#why end with such a major cliffhanger if you aren’t going to continue it in the next base game

[halfratsalready]

So no story mode? *throws phone and jumps on skateboard, breaking it*

[mdhwrites]

My Adventures With Superman Episode 3 Review: A Welcome Chance to Breathe

Non-Spoiler short version: If the first two episodes were a bit rushed and bursting at the seams, this one takes a couple steps back, takes a deep breath in and then strides into right where it should be with confidence. The humor is on point, characterization continues to be really strong, the foreshadowing is good for what’s coming later and the final line has SO MANY IMPLICATIONS that have me excited for where it might go. Also, if anyone was worried the romance wasn’t going to matter, well, I would say this episode puts it to bed that they understand that good romance also plays into character growth and the like and means a push and pull in things which has me increasingly excited to see more of Lois and Clark. Both as individuals and together. Also, has the best Superman fight yet so far I’d say so just very good all around.

Now time for the spoilers!

I’m actually going to work backwards from the ending because it’s a cliffhanger to me that really helps explain how Lois behaves in this episode. After all, I kept going “LOIS NO!” as I watched. Not in a bad way but in a comedic “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” fashion. After all, she lies, steals and tricks even Clark during this episode which does mean she’s having a push and pull with the lesson she learned in the first episode but...

Well, the major goal for the team in this episode is to get an interview with Superman. Even when they technically swap cases to the ‘Inter-Gang’ one, the villains for this episode, Lois is actually using it to just get put in danger so Superman will come rescue them and she can spring an interview on him. She didn’t let Clark in on the plan, though neither told Jimmy. She also never actually gets in the way of the investigation or the like and is doing good work, just for questionable reasons. Also, when this is revealed and Jimmy says it was what they did with Livewire (I also love the idea that Jimmy is going to probably end up naming like at least 50% of the Rogue’s Gallery), we get the great line out of Clark of “THAT WAS ON PURPOSE!?” Poor... Poor Clark.

And potentially poor Lois. Her last line, the last major line in the episode, is “He’s a liar.” She gets her interview after all and Clark is honest. He’s figuring himself out, figuring out his powers, etc. like that. The closest to a lie is not being willing to give a name but she technically didn’t ask for one. Then he says he’s just here to help the people of Metropolis and asks “Isn’t that what matters?”

Well... The first episode brought up whether or not Lois was doing these cases for the people... or for herself. Well, the Superman case is technically not useful to the people. They may want more information but aren’t the crimes going on more pressing if your focus is actually on the people? That’s what makes the first episode justified. It’s kind of what makes her lying and stealing justified too... But not so much the fact that she’s still trying to trap Superman who’s just doing good. Like she pointed out in the first episode: “He wouldn’t have helped me otherwise! Not like he did with the lady and the bib... Or with me and Flip... Or when he brought donuts for everyone!”

It’s starting to build the impression that Lois’ real point of contrast with Clark is that if Clark is optimistic and will always save everyone... Lois is pessimistic but will do what she can anyways. She expects people to be selfish. To look out for themselves. To do whatever they have to to get ahead. She’s taking this same mindset to journalism and it’s blinding her from the people in front of her who are genuinely just good.

But this doesn’t mean she’s a bad person and a little gray morality next to Clark’s white morality is a good thing. She still won’t hurt people and Superman actually states that why he was willing to do the interview was that when he told Lois and Jimmy to go, they stuck around and helped people because Lois’ true nature is still good. She still puts others in front of her... But she’s willing to bend the rules if she thinks it won’t hurt anyone and will help her. That’s not terrible but she needs to be doing it for the right reasons and it’ll be interesting to see the push and pull on this.

If it seems like I’m spending a lot of time on this, it’s actually not because the rest of the episode isn’t interesting but that it’s what matters most to me. I LIVE for characters and interesting hooks like these are my lifeblood. But that doesn’t mean just a good cast playing well off of each other doesn’t work well too, such as the Inter-Gang.

Inter-Gang is three people, Roughhouse, Mist and... I never quite caught their leaders codename and I can’t remember her actual name. They’re good low level criminals though to show that the stolen tech that Livewire got sent to the rest of the thieves in Metropolis is going to be a major player in the problems being caused, at least for now. They use each others real names when doing crimes, they’re generally not good at what they do but they’re also tired of being mocked which makes them prime tinder to misuse and abuse experimental tech, such as the freeze ray they use that then jams and then goes into hyper drive when they smash it with strength gauntlets.

Edit: The leader is the apparently the eventual super villain “Silver Banshee” and thank you to the person who let me know!

And while I got it wrong, I thought he was gaining X-Ray vision this episode, the foreshadowing to Superman’s heat vision and that being what saves the day is done well. His powers are developing now that he’s actually using them and embracing them so he keeps having moments where his eyes go blue and then red, first the color connected to his adrenaline state and then specifically the laser eyes. This gives him a headache and he stumbles a bit but then it moves on until he’s almost frozen, the leader of the gang screams for help after her tech won’t save her and BAM! LASER EYES!

It’s keeping to the show’s formula so far, including having a vision at the same time like when he saved Livewire, but that’s okay for now. We’re still in the early days and the addition of new powers will help keep solutions fresh. Frankly, if this is how the show is going to be in general... Cool. I’m here for it. It’s a good start to what to expect the majority of the season to probably look like and it’s funny, exciting and smooth.

And that includes the animation. There was maybe one time I thought something looked a little clunky but it came off as a deliberate choice for the moment, rather than a mistake or something that needed another pass. Otherwise, the animation was nice and clean and the fight against the Inter-Gang was still short, not as short as Supes versus Livewire though, but satisfying and looked really good, putting one of my big fears from the first two episodes to rest: That this animation studio was going to struggle to do Superman fights well. We already know they can do stuff like Slade versus Livewire well, this is the same team that did Korra after all, but Superman and his flight, and his brute strength, is a very different beast to tackle.

But I have been given good reason to trust in the animation team now just as much as I’m trusting the writers so I’m definitely looking forward to next week.

===========

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

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[buddiebeginz]

I just caught up to the current episode of 911. Jesus that ending 😭 I’m pretty sure I sat there and stared at the tv for a good five minutes afterwards in shock right along with Buck.

Okay get comfy because this is going to get long. I have a lot of thoughts on  why I think it’s more likely than ever that Buddie will become canon. I’ve seen a lot of fandom talking about why they feel the same and honestly it’s not surprising given the way that shooting scene played out. But I have some other thoughts I haven’t seen talked about yet too.

--

I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not I think Buddie will happen. I want them to get together in canon and I think the show should definitely make it happen and not just because us fans want it to happen either.

Since Eddie arrived the show has continually written Buck and Eddie in a way to say to the audience there’s more going on there. So I don’t think it’s some far fetched idea that so many of us ship them or want to see them end up together. I’ve shipped many characters who I knew were never going to get together in canon but Buddie has always felt different. It’s not just wishful thinking there’s a lot of substance there provided by the writers.

Still more recently I’d kind of lost hope that Buddie was ever going to happen. Throughout season 4 I’ve been wondering if the show was working on pulling Buck and Eddie in different directions. I figured maybe they were just tired of listening to the fans yell about Buddie. I figured it’s why we had been seeing a lot more of Taylor and Ana and why we rarely see Buck and Eddie and Chris spending time together the way we used to in season 3. It had actually been bumming me out a lot because I miss that dynamic in the show.

---

Last night’s episode changed my mind on that though and not just because of the shooting. I was worried at first when I saw that Carla was meeting Ana because I wondered where this was going. Like was the show trying to solidify Ana as a more substantial part of Eddie’s life now? Were they trying to show that she was important enough to start meeting more of the people in Eddie’s life? But I realized after watching that the whole reason Ana was even included in the episode was for Eddie and Carla to have the convo they did.

Eddie and Carla talk about Carla’s dad. Carla says that she was thankful she got to spend time with him (before he died) and she was sorry she left them (Eddie and Chris) Eddie says “you were where you were supposed to be”. When Eddie says that Carla gets this look on her face like she’s considering his words and thinking about the meaning and responds with a line of questioning that gets her to asking Eddie about Ana. Mainly I think because Carla is one of the people who knows Buck and Eddie better than anyone and when Eddie said to her “you were where you were supposed to be” she was likely thinking so how come you’re not where you’re supposed to be with Buck?

Eddie and Carla talk about Chris and how Eddie had been worried about him (after what happened to Shannon) and how happy he is to have Ana around.  Carla presses Eddie about how he feels about Ana and Eddie simply says “it’s easy being with her” (aka he doesn’t have to be emotionally invested). Carla responds and says she’s glad Eddie is moving on but most importantly she tells him “just be sure that you’re following your heart and not Christopher’s”. 

The show easily could have framed this whole scene in a different way if they were planning on making Ana and Eddie into a more significant thing. Eddie could have responded and said he was following his heart being with Ana. The show could have shown Eddie watching Ana and Christopher with a sense of ease and love on his face instead he clearly looked like he was thinking about what Carla said and it was obvious he’d been running from the fact he was only with Ana for Christopher.

----

The other thing that made me feel like Buddie is much more of a certainty and the main thing I wanted to write this for since I haven’t seen anyone else really talking about it is what’s going on with the other couples and how that correlates with Buddie.

911 is obviously an ensemble show so some characters and ships will inevitably get more attention than others still there’s usually some that are the consistent main. For example Hen and Karen they’re a great couple but I wouldn’t necessarily call them a main couple of the show. To me the central canon couple of 911 is Athena and Bobby and second to them I think would be Chim and Maddie at least in season 4 where they’ve had a lot of focus given the baby storyline.

I think we’re headed towards both of these couples being on the rocks. Clearly Athena and Bobby are about to go through some stuff. I’m hoping Bobby doesn’t die but no matter what their marriage is in trouble at this moment. As for Maddie and Chim I think it’s likely that they’re headed for a postpartum depression storyline so that will probably spell some trouble for them too.

My point in all of this is if you watch the ending of the recent episode right after the argument between Athena and Bobby we saw the shooting with Buck and Eddie. In the promo for the next episode the majority of what we see is Buck and Eddie juxtaposed with what’s going on with Athena and Bobby and Chim and Maddie.

TV shows particularly drama ones like 911 ebb and flow and there’s usually some kind of balance. If you have one or more of your main couples in the middle of the worst times chances are you’ll see other couples in the best times. So while Athena and Bobby might be unraveling which hopefully is just temporary) in the midst of this shooting Buddie might be coming together or at least closer to getting there. More on that below. 👇

----

I don’t necessarily think that Buddie will just magically get together in the last episode of season 4. Part of me doesn’t even want that to happen. I think it makes much more sense for things with Buddie to happen gradually. Besides which nothing in tv ever wraps up that neat and tidy anyway. Shows like 911 thrive on drama so if Buddie is going to happen there has to be conflict involved before they get to that point.

My guess is that this shooting will push one of them to recognize their feelings for the other and he’ll want to tell the other one but something will stop him. I think it could be Buck. Like maybe while Eddie is recovering Buck talks to Taylor and finally realizes/admits his feelings for Eddie, to which she says something snarky like she knew that already. She pushes him to go tell Eddie the truth but when Buck goes to the hospital he ends up seeing Ana there and decides not to tell him. Maybe in season 5 we have to watch Buck figuring out his sexuality and dealing with his feelings for Eddie while seeing Eddie with someone else.

911 could also surprise us and it could be Eddie who realizes his feelings for Buck. We had that scene with Carla and Eddie and it’s clear that Eddie is only with Ana for Christopher. We had Carla telling Eddie to follow his heart. When you look at the symbolism of what happened during the shooting Eddie’s blood ended up all over Buck which is like a trail to this heart (albeit a morbid one) not to mention Eddie reached out for Buck when he was on the ground. So Eddie could wake up and realize the truth about his feelings for Buck and want to tell him but be afraid to loose his best friend. Or maybe Eddie is afraid to change anything now that Christopher seems happy again finally.

There could also just be a scene with them in the hospital or maybe Buck comes to stay with Eddie and Christopher to help take care of Eddie and and  it’s clear the atmosphere has changed between them. Like we don’t get anything super serious yet but there’s something more there and they both feel it but aren’t acting on it yet. Maybe Buck tells Eddie how he felt when he saw him get shot maybe Eddie tells him he reached for him. Maybe they both realize they couldn’t bare to loose the other.

Everything that’s happened thus far with Buck and Eddie feels like it’s leading towards something. It definitely feels like something is going to change with them heading into season 5. I feel like they’re going to leave us on some kind of cliffhanger and then drag out whatever happens next season. Which makes sense as it incentives more people to watch. But I’m more optimistic than ever that Buddie will happen now.

---

I do agree with what others have said that there’s no place really for the writers to go now than to put Buck and Eddie together even if it doesn’t happen immediately. The shooting scene was completely framed like Buck watched the man he loved get shot and they were even wearing complimenting colors which is something I’ve seen done often in movies and tv for lovers. They were staring at each other and reaching out. I mean how do you explain that if it doesn’t lead anywhere?

Not to mention the whole thing was done in slow motion and the scene didn’t focus on anyone else besides Eddie and Buck for a few minutes. It even had an almost a freeze frame with the two staring at each other across the street and since there was blood and the ambulance the whole scene was lit up bright red. And apart from everything else red is pretty much universally known as the color for love.

One other thing I forgot to add was that the convo with Eddie and Carla happened in an episode called Suspicion where people are keeping things from the people they love. The mother keeping things from her bridezilla daughter, Bobby and Athena keeping things from each other, Maddie keeping her depression from Chimney, Hen’s mom keeping how sick she was from Hen.

Why would 911 choose this episode in particular to feature all this important Buddie stuff? That important convo with Carla and Eddie where Carla basically tells Eddie she knows he’s not following his heart. That crazy intense moment with the shooting where Buck and Eddie are just staring at each other like soulmates having to watch the person they love die.

Maybe because both Buck and Eddie have things they’re hiding? Things they’re hiding from themselves and things they’re keeping from the person they love the most. Each other.

[lauraluna98]

Why Little Witch Academia didn’t need a new season

A thing that I find pretty common among the great majority of the LWA fandom is how most persons want so much a whole new season for the anime even with the ending that was more likely a conclusion ending than a cliffhanger to another season or more adventures

To be honest when I firstly entered into the LWA fandom I was thinking that this wish for another season was more like a meme or something because of a ending like that, why did people want so much about a new season? But I’m not going to say about that because I already know the reasons most people want

Here we are with 14 reasons why there’s no need for a new season and I’m open to see if someone has a answer to that and why is better to just leave the show the way it was

1- The ending is already a conclusion

I have already said about that but here I am to say it again just to clarify this. The ending was something that put a conclusion to everything that was a “problem” on LWA World plot, they solve everything, like the tension among witches and politicians, the humans starting to think that magic is cool, the “Spirit bomb” like kinda of power which beat the main threat and everyone sees that, now the whole problem with people who doesn’t believe in magic is solved on the anime

2- The show is written to be simple

A thing that I find a lot when people say that they need a new season is that the World of LWA is very complex and well build… And well, they’re right, but that doesn’t mean they would have a proper writing to be a completely masterpiece for a lot of seasons, the intention is only to be about Akko fulfilling her dream and this part is already done, remember that this is a Studio Trigger anime, the writers there aren’t that good and most of the animes have the “Don’t give up” message and is written around that

3- Its a waste of time and money

This isn’t a secret to anyone that LWA has one of the most beautiful and well made animations in the world and its all handmade, now imagine to do a whole season with 24 episodes like the one we already have just think ho w much frames they would take to make with the same level they did with the anime and how much time and money they needed to bring just to pay the animators just to make a whole new season for an anime that already have a proper ending just because some fans wanted. Animations tend to have around 30 frames per second, now imagine a 22 minutes episode

By the math we have 30 x 60 x 22 = 39600 frames for each episode and if we multiply by 24 episodes we have an 950400 frames anime

Imagine doing almost a million frames of a concluded anime that has a pretty solid story because the fans want while they could use all the time and money to focus on other shows and even release one that is as good as the show you love so much

4- They need to change the ending

Nice now they want to have a new season, but here we are, how they need to keep the plot keep going, they have a completely “it’s everything fine and done” ending, a conclusive final to the series, with all of the things solved, they would need to bring something to the plot happen without being forced or nonsense and even more complicated than that. Is that they needed to maintain with the same simple written and the whole message of “Don’t give up on your dreams” and the whole motivational writing, they would need to change what happened to the ending to bring a reason to the plot to happen

5- You want Diakko

I’m a Diakko shipper myself and I know pretty much that the LWA fandom is about Diakko and Diakko is the thing in LWA fandom being what it is and I know that the fandom want a new season to the Diakko happen

And don’t say “No, no you’re wrong we don’t want the romance we want just the new season”

Don’t be an Hypocryte, you guys want the Diakko a lot and what if the season comes out you guys are going to post parts without context saying “OMFG DIAKKO EZ REAL LOOK HOW THEY ARE GAY” like the Diakko already do with the Official arts without knowing that Official art ≠ Canon

And I pretty much know that what if came out people would complain saying “NOOO THE DIAKKO ISN’T HAPPENING THIS SEASON IS TRASH AY WANT ANOTHER” and I pretty much know that the Diakko is gonna be a huge queerbait if the show have another season, they would tease a lot and in the end they would simple “Screw you we don’t want romance” The producer has already stated that they don’t want romance

So don’t have the hope that Diakko will be canon, is sad to say that but is the true, at least isn’t another season of queerbaiting

6- “But Akko story is finished and they want to explore other characters like Amanda or Diana”

No they won’t going to explore Diana and Amanda story, since both already have their time to be developed and to be honest LWA is Akko even tho she’s not that well written character, LWA is about her, she’s the main character and the one who make the plot happen, like everyone changed because of Akko and that’s it, Akko is the main character and they aren’t going to simple put Diana or Amanda as the main characters even if they are more liked than Akko sometimes, they didn’t have the weight and aren’t as addicting as Akko and I’m saying that being a 100% Diana stan

“But the director and the producer said that on a interview in the past”

Yeah and a interview confirms that Akko is lesbian too

Oh for the nine lesbian witches, I need to say that you guys are picking a interview and putting out of the context to just being a reason to be right into a discussion even tho the context could be another. And I pretty much know that they could say that to be more like a concept idea rather than really making a second season focused on Diana or Amanda

For Amanda we have only that manga story about their parents and she wanting to be expelled from Luna Nova since she hates magic, but then she starts to like the magic because of Akko

For Diana we have more and most things are already done for her to the point of even Daryl being less asshole with her, but we mostly could have an story about her childhood and how she overcome her nerf (plus giving Bernadette an husband ewww), how did Daryl side of the family start to hate Bernadette’s side since is already shown that Daryl didn’t care about Bernadette (she simply sell everything that Bernadette want to keep) and she simply let their daughter and even her bully Diana for liking Chariot, but even that we don’t have a proper longer story, this is a story that could fit well on an 50min OVA, nothing more than that.

