#which was the closest thing to compelling or scary that happened the entire time

[shaanks]

Night Wolf dir. Jonathan Glendening

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Still thinking about the near-universal Mediocre Critical Consensus on Trust. Because when I find something I LOVE and someone else just...doesn’t connect with it, I get really curious as to why.

I’m giving the critics who only got to screen the first three episodes a pass, because the show really does not lead with its most compelling material, and also that’s a dumb way to ask critics to provide an honest review of a serialized story and networks should stop doing it.

But there are a number of critics who were writing week-by-week summaries (including the guy who complained about the Calabrian characters speaking too much Calabrese, but not only him) who just seemed to completely miss so much of what made the show interesting. And I can’t help wondering how much of this was due to a disconnect between how they expected the story to be told and how it actually was told.

All the criticism I read is blending together a bit now, but there was more than one reviewer who seemed...unduly fixated on Fletcher Chase. And, hey, don’t get me wrong here. Brendan Fraser is great in that role. But he’s a secondary character. And while he’s a useful narrator and tone-setter, other than in episode 2, where he incorrectly ascertains that the kidnapping is a hoax, he contributes...almost nothing to moving the plot along, in the sense of making choices that shape the narrative. In many parts of the show his main role is to be a scene partner for Gail, who is the one shaping the narrative a lot of the time she’s on screen.

And the thing is, you can see a more conventionally-told version of the story where Fletcher Chase is the hero. He’s the closest the story gets to a cop character, the traditional POV character of many crime stories. (He’s the character who gets played by Mark Wahlberg in the movie, and I mean that in both a symbolic and literal sense.) A lot of kidnapping/missing person stories place the audience identification and agency with the searchers/rescuers, not the victim, and certainly not the kidnapper. The searchers may be law enforcement or they may be family members, but we’re very used to seeing the story from their perspective.

Trust doesn’t completely flip that POV, but it distributes our attention and the narrative agency (whose decisions make the plot happen) much more evenly between Gail, Little Paul, and Primo. And this means that we end up understanding their perspectives and motivations pretty much equally, even when they’re set against each other.

To be fair, it is a bit of a slow burn to understand exactly what the show is doing. For me, watching it the first time through, it clicked somewhere around episode 4, which has a lot of scenes with Primo pursuing a goal on his own (it may be related to Paul but he’s not sharing a scene with him). This is where you start to understand why Primo is doing what he’s doing, on an emotional/psychological level and not just a financial one, and maybe start to root for him a bit against an uncle who doesn’t seem to have a lot of faith in him. Which is the perfect thing to do before the show completely flips our perspective upside down and makes him the antagonist for all of episode 5. Because we’ve spent time getting to know him a bit, the show can do that without completely breaking our identification with him, even when he is being very scary and a direct threat to our other main character.

Even if it takes you a while to adjust your expectations, the structure of the narrative should be very clear by the end of episode 6, when we have the Meeting of the Two Dons, Salvatore and Old Paul. Because this whole sequence is about showing both how the two families are alike and how the Gettys are just operating on a vastly different scale in terms of power. (It’s a real trick to make an organized crime syndicate look like the underdogs but they manage it.) If you haven’t yet figured out that this is a story about two families and the ways they mirror and echo each other, not just a story about the Gettys, it should be obvious at this point. This is also the sequence where, if you haven’t yet picked up on the fact that this is a show about capitalism and class, you get hit over the head with it in a delightfully unsubtle way.

Then, after pitting Primo against Paul and Gail in episode 5/6, the show realigns them, so that they all have the same hope and fear at the end of episode 7--hoping that the ransom will be delivered, and fearing that it won’t be. Meanwhile we’re watching the other Pauls screw everything up for them. (This might have been, watching the first time through, where I put it together that Primo’s not just...an antagonist who’s appealing to identify with, but not really the antagonist of the series at all. Which is the absolute perfect place to realize this, since episode 8 is all about rooting for him. And which is not something I have seen any mainstream review touch on even though once the whole narrative structure of the series is laid out, it seems incredibly obvious to me.)

Perhaps, like me, you read that review and aside from rolling your eyes at the complaint about having to spend NEARLY AN WHOLE HOUR reading subtitles, you also thought...how in the hell did anyone not find episode 8 unbearably suspenseful?? But the thing is...suspense only works if we care about the characters who are at risk. And the suspense of that episode is entirely driven by worrying about Primo, Leo and Leo’s family. Paul is allllmost incidental to the narrative in episode 8.

Now, y’all know very well by this point that I think the show does a good job of developing the Calabrian characters into three-dimensional human beings who have specificity and vulnerabilities and moments of kindness and interesting relationships to each other, and in allowing us to understand how their world works and why they’re doing what they’re doing. And one of the best things about the show is that it doesn’t just explore the why that gets talked about in a lot of the show’s publicity--why would the richest man in the world not pay a ransom for his grandson?--but it takes on what I think is the much more interesting why. Why did the kidnapping happen at all? What kind of life circumstances make crime and violence an appealing option to someone? And this is where we’re really talking about capitalism and class.

But, if you’re someone who’s not open to or interested in the places the show is leading you to as it unfolds toward its conclusion, then you miss all this. Then episode 8 is boring, because it’s not clear why we need to spend a whole episode with “just” the villains and their problems and their families and their social rituals. Even though episode 8 is an almost perfect mirror of episode 1, when we spend just as much time with the Gettys and their problems and their families and their social rituals. And then you miss why the end of the show is so satisfying, because “he removes kings and he sets up kings” only works if you’re paying attention to both sides of the equation.

[muthaz-rapapa]

HealPre Final Review: Not terrible but not entirely laudable either...

*sigh* Where do I start?

Well, one thing I’m pretty sure of is that COVID definitely affected production somehow. By that, I don’t just mean the show needing to go on hiatus, resulting in a shorter run compared to previous seasons. I’m also talking about any possible changes that might’ve been made to the original narrative, if there was one.

Much like how Suite’s story had to be altered in the wake of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster, I believe Heal underwent a similar treatment in response to the pandemic becoming more widespread as 2020 went on.

Especially since it dealt with health and nature, HealPre is probably the season that has come the closest in relevancy to real life events.

Frankly, that can be quite scary because this virus was and is still a fucking nightmare on a massive global scale. From that view, I can understand why the writers/producers would be concerned of the anime hitting too near home. At least for their main demographic’s (children) sake, maybe they were compelled to shift to something lighter and less edgier so that the kids could find some comfort and enjoyment in the midst of the world’s current crisis.

So I can’t fault Toei for that, if that’s really the case. Going through a pandemic is terrifying, infuriating and exhausting and UGH. We could use something that can help ease our worries or momentarily distract us even a little bit. 

Though would it have killed them to dedicate one episode to the importance of wearing a mask or washing hands? (-_- ;;)

HOWEVER! Seeing as I am not a fragile child, I’ve still got several (oho~) criticisms to air out before I put this season behind me. This review isn’t particularly scathing but...there is a lot of discontent so you’ve been forewarned.

But first, let’s tediously review what structure means in Precure.

We all know that there are certain things that will forever (?) remain fixed in the series formula.

The plot is always going to be “magical girls fight evil doers threatening to ruin the world”.

There are plot points to indicate story progression but in reality, are put there to correspond with toy releases which are usually marked by these five: introductions, first power up, midseason Cure, second power up, and build-up to the climax + finale.

There is usually a specific message (a theme) to be told with every season and motifs (narrative tools) to aid in getting that across. For HealPre, the theme is “living is fighting” and its motifs are “health” and “nature”.

I left out “animals” b/c 1) it didn’t hold as much significance as the other two did, 2) animals are part of nature anyway and 3) let’s be real, it’s just a synonym for “mascots” which we already get every year. :P

Right. I’m probably forgetting something but for the most part, these are immovable pillars of Precure.

Story, on the other hand, has more variables you can work with.

Story is how you tell the plot, how you convey the message.

Precure, as a tv series, is unarguably carried by its main stars, the Cures. So it only makes sense that a huge percentage of a season’s success owes itself to how much of an impact its characters had on the audience as well as how effective their individual story arcs were as sub-plots tying back to the bigger picture (the message/theme).

Ideally, these arcs would shine the brightest in the filler episodes, where the plot  (“good guys vs. bad guys”) is less of a focus so there is more space for personal development and growth.

Also, not all character arcs have to be directly related to the plot but they ought to be written well in order to support the overarching message (the theme).

Now, has HealPre done that? Has each girl’s story demonstrated a good example of what “living is fighting” means?

...nnnnnnyyeeee... look, even I can’t give a straightforward answer on that because while technically they did, by virtue of Nodoka’s observance in ep 44 recounting it as such, there’s also actually not enough to make it feel substantial from a viewer’s standpoint.

At least, that’s what I thought while watching HealPre.

With the exception of Nodoka’s, there was a lot of saying but not much doing to convincingly back the other girls’ arcs up. The fillers themselves were very weak, loosely composed in relation to the motifs and, if I may be so blunt, downright boring that if Nodoka didn’t phrase those episodes as things that counted towards the theme, I probably would put up more of a fight on disagreeing. so shoot me, I’m soft for her :P

And I know that sounds confusing right now but I will elaborate as I continue.

Before that though, to be utterly fair, some seasons keep their respective themes shrouded in vagueness until they’re given a more concrete form in words around the finale. So it’s not like we can do much except make educated guesses on what they really are. Most of the time, we’re just measuring everything against our perception of a standard in the fog. Or maybe that’s just me?

Nevertheless, you can just tell, y’know? By simply watching and observing the whole show, you can tell if the characterization, the development, and the outcome (essentially the content given) really live up to what the season claims is endgame.

So let’s go through that first then. The characters, starting with our lead Cure...

Nodoka being the only Cure in her team to have an arc deserving of the praise “exceptional” should come as a surprise to no one.

She was the most solid in terms of direction on how her story was going to proceed. Out of all the girls, her journey had the greatest connection to the subject “health”, repeatedly delved into it every time the spotlight was on her and fulfilled everything it seemed to promise from her debut in episode 1.

Her struggles on the road to recovery from a long-term illness and the strength she’s drawn from that traumatizing experience as well as her time as Precure did more than establish her as the strongest character in HealPre.

She has also rose to become one of the most memorable Pink Cures in the entire franchise (personally, I rank her in the top 5).

And it’s not hard to see why she’s earned such high regard in a lot of fans’ hearts.

The writers clearly worked a lot on her character composition to the point where she can pretty much embody the theme of “living is fighting” all on her own.

She came into HealPre fresh out of the hospital and full of earnest desire to make the most of her newfound freedom but she also wasn’t without knowledge on what hardship is. From there, she only got stronger, even when she was stumbling and trying to figure things out along the way. She grew more fortified in her beliefs on what it means to be truly live a healthy life.

She bravely defied the ones who attempted to take advantage of her and twist her cause against her. And she learned that taking care of herself is equally as important as wanting others to be safe from harm.

It was never about winning or coming out on top. It was about protecting a fundamental yet precious truth. That one thing any decent human being should never have to concede: the right to live well.

Honestly, Nodoka is absolutely inspiring all around, as a fictional character, a heroine and a normal everyday person.

Everything about her arc went satisfyingly right like it was meant to and the best thing is, we don’t need to question it because we saw how it all happened with our very own eyes.

I sincerely wished I could say the same for the others but sadly, they were just too flawed.

And Pegitan can throw flippers with me all day if he wants but as undeniable as the above statements are about Chiyu, her arc failed to leap over the increasingly mounting disappointment I had with every episode that’s been assigned solely to her.

Two of which weren’t even about Chiyu. One centered on Pegitan’s admiration for his partner and the other focused on her brother, Touji. Which, while nice to give to supporting/secondary characters, is a fat waste of valuable screentime and not what I’m here for.

It also didn’t help that the conflict of her arc (the indecision over choosing between two dreams) started really late in the game and was resolved so quickly within two episodes. There was no time for me to get invested into it, there was no powerful sense of conviction like how Go!Pri or Hugtto handled theirs and really, it just felt like Chiyu was only following what the script dictated for her rather than genuinely awakening to her own competitive passion towards track and field.

It was almost like it didn’t matter. Almost as if the writers procrastinated in thinking up something worthwhile to further her development...but then settled on grabbing an old idea off the shelf without refining it to suit Chiyu when they ran out of time.

This happened similarly with Minami in Go!Pri and Elena in StarPre, both of whom left me angry at how their arcs were executed. Yet theirs don’t compare to how pissed off I am about Chiyu’s. Because while Minami’s took a while to arrive, it wasn’t done poorly and linked back to Go!Pri’s theme well enough. And while Elena’s was over crammed last minute, at least it was unique to her character and had lots of potential ways to play out if they actually started it earlier on in StarPre.

Chiyu’s arc is like a discount version of the former with hardly any of the intriguing qualities of the latter. Sure, she had two early episodes that laid out the two most important aspects of her life (her family inn and her dedication to her sport) but after that, they weren’t brought up again until we were only weeks away from the ending. Y’know, just to fill up episode slots and meet the minimal requirement of saying they did give Chiyu some issue to resolve. 

It was not engaging at all.

Furthermore, the fact that her arc had very little to no relation with either “health” or “nature” hurt my appreciation of her character somewhat. I just...don’t think her kind of story really matches with the central topics of HealPre?

...but maybe I’m being bitter about this all wrong and that’s screwing up my rational thinking on this matter.

Because Chiyu’s arc is valid under the logic of the overall theme, I would never say it isn’t. And again, character arcs don’t have to be close to the plot nor is it necessary to employ the “suffering builds character” method to make them interesting.

Chiyu always does her best every day. That’s sufficient argument on why her story does fit within the frame of HealPre’s premise.

Guess I’ll just have to wrangle my resistance into acceptance somehow.

...still, her arc could’ve been done so much better than what we were given. Chiyu at least deserved that much.

Next, Hinata.

Since the beginning, I knew she was gonna be runner-up to Nodoka for having the (for lack of better term atm) “best” arc because it was heavily implied that she has ADHD and therefore, immediately checked off the “health” trait. She was even more obvious about it than Nozomi was.

Difficulty paying attention, hyperactivity, impulsiveness. Hinata didn’t just display all those signs, she also showed how hard it was for her to deal with the downsides to them on a regular basis.

She kept apologizing and put herself down excessively for inconveniencing her friends even though they never blamed her for her condition. Got them annoyed a few times, yes, but didn’t stop them from staying friends with her and definitely didn’t make them hate her either.

Everybody was understanding of Hinata...except Hinata because she always took her failures to heart and considered quitting several times to avoid the crushing dejection of making mistakes over and over again.

She got better, though, and no one could have summed it up more heartwarmingly than Nyatoran with the encouraging words he gave her at the conclusion of her arc. 

But it still feels like there’s a huge chunk of development missing between the start and finish. Or rather, it seemed like all of it occurred offscreen and we were only informed later that it did in fact, happen.

To recap, iirc, Hinata had around 5 episodes that focused on her (ep 9, 13, 23, 35 and 40). Ep 18 doesn’t count because that was a Nyatoran-centric filler more than anything.

Ep 9 and 13 did their jobs of introducing and highlighting the details of Hinata’s troubles while also suggesting she will eventually learn to overcome her insecurities. The ones after, though? They pushed those issues to the backseat.

In Ep 23, she had to share the (uneven) spotlight with Asumi. Hinata’s improvements were briefly mentioned but the majority of the ep went to teaching Asumi what “cute” meant and how to get along with puppies. I mean, I get that Asumi recently joined the group and bonding with her was mandatory by tradition. But since each Cure only gets a limited number of eps to herself, it would’ve been more beneficial for Hinata if she didn’t have to split screentime with someone else’s growth schedule.

Ep 35 is slightly better but not by a whole lot. Sure, Natasha was able to reconcile with Elizabeth which was very sweet and heck, it was the goal for that episode. But again, nothing was really done or addressed about Hinata’s main conflict. She tossed it back with the rest of her homework to deal with later. ahaha, a TroPre hint

Then ep 40 came to formally close the curtains on her story and apparently, Hinata screwed up lots of times since...whenever but she picked herself up every time after and kept on trying. Awesome. So WHY didn’t we get to see that? 

I’m not asking for the impossible here. I’m not asking for Hinata to be cured or anything miraculous like that. There is treatment available for ADHD but it is not curable.

Also, forcing Hinata to find a way to get better at studying, the thing she struggles with the most, is not the solution either because that would only make her more stressed and anxious over her own disorder.

What I want is to see how she moved from wailing “I can’t do it! I don’t wanna! I’m so scared of failing so why bother?!” to determinedly declaring “So what if I failed 1 or 100 times? So what if I fail another 1000 times? What matters is that I don’t let that stop me!”

That confidence is not something that can be built up overnight. It’s gradual and it takes numerous tries to reach from where Hinata was to where Hinata is now.

Telling me she grew emotionally stronger can only allow me to believe so much. I need to actually witness the changes as well.

If it weren’t for that, Hinata’s arc would have been a lot more impressive. Shame.

Finally............... Asumi.

Asumi, Asumi, Asumi, Asumi, Asumi, Asumi, Asumi... *sighs & drums fingers*

...she has no arc, ok? Seriously, what story is there to speak of, much less write a hefty analysis on?

A spirit born for the sake of Latte who just went along with the Precure ride because Latte didn’t want to abandon her duty. She made friends with those who aren’t Latte, extended her knowledge and understanding and gained valuable human experience during her stay on Earth. But ultimately, she will always define her entire existence around a puppy. 

Nothing is more important than this puppy.

...... to be honest, Asumi not having a storyline isn’t what bothers me. It’s her lack of depth that does.

Hell, even the giant burger she ate had more depth than she did!

Oh, Asumi does have a personality alright. She’s consistently and unfailingly polite, utterly devoted to her raison d’être and in crucial moments, gives pearls of wisdom when the girls are in a pinch. She’s good.

But if that’s all she is, then she’s also painfully dull.

She has nothing to contribute to the discussion of health or nature, despite being created through an element of the Earth so you’d think she’d have an opinion of her own. At least worry about the planet that gave life to her as much as she frets over Latte all the time. But nope.

She shares the exact same face as Teatine’s past Precure partner so you’d think we’d explore that connection to see if it would influence or affect her in any way. But nope.

90% of the time, her role was just being Latte’s constant, fawning satellite.

Not only did that irritate the hell out of me but it just reinforced my stance that this type of character is one of the worst you can ever insert into any narrative.

Because if someone keeps reiterating how much they’re obsessed with this one thing and seldom talks about anything else without bringing their obsession into it... then what’s so special about them on their own?

You’ve practically surrendered the different qualities you could have had for worship of something else. That’s not a fair trade-in.

