#yes the argument scene is hugely important but not because it’s the only time she stands up for herself

[sopaprimordialy]

Boppers, hear me out.

Victor is Luther's father.

Ok, now, you might be thinking: "what the actual fuck are you talking about?" Well, in this essay I'll expose favorable arguments to my theory/theses/head canon that, in the album, the police officer Victor is Luther's father. Keep your radio tuned tight, boppers, bcs I might be crazy OR I might be onto something.

(There will be spoilers)

1. First of all...

For context, Victor is the cop that kills Fox. He's played by David Patrick Kelly, the actor who plays Luther in the original movie, The Warriors (1979). This alone is a huge reason for me to believe that they are somehow connected, BUT THERE'S MORE!

I think we already established that what a character claims to be their reason for doing something is not always their real reasoning, or, at least, not the entirety of it. I do believe Luther kills Cyrus because he enjoys the chaos and has a lot of hate in his heart, as Swan wisely says, but I don't think that's all.

We have hints among his lines that he's also misogynistic and racist. "Well, duh?" You might say, because there were few white men who weren't those things by the time this story takes place, but sometimes we may underestimate how heavy this stuff weighs in the narrative. If he really likes chaos that much, why not kill, Idk, a police captain? That would certainly create generalized chaos just as he likes, but instead, he deliberately targets marginalized groups' leadership — he kills a black woman, a powerful black woman who was trying to unite her community.

She was obviously an obstacle for the cops to keep up with their oppression towards these groups because unity is strength, and all they don't want is strong communities that knows their rights and won't accept to be chased down like animals when they've done nothing but trying to survive.

In the very first track of the album, the question "but is Cyrus atractin' police action?" Is asked. The answer we find further on, especially when the police invades Van Cortlandt Park right after she's killed, is: *yes*, of course she is.

* Also, the timing here is too convenient, don't you think? Just like the police knew exactly when to attack, when the desperate crowd would be disorganized, when they would be easy prey... anyways 😛

2. That weird af phone call

Now that we have established that there would be a lot of interest on the police's part to have Cyrus killed, let's move on to the next topic.

Suddenly, without any further context or this being ever mentioned again, Luther talks to *someone* on the telephone. This happens in the album, and in the movie as well, it is not confirmed who the hell Luther was talking to on that phone call. I've already seen some people theorizing that he has contacts inside the force and that he's talking to them, and I agree, but I think he's not talking with some random cop, I believe he's talking to Victor.

Come think with me: how did Luther instantly knew Ajax had been taken by the cops ("Holy shit, Warrior down [...] Picked the wrong fight / now she's in for a long night", I'll talk about this later btw), and most importantly, what exactly was Victor doing at Union Square's station?

Let's compare this approach with Barnes' one at the park.

Barnes was alone in the bench, and only when Ajax approached him (and started beating the shit out of him), he called for police reinforcements. It didn't feel planned, even tho he was trying to bait them to come closer to him, I think it was much more about sexual harassment than him actually intending to arrest them. With Victor, however, it doesn't feel like a random encounter.

"Officers are on the scene". This line repeats a lot during Reunion Square, that alone indicates that there are a group of cops there, like they've been called. They knew the Warriors, specifically the Warriors, would be there, and why was it so important for them to get the Warriors if they're just a "likkle Coney Island crew"? Because Luther would be FUCKED if the Riffs reached them alive.

Of course, the Riffs could just not believe the girls, but he was not willing to risk it — after the phone call, Luther tells Cropsy the Riffs wanted the Warriors alive, but they don't. And he was right, wasn't him? Cleon being alive and telling the Riffs the truth was the only reason for him to be caught and... well, we don't know for sure what they did to him, but we can imagine they weren't gentle.

That being said, we have strong evidence that Luther was in touch with the cops, else he would have no way of knowing Ajax was grounded. And Victor needed a reason to be there as well; not only an informant, but also a motive, and if we consider the theory that he was talking to Luther, we have both things.

3. Trust in the impunity of a daddy's boy

During the entire musical, Luther thinks he can get away with about everything. I atribute that not only to the fact that he's a white man targeting women of color, but he must also have other reasons to believe he's immune to justice of any kind, and there's where I start to try to convince you that he's Victor's son.