So we have that Akko story is already over so a new season isn’t needed to happen

7- The nine witches and Chariot’s past

This is another thing I’ve seen some persons saying that there’s some things that they could well develop like the nine witches and Chariot’s past

And I’m going to be clear here

Do they need?

Are you guys going to watch it?

They could fit the whole Chariot’s past with a 53 minute OVA

The Nine witches they could fit on a OVA or even with an 9/10 episode season but how did they would develop a story about them? They only have Woodward and Beatrix (and maybe Jennifer) the other seven (or six) are unknown they didn’t think to give names to her they only think to put hats on the headmistress room and just to mention that there’s nine witches who founded Luna Nova

And I don’t think that would be as addicting to watch with the fans as an new season that would be a sequel with Diakko queerbait (I would love to see it)

Just see the LWA fanfcitions

Mostly are just Diakko, you can count on your fingers on how much LWA fics are made about Chariot’s past and the nine witches together, even the kudos could be counted on the fingers and even that fics are some of them written with that both concepts being the main story and even when they put that being the main plot you could simply count that with just one hand

So yeah would be a waste of time and money doing things about the nines and Chariot if nobody was going to see it and even if they see this isn’t gonna give any profit to the show

And I say it again

Did it was needed?

LWA is about the whole journey about Akko becoming a witch like Chariot and is written to be about that even with the whole complex universe with a lot of concepts.

8- We could get Gainax’d

Well before it was Studio Trigger it was Gainax

We all know that

And we could simple get trolled in the whole anime

Or with a worst ending (than the one we already have)

Or with a completely Queerbait get trolled

making everyone straight, Diana have a boyfriend which was Thomas from the OVA appearing again, giving shitty generic episodes (like beaches and hot springs and I need to say that a hot spring episode could kill Trans headcanons? Making all characters explicit Cis), Akko and Andrew are together (for the happiness of the Ankko fandom), all that in the ending of LWA, or even killing everyone at the ending, etc

Gainax/Trigger isn’t good at ending of their shows (just see how they rushed to finish LWA plot) and LWA is the least worst ending

9- Manga and light novel are out of question

Nobody was going to buy a expensive light novel which came out only in Japan (and maybe in English) or a Manga because this is a Trigger show, Trigger shows are made to be only anime and the Manga is made by other creators based on the original one, so they are official but not canon (or canon in their continuity)

And why pay a mangaka to do an alternative story which the fans aren’t going to consider canon ?

10- Fanfiction

This is simple, you guys want a new season? Go read it

Made by fans

Fanfictions aren’t only NSFW shit with all that kinda of things that make the people reject the humanity and is gross forbidden to the society

No

Fanfictions are fanmade stories

And isn’t that hard to find one with a solid plot and a well developed story than the original LWA show

This isn’t hard to find and there’s even some AU’s which explore more than just the original universe like ones that they made with no magic at all, some about the past, some even longer than the whole bible (like mine), fixing the plot holes or even making the characters more human, well developed and likeable (like Hannah). Or even a more mature plot where the characters say curse worlds talk about more mature stuff where they can’t in the original or even about LGBT themes more deeply than just teasing

“Oh but I would prefer an official than a fanmade story would feel better”

Well you have your preferences

But I’m here to also give just one advice, the Official plot wouldn’t be as good as fanmade plot since the screenwriter has passed out and even they hire one to be on her place it still isn’t gonna be as good as the original show or fanmade plot. Studio Trigger shows aren’t knowing for writing but for their good animation

Just stop with your prejudice against fanfiction think that is only about teenagers writing about smut, because this is just stereotype about fanfictions while there’s some written by adults and even teenagers who can give a proper plot even better than the original show and think even more that they are doing that for free, you’re getting a book with awesome things of your show plus an awesome story where the writer put their commitment, time and effort to do it (I’m writer myself and I take like 6/7 hours a day to write a chapter of my stories to reach the word count and keep the daily updates)

11- Another shows and proper game adaptations are better

Just leave the anime alone and want more shows with this kinda of stuff or even a proper game adaptation (not that crappy Chamber of Time game), with a better gameplay, more addicting to play and stuff like that

A proper game would be very welcoming

They already have an awesome world to develop a game if they hire a proper team to make it they could do a proper game not that early ps2 era graphics crappy RPG

12- An OVA or an Extra Episode is better than a whole season

This contradict a little about my arguments but I’m going to say that is better to just do an OVA or an Extra special episode rather than a 10+ episode season or even a 25 episode season like the original part

Even tho would be just a generic and relaxed special since there’s nothing more to develop in plot after the ending rather than a Slice of Life special

13- This will create the “At least we have it” type of fan

If the season isn’t as good as the original, some people will complain and say that isn’t as bad and at least we have it

And to be honest I hate that type of fan

Because they like every single crap made by the corporation but not for real, they just lie saying that is great and at least we have it some even contradict to the point “oh its bad but at least we have it and look these separated moment is good and compensate the shit the rest of the show is

Or if the show is average they will say everything to make everyone think that is a masterpiece

And this type of fan is what the creators love because they could make the anime being crappy written and there still persons who would still give money and will like and some of them would say to the others which complained saying is bad that isn’t bad as they say.

14- Wouldn’t be that good

This is the final argument I have and I say that would be just average or just bad or simply not as good as the original one

They don’t have the plot to continue the story and keep going

So will be a forced plot to make a reason to the story happen

With an Generic villain with an generic reason to be evil

And Now I finish with 14 reasons why LWA didn’t need a new season and is just better to leave the show alone

[todomitoukei]

what's your biggest gripe w bnha? and what kind of plot/character changes would you make if you had that kind of power? (this sounds like a question you get for an interview or an essay im sorry 😭😭 im genuinely curious though because you're very big brain and have interesting thoughts)

Did you hear that, mom?? This person says I’m big brain; suck on that!! Thank you so much, I’m glad you find my thoughts interesting!

Anyway, I would take a completely different approach to the story. Focus less on the heroes and more on the villains (than the story does), and most importantly focus more on the correlation between the hero system and the existence of villains.

Bnha oftentimes feels all over the place in terms of genre and what it wants to focus on. Just compare the first season to the current manga arc. The first season felt more like it was going to be a very light-hearted, slice of life type of story that would just focus on this kid who tries to become a hero. But at some point, it turned into a whole social commentary on injustice and discrimination, as well as touching on other really heavy topics.

While where the story is at right now is much more to my liking than the first season is, it can just drive a lot of people away from it, too, and is partially also the reason why there is such a divide in the fandom - either you like the light-hearted hero aspect of it and then you end up not even paying much attention to the story when it focuses on the villains and you don’t want to see people in the fandom talk about the deeper aspects of the story, or you are more into the heavier stuff and either have to wait a long time until the story gets to that point or just get turned away early on and then never get to the interesting part.

That is not to say that having those two sides is inherently bad; it’s nice when deeper stories also have their light-hearted moments, but it just kind of jumps from one side to the other all the time instead of just focusing on the actual points it tries to make.

I probably would’ve just made the class a whole lot smaller. This story has far too many characters because it doesn’t just focus on the students; it focuses on the students, the Pro Heroes, and the villains, which then leads to the issue of the majority of these characters being absolutely irrelevant most of the time. The class could just be half the size and that would’ve been just as fine and would allow for the remaining students to be fleshed out more and get more screentime than they do.

Personally, I’d prefer Shouto as the protagonist, but Deku could actually be a good, interesting protagonist if Horikoshi wrote him better, which isn’t difficult considering Deku is technically the perfect protagonist for this story. He is someone who has grown up experiencing that injustice of a quirk-based society, the problem is that as soon as he got his quirk, he suddenly seemed to have forgotten all about that. And that is actually fine if it only lasted for a while, but he still hasn’t realized that. He could be a really great character if he just started questioning things earlier. That doesn’t mean he has to give up on heroes and try and start a revolution right away, but maybe have him actually point out how messed up it is that Endeavor is one of the top heroes, when he’s the type of person heroes would usually help arrest.

Fewer side stories! Season four was so annoying in terms of how manga arcs were spread across the episodes. The Gentle arc was far too long, which then led to the Pro Hero arc only partially being in the season; the remaining parts then having to be continued in season five - not to forget that they chose such a boring, anti-climatic cliffhanger?! I kind of understand the purpose of the Gentle arc but it could and should have been way shorter.

Overall, just give more screentime to the villains - the League of Villains, that is. The story could be better executed if Horikoshi actually bothered to focus on the injustice caused by the hero system, but it’s often not obvious enough when the major focus continues to be on the heroes, with the villains only being focused on every once in a while (more and more as the story goes on, but that built up is just really slow). Not to mention how Horikoshi himself treats the heroes vs. how he treats the villains, which incidentally basically parallels how they are treated within the story.

To sum it up, I think if there were fewer background characters and side stories that aren’t relevant to the plot it would allow for a more balanced story by giving more screentime to the villains and their backstories because this constant over-shadowing makes it unclear whether Horikoshi actually wants to have the story deal with these topics or not. 

There are many things in the story that are just inconsistent or straight up contradict something else within the story, so if Horikoshi could write this story a little clearer and get to the point a bit better instead of having this weird back and forth it would be a far better story and one that could be told in fewer pages, considering if we take the current arc some kind of big turning point in the story, then it took roughly 300 chapters to get there. That in itself wouldn’t be too bad if the flaws of the hero system were more consistently focused on before. So better pacing would be nice (and stop throwing every possible reveal at us for no reason); he doesn’t have to drag out how the heroes constantly get away with everything over and over again - we get it! But how are those flaws of the hero system going to change, that’s what I would like to find out, hence the story would benefit from showing those darker sides more.

In short - I would change a lot of things, but the main idea is to cut out the more unnecessary parts and then shift the focus a bit more to have a more balanced story overall that is clearer on the point it’s trying to make.

[lizacstuff]

SCK episode 46 asks!

Hi folks, below the read more you'll find a smattering of asks about this week's episode as well as a few spoilers for 47.

Good asks this week:

(under the cut)

Anonymous asked: this may be superficial of me, but why are they dressing Serkan in such ugly tops? they finally brought Eda's hair back but now this

BWAH! You're not wrong. You know what I'm wondering, if they've put him in some of those outfits because they are showing his suburban dad side? It's kind of a subtle nod to him embracing father hood and a different way of life? He's now all about running around the yard after his daughter and not about what he looks like when he's being SERKAN BOLAT, FAMOUS BUSINESS MAN and WORLD'S BEST ARCHITECT.

Also, Eda's hair, thank goodness they let that go once the flashbacks were over and we didn't need something to distinguish between then and now! Those curly bangs were not it.

Anonymous asked: They built up the Edser chemistry soooooo well throughout the episode... for that ending? Who decided to cut it there?! The scene was BEAUTIFUL I’m actually upset lol. are not we going to see any more? I’m not asking for a sex scene, I wanted to see THE moment they decided to get back together (the tattoo line doesn’t do it for me) - a few words, tears as they embrace, him walking through the door as she closes it, one passionate kiss, something! But it doesn’t feel like a cliffhanger that continues next week. I’ll be so underwhelmed when they cut to the morning after and we have to infer that they got back together overnight *sigh* if they were allowed 1 kiss only, id rather it have been here instead of ep 2

We do deserve to see how they reconcile, that should be one of the biggest moments of the season after 7 episodes of build up to it.

90% of final scenes in this show have continued uninterrupted the next week. To me there's no reason to think the next episode won't pick up right where this one left off. Crossing fingers!

Anonymous asked: It just hit me that Serkan is the “Kiraz” for Kemal - but Kemal actually missed his child’s whole 35 years 😬 this is an interesting turn of events. Also that line Serkan said about how fathers should love their child’s mother and how he didn’t have that with his own parents....but his real dad does love Aydan, more than she deserves haha.

Oh so true! Kemal really does love his mother more than she deserves! How he puts up with her, I don't know.

The parallel between Serkan/Kemal and Kiraz/Serkan is strong and I hope it gives Serkan some perspective when he starts grappling with this knowledge. I'm sure it's going to be very disconcerting for him, because while he expected to never see his father again, Alptekin is still his father. He's still the man who raised him and formed him into the man he is. Serkan still runs the company he founded and bears his name.

I don't expect any of that to change, but hopefully he can forge a separate relationship with Kemal that might fill some emotional holes that he has and bring him some peace.

None of that even contemplates how Kemal will feel, thankfully Aydan didn't willfully hide the truth from him. How awful to realize you lost 35 years.

We aren't there yet, but I wonder at what age with Kiraz learn the truth, that her dad is not an astronaut, that her parents went through hell with with cancer and plane crashes, and that her father didn't know of her existence until right before they met?

Just something to think about.

Anonymous asked: i'm so happy for hanker, don't get me wrong, and i'm also so happy we get "together" edser for so many episodes until the end, but i'm already tired of the constant "hanker improvising" comments i know i will be seeing. not that they don't improvise in some scenes, but i just know that every romantic edser scene is gonna be analyzed to hell bc ppl want to look for hanker in them. like there's no possible way that ayse, the writer ppl hate the most, could write any romantic scenes.. nope no way!

Yes, this is one of my pet peeves, I can't stand the "Edser left the chat" and all the "that's Hanker, not Edser" type conversation. it's so invasive and most of all disrespectful to not only the writers, but Hande and Kerem and all the work they pour into bringing Eda and Serkan to life.

One of the things in fandom that sets my teeth on edge is when folks take some interpretation of the character by the actor and then decide because it wasn't "scripted" (pro tip the vast majority of physical movements the actors make are "unscripted") that it must just be the actors themselves and have nothing to do with the characters. What an embarrassing and naïve assertion. Actors literal job is to take what's on the page and then translate that. So, no, OF COURSE, every look and touch is not scripted. The actors interpret how their characters would think and feel, and what they would do in given moments and then do those things.

Eda is not touching Serkan's arm just because Hande can't hold herself back from touching Kerem. Puh-lease, they are professionals. Grow up.

However, having said all that, I do think there was one scene that seemed to be very improvised this episode. The bean scene in the grocery store did feel like them just eFFing around. LOL.

andhewonherheart asked: @andhewonherheart: SCK promo department is best and worst all at the same time, cause giving away the last (cliffhanger) scene in fragman is just cruel. But based on the next week’s fragman thing happens that we we think happens *wink*

Hee! So true. The thing I'm grateful for is that in season 2 not one fragman has made me dread the episode, I think there was at least one fragman an episode from 29-37 that was hella upsetting.

As far as I'm concerned these fragmans are doing there job, making me want to watch.

I am really excited for Serkan planning how he's going to ask Eda to marry him, I wonder what Kiraz's reaction is going to be. So far she's been their very own cupid!

Anonymous asked: I didn't find it surprising that Serkan removed his tattoo as soon as Eda left. His logic is always out of sight out of mind though it doesn't work. He did the same when he broke up with her when he found out about the death of her parents. He removed all of her belongings. But their memories are too strong and enough for him to continue to remember her.

Truth! Will he ever learn that it's never going to work? He'll never be able to erase Eda, she has left an indelible mark on his soul. Let's hope he's never faced with that situation again! From here on out, he and Eda are together, a unit, and will live a long life together and in love.

Anyone have any guesses where Eda's tattoo is? Will we find out or will it remain between the characters.

Anonymous asked: I've seen some people say that Edser are getting married now way too fast and to that I just have to laugh lol. First there were complaints we don't have happy Edser and now when we do, of course there's something else. These two have had a rollercoaster of a year when they first met and a five year separation.. they've been through the dating phase, the engaged phase.. of course they'll head straight to the altar! It's not like Eda's plane proposal and that first wedding wasn't rushed either!

I'm on team head straight to the alter! No more waiting. They've had terrible luck, so they just need to tie the knot and make sure there are no easy outs.

As for people who think it's too fast, they don't even know the storyline yet, I swear there are folks who complain just because that's their personality and they're never satisfied.

Anonymous asked: From some of the spoilers of BTS pics, and the fragman we got, I was just reflecting on this season and Turk romcom dizis in general and I just wanted to say how LUCKY we are to see Edser married (again, from spoilers) and with a kid on screen for more than just 10 minute at the end of the finale. Like, it is really rare and as much as people have nitpicked on this season in general, I feel like watching these last episodes have been such a breeze after the last arc of S1.

Oh agreed, I think these episodes have been very enjoyable. The writers are giving me exactly what I want from this show. Comedy, UST, romance with a little light angst thrown in now and again. I would rewatch this season a dozen times before even thinking about watching anything from the 30s.