Asumi’s character is so packed with Latte-related stuff that there’s not much space left for anything that can be considered uniquely Asumi.

I mean, maybe it’s because I can never see myself or any normal person comfortable with living like that.

Living for the sake of being together with the one you love? Okay. But living with your whole universe revolving around that one thing? Making most if not all decisions based on this one thing?

No. That’s absolutely crazy, alright? Nobody with a healthy amount of awareness and self-worth would live like that.

And you can counter that Asumi’s just born like that. That she can’t help her origins because Teatine’s wish to protect her daughter is essentially what brought Asumi into existence so of course, her biggest concern would be Latte. At least, she wasn’t forced into it, right? As long as Asumi chose of her own will to follow Latte, it should be fine, right?

You can even use the fact that Asumi isn’t human. That she’s a spirit and we shouldn’t apply our human standards too strictly to her.

Yea, but those are feeble defenses in the face of her being a good main character, a good main heroine. 

There are many ways to make a decent MC. The way Asumi was written proves she certainly does not possess traits that can classify her as true protagonist material. A protagonist has to be more than one amplified feature, which Asumi is not.

For the record, I don’t hate Asumi (she’s not interesting enough to generate a feeling that intense). I'm just severely let down because even if I don’t end up loving the midseason Cure for whatever reason, I can usually count on them to bring something intriguing to the table to dissect and analyze. At least I should find something to care about them.

Didn’t happen with her. :(

Oh god, I’ve been working on this post for days now and I’ve got a headache and with the baton pass happening in less than a few hours as I type this, I just really need to get it done and over with so please forgive me for speeding up through the rest, I’ll try to keep it as coherent as possible. NYARGH! (@_@ ;;)

Mascots.

Would you be surprised to hear that I’m not surprised that they were actually written very well?

Like I said early on, I suspected the return of fairy partnerships were going to improve the mascots’ significance in the story and, well, I was right. 

This time, they didn’t just fill in the usual expectations of relaying exposition, serving as the Cures’ transformation devices and looking cute for the merchandise. The Healing Animals had to make progress on their own training to become doctors as well.

And they did through their relationships with their human partners.

It was a refreshing take on the mascot aspect of the series because the friendships felt really symbiotic. When the trainees arrived on Earth, they relied on the girls to help them perform their jobs as well as provide them with shelter, food, the occasional peptalk about their trainee status, etc.

Then as the story continued and they got to know each other better, the mascots were able to return the favor by giving support when the Cures needed it. Rabirin when Nodoka was frightened and confused about how to deal with Daruizen, Pegitan when Chiyu was having trouble choosing between two dreams and Nyatoran who made sure to always lift Hinata’s spirits up when she got upset at herself.

In short, they achieved their objectives of learning what it means to be good doctors by being there for their friends! How wonderful! :D

My memory for Latte is hazy, unfortunately, since she’s coddled by everyone all the time (can’t blame them, she’s friggin’ adorable! <3) but I’ll never forget how she stood firm on the battlefield to see things through, to fight for the Earth like she promised her mother. She started out so babie but showed us all there was enormous bravery behind her cute face and ugh, we should all be very proud of her! <3

The only major issues I had about the mascots were these:

1) Too many irrelevant fillers went to them. They only needed a maximum of two for their entire mascot group.

2) Latte kept getting sick even after she acquired a Precure partner of her own. I was hoping it wouldn’t hurt her as much as it did before Asumi arrived or that she would build up a stronger immunity but noooo, they insisted on torturing the poor pupper! T_T

Villains + Finale Battle

Not a lot needs to be said for the first part. We’ve had mediocre antagonists before. HealPre’s just happened to be extra annoying as they were despicable. 

Which is worse because jerks you can just leave in the trash but assholes won’t stop harassing you unless you pummel them into their graves, set fire to their corpses and leave no trace of them behind! >:(

Y’all know who I’m talking about. Opinions on him continue to vary depending on who you talk to and if they’re avid fans of his face or not but whatever. The son of a bitch served his purpose and is dead now. That’s all that matters to me.

Anyway, the King was flat like his two lesser generals. He was neither intimidating nor distinguished enough in the brand of evil to really make us think of him as a serious threat and because of that, it ended up making the boss fight look like any run of the mill boss fight.

I know, they tried so hard with all that shiny animation but it just didn’t have that glorious sense of vindication that previous seasons (or ep 42) gave and I blame it all on this Rumiko Takahashi reject.

Also, this strategy was pretty useless?

They built it up like Earth was gonna sacrifice herself and die or something (she wouldn’t and even if she came close, deus ex machina would’ve kicked in to prevent that and COVID-induced caution too I guess). 

But there were no signs of pain (well, that’s a relief) after absorbing Shindoi-ne and they really pissed King Byogen off more than they did any damage with the absorbed byo-gen power.

...so yea, this tactic was just to kill some time and budget, nothing more. Meh.

By the way, did Asumi eject Shindoi-ne’s pathogen out of her body yet or did they just leave it in there to bounce around until it eventually dissolves on its own?

Because that’s eww. I mean, it’s obviously not gonna hurt Asumi they can both relate on hyperfocusing their affection for someone so maybe the compatibility helps :P but still, ewwwww.

Fillers + Underused Motifs

In hindsight, perhaps HealPre didn’t exactly promise the content we I wanted about “health” and “nature” if their objective was to teach that any manner of “fighting” can count towards “living”.

......but fuck you Toei, you’re still cowards! >:/

Fillers will be fillers but it’s always better to try and make some of them as meaningful as possible. And they wasted the opportunity to inform an impressionable audience (during a very crucial period of our time, I must add) on a lot of things related to the HealPre’s motifs. Especially about the environment which for some ridiculous reason, they chose not to touch on for the main stretch of the overall story.

Proper hygiene, good diet plan and sleeping habits, regular exercise (already done by the girls a few times but could use another example), meditation, counseling/therapy (especially for mental health!), etc.

Real life pollution, climate change/global warming (IMPORTANT!!), deforestation, preservation vs conservation, endangered species, recycling, volunteering to clean up your community, etc.

These just came off the top of my head but yes, there’s more and no, I’m not saying that the writers need to cover all of them in extreme detail or replace the slice-of-life episodes.

But they should be able to mesh both serious and light-hearted together in harmony somehow. Like those fillers where the mascots saw people cleaning up littering at the park or that interaction with that arborist who taught them about wild animals and trees when the group went to visit a lake.

For health, maybe let the girls visit patients with chronic illness in the hospital or have them converse with a medical professional on some matter. Particularly if it’s got something to do with mental illness because stigma in Japan on those who are afflicted with such conditions is still prevalent and has caused a number of sad and shocking tragedies that could have otherwise been avoided if people didn’t have such outdated, judgmental mindsets.

That last part might be too dark for a children’s anime but there’s a lot more out there that is doable.

Do that without reducing it into a footnote, Toei. It is so necessary for your target audience to be aware of these issues at the age they are now. You have an almost 20-year old franchise to serve as a very effective platform. Make better use of it if you truly care about the message you’re conveying through your show!

Also, what the fuck.

The last episode was a mess. Why are you only mentioning this now when the season is already over?

This should’ve been brought up months ago!

All the things we could’ve seen the Cures done to protect the Earth without magic.

The excuse of “I didn’t know humans were so horrible!” is a shit one because everybody knows humans are deplorable trash when it comes to abusing the Earth. All the more reason why you have to persistently drill it into people’s heads that they should not be like those who don’t care or choose not to care.

One crack episode isn’t going to cut that.

God, I so want to unsee this ep just so I don’t have to end HealPre on a more sour note than it already was. *big aggrieved sigh*

Lastly (and this really is the end of my long ranting, I promise), the missing undisclosed lore.

There are few Precure seasons without a past lore of its own in the recent years. Is it a wonder, though?

Lore is mysterious and fascinating. If it involves a past Precure, even more so.

Sometimes fans might just hang onto a show because they’re curious about what happened before the main story. We’d never get the full tale of those adventures but at least, it’s fun to imagine the “prequel”.

Also, past Precure are just badass. Fact.

Strangely enough, we didn’t get that for Heal. All we know is that she was called “Fuu” and was very close to Teatine. 

Hmm. Probably one of those changes caused by COVID interference cuz I can’t imagine the writers choosing not to tell her past in the original draft.

With all that finally off my chest, I’m ready to part ways with you girls until the next All Stars (Nodoka, I’m gonna miss you so much! T_T)

HealPre wasn’t the worst and it was nowhere near the best that it had the potential to be. But it’s passable. At least for those who loved it even with its flaws, I’m genuinely glad it was good for you.

For those who are thinking about picking it up (although why you would read this spoilery post before watching, I have no idea), if you’re looking for a standard magical girl anime to enjoy casually, then this is a safe pick. If you really want to invest your attention and heart into it, though? Then perhaps it would be in your interest to ask someone who saw it already to help you filter out the episodes that are worth watching. You don’t need to worry about the rest, they’re inconsequential. :P

Ok then! Thanks for reading as always, brave souls who have reached this point. 

Stay healthy and safe out there and I’ll see you at the beach next week! Tropic underwater paradise here we coooooommmmmeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!! xDDD

[teamdoubleoh]

What fits in Men’s Pockets

Or five times Q had exactly what they needed  

Q-branch always has in stock what an agent may need - Q is not so different.

wordcount: 3477

Q branch had been all but deserted when James returned from Bangkok that night, leaving him and Q alone at Q’s desk. Bond had just returned lost some equipment and Q had made him sign some document, confirming the loss. Apparently that lost gun had been one gun too many.  

"Do you have a pen?" He asked, looking the desk over. There was Q's laptop, the desk lamp, the mug of earl grey that had been cooling for ages now and the papers themselves, but nothing else. Without looking up Q pulled a single pencil from his pocket. "There you go."

"Dear Quartermaster, you astound me! Who would have thought you even knew what a pen is. One could think you had gone full digital by now."

"Please Bond, leave the banter for times when I'm haven't been working for two days straight. Everyone knows that you don't have to fix what isn't broken. Pencils are an essential, I will admit."  

"What are you doing here anyways. Everyone else is at home with their families."

"...I  wonder why. Usually we have a skeleton crew over night...."

"Q. It’s Christmas."

"Huh. Merry Christmas Bond."

“Merry Christmas. You know what could be your gift to me?”

“You’re not getting the Aston.”

"Thats not what I meant. I have a first name, you could use it sometime. If you stop calling my Bond, I'll take you out for dinner."

“Was that supposed to be a compelling argument?”

***

Bond Eve and Q were on a mission.

It sounded like the start of a terrible joke, but was really just a rather annoying affair.

Bond was supposed to seduce someone who knew something, and he had, spectacular so. Now the woman was head over heels for him.

"I told her I wanted to break up but she woudn't listen!"

"Honestly, I was wondering why that as never happened before."

"Not helping Moneypenny."

"Just act like you’re cheating on her. That should do a great deal." murmured Q from behind his laptop. He was working on something and only here in the first place because they had needed a tech expert at the location. Eve was only here to his protection.

"Great input Q, how do I convince a woman I have know for two days that I'm cheating on her? We aren't even in a relationship!"

"... You know you could just kiss Eve in front of her of her or wear a shirt with a lipsticks stain. That should work beautifully."  

"Well, I'm not kissing you." Eve stated, voice laced with disgust.

"What, too old for you?" Bond lifted an eyebrow.

"Too male." retorted Eve.

"You know what Moneypenny? That explains so much--."

"You should be trying to find a lipstick right now 007."

"Oh right yes. Eve, may I borrow your spare lipstick? I seem to have lost mine."

"Why would I carry spare lipsticks around James."

"I don't know. Why shouldn't you."

Q looked up from his laptop. "What seems to be the problem?"

"James thinks all women carry around lipsticks all the time."

"Well. Dont you?" Q asked adjusting his glasses with his spare hand.

"Of course not. Assuming that I do that is mysogynistic Q."

"Why would that be mysogenistic? Don't people carry around stuff like that all the time? You know lipsticks, breath mints, that sort of thing?"

Eve rolled her eyes. "Do you happen to have a breath mint for me then?"

Q hesitated. "...No."

"There you go."

"But I do have a peppermint gum. And a lipstick, if you still need it." He fumbled around his parka and pulled out a small black and gold container. A lipstick, Eve realised. James eyed him with interest.

"Now I want to know why you have a lipstick. Because thats a good one. Mac isn't exactly cheap and that colour isn't for everyone."

Q sighed and handed the Lipstick to him. "Bond, please refrain from commenting my appearance. I know I look young for my age, you've told me before."

"Only when you stop calling me Bond. I have a first name you know."

"I know. I read your file, remember?"

Eve sighed and pinched thuebridge of her nose. “Fellas, if you'd be so kind. We need to ruin James’ shirt before his girlfriend finds him."

***

Q was pissed. His brother had come back from the dead.

Bond hadn't even know the Quartermaster had family, let alone a brother who knew how to fake his death and had to use his knowledge.

Yet here they were, at 2am I a dingy back alley in inner London.

The street sign read Bakerstreet and the brass lettering on the front for of the building they were about to break into informed pedestrians that this was number 221B.

Bond wasn't ignorant. They had been in Q branch, when a notification had popped up on one of the monitors. Q had grabbed his parka and James’ arm and off they were. On they way the Quartermaster had explained.

His brother had come back from the dead, had neglected to inform Q of his continued existence - something he apparently should have done ages ago - and now Bond was standing next to a furiously calm Quartermaster in the back alley of a house Q apparently knew well enough. There was only one way this night could develop.

The Quartermaster was currently looking up at the darkened windows of the first floor, obviously trying to decide between two, as his eyes flickered back and forth between them. "Alright. Bond, give me a hand will you?" he gestured up at the fire escape that was tugged away to the left side, ladder secured at the corner of the small iron balcony.

"If I'm helping ou break into your dead brothers flat you should at least start calling me James first."

"James, a hand please."

"What do you want me to do?"

"You need to lift me up so I can reach the ladder." Q pushed his glasses up his nose. If he was lucky the darkness would hide his blush. "Before you say anything, I am aware you could jump high enough to reach the ladder. Sadly that would be extremely noisy, so if you'd be so kind--"

James folded his hands together and Q put his left foot in them. "On the count of three I'm going to push myself up and you're going to throw me as hard as you can. I'll let the ladder down from above."

James nodded in confirmation. If breaking and entering was what it took to get Q to stop calling him Bond he would take it. He started to count. "One... two... three." he hoisted Q up, effectively pushing Q to the height of the balcony, where he grabbed onto the steel bars of the railing.

Q pulled himself up and climbed over it, making almost no noise. Slowly he walked to the far end of the fire escape and carefully let the latter down, until it was within James’ reach.

Thirty seconds later everything was back in place again, with the slight difference that Q and James were now standing in front of a small, milk glass window with a white painted wooden Frame. There was no lock.

Q eyes the frame for a second.

"How exactly did you plan to get in? I would lend you my lock picks but if there is no lock that doesn't exactly help." asked James, voice low.

"Don’t be silly James. I have my own lockpicks."

"Why didn't we go in trough the front door then."

"That’s tasteless. Everyone knows doors are or people with no imagination." He bent down and untied his shoelaces, slipped his shoes off and then handed them to Bond. "Hold this."

"Q what-"

Q shushed him and proceeded to pull a small crowbar from one of his parkas’ many pockets.

"Why-- " James sighed. "Nevermind."

Q smiled sweetly and patted him on the shoulder. "Now, that’s the right attitude."

Within two minutes of careful and almost-silent meddling the old frame gave in and Q and James were standing in a small bathroom.

The tiles were white, the walls olive green and there were two toothbrushes sitting in a glass on the sink next to a small container containing some kind of hair product. Next to ancient looking bathtub that doubled as a shower there was a bootle of shower gel and shampoo. It was sparse.

Q stepped towards the door, which was only halfway shut.

James followed him, careful to make no noise, as he was still wearing his shoes. They made their way to the kitchen and living room.

Q took his shoes back and sat them down near what appeared to be the front door of the small flat. Then he gestured towards the couch. James took the hint and sat down while Q made his way to another door, which was shut completely. He knocked.

James rolled his eyes and slumped into the couch. After a few seconds there was the dry rustle of fresh sheets being pushed back, then steps. The door opened and a tall man appeared in the doorway.

Standing there, in the doorframe of a bedroom at 2 am, they looked eerily similar. Q held out his hand and the other shook it.

"Sherlock."

"Q. What a joy to see you well. What is your SIS agent doing on my couch?"

***

Everyone was ecstatic. They had just completed an important mission and It was Friday night. Where else could they have ended up but a pub.

The entirety of Q-branch as well as the double-ohs, Eve and Tanner had cramped into the closest establishment, celebrating the success of the day.

Q and Eve had taken over an entire table at the very back of the pub. After half an hour Tanner had sat down too and a few minutes later even Bond had joined their small circle.

Q and Eve were arguing about someone while Bill and James were trying to understand what was going on.

"Q wants to introduce me to someone, even though he knows I'm not interested in dating right now."

Bond frowned. "Didn't you say just yesterday you were forever in love with the scary one, what’s her name --"

Q sighed. " Morgana Pendragon, Duchess of Sussex, drama queen extraordinaire. Yes. But hear me out --"

"I don’t want to date."

"Unless its the duchess, yes. But please give her a chance? I'll give you her number and you guys can text, I bet you'd love her."

"Q, unless you have Morgana Pendragon’s phone number hidden away in that ridiculous parka of yours, I won't text anyone tonight, alright?"

"...uhm." Q looked uncomfortable.

Eve stared at him. "You’re kidding."

Bill raised his eyebrows gaze flickering between the two. "Wait, what’s going on."

"Q. Please tell me you didn't hack the Buckingham palace’s wifi and stole the phone number of the King’s daughter." Eve asked, suddenly very tense. Bond couldn't tell wether it was from nervousness or excitement.

Q didn't say anything.

Bill tapped his shoulder. "Q, you didn't do that right?"

"I didn't. Why would I do that?"

Eve shrugged, a bit disappointed. "I know you've done worse things for less."

"No I mean, why would I hack the wifi."

James laughed. "Moneypenny, how much exactly has he had to drink? Because I don’t think we should be explaining tech to the quartermaster of MI6."

Eve eyed Q suspiciously. "Not that much. Q are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine. But why would I hack the palace’s wifi?"

Bill rolled his eyes. "According to Eve that’s how you would get Morgana Pendragon’s number." "

I don't need to hack the wifi for that! Has all this time working with me taught you nothing? --- I have Morgana's number on my mobile. She gave it to me ages ago.”

The others stared at him in disbelief.

“Why are you looking at me like that! I have lots of numbers -- Bill, first person that comes to mind, who is it.”