I mean, when Cropsy shows that he's worried the Riffs would go after them, Luther, rather ignorantly, responds with "they're looking for the Warriors, remember?" As if the fact that the Riffs are going after the Warriors is enough for him to believe they would never even think about interrogating them, trying to find the murder weapon, etc.

This behavior suits someone that has never been held accountable for any misdeeds at all, and who would fit this description better than a cop's son?

Let alone that Victor is a captain. He holds even MORE power within the police. Being the son of a cop, even if you're a fucking gang member, you'd feel safe enough to do just whatever the fuck you want without even thinking about the consequences.

Like, how many times he could have been caught doing something illegal, just tell the cops "do you know who my father is?" AND IT ACTUALLY WORKING? I firmly believe he was the one to inform the cops about all of this — the gathering, the Warriors' location, and the fact that he needed daddy to arrest the women who could potentially cause something to happen to him, because the Riffs are not the police, they'd not give af abt who his father is, even someone like him would have to be a little worried about being taken by them.

4. Fox & Luther — Parallels

I bet you did not see that one coming. "What do you mean there's something in common between Fox and Luther specifically that makes Victor killing her an interesting parallel with his (supposed) son?"

Well, games. That's kinda it. Old games.

So, there are only two characters that canonically like games in the musical, because they actually mention them: Fox ("A-yo I'll take you on an Odyssey like Magnavox") and Luther (with his multiple references to Pacman during the entire thing and other game expressions, like "I was at the top of the screen when I took that shot")

The Magnavox Odyssey is actually mentioned on the movie (according to my own father. I confess I don't remember this part, but I trust my nerdy father who actually have a connection with old consoles to notice that) by the Lizzies (fem version of the Bizzies), and Fox was not even there at the moment. Actually, movie Fox does not have a lot of... personality, if you ask me, he was kinda irrelevant. Anyways, even if Lin and Eisa wanted to reference this specific part in which the Lizzies offer to play Odyssey with the Warriors to lure them, why not have the Bizzies saying that? Why Fox?

Because that would be a bitter irony in the future. I might be crazy, BUT HEAR ME OUT, Victor killing a young woman that shared his son's interest for games was a foreshadowing for him being responsible for Luther's death as well — because he failed.

This is other thing they share: they failed. Victor failed to stop the Warriors from going home, Luther failed to kill Cyrus and blame the Warriors with no consequences, they failed together at silencing them, and this CAUSED Luther's (probable) death.

5. A gang member who endorses the police?

Ok, this last section is based in my belief that, even tho the crews fight and have their diferences, they all share a common enemy: the cops. That was the reason for them to accept the truce after all, the cops are their common enemy.

But somehow that doesn't feel true for the Rouges.

First of all, they killed Cyrus, which obviously means they were not in favor of the truce. But why? They sure would suffer from police brutality too if they were a normal gang. And we can all agree that they are even more violent than the average gang (I mean... have you listened to their leader?).

Also, this line intrigues me.

I mean, "picked the wrong fight"? It is clear that Luther's view is biased to take the cops' side. In this case, one could argue that his misogyny would play a big part on him diminishing Ajax's will to fight against an abuser. Anyhow, I think that this evidences that, even tho he's a gang member, he has a strong connection with the police.

CONCLUSION

I think we can all agree that Luther has something going on with the police, and I hope I have convinced you that he has something going on with Victor specifically.

It is possible to argue that their connection is only "tactical", or even go as far as to say that they are friends or something (tho, I don't think that's possible. One thing about brats like the Rouges: they don't go well with old people, with all due respect. I don't personally see this working as a friendship), but I'll stand with the father-son relationship till the day I die!!

Thank you for reading this madness and please lmk what you think! If there's something that doesn't make sense, if you have your own theories... I mean, I'm far more invested in this than I ever thought I would be, please give me more content 🙏🙌

[jacarandaaaas]

I find it interesting how a lot of the time when people refer to the argument scene at the climax of the movie, they say “mirabel finally stands up for herself”. but it’s not actually the first time she does! it’s the most crucial time and the only one that isn’t interrupted by something else happening but mirabel does stand up for herself multiple times!

for example when luisa starts losing her gift alma immediatly asks mirabel “what did you do? what did you say to her?”, to which mirabel immediately retaliates “nothing!” it’s short and brushed over but it happens!

then yet again after the disastrous dinner pepa asks “what did you do!?” and mirabel literally yells out “IM NOT DOING ANYTHING!” she isn’t timid about her response she’s blunt and she’s immediate. mirabel can and does stand up for herself in the movie it’s just overlooked!

not to mention the breakfast scene we see already she is quite defiant! but people always act like mirabel was just a timid doormat for the whole movie and never actually stands up for herself when she does!! everytime isa opened her mouth mirabel always had a retaliation! but mirabels defiant nature is a large part to why she is the one who brings about change to the family and the entire encanto!