We are very lucky that we've got to see them as parents, and actually forming their family. We've gotten so much domestic goodness so far and we still have a ways to go. I'm very appreciative of this season and that Ayse came back, got rid of the constant ridiculous melodrama for melodrama's-sake and is telling a very human story about family and love persevering.

Anonymous asked: the last scene gave me chills for some reason. you could actually see eda fighting her head and her heart and deciding to take the step (metaphorically and physically!) towards him for good. i wanna SUE whoever decided to end it the ep there though.. it was actually cruel. also looking at the next frag.. it makes my heart soft that in the flashbacks we see serkan pushing off their wedding bc of his fears and now he can't propose and get married fast enough.. can't believe we're really getting it

I know, it's almost surreal at this point. Since we're near the end we know it's for real and won't be ruined by psychos or awful family members or terminal illness. I just hope that they give us an emotional scene when they get married, whether its just them or the whole cast is there as guests, after everything they've (we've) been through we need to see them both feeling that moment and reveling in it.

FYI - I'm out of town next weekend, so I may be slower than usual in replying to asks and in posting gifs of 47, but I'll get to it all eventually!

[snkpolls]

SnK Episode 68 Poll Results (for Manga Readers)

The poll closed with 146 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Manga Readers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll, click here.

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RATE THE EPISODE 140 Responses

The anime continues its positive streak with just over 90% of respondents rating the episode a 4 or 5. MAPPA appears to be blowing this season out of the water for most of us!

Noice

Good!

I liked it

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING MOMENTS WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 144 Responses

We got a pretty mixed pie chart this week. To be expected, given how many moments were in this episode. At a tie with the largest pieces of the pie were Hange’s eccentric attempt to greet the Marleyans and Eren’s gunshot figuratively hitting Sasha. Behind that two more options tied in each with 10.4% of the vote - EMA’s conversation at the shooting range and Sasha appreciating Nicolo’s cooking. This is followed closely by Eren’s mirror scene with 9.7% of the vote. Onyankopon explaining why he looks different when Sasha asks him about it took a solid 9% of the vote.

WHAT WAS THE MOST EMOTIONAL PART OF THE VISIT TO SASHA’S GRAVE? 144 Responses

This was almost too close to call, but Mikasa sitting alone managed to edge out just slightly over Connie’s “I’ve lost half of me” moment at Sasha’s grave. Trailing behind the two were Nicolo’s grief and the agreement between Papa Braus agreeing to a free meal from Nicolo.

AFTER SEVERAL TENSE AND ACTION PACKED EPISODES, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE TRANSITION TO SOMETHING MORE CALM? 138 Responses

The larger chunk of respondents are feeling relieved to get a break from the action for a few episodes. 21.7% prefer the action but don’t mind a break here and there, while 21% state that they enjoy the exposition more than the action anyway, so they are content. A small handful don’t care either way. 

We needed this for another build-up to more action

I like the action but it’s important to move the story along 

These just feel mandatory fillers to me.

I miss the warriors

I feel fine with it. I thought that was going to be some happy-go-me episode, but gladly it still had a serious tones.

This episode felt like a very welcome respite after the absolute shitshow that was spoilers week and....whatever the fuck chapter 137 was. 

Nice breather of sorts, I always like seeing characters from action-heavy series in their downtime.

WOULD YOU RATHER GET A SURPRISE GREETING FROM EREN & HANGE, OR ARMIN & LEVI? 141 Responses

The vast majority of respondents would prefer the slightly less lethal greeting given by Hange and Eren at the beginning of the episode. We’re not sure if the other 29.1% are masochists or just really love Levi and/or Armin that much more. Or perhaps they’re intrigued by the pig piss from the filthy island devils.

ON A SCALE OF 1-5, HOW HAPPY ARE YOU TO BE BACK ON PARADIS? 139 Responses

Overall, fans are happy to be back in familiar territory and put into the perspective of the Survey Corps again. Let’s get ready to rumble!

MAPPA HAS SPRINKLED IN ANIME-ONLY ADDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE EPISODE. AS A WHOLE, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THEM? 139 Responses

Though subtle, MAPPA did include some anime filler (such as Eren’s, erm, mouth breathing). 51.1% enjoyed the noticeable additions, while 37.4% are completely confused by the question and didn’t realize there were any. A handful generally don’t prefer additions but enjoyed what little ones we had this episode. A small sliver didn’t care for them.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SCENES FROM CHAPTER 107 THAT WERE PEPPERED IN BETWEEN THE MOMENTS FROM CHAPTER 106? 139 Responses

MAPPA is shuffling things around to pick up the pacing of this arc, and 48.2% of respondents are feeling very positively about it. 38.8% also feel that both the order of events in the original manga and the anime work out just fine regardless. A couple of smaller groups either felt that things were a bit off from the manga, or didn’t really care either way. 

I think it's great because it allows an episode to start and end on the same chapter if mappa ever wanted it, allowing the right twists or cliffhangers to be in the right episodes, all WITHOUT having to slow down, which I wholly appreciate.

I'm fine with the changes. Mappa is doing good job.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CHANGE OF GABI BITING HER NAIL AND ANGRILY SAYING EREN’S NAME IN HER JAIL CELL? 142 Responses

Nearly half of voters feel that both MAPPA’s take and Isayama’s original take work just fine for Gabi’s character. 28.9% prefer the anime’s take on Gabi’s reaction to all that happened, while 14.8% feel that her more defeated posture in the manga makes more sense for her character. 

I'm a mix of both? Her defeated posture implies that she's not happy with the way things worked out with them in jail and Zeke betraying them. On the other hand, her angry face is realistic to the scene too because it implies she really blames Eren for their current predicament.

She looks like some female version of young, angry Tarzan. This time Mappa should have kept the original postures, because the defeated Gabi feels to be more realistic, than the crazy anime one. 

I think they both work but the anime's take might be the anime team beating us over the head that she's just like Eren when he was young.

Makes it clear to the anime-onlies that she really is psychotic

Gabi sucks

HOW WELL DO YOU THINK MAPPA NAILED THE TRANSITION OF EREN SHOOTING THE GUN, TO SASHA TAKING THE HIT? 141 Responses

The response to MAPPA’s take on Eren’s shot inadvertently hitting Sasha was overwhelmingly positive, with only a few people saying that they could have done better with it. 

Eren shot linked to Sasha's death was awesome. Mappa is nailing it!

THE PART WHERE JEAN, SASHA AND CONNIE ARE TRYING TO GUESS WHAT A PORT IS WAS CUT OUT, WITH ARMIN’S NARRATION INSTEAD CUTTING INTO THE SCENE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT? 140 Responses

Exactly 50% felt that while having that JSC characterization would have been very much welcome, they’re okay with that small detail missing from the manga (granted, it was at least acknowledged by one panel being animated). 25.7% have a more nonchalant response, stating that if it helps with the pacing, they’re fine with small cuts like this. 10.7% are just let down by JSC’s lack of characterization in the anime overall and didn’t appreciate even more being taken from their characterization in this episode. 

I was more so interested in our Paradis Peeps talking about newly discovered technology but I’m happy with what we got.

Not dissappointed since I understand you can't show everything but I love them so sad

Why was it animated then?! I’m so confused

Normally I don't like it when they cut corners like this, but I wasn't fond of that scene in the first place so it's okay.

If by "anime" you mean the entirety of it including the past 3 seasons, then option 3. I'm always going to be salty about how much they took out or changed for these three during the uprising arc. So far mappa has done okay with them, I guess. 

Would have been a funny JSC moment, but it was really absolutely pointless. In manga format it works as just background words on a panel. Animating it takes seconds of an episode that could be used elsewhere. So I'm fine with it being cut out.

SOME HAVE COMPLAINED THAT THE ENDING SCENE OF EREN REPEATING HIS MANTRA INTO THE MIRROR LACKED THE IMPACT IT HAD IN THE MANGA. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? 138 Responses

43.5% were receptive of the anime only shots, but favor the way the scene was portrayed in the manga more. 34.1% felt that both versions were done well, with only 9.4% feeling that the impact was largely the same (if not better). Based on the write-ins, the main complaint seems to be the lighting/color scheme of the scene not quite meeting expectations, or that MAPPA made Eren’s back look weird. 

theyll make up for it when eren screeches at hange next ep

Impact was there, art just felt a bit wonky and toned down the scene overall. 9/11

This goes into my criticism of the color palette and shading style mappa uses, which is far more subdued. The contrast is lowered and the scene is very dark, and there is little rim lighting, so while the actual lineart has far more detail, the detail in the lighting is reduced. Damn I really am writing a wall text aren't I? I prefer Wit Studio's art style a lot but Mappa has honestly been doing great so I couldn't care less, manbun Eren is hot.

I prefer the manga version. I think the anime version have weirds shadows in eren's back. Plus the mirror don't have the same energy, less impactful

Cool scene in the anime, an unforgettable blow to the brains in the manga

Idk

Most of the time seeing things for the first time is what's really impactful. Feel this way towards Armin's transformation in the boat as well. It was definitely less impactful than when you first read it in the manga.

I understand the fandom because this moment was very popular when the chapter was out. I think that in the anime Eren lacks the anger he had in the manga. His voice was too calm while repeating his mantra. .

WHY DOES HIS BACK LOOK LIKE THAT

I didn't care for it in the anime, it was really underwhelming. 

I think most people are annoyed about the lighting than the impact. It’s a bit too dim and the lamp hides Eren’s new hair.

Didn't like the anime version at all

The animation wasn't good and they totally fucked his hair, face, and body up. Although the added shots were definitely welcome.

Eren could've been sexier/animated better, I hope they do better next ep 😭

WE WILL ASK YOU AGAIN. HOW WILL THE ANIME DEAL WITH MIKASA’S HIZURU TATTOO/SYMBOL? 135 Responses

With Mikasa meeting Kiyomi presumably being inevitable in episode 69, we wondered if any opinions had changed on this. 34.1% feel hopeful that the tattoo will be retconned into the anime and that we will see this scene faithful to the manga. 28.9% think that Mikasa will happen to have some kind of embroidery on hand already. 25.9% don’t want to make a call either way, and a small handful think Mikasa’s going to just pull out an embroidery kit and go with it, lol.

The embroidery will be on the inside of her bandage.

Japanese are very taboo about tattoos because of the Yazuka... it will 100% be the embroidery.

I don't know but I hope it gets retconned. Never liked the embroidery thing.

It won't be included

Let’s just... ignore it..

I really really hope MAPPA retcons Mikasa's tattoo next episode. This will be the one retcon I will absolutely celebrate. Plus, it's not really a retcon if they're just amending Wit's changes.

WE WILL ASK YOU AGAIN, AGAIN. WITH THE PACING CURRENTLY UTILIZED BY MAPPA, WHERE WILL EPISODE 16 END? 137 Responses

Uncertainty continues to loom over exactly how far MAPPA will get into this (first half of the?) season. Nearly 40% don’t want to make predictions one way or another, while 23.4% feel that it won’t make it quite to chapter 122. The rest believe it will make it to chapter 122, with 17.5% feeling there will only be minor cuts, if any, and the remaining 13.1% feeling that there will be major cuts to make the feat to chapter 122. 

116 (?) when the allied force attack paradis

122 with the amount of cuts being somewhere in between. They can cut a lot of the Gabi and Falco plotline and still have the story remain intact.

See, I'm not sure buy I'm also worried and curious about it all. It brings up the question of will the story continue in a possible second half of the season? With the manga ending very soon now, it makes sense to have the story wrap up in its anime medium as well. Fees like there's some kind of uncertainty surrounding this, it's unnerving tbh. 

119 with Eren's head being blown off.

gabi no scoping eren, ending creds is eren entering paths and we see ymir standing behind him, s4p2 starts w the ymir backstory

121

No idea and I don't think about it. I just enjoy the show. 

Your guess is as good as mine, I'm still fearing major cuts.

119

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NICOLO’S PORTRAYAL? 138 Responses

With Nicolo now formally introduced in the anime, we were curious how you felt about his portrayal. Overall the reaction was positive, with 48.6% agreeing that he’s a “cutie pie chef”, and another 45.7% feeling that his design and seiyuu are absolutely great! A small handful were less happy with the voice, but happy with the design, and a sliver went in the opposite direction, preferring voice over animation.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ADDED DETAIL OF THE FLOWER BOQUETS AND THEIR SYMBOLISM ON SASHA’S GRAVE? 140 Responses

Respondents vastly appreciated the flower symbolism from MAPPA with 82.9% of the pie. 12.9% aren’t really sure what symbolism there even was, and a small amount either don’t care or felt the effort could have been spent on something other than flowers for Sasha.

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 143 Responses

This pie chart wound up being almost eerily even. 42.7% are most looking forward to the 104th discussing Eren (hopeful for the train flashback?). 39.9% instead are looking more forward to Hange and Eren’s tense conversation at his jail cell. The remaining three preview moments were pretty evenly split as well.

DO YOU THINK WE’LL GET BLUSHING!104TH NEXT EPISODE? 130 Responses

71.5% feel that there is a chance we will get the train flashback of the 104th in this episode, but don’t want to say for absolutely certain. 18.5% feel that it is a guarantee based on what we saw in the preview. 10% feel it is instead guaranteed that we will NOT get the scene in 69.

WE WILL LIKELY SEE PREGNANT HISTORIA NEXT EPISODE. THOUGHTS? 140 Responses

The plotline that continues to be a frustrating mystery in the manga - Historia’s pregnancy. 34.3% aren’t particularly looking forward to seeing her in the rocking chair and aren’t very stoked about having to relive this plotline all over again. 33.6% mainly just care about seeing how the anime only fans react to the scene. 17.9% just miss Historia altogether and will take any scraps they can get. And a small handful, at 9.3%, are actually looking forward to seeing anime!Historia with a baby bump. 

Don't really care about historia

It's in MAPPA's hands now. I just hope they can add a little more of her screentime somehow.

I hope so. I want to see the design of her adult self. 

I honestly wouldn't mind if Historia's entire arc, which consists of equal parts pregnancy, irrelevance and uselessness, is just completely cut in the anime lol

not interest

I'm not interested 

I've hated this fucking plot line with all my being and what it's done to Historia since the leaks for this chapter were revealed years ago. So I'm not looking forward to anime-only people jumping in with their hot takes too. 🤮🤮

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

mikasa was shown in sasha's grave in the morning/afternoon and then she was shown again at dusk. SHE SPENT THE WHOLE DAY THERE. and annie... what a queen. and hisu's few scenes? so pretty.

Really glad the pacing was well done

nicosasha ship just flew in and took the spotlight

fantastic!! maybe it's just because this isn't my first time going through this arc anymore, but i feel like the anime feels chronologically less confusing than the manga—I remember being very confused my first time reading these chapters.

The lack of score by Hiroyuki Sawamo is negatively impacting my relationship with the anime. The depth of the emotion that could have been evoked was not present. I also did not get the sense that Nicolo and Sasha were in love, which was a major disappoinment. There were other aspects that weren't so bad, though; specifically, Levi's portrayal and Onyankopon's philosophy.

It felt a bit all over the place, but just seeing things from the manga being animated, I ain’t even mad.

I think that the scene between Sasha and Nicolo was made better in the anime. Isayama has problems with writing romantic moments, so in the manga the whole moment looked like it was taken from some light romance. Mappa made this scene more serene. I liked it. 

I think MAPPA is doing so great tbh! I just need them to hurry up and explain if there will be a part two to this final season or what?! I need to know if we get more anime or they'll diverge into movies or.... just tell us! Lol! 

How DAREEEE they not give Levi his black steed!!!! .....Although knowing what happens ummm yeah maybe his pony gets to live another day this way lol

Here comes the train wreck, choo choo!

I'm really sad I didn't get to hear Sasha call Jean a perv. I was really looking forward to that. LOL I love them. When EMA were at the shooting range, it looked too much like Mikasa wasn't wearing any pants. 

VERY solid. Not the biggest fan of the War for Paradis arc but I'm here for the ride.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 128 Responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

[moldygreenblue]

Squid Game (There’s No Squids)

I binged watched Netflix’s Original Series Squid Game because I seen so many people talking about it online and because my sister kept on telling me to watch. I’m honestly still in the high of soaking up everything about the show, so instead of doing a review like I want to, this is just all of my texts I sent to my sister, edited for spelling typos and other stuff.

Episode One: Red Light, Green Light

Me: Hey there’s cursing in the subs 👀

Me: DUDE YOUR DAUGTHER’S BIRTHDAY???

Me: Where the truck are the squids

Me: THIS IS AN HOUR LONG?

Me: What’s with Korean dad being losers

Me: What the f*ck

Me: WHAT THE F*CK

Sister: [Me: Where the truck are the squids] 😂

Me: I WASN’T PREPARE FOR A NOSE TORTURE

Me: ????

Me: PHYSICAL RIGHTS DUDE

Me: so he lost the money???

Sister: I’m (going to) eat right now but I’ll read your stuff later

Me: Dad was the kid in the opening right

Me: [What’s with Korean dad being losers] and having (a) daughter less than 13.

Me: GUN?

Me: I mean...good for defense?

Me: GOBLIN DUDE

Me: I DON’T BELIEVE IN JESUS

Me: GUN

Me: The game is rigged

Me: I just feel it

Me: Slap

Me: IN PUBLIC GUYS

Me: [The game is rigged] Ye

Me: OH (the game is not rigged)

Me: Cat!!! He dead ass gave it to cat.

Me: This isn’t creepy now.

Me: Wait what about their families!?!?!

Me: North Korean

Me: RANDOM ASS ENGLISH

Me: THAT TAKES CARE OF THE CAST 😶

Me: [Wait what about their families!?!?!] HELLO

Me: That old man wtf

Me: I don’t trust Sang-woo

Me: Goblin is head? 

