization of what she said dawned on him, he smiled slowly and it brought about her own. 

“It wasn’t Mjölnir, if that’s what you’re implying. She wasn’t walking around with the most fearsome and powerful weapon ever in existence, one that could level mountains,” he said with a grin and she shrugged with a smile. “Although, on some level I suppose she was, as he was a scientist who could control the outcome of the war. But that you even thought about that Thor… Scully...” He shook his head and sighed deeply, his eyes travelling her face. 

“Hmm…” she hummed. “So she was traveling with an undercover scientist, to protect him. Sounds like he was smart to have that protection in place, you never know when you might need it. You should have made friends with her, maybe she could have helped you.”

“Ha!” he laughed, shaking his head. 

“That’s funny to you?” 

“Scully. I told you, you… her… whoever, the outcome of history was saved because of you/her,” he said, staring at her. “I might not ever have seen you again, if you hadn’t listened to me and gone back to the past… for the future.”

“Do you hear yourself? I mean, really yourself?” she asked, and he exhaled a laugh. 

“She shared that trait with you; doubting me, thinking I was crazy, and yet I was right,” She stared at him, her eyebrows raised as she shook her head, and he laughed again. “Same expression too.” 

“I would’ve liked to have seen that. How you handled two of us.” His eyes grew wide and he cleared his throat loudly. “Oh… that’s an interesting reaction.” She smiled and he took a step back. 

“You ready to go?” 

“No. Not until you explain that throat clearing business.” 

“Just needed to do it.” 

“Now who’s full of shit?” she asked, and he sighed, looking at the floor. “Mulder?” 

He looked up and she raised her eyebrows again, as she watched him rub the left side of his face with a wince. Sighing, he dropped his hand and she saw a faint bruise on his cheek. 

“I know it wasn’t you, but she looked exactly like you. Well, a bit more…” he said, gesturing everywhere. 

“More…?”

“She was dressed in a red satin gown, hair done up, a fancy necklace,” he explained, not meeting her eyes. 

“Fancy Scully, huh?” she teased, and he looked at her; her eyes and down to her lips, making her throat go dry. “So she believed you, enough to go back to the past, to save the future? How did you convince her?” 

“I can be very convincing,” he said quietly. 

“Yes, I know,” she replied. 

“I wasn’t sure she would even do it before I jumped overboard, but she did, just as you would have done.” 

“Is that how you got that particular bruise? Jumping overboard?” she asked, nodding to his face. 

“Uh, not exactly,” he laughed and she stared, waiting for him to explain. He sighed and she tilted her head to the side. “I… I didn’t think things would be fixed. I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again. The butterfly effect and all that… and so…” 

“So what, Mulder?” she asked softly. He looked at her and she already knew, but wanted to hear him say it. 

“I kissed you… her,” he nearly whispered, and her heart pounded. “And then she punched me in the face. A mean right hook.” 

“Well, that should have cleared it up right then. If a strange rambling man kissed me, I’d have gone with a left,” she laughed. 

“Exactly what I told her,” he said with a nervous chuckle, staring at her as though gauging her reaction. 

“Why?” 

“Why… why did I kiss her?”

“Yeah.” 

He inhaled and shook his head. “I… do I really need a reason? She was you, sort of, and I thought I might never see you again. I… do you really need to hear a reason, Scully?” He stared at her, his eyes soft, reminding her of a moment in his hallway not so long ago. 

“No, I don’t,” she whispered, stepping closer to him. “So, the past me kept the future intact in order for us to be here in the present. What will we do with that knowledge?” 

He slowly reached his hand out, placing it on her cheek, and she laid her hands gently on his chest. She smiled slightly as he leaned forward, the memory of the moment in his hallway once again burning in her mind, and she closed her eyes. 

His lips landed on hers and she sighed as she pressed further into him, gripping his shirt tightly in her hands. He kissed her softly, keeping it chaste, a sweet tentative step forward, but she felt it throughout her entire body. 

When he pulled back, he smiled shyly at her and she grinned, keeping a hold of his shirt. 

“See? Aren’t I better than some dream version? I didn’t punch you for one, and it happened despite your stupid idea to come here and most definitely despite this outfit,” she whispered with a smile and he laughed. She tugged at his shirt and kissed him one more time. “Let’s get outta here.” He nodded and she stepped back, letting go of his shirt. 

He now held the bright orange plastic bag as they walked out the door and down the hallway, his flip flops flopping loudly, much to his embarrassment and her amusement. 

“Nice shirt, man,” a male nurse said as he walked past them and Mulder looked at Scully as he shook his head. 

“It’s not a terrible shirt, admit it,” she said, pushing the elevators down button, and bumping him with her arm. 

“It’s not terrible,” he agreed, as he looked at it and then at her. “And it’s been a good shirt so far.” She grinned and he winked. “Oh, wait. It’s missing a button, look. Do you have the receipt? We could return it.” He looked at her and she shook her head. 

The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. 

“No. But, I do have the missing button. It must have come off when I…” 

“Had a death grip on it?” he teased.

“I can sew it back on for you,” she said, holding it out to him. He looked at it and then felt where it was missing on his shirt, shaking his head. 

“No, you should keep it. I like the shirt better this way,” he said with a happy grin. 

She smiled back at him as the elevator doors closed, ready to take them away from the hospital and onto the next stupid adventure. 

Together this time. 

[rinasthoughts]

Kdramas I’ve watched (part 1)

Hello! This is my first post ever! I wanted to create a list of kdramas that I’ve watched, and what I would rate them. I hope you enjoy this list and maybe find some shows to watch!

The Producers (2015)

13 episodes

Synopsis: “A tireless group of young TV producers and a pop star work around the clock in the entertainment department of a major network” (Wikipedia). The show revolves around Seung-Chan (Kim Soo Hyun), a young man who begins his career for the KBS televisions network. He struggles to get along with his boss, Joon-mo (cha Tae-Hyun), who also happens to be a long time friend of Seung-Chan’s work crush, the music program producer Ye-Jin (Kang Hyo-Jin). Cindy (IU) a k-pop idol who has become rude, selfish, and narcissistic to protect herself from her adoptive mother/CEO and the constant stream of hate she receives meets Seung-Chan during a music show and begins to fall for him. Will Seung-Chan end up with Ye-Jin or Cindy?

Rating: 7/10

This was the first Kdrama I watched, and it was only because of my love for IU. Watching the show for IU quickly turned into watching the show for the plot and character development in general, especially Cindy’s and Ye-Jin’s. This show had plenty of funny, badass, heartfelt, and frustrating moments that always kept me interested. I especially liked watching the interactions between Cindy and her manager! I wasn’t a huge fan of the sort of love triangle between the three producers, but it wasn’t over-the top or annoying.

Oh My Ghostess (2016)

16 episodes

Synopsis: “Timid Na Bong Sun gets possessed by the ghost of a confident young woman who seeks to solve her unfinished business by hooking up with Bong Sun's boss, famous chef Kang Sun Woo.” (Wikipedia)

Rating: 10/10

This is definitely a must see if you enjoy kdramas, especially ones that have lots of romance along with supernatural elements (and a bit of mystery)! I loved the character development of Bong Sun, going from an incredibly introverted girl who was terrified of the ghost she could see to being a talkative woman who refused to run away from her problems. The chemistry between the two leads was amazing, Kim Seulgi did a great job of playing a feisty and headstrong ghost, the chefs were hilarious to watch, and the plot of a murderer who had been possessed for years was interesting. I have zero bad things to say about this show, it’s too good.

You’re the Best! Lee Soon Shin (2013)

50 episodes

Synopsis: “Lee Soon Shin (IU) goes through hardships after the death of her father. Soon Shin and her mother struggle to find happiness. Her love story continues in the mist of ups and downs of her life. Lee Soon Shin is the youngest member of a successful family. Despite her family′s successes, however, she seems to have failed to inherit any talent, and is marked as an oddball though she remains a bright, lively and courageous girl. She then meets the head of an agency named Shin Joon Ho (Jo Jung-Suk), and he turns her life around. Shin Joon Ho is a confident, cold and competitive man who changes later after he begins to understand the real meaning of success through Lee Soon Shin” (my drama list).