[myechoecho]

The Double, ep 18-19

I love that the Duke knows Li well enough by now to that he can tell she is gathering her courage to tell him something. There's part of her that desperately wants to tell him because she trusts him. However, when she says to ask her anything, he immediately gets to the point and asks who she is. She can't quite let go of that information but she will relent enough to say that she is not Jiang Li, which he already knows.

Yet he teases her and gets a smile out of her. He backs off, because just her admitting to him that she is not Jiang Li is huge. The rest will come. He reassures her that she is right to see her justice and that she is not just a ghost; she is real and alive. She does not have to be defined by her past.

I WAS SCREAMING AT THE CONTEXT OF THE SHIRTLESS RAIN SWORD PLAY.

The Duke stripped off his shirt in the pouring rain and... uh thrust his sword while thinking of Li. At the same time, Li is leisurely taking a bath, stroking bright red rose petals thinking of the Duke and smiling. And Li has a self satisfied smirk the next morning. Girl, what are you going to do when he really wakes up next to you?

Not sure how exactly they will top this.

The flower scene was so amazing! He says the flower is pretty and suits her so Li says it's ugly. Which leads him to pull her closer under the pretext of "fake" lovers. But Li dislikes being called lovers as that was the fake accusation that destroyed her before. The Duke though simply says when she's more open, it won't kill her. Meaning she is his beloved, and he would never betray her.

I adore that she stuck the flower in his hair. AND he kept it there the whole time, even when threatening the thugs. He only removed it when she left.

I think my favourite scene from ep 19 is the argument they had. She lays the out the entirety of the Duke's plans so accurately that he's a little stunned. He's always admired her intelligence but I don't think he realized how clearly she saw everything. However, he doesn't want her part of this because he doesn't want her hurt.

And here she calls him Xiao Heng, as she's starting to do whenever it's actually personal and important. She knows he's afraid for her; that he's unwilling to risk her life for the sake of the country. But their paths are converging. They may have differing angles and goals, but the end result is the same. She needs to be a part of this. She will risk her life for the justice of her father, brother and herself. She needs his help, because without it she will likely die.

The Duke relents, reluctantly. Because even if he refuses, she will go about her plan anyway which means more danger for Li. She's forced him into a corner and they both know it. So he lets her in, knowing that while it's still dangerous, he can protect her better this will.

But he still has rules! If she wants to go to the cave then she'll need to figure out a distraction plan for them. And so she does, and the Duke thinks it's brilliant. Plus he had full confidence she could do it.

When they are in the cave, I love how he recognizes that she has some kind of trauma (and expected since the caves remind her of being buried alive) so he takes her hand firmly without asking any questions to help her. He doesn't even consider asking her to leave if she has an issue.

Was the Duke showing off when he took of his shirt and gave his undershirt, which probably smells clean and like him and is warm from his body. Yes.

Did Li watch shamelessly and was turned on by this? Yes. (It gives her more to think about while bathing teehee). She's also curious about the scars on his back.

When Li and the Duke find the mining going on, Li finally has some of the missing pieces about how she and her family, Yurong, and the princess are all connected. It's one of the things the Duke was trying to protect her from but now she'll have a better idea what they are up against.

I didn't think I'd like the Third Uncle at first but he and Li are chaos together and feed into each other's chaos. I love them.

[darklinaforever]

I'm tired of the shitty arguments from pro Gwynriel or Elucien. These people don't know how to read and are looking for bullshit excuses. Once again, they're going to fall hard when the Elriel book and Elriel endgame arrives.

The delusion of "If Elain had wanted to break the bond, why hasn't she done it yet ?" Oh, I don't know, maybe because something so important regarding Elain should be discussed from her point of view ?!

The delusion of "If Elriel wanted to be together, why aren't they still ?" Oh, I don't know, maybe something so important about them as one of the main characters in the series should be covered in a book from their point of view / about them ?! Like Nessian ?!