Sister: [Me: Dad was the kid in the opening right] Ye

Sister: [Me: THAT TAKES CARE OF THE CAST 😶] Lol

Me: Bruh I was not expecting Fly Me to the Moon

Me: Phone dying will continued tomorrow

Sister: Okay

Me: Man I want to continue tho 😭

Me: Okay will watch episode two on tv but I won’t text you until I finished

Me: Wait are you done with show? 

Me: What episode you on?

Sister [Me: Wait are you done with show?] Ye

Episode Two: Hell

Me: That’s good.

Me: Anyway Sang-woo’s mom is so sad for her son

Me: Also loser dad’s mom!!!

Me: [Wait what about their families!?!?!] Thank you police detective for worrying over your probably dead brother.

Episode Three: The Man with the Umbrella

AND

Episode Four: Stick to the Team

Me: Third Episode No one is here

Me: Sang-woo looks better with his glasses I think it’s the haircut lol

Me: Not that he looks bad without it

Me: BATHROOM

Me: None in room weird

Me: WHAT CIGARETTE

Me: Ye so weird...

Me: 😶What the fuck players are killing each other and the game people aren’t doing shit

Me: [I don’t trust Sang-woo]  Also bitch figure out the game and didn’t tell his friend(s) lol

Me: Oh now he saves friend (Gi-hun) from getting his ass murder 🤣

Sister:  [Me: Also bitch figure out the game and didn’t tell his friend(s) lol] Ye

Me:  [Oh now he saves friend (Gi-hun) from getting his ass murder 🤣] Could be the flickering lights but he looked hot fighting

Me: Also the Pakistan guy with the metal plank lol

Me: Thank fuck for names

Me: Uh

Me: Are 212 and 101 gonna f*ck???

Me: They did the do 😶

Me: 4 ended on fucking cliffhanger need to watch that.

Sister: Lol

Me: Okay stopping at six but hopefully will finish later today or tomorrow

Sister: 😂 And to think you were putting it off lol

Me: You know somehow the fact I still haven’t gotten major spoilers is amazing

Me: I think the only one would be the first episode meme of the creepy ass doll and old man walking 

Me: [That old man wtf] This

Sister: Lol

Episode 5: A Fair World 

AND

Intermission

Me:  [Thank you police detective for worrying over your probably dead brother.] Okay so since episode 5 reveals not only his brother is alive but the sole survivor of the 2015 games...

Me: It is someone already present in show?

Sister: Lol why you’re asking?

Me: So you can laugh at my guesses 

Me: I think it’s either goblin salesman dude or the main mask man

Sister: Ah 😂

Me: Unless they’re all the same character

Me: God is this is legit I’ll lose it.

Me: This is Liar Game only deadly

Me: We never did finish the Korean Version of Liar Game

Sister: No I never finished Japanese one either lol

Me: Jkjk nice

[Some time later]

Me: I can’t wait to read the TV Tropes Page lol

Me: And ao3

Me: Who the fuck can you ship in squid game anyway

Sister: Oh you’ll see

Sister: You just finish 5?

Me: Ye

Me: [Sister: Oh you’ll see] This is ominous

Sister: Have fun with 6 🥳

Sister: Watch by yourself I suggest

Sister: And like, at least that no one to bother you so you can fully take it all in

Me: Like so far the closet I got is Gi-hun and Sang-woo due to the whole “childhood friend” aspect but even then I’m not board on it because Sang Woo is a shady MF

Me: [Sister: Have fun with 6 🥳] What is this implying this is even more ominous

Me: Actually you know the grunts remind me of the Among Us guys lol

Me: Detective dude playing Among Us

Me: Do you think you can survive the Squid Game?

Me: I don’t think I can lol

Me: I’ll chicken out at the signing and leave

Sister: [Detective dude playing Among Us] Lol that’s the meme for him

Sister: [Do you think you can survive the Squid Game?] Hell no

Sister: [I’ll chicken out at the signing and leave] I wouldn’t go back

Episode 6: Gganbu

Me: I was going to say Sang-woo is a jerk for not picking his best friend

Me: But HEY SANG-WOO IS PROBABLY GONNA SCREW ALI OVER

Me: Don’t trust the bitch

Me:  [I was going to say Sang-woo is a jerk for not picking his best friend] Gi-hun picked old man tho 😢 he so nice

Me: too bad he’s loser dad lol

Me:  [But HEY SANG-WOO IS PROBABLY GONNA SCREW ALI OVER] OH MY GOD SANG-WOO DON’T DO WHAT I THINK YOU’RE GONNA DO

Me: [Sister: Oh you’ll see] Lesbian vibes going on

Me:  [OH MY GOD SANG-WOO DON’T DO WHAT I THINK YOU’RE GONNA DO] HE DID THAT WH*RE

Me: Also I am looking respectfully at him 👀👀👀

Me: 👀👀

Me: 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Me: [Lesbian vibes going on] Holy fuck she just “killed” the one person she actually likes too

Me: 😭 AND THE OLD MAN HE KNEW AND DIDN’T CARE AT THE END

Episode Seven: VIPS

Me: I AM STILL CRYING

Me: AND FUCK SANG-WOO

Me: HE REALLY DID IT AND MORE

Me: 212 STILL ALIVE HOLY FUCK

Me: I truly hope she kills 101 lol

Sister: [Me: I AM STILL CRYING] Lol

Sister: That episode fucked up a lot of people

Me: YEAH I CAN SEE WHY

Me: That is so damn depressing

Me: Okay compose yourself

Me: So Front Man isn’t [the] host

Me: Brother is someone I swear

Sister: Lol

Sister: Might as well finish show today lol

Sister: It’s only 9 episodes

Me: Yep

Me: [Brother is someone I swear] He is the Front Man this is my final guess

Me: Holy Fudge there is a lot of English here today

Me: [He is the Front Man this is my final guess] Like he reacted...Odd to the fake police body. 

Me: Okay how fucking long is the detective’s battery lasting 

Me: My is at 15 now so after this I’ll charge and finish later lol

Sister: [Me: Okay how fucking long is the detective’s battery lasting] Lol meme too

Me: OKAY WHAT THE FUCK THIS OLD MAN ON SOMEONE SAVE THE DETECTIVE

Sister: Lol 96

Me: 69

Me: EW EW DOUBLE EW

Me: SOMEONE KILL THIS GROSS OLD WHITE MAN

Me: I hope to God that Front Man is the brother

Me: Detective nearly pulled off his dick lol

Me:  [I truly hope she kills 101 lol] Yes she did it 🥳

Me: Took herself out but she didn’t care lol

Me: So Sang-woo really pushed someone huh

Me: God it’s like the second he decides to fuck everyone over he gets hot

Me: I mean 

Me: 👀👀👀 Looking respectfully 

Me: Phone gonna charge I’m done

Sister: [Me: God it’s like the second he decides to fuck everyone over he gets hot] Lmao

Me: I mean...am I wrong???

Episode Eight: Front Man

Me: Two more to go

Me: Oh god

Me: Half an hour?!?!

Me: [Like so far the closet I got is Gi-hun and Sang-woo due to the whole “childhood friend” aspect but even then I’m not board on it because Sang Woo is a shady MF] Childhood friends to strangers to enemies Gi-hun is not tolerating Sang-woo anymore

Me: SAE-BYEOK

Me: GIRL NOOO

Me: Detective has 12% battery left???

Me: Damn he must not have fun apps

Me: Bruh these two men are just eating fighting

Me: [I hope to God that Front Man is the brother] WHAT THE FUCK HE’S THE BROTHER OH NOO THIS ISN’T GONNA END WELL

Sister: [Me: Damn he must not have fun apps] May it’s his police phone

Me: Jkjk probably

Me: [WHAT THE FUCK HE’S THE BROTHER OH NOO THIS ISN’T GONNA END WELL]  WHY

Me: WHY INDEED

Me: WHAT THE DETECTIVE DID WAS ALL FOR NOTHING???

Me: SANG-WOO MURDERED SAE-BYEOK

Me: GI-HUN WAS GOING TO KILL

Me: FLY ME TO THE MOON

Me: IN OTHER WORDS, PLEASE BE TRUE

Me: IN OTHER WORDS, I LOVE YOU 😭😭😭

Sister: [Me: SANG-WOO MURDERED SAE-BYEOK] But at least he was hot

Me: Yeah...

Me: BUT STILL WTF MAN

Episode Nine: One Lucky Day

Me: WAS HE TRYING TO GET GI-HUN INSTEAD?

Me: SHOE SAND ATTACK

Me: Gi-hun was actually cool in that moment lol

Me: THAT FUCKING DOLL

Me: 😭😭😭 Sang-woo wtf

Me: He really gave it all up in the end

Me: He still values their friendship in the end

Me: YOU ARE ALL I LONG FOR

Me: ALL I WORDSHIP AND ADORE

Me: IN OTHER WORDS, PLEASE BE TRUE

Me: IN OTHER WORDS

Me: 😭😭😭

Me: This song is just for fuck up shows huh

Sister: Which other???

Me: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Sister: Oh 😂

Me: [Childhood friends to strangers to enemies Gi-hun is not tolerating Sang-woo anymore] Childhood friends to strangers to enemies to maybe in another life

Me: MOM DIED WTF 😭😭

Me: Damn Gi-hun got depression and I don’t blame him

Me: HEY WHAT THE EVERLOVING FUCK JUST HAPPENED

Me: [😭 AND THE OLD MAN HE KEW AND DIDN’T CARE AT THE END] OKAY F*CK I WASN’T EXPECTING SOME EDEN OF THE EAST BULLSHIT WITH THE TAXI DRIVER

Me: SO THE OLD MAN JUST WANTED TO HAVE FUN I GUESS HE RETHINK HIS CHOICE HUH

Me: JACKASS I STILL CRIED FOR YOU BUT IT WASN’T DESERVE

Me: Okay maybe a little I think given he called Gi-hun before he died I think he did like him

Me: [That old man wtf] OH SO THAT EXPLAINS THE SHIT EATING SMILE

Me: 😭😭 Gi-hun kept his promise after a year of depression

Me: Little brother is taken care of and uh, something with Sang-woo’s Mom

Me: Also he looks bad with red hair

Sister: [Me: JACKASS I STILL CRIED FOR YOU BUT IT WASN’T DESERVE] Lol

Me: Almost doneeee

Sister: I’m going to nap for a bit, I’ll read when I wake up

Me: HEY WHAT WITH THE ENDING

Me: DID GI-HUN DECIDE TO NOT SEE HIS DAUGHTER TO TAKE DOWN THE SQUID GAME PEOPLE

Me: Also goblin cameo again

Trying to Make Sense Of It All/Fun Miscellaneous

Me: [😶What the fuck players are killing each other and the game people aren’t doing shit] 😶 Oh considering the old man I think he wasn’t expecting this at all and him wanting to stop is him legitimately wanting it to stop

Me: Him wanting fun like his childhood make sense given his age he lived through the Japanese occupation and that era was hell

Me: https://www.reddit.com/r/squidgame/comments/py705x/il_nam_player_001_grew_up_surrounded_by_dead/

Me: TV Tropes has lots to say about Sang Woo diverse character lol

Me: And the old man of course

Me: Ao3 Time!!!

Me: Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong 🥰 I totally get it

Me: Sang woo and Ali? Whatever float your boat

Me: Of course

Me: [Childhood friends to strangers to enemies to maybe in another life] .

Me: Okay so why is Gi-hun and the detective ship together? 

Me: I would personally ship Gi-hun and Front Man

Me: Trauma dudes

Me: Ah, the Salesman and Gi-hun

Me: I was not expecting the protagonist, a 40 something man, to be ship with so many different people

Sister: [Me: DID GI-HUN DECIDE TO NOT SEE HIS DAUGHTER TO TAKE DOWN THE SQUID GAME PEOPLE] Ye

Sister: [Me: 😶 Oh considering the old man I think he wasn’t expecting this at all and him wanting to stop is him legitimately wanting it to stop] I fucking called it in the first episode he was part of it lol

Me: Ooh why? This only?

Sister: [Me: I was not expecting the protagonist, a 40 something man, to be ship with so many different people] Lol

Sister: Okay so main character actor was in The Thieves

Me: BRUH

Sister: And Sang-woo’s actor was in the Mermaid K-Drama

Me: Has to be someone I don’t remember or met lol

Sister: So there’s a thing on reddit, someone said the way the characters die is foreshadowed.

Sister: Like Ali stole something in episode 2 and he dies by having something stolen (from him)

Me: Oh

Sister: Sang-woo tried to commit suicide in episode 2

Me: And he kills himself in episode 9

Sister: Sae-byeok said she was gonna cut the dude’s throat in episode 2

Sister: 101 with the bridge

Sister: Police Detective threw a squid game person off the boat to hide in the game

Me: Wow!

Me: I hope this show doesn’t get a season 2 lol

Me: I like the ending

Me: Like you could interpret it as Gi-hun taking a boat lol

Sister: [Me: I hope this show doesn’t get a season 2 lol] Right it was good for a season

Sister: I don’t really want to see more of the VIPS

Me: God I wished Front Man just went in and killed the VIP close to assaulting his brother

Me: I’M SO PISSED AT THAT TWIST LIKE WHY

Me: If we get a season two I want to see the 2015 game and the present intersplice together

Me: So Front Man and Gi-hun can have a real heart to heart chat

Me: Twitter compares Sang-woo and Gi-hun to Hannibal and Will

Me:  🌚 Taking this as a sign I need to sleep

The Next Day (Spoilers for the video game 999, movie The Cabin in the Woods, and tv show Hannibal)

Sister: I knew the old man was bad because of 999

Sister: There’s always one playing the game 😅

Sister: And that belko experiment movie

Me: ?

Me: ACE

Sister: June??

Me: Oh

Sister: 😂

Sister: https://www.reddit.com/r/ZeroEscape/comments/pva15x/anyone_seen_squid_game_new_korean_netflix_series/

Sister: [Image of Reddit User No-Asparagus-9507 saying “The only thing they have in common is that they both make you distrust old people.”] Lol

Me: They’re not wrong 😅

Sister: I really wish they made the VIPS Korean

Me: Yeah to emphasize

Sister: Like higher ups in the political world or something

Me: Ye

Sister: It ruined them being foreigners and that English 💀💀💀

Me: I never thought I would hear bad English from western actors

Sister: Like Cabin in the Woods, make it so every country has their own watchers

Me: Ye!!!

Sometime later

Sister: Oh! So did you expect Gi-hun to help the dude that was on the street in that last episode?

Me: I did at first but then I realize he’s so pissed off with the old man and at games and his depression he didn’t do it due to his state of mind

Me: So him at end going after the Salesman and stopping the poor sap who was going to risk his life is him going back to normal, sort of

Me: Doesn’t excuse not visiting his daughter but hell I can see why

Sister: There was another analysis thing that said no one really grew much compared to when we first saw them. Like he’s still the same “dad”.

Me: I mean in Gi-hun’s case his daughter did move to the US

Me: Still

Me:  https://mobile.twitter.com/02png/status/1449111995987283972?s=20

Me: Front Man Art

Me: [If we get a season two I want to see the 2015 game and the present intersplice together]  I WANT 2015 GAMES

Me: [So Front Man and Gi-hun can have a real heart to heart chat] I wished Front Man revealed he was in the games so Gi-hun could just get more pissed off

Sister: [Me:  https://mobile.twitter.com/02png/status/1449111995987283972?s=20] Ooh

Me: I WANT TO SEE HIS GAME MAN

Me: Like you think he enter for his brother

Me: WHO HE LATER KILLS WITH GUILT HAUNTING HIM FOREVER

Sister: People who watch Korean stuff said they were surprised to see the actor 

Sister: Because he’s like one of the highest paid actor

Me: Really? Damn

Sister: Someone said he looks like Korean Mads (Mikkelsen)

Me: Yeah I got that vibe

Me: [Twitter compares Sang-woo and Gi-hun to Hannibal and Will] Wrong comparison then

Me: Honestly speaking if there is a season two it should be the reversal

Me: In Hannibal, Will joined the dark side

Me: So have Gi-hun managing to get Front Man to (help) take down the games

Me: Keep it intersplice with 2015 games to show how Front Man eventually became the same bastard who put him through hell

Me: How you like my concept of season two being (the) reversal of Hannibal

Me: [Sister: Because he’s like one of the highest paid actor] BRUH HE WAS IN THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN REMAKE????

Sister: Oh yeah!

Sister: [Me: How you like my concept of season two being (the) reversal of Hannibal) Wait huh?

Me: Basically instead of protag becoming evil antagonist becomes good

Me: So Gi-hun convinces Front Man to end the Squid Game

Sister: Ohh

Me: Granted this is me wanting more content of these two the potential is strong here.

Sister: 😅

Final/Just Yesterday

Me: https://mobile.twitter.com/jajayes_/status/1452249286402580487?s=20

Me: LOL FUCK THIS IS TOO ACCURATE

Sister: 😂

(Honestly speaking, Squid Game is a very captivating show with its themes and criticism and characters but there’s no way I could ever watch it again I won’t be able to handle it a second time.)

[wunderlass]

I’m feeling so deflated to be writing this post. S1 had its flaws but those could be placed at the feet of a freshman showrunner who could learn from her mistakes going into S2 and up her game. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and S2 was a mess.

S1 had a clear central plotline: the mystery of Rosa’s death, leading to justice in the form of Noah’s death and Rosa’s resurrection. S2’s central plotline was…um. The kidnappings? Leading into the plot to blow up Crashcon? I think? But there was so much other stuff gong on it’s hard to tell.

Carina – if you happen to come stumbling into the tags for reactions – you’ve already acknowledged that you struggle to edit your scripts down for length. And it does show in the finished product. But you also struggle to edit your ideas down to fit into the episode count you have. There were too many extraneous plot threads this season, too many guest characters, and the ideas you had were shoddily and sloppily executed.