Rating: 5/10

This is another show I watched because of IU. It was incredibly hard to pay attention to a show that had 50 1-hour long episodes, so honestly I skipped through most of the parts that didn’t involve Soon-Shin. Yoo In-na plays one of Soon-Shin’s sisters in the show, but I didn’t particularly like her role. This show revolves around Soon-Shin being conned right around the time her father dies, and then actually becoming an actress with the help of CEO Shin Joon-Ho. She gains attention and eventually discovers that she was adopted and that her real mother is a popular actress who works under the same company. This whole show is very dramatic but has good intentions. I’m not a fan of the length of the show and I wasn’t really interested in most of the characters, but there were lots of lighthearted moments and I really liked seeing the relationship develop between Soon-Shin and the CEO.

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016-2017)

16 episodes

Synopsis: “In ancient times, Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) is an unbeatable general in wars, but the young King (Kim Min-Jae) is jealous of Kim Shin and kills him. Kim Shin becomes Dokkaebi (Goblin), possessing an immortal life. At first he thinks that he is blessed, but he realizes that he is cursed. Closer to the present day, Kim Shin has waited 900 years for a human bride to end his immortal life. One night, he saves a dying pregnant woman (Park Hee-Von) who is destined to die. Meanwhile, the Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-Wook) is unable to find the dead pregnant woman. The woman gives birth to a baby girl named Ji Eun-Tak (later played by Kim Go-Eun). In the present day, Eun-Tak is a high school student. She still sees ghosts and hears their whisper of “Dokkaebi’s bride.” On her birthday, Eun-Tak sits by the sea with a lighted birthday cake. At that time, Kim Shin suddenly appears in front of her. Kim Shin does not know why, but he can hear her voice and appears in front of her against his will. Coincidentally, Kim Shin lives with the Grim Reaper at the same house. Eun-Tak and Kim Shin slowly get to know each other, and Eun-Tak soon figures out that he is the Goblin and she is his bride”(Asianwiki).

Rating: 10/10

This is another show that you NEED to watch if you’re getting into Kdramas. The concept of the show was very unique, and the entire cast consists of talented actors who pulled off their characters incredibly well. The romance between the two leads is great, the romance between the second leads is great, literally everything about this show is wonderful- there’s even some straight up bromance between the Grim reaper and the Goblin. I loved how they tied everything back to past lives and the consequences of each person’s actions. The ending is incredibly sad and I most definitely cried several times throughout the show.

Abyss (2019)

16 episodes

“Go Se-yeon is a beautiful prosecution lawyer at the top of her game, and Cha Min is her friend, an unattractive but rich heir to a cosmetics empire. They are both revived into different bodies by supernatural beings using an "Abyss" after their deaths in separate incidents. The "Abyss" is a celestial object which has the power to revive anything that has died; the reincarnated bodies take on the appearance of that person's soul. Go Se-yeon takes on a plainer appearance, whilst Cha Min becomes very attractive and young; virtually the opposite of before. They start working together to find out the reason for their revival and who caused Go Se-yeon's death” (Wikipedia).

Rating: 6/10

This show took me a really long time to finish watching. Like several months long. The plot seemed to fast paced at times and too slow at others, and it was overall fairly predictable. The concept was great but the portrayal was meh. Both leads were wonderful and did a great job of playing their characters, but the show was lacking in characters development and the development of romance between them. Honestly I don’t even remember how the show ended. I also didn’t really like Cha Mum’s girlfriend that much, her story didn’t intrigue me and she never really seemed to have any development, but maybe that’s just me.

I hope you enjoyed this! I really love kdramas but I didn’t really have anyone to talk to about them, so this is the next best thing. Most of these shows are frequently recommended, but I thought I’d just put out my own thoughts for the world to see. Peace out homies!

[haledamage]

Kira Grace Kingston

female, she/her

5'6”, slender build

shoulder-length, straight dark-brown hair

pale, lightly freckled skin

light brown eyes

bisexual (though I play her in-game as straight because I just really connected with the all-male Unit Bravo for some reason)

Taurus, born 28 April 1992; 25 at the beginning of Book 1, turns 26 between Book 1 and 2

left-handed

Romance: all of them, I’m using the same Detective for all routes

(infodump about her under the cut, for my own purposes mostly but also for anyone interested)

--Was inspired to become a cop to help people after having one help her when she really, really needed it. Wanted to pay it forward, so to speak.

--Kira is a natural leader and very good at deduction and problem solving (it’s her second highest stat, after people/psychology). She would have likely gone out for detective soon anyway, but didn’t think she was ready or old enough to be in charge of the whole station yet and was surprised when the promotion came. The rest of the station had been secretly considering her their boss for years before Detective Reele retired, but Kira somehow has no idea.

--Totally shot Adam. Feels really bad about it but would never tell him that.

--Will drink tea or coffee, but prefers tea. Her favorites are cinnamon tea and masala chai. If she’s drinking coffee, she prefers the sugary, flavored, Starbucks-like variety, but will sometimes drink it black just to unnerve people (people mostly being Tina).

--Doesn’t wear much make-up, but likes to paint her nails. Usually black or some other dark color, a “layover from her misspent youth.”

--Wears contacts. Has gold-framed glasses that she wears when she has to, but hates them. She’s farsighted, so if for some reason she can’t wear her contacts, she only puts on the glasses for reading.

--Plays guitar and lap steel guitar. Prefers to play blues music, but can play just about any genre. A pretty good singer, but very shy about it. Probably only Rebecca and Tina have ever heard her sing as far as she knows. (she sings to herself at her desk sometimes, but doesn’t realize it. All of UB have probably noticed; Felix definitely has, and is likely waiting for a good opportunity to tease her about it)

--She’s always been very close with Rebecca. They’re both rather independent-minded, so she didn’t mind her mother’s absences so much. Mum was always there when she needed her, and always willing to listen, and that’s what mattered. Now that she knows what she does, Kira is sure that she’s called her mother while she was on a mission before, but Rebecca still always answered, and that fact makes her respect and admire her mum even more.

--Lost a bet to Verda in regards to The Reveal. Verda had said the Murphy case and its oddities were supernatural in nature, Kira said it was science experiments gone awry. Technically, they were both right, but Verda was more right. Kira looks forward to one day being able to tell him, even if she’ll be out £50 for it.

--The only reason Kira isn’t some reclusive hermit is because of Tina Poname. Tina and Kira met when they were both in a very low place, and have lifted each other up and helped put each other back on their feet. Their friendship is very important to Kira, and the fact that she can’t tell Tina that the Hot Secret Agents they’re working with are Hot Secret Agent Vampires is the hardest part of The Reveal. She’s not used to keeping secrets from Tina.

--Tina and Kira have a monthly movie night. One of them picks the movie and the other picks the food, then they swap the next month. It’s more like an adult slumber party than anything else, really, lots of wine and gossip and venting if need be. It’s a tradition going back years now and neither would miss it for the world.

--Is very good with people, it’s her highest stat, but doesn’t actually enjoy being around them much. Very much an introvert, prefers silence and solitude or the company of close friends only. She works very hard to be as approachable as she is.

--Curses like a sailor. Poor Nate.

--Loves to read. Anything and everything. You put a book in front of her and she’ll read it. Mysteries are a favorite.

--Her favorite color is wintergreen like Adam’s eyes.

--Apartment style would be somewhere between cosy and dark. Kind of a Spooky Grandma’s House vibe. Lush fabrics and textures, soft sofas and chairs, but subdued colors. Black, gray, navy blue, with pale blue and wintergreen accents. Artwork is mostly made by locals or by friends from university. Bookshelves nearly overflowing. Apartment is kept clean, but always looks a bit cluttered.

--Preferred clothing style is casual but professional. Jeans, most often paired with a t-shirt or button-up shirt. Mostly long sleeves, but with the sleeves pushed up to her elbows. Usually black, sometimes white or gray, very, very rarely dark green or dark blue. Black leather jacket when it’s cold. Almost always wears black boots; she paid more for those boots than she did for her car (but that says more for how little she paid for the car than how expensive her boots actually are).

--Speaks seven languages. English, Sign Language, Spanish, French, German, Welsh, and, because someone dared her to at university, Sindarin Elvish. With the exception of the elvish, she learned most of them out of necessity or exposure.

--English literature major. Doesn’t serve much in her job, but she’s still proud of it.

--Very shy when it comes to flirting. She hates it about herself. She’s very confident and self-assured in almost every other situation, but if someone starts showing the slightest bit of genuine interest in her she flusters very easily.