The "Azriel needs therapy before dating" rant is a display of cruel bias, because literally every character on this show could use therapy. But why should Azriel be the one solving all his problems before being in a relationship ?! It's just an excuse to keep him from being with Elain. But ironically, he no longer needs therapy if the future partner is no longer Elain but Gwyn.

The delusion of "Azriel is only sexually obsessed with Elain" when literally every guy on this show is horny for the women they like is huge evidence of bad faith. Even more so when it's the very first time in 3 books that we have a scene of this kind for Elriel while everything else was about romantic emotional development, and we learn in this same bonus chapter where Azriel is excited for Elain that he has also been looking at the gifts she gave him every evening for 1 year instead of having used them. But somehow the relationship is only based on unhealthy sexual desire ?!

The disillusionment of "SJM always cheats on us with several romantic interests, so Elriel won't end up together" is powerful... Already, Bryce & Hunt ?! Then, yes, SJM generally gives several love interests to its characters. Azriel already had Mor. Elain already had Grayson.

And don't even get me started on the "Elain is going to end up with Tamlin because she likes flowers and Tamlin is the hight lord of the Spring Court" bullshit because otherwise I might get really angry. Crackship worse than Gwynriel !

I can't wait for the Elriel book to come out so all this bullshit stops. Or at least, for Elriel to finally become canon like it was always planned. Because be sure that the pros Gwynriel and Elucien, once their illusions are shattered, will tell bullshit like this book is not consistent with the others and that it's just fan service in order to prove themselves right. Damn people, people have talked about SJM, all its couples have always been obvious.

[thatonebirdwrites]

Korrasami is Canon

I literally do not understand when people trashtalk or write really cruel things about Korrasami shipping, especially when they make claims that aren't supported by the show itself.

I honestly wonder sometimes if folks who hate on Korrasami don't understand what a healthy relationship can look like? (Or is there unconscious bias influencing their hatred of it?)

Because Korrasami is a healthy relationship; it's relationship goals honestly. This doesn't make it a boring relationship either, as healthy relationships can have their joys, sorrows, pain, struggles, healing moments, etc. The important aspects that keep the relationship healthy is how the two respond to those situations together. To explain, I'll cover why Makorra is NOT healthy.

Majority of Makorra shippers' arguments cherry-pick random scenes that are incredibly brief with scant evidence of Makorra being "good" for Mako and Korra (it isn't). (P.S. Makorra shippers please stop using homophobic language and slurs when you talk about Korrasami shipping, it's a really bad look, okay? Thanks.)

All arguments ignore the huge amount of evidence that the Makorra relationship was severely harming both Mako and Korra. As well as the evidence that both are happier just being friends.

Mako and Korra fight all the time in screaming matches to the point they break things around one another. This is really not healthy.

They can't get through a conversation without one of them being furious at the other.

Mako fails to support Korra's decisions, critiques her decisions,and, does not give his thoughts when asked but instead parrots other people which isn't what Korra had asked at all.

Mako is indecisive about his feelings to the point of hurting both Asami and Korra.

Mako is too protective of Korra and does not respect her independence or her abilities.

Mako fails to support her emotionally due to often not listening to the core of her words, yet he expects her to support him emotionally regardless and is angry when she doesn't.

Mako's personality when he's with Korra becomes: bland dude with no thoughts of his own or screaming fury of a person. He's actually a much better person and kinder overall when he's NOT in a relationship with Korra.

Mako betrays Korra's trust TWICE.

Mako lies to Korra.

When Mako and Korra are just friends, they relate to one another better and don't scream as much at each other. Mako is also more respectful of Korra when they are just friends and NOT together.

All arguments ignore the plenty of evidence that Asami and Korra flirted with one another since Book 1. They tend to forget the brothers entirely in scenes with one another. Book 3 is literally the Asami-and-Korra-flirt-arc, like all they do is flirt in that book. Book 4 had an arc that contrasts how well Korra and Asami work together, and how horrifically critical of them Mako is during that arc.