Tanner, looking not at all convinced, if a little intrigued, thought for a second before blurting out. “The Prime minister.”

Q rolled his eyes. Then he pulled his mobile out of his pocket and began scrolling trough the contacts. After a few seconds he turned his phone around to show it to the others. The display showed the name ‘A. Holmes’ and below it a Londoner number.

Eve sucked in a shaky breath. Bill and James turned towards her, clearly confused. Just because the name matched didn’t mean that it was actually the number of the Prime minister of England. She exhaled slowly. “Thats his number. It’s in M’s contact list.”

“Told you so.” Q huffed.

Bond seemed exited. “What about normal people! Do you know a John Hamish Watson? He saved my life in Afghanistan, few years back.”

Q scrolled trough his contacts until he found the right one, then showed it to James. “To be honest, I didn’t know his name was Hamish.”

“You know him Personally?”

”Why else would I have his number? He’s married to my brother.”

Eve took a large gulp of her drink. Bill just muttered something about a small world before emptying his beer.

James was smiling like a child on Christmas. “What else do you carry around! Do you have a knife? A screwdriver? Ohhh -- a flamethrower! Please tell me you carry around a flamethrower.”

Q looked pained but pulled out a metal cylinder. “We developed it some time ago. Can reach up to 500°C, depending on handling the reach is approximately 4 to 6 meter. Happy?”

James nodded vigorously stood, walked around the table and lifted a fumbling Q up from his chair.

“Wha--”

James smirked, carrying Q towards the door. Everyone who wasn’t entirely drunk by now stared at them in confusion. “We’re going to test out that flamethrower. Now.”

“But why do you have to carry me!”

“Because you’re the adult supervision, and because I want to.”

***

Q was in the field. He didn't like it one bit.

Contrary to what every double-oh seemed to believe he was trained as an agent, which at the time had been a simple issue of security. He was important and powerful. He had to be able to defend himself.

Now he was sneaking behind Bond trough the special security sector of the  biggest gene-manipulation company on the planet. Unofficially. Officially it was the third biggest seed producer on the market.

Q was slowly getting tired of the whole sneaking thing. Due to a week of planning, mostly filled with programming and some hacking he was now able to remote control the cameras in the building via his phone.

He had originally wanted to bring his laptop but together with the special equipment but there had been no space left in his bag what so ever.

He pressed a sequence of keys on his phone screen and the cameras in the next hallway over went dark. He gave Bond the signal for go and they went in, enabling the cameras behind them as they went.

Q searched the signs on the doors for the right one. If his calculations were correct it would be in the optimal position, laying almost at the centre of the building right below the high risk laboratories. Finally he spotted the right door and pointed, so Bond knew where they were heading. Q walked up to the door - non descriptive, generic, off-white - and opened to it and stepped inside.

The automated lights went on.

Bond, who was directly behind him stared. "Q are you sure --"

They were in the loos.

"Yes I'm sure. now help me." Q had sat down his messenger bag and was fumbling with the zipper of his black, MI6 issued tactical gear.

"My, my Quartermaster, how am I supposed to say no to that?"

Q flushed. "Not with my clothes 007, with the sink! We're going to steal it!"

"First of alI, am so coming back to that first thing later. Secondly: What?"

"The sink on the far left. Deinstall it."

"I don't have any plumbing gear, Q. I have a Walther and a com. And the com is pretty worthless when you're not on the other side."

Q’s complexion grew even darker at the flattery. "I have plumbing gear." He had finally managed to take of his jacket. He laid it out on the floor and opened a zipper at the top inner lining.

Inside there were two wrenches - apparently exactly the two sizes they needed - as well some other gear couldn't have named to save his life. They were all neatly held in place by rubber bands. Q only grabbed the jacket by the sleeves and dragged it to the very end of the room.

Q got to work, James assisting where he could, and within seven minutes the sink was laying on the floor. "What now? I'm assuming were not just here to steal this beautiful sink."

"Well we can't just leave it, can we?"

“We can't just take it either. They’ll notice it’s gone by tomorrow morning. Which is in three hours."

Q rolled his eyes and scoffed. He picked up his bag and opened the latch. There was sink inside. It looked exactly like the one they had just deinstalled. “It’s explosive.” Q said matter-of-factly, as though that would explain anything.

James nodded offhandedly. “You know what? I’m not even surprised.”

“Good. We have 2.75 hours left before the first shift arrives, so if you’d be so kind?”

“Of course.” James sighed.

***

James was sitting in Q branch. This was not unusual. He often hung around during off time to spend time with the minions, or so he claimed.

In reality he just shadowed Q.

It was an average Thursday night in one of the top secret services on the planet and James was tired.

Not hallucinatory tired though. He was pretty sure the blue police box had actually just appeared out of thin air.

He shrugged. This as Q branch. Q had everything under control.

"Q. A blue box just appeared out of nowhere. Should I be worried or get the kettle going?"

Q, who had just stowed away some paperwork in his desks drawers, appeared in the doorway. "Neither. He’s just here to pick something up."

"Of course love."

Q blushed and walked up the box instead. He knocked twice and waited. James stood and walked over.

"Q, love, please tell me there isn't someone inside the box."

Q rolled his eyes. "Only if you stop calling me love"

"Only if you agree to go get dinner with me."

The door opened. An old man with a shock of white hair stepped out. Behind him was a girl who appeared to be in her early twenties.

"Doctor please tell me we're not-"

"We're not."

"Then where-"

"MI6."

Her eyes went wide but she only uttered a quiet ‘Alright’ and closed the blue door behind her.

The white haired man who had just appeared out of a box which had appeared out of thin air extended his hand towards Q.

Q took it. "Nice to see you again." He said conversationally. "Bond. Meet the Doctor. Doctor, meet Bond."

The doctor nodded at James.

James nodded at the doctor.

The doctor scoffed. "I thought you Englisch were supposed to be polite." His accent was thick and clearly Scottish.

James smiled thinly. It was his I-am-amused-but-i-don’t-show-it smile. "I'm Scottish." He let some of his accent shine through.

Q turned to the girl. She wore a leather jacket and jeans and her coily hair was braided down the back of her head. "I'm Bill. I’m just tagging along."

James put his head to one side. "Nice to meet you Bill. I'm Bond. James Bond."

Q Rolled his eyes.

"And this--" James continued, "--is the lovely Q. He won't go on a date with me, although he clearly want to, so I call him love until he agrees." Bill nodded and turned to the doctor. "Why are we here again?"

"Do I need an excuse to visit some friend and-" he looked Bond over, "-friends of friends?"

"Yes. We were in the middle of something, remember? The puddle? My trapped girlfriend?"

The Doctor rubbed the palms of his hands together. "Ah yesss. Q if you could?”

Q handed him a small pen-like device. Except it wasn't a pen.

"Thanks. You'll get it back in one minute. Well one minute for you. We'll be off!" He turned around and strutted back into the box.

Bill followed him.

The doors closed and the box disappeared.

"Love, that was the single most weirdest thing that has ever happened to me and I'm a literal spy."

Q sighed. "I'll explain over dinner."

[madara-fate]

Who was your favourite character from the shows that aired during this recent season (January - March 2019)?

I’d have to say that it would be Isabella from The Promised Neverland. While researching how well she was received, I came across Mother’s Basement’s video on YouTube over here for how he viewed Isabella, and I found that we shared many of the same opinions on her, so check out his video because it really helped me to articulate various of the following points.

She was such a good antagonist because her mere presence was just so… dominating. She was compelling in a way that few characters are, because she was able to constantly evoke feelings of concern, uncertainty, and to a certain degree, even futility with regards to the kids’ chances of success. However, most importantly, she added a constant sense of tension to the show, which was vital in determining how great of a character she truly was, because whenever she was in view, whenever she was even talked about, Isabella gave the scene a “what’s going to happen” element to it. She kept you on your toes, kept you guessing, and that’s what I loved about her so much. She was remarkably insidious with her actions and mannerisms, and this made her so captivating - Because even when she was in the background of the scene, Isabella just had this way of silently looming over everything that was going on, consistently reminding the kids and the viewers that she is always there, always watching, and would always be a threat. This was one one of the factors which contributed to her overall portrayal as such a truly intimidating force.

She didn’t need to be in focus during the scene in order to impose herself, and she certainly didn’t need to say anything in order to convey how fearsome she was - She could just be playing with the kids like any other normal day, and then she would flash that sinister grin, which always spoke a thousand words:

Isabella always carried herself with this aura of untouchable confidence which just screamed “you can’t win”, and this was very explicitly communicated in her grin above. She was always depicted in a way that made it seem as though getting the better of her was a near impossible task, because she always seemed to be at least three steps ahead, every single time.

Yet, that only scratches the surface of what made her so captivating as the series’ main antagonist. Despite her calm demeanour and her smiley nature with the kids, this didn’t prevent her from being scary, because there were times when she was scary. The expression that she wore at the very end of the first episode was one of the most memorable shots in the entire season for me:

It was just the mixture of cold rage and subdued panic on her face when she was staring down at Connie’s stuffed toy, and realising the implications of what that meant… It was just downright chilling.

Similarly, the way Isabella looked at Emma as she was confronting her during episode 2 had a similar effect - It’s like she was piercing a hole straight through Emma’s very soul with that frightening glare:

However, I’d argue that Isabella is actually collectively more scary when she is her normal, smiley self. Whenever she acts oblivious and puts on the caring Mama facade, even her warmest and most caring actions always seemed to have an underlying feeling of superiority to them, like she had the children in the palm of her hand. This ensured that whenever Isabella was even mentioned, the scene was immediately given a sense of uneasiness, and that is a very special quality to have; her character was powerful, because even when things seemed to be going according to plan for the main trio, you just couldn’t help but think that Isabella knew more than she was letting on.

To further reiterate how menacing she could be even when all smiles, are the multiple instances in which she demonstrates just how capable and dangerous she can be. One of the prime examples was when she somehow managed to become even more terrifying by orchestrating her own backup’s death:

This scene, as well as everything that came immediately after it during episode 8, really revealed just how far ahead Isabella truly was. We learned the full scope of what she knew - Sister Krone’s plotting, Ray’s treachery, Don and Gilda’s involvement and even the most minute details of their plans of escape, Isabella knew. This really emphasised that aura of untouchable confidence which just screamed “you can’t win” that I had mentioned earlier, and it was this revelation that initially brought on the feelings of futility, because from this point onward, it started to become agonisingly clear that every solution the kids could possibly formulate would only led to dead ends because Isabella would seemingly always be three steps ahead.

Just look at how she side-eyes Don and Gilda as she passes them with that trademark knowing grin of hers:

With that one look, she instantly set the kids back to square one, because every advantage they thought they had, they never really had in the first place.

Yet, I’d say the thing which made episode 8 truly great was how it managed to shed light on Isabella’s true nature. She adopts warm and motherly mannerisms when with the kids, but when she’s with Ray or alone, she is very distant and cunning. But when she confronted Emma and Norman for the first time “without the acting”, she revealed her true incentive for being a Mama - Love:

A very twisted love, but in her mind, a genuine and authentic love for the children, because due to her own experiences with being a child in one of the farms, she reached the conclusion that escape was impossible. So rather then fight what she deemed to be inevitable, she instead opted to ensure that the children would at least be able to live happy lives until they were eventually shipped out. This endeavour of her’s was genuine, and it just added to Isabella’s mystique because she would demonstrate mere moments later the extreme lengths she would go to in order protect them from their own idealistic fantasies, as she proceeded to nonchalantly break Emma’s leg, and would then comfort her as if nothing had just transpired:

That, is terrifying - This love that she harboured for the children would lead her to lie to them, manipulate them, and physically injure them all for the sake of their own “protection”. This love of hers was the kind of love that would lead her to cradle Emma with a broken leg in her arms, lavishing her with love and attentiveness, as if she hadn’t just broken it herself seconds earlier with minimal effort.

In my opinion, that is far more terrifying than any expression she could wear, or the cold and calculated persona that she adopted when with Ray or alone, because her method of controlling them and imposing her dominance through her love, made the angle so much more psychological, and when Isabella visited Emma shortly after Norman was shipped out, she had this very telling expression and demeanour; It was almost as if she was saying “I told you so”:

This is important because as mentioned earlier, Isabella has first hand experience with being a child in these farms, so a large part of her perpetual confidence in the futility of the children’s aspirations lies in her ability to predict the outcome of their efforts based on her own struggles all those years ago.

However, despite her outward aura of invincibility, there were one or two occasions where chinks in her armour were revealed. As she was escorting Norman to the gates to be shipped out, the latter asked her if she was truly happy, a question which although brief, appeared to have rattled her immensely:

I feel that this scene is a lot more significant than it’s often given credit for. Up until this point, Isabella had forgotten what actual love and happiness felt like; She only had in her mind the type of “love” that had been shown to her following her escape attempts, and as she was preparing to become a Mama. Therefore, it stands to reason that her manner of showing love to the children as discussed above may very well be the only type of love she could remember.

However, Norman’s question shook her, because for a brief moment, she asked herself that question, and realised that something was missing. This is key to what makes Isabella a sympathetic character, despite the horrible things that she had done over the course of the series and her severely warped mindset. Through the flashback in the final episode, we see what she was like during her youth, and the many parallels with Emma were unquestionable:

We understand how she became what she is currently, why she ultimately submitted to the Grandma of her time and started training to become a future Mama, and what motivated her to become such a valuable asset to the organisation. It’s like Isabella can really be herself when taking care of the children, even the ones who had no future. This wasn’t solely a means of survival to her - She did genuinely love the time that she spent taking care of them, and that’s part of what made her so successful. An authentic love for what you do always leads to a better performance.

Additionally, when it was revealed that Ray was her actual biological son, it made it easier to understand why they had the relationship that they did. When Isabella first learned about it, she displayed a level of vulnerability that was so uncharacteristic of anything we had seen from her adult self thus far:

And made it nigh impossible not to feel at least the slightest bit of sympathy for her, especially when considering the tragic origins of the melody Ray was humming. Leslie was Isabella’s closest friend as a child; she may have even loved him, but she could do nothing to prevent his departure. Thus, as she was alone, her subsequent attempts at escaping failed, and she ultimately gave in.

Isabella is a representation of what Emma could have become, had she not had the help of Norman, Ray and everyone else, and that just perpetuates the notion that at heart, Isabella is indeed a good person who is just making the most out of a truly morbid situation. However, that’s not to say that she is blameless. Isabella is definitely a victim, but she is not innocent. By accepting the Grandma’s proposition, she made the selfish decision to prolong her own survival at the expense of the other children, but her decision was understandable.

Ultimately though, when the children actually did manage to escape against all odds, Isabella lost the will to oppose them any further:

Because her desire to protect them from their attempts of escaping was only because she firmly believed escape to be impossible. Going back to the conversation she had with Emma during episode 10, Isabella reiterated what she had told the children during episode 8 - How she wanted them to give up because she truly believed that their efforts would only lead them to more suffering and despair due to its futility, and she didn’t want them to suffer:

She echoed to Emma the thoughts that crossed her mind when she eventually made the decision to become a Mama - To simply accept the grim situation that she was living in, to free herself from the suffering that would inevitably come should she persist in resisting, and to make the most of the opportunity that was offered to her by doing what she could to survive:

So she just didn’t want the children to keep hurting themselves by dreaming of things that would never come true. Obviously, they proved her wrong, and did so by having the utmost faith in their peers. The system only felt inescapable to Isabella because she faced it alone, a sentiment which she herself explicitly alluded to during her conversation with Emma:

So when Emma ultimately still refused to give up on trying to escape, even after all the setbacks they had experienced including her broken leg and Norman’s apparent death, Isabella would admonish her for her foolishness and take her leave, but not before turning back and giving Emma a look of genuine sorrow:

Because Isabella knew it too - Emma is just like she was in her youth, so she couldn’t help but feel a large sense of empathy for Emma because she knew exactly what she was currently going through. However, as Isabella was witnessing the children escaping, doing what she had agonisingly failed to do all those years ago, you could tell that she was genuinely pleased for them as she wished them all the best.

The shot of her waving goodbye to them as she prayed for their success in particular really tugged at my heartstrings, because it just illustrated how much she really did care about them, and how much in her own twisted way, she really was just trying to protect them, that much was now certain:

And afterwards, she would return to Phil and tell him not to worry because they had all escaped safely, thereby not only once again illustrating how far ahead Isabella always is because she already knew that Phil was aware of the truth, but also emphasising the authenticity of her affection for them. As mentioned earlier, Isabella finds a real purpose in nurturing all of the children, and this final shot of her taking care of the younger ones who remained really exemplified this:

Here, she’s allowed to be her genuine self, doing what she genuinely loves for people who she genuinely loves, and it was very nice to see Isabella with her hair down (both literally and figuratively). Especially when considering that her future is now surely going to be in question. So due to this, it was all the more heartwarming to know that if her days were indeed numbered, Isabella would at least be spending them without the worry and stress of expectation on her shoulders. Seeing the contrast of how she was portrayed at the beginning of the series to her portrayal at its conclusion, and witnessing the journey she took to get from one point to the other was truly enthralling; No other character from the Winter Season gripped me quite like Isabella did, and that’s why she’s at the top.

[sunnybugz]

only fools

chapter: i

word count: 2115

authors note: hi losers, welcome to the first chapter of my new fanfic, it’s dianetti because i am dianetti trash. it’s also a highschool au because i am a teenager and do not know how the real word works. hope u like it!!! i will be posting it on ao3 once my account request finally comes back (by the end of this week!!) lets get to it i guess???

11:38 AM, Brooklyn Academy High cafeteria

Rosa sat at their lunch table, eating her sandwich. By their, she meant her the table that had belonged to her and her best friends since ninth grade. Her best friends being Jake Peralta, Amy Santiago, Charles Boyle, and of course, the one and only Gina Linetti. They were all so amazingly different yet fit together so well. Jake was the dark-haired, brown-eyed, absolutely hilarious (and absolutely childish at times) boy sitting at the top right of their table. He was a total idiot a lot of the time, but was amazing at solving puzzles and problems. He also had an intense love for Die Hard and drinks that were the colour blue. Amy, however, was the beautiful, smart and organized Cuban girl sitting across from Rosa. She was so put together all the time, but was also really goofy and cute when not under watch from everyone else. Her favourite things in the world were probably binders, essays, and her boyfriend, Jake. Charles was the brown-haired, clumsy, goofball who sat beside Amy. He was a total dork who was far too obsessed with his friends relationships, but was truly the most kind and caring person any of them have met in their entire life. He loved to cook too, and often brought some weird food that he made the night before for all of them to try (which often ended terribly, but they were thankful for the effort). And then there was Gina Linetti. Gina was gorgeous, with auburn hair and blue eyes, and she was a lot shorter than Rosa. She was silly and sarcastic and treated herself like she was the queen of the world (which she basically was in Rosa’s eyes). She also cared about her friends more than anything in the world (other than maybe her phone).