There were shining moments scattered here and there and the occasional good episode, but for the most part this season lurched from badly paced episode to badly paced episode. Stuff was crammed into each episode and yet somehow the plot also treaded water until 2x11 when it all kicked off – and this was because so much of what happened in the earlier episodes didn’t feed into the main plot. Even Max’s death, the overarching motivation for many characters at the beginning, was shoved to the side for other ideas.

And the payoffs for each of these storylines was too often underwhelming. Max can’t come back because he’ll be full of dark energy and a destructive force! Resolved in 30 seconds by him blowing up a pile of stuff. Max can’t remember Liz! Fixed in the same episode. That pattern continued with the finale feeling like it was trying to wrap up all these storylines without really having a story of its own. The various cliffhangers from Crashcon were tied up before the title card and then let’s spend the next 40 minutes treading water again.

There were good moments in the finale. Max and Isobel’s discussion, the Maneforrest kiss, Rosa and Helena’s reunion. But as for the rest? Hear me whine:

-          Jesse’s death was anticlimactic. His line about “no more Manes men” makes no sense given as far as he knew Flint (and maybe Clay?) is still alive. His death should have been poetic because one of his son’s killed him but it didn’t hold the weight it should have, possibly because it came so early in the episode.

-          It would have been far better if Jesse had discovered that Harlan killed Tripp and buried him beneath the shed. How awful would it have been for his entire worldview to be shaken by that revelation? How perfect would it have been if he discovered that Tripp loved Nora? If he died after learning all of that, becoming desperate and sloppy in whatever scheme he was trying to pull off (self-immolation via the bomb?), it would have been a fitting ending.

-          So many characters this season were badly served. Alex, Michael, and to a lesser extent Max, had real arcs and progression. Alex especially you can see them setting up his growth for a payoff in the finale. 

-          Kyle was shafted, shoved to the side for the Steph storyline that didn’t feel like it was going anywhere, and I suspect we got a lot of that cut away to make room for other stories.

-          Rosa’s story started off strong and then mostly got tied into rehab or helping Isobel. Them having her out and about in public in Roswell is complete nonsense.

-          Max had a line for Isobel about her becoming her “entire self” this season, and that rang false to me. We’ve only seen Isobel develop her powers. Her personality has shifted each episode, fractured and inconsistent, dependant on what the writers needed her to do. She didn’t get much of a storyline of her own – the abortion was redundant, serving as a political soapbox for Carina rather than anything that served the character – and while she’s found out more about her heritage, that’s never been as important as Michael or Max finding out about theirs. She said she wanted to become more like her mother and that never went anywhere.

-          I was so hopeful that Carina had listened and understood the criticisms with Maria’s handling in S1 and worked to improve it. She certainly gave her increased screentime. Except, so much of that screentime was tied into Michael, and latterly Isobel. She lacked interactions with Liz or Rosa. She was in two whole scenes in the finale and after she broke up with Michael, she disappeared from the story, and if that doesn’t say it all…

-          And that break-up was contrived bullshit. I’m not saying this as a shipper. It felt like they’d planned to have them break-up in the finale and wrote it even though the motivations hadn’t been properly established. Seeds were sown but they were communicating well as a couple and resolving their issues as they went along. Suddenly those issues got un-resolved and were enough to break them up.

-          The most galling part is that so much of what follows comes from Tripp’s diary, and Maria is excluded. This is her story too! Louise was her great-grandmother! Rather than sitting around her in the hospital room reading this stuff, they do it in the Crashdown.

-          Which fits the pattern of what’s happened all season. Maria found out she was part alien and it was about her powers, rather than her legacy, rather than what happened to her great-grandparents.

-          And it became clear that it was done so they could do the Nora/Tripp and Malex parallel.

-          Which completely solidifies for me where Carina’s priorities lie. She’s been clear that Malex is her favourite ship on the show and Michael is her favourite character. But this season has shown that she’s incapable of ensuring her favouritism doesn’t screw over other characters.

-          The sad thing is this really does show up in marketing. Carina always pushes and praises Vlamis and barely ever mentions Jeanine on her SM. Media outlets write about Malex as the centre of the show and they aren’t supposed to be. We have a sci-fi show with a Latina leading lady and nobody cares – not the showrunner, not the media (outside of Latinx-centric publications), not the fandom. I’m not Latina and it frustrates me so I can’t imagine how actual Latinx people feel about that.

-          Maria was dragged into a love triangle that Carina never had any intention of doing justice to. Maria and Michael were always only ever meant to be a pit-stop on the way to a big Malex reunion. Sadly it’s clear the same goes for Maneforrest. Why write something if you’re only going to do it half-arsed? And it clearly was. That’s why the Maria and Michael break-up was so perfunctory and illogical.

-          While I’m on the subject of Maria – last season Mimi was clearly deteriorating and didn’t recognise adult Maria anyway. Now that seems to have shifted to Mimi’s mind moving through time. It’s still unclear if this is the alien DNA or what was done to Patricia Deluca in Caulfield. I don’t understand why they introduced both elements – apart from being able to give Maria a line about unethical science which OH BOY what a contrast with Liz.

-          Speaking of Liz.

-          Wow.

-          If the central storyline was the kidnappings and Crashcon shenanigans, she really had no involvement with that all season apart from the very end. All the investigation went to other characters. Her mother was involved, but not Liz.

-          Let me repeat that.

-          Our lead character was not involved the central storyline of the season.

-          Alternatively, if you think Max learning about his history, and all of the reveals about 1948, and Maria’s heritage etc etc were supposed to be the main storyline…

-          Doesn’t matter because Liz wasn’t involved in any of that either!

-          Liz was a subplot in her own show after they brought Max back. Hell, she was a subplot even when she was working on that.

-          The narrative focus really has centred on Michael, Alex, and later Max.

-          I wonder what they have in common with each other.

-          If you don’t believe me, check out the screentime figures for this season. Liz had the fourth largest amount of screentime in the finale, and she’s only had majority screentime in a handful of episodes all season (2x01, 2x07, 2x11).

-          And then realise that the plot kept moving after Liz left Roswell. She’s just not part of it anymore.

-          I watched the finale and kept asking myself where Liz was because she kept disappearing for whole chunks of time.

-          She was in her own subplot about science for the back half of this season, and honestly, I’m going to have to write an entirely separate post about Liz and ethics in science because NOPE.

-          Max was right. Liz deserved to follow her calling but she had options that didn’t involve risking the aliens.

-          As such the Echo break-up was stupid but whatever, based on this season I guess it needed to happen.

-          Did Max even care that Liz left? He loved her for twenty years and then when he had her, it didn’t matter anymore? What the fuck? Are we ever going to get answers as to why he fell so hard and loved her for so long, or is the “Malex is cosmic” story more important?

-          Also the whole thing about the Genericorp lady not being interested in Liz based on meeting her at the Crashdown was stupid. You hire scientists based on the previous work they’ve done and their credentials. Diego’s word should have been enough to convince her, and then maybe an actual proper job interview to make sure she was a good fit. Not “let’s sneak into her secret lab to look at what she’s working on”.

-          When Liz does leave, she only says goodbye to Rosa and Kyle. Arturo is mentioned but not seen. Which means the whole ICE sequence this season, which should have been a solid motivation for Liz to take the Genericorp job on its own, has been resolved without a proper payoff. All that stress – scenes that I know felt genuinely stressful to some viewers because of how close to home it hit – and we don’t even get to see Arturo seeing his “genius daughter” leave with his future secured.

-          It’s plausible that Liz said goodbye to other characters – Maria, Isobel, Michael – off screen BUT SHE’S YOUR LEAD CHARACTER AND HER LEAVING TOWN SHOULD CARRY SOME EMOTIONAL WEIGHT FFS

-          Compare Liz leaving and arriving at the ocean to Buffy Summers leaving Sunnydale in Becoming Part 2. There is no contest.

-          It’s clear to me that the audience Carina writes this show for is herself. And that’s fine. Plenty of writers do that. But that means she’s writing a show for the women in fandom who like epic mlm romances with lots of angst. And the problem with that is that this show has a Latina lead who is not being done justice.

-          This is not me railing against Malex. There is space in the show for both things. This is me expressing my frustration at a showrunner and creative team who are not taking care with all characters equally.

-          Carina uses her platform to throw in politics and use characters as mouthpieces without considering their impact. She thinks she’s educating the straight white people in the audience without thinking about how scenes of ICE intimidation, homophobic violence, and racism will affect the people who are impacted by those things in real life.

-          Am I done with the show? Probably not. I’ve got fics I want to write and while I’m not hubristic enough to think I can write better than a team of professional writers, I’m going to at least try and do some of these neglected elements of the show justice.

-          Hubris. Remember when I thought that was going to be a theme of this season? Apparently not. There was no theme, unless “no editing, we die like men” counts..

[eleven-times-lively]

The Fight

In which reader and Fred question their compatibility. 💕 masterpost

Summary: You and Fred haven’t been the same since the girls left for Hogwarts. Can you handle the new dynamic after eleven years? Word Count: 3654 Note: I am such a whore for angst so this is one of my favorite chapters so far lol. Thanks to Liv with help with some ideas! Sorry in advance for the cliffhanger, as this is the end of part 2!!! Enjoy!

Two weeks had passed since Cassie and Callie boarded the Hogwarts Express and left for school. Two weeks since you’d seen your little girls. Two weeks since you were surrounded by constant laughter and joy. Two weeks since things had felt normal.

You and Fred had gotten off to a fine start… that is if fine consists of uncomfortable silence and forced conversation. It was as if you’d forgotten how to be alone with each other. Eleven years of constant company can make a couple forget how to be, well, a couple. With each passing day you could feel a divide. Rather than a lovely time of peace, a rift between you and Fred was growing strong, vast, and cold. 

The first major fight happened just a day after the girls had left. One day and you were at each other’s throats. It would have been the twins’ second day of school, and house announcements had finally come around to family members.

“Freddie!” you shouted from the front door, “The girls’ house announcements are here!”

“‘Bout bloody time!” he shouted as he ran down the stairs. He scooped you up in his arms and carried you to the couch. You gave him a quick kiss before settling opposite him and tearing open the letter.

Your excited expression quickly fell as you read. Fred looked at you expectantly. “Calliope Molly Weasley,” you began, “has been placed in Ravenclaw.” You looked up at Fred with a halfhearted smile.

“Can’t say I didn’t see that coming,” Fred chuckled, “why are you upset, love?”

“Not upset, just… puzzled.” You paused a moment before continuing. “Cassiopeia Ginevra Weasley has been placed in Gryffindor.” You looked up at Fred, this time with a genuine smile on your face. However, there were cracks in your visage, waiting to split upon his reaction. 

“Yes!” he shouted, earning a puzzled glance from you. “Gryffindor! That’s my girl!” He was up from the couch, and quite literally, jumping with glee. However he faltered and paused for a moment. “Wait…” his words drew out from his mouth, as if the very sound disgusted him, “two separate houses?”

You looked up at him, unsure of how to precede. “Yeah,” you said just about a whisper. “I know it’ll be a tough adjustment, but if anyone can do it it’s our girls. I’m happy for them!” You were truly excited and extremely proud of your daughters, however you looked up and Fred didn’t seem to be sharing your feelings.

His face was flushed, save for a cherry red at the edges of his ears. He was breathing heavy, and honestly looked as if he was about to pass out. “Two… two,” he was stuttering in utter disbelief. “Two different houses,” he muttered as he brought himself to sit down on the chair next to the couch. His eyes were blank as he just stared straight ahead, incoherently muttering while he ran his hands through his hair. You only caught a few words in broken bits, which happened to be ‘twins’ ‘Gryffindor’ and ‘George’.

You stood up from your seat and crouched down next to him, gently rubbing his arm as you cocked an eyebrow up at him. He looked down at you, a shocked expression playing at his features. His face was contorted in such a way as if to perfectly convey his saying ‘why aren’t you shocked as well?’. 

“Two different houses,” he repeated, this time clearly, “They’re in two different houses, y/n.”

“Okay,” you began, this time your turn to flash a look of confusion, “and? Fred, they’ll be fine. If anything, this will be good for them.” You stood up and looked down at him.

“Good?!” he gasped as if you’d just told him the Hollyhead Harpies lost the cup. “How in the world could this be good, y/n?” He rose to his feet and took your hands in his, searching your face for even an ounce of a shared feeling.

Because, Fred…” you began, fighting the urge to roll your eyes and scoff at him, “they’ve been attached at the hip for eleven years, some separation will do them well.”

“But they need each other, y/n!” He looked at you as if you had ten heads. “Twins need one and other!” He was shouting, whether he realised it or not you weren’t sure.

“No Fred,” you continued, now annoyed, “they don’t. It will be good for them. They’ll have different classes, different friends, different experiences. They’ll get to make a life for themselves that isn’t dependent on each other! How in the world could you say this is bad!?” By the end, you were yelling… intentionally.

“But they need each other!” He repeated the same sentiment once again, still flashing the wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression of shock.

“I’m not having this argument if that’s all you can say, Weasley,” you did scoff this time and started to walk away when he finally spoke a different word.

“Y/n, wait.” He was rubbing his face with his hands. You walked back over to him and gave him a look that quite clearly showed how perturbed you were. He was shaking his head, almost holding back a laugh. “I know you don’t understand, love,” he began, noticing the expression of amused anger that played at your features, “but twins have a special… connection.” It was taking everything in you to not bust out laughing. “Especially at that young, I don’t know if they can handle this much separation being thrown at them all at once. I mean Georgie and I probably only survived Hogwarts because we had each other.”

Poor choice of words, Weasley. “Only because you had each other?” you spat.

Fred nodded his head innocently, not yet realising his mistake.

“Just the two of you? Not me? Not your girlfriend that you had for the majority of school?” You were yelling, genuinely hurt by his words.

“Merlin, y/n, you know that not what I meant!” he shouted back, a culmination of the misunderstanding and his confusion of the whole situation.

“No, Fred, I didn’t! I mean, when you’re sitting here rambling about twins and nonsense, how am I meant to think I was included in your distorted memory of Hogwarts?!”

“Y/n,” he began, cautiously even if he was still shouting, “I was just trying to tell you how important a sibling bond is! Especially that of twins! I mean, what’s wrong with you!”

You looked up at him, shocked and even more hurt, yet the daft idiot kept going.

“I know you don’t understand because your one brother is dead and the other you don’t even speak to!” He continued yelling, but stopped abruptly as his words, and immediately softened, “Y/n, I-”

Tears streamed down your face in a disparaging mix of emotions. “Save it, Fred. At least our girls won’t be living the fucked up utopia that you and George did! Constantly attached and only living for each other! At least they’ll have a sense of independence and can learn to grow apart from each other! Which… if you haven’t noticed… if something you and George never did!” You didn’t even give him a chance to speak, you just ran upstairs and slammed the bedroom door behind you. 

***

Never, ever go to bed angry. That fight was two weeks ago, and you still hadn’t fully recovered. Everytime you tried to bring it up to Fred, you were met with dodgy glances and fleeting responses. However, the two of you tried to carry on as normal with kisses, cuddles, and date nights. So now, two weeks without the girls, and you were dreading what was still to come. You sat up from the couch, slowly waking up from your nap, interest piqued by the lovely smells coming from the kitchen. You made your way to the kitchen where you found Fred cooking dinner. “Hi, love,” you muttered, still groggy.

“Hi, darling,” he responded, kissing your head as you walked past. “Date night,” he chirped, sounding only slightly interested. You just hummed in response. He nodded his head and went back to the pot before him as you took a seat on one of the stools at the kitchen island.

“What’s for dinner, love?” you asked Fred.

“Oh, your favorite,” he said, turning and smiling at you. You only cocked an eyebrow in response. “Look, y/n, I feel bad. I messed up and then wouldn’t bother talking about it cause it was easier to ignore it than confront the issue. I’m sorry.” A blush crept on his face as he looked down at you, clearly slightly on edge.

“Thank you, Freddie. Means a lot.” You returned the smile up at him. “So,” you began, standing up and heading over to his place at the stove, wrapping an arm around his waist, “Lancashire stew, is it?” You smiled at him and looked down, peering into the pot. Your expression quickly fell to confusion as your gaze was met by a thick, orange substance.

“Um, no…” he drew out slowly, “pumpkin soup?” His words were more of a question than anything. “Your favorite dinner. Pumpkin soup.”

You removed your arm and turned to look up at him. Your mouth opened slightly as you flashed an incredulous look at him. “Fred I bloody hate pumpkin soup.”

“What?” He turned to you, utterly baffled.

“It has to be my least favorite thing in all of Wizardom. In fact, I hate anything pumpkin. Taste changed when I was pregnant, hated it ever since,” you expression quickly turned sullen and defeated. “Fred, you knew this.”

He looked down at you, mouth agape, unable to speak.

“Whatever,” you muttered, walking away. “Wouldn’t have expected you to remember anyway.”

“Y/n, wait,” he said, voice tense and clearly agitated. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Well it seems that you’re at the store more and more, Fred,” you sighed. “I mean, how many times have I come home for the day, and you stay at the store for hours more?” You weren’t angry, just… tired. “You know what?” you began, “It’s okay, Freddie. I love you”

“No, y/n. I should have known that.” He was staring down at you, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. “I have to be at the store to provide for us, love.”

“That’s a lie and you know it,” you stated, “Sometimes you’re home long after the store would’ve closed. Besides, Fred, we make plenty of money and you know that. You’d rather be with your toys than me.”

His heart broke. Seeing you so sad and defeated. Yet he couldn’t help the wave of hurt that came over him. “Toys?”, he asked.

“I mean that’s what everything in there is, isn’t it?” You crossed your arms, staring him up and down. 