--Dated Bobby in year one at university for a couple months. With him in journalism and her in English lit, they had a lot of class overlap early on, and he was familiar and clearly interested and that was enough, for a while. She regrets that she fell so easily for his flirting and has resolved since to not be such an “easy mark” in the future. Hasn’t dated anyone since and hasn’t wanted to (until UB barge into her office, obviously). Kind of hates him, but would never let him know that; she is, instead, very meticulously polite to him, never any more or less.

--At the beginning of Book 1, she has 4 tattoos. Gets a 5th one during the 2 months between Book 1 and Book 2.      -a small, stylized crown on her right wrist (Rebecca has a matching one that she hides under her watch band at work) because Kingston     -bars of music wrapped around her right bicep (watercolour-style effect behind it - the music is Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down”)     -a quote on the inside of her left bicep (“I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.”― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein)     -a large full-color floral piece from her left hip almost to her knee (forget-me-nots for her father, lupines for her mother, lavender roses and verbena for herself)     -new tattoo is a simple, black crescent moon on the back of her neck to symbolize a new beginning (keeps it hidden under her hair most of the time, especially at work).

--Preferred method of working out is rock climbing/wall climbing. Has some combat training, mostly just from the police academy, but she tries to attend aikido lessons when she has time. She likes that it lets her defend herself without being stronger than her opponent, especially now that she deals with the supernatural so much.

--Kira didn’t realize how attached she’d grown to Unit Bravo until the attack on her apartment. She wanted to stay to help her team; on every route, she has to be dragged away in order to get her to leave. Completely, 100% ride or die for all of them.

Kira is my only Detective and I’m using her in all four routes (sorry, folks, I can’t do the Love Triangle. I tried, but I can’t, it already hurts and I’m not strong enough). It’s been very interesting, since she has the same personality no matter what, to see in what ways she connects with each member of Unit Bravo, and the slight changes in her personality stats based on how she responds to romance-specific scenes.

Adam: arguably my “canon” romance for her, though I legitimately and completely love all of them. On his route, her stats skew a little more toward Stubborn and Impulsive because she’s spiteful and he’s kind of an ass, especially to start with. 

They’re both headstrong and natural leaders, so they butt heads a lot in terms of authority. She doesn’t like that Adam tries to order her around, he doesn’t like that she refuses to listen to orders sometimes out of spite. But when they actually try to get along, they agree more often than not and could probably make an amazing team given time. 

She’s completely, head-over-heels in love with him, but she hasn’t figured it out yet, though she knows she feels something for him. He makes her feel safe, which is how she knows that she’s in deep. 

On Adam’s route, Nate is Kira’s best friend. Poor guy’s gonna be stuck between the immovable object and the unstoppable force for 7 fucking books.

Nate: On Nate’s route, Kira’s stats tend more toward Cautious, and also a bit more Heart on the Heart/Mind scale. 

Of all of them, Nate would be the one Kira would be most surprised to find herself falling for. She’s not much of a romantic, generally, but she’s also never had anyone look at her like Nate does, or treat her like she’s something precious and important. She feels completely off balance with him and has no idea how to react. She has never been so overwhelmed with a desire to kiss someone before. 

Personality-wise, they have a lot in common, both are good with people, compassionate, linguistically talented, and avid readers; to anyone except Kira, them getting together makes perfect sense. He probably doesn’t like how stubborn and foul-mouthed she is, but between Adam and Mason, he’s used to dealing with it. 

On Nate’s route, Mason is Kira’s best friend. No one is more surprised about that than they are, and they aren’t really sure how that happened.

Felix: On Felix’s route, Kira skews more toward Easygoing and Impulsive. 

In a word, Felix helps Kira relax. She’s a bit of a workaholic and he brings her out of her shell and reminds her that she’s more than just Detective Kingston. It’s refreshing and overwhelming. Romance with Felix is easy. 

He’s the only one where she doesn’t end up 100% shy because, even though she still gets horribly flustered by him, he doesn’t make her as tongue-tied as the others do. Maybe it’s because he’s so much less intense than the others, but also she kind of feels like she’s always known him. 

She wants to show him the world, all the little things about being human that she’s always taken for granted but he never had in Echo World. Paper airplanes and creepy travelling carnivals and movie theater popcorn and photo booths and everything. They’ll be good for each other, but them joining forces is probably very bad for everyone else. 

On Felix’s route, Nate is Kira’s best friend. Unlike with Adam, he isn’t so much trapped between two opposing forces as he is an exhausted parent trying to corral overly-curious children.

Mason: On Mason’s route, Kira’s stats tend even more toward Genuine than they do on other routes, as well as Stubborn. 

On the surface Mason and Kira probably don’t look like they’d work, but really I think they’re the pairing that makes the most sense. Mason doesn’t drain her social batteries as much as the others, even at the beginning when he’s as hostile toward her as possible. They both enjoy the quiet, and that’s where the first romantic feelings from her would form, in the calm and silent comfort she feels with him. 

But obviously, it doesn’t start romantic even a little bit. At the beginning, she’s neither intimidated nor put off by his sharp, brusque personality, and she’s very flustered and intimidated by his intense manner of flirting, though she’s not really put off by it either. She doesn’t know how to respond to it (though he clearly enjoys how she reacts), but he makes her feel desired in a way she never has before. There’s a certain comfort to knowing that he only wants her physically, that he’s straightforward in his interests. 

I imagine that she figures out she’s falling for him after he does something small that should be innocuous, some little off-hand affection that he didn’t even think about and she just goes “oh shit, I’m in love with Mason.” 

On Mason’s route, Felix is Kira’s best friend. He definitely sees them falling for each other long before they see it and does everything he can to get them to stop being idiots and realize that they’re in love.

[tbhwhocaresanymore]

Nancy Drew 1x15

I HAVE FINISHED THE NEW NANCY DREW EPISODE AND NOW NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT.

LET’S GO.

Okay I will start with my three disappointments. First, I was hoping when they were going down the “you don’t have first-hand exp with the Aglaeca spirit” path they would bring in Victoria. They did not. WRITERS. WHERE IS MY DYSFUNCTIONAL CLAIRVOYANT. Two, they went to the historical society. They MENTIONED HANNAH GRUEN. And then she just wasn’t there, and I was Let Down. Three, Owen and Nancy had sex.

...

No further comment.

Alright to break this down, I thought this episode was fantastic. Nancy coughing up teeth was so metal (the seaweed was a little gross) and they brought back fan favorite Ace’s dad. Side note, I really love what this show does for sign language, just how it is so casually interwoven. And also Ace and his dad’s shock to see Nick knew it, pointing out how uncommon it is which is kind of sad when you consider it’s one of deaf people’s only means of communication. Maybe now that Karen is you know ARRESTED Ace’s dad whose name I do not know will be our point person on the police since the writers have apparently become allergic to Chief McGinnis.

Speaking of Ace, him and Nick being all dude detective duo this episode was fantastic and I loved it. Pair them up more often. And even though I have no idea if they’ll ever be written romantically or not, Nancy has exponentially more chemistry with Ace than with Owen and I would much rather see them explored. I also want to know if anything has even really changed since the last time Owen and Nancy kissed. He asked her out and she said no, and we didn't see what happened the morning after this time around but she clearly spent the night. Bess is bound to bring it up since she spent the night at Nancy’s house and Nancy wasn’t there, and also Owen is her cousin.

I love the bond between Nancy and her dad, it has grown so much and is so beautiful. Her absolute faith and conviction in his innocence and belief that she will get him out of this, especially when he seems to have given up. *chef’s kiss*

I will say going back to Ace and Nick’s detective work, why didn’t they just go ask Claire in prison? “Hey you know how you murdered a bunch of people? We’ll knock like five years off your I presume lifelong sentence if you tell us if you sold this guy poison.” Like admittedly she didn’t, but they didn’t know that at the time. And CAN WE TALK ABOUT KAREN? As soon as it was revealed it was her, I knew she must have known about Ryan and Lucy’s fight before Nancy gave her the emails. Lucy started drawing away after the Velvet Masque but she and Ryan were already dating when he took her, which is probably something Lucy would have told her best friend. And honestly I feel the poison was a little justified? Like at this point Ryan obviously didn’t kill Lucy because the writers know that’s what we’re expecting, but he was involved somehow and if my best friend had been murdered twenty years ago, the case was still unsolved, and her billionaire ex boyfriend was involved and untouchable? I may have also slipped the friend’s brother an untraceable poison. On that note, I love how the writers brought back the Claire episode. At the time we were like, oh it’s just a fun little killer of the week one-off episode, and now a few weeks later here they are like “PSYCHE. What, you thought everything we did wouldn’t have a meaning? Fools.” And honestly, more power to them. I support this kind of intricate planning it speaks to my obsessive perfectionism.