The group hadn’t always been as close as they were now though. Jake and Gina had been best friends probably since birth, because their families were super close. Charles and Jake became best friends in the third grade after being assigned desk partners and realizing they were an amazing team when it came to cheating on spelling tests. Amy had come along in seventh grade, when she moved to their area and became part of their class. Rosa joined the gang in the middle of grade eight, when she was new at their school and Gina was the only one who would actually come up to her despite her scary exterior. From then on, they had been a power team, and probably one of the closest, drama free friend groups in their entire high school. They supported each other through everything (even in tenth grade when Amy made the idiotic decision to date Teddy Wells, and to get over his enormous crush on her, Jake dated Sophia  Perez. They realized it was stupid and started dating within a few months). It was nice to just have people who genuinely loved Rosa for who she was, even if that person was an angry, bisexual, all-black-wearing, eighteen year old girl.

It was in that moment when Rosa realized she had been spacing out for the past 45 seconds.

“Hello? I know my girlfriend is hot but there’s no need to stare,” Jake teases while throwing a french fry at Rosa’s head. She rolls her eyes and throws it back.

“Yeah, Rosa, I’m totally the one you should be staring at right now, I mean, look at me!” Gina joins in. At this one, unlike Jake’s teasing, Rosa feels her face heat up. If she had been consciously staring, it definitely would have been at Gina. Of course, she would never say that out loud. Nobody could ever know about her top-secret crush on the auburn haired dancer. Except unknown to Rosa, literally everyone knew except for Gina. Jake and Amy had placed a $20 bet on whether Rosa would ask her out by Valentine’s day. Jake thought Rosa totally would, because she’s been obsessed with her since like, eighth grade, but Amy thought that if Rosa still hasn’t made a move after four and a half years, what would all of a sudden compel her to do so? Charles would always ‘accidentally’ make situations where the two of them ended up alone, but instead of ending up with them confessing their undying love for each other and then promptly making out like everyone hoped it would, it would always end with Rosa stumbling over her words when Gina did or said something cute (re: every five seconds). Rosa thought she was an amazing secret keeper, but it turns out Gina was just oblivious to the rest of the world when she wasn’t being mentioned.

Before Rosa could answer, the bell rang. Everyone quickly got up to race to their next class. “Want me to walk you to class?” asked Gina.

“Gina, it’s English. We’re in the same class. We literally sit beside each other.” Rosa said.

“Fine! I guess I’ll walk alone!” Gina said dramatically. Rosa smiled a huge, dorky smile that she didn’t do for anyone other than Gina.

“I never said I wanted that,” Rosa laughed. Gina turned back to her, smiling her cute smile that Rosa saw in her dreams every night without fail.

“Proven again, Gina Linetti is absolutely irresistible to the ladies!”, Gina said far too loudly.

She isn’t wrong, though, Rosa thought.

2:34 PM, Brooklyn Academy High

The rest of the school day goes by quite uneventfully. Everyone is anticipating the end of the day, when casting in the spring musical comes out. Their schools musicals are written every year by an ex-student at their school, Terry Jeffords. They’ve always been love stories, and Jake and Amy have respectively played the lead male and female every year without fail. This year though, that won’t happen. Mainly because it’s a musical about homophobia, and if Jake and Amy were playing lesbians, the school would have a lot of issues to figure out. However, there is a specific someone who also auditioned for the girlfriend of the character Rosa auditioned for. Rosa auditioned to play Lola, the female lead, a lesbian who has recently come out at her Catholic school and is threatened with expulsion, and Gina auditioned for the role of June, Lola’s girlfriend who is yet to come out. However, Rosa doesn’t think she could ever get the part. Gina will almost 100% get June, but there was a bunch of girls going for the part of Lola. Not as many as there usually are for the lead role (most girls weren’t up to playing a lesbian), but still a fair amount.

When 2:40 finally comes, any drama kid races to the auditorium. They all sit in chairs, Rosa snagging a spot between Gina, who has decided to live stream the casting, and Amy, who is holding Jake’s hand tightly. They’re all on the edge of their seats waiting for Director Holt to come in and read the casting list. When he finally walks in at 2:46, the room goes silent.

“I know you’ve all been waiting for a week and a half since auditions, and I apologize for leaving you all to wonder. However, I now have the casting list, and I’m sure you would all like to hear it.” he says. Yes! Of course they want to hear it!

“I will be reading out the main cast. As you all know, any person not given a main role will be given a role as an extra,” Holt says. Rosa prays that isn’t referring to her. She��s never been an extra, but from the sounds of it, it absolutely sucks. “First off, playing the role of Madam Wringer, the headmistress, will be Sophia Perez,” he reads. First announcement is quite awkward, as this means Jake will most likely have his ex-girlfriend as his co-star.

“The role of Lola’s brother, Henry, will be played by Charles Boyle,”. Yay for Charles! It’s no surprise he got the role, he’s a great actor and is good for both dramatic scenes and comedic relief.

“The role of Lola’s father will be played by none other than Jake Peralta,” reads Director Holt. No surprise there, Jake got the leading male.

“Lola’s mother will be played by Amy Santiago.”. Amy and Jake look at each other with heart eyes. Of course they’re playing a married couple.

“Finally, we’re onto our two leading lady roles. June, the girlfriend will be played by Gina Linetti, and finally, Lola will be played by Rosa Diaz.”

Gina turns to Rosa with her phone. “Babe, we’re girlfriends!”. Rosa freezes for a second before smiling hugely. She tries not to make it obvious the effect that the little pet name has on her, and if Gina notices, she doesn’t say anything.

Rosa is also in shock because she got the female lead! She’s never been the lead, as Amy has always scored the role. Gina ends her live stream with a “Bye, losers!”, and turns back to the group. “I say this calls for celebratory pizza!”. The group cheers, and all feel even happier knowing that they get to go to Sal’s pizza afterwords.

“Our first read through will be tomorrow after school, and we will be rehearsing daily. I expect us to start blocking soon, so you all must practice as often as you can,” Holt says. “I expect no nonsense with this production. You are all experienced actors, and you all know how a play works. Read over your scripts tonight!”. Once they all have their scripts, everyone heads out the door.

“Rosa, how does it feel to get the privilege of playing the love interest of someone as wonderful as me? I’ve never had the experience, please describe in detail.” Gina says, smirking. Rosa shakes her head and smiles.

“It’s wonderful Gina, but I think with the amount of love you have for yourself you wouldn’t have to ask,” Rosa retorts.

“It’s called confidence, bitch! Look it up!” Gina jokes, hitting Rosa lightly on the back of her head.

“Ooh, two lovebirds having a quarrel! Who will win, or will it end in a kiss?” Charles says. The two of them roll their eyes.

“We aren’t lovebirds, Charles! We aren’t even likebirds! We’re just… friendbirds! That’s right, they’re a real thing! You’ve just never heard of them!” Rosa defends.

“Yeah, Charles! Also, Rosa, I truly care about you but if you call me a bird again, I will not hesitate to throw you in front of a bus. I’m clearly a wolf.” Gina says. Rosa rolls her eyes.

“Okay, stop flirting, I want pizza!” Jake complains. Amy lets out a breathy laugh while shaking her head.

“We aren’t flirting!”, Gina and Rosa say in unison.

8:19 PM, Rosa Diaz’s Bedroom

Rosa is looking over her script for the first time, while lying in bed. She’s changed out of her black jeans, navy blue t-shirt, and leather jacket, and now wears flannel pyjama pants and a black tank top. She’s about halfway through the script, when she sees a line that catches her eye.

LOLA AND JUNE SHARE A SOFT, LOVING KISS

Rosa re-reads the line about five times to see if it’s right. Lo and behold, the line remains the same. Rosa feels giddy with nerves. She’s going to kiss Gina Linetti. For a play, but that means nothing to her. She doesn’t care what she’s doing it for, as long as she is kissing that girl. Rosa giggles - actually giggles- at the thought. Just then, she gets a text from Jake.

Jake: haha looks like sum1’s wishes are coming tru ;)

Rosa: shut up, jake. i’m totally not into her that way.

(Rosa is definitely into her that way)

Jake: okayyyy sure. explain y u look at her the way u do.

Rosa: how do i look at her?

Jake: like ur in loveeeee

Rosa: ugh, i am NOT in love. she’s just hot, ok??? i'm not one of those lovey-dovey freaks like u and amy

Jake: that’s what i said before i dated amy but ok

Rosa: no, u literally said ‘i would marry amy santiago without hesitation, whether that’s at a huge mansion or in an actual dumpster’

Jake: welp, u got me there.

Rosa rolls her eyes and shuts her phone off. She doesn’t have to tell people about her personal feelings. Emotions were gross, in her opinion. Unless they were emotions about Gina, which were absolutely amazing. However, those were secret feelings. Nobody is supposed to know about that.

That night, Rosa has some very good dreams about Gina Linetti.

[megatentious]

Megami Tensei where u at??

When you are down in the dumps about your favorite video game franchise and the future of a series that is special for you, sometimes you end up seeking it out in places that are … unexpected. I’m going to talk about how, over the last couple years, I ended up seeing three different flavors of Megami Tensei in three different games, and maybe by the end of this we can all end up feeling like it’s okay to move on with our lives. Just keep telling yourself that your favorite games are not your identity and it’s not that serious bruh but also tell yourself that it is therapeutic to collect many paragraphs of thoughts you have had about this to write at length about in your blog.

First up is a game that many many people have noticed is very Megaten and that is the Digimon RPG, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. There was no reason at all for this to be as good of a game as it is. I have no special affinity for the cartoon show. I do not like the Devil Survivor character designer even a little bit. I do not find grinding and monster collecting for the sake of monster collecting entertaining. But from the very first trailer something seemed compelling, and as good word of mouth spread I decided this was going to be a game I needed to play.

Again, everyone has already commented on how Megaten this game feels, and for me the closest specific analogue is actually Raidou Kuzunoha. From the first extended trailer I noticed the jazzy main theme, the detective agency conceit, the visible partner monsters appearing in a Tokyo with bold camera angle choices, and felt a weird familiarity. Digimon also function very plainly as Megami Tensei demons in multiple ways, not only mechanically but also through their story roles. And the somewhat arcane stat manipulation needed for high-end Digivolving scratches the exact same itch as high-end Megaten fusion from previous SMT iterations, which is both a dangerous (100 hours of playtime good lord) and wonderful (100 hours of playtime good lord!) itch to scratch.

You need to put up with some annoying characters and prattling dialogue, but unlike other games there is no pretense here which absolutely helps. Also, re-interpreting traditional Japanese folklore through the lens of the Digimon world is something that never stopped being fascinating for me even amidst a sub-par localization, and as someone with low familiarity with the cartoon, the Digimon designs themselves were alternately hilariously bizarre, bafflingly stupid, and straight up awesome. They even have their own Lucifer! 

By the time you get to the second half of the story where the game completely changes and becomes about alliances and faction-building and what happens to a city facing apocalypse, when you take in the incredible atmosphere in Odaiba all buoyed by a soundtrack that has no right to be as good as it is, you start to feel optimistic about how Megaten influence can live on even outside of the series itself.

Next up is an entry from another series that is occasionally compared to SMT, but this one in particular feels like it was only played by two or three people at all when it was miraculously released earlier in 2019 for the Nintendo 3DS. I’m talking about Yokai Watch 3. Arriving close to three years after its initial Japanese release to utterly resounding indifference, this game’s hook is that you get to play in “America,” but as you can tell from the quotes around America this is actually much more complicated than it seems in a way that specifically draws comparison to my beloved Revelations: Persona. You see, the very Japanese Yokai Watch series city location of Sakura New Town, Japon, was localized here for us as Springdale, Springdale back in the first game. This decision has led to many wonderful incongruities moving forward that are honestly identical to those in the Lunarvale of Revelations: Persona. Gotta love these small American towns with Shinto temples in em!

With Yokai Watch 3’s plot focusing on the family moving to actual America though, and the cross-cultural hijinks that are meant to ensue, things quickly get even weirder and more strained. Protagonist Nate Adams complains about the difficulty of understanding southern accents while slurping down sukiyaki. Shopkeepers with tempura-based hairstyles serve traditional Japanese dishes in the quaint American township of St. Peanutsburg. Huge timezone differences between America and “America” are introduced. And all of this is refracted through the even more convoluted localization prism of this game about two versions of America being scripted by the British, leading to children aspiring to be “basketballers” and restaurants having “oriental” atmosphere.

I’m barely scratching the surface of the dissertation-worthy unpacking needed for all of this, and it’s difficult to describe just how deeply weird the vibe can get in this game. In just the first twenty minutes of Yokai Watch 3, you have 1) a purely nutso anime opening featuring scary demonic folklore-based yokai, robots, and cat mascots 2) Mulder and Scully very seriously discussing mysterious “Y Files” 3) a rhythm game where your very American family devours an enormous amount of sukiyaki 4) the same very American (or in the game’s terms, “Springdalian”) family leaving their home to move to the state? country? of “BBQ” and 5) suddenly you are an otaku girl going to a figure shop in “Sparkopolis.” This is just as delirious as it sounds.

Revelations Persona’s uncanny America atmosphere may be one of a kind, but Yokai Watch 3’s frequently insane scenarios can sometimes recall a similar sort of lunacy that leads you to end up fighting a giant mechanical rat while a song with the track name “Child Abuse” plays, or chatting up a populace of mole-covered rainbow afro’d citizens in a locked down mall. At one point after returning from one of Yokai Watch 3’s various alternate dream worlds (very Persona!) my game was even afflicted with a commonly reported glitch that caused the environmental textures to not load, leading to a flat polygon world and some authentic PSX Lunarvale vibes. Throw in all the folktales and mythology involved in the yokai themselves and straight up demon fusion in a cathedral and suddenly you’ll end up experiencing more Megaten than you’d ever expect to see in an RPG targeted to young children.

Last up is an all-time classic that actually predates Shin Megami Tensei entirely, making it temporally impossible for any influence to show up, which muddles the entire concept of this essay but please roll with it you guys this is just how I feel. I’m talking about the seminal Phantasy Star, for the Master System, which I played through M2’s loving, impeccable SEGA AGES port on Switch. This game, which was released in 1987, is simply incredible. Right off the bat you’ve got genius-level programming from Yu Suzuki himself, which allowed for the first person dungeons to scroll so smoothly that posting a snippet of directly captured footage from the game can still lead to semi-viral tweets. It’s these extremely cool boldly colored first person dungeons, along with the expansive feeling of the several worlds you visit that led me to feel some of the spirit of Megami Tensei 2 specifically in this game.

“oops i accidentally phantasy starred for four hours” is how I put it playing through this game for the first time, and it’s a given that a non-fantasy setting RPG where you can talk to the monsters would be appealing to me. Phantasy Star as a series was in fact deliberately conceptualized as a rebellion against the many fantasy RPGs of the time, and the developers have talked about this in a way that is practically identical to early staff interviews about the goals for Megami Tensei. Director and gaming luminary Rieko Kodama has remarked that the choice of a female protagonist was also considered rebellious, even though it felt like a natural choice for her on a personal level.

Megami Tensei 2 is the game that builds the structure for Shin Megami Tensei as we know it today, moving away from Megami Tensei 1’s single full-game dungeon format to a world map with numerous discrete dungeons and eventually, paths to alternate worlds. Phantasy Star shares this exact design format, which still feels so expansive and impressive to this day. It’s a treat to get to experience a game like this over 30 years after its release on current hardware and still feel such an impact, and all of you need to go out and buy buy buy this game, seriously give M2 your money.

I’ve taken it as a given that everyone shares my perspective on where Shin Megami Tensei is at these days as a series, and it’s obviously never a good look to come across as an over-dramatic scolding bitter old who has retreated into pure irrelevance. But by documenting all of these observations down for myself, I can at least feel better about finding bits and pieces of various Megaten strains in the games of today. The lesson learned is that even if you feel your favorite franchise has lost its way, you may be able to find parts of it in the places you least expect.

[mydarlingklaus]

Unexpected Bliss

A cute quick thing I wrote for the upcoming 5x11 episode of TO. There’s no direct KC, yet, but still KC and a teenage Hope is in it so don’t complain (: 

Happy reading!

Klaus turned and was immediately star struck as his older sister walked towards him in her wedding dress with flowers in hand. With not much prep time after Freya’s surprise proposal to Keelin Rebekah managed to find, well compel, the couple the perfect outdoor venue not too far from the plantation the family resided in New Orleans. The youngest Mikaelson sister planned practically everything, from colors to seating arraignments, though of course the happy couple had the last word. It was a simple and intimate gathering with the Mikaelson family and some members of Keelin’s wolf pack in attendance. The hybrid genuinely grinned looking at his sister in her white bohemian styled dress, appearing more beautiful than ever with a shy smile on her face. 