All arguments ignore the buildup of Korrasami: Asami literally built Korra a whole dang park, designed and gifted her an airship, supports Korra no matter what, calls Korra amazing constantly, always follows through with helping Korra, painted her car blue in honor of Korra, and spends most of her time flirting and pinning after Korra since BOOK 1. Even at the end of Book 2, the first name she says when asking if the Krew is okay is Korra, and then she adds the others as an afterthought. This is all pretty blatant stuff that Asami does, and Korra responds in turn with her own flirting and pinning. Korra literally only writes Asami while she's gone for three years and admits that she feels like Asami is the only one who understands her. She even blushes for Asami in Book 4. Why does Korrasami work so well?

Korra and Asami have mutual respect for their abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and independence.

They support each other no matter what.

Asami is literally the first person to say yes to whatever Korra needs help on pretty much constantly, and she always follows through.

They talk through their arguments, and have never had a screaming match. In fact, the one time they do argue, Korra deescalates, and they talk it out and/or come to an acceptance relatively quick.

They are honest about their feelings with one another.

Asami is pretty much the only one that consistently asks Korra how she is, sits and listens to her talk through her troubles, and offers emotional support. (Mako fails to do so.)

Asami never, ever doubts Korra. (Mako does many a time.)

Asami never lies to Korra. (Mako does many a time.)

Asami reminds Korra she's awesome and amazing since Book 1 (even after she finds out Korra liked Mako too).

Asami never blames Korra for her failed relationship with Mako, instead she puts the responsibility on Mako who had lied to both of them and hurt them both with his indecision. Asami is never mad at Korra about this either, and her anger is only at Mako.

They are so seamless in their fighting styles that they can predict the other's moves, and so act in wonderful synchronicity. (Mako fails to ever do this with either of them and instead critiques them endlessly).

Asami and Korra never critique one another's actions. Instead, they talk through what happened and support each other's decisions. Asami ALWAYS supports Korra, and always sides with Korra, and is able to talk through hard issues with Korra. She shares her thoughts with Korra, and Korra respects her for that. (Mako fails to support Korra's decisions, often trying to stay in this weird neutral area, and gets angry that Korra doesn't like that he won't actually share what he thinks nor show support for her.)

Asami never betrayed Korra. (Mako does in Book 2).

Asami and Korra respect one another's boundaries.

Korra shares that she feels that Asami is the only one that really 'gets her' and understands her, and Asami feels the same about Korra.

I could go on and on.

Honestly.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

P.S. if Makorra shipper tries to shit on my post with unfounded vitriol and bad faith arguments, be advised that I don't have the energy or time for it. Blocks are very useful tools. Have a great day!

[mademoiselle-cookie]

She didn't say "children".

She said "common children".

English is not my first language so I didn't know if I was overinterpreting and that it was something that was actually said in English. But apparently no, it’s a deliberate choice. So let's overinterpret.

Let's leave aside the fact that she criticizes Tood and Ambrosius at the same level while the latter only defends himself against idiotic attacks and arguments (you can argue he should have been calmer but everyone was against him, not just Todd, and he has a few problems with his boyfriend).

First of all, it’s not the first time she hears something like that, like when Tood mocked Ballister (in a really classy way) at the beginning of a very important ceremony or when he complained about Ambrosius and his "lavender smell". She clearly heard that, but she didn’t say anything. She could have : bullying someone or imitating and insulting another of being a "dork" and having a good smell (?) are way more childish behaviors. At least for the second case, she could have at least frowned (Todd said this literally in front of her from a distance of a meter).

(Yes she looks like she ate a lemon but she looks like that throughout the whole scene, not just for Todd)

So the problem has never been how they act but how they don't act. They are currently not acting in ways that she deems useful but are instead wasting time. (And she is definitely only complaining about Ambrosius and Todd, not the other knights who joined the latter in accusing the former of nonsense. Alone against everyone, Ambrosius is not the problem, much less the one who started it)

I put it there, but when did the nobles (apart from Ambrosius who is not only an exception but is also obliged to appear impeccable) show themselves to be more distinguished than the commoners? Without wanting to defend them, when we see commoners acting in a despicable way, it is largely because they are being lied to and manipulated. The knights have no reason to harass Ballister - Ambrosius doesn't - and seeing as the squire is a fan, he's probably not the only one. It doesn't take a genius to know that you shouldn't harass people, no matter the situation.

Do we have a scene with a knight like with this woman in the subway who gives a coin to a musician? Todd when he's on the wall in honor of Nimona? OK, but that's after the ENTIRE kingdom has learned their lesson (meaning it's not just him and that's exceptional) and having been a huge asshole for the entire movie.