Everything except the Mr. Drew x Karen romance apparently 😂. Like they really did just include that in the pilot to create more drama between Nancy and her dad didn’t they?

Since it turns out Bess is a founder’s descendant, maybe she will be more interested in Marvin family history, get involved in the historical society and we will see Hannah Gruen more often. Make it happen writers. On the topic of Bess, please tell me someone gets that girl a therapist for her kleptomania before she breaks into a museum. Or a bank. Or a mausoleum. Or something high profile.

I did really want to see the Aglaeca, I was looking forward to seeing how costume and makeup pulled it off, but the blackness spreading through the water was really cool too. And considering this episode ended with Nancy like coughing up seaweed for not paying the toll, maybe we will see the spirit next episode as the gang tries to appease it? Let’s talk about the toll for a minute. Did the Aglaeca want to kill Owen or just like want a blood donation? Why? And if it demands a victim for every favor it grants, I can see why the ritual was not handed down through the generations.

NANCY AND NICK. Oh the moments were sparse but they were quality. At the beginning, watching the fight footage when Nick tensed up and Nancy looked away, and she almost rested her head on his shoulder. His continued concern for her. Nancy’s immediately going to the police station when he texted, compare and contrast with episode 7 when Nick kept calling and she kept ignoring. Nick’s reaction when Nancy was about to drink the “poison”.

CAN WE TALK ABOUT ACE’S LEVEL OF TRUST IN NANCY TO STRAIGHT UP DRINK POSSIBLE POISON. COME ON NOW.

George had a very small role this episode which is not exceedingly unusual, but she was funny to watch, falling for Nick, and a great friend to Nancy. All good things. I just hope she doesn’t fall too hard for Nick, since he and Nancy will most likely eventually find their way back to each other. Maybe she can get together with Ace since I ship him with literally everyone apparently. I also like how they brought back that blood bucket she kicked I was beginning to wonder if they’d forgotten about it.

One last thing guys where tf is Josh? Like he walked into a cabinet thing and vanished, maybe Karen is storing him somewhere. Also HOW DID HE SURVIVE GETTING FUCKING ELECTROCUTED. HOW.

Could we really be solving Lucy’s murder next week in The Haunting of Nancy Drew? We will now discuss possible suspects and where the show could go after this.

The episode summary reads “blah blah using forensics and spn stuff Nancy unravels what happened the night Lucy died.” I am going to discount the Hudsons as suspects since we already know they’re involved via the seance.

Owen Marvin. We know the Marvins have family secrets and shady pasts, he is about the same age as Lucy/Ryan and if there was some sort of love triangle

Holy fuck.

Hear me out.

Okay what if Owen was in love with Lucy, and he somehow broke them up (there was a fight and Lucy broke up with Ryan, but in the emails Ryan calls Lucy the whore, so I’m thinking there was definitely some sort of misunderstanding) and he went to profess his love and she turned him down and he killed her? AND NOW, assuming Nancy is Lucy (and Ryan’s) daughter that’s why Owen is so determinedly romancing her? I have absolutely no proof for this theory and it probably didn’t happen since he is helping them out with the investigation but I like it anyway.

There is Lucy’s mother, who I am now convinced was involved because of her trance thing last episode. You can read my last review for more detail (it’ll be under my Nancy Drew tag) but basically upon seeing crime scene photos of Lucy she started singing the Lucy Sable song and was very focused on how Lucy is in the water. And sure parents go crazy over their children dying, but this feels like a little bit more than that? In the transcripts Lucy said if anything happened to her it would be her mother’s doing, and we know they had some kind of falling out before she died over her dating Ryan.

Katherine Drew 😈. Again no evidence but I like to speculate. She was Lucy’s guidance counselor, it gives Mr. Drew a reason to not try very hard to defend himself, to spare Nancy the pain of her mom being a killer. It would make such great drama. That’s it those are the reasons.

Let’s take a moment to examine some untied threads that could be pulled upon in the solving of this murder. Lucy and Josh are only half-siblings, but we don’t know via which parent. So maybe Lucy’s biological mom/dad could have somehow been involved. There are the emails between her and Ryan following the unknown betrayal (you’re a whore like everyone says). I think this one could be tied to what Candice Weaver (sea queen runner up) mentioned, about how there were rumors Lucy slept with the judges to win the title. Maybe Ryan’s parents, especially his mother, were trying to discredit Lucy or frighten her off? Ryan was scheduled to meet with Lucy the night of her death, maybe he saw something he hasn’t come clean about. Back to Josh, right after Lucy died some developers offered Josh and his mom a LOT of money for their house. We know the Marvins deal in real estate, maybe they were trying to get them out of town to cover up for Owen? We also still don’t know for sure how Lucy died, maybe she wasn’t even stabbed at all. And finally, the crown Nancy’s forensic chemist friend examined proves that a woman was up there on those cliffs (KATHERINE DREW) with Lucy because the hair that wasn’t Lucy’s came from a female.

Assuming we do indeed find out who killed Lucy next episode, here are some things the writers could fill the last six episodes with or use to set up season two/things I really want to happen. The episode where Nancy broke into the morgue Ace mentioned Lucy haunts it, looking for her body. Three kids broke in a few years ago, one died, one went missing, one went insane. It was mentioned once and never picked up again. Since Lucy apparently knew where her body was this whole time, maybe a different spirit haunts the morgue and Lucy just gets the blame cause she’s famous. There is George’s blood bucket, which I admit was brought up this episode, but aside from that has not been touched since episode 4. George and Nick’s relationship, Nancy and Owen’s relationship, the Bess/Lisbeth/Amaya love triangle. Whatever sort of closure Mr. Drew needs from Karen or something idk. George could start to become psychic like her mother. There’s the trial of Mr. Hudson for the sinking of the Bonny Scot, along with the haunted dude who survived giving testimony. Maybe he will be killed and Nancy and Co will have to find another piece of evidence really fast like the urn from the Bonny Scot that Ryan is still hanging on to. MAKE BESS AND GEORGE COUSINS WRITERS. MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Even after Nancy solves Lucy’s murder, I want Lucy to stick around. She is my favorite character on the show. She and Nancy can be roommates, she’d be a really great security system. Some guy tries to break into the house only to be greeted by a drowned girl screaming her head off? I’d drop dead. And from next week’s trailer, towards the end when she says “I am trying to solve your murder!” Is it just me or does she sound a little exasperated? Maybe because Nancy is working her ass off here and all Lucy does is scream at her and make her cough up teeth 😂. Yes I want Lucy to find peace, but I also just really really want her to stick around.

Last thing before I wrap up. I know the show is astronomically different from the books but Nancy traveled in the books. She went to different cities, states, countries. As much as I love the creepy superstition loving town of Horseshoe Bay, I am hoping maybe in the later seasons the show’s location branches out a bit? It probably won't because it’s the CW and they use sets and yada yada yada but a girl can dream. See you next week!

[bi-lullaby]

I loved your last rankings so much that I'm sending you another fun (?!) challenge! How would you rate all these male GA characters from your favorite to least favorite, no ties allowed? :) Alex, Derek, Richard, Mark, Owen, Jackson, Burke, George, Andrew, Linc and Ben? Good luck, and as always, feel free to include your reasons why because I love your answers!

Ohhh boy you give me life with those asks! Here we go:

1 - As no surprise to anyone: Alex. My baby had the best character development I’ve ever seen, really, brcaus ewhile it was huge, it was also paced and believable and stabilished and non-linear. He was a huge asshole with a concealed heart of gold in season one. In season 15, he’s a golden boy with a concealed asshole side, and the growth/diminishment of those sides weren’t always inversely proportionate, but adjusted to what each characteristic was brought out more by his surroundings/worked more on by himself. Also, he’s the person that has stuck with mer for the longest and through the most, which would put him in a high place in this list even if he wasn’t my favorite on his own. I also adore how, thematically, he’s so moved by the women in his life (bot just the romantic i terests while we are at it) for the betterment of himself and hsi ways. It’s not like Owen’s “I’ll need her to take care of me emptionally and shape herself to my desires so I can be in a good place, it’s recognizing those positive influences in his life and trying to emulate them/work with them/learn from them. Also about his theme, itms less the worn-out “guy is validated in being an asshole bc he had a tough life” and more “guy learns that his tough life doesn’t mean he gotta act like an asshole”. I love this character so much, ugh.