“You can stop looking like a proud dad any time now.” Freya teased now standing in front of him. “How about a proud brother instead?” Klaus smirked. “You look beautiful Freya.” Kissing her cheek. “Thank you. You look very handsome.” She complimented his simple all black tux. “I’m still in disbelief that this is happening. I’m really getting married.” Her cheeks reddened and she could feel the tears building in her eyes for the thousandth time that day, determined to ruin her makeup. Rebekah would never forgive her. Klaus’s lip curved into a gentle smile at her overwhelmed state full of bliss and happiness, finally. “You deserve it.” He genuinely declared. She smiled wide, blinking away her tears. “Thank you and also for agreeing to walk me down the aisle. I love Kol and Elijah but this just felt right. Somehow me and you ended up being the closest, who would’ve predicted that?” He softly laughed. “It was nothing, I assure you. I was honored when you asked.” Freya exhaled into a smile. “You’ve sacrificed a lot for this family, for me. A debt that I will never be able to repay.” “Klaus...” He put his hand up. “I’m serious. Everything you’ve done for Hope: being by her side when I couldn’t, practically helping Hayley raise her and being the support system she needed through this tragic transition in her life...” Their family was still coping with the loss of Hayley 2 months ago. Klaus hadn’t stopped feeling guilty or helpless trying to be there for his daughter and Elijah. It took awhile for them all to realize they needed to move forward, no matter how difficult it became and they managed to do so, together. He sighed before continuing. “This has been difficult for all of us, and I don’t know if we would’ve had the strength to suppress it all without you.” She sniffled tightening her hold on the flowers. “Keelin’s good, you two are good together. You deserve to be happy, one of us needs to be.” Klaus half joked. Freya sympathetically smiled at her younger brother who appeared more somber than he probably wanted to express. She pressed her lips together and sniffed her tears back. “That means a great deal coming from you. We’ve been through a lot, you and I. Our relationship did not start off great.” “Understatement.” Klaus corrected with a teasing smirk making them both softly laugh. Now they could laugh at the bad memories from their first encounters. Neither accepting nor trusting one another as family and even wanting each other dead; typical Mikaelson fashion. Yet here they are now, standing together with happy tears and smiles as Klaus prepared to walk her down the aisle for her wedding. It was surreal. “Yeah well we overcame it, we Mikaelsons always do.” Freya claimed, holding more meaning behind it than let on. Klaus simply nodded. “Our family has been through a lot, especially recently. If anything all the tragedy our family has endured only made me realize more than ever how short life truly is, even as an immortal you can agree with me on that.” He silently agreed. “It’s too short to feel like you’re in it alone or holding back from what you really want, and you’re not alone Klaus no matter how much you wish you were.” She sassed. He smirked. “What makes you think I don’t have everything I want? My entire family is finally back together, that’s all I’ve ever wanted for centuries.” “True, but I know you.” She answered. Klaus flinched when Freya grabbed his hand in hers. Affection still a foreign concept for him. She continued. “While family is very important you also need more, you should want more. I know you don’t believe it but you deserve happiness too Klaus.” His jaw tightened. “Our family is an extremely loyal one and I love that but, the short time I’ve been apart of it I’ve seen how easy it is for us to be selfish with each other. Wanting more for ourselves outside of family isn’t going to break us.” Freya began. Klaus furrowed his eyebrows. “We’ve created this notion that if we’re not shackled to each other for life we’ll fall apart not, realizing the negative effects it actually has on our family. We stop each other from being happy and then resent each other after.” “Freya-“ “I will always believe in ‘always and forever’ but family is supposed to be unconditional love, not forced. We can live separate lives and still be as close as ever, we might even be closer being apart.” She happily suggested. “It’s a cycle that’s been around for a thousand years and needs to finally come to an end. I almost lost Keelin for good over it and I don’t want that to happen to any of us again.” Freya claimed. Klaus’s jaw clenched and unclenched. He knew everything she was saying was true, if Rebekah and Elijah lecturing him for over the centuries wasn’t proof enough. “Why are you telling me all this now?” He asked. She laugh-cried. “Because I’m getting married and preparing to start a new life outside of my siblings for the first time in over a decade. I’m happy, really happy. I just want you to know that you need to start looking out for yourself too.” “I don’t need any help in that department, love.” Klaus smugly claimed. Freya rolled her eyes. “Uh huh, well you’ve come a long way since when we first met and even more before that. I’m not the only one who’s noticed, everyone has, especially a certain Mystic Falls headmistress...” She said with a teasing grin. His smirk dropped and a  blush of red instantly rushed to his face at the mention of the baby vampire in Mystic Falls, who he hasn’t seen or spoken to since she was last in New Orleans. The last time Klaus and Caroline were together was 2 months ago when they went on a brief, yet effective, road trip to track down a runaway Hope. Just the few hours being together Klaus was reminded of how much he genuinely missed her. Unfortunately, with everything happening lately with his family, there never seemed like a right time for Klaus to reach out to her. He didn’t even know what to say after receiving her more than generous letter following Hayley’s death. Not that she’s been far from his mind, but he definitely didn’t want to talk about it with one of his sisters. “Freya.” He warned. “Hey, you can’t get mad at the bride on her wedding day.” She smiled with a raised brow. Klaus glared which only amused Freya more. “I met your mysterious ‘friend’ when I visited Hope at school and was well informed your colorful history together.” She said suggestively. His blush grew and he dropped his hand from her hold. “I’m not discussing this with you.” Klaus claimed crossing his arms over his chest. Freya couldn’t help but laugh at Klaus’s embarrassment, like a teenage boy with a crush. “You can be in denial all you want. I just wanted to say she’s nice, pretty and definitely seems like she can handle you.” He subtly grinned knowing she definitely could. “Not to mention your daughter adores her like crazy and Hayley trusted her as well.” - So do I. Klaus wanted to add. Freya stepped closer to Klaus and smiled. “Look I might not know the extent of your story with Caroline and I might not know her as well as everyone else, but she seems like a good person and good for you. You guys have been in each others lives for a long time and she obviously cares about you...you care about her too.” - I more than care about her. His thoughts never ending. It still boggled his mind that Caroline Forbes, the baby vampire who unintentionally stole his undead heart over a decade ago and swore wanted nothing to do with him, cared about him as much as he did her. Klaus frustratingly sighed. “Fine yes I care about her, deeply. What’s your point?” The witch scoffed. “My point is that I want you to be happy and I think Caroline makes you happy, if that blush on your face isn’t proof enough.” He tried, and failed, to hide his small smile. There has been an obvious change in their dynamic since being in Mystic Falls together all those years ago. Caroline was more comfortable and unashamed of her feelings for him now, which was refreshing as much as scary. They hadn’t discussed much where their relationship would go now since re-entering each other’s lives, and frankly Klaus wasn’t sure he wanted to know. If anything, all these years constantly entering and exiting each others lives only proved to him how much they weren’t meant to be. Talking about it only made him dread. He nervously licked his lips, staring down at his feet. “If only it was that simple.” “Why can’t it be?” Freya shrugged. Klaus quickly stared up at his older sister. “You care about her, she cares about you and you both keep coming back in each other’s lives for a reason. Don’t you think you owe it to yourself to see where it could go? Stop making excuses and just go for it!” She persisted. He use to fantasize the possibilities of what could happen if Caroline finally gave him a chance. Yes, he promised to wait for her forever but the fact it might happen sooner than he thought was terrifying. No, no it could never happen. Not even now. The hybrid gulped. “I cant go back to Mystic Falls. I made her a promise-“ “Forget the promise! You’re acting worse than a child!” She joked. The corner of his lips twitched up. “Love, this is your wedding day. Shouldn’t you be focused on your love life instead of mine?” Her teeth scraped over her bottom lip. “Yes, it is my wedding day yet here I am focusing on you instead of the insane butterflies in my stomach ready to burst thinking about walking down that aisle towards the woman I love in a few minutes. I’m doing this because I care about you and love you.” Klaus stiffened but soon relaxed when Freya leaned in to give him a much needed reassuring hug. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her tight making the witch smile. “Please be happy.” She whispered in his ear before kissing him lightly on his scruffy cheek and pulling away. “Don’t pretend that you aren’t dying to see her either.” Klaus simply rolled his eyes. - If only you knew. Anything Klaus was preparing to say was halted by his 15 year old daughter storming through the doors. The witch and hybrid both stared at the young girl confusingly as she stumbled in closing the doors behind her and approaching the two. “Hey! Sorry for the abrupt entrance but- oh my god, you look so beautiful Auntie Freya.” Hope happily complimented. “Thanks Hope.” Klaus stepped towards his daughter. “Sweetheart what are you doing back here? You’re supposed to keep the guests occupied till we come out.” “I know, I know. Uncle Elijah wanted me to inform you that we’re a little delayed because we only had enough chairs for 20 people and a special guest decided to show up last minute so Marcel had to go find another chair for her-“ “Special guest?” Freya asked. “Her?” Klaus asked at the same time. The younger witch pressed her lips together nervously, trying to avoid her father’s gaze and quickly looked over at her gorgeous auntie. “Did I mention how amazing you look Auntie Freya!” The girl nervously praised. Klaus took another step forward, towering over his daughter when he took in her sudden anxious behavior. “Hope...” She cautiously looked up at him. “Mhmm?” “Might I ask, who this special guest is?” Klaus asked. Hope shrugged. “Just a last minute rsvp.” She confirmed with a nervous smile. “Hope.” He challenged. She gulped, looking between the siblings with fidgety fingers. It’s not that she tried keeping this a secret, well at least till Klaus saw for himself anyway. Sighing in defeat, the young Mikaelson looked up at Klaus. “Fine, I invited her as my plus one but Auntie Freya said I could invite anyone I wanted-“ “Who, Hope?” He pressured. Sighing again, she grabbed his hand and walked him over to the back door. “Maybe you should see for yourself.” She warned Klaus’s eyes lowered as Hope opened the door enough to where it wouldn’t alarm the guests but Klaus would still be able to look through. He poked his head in to see all the guests in their respectable seats. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until he spotted, her. The hybrid’s heart sank into his throat, stomach in knots and hands felt clammy when he immediately saw who was sitting in the front second row. Her recognizable bouncy blonde curls swung side to side as she looked around, flashing that signature pageant smile at the random guests introducing themselves to her and those wandering blue eyes he always drowned in. - I’m hallucinating. There’s no way she’s here. Klaus thought to himself. Blinking a few times to confirm this was real, that she was really here. The longer he stared the more real it became and anxious he felt.   His breath caught in his throat as he slowly turned his head to glare at his sneaky daughter. “Surprise?” Hope whispered with a nervous smile.

Please leave reviews on the attached link (:

[desperadohurricane]

Horrific Headcanons

✘ Have they ever committed a murder? Yes, long before she starts working at Desperado and only out of self defense.

▼ What is their greatest fear? Something she battles with every day as a wandress moving from place to place--loneliness.  

✿ Would they ever trust dark or wicked magic? No, because users of dark magic are out for their own gain and everything always comes at a steep price.  

△ Name one thing from their past that they regret. Given how highly wired she is in anxiety there are lots of things most would consider trivial that she has done that she regrets.  Given that she is also an INTJ/INFJ personality type, she’s very hard on herself and never feels like anything she does is good enough.  Any major horrors that were committed against her/major life-changing events that have occurred she does not though because she knows she wouldn’t be as wise and strong as she is had they not happened.  She knows that age does not make a person more mature--but how they handle tragedy, loss and pain.

✂ If they had to choose one weapon to carry forever, what would it be? One that she normally carries with her anyway at all times which is a simple pocket knife.  Its concealable and easy to draw in a bad situation.  

☣ Would they kill someone close to them if they had to? It depends on the person and the situation.  

☢ Would they survive an apocalyptic situation? Given how flexible, adaptable and intuitive she is, more than likely, yes.

❣ If someone had the power to bring them back after death, would they want them to? It depends on the circumstances.  Other than her travels and photography, she doesn’t have much to live for but that can change verse to verse.  If she had someone who she genuinely cared about and treated her well and knew they were alone or needed them under the situation of a sudden death, then maybe.

☠ Do they fear death? Much with the case of what is said regarding Hannibal Lecter, death does not frighten her--being bored does.  She made her peace with concepts like death ages ago.  She has been in several near-death experiences in her life and is very aware of the fragility of humans in general.  Her biggest fear regarding death is not the matter itself--but dying at a time that isn’t practical to her or leaving behind someone who needs her around.

♱ What do they think awaits them after death? Given the what is usual in most religions, a heaven and hell aren’t places she’d like to reside.  She has never been an avidly religious person and identifies as an agnostic atheist.  She’s content in being more humble regarding the subject and simply stating that she doesn’t know, nor does anyone else for certain.   The only thing she can hope for, regarding an afterlife, should there be one, is that she’s put to use in a practical manner that she enjoys.  She’s too much of a busy body to want to ‘bliss’ for the rest of eternity nor is she too compelled to hell’s eternal suffering.  She’s also a very self-reliant and multi-faceted individual and the thought of going to heaven and losing the constraints of her individuality to be some god’s trinket of entertainment does not appeal to her in the slightest.

¿ Are they easily frightened? Normally, no.  If anything she is far more inclined to be brave and throw herself into hell to protect those she cares about.  She’s deeply loyal and reliable to those she cares about and given that she keeps company with only a select few, they mean everything to her.  

╳ How would they react to seeing a loved one become possessed? Leading back to her INTJ mind type, she would quickly identify that they were not themselves.  She is very intuitive and is much more masterful than most at picking up the small details of her loved ones.  If they have a headache or aren’t feeling well, she’s the first to know.  She would be very passive over these matters up until they were attempting to harm themselves or others.  After those perimeters were pushed at she would quickly disarm and restrain them--potentially knocking them out until she could do the research to end the possession.  

☹ Name one person they would kill for. Anyone that was in their inner circle that they deeply cared about.  Typically that list involves roughly five people at a time.  Her mother and sister are two of those people as well as any of her lovers.

☼ If they had the choice to be immortal with one other person, who would they choose? Currently it would probably be her closest lover in any roleplay thread line.  Given her usual thread lines either Viktor Heinrich or Chann.

☎ How would they react to receiving a phone call from a deceased love one? She would be shocked and instantly pour her time into figuring out how to repeat the result or decipher whatever message they’d come to tell her.  

★ Do they have a favorite scary movie? Book? Show? Not particularly because far too often there is a group of things under a topic she likes.  Its too hard for her to narrow down one that stands above another.

♣ Do they believe the world is made up of good and evil? She doesn’t typically believe in such concepts of absolute good and evil.  She also believes that they are entirely subjective to a situation.  All too often the world and what happens is in a ‘gray area’ and without proper analyzing and investigation one should not automatically view something as one or the other.

♥ Have they ever acting out of heartlessness?  Yes, but it is rare.  Typically she is fair to everyone but should she cross paths with someone who is a vile person then she can get very cold and heartless.  She can also become that way if someone she cares about betrays her trust or devalues her feelings or ignores a problem that she is actively trying to fix to make things better between her and them.  

☾ What is their favorite and least favorite thing about the night? The quiet that the night brings as well as the revitalization of creative energies are her favorites.  Her least favorite thing is being alone and without conversation or, at the very least, company.  She does not like being alone but she is not one to be overly intrusive when in the company of others.  She allows people to do their own thing while she does her own.  She simply likes them within reach.

ψ Do they think they deserve punishment for their wrongdoings? She believes that everyone deserves to be punished for a wrongdoing unless it wasn’t intentional.  Everyone should receive the benefit of the doubt.  If she committed an act upon another and does not realize it, then she would want to be told and would like to communicate how to fix it.  Typically the only time she commits a wrongdoing is when someone has wronged her first.

ϟ Have they ever gotten pleasure from causing others pain? Given she has quite a sadistic streak in her, yes.  People who wrong her she’s, more than likely, contemplated murdering them in a wide variety ways.  When she has been deeply wronged by those who have no conscious she practically salivates at the opportunity of getting even.  She also enjoys causing sexual pain to those who also enjoy it and will consent to it.

♚ Do they consider themselves to be evil? Not really.  She considers herself of neutral temperament alignment--neither good or evil, but she can drift back and forth between lawful and chaotic.  

♒ If they could choose how to die, how would they want to go? In a fight and preferably sacrificing themselves for another.  She has never been too enthralled with the idea of living to be a ripe old age or dying peacefully in bed on evening many years from now.  

™ Are they possessive?  Protective they are--possessive, not so much.  Typically she only keeps company with those she finds competent and has faith in them to make their own decisions and live their own lives without her having to worry about who they keep company with.  She also came to the conclusion long ago that people will do what they want.  She would never want to be put on a leash and told what to do and not to do and who and who not to associate with and would never want to do that to someone else.  That aside, shit happens and as a result she is very protective over those she cares about and would stop at nothing to defend them.  

✔ Are they holding a grudge against anyone? These days she tries not to hold a grudge or remain angry over long periods of time at anyone because she knows, logically, it to be a waste of energy.  Typically when things get toxic between someone else she completely casts them out of her life and attempts to pretend they don’t exist and ‘died’ for all intentions purposes.  She realizes she is an adult and doesn’t have to deal with anyone she doesn’t want to.  

◯ Do they believe in ghosts? She does in the sense of knowing there are things that cannot be seen that also cannot be explained.  She has had many supernatural disturbances happen in her life and is fairly sensitive to when things happen around her that shouldn’t be such as cold spots and thins hymning or buzzing.  She is as rational in her beliefs of matters as she can be.  She isn’t the type to believe in things that have no basis in reality.  

✦ Who is their favorite villain? There are far too many to list given she’s more likely to sympathize with villains or anti-heroes over true heroes. 

☄ While watching a scary movie, are they the one clinging to a friend or being clung to? They’re the ones being clung to.  She’s been watching scary movies ever since she was a kid and she’s very immune to them other than jump scares which will make her jump slightly because of reflexes.  

웃 Do they believe in aliens?  She’s more inclined to believe that there are aliens than a God at this point in her life.  

[irondevilpunisher]

My Jessica Jones S1&S2 Review

*Some Spoilers*

Well here it is, the post you might’ve been waiting for. Sorry it took so long to do this as I had so many other priorities in my life that needed my attention. But I’m here now and I’m ready to discuss my personal thoughts and opinions on Jessica Jones. To start off I wanna say honestly that I had originally no intention to watch this show. Its not that I thought it would be bad but that it didn’t really appeal to me. I have to like the idea and the characters to get behind something. However when the Defenders dropped in August of last year I had to admit my curiosity on the Jessica Jones peeked a little. I could tell there was a whole lot more to the character than hard-drinking and a give em’ hell attitude. Plus being a huge fan of the Daredevil Netflix show I felt I had to check it out.

For the most part my assumptions proved to be correct. I dove right into Jessica Jones’s freshman series right after finishing The Punisher and surprisingly quite enjoyed it. Now let me say first so there’s no mistaking my differentiated feelings on the two separate seasons how f**king brilliant Krysten Ritter is in this role. She brings such a delightful spunk, relatable complexity and strength yet vulnerability to the character that is so rarely seen these days. Jones is more than just another super-being, actually that was probably what made the show so unique. And she kicks a lot of ass. Opposite to what was done on Daredevil, the writers actually treated Jessica’s abilities secondary to her as a person while remaining more focused on her position as this edgy, tough-as-nails private eye. Off topic I’m a sucker for a good old fashioned detective story; Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, Bogart in Casablanca. Can’t go wrong there.

So the basic premise of Jessica Jones is the story of a 30-something woman running from a dark past; living in New York as a self-employed sleuth. By she day nurses her demons with alcohol [which this show doesn’t glorify unlike Defenders] and random companionship, by night Jessica boldly prowls the city streets searching for the latest cheating husband or wife. Her closest friends/allies are her adopted sister Trish Walker, Geri Hogarth [the female lawyer seen in Daredevil and Iron First who currently works with Foggy Nelson], Luke Cage [a man also with abilities who works at a bar and is a Defender] and Malcolm Ducasse [a former addict/neighbor who lives her in building]. But I have to say though my favorite relationship of all those would have to be Jessica and her trusty camera. Anyway what starts as a typical day at the office for Miss Jones in the first episode quickly shifts into a relentless nightmare involving a specific demon she just can’t seem to escape.  