“Y/n, you helped create half those products.” He cocked an eyebrow down at you, genuinely not sure if you meant what you had said. 

“Sure, Fred, because it’s a business. I don’t spend hours obsessing over it. I don’t spend hours testing and trying everything every day. I don’t spend hours thinking up products that probably won’t even make it to the shelf! I,” you paused, voice breaking, “I don’t spend more time in my store than I do with my husband.” Tears streamed down your face freely now, and you collapsed into Fred’s arms. 

“Is that how you really feel?” Fred murmured, guiding you over to the couch. You just nodded your head in response, trying to choke back a sob.  “Love, I-... I’m sorry.” There was a long moment of silence. Him holding you in his arms, shaking and sobbing as his own tears flowed as well. “I was never trying to be neglectful, y/n. Please, please know that. I… I just needed to get away I suppose. I mean not from you of course. Just… my mind. Being there with George, and sometimes alone, actually. I’d be distracted, focused on the store or a product, and not thinking,” he sighed, and the weight that came off his shoulders was almost tangible.

“But why was I not enough,” you whispered. “Why couldn’t I distract you? Be there for you?”

He took a deep breath in before continuing. “Cause you’re a reminder, y/n.” 

“Fred, what?”

“They look just like you, act like you, sound like you. Everytime I look like you, I see our girls. And, and it’s not just that y/n. I haven’t felt happy lately.” You looked up at him, a mixture of confusion and dread spreading across your face. “Not… not with our marriage. That’s… fine. I just… I don’t know,” his voice grew quiet and slow. He took a deep breath in, shaking as he went. “I just feel different, and I don’t know why. It’s not the same and I’m not… handling it, y/n.” He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. He pulled you into him closely, not letting go for anything. 

“Well let’s change that, Freddie,” you turned and looked up at him. You were met with his puffy, tear stained face adorned with a cocked eyebrow and upturned nose. “We’ll do something we can have fun and enjoy doing. Some of these rooms could use a new coat of paint.”

He gave you a soft smile, appreciative of your efforts. “Painting it is, then.” He stretched out to lay down on the couch, pulling you with him. The two of you drifted off into a relaxed sleep after a while, forgetting any responsibilities and settling in the feeling of normalcy… a connection that had been missing for weeks.

***

Fred groaned as he rolled over, waking up to the early morning sunshine flooding in through the window. He was met with cold sheets and an empty bed. He stood up, rubbing his eyes and stumbling into his slippers. He had a good morning stretch and wandered downstairs. He was met with you, standing at the bottom of the steps, staring up at him with bright eyes and a big smile. 

“Morning, love,” you said bounding over to him and jumping into his arms.

“Hey, y/n,” he said, chuckling lightly. He hugged you and wandered into the kitchen, where you already had his tea ready for him. “What’s this about, love?”

“Well,” you began, taking a seat across from him, “I figured we could paint today.”

He gave you a warm smile as he sipped his tea, fully waking up. After a while he stood, placing his hands on your hips. He looked down at you, smiling before placing a warm, sweet kiss on your lips. You reciprocated, humming into his touch. You separated and took a step back, staring up at your husband. Everything felt right, whole, complete for the first time in weeks. 

You guided him into the living room where you had the paints and supplies set up. “Well, here it is!” you chirped excitedly.

He chuckled, crouching down to examine the paints. “Which rooms are we doing, love?”

“I was thinking the kitchen, living room, and the front hallway.”

He nodded in approval, turning one of the jars over in his hands. His face contorted, features pinched tightly together. “Grey?” he asked, sounding perturbed and confused at the same time. 

“Yeah…” you responded, turning an eyebrow at him. 

“Beige?” he asked, lip upturned in disgust.

“Yes, Fred, what’s the issue?”

“So… boring,” he finally looked up at you, face shifted as if he smelled a horrible scent. “These aren’t real colors, y/n.”

“Real colors?” you chuckled, “pretty sure they are, Freddie.” You grabbed the grey and got to work on the living room wall.

“Wait,” he said, standing to meet you, “I mean no green, no red, not even a blue?”

“These are mature and modern, Fred. There’s nothing sophisticated about a primary color.

He scoffed at you, “Y/n we could have done an emerald green, and muted bluish grey, even a deep maroon. I’m not asking for Gryffindor red, here. But I’d rather not be suffocated by despair in my own home if that’s alright.”

“Bit over dramatic if you ask me, Fred,” you murmured, continuing your painting.

He rolled his eyes and got to work with the beige in the kitchen. After a while of heavy silence, his pettiness took over. “Hey, y/n,” he called out, walking over to you.

“Hmm?” You responded, now focused on the front hallway. He crossed over to the finished living room wall, holding up in paintbrush. “I think this grey is a bit too flashy, don’t you think, love?” You turned and looked at him just as he spread a stripe of beige onto the fresh, grey wall. “This dull enough for you?” He flashed an indignant look before smirking and returning to his work. 

You stood there, mouth agape, not sure how to react. So, doing what any reasonable adult would do, you walked over to him and painted a grey stripe on his beige wall.  He just rolled his eyes and kept going, unfazed. You huffed and walked away, leaving him smirking. 

***

Over the next weeks the tension between you and Fred continued to grow. Every day there was either a petty spat, or an exchanged that would leave one of you defeated and disappointed. 

One day you were in Wizarding Paris gathering some supplies and Fred decided to plan a surprise for your return. You came home to a trail of red rose petals from the doorway into the center of the house, where whole roses were tossed about and Fred was standing in a suit with soft music in the background. You were absolutely enamored, until he made the comment, “I know red roses are your favorite, so I had mother help me gather as many as we could find.” 

You stood hesitating for a moment, “Fred my favorite is a peach rose, not red.” You stared up at him, tears from a mix of joy and sadness pricking at your eyes, “Fred they were our wedding flowers.” You tried to brush it off and enjoy the night, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that you and Fred were starting to lose touch. The night ended with him getting upset over you not enjoying the surprise and not being appreciative of his efforts, even when he tried. 

Another time you and Fred were in the store, planning for the release of a collaborative collection with Madam Malkins. You had rescheduled a development meeting without telling him, hoping to get some of your designs past Fred. This led to months of sly, petty plays between the two of you. Whether it be one of you not showing up to work, or not restocking a product, or not counting the days galleons, you and Fred were finding new ways to mess with each other. 

The new, dangerous dynamic finally came to a head just before the girls would be returning for Christmas break. You were in the backyard gardens, tending to the various year-round plants and dusting snow off of the decor. Unbeknownst to you, Fred was creeping up behind you, a snowball in hand. He tried to hold in a laugh as he hurled the snowball, hitting you square in the back.

“Fred!”, you shrieked, turning to face him. Your face was beat red as your nostrils flared.

He was laughing until he saw your face. “Merlin, love, did I hurt you?”

“What? No. But what the bloody hell was that for?”, you helped, throwing your arms up in question at him. 

“I-... it’s… snowball fight?” He rubbed his hands together, both out of nerves and a defense against the cold. 

You rolled your eyes, muttering under your breath as you turned back to your work.

“You know what?”, he began in a terse tone that compelled you to face him once again. “Enough, y/n. I’ve had enough.”

“Pardon?”

“I miss having fun, y/n! We used to be a happy and fun couple! We went out with friends, we got into trouble! We. Had. Fun! And now we live in this… this fucking charade! Are we even happy with each other?!” He yelled, face growing increasingly red as he turned and went inside.

You followed him in, slamming the door behind you. “Having fun!?”, you retorted, screaming as well, “Fred, you git, we’re thirty five years old with two kids!! There is no fun anymore, just parenting and real life shit!”

“And that’s exactly what’s wrong, y/n!” he yelled back, “This horrible attitude! Ever since you had those kids you’ve… changed! Changed into someone I don’t even recognize anymore!” Tears began to stream down his face at the utterance of his final sentence.

His words made you cry as well. “Those kids?! Fred Weasley they are your daughters, too! And think about how I feel! The fact that you haven’t changed! You’re still witty and crafty and energetic, and Fred I just can’t keep up with you anymore!! We aren’t in Hogwarts anymore, our children are, so you need to drop this childish attitude and fast!”

“What about our entire relationship that was built on wit and energy and childish fun?!”, he shot back, voice breaking, “All of the jokes and laughter, doesn’t that mean anything to you anymore!?? It’s what bonds us together, and now you just want to leave it behind like it isn’t what made us fall in love!”

“Are we even in love anymore?! I loved you for your wit and intelligence and creativity, yes, but those can be applied elsewhere! Stop acting like a child and act like the adult you’re supposed to be!” “You aren’t my partner in crime anymore. You aren’t the same woman I fell in love with. I want a divorce.” And with that he apparated away into the succumbing abandon of the wizarding world.

@it-was-three-am @hess016

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[aion-rsa]

Investigating Digimon’s Biggest Unanswered Question

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On June 25, 2000 on Fuji TV in Japan and October 21, 2000 on Fox Kids in the U.S. an episode of Digimon aired that over 20 years later continues to haunt fans and the franchise itself alike. This was an episode that opened up a world of possibility and a plotline darker than anything else seen in the series – an episode that ended with a gigantic cliffhanger that has never been directly dealt with since.

The installment was season 2 of Digimon, episode 13. ‘The Call of Dragomon’ a.k.a. ‘His Master’s Voice.’ This episode introduced the Dark Ocean.

After all these years it continues to spark debate and analysis from fans. Why? It’s not like Digimon didn’t have its fair share of dropped plots. Why does the Dark Ocean stand out and why was its mystery never resolved? To try and answer that, we have to take a deep dive into the episode that introduced it all.

It begins when Kari Kamiya experiences bad dreams and visions of an ocean swallowing her up. Dark creatures follow her in the hallways. She flickers out of existence and appears in the Dark Ocean. It’s a greyscale world. A lighthouse shines darkness instead of light. Kari attempts to find a way out and stumbles across the dark creatures from earlier, glowing red eyes their only feature. They painfully cry out for help, desperately hoping Kari will free them from the power of the evil Digimon Emperor. 

It’s all a trick however and important differences between the Japanese and English versions of the episode occur at this point. In the English version the dark creatures attempt to kidnap Kari, hauntingly telling her, “you’ll be our new queen. We need you.”

In the Japanese version it’s much more unsettling. They tell her, “you are worthy of being our bride. In order to fight the new god (the Digimon Emperor, it’s implied), we must create new offspring.”

In both versions Kari is saved by her Digimon partner Gatomon and the dark creatures retreat into the ocean. In the English version they woefully explain their foiled plan,

“We thought you would love to be our queen. With your power you could lead us in the battle against our undersea master. I guess we were wrong. Beware, our master can sense your power too and he will come for you.”

In the Japanese version they leave Kari with this parting message.

“Chosen one… we believed you would be glad to be our bride. Very well. We shall return to the depths, to our former god, and wait for the time.”

Kari escapes from the Dark Ocean but a giant Digimon, named Dragomon in the Japanese version, rises from the ocean. The master the dark creatures spoke of. Its eyes glow red. END OF EPISODE. What does it all mean? This seemed like it was going to be a major storyline. The end of the English episode even teases, “who is this evil dark undersea master? Don’t miss the upcoming Digimon!” But that question would never be answered.

The master/god would never be seen again and Kari never crossed paths with the dark creatures. It’s a massive cliffhanger that the franchise has never resolved and no one from the production has given any answers to. The Dark Ocean does show up again but only for brief appearances. 

A flashback in episode 23, ‘Genesis of Evil,’ shows a young Ken dipping his digivice into the Dark Ocean’s waters, transforming it into a Dark D3 digivice which would later give Ken the power to inhibit digivolution. Ken, as the Digimon Emperor, also draws on the power of the Dark Ocean to power his base.

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Kari, Ken Ichijouji, and Yolei Inoue stumble into the Dark Ocean through a “phase warp” in episode 31, ‘Opposites Attract.’ Yolei is unable to see the Dark Ocean until her frustration at that somehow makes it so she can. This seems to indicate that one’s emotions when entering the Dark Ocean can have a major impact on what happens to you there. Ken and Kari both have their share of trauma which may have influenced the Dark Ocean’s hold over them. Ken was originally pulled into the Dark Ocean after his brother died, a brother Ken had previously wished would “just disappear.” Kari watched Wizardmon, a kind Digimon that she’d grown close to, jump in front of an attack meant for her. She held him in her arms as he died. Yolei, her life comparatively easier, wasn’t affected by the Dark Ocean as much as them.

In the Japanese version of the episode Kari worriedly states, “they called me here… again.” It seems the master/god still wants Kari’s power. The three manage to escape through a “hole in space” and never return.

Later in episode 45, ‘The Dark Gate,’ Ken banishes the evil Digimon Daemon to the Dark Ocean. He opens a portal there by facing his darkest fears and with a little team friendship power. Curiously Daemon indicates he already knows what the Dark Ocean is, calling it Dragomon’s Ocean in the Japanese version. 

It’s briefly mentioned in episode 48, ‘Oikawa’s Shame’ when evil mastermind Oikawa reveals the Control Spire’s that plagued the team in the first half of the season and prevented regular digivolution are a “present” from the Dark Ocean. 

The Dark Ocean also gets a few fleeting moments in the Digimon Adventure tri. films. Previously unknown Digi Destined Himekawa becomes stranded in the Dark Ocean after her Digimon partner, Taprimon, couldn’t remember her. She fought back against the dark creatures there but was pulled into the ocean never to be seen again. The films also address the Daemon cliffhanger by hinting he could return as a villain but this never went anywhere. With the Digimon franchise well into a reboot of the original first season, it’s doubtful this or any other Dark Ocean plots will ever get resolved.

That leaves fans (including us) to try to make sense of it all. First off, let’s look at those key differences between the motivations of the dark creatures in the Japanese and English version of episode 13.

In the English version, the creatures seemingly tricked Kari into helping them by using the dark spirals. They knew this would make her sympathetic and hoped she would join them as their queen in a battle against their old undersea master. Why did they need Kari for this? They mention she has power they need but it isn’t clear what that power is. Previously in the series she had a connection to the crest of light so maybe they were hoping her light would be able to wipe out their master. There’s no clear answer to any of that question but it seems Kari, more than any other Digi Destined, has some special role to play in this conflict.

The Japanese version’s motivation for the dark creatures is much clearer. They aren’t fighting against their god; they’re working for him to fight the Digimon Emperor. They chose Kari because she was worthy of being their bride, a bride who would create new offspring to aid in the fight. This leads us to speculate that these dark creatures, which certainly aren’t Digimon, are offspring of some other bride.The horror of all that is off the charts and deeply uncomfortable, especially since Kari is a middle schooler. It’s no wonder this was changed for the English version and rightly so.

Putting that real life horror aside, the biggest lingering question at the end of the Japanese episode is what the dark creatures meant when they told Kari to, “wait for the time.” The time of what? What did this god want with her? 

In all this we also need to ask what the Dark Ocean itself even is. It’s implied to be a dimension or world that isn’t the Digital World, especially since Kari can get there without using one of the Digi-World gates. We only see a small section of the world. The ocean, a beach, the lighthouse, an abandoned town, and a tunnel.

The only other clues we have to try and decipher what the hell the Dark Ocean is comes from its clear influence, H.P. Lovecraft. Dragomon might as well be called Cthullumon given his appearance and the way he rises from the sea. A clear connection is drawn in the Japanese episode when a text card appears just before the title card, written in “digicode.” This is basically the Digimon alphabet and thanks to TMS over on the Digimon With the Will forums we know it translates to “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.”

In Lovecraft’s “The Call fo Cthulhu” story this translate to “In his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.” This would imply that Dagmon is actually Cthulhu! This could mean any number of things for the multiverse of Digimon but just reading it on the tin, it matches up with the dark creatures statement in the Japanese episode that they’d “wait for the time.” We can now reasonably extrapolate that they’re waiting for the time Dragomon aka their god will wake. Most likely to aid in their fight against the Digimon Emperor… or perhaps something bigger.

With all this information, fragmented as it is, what can we reasonably guess the Dark Ocean is? Perhaps, since the Digital World is made of data, the Dark Ocean is the black screen in-between the 1’s and 0’s in the Digital World’s code. A place that has to exist for more “code” to be written but that’s barren of any life. Dragomon and the dark creatures could have been banished there long ago but before that it was an empty world, only carrying fragments of the code around it (the town, the lighthouse, etc.) That also lines up with the Digital World, which also contains fragments of real world machines and structures (trains, buildings, etc.) This proximity to the code of the Digital World is further supported by the fact that people or Digimon could fall through “phase warps” into it like Kari, Ken, and Yolei did. The Dark Ocean is a world between a world. A world that needs to exist for the sake of another world but is not truly a world of its own. A world you almost never see but if you do… it’s nothingness.

It’s no surprise why the Dark Ocean continues to captivate and frustrate Digimon fans all these years later. A gigantic story was hinted at, one that held particular importance to fan favorite characters Kari and Ken. It could have expanded the scope of Digimon’s world, bringing in a power beyond anything else the team had ever faced. The “what if?” of it all holds great power over fans. It’s a shame the show abandoned something that could have been so compelling.

However, perhaps its lack of resolution isn’t a completely bad thing. It makes the world of Digimon more mysterious. There’s more going on than just the battles the kids are having. There are other forces at work. Powerful forces that have their own goals outside of simple destruction or desire for power.

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The more you get of a franchise like Digimon the more likely you are for its fantasy world to get overcomplicated or over explained. Things get too tidy, too neat, everything is related to each other or a small group of characters (looking at you, Star Wars.) The Dark Ocean breaks all that up. Sure our characters’ stories intersect with it but they’re only a small part of the mystery of the Dark Ocean. If it’s a mystery that’s even solvable. As much as fans want it solved, there’s something powerful about a mysterious force lurking at the edge of the Digimon universe.