2 - Ben. A freaking Disney prince would be a sleeazy douche in comparison. I was so weirded out when Shobda decided to give so much focus to this random-ass character, then I was really turned off by his storyline with the cutting people open and all that (not necessarily because I thought he was wrong, I just felt the storyline was handled awkwardly and made him sound pelutant and irresponsible instead of a promissing, if stubborn, future surgeon. I’ve yet to watch Station 19, but this angel with a scalpel and a fire hose for wings deserves his own goddamn spin-off, for sure.

3 - My baby Andrew. Yeah, he is not that developed, has been inconsistent, his change from “freaking out over Maggie being his boss” to “marvellung at Meredith’s every movie even though she’s kinda even more his boss because she owns the hospital” was... A B R U P T. But I really enjoy this new Andrew - as a side note: I could not care less for him during the whole Sam storyline, he seemed like a toned down Jonhy Bravo - He’s smart and sweet and funny and worships Mer like the Wonder Woman she is. His relationships with Arizona, Amelia, Jo, Carina and now Alex need more screentime because they’re great (or have the potential to be so). He’s competent and brilliant and selfless (dropping the charges on Alex even if he was completely in the right, taking the blame for mer now) and so tender (his absolute gentleness in peds, taking care of Amy after the operation, being a moody, emotive boy because he lost his love instead of a macho men...). The future holds great things for him, and I’m excited to watch them unfold!

4 - Not on your list but I love: Tom. Boy is he nice. As I was figuring out this order, I realized he reminds me a lot of my favorite character (Dean Winchester) - or at least what I think Dean would be if he was older, richer and lived without the Supernatural World and so many traumas. His talk to April was so moving and I felt it really helped. He doesn’t stand on a moral high horse: He does what he thinks is right and damned be judgment. He’s empathetic, he’s romantic, he treats Teddy RIGHT. He deserves to have his own storyline and be more developed and show us kore of his awesomeness.

5 - Jackson. As I said in my ships rating answer, I’ve only started to care for him recently, but I really do care. He’s not a character I’d, like, write fic about, or long rants and meta, but I love his sibling-esque relationship with Mer and his relationship with Maggie and the way he connects with his mom and how this spoiled, immature transfer with something to prove became a respected, innovative surgeon and father who’s secure of himself and ready to explore different paths and ways and worldviews. I just wish him, and the Grey’s fandom, would be less defensive about the callout of his privileged life. Like. I’ve seen people write paragraphs upon paragraphs about how Maggie was a bitch for calling him privileged. And he is (for his hoards upon hoards of money growing up). That’s not too hard a concept to grasp. Plus, it’d be nice if he could treat Maggie as less of a consolation prize/second chance. Just because faith (or lack thereof) was a source of tension in his previous marriage, and he feels like changing that would have made everything better, doesn’t mean the same applies to his current relationship, or that Maggie is the one who should change -he learned, learned, and is back in square one seeing only his side of it - I really hope this season treats him more kindly and gives him happiness and peace!

6 - Richard. I love him for his parental-and-ish relationships, specially to Maggie, Mer and Jackson, but to Bailey and Callie too. That’s my favorite aspect of him, watching those gives me a nice, warm feeling in my tummy and puts a smile on my face. There’s some aspects of him I find either boring or unpleasant, and I think it’s kinda annoying how him retiring has been a theme/conflict since, like, season one, and fast-foward ten years and he’s basically an entity at the hospital. Like? What? Was the point? You’ve waisted my time? For nothing? But he’s a solid, reliable character you can’t really hate and who brings more good than bad to the show by far. As a side note: one day I will yell at him for his treatment of Maggie after she talked about HER OWN HISTORY and he basically called her a mistake (although he apologized pretty soon and she forgave him so so will I).

7 - Mark. He was great and all that, but never sparked that love some characters did. I was sad when he died, I loved his scenes and relationships, I just am not invested in him. Plus the immaturity in his relationship with Lexie pisses me off a bit, as does his “man whore” personality.

8 - Link. Genuinely love him, he’s been nothing but sweet and kind and fun and helpful this entire time! I cheered for Merlink sooooo much imat first, and I really wish their friendship will be developed! Him and Jo are everything I never knew I needed. He has no arguable flaws besides being so sculped it freaks me out a little bit, but he isn’t higher up in my rank because there isn’t much material for that yet, but expect a climb as he becomes more and more regular.

9 - Burke. He was kinda sweet and did a good thing for Cristina (the hospital). He was also manipulative and arrogant and voundary-crossing in their relationship. I might like him better if it was bot for Burktina, but we will never know.

10 - Owen. Toxic as fuck, annoying, controlling, disgusting. Those are all things that very much apply to Owen in a lot of situations. Screaming at Cristina for “murdering their baby”? YIKES. Big no no. He was not suited for romantic relationships at all and I wish the show would realize that and allow him that space and breathing time without being stuck in a complicated relationship with loads of baggage or a love triangle. Because that’s my whole thing about him: I believe he has room for growth. His relationship with April is pretty amazing, he was always so considerate and gentle with her, all the time, and I want to see more of that bond. He loves kids and can be really good with them, he has a lot of things to work out with the traumas of his father’s death + war + his sister’s story. Why not focus on that? Why not show him growing and processing and bettering himself and living up to the potential he has? I feel like they gave the all the wrong romantic storylines to the character who’s otherwise really good and that’s such a shame because I really enjoyed him at first. Lets see what happens from now on, and if he gets a dose of tv’s “heterosexual love and a nuclear biological family solve everything!” medicine or if this is a turning point for him.

11 - Derek. He never really had any appeal to me. Not his face, not his personality, not his storylines or plot points pr the actor. That’s reason enough for him to rank low, but I also think he had some really bad traits. He was arrogant and condescending and had a God complex and was sexist and pushy and just not great for the people around him. Exploiting Amy’s addiction being outed to steal surgeries? Refusing to give Mer credit on their clinic trial? Putting ultimatums on his girlfriend that she either has to be ready for a full, committed relationship or end things, then call her a slut when she sleeps with other guys after they broke up? Cheating on Addison after deciding to work things out? Stringing mer and addie along? Not saying he was married in the first place? Pushing Mer’s boundaries after she was clearly uncomfortable with having slept with her boss? Refusing to have an inch of empathy for Mer’s action regarding the trial despite her complicated history with the people she was trying to help (who were her friends, actually?)? Telling his depressed girlfriend that she should be concerned the happiest part of his day was flirting with another girl from the bar? Ratting out on Richard to the board because he wanted the spot? Not acknowledging Mer’s trauma after the shooting? Kissing nurse Rose while building the dream house? Kissing his student while being married in NY? Pushing his wife to move and saying his career was more important than his after he had compromised on letting her shine? All things that, isolated, can even be understood on context and “everyone makes mistakes”, but that when put together, make it pretty clear it’s a pattern of someone with very little regard to the people around him. Was he a good surgeon? Yeah. Great father as well. He also had some interesting relationships and iconic scenes, truly, I can recognize that. I hurt for the people he loved and left behind (and I genuinely think he loved them and meant well), but he himself I don’t miss at all.