Going back to Jones’s character what I love most about her is she’s not one-note; there are dimensions and layers to her personality and background. Jessica is so much more than just her jaded quirks, attractive looks and impeccable super strength; she’s got a softer side if you can believe it. She can be feisty and sh*t-talking one minute then kind, funny and compassionate the next. There are moments where she thinks of others before herself; case in point sticking up for Ruben [one of her abused neighbors], saving a little girl from a coming car while dressed as a sandwich [one of my favorite Jessica moments] and helping Malcolm detox from his drug habit. Her supposed care-less attitude ironically is her way of caring in a different way. I adore her saucy sarcastic sense of humor which would easily come across as just plain bitchy or cold if it not for how Krysten delivers it onscreen. Its not mean but not entirely nice either yet is actually part of what makes her so endearing. I won’t go into full detail of her development but lets just say that cliffhanger in S1 really left you wanting more of this character. 

The supporting characters are fine and do well to compliment the hero however I wouldn’t say they’re as compelling to the ones on Daredevil, Iron Fist or Punisher. I did like Trish, she has a nice dynamic with Jessica and the writers do give their relationship an even focus in both seasons of the show. Malcolm is also great when he’s helping Jones in the office during season 1. And some of the other S1 building tenants are humorous and quirky. I did like Geri’s character in Daredevil, Defenders and Iron Fist; was stunned when I found out she was a main player in JJ and couldn’t wait to see what they do with her because Carrie-Anne Moss is so excellent. But when it came to actually seeing her story I found myself disappointed. I just couldn’t connect with her. Idk I guess I found found Hogarth even colder and unlikable on Jessica Jones compared to when I saw her assorted appearances on the other MCU shows. I know they tried to do a darker in-depth storyline with her in S2 but it just wasn’t executed proficiently. If there had been a proper build up towards it in S1 I might’ve gotten behind what the writers were doing but that’s just one of many mistakes in S2. 

Unpopular opinion: I wasn’t the biggest fan of Luke Cage in this series. I just didn’t find him that appealing as a character or cared about his relationship with Jessica. He fairs much better on his solo series and in Defenders. But I didn’t feel the chemistry between him and Jones nor did I care about their comic canon status. In fact I found their scenes dragging and boring. While Jessica clearly had an unhealthy thing going on with Kilgrave its no more toxic than what she has with Cage. Its completely based on sex for the sole fact that the two characters have psychological issues and both have supernatural abilities. There is also deception between them. Not to mention the fact that these two are connected by a certain tragedy which is a whole other reason why they would never work or function properly as a couple. Jones and Cage are far better off remaining friends/allies in my opinion. 

Moving on..

The major highlight of this series would have to be the show’s unstoppable villain and personally my favorite character in the series Kilgrave aka The Purple Man; magnificently hemmed by the ever so charismatic, acting powerhouse Doctor Who’s David Tennant. I never imagined another MCU Netflix villain coming close to what Wilson Fisk did on Daredevil but that’s exactly what Kilgrave manages to do so effortlessly on Jessica Jones. Tennant doesn’t play this character just strictly as a typical ‘bad guy’ or homicidal mind-controlling fiend; he has motivations, complexities and layers that mirror Ritter’s conflicted protagonist. As the episodes go on you actually start to feel for Kilgrave’s injustices and understand his extreme methods even when harming the innocent. His scenes with Jones are some of the most superb acting I’ve seen from both David and Krysten. They have exceptional chemistry together and play off one another so seamlessly. Their back and forth cat and mouse themed dynamic is actually the most entertaining part of this show. Seriously I could gush on for days about why I love Kilgrave.

Tennant commands the screen so powerfully; he’s just a total scene stealer as this character that in a way overshadows most of the supporting cast. He’s that larger than life. I gravitated to him so easily. What he does with Kilgrave is nothing short of fantastic to say the least. He could be scary, funny, classy, charming, emotional and deep without it ever muddling the character which is not an easy feat. I mean there’s just so much ground to cover with Kilgrave, endless story potential. While watching S1 I couldn’t wait for the writers to dabble further into his twisted childhood/dark past and tortured psyche. I mean if you get past the whole killing and rape aspect of him, Kilgrave isn’t all that horrible of a person. And while his infatuation with Jessica maybe borderline obsessive and abusive, he really does love her and demonstrates it. Sick as that sounds this guy just wants to be loved. He would go to ends of the earth for Jones it’s almost tragically poetic. Not more so than what the writers decide to actually do with him in the S1 finale unfortunately. But I won’t spoil that.

My second favorite character and probably the most underrated on Jessica Jones would have to be the young police sergeant Will Simpson aka future Nuke. Not many people remember or probably care too much about him since his appearance into the show doesn’t happen until 1x04. And if you don’t pay enough attention to this character he could become forgettable. But its not the fault of the actor per-say but rather the writing as well as the directing. Wil Traval is insanely adorable and a hot as hell blond babe but don’t let that distract from the fact that he’s got some major acting chops under his belt. And luckily for Traval I did notice his character right away. When Simpson enters the scene its not exactly puppies and kittens; he’s a ruthless Kilgrave drone sent to assassinate Trish which is fortunately prevented by Jessica. And after he’s freed from Kilgrave’s mind-control he reluctantly joins forces with Jones to take him down indefinitely. Thing I love most about Simpson is his integrity in the beginning; he tries to do the right thing and be a good person even if it means crossing the line to achieve that goal. 

He doesn’t always make the smartest or safest decisions but he does his best. Simpson has mystery, another quality I highly praise in a character. I spent most of my time wondering about the guy and wanting more of his background; especially when it was revealed he had ties to IGH. Simpson is so unpredictable with his shift in moods it was hard to read him but that’s what made him interesting. Another thing I love most about Simpson is his complicated alliance with Jessica Jones. For me its the second most entertaining part about watching the series. Ritter and Traval have sensational onscreen chemistry together its ridiculous how underused it is. I know most people probably preferred his relationship with Trish as well as probably shipped Jessica/Luke at this time but for me I just didn’t see enough story built there to care about either of those couples. I get weak in the knees when it comes to hilarious witty banter which Simpson and Jessica have in spades. Through IGH they had a connection with one another. There were times watching the episodes where I felt the writers were building a specific story between Jones and Simpson; whether it was a potential romance or future hero/nemesis arc I couldn’t wait to find out. Too bad that potential gets flushed down the toilet in S2.

Before I get into what I hated about season 2 because I did [all of it]; I need to address the show’s most intriguing elements of season 1. I loved its stylish Noir atmosphere; even the opening theme song is terrific [have it on my Spoitfy list]. The costumes, the settings and locations. From the lighting to the way the show is shot is so creative. Even the entire score is amazing. The pacing is nice. The action and special effects are pretty decent. I get the sense that I’m watching a cross between a Murder She Wrote and Sherlock Holmes hybrid. It just has this seductive pull of mystery and excitement. This show is not like Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage or Punisher but it does feel very much in the same universe. As I said the superhero aspect of it is more or less a secondary plot point but its refreshing and different. Not to say Jessica Jones doesn’t have its flaws as a series it does. I really wish some of the relationships had more time to blossom in S1 as well as S2. There was so much opportunity for the JJ writers to explore certain characters during its sophomore year unfortunately that wasn’t to be the case. Which brings me to the dud that is Jessica Jones season 2.

I won’t go into a whole thorough rant about what was awful about the second helping of Jones’s adventures but let me just say what they did in S1 they completely obliterated and ignored in S2 [including the characters]. I’m not kidding and I won’t lie about it either. I couldn’t wait to watch S2 because I thought S1 was just so fantastic. I wanted to see more of Jessica’s backstory, IGH, Will Simpson’s character growth and early stages of his Nuke persona, if Kilgrave was really coming back, Trish’s possible Hellcat transformation. I was excited for all this and more. But that’s not what happened. Apart from each of the characters being horribly butchered by the writers, especially Jessica Jones herself, the writing was crap; the Noir feel is just gone, its full of stupid PSA plots and the pacing is just a dragging snooze fest. And those sad super-running special effects would make the Flash sob waterfalls. Did they get rid of all the talent behind season 1 like what is going on? I could hardly keep my eyes open for some of the things that were happening. Actually what did happen because nothing made sense or I just didn’t care enough to make sense of it.

The impression I got from the JJ writers was like “to hell with it we’re doing whatever we want.” Everything about S2 was abysmal and disappointing. Zero structure and cohesiveness in storytelling. I can’t recall a single moment I enjoyed most about this season [maybe Kilgrave’s minor cameo].Trish became so unlikable to the point where I was nearly pulling my hair out and wanted her written off. Seriously I couldn’t stand her and I still don’t know how I feel about her after that finale. She wasn’t my favorite person to begin with but S2 solidified my distaste for her. Jessica my sweet Jessica where did you go because I didn’t see you any where in this season at all. The only thing I saw was your evil clone running around. Seriously though the development they did for Jones was just plain bad. Her character flip-flops more more times than the actual footwear my brain is still in knots. Too many lines were crossed with her she’s giving the Punisher a run for his money and not in a good way. I just don’t see any redemption for Jessica after this...none whatsoever. Its disheartening to say this because these writers took what I loved about Jones in the first year and threw it in a blender. 

The new characters were boring and uninteresting; ugh I’d rather watch paint drying than another scene between Jessica and that random dude the writers threw at her as a love interest. The main villain was just atrocious, predicable and made no freaking sense. WTF did they do to Malcolm?? And don’t even get me started on what was done to Simpson. I’ve been angry about it for weeks and honestly after watching S2 the wounds have not healed. Still not over it. Maybe they’ll surprise me with Simpson but I don’t have hope for that. I’m still shaking with anger as I write this thinking how much potential he had on this series and it was for nothing. Like most shows these days another character is thrown into the scrap heap before their time. What was the point of him being introduced if they weren’t going to dabble further into his Nuke comic history? I just refuse to stop b**ching about it because its so infuriating.    

Overall the Jessica Jones series for me is only partially solid. Is it my favorite MCU Netflix original series? Not by a long shot but I do think it’ll have a loyal following. I loved the first season it was edgy and smart but I hated the second season. I don’t know if season 3 will be any better after that waste of 13 hours I’ll never get back but who knows. There wasn’t much of a cliffhanger in S2 for me to even care about the next installment. Sounds harsh I know because I do love Krysten Ritter in this role. I think she carries herself masterfully. I just don’t feel S2 did her or her character any justice; if anything it hurt the future of Jessica Jones as a series for me. But that’s just my opinion.

Anyway don’t take my word for it watch the show and make your own conclusions. This has been my quick review of Jessica Jones ;)

[ahiddenpath]

Digimon Adventure Tri Stage Play Reaction

Guys, this is not an analysis: this is my feels and obnoxious comments while viewing the stage play.  My initial goal was to use these notes to make an analysis, but they’re too funny/stupid/wow to hide from the world.  I typed these notes in real time, stopping the play whenever I had a thought.  It’s the closest I can get to having you watch me watch the stage play without using videos.  I will write an actual meaningful post soon, but for now, have a confused and jumpy/unpolished blob of feels.

The other thing I want to say is that I didn’t edit this after I wrote it, except for surface editing (grammar, spelling) and clarifications (mostly adding more names).  So if I formed an impression at some point, that’s what I really thought in that moment; I didn’t go back and change it.

That said: this will completely and totally spoil the stage play.  SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS!  Read on below the cut (if you dare; it’s almost 4K words long and full of images).

Hidden’s Digimon Adventure Tri Stage Play Reaction

I am immediately not buying that Mimi wouldn't want to camp in the bungalow.  Isn't this the kid that went to Tokyo Tower instead of patrolling Tokyo because the tower has AC?  I guarantee she'd whine an hour in about wanting the bungalow, but wouldn't allow Koushiro to point out that she made this choice for all of them x__x

 Did Mimi just... just throw the laptop?  How bratty can you get?  I... wow, I really hope they don’t treat my Mimi so poorly the whole play.

From Sora's speech, I can see that nostalgia will be a major theme here, which, to be fair, is appropriate, lol!  Nostalgia is pretty much why we’re here.

TAICHI! It’s so good to see you get your big bro on again, lol???  Hikari:  "I'm not a kid who needs to wait for you to walk home with me."

 Taichi: "What?  Why not?  WHAT'S WRONG?!  CONFIDE IN ME!"  He’s so aggressive and clumsy about it, lol??

Taichi:  "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A STUBBORN BLOCKHEAD."

Jyou, amiably: "You, of course! Wait-"  I'm like 15 minutes in and I have already decided that Jyou is my favorite (not surprising lol).

Jyou:  "YOU ARE IN DANGER, TAICHI.  I HAVE NEVER SEEN YOU STUDY."  Oh lord, Jyou is bashing Taichi with the stone of foreboding. Is Jyou okay?  Is he quite sane?  He isn't, is he.  Do you see that gleam in his eye?  No, no. He is gone and gone indeed.  Jyou’s actor is A+++

Annnnnnd oh hey, it's Yamyams doin' jamjams!  I can dig that bass, is he actually playing?  Oh hey, he's gonna sing for real, he's-  Oh my god, stop!  ABORT! He's terrible, hahahaha?!?!?!  IT BURRRRNSSS!!!  

OH MY GOD HIS BAND HATES THE BAND NAME AND THEY'RE SPEAKING TO HIM IN FRENCH WHAT IS THIS

Wait wow what is this weird ass vibe between the bros?  Teeks is accusing Yams of not visiting...  Did Yamato have that habit to start with?  Hmm...

So Takeru says, "I don't want to see us go our different ways."  I've mentioned it over and over, but this feeling is so important to me.  It's something I want to write an entire fic around.  On the one hand, it's such an easy topic, given the subject material. On the other, it's where my brain keeps going.  So... Let's see what happens!

Also:  Takeru:  "Stay hidden, Patamon!" *puts Patamon on his head and skips offstage* Takeru, sigh...

OH SHIT IT'S ETEMON, saying Taichiiiiihehehehe like a creep ass creeper.  He done got beef, too.

Annnnd we cut to everyone reacting because Mimi has no supplies (did you all not bring any?). What I like here, though, is that Jyou can at least talk to her without getting shut down.  Poor Kou-chan -__-

Koushiro: "We're amateurs, is there anything we should watch out for?"  OH I DUNNO, MAYBE ETEMON IN A HAT AND A VEST god damn I know this is supposed to be funny, but they all look like idiots- 

Koushiro: "That old man had a feminine way of speaking"  Says the dude being portrayed by a male actor FOR THE FIRST TIME-

Koushiro: "Taichi-san, you're the closest thing to a caveman we have-"  Ah, bless.

(At this point, my husband is pointing out while playing Destiny that the puppeteers do really good digimon voices, and I'm explaining that the digimon voices are pre-recorded, lol).

ANNNNND Mimi is whining for supplies that she forbade people to bring.  I am shocked.

Jyou is talking about how he wants to help digimon by being a doctor, by saving and protecting, and my heart is growing three sizes.  Best Chosen, y'all.

But oof, the atmosphere got so heavy...  Why do these kids refuse to talk about what they want to do???  Jyou remains refreshing.  Also, I'm just noticing how Koushiro turns his entire body around every single time towards whoever is talking?  He leans in, too.  It's both cute and unexpected (I would expect much more reserved body language, but I get that this is a play and that's what you do).

HAH!  Only Jyou can see the shooting star because he's the only one with his shit together!  I love that, lol!  (Also, is that really Tailmon's voice actress?  Hmm...)

NO, ETEMON HAS KOU-CHAN, BAD TOUCH, BAD TOUCH although really it's painful that we're still pretending they can't recognize Etemon.

Koushiro can't read the room...  Well, at least that's familiar, lol!

(At this point, my husband is asking what I think, and I'm stuttering over how annoyed I am at the ‘not-recognizing-Etemon’ gag.  My husband is laughing at me and saying I'm at a loss for words. Thanks, love.)

HOLY SHIT did Hikari and Mimi just use the tired "scary stories" trope to bring up the Dark Ocean? I'll give 'em points for that.  I AM INTRIGUED, let's go!!!  Oh.  Oh, they broke it off.  They're not doing anything with it.  That's... sigh.  Thanks, guys. (Caterpillar Sleeping Bag Mimi is cute AF tho).

Hmm, right now I'm thinking that Mimi's actress is so lovely and so lively and really feels like Mimi, but...  I also can't stand how they wrote her so far.  Throwing Koushiro's computer, talking over him, not allowing him to point out when she's contradicting herself, immediately requesting the supplies she forbade people to bring...  This stuff annoyed me in Adventure, but she was 10 and in a situation I would have strongly struggled to handle.  But now she's literally...  Making problems for everyone...  For nostalgia's sake...  At age 16? I'm so torn, lol, because the acting is so good but ahhhhh...  Let's see how this develops...

Hmm hmm, I'm listening to Sora talk about how she doesn't wanna grow up, either... Darling, you're already quite grown up, lol!  Lovely lady. I love how the digimon puppeteers echo their puppets, I can't get enough of watching Agumon's puppet and performer while Sora speaks.  They really did a great job!

I think I'm about an hour into this, maybe a little less?  45 minutes?  So far all that's really happened is that we've established that the characters want to be together as Chosen Children, and that with the exception of Jyou, they aren't emotionally or mentally prepared to seriously think of a future beyond that.  I'll be the first to say that this a compelling and interesting topic, and it's something I've wondered about for them, but...  Shouldn't... more things... have happened by now?  Hmm...  I understood that this would be an issue from Sora's very first bit of dialogue.  No one in the audience needs this much expansion and repetition, particularly with so few new ideas and so little momentum so far.  Tri is intended as a love letter for fans of Adventure, yes?  Mostly adult fans?  We don’t need this much repetition to understand, we truly don’t...

Ah!  Now Yamato is talking about Jyou and how to become an adult, finally dropping some new ideas in.  Love ya, Yams.  And ahh, man, Taichi is just... screaming all of his lines?  The actor is so sweet and cute, but the delivery...  I'm pretty sure it's supposed to reflect that Taichi is putting up fronts like nobody's bidness, though.  Yamato ain't buyin' it (Yamato is Almost Best).  I really want him to grunt, "Tell the truth or shut up." XD XD  GRUNT GRUNT.

 Augh, god, I can't take this tho?  Literally EVERY TIME someone tries to say something that will move the plot forward or inject some vulnerability into this play (except for Papa Jyou), they change the subject.  I'm about halfway through now and this has to be at least the 10th time we've been blocked from useful information and deeper thoughts with this method.  Tri suffers from this same issue, though...  Their plot is such that they can’t sustain tension if issues are faced in a natural way, so they CHANGE THE SUBJECT or DROP A LEAD or IGNORE A LEAD, etc, etc.  Here it's mostly saying, "Well what about you?" or screaming someone else's name, which...  Subtle???  Ah, Taichi's latest method of not saying anything is to ask Yamato to play his harmonica...  Oh my god, he's playing Walk on the Edge!  Okay, okay, you got me, stage play.  Hahaha, I remember Yams being better at playing a harmonica, tho!!!!  (I keep picking on this poor dude who is asked to do all of the awesome shit Yams can do, sorry my dude).