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[vivalavi-daa]

Fav 2019 K-Dramas

2019 blessed us with many intriguing kdramas with unique stories, don’t you think? I’m bored during quarantine and decided to post this. Anyways, here are my favs:

1. Vagabond

There, this picture says it all: this drama is fast paced, SO intense, and on fire. I love every minute of it! Vagabond is different than another k-dramas. I’m not lying when I say this drama literally makes me cry and scream. Sometimes I even had to pause in the middle of episode just to catch my breath lol. The plot is so well written and full of unpredictable storylines (which is what I love the most about Vagabond–that every episode always has a way to surprises me). Although, many viewers disappointed with how they ended Vagabond with a cliffhanger. I, too, really hope they consider making the second season to satisfy our curiosities. But either way, I don’t regret watching this drama. Not at all. Because this drama is too amazing

2. When the Camellia Blooms

Unlike majority of romance k-dramas, this drama’s love story is centered around a young woman who raises her child on her own. I gotta say, this is one high quality k-drama. I could even judge it from its lovely opening video. Every episode always has meaningful messages behind it. The storylines are rich and presented in such a way that makes viewers immersed in the stories and emphatize with the characters. First, they make us understand Dongbaek’s dark past and her struggle as a single parent, then they make us emphatize with Dongbaek’s son who grow up without a dad figure. We also get to see the perspectives of her mom & Yong Sik (the lead guy)’s mom as mothers,  the issues faced by side characters, and conflicts that arise from triangle love story. In addition, they also involved mistery of murderer in the stories! Can you believe how many of these can we swallow in one drama? One time this drama is heartbreaking, then it’s heartwarming, another time it gets super dark. 

Also, what I find many viewers love from this drama is how Yong Sik cherishes Dongbaek and love her for what she is, which is why I concluded this drama is perfect for woman who feels insecure. Why? Because with the way Yong Sik endlessly convinces Dongbaek, he reminds us that every woman is good enough, deserves to feel loved and receive happiness. And I love him for that.

3. Her Private Life

There is a reason why people said this is the perfect kdrama for fangirl, since the story is told from the perspective of a die hard fan (Sung Deok Mi). Those who have experienced being fangirls know how well this drama represent fangirls’ life: what fangirls do, and how fangirling affects our lives. It’s all displayed in such fun atmosphere that it’d give you good feelings while watching it. Personally, I am attracted to its opening video. It’s really catchy and reflect the fun vibes of Her Private Life. I really recommend this drama if you want to lift your mood.

But on top of that, Sung Deok Mi’s relationship with Ryan Gold is the major part of why I highly appreciate this drama!! Their relationship is unlike any relationship I’ve ever seen before. They’re very mature, respect each others’ dreams and what each other loves, always resolve conflicts through discussion. They portray the definition of a healthy relationship and I really admire that.

4.  Extraordinary You

The word extraordinary isn’t used in the title for no reasons. The storylines are, indeed, extraordinary. It is a mix of comedy, high school romance, star crossed soulmates, fantasy, mistery, comedy and a glimpse of stories in historical settings at the same time. Thus, it’s not exaggerating when fans said “you don’t have to look for specific dramas, you can get it all here”.

The actors & actresses’ acting skills are superb and we can find so many funny & relatable lines here. But one of the best things about Extraordinary You is they place the second leads in the center of spotlight! Finally nice second leads get the justice they deserve. They portrayed how lead guy who’s rude and feels entitled to have his crush doesn’t have the slightest chance of capturing the woman’s heart. Instead, the nice second leads who show respects and always put the woman’s desire before his own are what woman find attractive. I highly praise this drama for that.

5. Crash Landing on You

In 2019, we encounter many dramas with unique synopsis, including this one: a relationship between a North guy and a South woman. I have no doubt in Son Ye Jin and Hyun Bin’s chemistry since the beginning. Their incredible chemisty makes every romance scenes look even more sweet and pure and sometimes cute. Although I wasn’t really engaged with the first two episodes, the next episodes gets more appealing and satisfying. It’s nice to see the progress of both lead characters’ development and how they help each other overcome their issues. Aside from Se Ri (Son Ye Jin)’s relationship with Jeong Hyeok (Hyun Bin), her relationship with the North soldiers and neighboors at millitary village are pretty adorable. Their interaction always give me warm fuzzy feelings and they’re what I miss the most from this drama honestly.

6. One Spring Night

If you love Something in the Rain, I’m sure you’ll love this one too since both are the works from the same director. It has similiar atmospheres and similiar soundtracks vibes (both have really beautiful soundtracks by the way). Like Dongbaek from When the Camellia Blooms, the lead guy in this drama (Yoo Ji Ho) is also a single parent. I agree with fans saying this isn’t the kind of drama for everyone. This is more like slice of life and they aren’t in a rush to throw in conflicts as well as its resolution and I love it that way. Through this, they made it possible for us to process our emotions while the conflicts are presented.

The stories are also realistic: the issue experienced by the lead guy as a single parent, issue that’s arised from triangle love story, how pride and status mean for men, also a glimpse of abusive relationship, and the heartwarming sisterhood. And if we look closely, we could see how they tried to portray the influence of culture in the family and in the way they resolve a conflict. 

7. Catch the Ghost

I thought the ghost from the title refers to an actual ghost but thank god it’s not. Here, ghost is a nickname for a criminal–the villain of the drama. Even when the story centered around the same villain from the firat until the last eps, but I wasn’t bored at all watching this. In fact, it is what made me engage with the stories and made me continue watching the next eps although I had assignments to do 😅. It’s just so, so exciting to watch. The stories are dark, sad, but funny at times. However, some viewers (including me) found the lead woman (Yoo Reung) annoying at first because of her selfishness. But I promise it’s still worth to watch because in the later eps, you’ll understand why she is the way she is which makes it easier to tolerate and even emphatize with her. She’s actually lovable, and her relationship with the lead guy (Ko Ji Seok) is really cute! In fact, Ko Ji Seok is one of my fav characters in kdrama land!

8. Class of Lies

You know, I always love kdramas with unpredictable storylines. Just like what this drama has. I know the settings are set in high school but it is waaay too dark for a high school story. You can even see it from the picture that it has gloomy vibes. I thought it’s the typical high school kdrama about bullies or corruption but it’s truly exceeds my expectation. From the first episode, I already saw the potential of this drama and already hooked with the misteries. I felt so tense throughout watching the entire drama. I kept clicking the next eps to find out if things are getting better and if there is any clue to the misteries here. But I swear everytime I thought I figure something out, this drama always has surprises to give. So brilliant. I stan.

9. At Eighteen

We could tell from the title that this drama must be related to the dynamic life of 18 years old teenagers. Considering this is the age where we explore ourselves, this drama portrayed how different teens could have different issues to face: trying to fit in at school, stand up against bullies, trying to be in top tier at school, trying to get good grades whether it’s to get into reputable colleges or to meet parents’ high expectation, trying to experience romance, AND exploring sexual orientation (actually this is the first kdrama i’ve watched that portrayed gay issues so I was like wow??). So, the stories aren’t only focused on the main characters, but the side characters too. Though I really adore the main guy in this drama: Choi Jun Woo. I even made an essay about why I think he’s an ideal guy lol. If you’re interested, here you go

Not only does this drama describe the issues faced by 18 yo students, but also the struggles faced by the teacher. It shows us how teachers can feel nervous too whenever he’s about to teach or deal with the students, how certain teachers care about the wellbeings of their students, not just care about their grades. I appreciate that from the drama, really, I do. This drama is calm, heartwarming, and meaningful.

10.  Love Alarm

Tried to watch it because of Kim So Hyun, and I quickly got invested in the stories. I like the futuristic theme in this drama. The idea of a Love Alarm app itself is already interesting. Moreover, So Hyun has good chemistry with both guys. Though I don’t find both lead and second lead guys as my best type of guys, but I couldn’t stop watching it and I don’t regret watching it. Their lovestories are bittersweet which kept me looking forward for more. The last episode ended in cliffhanger though, typical Netflix series. If you don’t like uncertainty and want to watch this drama, I suggest you to wait until season 2 is released (yes, they announced there will be a season 2).

k-drama recommendation: 2/?

[theeternalnewb]

I've got an idea buzzing about my head for a show where the main cast is in training at a magical military academy. Things aren't going well on the front lines, so there's some rush and pressure to get good sooner rather than later. There's three major ways somebody can use magic. You can channel your elemental affinity, which can do a wide variety of things depending on which element you have, but ultimately restricts you to a few roles. You can construct a spell matrix, which requires insight and training but can do nearly anything. Finally, you can use your Soultech. Soultechs are pure expressions of who you are as a person. Soultechs generally do one thing, but they do it really well. It's rare but not impossible for two people to have the same Soultech, although some Soultechs are more historically common than others.

The first episode ends with the lead using a Soultech that allows them to prevent all harm from befalling their friends. The second episode gets more into the mechanics of Soultechs with the explanation that each Soultech can say good or bad things about the user, with the big bad given as an example. Soultech: Pump The Noise enables the big bad to drown out everything else on the battlefield and pull off incredible feats based around their personal message, so all you can hear is a genocidal anthem, reflecting the big bad's intrinsic belief that nobody else's thoughts or ideas are important enough to hear, and all that matters is this message of genocide, as they kill people en masse. This, the teacher explains, is why if you encounter anyone whose Soultech is Pump The Noise, you shouldn't trust them.

The episode goes on to reveal that the lead's Soultech, No Harm Shall Befall My Charges reflects a lack of the lead's respect for the agency of others, and leads to a series-long struggle with their controlling nature, as they are inherently unwilling to allow their friends to put themselves in harm's way, no matter their personal choices.

As the series goes on, one by one the main cast learn what their Soultechs are and how to use them, and the themes of the show revolve around how even admirable qualities can be tainted by unpleasant ones, but those unpleasant qualities can be overcome if you put in the effort. The latter is primarily driven by one member of the cast who is laid back yet gregarious, and always the first to suggest that things aren't what they seem, that the enemy of the week can be reasoned with, that everything can be solved if people just talk and listen.

This one character keeps being in situations where theoretically pulling out a new Soultech could solve the current problem, but instead things are resolved via communication and empathy. This continues on until the season finale when the heroes are in trouble, help is badly out of position, things look bleak, and the friendly, easygoing character sighs. "Soultech," they say. "Pump The Noise." The first notes of John Lennon's Imagine drift out as the Soultech ramps up. Season finale ends on a cliffhanger.

[emiliehardie-blog]

Yay, I finally made it through episode 5! It took way longer than it should, due to the amazing crashing phone and preparing for an interview, but I got there in the end.

A quick reminder on where we stand, going into the episode:

- I’m mostly watching this for the alternate universe elements and Jo Yeong

- I’m more invested in Lee Gon than I was at the start of last week

- The cinematographer(s) and colourist(s) deserve all the awards

Thoughts as we go:

- man, the sister is a lot more prepared to accept that gem is real than I would be

- “She’s gone” on the sign is a little on the nose

- All the bodyguards are weirdly surprised by Gon laughing. I guess it’s not something he normally does

- Nope, Jo Yeong is not okay with Gon joking with an unknown woman

- Annnnd, Gon has ditched Yeong again. I want to compliment him on his ability not to swear at the king

- The slow-mo of the horseback ride looks like they’re being chased. Foreshadowing?

- Huh? That doesn’t look like the dawn?

- Oh, flashback, maybe?

- I hate to be THAT person, but how are they breathing if there’s allegedly no air?

- I like that shot of Gon being flanked by Yeong and Tae-eul

- “And that face. He’s supposed to be on my side. He’s been on my side since I was three.” I don’t know why, but that hit me in the feels

- “It’s nothing personal” and she just... points it at Gon. I kind of heart that gumption, but poor Yeong doesn’t deserve that given the day he’s been having

- So, I’m not a bodyguard but surely you’d just shoot anyone who is threatening the protectee with a gun, not wait for them to have a conversation

- Yeong just grabbing the gun and pulling it back to point right at his head was badass. There’s just something about how clean and sharp the actor’s movements are that really works for the character

- Oh, now Yeong recognises Tae-eul

- Ha! The moment Gon reared back in fear, I knew it could only be Lady Noh

- Yep, Gon may be King of Corea, but we all know Lady Noh is in charge of Gon

- “Maybe someone in the court has a grudge against you.” Better question, is there anyone in the court who ISN’T annoyed with him?

- Yeong, asking all the right questions. Seriously, why didn’t Gon take you with him the second time, so that you could continue to watch his back

- Tae-eul still processing that it’s all true

- Oooh, Yeong wants to talk to Tae-eul alone. He’s probably not going to up and murder her, dumping her body in the sea, but you wouldn’t know it from his face

- Tae-eul being nice to Yeong and making it easy for him to search her fingerprints just raised her a notch in my book

- Awkward room service delivery wouldn’t be half so funny if it weren’t for everyone trying to pretend it wasn’t awkward

- Perplexed and baffled Yeong is more approachable without loosing any of his coolness

- The more I watch this show, the more I think I would be totally down to watch a show focusing on Yeong just trying to keep up with Gon’s shenanigans

- Did Tae-eul just steal Gon’s phone?!?!

- And now she’s telling HIM to test the food first.

- 10/10 for recovery of sass

- Confirmed: Lady Noh is omniscient

- I still find it ridiculously endearing that Gon has been the leader of a country for twenty-five years and he still acts like a guilty kid when Noh catches him being less than kingly... and then he teases her

- Does that bedroom have clear glass panes in the door? With a male guard nearby?

- Okay, Gon, I jumped but I think you’re entitled to look smug for managing to sneak in when Noh clearly doesn’t want you to

- I do like the little subtle thing of Gon not calling her on her fib about the drafts and putting aside his dignity to join her on the floor

- “It’s not uncomfortable” Really? Cause it looks like you’re going to have a major crick in your neck

- So the chief is a liar. Interesting

- Oh, that CGI was too close for the quality of the work

- Ahaha, Lady Noh, always a step ahead!

- Tae-eul pretending to be q bodyguard and then clips of him being not terrible at being king. I guess it’s time for the ‘look, he’s competent at his job and now I shall fall in love’

- Okay, Yeong having to pass on Gon’s message was legitimately funny. Also, let’s get real, not the weirdest thing he’s ever made the Unbreakable Sword do

- Internet search page product placement

- Hold up, am I meant to know who the pregnant lady is? I mean, she’s clearly being set up to take her doppelgänger’s place, but still

- Am I the only one who is weirded out by how often alternate universe versions on countries in fiction are a) monarchies when they aren’t in our world and b) richer. Do writers/authors think monarchy gives a bonus in GDP stats?

- I wonder if Tae-eul will take this opportunity to visit the North

- Okay, I got a bit lazy, but Yeong catching Tae-eul by surprise got a chuckle from me

- Ahaha, Yeong’s beheading comments were hilarious. Major concern for Gon, ahoy

- The PM and Tae-eul about to meet. Dunno if I’d really call that cliffhanger material, but eh. It’s about time this episode ended

Verdict:

- there are flashes of fun and sass but also scenes that are just so cliched and predictable

- I warmed to Tae-eul slightly this episode

Fair warning, it might be a day or two until I can do the next episode.

[lizacstuff]

Another very good episode despite the sad ending which was very well executed by hande. What did you think of the episode?

Very good episode. One nice thing about these new writers, so far, is that the episodes flow a bit better than they used to flow. I think the prior team had trouble putting 2+ hour story without it being disjointed.  These guys seem to be able to manage the format better. 

So much to love in this chapter. So much comedy. So much fun. So much ripping my heart out and stopping on it and then kicking it a little and then throwing it into a fiery lava volcano pit for good measure. 

All those emotions were felt. 

Edser to come, but let's start with Babaanne and the Prince.  It really feels like these characters were introduced with another story in mind, and then the show pivoted. Perhaps the new writers wanted something else, or maybe Fox wanted to renew but wanted the show to get back to basics so they changed course to this reset of sorts? It all feels unfinished.

(continued under the cut)

I think we were all expecting more trouble from both characters.  Not that kidnapping Eda isn't causing trouble, it clearly is, but the fact that it was resolved in the first 5 minutes is notable. What was the point? It did give them a cliffhanger, a chance for Serkan to be a hero, a reason for Serkan to fire Balca, and a reason for Babaanne to change her tune, so it wasn't completely pointless, it served some plots, however it was very anticlimactic. 

Babaanne was pretty anticlimactic too. She comes on like a house on fire in 25, having Serkan arrested on serious charges that could have stuck, framing Alptekin, ruining the project the team had won via the tender. She manipulates Eda into breaking Serkan's heart, goes full matchmaker with the Prince, but then when Eda decides, "Nah, I'm not only not going to give up on Serkan, I'm gonna marry him." she backs off all her threats? 

It does make me wonder if both or either (offscreen) the Prince or Babaanne have something to do with Serkan's plane going missing.  Just so they can fulfill their evil potential. Either of them is powerful enough to pull that off, and it makes more sense than either of them giving up so easily. 

As for Aydan and Ayfer, they made for some pretty good laughs this episode. I think the friction caused by their inherent differences is much more funny, than the fighting over Chef Alexander. As I said in another ask, Ayfer worked my last nerve in her very first scene this episode. She wakes up after being dosed by her mother's choice of life-mate for Eda, but immediately blames the Bolats. Fuck off with that. She enabled her mother, she is more to blame for this situation than anyone but the villains. If she would have stood up to her mother and supported Eda instead of choosing to further Babaanne's agenda by opposing the wedding, maybe Eda's life wouldn't have been put in such danger.  I can't with her. She would deserve it if Eda puts a little distance between them.  