12 - I think George is the clearest contrast between how old greys handled matters of sexism and gender and sexuality and how it does now. He was such a sleazy nice guy at times, it is unbearable to me. And he ranks lower than Derek because A) His relationships also bored me while Derek’s could pique my interest at times, B) There’s no talk about his mistakes. Remember when he (in his own words) took advantage of Meredith being on a terrible, delicate, vulnerable place (still hiding her mother’s Alzheimer’s and seeing a person be blown to pieces and being dumped by who she thought was the one and being rejected by her father for the second time after seeing him for the first time in tweenty years) and, knowing that she was not interested in him, pursued her, then after she started crying because of the literal pile of shit she was having to carry around (and still trying to preserve his feelings), got mad at her and everyone sided with him? It baffled younger me to bits that what Mer had “done” was so terrible, it has not stoped bafflinn me in the years that have passed since. Can you imagine any of the girls crying during sex because they’re so overwhelmed and feel like that’s a mistake, and the guy freaks out on them and they’re instantly ostracized by the narrative and characters? That’s essentially criticizing her for the right of saying no, of stopping when she doesn’t want to continue, of not giving away her time and feels just because a goofy guy who is her friend feels entitled to them. That’s the word: entitled. He literally says he “saw her first”. How’s that not Nice Guy 101? I would understand his ego being bruised, but the guilt tripping and the bitching and the fact none of that is treated as a fucking creepy thing? Yikes. Also how he treated Callie, who deserved so, so much better. And even Olivia who was perfectly lovely and did nothing wrong besides having sex with more than one guy without breaking either of their trusts because she wasn’t in a relationship with any of them. Did he do some good things? Sure did! Joey’s surgery costs being cut, helping Bailey give birth, some of his interactions with patients were really sweet, and he died giving his life for someone else. It’s just that consequence-less sexism and entitlement that never gets adressed and gets treated as not only valid, but right, that makes him go rom unappealing to downright hated for me. Better left in the past where people can misplacedly idolize him!

Thank you so much for asking, I love those thought-inspiring asks! <3

[daddycardan]

What's your most recommended book? Other than the cruel prince or sjm books... You know what, how about a list? In order from best to worst. 1- best, 10- worst

all righty, I’m not gonna lie here, I have actually… never read any SJM books. Haha, never. I don’t plan on doing it eventhough they sound really fun, but right now I’m trying to gravitate towards a little more… I dunno, quality literature, if you will? This sounds so hypocritical and snob ehhh especially from my Cruel Prince fanblog but asdhjkjss don’t judGE

ok for the list I went on goodreads and looked at my read book list and picked out the best ones, but I honestly can’t really rank them, they are all great so the numbers don’t really matter, but they are quite different in genre, most of them are not even YA, so bear that in mind

1. Game of Thrones series by George R. R. Martin - hahaha GoT is amazing its kinda brutal and its a heavy read, but it’s really worth it. I love the way GRRM builds plot and characters, it’s just so unique and very different from everything I’ve read before. The characters are just so real, and they all have their own background stories and motivations, and you literally have no fucking idea what’s going to happen, it’s so unpredictable I can’t handle it. Warning, it’s likely that your fave character is gonna die, prepare yourself. I haven’t seen the tv show but honestly the book is really really great. It’s one of the best series I have ever read. BUT if you can’t stand visual violence, rape, insides getting, um outside, well I wouldn’t recommend it then. Because there’s a whooole lot of that.

2. HaRRy Pottah by J. K. Rowling - do I even have to explain. HP isn’t just a book, it’s a fucking life changing magical journey that every child should go through, so if you haven’t yet, shut up and go read it. For real. Go, turn off your computer and start reading.

3. Nutshell by Ian McEwan - now this is a really interesting short novel. The thing that makes it fascinating is that it’s narrated by a baby. Who’s still in the womb. And it’s actually a Hamlet retelling, where the pregnant mother is having an affair with the father’s brother, and you know, the baby knows about it. And when mommy and the brother lover conspire to kill the father the baby can do basically nothing about it so it’s about the child’s inner dialogue and some deep philosophical thoughts while his mother and uncle commit the murder and how the baby tries to sabotage them. It’s not YA for sure, so if you want steamy romances or a sexy protagonist, this is not your book, but I really loved it and it’s just such an intellectual book with some nice Shakespeare and modern political references and honestly just reading the dumbass shit that Claude (the uncle, parallel to Claudius) says was so goddamn funny. There is some sex and swearing in it. And like, after reading it I felt like such a highly educated person, eventhough I’ve never read original Hamlet haha.

4. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - dystopian post-apocalyptic novel, with some teenagers slaughtering each other, a cool protagonist with badass hunting skills, love triangle, rebellion, etc. Probably most of you have heard of it (if not already read it), it’s quite good, especially the first one, I personally wasn’t a big fan of 2nd&3rd, but it’s prob because I don’t like rebellions/civil wars for some reason? it’s good though!!

5. Angelfall trilogy by Susan Ee - ohohohh anGELS!! I used to be fucking obsessed with angels and demons (#FuckMeLucifer) and I’ve read every angel-themed YA book I could find, and this one was probably the most well-written. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic America (haven’t heard of that before) where angels are terrorizing humans and basically treat them like shit and this girl Penryn, her lil sister gets kidnapped by the angels, but in the fight this one handsome angel gets injured, they cut off his wings and she kidnaps him to her place and I think forces him to help her get her sister back (?) Turns out its Rafael the powerful archangel and of course he is hot as hell, so yeah its been a while since I’ve read it but I remember liking it, so if you’re into angels and some post-apocalyptic chaotic setting on top, you’ll probably like it

6. Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn - so this one’s mainly about a Jewish slave in the Ancient Roman Empire and a lot of stuff happens to her and she ends up being the mistress of the crazy emperor Domitianus who tortures her and it’s basically following the life of all these different people with different social statuses in Rome, (slaves, gladiators, senators, wealthy wives, emperors, etc.) and it’s really interesting how the relationships are forming between them and the best part is that its historically aCCuRate! ! ! So if you’re into Ancient Romans, this is a good one. Trigger warning for sex, rape, emotional and physical violence. ;)

7. And then there were none by Agatha Christie - this is some nerve wrecking emotional shit, about a group of complete strangers invited into this island manor where they are slowly getting murdered one by one by this psychopath whose identity is… unknown. The murderer is one of them, and is playing this scary, childish, psychological game with the others, but i literally had no fucking idea who the (s)he is until the last few pages, and i couldn’t sleep for a few nights after reading it.

8. Jane and the Man of the Cloth by Stephanie Barron - so this is about Jane Austen, eventhough it’s not written by her, but it’s based on her actual diary and true historical events, so it’s pretty much an accurate description of that period of her life. I guess I would call it a historical murder-mystery because she solves a case that happened in the town she spent her holiday in, but the focus is not really on the ‘thrilling mystery’ part, but rather on the historical background (British-French conflict), social links between people, and yeah just gives you a nice little glimpse into her world. The book is part of a series but this one’s probably my fave bc Jane has this thing going on between her and this handsome mysterious man and a fucking loooved it!!

9. Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron - this is part of the same series, i think it’s the first one, but you can read them in any order, and it deals with a similar murder case as the other one and hahaha it has another mysterious, kinda rude gentleman who has a little thing with Jane and in the end it doesn’t work out (Jane never married btw) but i’m a slut for those little moments and historical books are amazing so if u like history, or Jane, or that 1700-1800 era then go ReAd iT!

10. ummm i can’t think of anything else that i really enjoyed right now, so that’s it for the list. if any of you have any recommendations (especially if it’s something historical) pls let me know!!

[thecomicsnexus]

Knightmares, part 6

BATMAN #68 JUNE 2019 BY TOM KING, AMANDA CONNER, DAN PANOSIAN, JOHN TIMMS, MIKEL JANÍN, PAUL MOUNTS AND JORDIE BELLAIRE

SYNOPSIS + REVIEW + RANT

Join me for another terrifying episode in this never-ending saga named “Knightmares”. In this dark journey, we will go deep into Batman’s subconsciousness to find those things that can make even a dark knight shiver.

This horrifying story starts in the Fortress of Solitude (not the one in the Bermuda Triangle, but remember this is a dream, doesn’t need to be accurate), Supergirl helps Lois Lane and Selina Kyle get in, so they can have a bachelorette party. Supergirl leaves to take care of an asteroid, as Clark Kent took the night off for his Bachelor party with Bruce.

The next terrifying thing that happens when Lois and Selina enter the fortress: they are received by three cute Superman robots and they show them the way to a wine bodega with 37,000 wines from all over the galaxy... will one of these end up being poisonous for our protagonists? Continue reading... the answer will be... devastating.

Turns out, the wine is easily tolerated by the human digestive system. Phew, they dodged a bullet there, but the night isn’t over... certainly not at the Wayne Manor, where Bruce suppressed fears finally see the light.

Brrr... back at the Fortress, Lois takes Selina to the “Bodily Bliss”. A paradise pool that makes you want to stay there forever, originally one of Brainiac’s traps (this is what Bruce thinks Brainiac can come up with). Are these mighty women going to die in this pool? Something worse?