Taichi:  Should we sleep?

Yamato:  Let's talk some more.

Taichi: (shit!  fuck!  He remembered I'm dodging-)  YES BECAUSE HE ISN'T AN IDIOT EXCEPT WHEN ETEMON IS ONSTAGE OMG SOMEONE HELP ME-

Ahhh, and they fade out...  With no forward movement.  THANKS.  I mean we established mood, touched on Taichi/Yamato’s relationship, and set up the problems that will be address later (I assume), but...  It’s so drawn out...  

And now Koushiro is drawing on the ground with a stick, bless you, are you trying to compute something? Sigh...  Ah, bless, Tentomon is intervening, haha! 

But...  As right as Ten-chan is, he's also... Wrong? XD  DON'T TELL YOUR FORWARD MOVEMENT MACHINE TO POWER DOWN!!!  Annnnd yes!  We're an hour in and SOMETHING IS HAPPENING!  I am so ready for something to happen. (Tony: "Can we handle the stimulation, though?")

Oh god, the kids freaking out over their partners acting weird, Gabumon's stage hand collapsing... God, right in the feels, I'm almost mad about how easy it is to get an emotional response this way, lol!  We just love our babies too much, lol!

Wow, Yamato lost it at Kou-chan...  You know, we think of Taichi as carrying a lot of pressure (and rightfully so), but Koushiro carries just as much, as we saw in Kokuhaku.  He's not magic, Yams, he needs his tools, and he doesn't have 'em. Related:  Although I don't much care for how it happened, I definitely would love to read/write/see a story where Koushiro has no computer and has to adapt, though.  I'd also love to see one where a new tech wizard appears and he questions his role, but that's a whole' nother thing.

EWW OH MY GOD DON'T UNDRESS ETEMON MIMI WHAT THE HELL, bleeeeehhhhhhh...  Oh god, he thought his outfit was obvious...  Well, you see Etemon, somewhere in the last 6 years, the kids completely lost their ability to read situations x__x  (I get that this is a joke, I really do?  But???)

 Oh huh, so they're claiming Etemon wandered the Dark Ocean for 100 years?  Didn't he...  Come back in Adventure as MetalEtemon?  Is he referencing his second defeat?  ?????

OH GOD POWER RANGER ETEMON WHAT IS HAPPENING.  Haha it's kind of cute that he's like, "Eh I don't know these two (Hikari and Tailmon).  I don't think Metaletemon saw them?  But honestly I don't remember.  I think he was around Jyou and Mimi mostly?

Wait shit are we seriously doing the actual conflict part WITHOUT JYOU AND GOMAMON?  I am so mad right now.  I kind of feel like they'll burst in at some point???  I hope...

...Etemon has a song and dance number.  I am rolling on the floor in pain with the Chosen.  I'm doing it, guruguru mawaru-  No, NO, YOU PUT TAICHI DOWN-  Goddamit how many bad touch jokes do I have to make-

 OH THANK GOD, is Jyou coming back?  THANK YOU DIGI JESUS!  (Tony: "Wait is your favorite back? Did he leave?  It sounded like he wandered off and now he's wandering back in again."

Gomamon: "YOU'RE BEING GROSS JYOU" honey, oh child, you ain't seen nothing yet.  Oh bless him, he's so happy, can we just watch Jyou bounce around in joy please and no more singing power ranger monkeys?  I take back my complaints about nothing happening, haaaaaaaaaaaalp me Senpaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiii

Oh lord Etemon's back WHELP.  Oh shit, oh shit that Obon joke, THAT'S THE BEST JOKE IN THIS PLAY, isn’t it?  We can't beat that.  Should I... leave?

Taichi, in Etemon's gross ass digital Wonder Land:  "What's wrong, Hikari?"  WHAT'S WRONG?!  WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE-

(My husband has informed me that I'm growling.  He tells me that, when we were watching Gravity Falls and Mabel tries to tempt Dipper and the others to stay in the perfect imaginary world Bill made for her, I said, "What is she, Satan?  Tempting them to stay here in comfort instead of facing danger to save everyone?"  This is a similar scenario, and it's one of the few things I didn't like about Gravity Falls and OH NO, TAICHI IS THE MABEL OF THIS SITUATION, HELP!!!!  Oh thank goodness, Taichi's done with this too, whew, okay, okay, breathe, stop growling).

Oh God, the Agumon puppet looks dead without the puppeteer, that's actually really awful? These puppets are amazing, guys.  I cannot say enough good stuff about the execution with these puppets.

Hmm, Taichi just begged for mercy, and Etemon is unimpressed...  Reminds me of the fandom after Saikai.  I wonder where they'll take this...

HOLY SHIT Taichi is losing his shit!  I won't say that all of that stammering and dodging earlier is accounted for here, since most of the characters did it to some degree, but it's nice to see the payoff within the same piece (instead of waiting months for the next Tri film and forming your own conclusions in that time period).  I'm actually happy to see a screaming breakdown like this...

Man Koushiro speaks SO QUICKLY, dude, slow it down!!!  Ahhh, he says that we're granted whatever we want here, so Etemon is probably trying to trick us by having us hear Jyou.  SOMEONE IS THINKING USING THEIR BRAINSSS I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!!

JYOU IS HEREEEE TO SAVE THE DAAAAAAYYY THE NEW DIGI JESUS, JYOUUUUUU!!!  (And while I 100% agree that you should be cautious, Kou-chan, c'mon, he arrived saying that you made his phone go off on the train and it made him feel awkward, that's pretty much proof that it's Jyou, lol!).  OH AND NOW KOU AND YAMS ARE ROASTING JYOU, classic.

Koushiro finally takes a stab directly at the heart of this...  It's not even about being children and avoiding adulthood; it's about not wanting to leave August 1st.  I realize exposition is Kou's job, but I didn't expect him to be the one to lay it out after all of this dodging.  I’ll be honest, I’m so pleased with Koushiro in this stage play so far?  I love how he moves, I love how quickly he speaks, I love that he’s able to come out and say this.  I wasn’t into the way the play used him spouting off numbers to indicate intelligence, but that’s a nitpick compared to the ground they gave Koushiro here.  

JYOU.  JYOU.  EVEN IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, KOUSHIRO, I BELIEVE IN YOU.  He continues to be THE BEST, I am in awe, I bow before Jyou.

OH MAN is Jyou gonna work his awkward magic on Yams?  Where's my freakin' popcorn.  Oh, well, hell.  Yama said he... doesn't wanna talk.  *rubs forehead*  Great. Entertaining.  THIS IS FUN I AM HAVING FUN *curls up and cries*

Okay so now Taichi is freaking out and Koushiro is trying to talk to him (roughly 70% of this stage play is someone trying and failing to talk to someone else).  But I really like what Taichi says here- "I have nothing to hesitate about." We all know this isn't true; Taichi is hesitating all over the place right now.  Let's see where this goes!  (Please let it go somewhere this time, lord above).  WAIT- WAIT-  ARE YOU SHOWING ME KOUSHIRO POINTING FINGERS AT TAICHI'S BULLSHIT AND SAYING "I'VE BEEN BY YOUR SIDE FOR SIX YEARS!!" AND THEN CUTTING AWAY?!?!??!?!?!?!?  RAAAAAAAHHHH is this an aneurysm?  I think this is what an aneurysm feels like.  You can't drop lines that good and then CUT AWAY FROM IT GOOD LORD IN HEAVEN-

Sigh, tsk, groan. Hikari, Teeks.  Whacho got for me?  Whoa, I swear Takeru has been a second away from sobbing ever since Etemon revealed himself.  You... you okay, buddy?  Can I, uh, get you anything?  I love how much Hikari has her shit together in contrast.  Oh, and Takeru is about to say something usefu- ohhh, another cut. God, I have a headache.

Hmm, Sora and Meems are cracking, too...  Sora says, "It was simpler when I was everyone's mom.  It's not like me to decide on someone or something."  I really need to hear Mulan's Reflections in the background right now...

Mimi saying "I want to do SO many things!" is refreshing my soul.  I know she's one of the most shippable Chosen, but honestly, if not for the fact that she has a kid that is clearly biologically hers, I would assume that she's too busy doing EVERYTHING to have a family.  My headache recedes just a touch.

Hmm...  I actually really like what Sulky (Yams) is trying to say here.  "I don't want to be with everyone because I'm Chosen.  I want to be with Gabumon because he's my friend," basically.  Part of me sides with Jyou- dude we all get that, it's not a shameful secret- but another part of me...  Deeply appreciates that Yams can separate his duty as a Chosen from his bond with his digimon.  Gabumon is his best friend, his number one.  It doesn't matter if Gabumon can't fight, if Yamato can never digivolve him again. It doesn't even matter that he's a digimon.  It just matters that they're friends, and that they be together somehow, which may seem a more tenuous position by the day.  ...Now I'm sad.  Well played, stage play.  This moment is wonderful.

...Annnnnnd now Yamato is overacting to hell, and I'm laughing instead of thinking and feeling, was that supposed to happen?  Sigh. I still don't understand why he has to be SO SECRETIVE about it, but I mean...  That's our Yams??? 

And now we're back to Kou and Taichi, and they're pulling at each other's throats, as they will, and honestly this is the only "NOW KISS" moment for me, but where was I-

In all seriousness, I really like that the person to finally, FINALLY get the truth from Taichi is Koushiro.  That's how it often was in Adventure too, yes?  But I almost feel like Taichi's breakdown here is a reflection of what fans said in Saikai.  Taichi in Adventure always took action (although he grew so much during Adventure, I'd argue the version of himself he's referencing now wasn't there by the end of Adventure?). He can't fight in Saikai because he's concerned about hurting people/property/the tenuous relationship between humans and digimon.  He can't take action...  But the ability to see that is an indication of growth, not regression.  Will he understand that here?  

Ok god, Agu-chan is dropping some truth bombs...  And the way he and his puppeteer crawl...  I swear these goddamm puppets will be the death of me.

Agu-chan, can you do me a solid and STAMP THIS ALL OVER EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE KIDS PLEASE AND THANK YOU?!

HOLY SHIT IS THAT A METALGRAYMON PUPPET?!  THEY HAD THAT SHIT ALL ALONG AND THEY BRING IT OUT WITH 20 MINUTES LEFT?!  WHAT WOT WOOOOT?!??!  I cannot believe I'm seeing this.  And I love how heavy and cumbersome the huge puppet feels.  Like, I always felt like Metalgreymon would be huge and slow, right?

Etemon, I was done with your shit a LONG time ago...

WAIT he is admitting that he was Metaletemon previously. So... when... exactly did he fall into the Dark Ocean?  Sigh. This is one of those "Let it go, Hidden" things, isn't it.  Uh, wow, I am totally unfamiliar with Kingetemon.  That's... a... thing.  

The use of screens and images in the stage play are really fun!  It must have been awesome to see this show in person O__o;;

OH SHIT, Yamato arrives in a cloud of smoke, that's how you KNOW shit is gonna go down!

OH MY GOD OMEGAMON ONLY GETS A HEAD OH MY GOD I'M DYING (Tony:  "HEY do you know how big that thing's supposed to be?!)

KOUSHIRO IS WEARING THE GOGGLES I'm down.  HIDDEN IS DOWN!  REVIEWER DOWN!!!!

HOLY SHIT JYOU'S "A" ON HIS MOCK TEST WASN'T REAL okay this is also a Good Joke, I applaud. Also I am LOVING sassy Koushiro in this? His way of being sassy is to do it in a way where you're not quite sure if he is trying to be a butt or not, which is 10000000% yes lol (In contrast, Izzy is intentionally awful usually lol).

Annnnd I was right from the start; Jyou is carrying this entire thing, lol.  Oh my god, the delivery on this?!?!??!  AMAZING.

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA. LAUGHTER.  THEME SONG.  DRAMATIC POSE.  I THINK THIS IS THE END SHOT YOU GUYS.

 Now the actors are coming out to speak!

THIS.  LITTLE.  SHIT. I love him?  I...  I love him. The snark is strong in this one. I... he is so... so beautiful.  I...  I think I might be in love?  (This at least indicates that I wasn’t alone in thinking the computer toss was too much???).

YAMATO’S ACTOR JUST SAID "DON'T SAY GOODBYE," Well played, son.  I like the cut of your jib.

 AHHHHH OKAY OKAY I have no idea how I’m going to analyze this.  My surface thought is that this play features a lot of the emotions and inner thoughts of individual characters that can’t fit into Tri, and that (I personally think) Tri suffers from a lack of.  Because there isn’t really ship bait and maneuvering around a new character and plot, we’re able to see relationships that feel much more familiar to Adventure than we often see in Tri (ie, Taichi worried about Hikari, Koushiro worried about Taichi, etc).  As you noticed, I’m very unhappy with the way the play pushes the payoff back as far as possible, cramming it into an AMAZING twenty minutes or so...  But I loved those twenty minutes.

Also, Koushiro feels waaaay more like Koushiro than he does in Tri, except for Kokuhaku.  As your local insane Koushiro fan girl, I am standing and applauding and screaming and crying.  NO PERVY KOUSHIRO.  NO FASHION DISASTERS.  Just Koushiro being supportive and apt and sweet and trying so hard.  I am refreshed.  I am younger.

And the passion and love and energy that went into us, so visibly in human form...  I can’t describe how wonderful the actors and the puppeteers were.  And even though I kind of hated Etemon, his actor was incredible.

So the stage play has amazing points and really irritating points, but on the whole, it’s my second favorite thing Tri has given us (following Kokuhaku).  I will try to write about it more smart-like soon!  If you got this far...  I’m in awe, lol!  High five, my friend!

[biinarysttars]

The Preston Theory (TM)

What’s up, my name’s Alhena, and here’s 12 pages of Theory that no one asked for, featuring everyone’s favourite Dan Dan the Cult Man and my favourite Stupid Theatre Boy. It’s got pictures

What is the Preston Theory?

The Preston Theory is something I noticed while watching S2E1 for the millionth times, and the gist of it is that Preston knows Daniel from somewhere. The theory doesn’t cover from where, and is thus incomplete, but has six pretty compelling pieces of evidence.

The pieces of evidence are organized in order that they appear in the episode, and each piece of evidence has at least one screenshot and corresponding quotes from the scene.

Evidence Piece #1: A Cinematic Choice

(3:33) Max: “O...kay?”

In the background of this scene, you can see Preston and Neil. If you look at the next screenshot, you can see that Nurf should probably also be seen here, and probably also a bit of Nikki’s hair. However, neither of those two are here, leaving instead Neil, the person to point out the scientific inaccuracy of Daniel’s Xemuug story, and Preston. But Preston is relatively irrelevant to Daniel, as far as we know, so why should he be there?

(Also, unrelated to the theory, but a thing I like about this scene is how Preston is in what we theatre folk call “neutral position”, or “theatre neutral”; his legs are roughly equal to his shoulders, and his arms hang down naturally. It’s interesting that he does this while in the background.)

Evidence Piece #2: Expression of Fear

(4:14) Space Kid: “(...)I know all sorts of stuff about space.” Daniel: “Well, did you know that all negative emotions actually come from space?”

This scene shows the campers reacting to either Daniel, or Space Kid’s story. Max and Harrison (and maybe Dolph) are looking at Space Kid, while Ered, Nurf, Neil, Nerris, (maybe Dolph,) and Preston are looking at Daniel. The latter group is looking at Daniel in confusion (Ered looks bewildered, actually), except for Preston, who looks... actually afraid. But why? Even before those lines exactly, he has the same expression on his face, and he’s even wearing it before Max calls him out (at 3:24, when he says, “Seriously, freakshow! What’s with the cult leader getup?”)

This scene poses the question, “Why is Preston afraid of Daniel?”

Evidence Piece #3: Flinch

(5:29) Daniel: “Doesn’t the world seem awfully scary?” Nurf: “It does!” Daniel: “Well, what if I told you it didn’t have to be?”

In this scene, when Daniel reaches his arm out, Preston flinches away from it. It’s odd because he was clearly not going to be hit by it, and at this point in his scheme, Daniel wouldn’t even thinking of hitting him. Also note that while Nurf looks intrigued by what Daniel’s saying, Preston looks afraid/concerned.

Evidence Piece #4: Last One Down

Part #1: The Factual Side

(7:07) Preston: “Please! Someone help me!”

The first thing to notice about this corresponds with the title: “Last One Down”. We know for a fact that Preston is the last camper (other than Max, Neil, and Nikki) to be brainwashed (Dolph, Nurf and Space Kid are in the Dining Hall at 6:52, we see Ered at 7:35 mixing some punch, and Harrison and Nerris are adding water and rat poison to the Kool-Aid at 7:38). As important as this is, it becomes more so when you ask yourself how much time Preston was in the purification sauna, which we can figure out thanks to the map in S1E1:

There’s a lot of assumption in this time part, and comparison to Camp Centauri, which I got back from a couple of weeks ago.

While I was at camp, I stayed in the Brant dorm, which was the farthest from the Dining Hall, and it took about five minutes to get there. Based on that, I’m going to assume that it’s the same distance from those farthest two tents from the Mess Hall. That’s not all, though! The counselor’s cabins aren’t even shown on this map, meaning that it’s probably fair to assume that they’re down that back path to the right. I’ll give this the benefit of the doubt and say that David’s cabin is the closest to the Hall (if it’s not, it only emphasizes my point), and only add on another two minutes, for a seven-minute total time. Considering that the trio ran, I’ll take off that two extra minutes for the trip there.

Once Max, Nikki, and Neil arrived, David basically disregarded their claims entirely, and so would be in no hurry back to the dining hall. Even with the campers pushing him, David’s strong as fuck (take him lifting the boulder in the intro for proof; not putting a screenshot because I’m on a roll), so they probably made it back at walking speed, if not, slower, for a seven-minute walk. That’s twelve minutes, so far. They stayed at David’s cabin for thirty-one seconds (I counted), so twelve and a half minutes (approximately).

Once at the Mess Hall, they stayed there for forty-three seconds. Thirteen minutes and fourteen seconds total.

Now, where is the purification sauna?

(7:33) Ered: “Oh, hey guys. You dudes are just in time to help prep for the killer party.”