GO DETECTIVE MELO! Love her tenacity in putting together the pieces of Henna night and rightly figuring out Balca's duplicity. For a second there I thought they weren't going to tell Serkan what they found, which made me nervous, but then at the first opportunity she blurts it out. Well done!  We should have known Serkan would be two steps ahead of them except that he's been two steps behind when it comes to Balca since the very beginning. It was very satisfying to watch him fire her. Though, I do wish we would have seen him find out she purposely put strawberry in his drink.  Good riddance!   The ILYs between Serkan and Melo were very sweet, it speaks so well of Serkan that he has such a soft spot for her. Of course it is only natural since Melo has been an unwavering supporter of his since the beginning, Serkan picks his allies well. 

Now onto the couples. The tension between all the romantic pairs this episode was fun, and obviously done for over-the-top comic relief, but also very silly, lmao. Those boys are so DUMB!  Engin has the sensibility of a preteen boy and Ferit never knows when to shut up, he's so naive and he can't read a room.  

However, who didn't love the friendship growth between Serkan and Ferit?  They planned a 15-day bike trip? I'm dying! And crying! However, I fully believe that Eda-broke-up-with-me-I-have-a-sad-and-need-a-distraction Serkan planned that trip and I found it preposterous that Serkan would have any desire to still go right after he got married.  We're supposed to believe that schmoopy, smitten, horny Serkan is ready to leave his newlywed bride for that length of time? Puh-lease he's planning every way he's going to sex her up over the next 6 months, and it's going to take every free minute. Also they can't even find time to get to Paris for the night, but he's going away for that?? NOPE.  Maybe next year, Ferit... but also invite the girls to the bike portion.  

The tension between Eda and Serkan in the first half hour of the ep was a nice little truncated story of the stress wedding planning and a looming, giant life change can put on a couple. Edser started the day in a very schmoopy place, but by the time they left Aydan's they were already starting to feel the pressure. The bickering between Ayfer and Aydan felt typical, and I felt myself being more sympathetic with Aydan.  They're rich, why wouldn't they hire a wedding coordinator? That's a helluva lot of work to do in 3 days!  Why would Ayfer want to spent that time doing centerpieces when she could be enjoying the pre wedding festivities? Dumb. The gems as favors do seem a little over-the-top, but I'd like to take home one of those aquamarines when I attend their wedding, so I won't complain. As far as where they're going to live, both ladies need to step off! They need to be at least 15 minutes of driving distance from both of them.  Not living on the Bolat property and not living in Ayfer's neighborhood. Geez. I'm stressed just typing it up, no wonder it set the betrothed couple on edge.  Obviously, they were having a major disconnect when they got to work. Serkan was dealing with a crisis and probably should have just told Eda that instead of burying himself in work, ignoring her, and getting irritated with her. Meanwhile, Eda should have noticed he was more focused than even the typical workaholic robot, and that meant something important. 

The misunderstanding that fueled their full day stand-off was so silly, and preventable, but also led to hilarity and one of my favorite scenes ever so I won't be too hard on how manufactured it was.  Each of these things-- family wedding planning stress, Serkan being inattentive due to work crisis, and Serkan acting a little "the old ball and chain" when Ferit was blundering along about guys trips and postponing the wedding-- all led to an Eda who was already feeling a bit insecure, so when she overheard Serkan's phone conversation it's not shocking she took it the wrong way.  However, it takes a bit more handwaving to believe Serkan took the conversation the wrong way and went right to freezing her out. Come on, Serkan, you're less emotional and have less reasons to be feeling vulnerable at that moment. She was in your office trying to get your attention on wedding planning and your home and future. You were the one too busy to engage!  Though, I suppose it's believable that these two stubborn souls would allow the misunderstanding to fester out of pride, rather than confront it head on and clear it up right away. It's pretty consistent that when one of them gets their feelings hurt and feels rejected by the other, their defensive walls go up and they both revert to pretending they're just fine and the other's rejection can't hurt them. They need to get over this asap.  

That poor wedding planner. She has a couple insisting they get married in 3 days, they're entirely unhelpful and now they aren't even speaking to one another?  I understand her frustration and don't ding her for asking if they're sure they're ready to get married, but her saying that was definitely one of the things that contributed to the insecurities they were both already feeling. They were both so sad when they had the last conversation in the office, each one suggesting the other to take time to think and rest. Their video call that night was equally as fraught and sad. Sweet, dumb babies. 

The entire sequence of the girls stealthing into the hotel and hiding on the couch was hilarious. I love that Eda doesn't realize that crashing the bachelor party could be embarrassing until she's flat on her back on that couch, hiding behind lobby foliage.  As for the boys, they redeemed themselves a little bit, by being too upset to enjoy themselves.  

One of my favorite parts is Eda trying to be breezy as if the girls being there has nothing to do with the bachelor party. I laughed at Melo taking the blame for suggesting the resort. The single gal always takes the blame, just like the unmarried/not engaged Ferit gets the blame later.  This moment (click here) is one of my favorites of the episode. I still am not sure what she's trying to say with her looping gestures and pointing upstairs and then her haughty pose, and I don't think Serkan knows either, but yet he just gets a kick out of her. The guy who Engin said never smiled, smiles pretty damn easily these days. Also j’adored the wardrobe that had them matching perfectly in shades of cream and olive. In sync and gorgeous. 

Speaking of wardrobe, during that fireplace conversation Serkan looked so huggable in that fleece pullover (more casual Serkan, please!) that I felt terrible that they were not in a place where she could cuddle up to him in front of the fire. Come on! We deserved to see that. That was the biggest tragedy in that scene, slightly ahead of them postponing the wedding. As for that, they were both so convinced that the other thinks they're going too fast, that neither of them was listening to how the other positioned it. Each positioning it as the other's preference. That illustrated the trouble that a little insecurity and a lot of pride can cause.  

Now on to my favorite scene of the episode! Seriously, immediately after watching it I mentally vaulted it to my top 10 scenes list (no such list exists, and if it did it would change all the time, lol).  First, can I say how I appreciated that the friends were all shocked at the news they were postponing the wedding? Ferit and Engin couldn't believe it, and Melo, Ceren and Piril all actively questioned the idea that Serkan would want to postpone. Thank you! You just know if Ayfer were there she would have tried to say "Oh, that's too bad, but really for the best, let's celebrate!"  

Anyway, I loved every second from the moment Serkan says, "Eda, can we talk?" until the apology. Finally, instead of being led by their pride, they both show some hurt which is the catalyst for the heated conversation that clears everything up.  

It's impressive how consistent they've been with some characterizations and how Serkan and Eda yin/yang each other. Eda has always had trouble saying, "I love you." It just doesn't come easy to her. She illustrated that in episode 12, she can handle the sentiment and agree with it, "our feelings are mutual" but it's hard for her to say the words. 

Conversely, Serkan has never had that problem. From the minute he confessed he has told her how much he loves her many, many times and in many, many different ways. What Serkan has trouble with is "I'm sorry". It is so hard for him to say those words. In episode 9, all it would have taken to get Eda back was a simple apology, instead he spent an entire episode doing everything to get her back, but the very simple act of saying, "I'm sorry. That is some next level aversion to apologizing. Whereas Eda doesn't have that problem, she can own her mistakes and apologize pretty easily. 

These scenes outside showcased this dynamic beautifully.  After the misunderstanding is rectified, Eda very easily apologizes, but Serkan goes with a "me too" type of response. The sentiment is there, but he doesn't say the words. A few minutes later, after the crew joins them, Serkan goes all romantic robot and tells her how much he loves her, then prompts her, but instead Eda teases and teases until she finally whispers it. 

Obviously, she loves him and obviously he is sorry about the misunderstanding, but I like the consistency that they both still have trouble vocalizing these specific things.

The fact that Serkan was ready to chuck the guys and his bachelor party in order to have a romantic night with her is very sweet, and also points out how silly the notion of him wanting to travel extensively without her right after they get married. I don't mind things that are exaggerated for humor, but still humor shouldn't need you to completely change the attitudes of the characters in order to hit. And playing on jokes about how marriage and a wife might be viewed as a burden, especially in context of a couple who aren't even married yet, isn't awesome. Which I get, the fact that it is a shitty attitude and a crappy joke fueled the fights between the couples, so at least there was that. It wasn't accepted. 

The lovely montage by the lake was a wonderful way to show us some quiet, romantic moments between them. That's one of the great things about this format, they have time to occasionally gift us with scenes that don't drive the plot, don't move forward any story or character development or even have dialogue, they just exist to make us swoon and fall even more in love with this couple. Mission accomplished! The fact that Kerem is the one who found that location just makes it sweeter. 

Engin, Engin, Engin. What makes you think it is a good idea to judge a beauty pageant?  Your wife is in the hotel! Not that she would be jealous, but, you know, assigning a number value to women based on their looks... it's not great. Also I realize that it's a necessity while shooting with Covid, and we just have to suspend disbelief in scenes that should have tons of extras but are barren, but the hotel holding a beauty pageant and the only people in attendance are three dudes who just happened to be bored in the lobby is funny in and of itself.  But glad the girls got a chance to take their revenge and make the boys feel what it's like to be judged in such a way. Plus it was worth some laughs and gave us a way to unite the bachelor party with the pajama party. 

For me the next scenes only exist to have Edser draped all over each other in the bar.  I didn't really pay too much attention, I think Piril/Engin and Ceren/Ferit all made up, but I do know Serkan wanted to ditch everyone and go back to the room and since we know what happened next.... we know why!  Though I did wonder, did he have a massage appointment for like 10pm?  Or was it the next day? It matters not at all, but it did strike me while watching. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH WE GOT OF THEM IN THE TUB!!!  *flings self into the sun*  That was quite something.  Bless these new writers and their willingness to go there.  I love that scene so much. Serkan's smile is just... something else. 

One nitpick is the lighting. Obviously, with the timeline they shoot on, some production value will go by the wayside, though mostly I think they do a decent job despite all the constraints. However, one place that is consistently lacking is lighting in indoor, one-off locations.  The coffee shop in ep 12 is an example, and this was another one. I can understand they need to get in and out quickly. In this case the crew wouldn't have been able to probably prep as much as they'd like, because you're probably not going to put any stand-ins in the water, and you can't take time to perfect it once your big stars are in the tub, mostly naked, submerged and pruning, but the harsh shadows across each of their faces is distracting. Where were the bounce boards? Even those lines out. 

But obviously we don't care. WE GOT THEM BEING SEXY AND PLAYFUL IN THE TUB! What a bounty. That's all that matters.  Loved all the wedding prep, especially the lovely Aydan and Eda scenes. There was SO MUCH JOY... until there wasn't. 

I'm not going to spend much time on the contrivance that led us to the final scenes. I mean, first, Erdem... why are you so incompetent?  And, second, do they not have E-signature in Turkey? Or scanners? Or even fax machines? The idea of having to fly to Italy just to sign something is ridiculous. Oh well, whatever drives their plot, I guess. 

The final Edser scene was brilliant and beautiful and heartfelt and romantic and ominous and painful. All the things it should have been for what happens next.  Poor Serkan! Poor Eda! Why can't they catch a break? 

[canadian-riddler]

I’m a bit curious and confused about your post about streaming and artists. How does streaming stop artists from making a living?

It turned out very long so it’s under a readmore.

Artists don’t make any money off streaming.  People increasingly dislike having to pay the actual cost of entertainment - and I’m not just talking about stuff from major corporations, small- and mid-level stuff too - so they subscribe to a service that allows them to have as much content as they want, whenever they want, in the highest possible quality with little to no hiccups ever.  This is really, really expensive, especially if we’re talking Netflix or Youtube in 4K (or even 8K, in some cases).  But there’s a ceiling to how much someone is willing to pay for a streaming service.  People are okay with paying ten dollars a month, but for that content to be delivered at a price that low someone has to take a hit.  It’s not the company and it’s not the consumer.  It’s the artist.  Spotify pays the artist an average of $0.004 per stream.  To make sure your favourite artist gets a single dollar from your streaming them, you have to listen to their songs 229 times.  To give them a dollar.  Even big artists don’t always make that much there.  Your streams have to be in the millions.  One million streams at $0.004 per?  That’s $4000. 

Now, because streaming is so cheap (to the consumer) and available, people don’t buy albums anymore.  Artists, especially smaller ones, make all their money off album sales and merch sold during tours (which includes albums).  But why would you pay $20 for a CD when you can just go home and listen to all the music they’ve ever made for $10?  Who even owns a CD player anymore, right?  And buying digital is silly; paying $20 for a collection of files you can’t hold or touch or display on your shelf?  So people increasingly don’t do that anymore.  Why bother if an artist is pressured to upload their music to YouTube anyway - which pays a FRACTION of what Spotify does - and which you don’t even need a subscription to use?  

So where is an aspiring artist going to get enough money from to support their art?  People don’t want to pay for it.  They’ll pay $10 a month to stream it and that’s about it.  Anything much higher than that and they turn to piracy.  And here’s the kicker: streaming services don’t really post a profit because they have to keep the subscription price so low.  So NOBODY is winning - except the consumer, who is happy they get an unlimited amount of content for almost nothing.  Spotify has LOST 2 billion dollars since they launched.  Netflix, which started posting a profit three years ago, is billions of dollars in debt.  Disney+ was projected to run at a loss for YEARS before they started making money off it.  All this money comes from, as I understand it, venture capitalists: people who throw money at something because they think it MIGHT turn a profit eventually.  There’s an optimum number the streaming service can charge for it: the magic maximum that the highest amount of people will keep their subscription for for the longest amount of time.  And remember, they are serving massive amounts content for between $10 and $20 a month.  Entire runs of TV shows that would cost you close to $200 if you bought the Blu-Rays at Walmart.  Movies that usually go for $30.  You don’t own it, but it’s so convenient that the majority of people don’t mind that.  Now, in the middle of this super low subscription price, the loss the companies are taking in hopes of one day, perhaps, making some money, and what they USED to get from sales is: the artist.  Companies don’t want to take risks, so now they hire big-name actors for animated roles instead of, you know, going to the trouble of hiring an unknown voice actor.  This has always been a thing, of course, but it has been happening increasingly often over the years and it’s bleeding into other industries.  Honestly, what are Penn & Teller and Ice-T doing in Borderlands 3?  They’re ensuring maximum profit via brand recognition, that’s what.  Some people went to see Moana solely because the Rock was in it.  But him being in it meant that an actual voice actor, who went to school for it and trained for it their whole life, doesn’t get a shot because it would hurt the potential profits.  He is worth more but that unknown person?  They didn’t get a chance to work at something that could have helped their career.  They continue to be worth less.

Now, with the almost impending death of the theatre industry and streaming services being propped up by massive amounts of debt (or Disney money), the ways for an artist to make a living off their art is shrinking.  You can see it right now with DJs: only the top 100 DJs make enough to live off, and they mostly make that money doing tours.  To make a living a lot of DJs have to tour AND produce music nonstop AND have a weekly radio show - free, of course (basically a free set every week).  Obviously a lot of DJs are out of work right now, so some of them had online events that they sold tickets for.  And people criticised them for it.  They told them they were selfish and cruel and unempathetic for putting their show behind a $10 ticket because the world is shit so they should provide their art for free to help their fans take their minds off it.  That they should donate the money and that they don’t need it, despite most of their revenue stream being taken away overnight with no knowledge of when it’s coming back.  That their job isn’t a real job anyway so why should anyone pay for them to do it, it’s not like they’re a doctor or a nurse or something important.  Besides.  Someone’s going to record it and put it on YouTube anyway, so they’ll just wait and stream it from there.  With AdBlock on, of course, because fuck the artist for wanting to make a living from their art.  Who cares what the repercussions of that is.

We already saw it happen with the publishing industry.  People won’t pay for books anymore.  Unless you happen to be the next Stephen King, you’re not going to make money off writing.  People just torrent the .epub and complain when a series ends on a cliffhanger, as though the writer seriously didn’t want to write the next book in the series but couldn’t because the publisher said, ‘Well, based on past sales we just don’t think it will do very well.’  Most novelists either have a day job or they have someone else supporting them until they have enough books out there they can support themselves - and sometimes ‘enough’ means ‘thirty Harlequin romances they had to pump out every six months’.  But books aren’t being propped up by venture capitalists.  They’re just going to keep disappearing and the value of writing will continue to decrease.  You can see it in the video game industry as well.  People seriously ask if a 60 hour game is worth $60.  Cuphead was held up as some great victory achieved by indie artists - even though one of the artists MORTGAGED THEIR HOUSE on the outrageous bet their game would be successful.  And people still shrugged and said, ‘Don’t care, pirating it anyway’.  And that game was what, $20 at launch? 

Streaming services, even if they raise their subscription fees (which they can only do so much, lest they stray too far from that magic number), are probably never going to give more money to the artist.  In fact, when corner-cutting time comes, they’ll take more and say, ‘If you don’t like it, go somewhere else’.  Except there is nowhere else.  And they know it.  It’s similar to how Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes operate.  They take up to 30% commission on all the sales made through them and if you don’t like it, it’s not as simple as just not using the service.  You have to.  Maybe you get lucky and you have some wildly cool concept that everybody wants and you can get what you’re worth for it, but 99% of people aren’t going to get that lucky.  And when your luck runs out, there’ll be someone else standing behind you to do what you did and they’re willing to do it for less.

Art made and provided for people out of passion is not a bad thing.  It’s a great thing.  But when so much of it - harking to the arguments of the greatness of fanfiction vs most other media - is held up as being virtuous and ‘better’ and of inherently more worth because it’s free or valued at a fraction of what it’s worth or people don’t have to do anything for it other than consume it?  That IS a bad thing.  Especially when someone is doing it because they know they can never make a living off of it.  It’s plain SHAMEFUL that something like Patreon has to exist.  And even there people want tons of exclusive content for a dollar a month.