Then one of the things that make Bruce Wayne anxious the most... Selina’s feelings that she is alone in the world. She cannot believe Lois is her friend. This is not the first time Batman has Catwoman’s dreams in his mind. Maybe that’s why he is so smart.

After the pool, they try some superman suits and eventually sit for the show: The Superman robots become strippers, and I am going to assume Superman made them anatomically correct.

And a terrifying massage afterwards, by the almost naked men of steel bootlegs.

Then the moment that makes this comic... Clark and Bruce are discussing the reason Catwoman left him on that roof the day of their wedding, Clark theorizes that he drove her away because he couldn’t tell her that he hates being Batman, but loves that he has to be Batman. Shocking!

Eventually Bruce and Clark go to the fortress to pick-up their ladies and Selina tells Bruce, that she made a friend.

After this we see Batman, screaming in agony in a machine, while he is having this horrible, horrible nightmare.

I am going to ignore all possible mis-characterizations and possible continuity errors, because this is an imaginary story. However, the only thing that, I am guessing, has any meaning, is what Clark tells Bruce. I think this is probably a half-digested idea. It kind of makes sense, and it does have something to do with the failed wedding.

As we know, Bruce was the victim of a childhood trauma. After that event, he swore to fight crime forever. His trauma does not meet an end. It was designed to consume his whole life. If you compare him with Dick Grayson, who, with the help of Bruce, ironically, was able to overcome his trauma and grow up to be a functioning adult. Bruce will, apparently, never overcome the death of his parents, so in his mind, he is still that 8 or 10 year old boy. He just doesn’t have something that could take him out of that impossible quest. The one thing that could help Bruce give up that futile life mission is getting married. Sure, she is not very well in the head either, but as far as I can remember, she didn’t have a similar event in her life, she is just a thief because she likes other people’s pretty things. For Bruce growing up is the end of his Batman career. Selina somehow got to the same conclusion on that wedding night and left him, because she would be putting lives at risk if Batman is not around.

She has the ability to help Bruce overcome his childhood trauma, but decides to preserve the idea of Batman. Probably because she likes Batman more than Bruce (and their cat and mouse game).

So, when this pseudo Clark Kent tells Bruce that he loves that he has to be Batman, what he means is that he is hiding behind this persona to not make peace with his trauma. For him, fighting criminals and solving crimes... this lifetime dedication to fight for justice keeps him busy enough so that he doesn’t have to deal with the sorrow of losing his parents. In other words, Bruce will find any excuse to not grow up.

I am pretty sure this is not buried deeply into his subconscious, someone like Batman, having people around him that speak frankly with him like Alfred and Dick, has probably heard this theory before.

So why is this story a nightmare? And how does one thing connect with the other? The bachelorette night is a really weird dream for Bruce Wayne, does he dream he is Selina? Does he wish to have normal friends that do not have obligations like Clark or him? That do not need those obligations either?

There is no way the Lois and Selina sequence is unrelated to Batman’s psyche. But I am not Bruce Wayne, so I cannot do free association about this dream. So my guess is that Bruce feels lonely and the temptation of stop being Batman, taking a night off, have fun, be a regular person... that is what he was probably thinking about when he decided to get married. He was trying to be happy. Too bad that the wedding was canceled by Selina and not him, otherwise this theory would make some sense. But the lack of emotion in the Clark sequences support the idea that he is not particularly happy with his super-hero life.

To me this story makes more sense than the Looney Tunes one... but it is still an imaginary story, an exploration on the character. Which is fine, it’s an acceptable story for a character with more than 80 years... but come man, you decided to leave us on a cliffhanger like four months ago... these issues are not moving the plot at all. So I really hope all of these explorations on Batman’s subconscious pay off in the end.

I give this issue a score of 7

[jacereviews]

Review: Young Justice (Season 1)

Cartoon

When I was a child, the in thing as far as superhero cartoons was Teen Titans. Years after its cancellation, the show Young Justice appeared to try to fill its shoes, however by the time it came out my interest in cartoons had waded. Alas on the dawn of the third season, a friend of mine suggested watching through it, and here we are. From 2010 to 2012, Young Justice season 1. Let’s Rock.

PLOT: We start off following the sidekicks Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Speedy, who are to be officially inducted into the Justice League. However, rather than full access they’re given second class status. To prove their worth they strike out on their own, and come to find a facility creating a Superman clone. After freeing the clone the Justice League decides to give them a bit of recognition, allowing them to form their own team. The show follows this team and their adventures, especially as they get tangled up with the conspiracy that created the Superman clone. After the two part first episode, most of the episodes follow a similar formula. Bad guy does thing, our main cast steps in and saves the day, and at the end we see a line of monitors talking about how their plan is still in motion. Over time the plot slowly advances and our lead cast grows their team. The problem I have with this is that it’s formulaic and can be very fatty. Episode 18 “Secrets” for example, is entirely pointless. It doesn’t connect to the plot or develop characters, and has one of the stupidest villains I’ve seen to boot. A lot of the show could’ve used more creativity or innovation, or just allowed plots to be more than one episode for more flesh. While it rarely had “bad” episodes, it didn’t have many great ones. Tried and true plots can do with some more spice. A lot of times due to the limited nature of the episodes things just get solved by convenience, this felt especially egregious. Speaking of, the season finale, while climactic, lacks much resolution. The series however was good with foreshadowing, a lot of small details early on that felt a bit weird were turned into full points later on, much to my surprise. There’s a good amounts of secrets and twists, but like the main villains of the show, they’re pretty crammed into the second half. As far as humor goes, the show’s decently funny. It has one of my favorite running gags in a cartoon.

5/10, while solid and effective, this series could definitely have used some creativity and ambition.

CHARACTERS: As with most cartoons, the burden of the series is put on characters rather than plot. In that regard it’s hit or miss. Most of the characters have some pretty solid bases but have some problems in execution. Robin is pretty solid the whole way through, the 13 year old Dick Grayson’s one of the more level headed team members, though can be immature and picked up some batmanisms. Aqualad was a personal favorite of mine. He became the team leader because of his calm consideration and responsible nature. He’s not perfect, but he had a warm charm to him. Kid Flash quickly became the comic relief, sometimes his incompetence got overbearing, and his love triangle antics could be grating but was rather likeable. Superboy was probably the character I had the most problems with, somehow edgier than Shadow the Hedgehog, there were too many “Superboy loses himself in a rage” moments. For as cool as he was I wish he would’ve grown out of those faster, his anger makes sense with his backstory but that didn’t make it enjoyable. Delayed entrances to the team include Miss Martian, who was supposed to be your airheaded pretty girl but green. While not particularly interesting until her backstory later down the line, she was generally pleasant. She did have a problem of being sexualized in uncomfortable ways on occasion, but I’m sure that’s a plus for some. Rounding out the team (as they appear in the opening) is Artemis. While charming in her relationships with others, the show spent a tad too much time obsessed with “her secret dark past” which led to the audience being unnecessarily suspicious of her come the introduction of the mole subplot. While generally most of the characters were likeable, how they were handled was imperfect. I specifically recall in episode 3 where Miss Martian came to a conclusion that the team and I’d assume a majority of the audience agreed with, and when proven to be untrue the whole team just turned and snapped at her in a very forced manner. It feels like the writing team doesn’t know how to handle romance and drama that well so a lot of these parts feel expedited and unnatural. Episode 11 for example. The first ten episodes hinted at some one-sided romantic feelings between two characters and the slight possibility that they might be returned, without much development between the two characters, they just start making out in episode 11 in a very forced and uncomfortable manner. While some of the couples do have good chemistry, it never gets to the openly romantic point in a natural manner. However these are simply a few pieces of the many forms of character interaction. In interactions other than team conflict and romance, the series does fine. As side characters go there is quite a few. I prior mentioned Speedy, who decides to do his own thing rather than join the team. As Red Arrow we occasionally get episodes that follow what he’s doing, however he suffers from similar problems as Superboy, coming off as too much of an asshole at times. Like Superboy he’s likeable, but sometimes he’s just obnoxiously angry for someone trying to be a hero of justice. The team is mentored by Red Tornado, who’s personality begins and ends with robot with a sense of justice. However, his simplicity makes him endearing in episodes with focus on him. The series gives a lot of focus to Captain Marvel, which I personally rather loved. His secret identity of Billy Batson allows him to have some interesting interactions with the team, and I found him to be a joy on screen. The only problem is he was stuck on what I refer to as “The Jobbing League.” Zatanna became a semi-prominent character towards the end and I found her to be a pleasant addition to the cast of personalities, but not overly remarkable. There’s a surprising amount of focus given to Doctor Fate, which I just found to be pretty cool. His appearances were usually kind of unexpected and always came with sick moments up until he too became part of the Jobbing League. As far as leaguers go, Batman was quite endearing with his role as a mentor. He spent the series trying to get Superman to bond with Superboy and it made him quite endearing. Otherwise the League had the Jobbing League problem. Many a time for the sake of stakes members of the League just got completely thrashed in a way that’d occasionally challenge suspension of disbelief. Other than that, the amount of leaguers on display was quite nice

6/10: There’s a lot to like here but there’s also a significant amount of problems.