It’s just past the activity center. You can see the science station, Ered’s skate thing, Nerris’ castle, and as the scene shifts over to Space Kid, Harrison, and Nerris making the killer Kool-Aid, you can see Dolph’s easel.

Since the Mess Hall apparently doesn’t have a back door, the campers went out the front. It probably took another five minutes to the back point of the activity center, and another added on thirty seconds to get around the Mess Hall, since at this point they were walking, for a total of eighteen minutes and forty-four seconds.

The kids lingered outside the sauna for another seventeen seconds. This totals to a minimum of nineteen minutes, and one second.

Preston was in the purification sauna for nineteen minutes. This is clearly way more time than any of the other campers (Neil and Nikki were in there for twenty-two seconds).

Part #2: The Emotional Side

Now, of course that’s not all to this piece of evidence. This piece of evidence starts with Preston’s pounding on the door’s glass, begging for help. This is weird. Why? Well, what is the purifying sauna?

(7:17) Neil: “I’d just like to point out the fucked up implications of specifically you putting specifically me into a gas chamber.” Dolph: “Oh, this is no gas chamber! We just use high-pressured steam and subliminal messaging to deconstruct your psyche, and rebuild you in a form that will please the Ancient Ones!”

(8:02) Daniel: “Brainwashed? No, no, no! I just appealed to their emotions, and showed them the light! People don’t wanna think, Max; they just wanna feel safe-- and feelings beat facts any day!”

So, first off, it’s obvious that the sauna doesn’t harm the campers. The sauna is, well, a sauna-- a place for people to go in and relax. The question now is, why wasn’t Preston relaxed?

The sauna is clearly a place where people don’t have to think, where they can feel safe, so why doesn’t Preston? The sauna is literally just a sauna with some subliminal messaging that fooled the other campers in, presumably, a matter of seconds, so why didn’t that happen to Preston?

An important thing to add on to this theory is that Preston converted almost immediately after Max, Neil, Nikki, and David showed up, when he probably felt a little more safe (or hopeful, at least, that they’d save him).

Evidence Piece #5: Small Smile

(9:22) Max: “Just look at him! In one day, he’s managed to get everyone happy, and working together! Something you and Gwen could never do! Everyone loves Daniel!”

Campers: “We love you, Daniel.”

In this scene, we can see that all of the campers are grinning widely, with their teeth showing, except for Dolph, whose mouth is covered by the table, and Preston, who has a small smile. However, Dolph is shown to be grinning with his teeth during the musical number, at 12:00 and 12:03.

Now, this piece of evidence can be shot down by this screenshot, where you can see Preston grinning in the corner:

(10:59) Daniel: “Why David, I thought you’d never ask!”

Except that I’ve thought of that already. This is just after David has decided that he’s going to fire Daniel, and even when Daniel came up with the excuse that he’s “successfully met every requirement listed in [his] job description, so [David] [doesn’t] actually have the legal to terminate [his] employment”, he doesn’t back down, and challenges Daniel to a camp song-off. The fact that he did this is probably reassuring to Preston, who was probably fighting off the brainwashing best he could (not good enough though, apparently, especially since most of his mind must have given into those thoughts already).

Evidence Piece #6: Better Than You

To finish the theory, I’m going to present you with the first thing I noticed: Preston isn’t in the entirety of the Better Than You number.

At first, I only noticed that he wasn’t in the “La, la, la, la”, and “ooh, ooh, ooh”--

(12:00) Daniel: “I know that might be hard to swallow.”

(12:03) Daniel: “This hurts you just as much as me.”

-- but neither are Nurf, Neil, or Max.

With Max, I thought it just made sense, considering that it was Max, and I thought it made sense with Neil, too, since he was the one that had called Daniel out on his bullshit earlier on. But what about Nurf? I reasoned it off as,

“I think I can assume for Nurf: because of his knowledge of why he is the way he is (a.k.a. knowledge of psychology), he is less prone to being psychologically manipulated”

But even then, I added,

“(That is super, super theoretical though)”

Recently, however, while I was rewatching the episode, I found that Nurf and Neil are both in the number:

(12:39) Daniel: “(...) Like keeping up this camp charade, (...)”

But Preston and Max are still nowhere to be found.

(And you can’t write it off as Preston just never wanting to be a part of a musical number no matter what, because he’s a theatre kid. That’s literally his entire personality.)

Bonus Evidence Piece #7: Reinforcement to Evidence Piece #2

(13:15) Space Kid: “Howdy, Jeanne!”

Notice that Preston is wearing much the same expression he was back at 4:14, and that now, everyone’s expressions match his (minus Space Kid’s), now that they’ve seen this, and know how to recognize it.

And that’s it!! That’s the Preston Theory!! If you like it, maybe you could reblog it, or just like it, whatever floats your boat!! If you want to debate it, that’s cool too!! If you want to add onto it, that’s even cooler!! Thank you for reading!!

[kalesandfails]

special needs

For days when you are moody and the dishes still have to get done,

when you are going to Paris and your daughter was diagnosed with autism,

when you find yourself, like you do, watching your youngest baby with terror, because his adorable waddle now seems like an obvious sign of muscular dystrophy.

When you spent the morning running and listening to a podcast about Sex Every Day, but now you think you will have Sex Never Again, because you are full-blown panic attacking, because your panic is attacking you, over the autism and the muscular dystrophy and what is going to happen if you are hospitalized with a spinal cord injury, unable to care for your disabled children, unable to calm your daughter down because she is screaming for you and you are trapped in a nursing home?

The walls may genuinely be closing in a little, some days. But also:

You can not get onto Twitter, is what you can do. Yes, the world is ugly and the people are sad; yes, people are simultaneously rejecting Pete Buttigieg for being gay and for eating Chic Fil A. Yes, probably no one should eat at Chic Fil A, because we should all collectively be saving our energy allotments for your motorized wheelchair and individual yogurt cups for your daughter because your good intentions, buying the more environmentally conscious quart container, earned another eight minutes of incoherent shrieking and yogurt all over the floor.

But, real talk, parents sometimes use wheelchairs and the world keeps turning. In fact, my shitty workday — oh, remember last week, when my biggest source of distress was my company’s brave new point-system world, which allots more points for missing your swipe out because your computer has locked than it does for arriving to work late, which you have never done?  — was saved in part by this article about badass nurses in wheelchairs, crushing it.

My conscious fear may be a random fear of becoming disabled, because of how my body dysmorphia locates takes every distressing thought or feeling I have and fleshes it out into a physical crisis of some kind. But underneath, the fear is of not being able to manage myself, or my children, because of how all of us are taught that needing help for a thing is the same as never being able to do that thing.

This makes sense if you are a politician who has taken more than he or she will ever need and now wants to make sure that we don’t waste any money on public transportation or special education or regular education or roads. If you want to cut $845 billion out of Medicare, a good system is one that assumes that anyone with any kind of physical or mental difference is a lost cause anyway, that rich people’s money is better spent procuring the sexual services of Russians for the benefit of failed millionaires who need to blow off steam after a hard day of tweeting.

But actually, people need, and give, help, all the time. It’s easy to forget that because of the aggressive efforts to stigmatize needing help and erase the assistance that those in power just take by force — like, say, when you enslave an entire segment of the human population for centuries, or use your legal power to avoid paying your contractors, or pay your nanny $5 an hour, no vacations, and then kvetch about having to finance her health care with your tax dollars.

But really, people are getting help literally all the time, from faxing my crumpled physical form to my boss to cleaning poop out of baby crevices to getting a fence put around the community playground to training aide dogs and fighting for ADA protections for others.

The part of me that wants to crawl under the bed hyperventilating or douse myself in wine until I am numb is the part than assumes that I have to do every hard thing, not just mine but everyone’s, all by myself, when actually every problem in the world has a solution, though some are more palatable than others.

Nursing, where you are routinely presented with problems whose solution is not immediately apparent, is a good antidote for this: I don’t know the answer here, you say, but I’m going to go find one. Jesus can be another, maybe, if you’re talking about Jesus the guy, a water-into-wine, here-let-me-pull-you-up kind of guy, not some bullshit platitude for why we keep letting brown children die kind of Jesus. Asking for and extending help regularly, like a breathing practice, is probably the best.

Help out: What-thing-do-you-need, let-me-help-you-with-that-thing.

Help in: Oh-hey, I-need-this-thing, can-you-help-me.

This is a way for people to live. It is, I think, the best alternative to the fantasy of rugged individualism, a fantasy in which huge chunks of need were just magically met, and the corollary of that shimmering myth, in which those needs were met by others who were not paid and whose meeting of those needs was compelled through violence or the threat of violence.

This help-from-the-universe model is humbling and scary, It can be especially hard when you really, really want specific people to help you, because you believe that you have to put in time to earn having your needs met, and that you do this by making the person you are closest to care enough to help. Why would some random guy help me when my mom or dad or brother or wife wont?

I don’t know why, except that this, and not that, is the way the world works. The help you need exists; it’s just that you don’t get to choose where it comes from. But did you want help, or did you want a good story starring you?

Life is hard, but people show up for each other. We do so even right now, when it’s being stigmatized as weakness to care about other people.

That’s the best way of understanding God I can get at on those mornings when even my brain doesn’t seem to be on my side: God as a thing we’re all doing, opening doors and carrying bags and appealing insurance denials. Saying:

no, I don’t want this thing until he gets it, too;

no, I can’t hug my own children and lose sight of other people’s children.

No, I don’t know the answer, but I know that it’s not acceptance or blame —

God as rejection of “tough shit, that’s the way things are”.

God as dismantler of walls, packer of lunches, wiper of bottoms, haver of backs.

[scribble-fox]

You Can't Ask That - Andromeda Edition

(Diverges from canon compliant at ‘high noon’) We’ve been granted an exclusive interview with some key players in the settling of Helius, and we’re asking the sensitive questions. Tune in for more!

The Charlatan (speaking via audio link only)

Charlatan, I hear you share the pathfinder with Vetra?

*The Charlatan laughs* "He's not a pie you can slice into pieces and pass around. Or a weapon you loan out to a colleague. Ryder shares himself with me, and I with him of course. I'm not old fashioned. Why should I ask him not to share himself with others who make him happy."

You don't get jealous?

"Jealous? No. I'm a busy man and so is he. The first thing he does when he comes into port is see me, but I don't like to think of him out there in those big pathfinder quarters on the ship, all by himself."

And you've met Vetra?

"I actually met Vetra before I met Ryder. I have a lot of respect for a woman like that. I wish I had had on older sister like her growing up."

What is your work like, and keeping secrets?

"I've gotten used to keeping secrets. It's necessary. I never found it very difficult until I met Ryder. When I first lied to him, it was just work, but as we got closer I felt, guilty. I trusted him, or I wanted to trust him. It's ironic, I betrayed his trust because I wanted him to see me as trustworthy” *Pause* "The rest of it? I do it because it's necessary. I think that's the right thing to do."

If you could choose again, would you come here or stay in the Milky Way?

"Objectively? No. I wouldn't come here if I knew what was going to happen. But now, I wouldn't change it. I think what we are doing is good. It's not what we expected, but it's good."

What do you miss about the Milky Way?

"Honestly? Burgers. Just sitting in a quiet diner, middle of the night, big greasy burger and a pile of fries."

Vetra Nyx

So, Vetra, you and the pathfinder.

"That's the first question?" *Vetra twitches her mandibles in the Turian equivalent of an eye roll* "I don't usually talk about my personal life, with strangers at least." *she sighs* "Ryder is fun and he's respectful. He supports me emotionally without treating me like I can't handle myself."

Do you think he has a lover in ever port?

"Ha! Ryder? He doesn't have time for that and I don't think he's quite that charming. Besides I'm with him on most missions, I'd know."

What about The Charlatan?

"Ryder leaves all doe-eyed when we stop at Kadara and he comes back with a big stupid smile on his squishy human face. It's cute. What they have is different to what we have. But I don't feel threatened by it if that's what you're asking. We live on a ship together and we work together every day. I'm not the one that needs to be jealous

I do worry a little though. Ryder was really hurt after the thing with Sloane and I'm not sure we can trust the Charlatan. It's in the name. I don't know if he'll run that place any better than Sloane did, and if he doesn't, and things get bad, if we end up needing to put him down Ryder will do it. It would break his heart. I haven't seen Ryder cry yet and I really don't want to have to."

How do you feel about Jaal?

"He's an emotional sort of guy isn't he. He's nice but I'm not sure I'd choose to hang out with him if we weren't on a ship together. Last time I went to ask him a question he was naked, just walking around like it was totally normal. Maybe it is for Angara. I couldn't imagine Efvra doing it though."

You've had some disagreements with PeeBee?

"Yeah, at first. We have different perspectives. I'm a big sister who's always had to be responsible and she's a little sister that's pretty much had the freedom to make her own decisions. I like her though really, don't tell her, but I guess I'm a little jealous"

What has it been like living amongst humans?

"You mean with a human majority? Well it's been that way for a long time for me. Or at least not a Turian majority. It's the same. Humans have all the same political bullshit and petty fights, feels like home. I can't eat a lot of their food though, so variety isn't great."

Do you miss your sister when you're away?

"Well she's old enough now that she kind of needs the space. She's safe on the nexus, but I do worry, especially if I'm on a dangerous mission. I worry who will take care of her if something happens to me."

What is the most exhilarating?

"Ryder's driving. *Vetra laughs* He's a good driver but he goes fast, he takes corners and isn't afraid to go off road. It's fun, scary, but fun."

Nakmor Drack

You're the oldest on the crew, do you ever feel like you're babysitting?

"It's not just the crew. I'm always babysitting these days. They can hold their own though."

Are you ever scared on missions?

"Fighting comes naturally to a Krogan. It's the nomad I worry about. Ryder's a terrible driver. He'll drive straight up a sheer cliff face if it's in his way. I can respect that but I'd rather not be in the vehicle."

Who are you closest with on the crew?

"Vetra is a good friend. We work well together. She's sensible."

You know about The Charlatan, do you worry that Ryder is going to hurt her?

"Vetra's a grown up, she can handle herself. Anyway, Krogan's don't have the luxury of monogamy. Why should we expect it of anyone else."

What do you miss about the Milky Way?

"Varren. The only companion you can trust in your old age. We couldn't bring them with us, pestilential species, destructive, like us I suppose. Still, there are some commendable alternatives here."

What compelled the krogan to come out here?

"Ha! Have you been to Tuchunka? Best leave that world to the pyjaks and start fresh. Krogan have a long history of screwing things up. Sure we've been manipulated and kicked in the dirt by every species there is but it's our own nature we need to leave behind."

Ryder

So, what's it like being pathfinder?

"Oh it's great! You get to make all the important decisions, get shot at, there's no dental  out here but you find all kinds of interesting medicine on Kadara. *He winks* I'll take what I can get.

But really, it's hard. You might have noticed, I'm not the serious type. I don't speak politician and I don't compromise on my values. Maybe that will get me in trouble, but I can't be fake like that. Im hoping it will let people know I'm honest, and I'm real. I can make mistakes like everyone, but I'm doing my best."

How do you feel about your dad leaving it to you?

"Yeah, that was a shock. I wasn't ready for it and I was kind of angry. There's this sense I get from people, certain people especially, that it's just nepotism. But dad wasn't sentimental like that and he was always big on working for something yourself. Sometimes I wonder if it was regret though. I know he started to realise that he'd missed Sara and my growing up. I do wish I'd had the chance to really get to know him. Maybe there's a bit of bitterness there. But I'm not sure he would have taken the time until it was life or death.

I know why he didn't pick Cora though, doesn't take much talking to her to work that out. I wish she could see it. She's not ready."

You say the Angara are allies, but what do they really think of us?

"You'd have to ask them that. Same as us I guess. They're cautious, which is fair. But they've been really welcoming. I think they're a pretty generous species over all."

So what do you think of the Angara as people?

"I like them. They're straightforward. They wear their emotions on their sleeves which is something I can get behind. I think Dad would be too formal for them. They tend to respond better when you're open with them. They do seem kind of conservative otherwise though."

Do you agree with Tan, Addison and Kesh.

"I usually agree with Kesh."

How's your relationship with Vetra Nyx?

"Solid. She's the kind of person you want to curl up in front of the vids with, or take out in low grav in the nomad for some crater hopping. She's a real relationship person, mature you know? She had to grow up fast. I can respect that. If we were in the Milky Way, I'd love to take her hiking through some national parks back on earth. A real holiday. She'd be better at all that than me, but I think I'd enjoy that."

You and the Charlatan?

"You're not supposed to know about that."

The whole galaxy knows about that.

"Shit. *Rider sighs good naturedly* He's smooth. I like a guy who can flirt back without getting flustered or taking it all too seriously. He's not intimidated by the title and he doesn't get all tangled between business and personal. We could probably be working against each other and still be lovers. *Ryder laughs* He ticks a lot of boxes as far as my boyhood fantasies go. But we genuinely get along and I think we have a good connection that's not entirely physical."

Do you trust him?

*Ryder pauses to lean back in his chair* "He really hurt me, and that's slowed things down a bit. I don't want to think about it, I'm trying to keep it light. The thing is, I expected untruths. I knew he wasn't telling me everything. I even suspected he was the Charlatan early on. But I asked him and he told me no, right to my face. We'd already started to get close and it seemed like he was opening up to me. I just thought he would avoid the truth, not lie directly. You know, when someone asks 'did you eat my blast-o's?' And you say 'I didn't have breakfast this morning' because they'll think you're saying you didn't but actually you ate them last night for dessert. I understand him not telling me, but he's very comfortable with lying directly. That does make me uneasy."

Is there anyone on your crew that you don't like?

"I wouldn't say that. I do tend to avoid Cora. She just makes me uncomfortable. I don't know her well. But she's always talking about my dad. People do that a lot. If he's so great maybe I'd have known him well enough to see that myself. But I can't say that because he died for me. People have told me that and they get angry at me. Really, like I don't know. But he was my dad and just because someone loves you, and even if they make some big gesture at the end like that, it doesn't change the past. You can't treat someone like a stranger for their whole life and then expect them to connect with you.

Gil is a bit much for me too. I chatted to him when I first got on the ship, flirted with him. I flirted with everyone. But, ah, he came on a little strong and not with any real confidence. He's a bit pig headed when it comes to the ship too. He's good at what he does, but it's a complex ship. Kallo knows what tweaks will interfere with other systems. There would be a lot less time wasted and far fewer mistakes if the two of them would communicate.

In saying that, I'd fight side by side with any of them. They're my team. It's my job, and my duty, but it's also my pleasure."

Thanks for answering our questions today.

Ryder: My pleasure.

Nakmor Drack: Don't mention it.

Vetra Nyx: Okay.

The Charlatan: Always a pleasure.