VISUALS: When I first started episode 1, I knew I was in for a bad time when i could see an animation error in less than 30 seconds. This holds true for a good portion of the series, being filled with derpy faces, bad CG, and awkward walk cycles. While action scenes are well done, the animation can get lazy in any other type of scene. As for art, I’m not a fan of the style, it’s fine but feels a tad on the lifeless side. The insistence on CG models for a lot of things was quite obnoxious however. The characters all look distinct, but most of them don’t look interesting and I don’t think they’d fare well on the silhouette test. All in all not much to say in this regard.

5/10: While it’s passable on average, any high moment has to compete with the amount of mistakes made.

SOUND: When it comes to music, it’s very indistinct. While the music did it’s job fine it never rose above the call of duty or stood out in any memorable manner. The opening and credit songs are incredibly forgettable and indistinct. The voice acting on the other hand was done pretty well, aside from the Flash in the first two episodes I never found anyone’s voice to sound problematic. The lines were delivered with emotion and even shared voice actors were distinct in different roles. I wanna give a shout out to episode 3′s Mister Twister for sounding cool as heck. I kinda wish he showed up more just so I could listen to him again. Sound effects and diegetic noise were on point. All the gadgets and gizmos sounded right, with alien things sounding alien.

7/10: A job well done. The one notable goof was outdone by some small victories.

FINAL SCORE: 6/10

This series has a lot of problems, while not bad it’s by no means great. I imagine any fan of superhero cartoons will find it fine, it’s not going to bring anyone into the fold. I’m interested enough to continue with the series, but of all things on my plate right now this is the one I have the least love for. If the premise interests you it’s worth a shot, but it’s no must see. 

[kamen-base]

Well, Zyurangers over.

I’m just going to go over what I thought was good and what was bad about this series

Also, the first thing I list is the best, the last thing I list is the worse, like a spectrum.

GOOD:

Burai: Easily the best character/thing in this show. I loved his character and the dilemma he faced. His backstory was pretty good as well.

The villains: Another good thing about this series was the villains, while not really developed, except for Bandora at the end, they were still enjoyable to watch. Sometimes anyway,

MEDIOCRE: 

The Zyurangers: They were ok, I mean, they were pretty much flat characters at best. Mei to me is second best, as she was quick thinking and resourceful in dire situations.

Barza: He was there, that’s about all I can think of. He just really gave important details the Zyurangers and that’s it. I mean, I’m pretty sure Burai did a better job as a mentor than him.

Zyurangers getting familiar with the present instantly: Ok, the Zyurangers are warriors from 170 million years ago. So, how in the world do they ride motorcycles in the first episode? They should be completely baffled by the modern world, and yet they aren’t. They could’ve made episodes dedicated to the Zyurangers exploring the modern world, but they don’t.

Lack of explaining Daizyuzin’s limits: Ok, this is more of a nitpick than a problem, but I can not get over how they just completely change this up every time. One episode you need all five Zyurangers to pilot, one episode there’s four Zyurangers piloting, and one episode Daizyuzin’s become sentient. 

Not explaining why Burai has a time limit: It’s never explained why Burai even has a time limit, at all. Is Clotho really the spirit of life?

Burai saving the Zyuranger’s asses: Burai always became the victory button after he was introduced, as most of the Giant fights after Burai’s introduction became. Zyurangers get beaten by Giant Monster, Zyurangers call Burai, Burai and Zyurangers team up to defeat the monster.

Forgetting things: Remember the Dinocrystals, Thunder-Slingers, Totpat being a vampire/chemist, or Lamy and Grifforzar being married? What about the Dolkitta Clay or the part-time jobs each Zyuranger had? The show kinda forgets the small things, and it irks me a lot. Lamy/Grifforzar wasn’t brought up until the finale, they sorta remembered Dan had a part-time job but failed to explain what happened to the other’s part-time job, and the Dolkitta Clay if used, never had the powers it showed in its introduction. Remember, only the Thunder-Slingers can defeat a golem made out of Dolkitta Clay or else it will split into two. Too bad the show forgot.

Kai: Ok, I’m fine having Kai showing up out of nowhere and being the final boss. The problem arises when you realize Bandora just wanted Kai back and since Clotho can revive people, for a short time anyway, this whole conflict could’ve been avoided if Kai was revived. Also, Great Satan could’ve revived Burai in addition with Kai.

BAD:

Lack of Character Development: No one in this show develops at all. In fact, we don’t even know much about the characters at all. Boi and Dan don’t even have a backstory, Mei barely get’s her backstory explained (but it’s more of her kingdom she comes from), and Goushi has a sister, that’s it. The only Zyurangers that got development was Geki and Burai. No one else. In fact, I’m pretty sure Bandora had a bigger character development at the end than Boi or Dan.

Burai’s introductory arc’s ending: Ok, my main issue with this arc’s ending is how forced it seemed. Burai has had a 170 million year hatred for Geki, but all it took was for Geki to refuse to fight Burai for Burai to realize what he’s been doing was wrong. In addition, the fact that Burai cause only Geki to develop as a character instead of forcing the entire team to develop is a huge disappointment. To me, a good sixth ranger should cause a change the entire team, or make the realize their own faults. Burai only does that for Geki.

Geki solving all their problems: At the beginning of the show, Geki is the one that solves all the problems. Thankfully, it was toned down once Burai came in but still.

Deus Ex Machina Overload: This show uses Deus Ex Machina a lot to solve most of its problems. They used it for, getting Geki freed from his chamber, finding the DinoCrystals, Getting the Legendary Weapons, saving Mei from Dora Laddon, Burai returning as a spirit, and a bunch of other times.

The kid plots: This show also loves kid plots. The kids are sometimes good and sometimes you just wanted them to go away. The worst example I can think of is in episode 16, as the kid knows he’s doing harm, but he continues to harm people anyways. And the show expects us to sympathize with him. In fact, I can say with confidence that Episodes 1-16 are all kid plots. Doesn’t help that these kids often take up screentime which could’ve been used to develop the Zyurangers.

The Guardian Beasts/Gods: Ok, fuck these guys. I hate them. They are so contradictory and mean. Like, it was the Guardian Beasts that wanted Burai to be revived, but when he was revived they told Geki to kill Burai. They planned to keep the people of Dalos Island as monkeys forever, despite them trying their hardest to protect the eggs. They also didn’t tell the people of Dalos Island what they were up against. But by far the worse thing the fuckers do is in the Burai arc because Burai gets a dream where he’s dead and sees a young boy waiting for his turn to go into the afterlife. Except, since the Gods are the only ones that can give people prophetic dreams of the future unless Burai gave it to himself, it actively set up the endangerment of the kid in Burai’s dream. I mean, these guys actually endangered a kid, by giving Burai the dream. I go into more details about them in these two posts, but yea, these actions made me hate them more than the kid plots.

Overall, I’d give Zyuranger a 3/10, I found the bad things to really bog down the show for me, but there are some things that redeem it.

Personally, skip all the filler. You could skip episodes: 7- 15, 23 - 27, 33 - 39, and 44 - 46 as they don’t really add anything to the plot/don’t develop any of the characters. 

Current Sentai Rankings:

Jetman - Nice characters and character developments. The villains are pretty good as well. It’s really only bogged down by the stupid actions regarding the love triangle.

Liveman - Good characters, although I can’t remember them getting any development. Although, the villains are probably some of the best parts of the show.

Maskman - It’s ok, that’s about it.

Battle Fever J - It just bored the hell out of me

Zyuranger - It actually angered me. Well, that’s more due to some of the kid plot eps and Burai/s death arc.