Also, the knights and the Director, when have they really been around a commoner? Who is the only commoner they know? Ballister. Ballister who most represents the values that the Institute and the knights are supposed to embody. He's the best of them (1st in his class), he's courageous, kind, intelligent (he built his arm on his own), competent (he infiltrated the Institute several times without being detected), strong (the fight of 2 against all) and he sincerely wants to protect the Kingdom. He is also much more polite (he is the only one to have thanked the squire).

Are you trying to seduce me gay boy?

As far as I know, he was always very courteous to everyone, especially to the Director. Her only real reference to commoners is a hard-working, competent and polite man. (The only time he was "wild" was when he attacked a wooden mannequin before entering the Institute. But he was a child, and it didn't exceed the level of violence of Todd, an adult.)

The Director uses commoners as an insult, when overall, commoners act much more distinguished than nobles.

[nutcasewithaknife]

Controversial take time! Wei Wuxian knew that his siblings always loved him, but believed that they were making a mistake in doing so.

(This got too long, it's is under the cut!)

Hear me out. I don't think that Wei Wuxian didn't know he was loved unconditionally. He knew!! For a whole year or so after the war, he was at Yunmeng doing less that the bare minimum to help rebuild, and his brother is mad about it. But he still tries to stand up for Wei Wuxian in front of the rest of Jianghu! The have the stupid soup conversation! Yanli goes off at Jin Zixun in front of half the Jianghu bigshots for insulting him, runs into a battlefield for him after he's killed her husband!! He's never truly afraid of meeting Jiang Cheng post-resurrection, not surprised at all at being asked why he didn't come home. He's just trying to avoid the inevitable mess of feelings that the meeting would entail. Afterall, when it came down to it, Jiang Cheng shut his eyes and stabbed a rock in the end, not him, not even after he'd killed their sister.

Now for the argument. Look, the sibling trio has some complex dynamics, but they survived that household on a mutual understanding that they love each other. That's why Wei Wuxian leaving is the point that casts everything into doubt - they have always been together, and that was an immutable fact until it suddenly wasn't. I don't thing Jiang Yanli or Jiang Cheng ever understood how much Wei Wuxian took their mother to heart - he truly believed any love he deserved was to be earned, because was was a servant. Unconditional love was for family only!

It hit me only while watching the best scene aka Yanli ripping into Jin Zixun at the hunt. She defends him, basically declares him as part of her family, and Wei Wuxian? He's watching his sister having to defend him when it should be the other way round, getting flak for sticking up for him too. He's in agonies the entire time! He's not even happy about jzx getting verbally eviscerated in public!

Most obvious between Sunshot and leaving with the Wens, there's a pattern. Wei Wuxian may not be stepping in as First Disciple to rebuild, but he's still useful - nobody will dare harm the Yunmeng Jiang while he is part of it and holds the power of the Stygian Tiger Amulet. And then, slowly but surely, he sees his brother and and sister standing up for him, deescalating political situations caused by others vying for the very power he possessed and wanted to use to protect the sect. It was actually harming them, in a way that couldn't be solved by its brute force. He is the opposite of useful, now - he's the root of a brewing threat to the sect. This is a huge part of why he leaves! He's pushing away the people he can no longer help but only harm, and he's going to those who he can still be useful to.

Yes, it's about keeping them safe because he loves them, and about protecting lives, but also because he thinks his brother and sister had it wrong all along - they saw him as family when he was just a servant, and therefore acceptable as collateral damage. He cannot allow them to protect him, because that's his job even if they refuse to acknowledge that, isn't it? He left because he thought he was useless, a danger, he didn't deserve their love after they had to defend him at the cost of harm to the sect and themselves. It really fits into his habit of deciding for others once he's made up his mind, doesn't it?

The crux of it is, I think, that he eventually learns that he can have a family. That's why Lan Wangji is important. He doesn't have a fragile, struggling sect of people to protect above everything else, unlike Jiang Cheng. He doesn't die while trying to stick to Wei Wuxian's side, unlike Yanli. He doesn't die for Wei Wuxian either, like Wen Qing. Lan Wangji is able to stay by his side and survives it long enough for him to realise that maybe, just maybe, having him as family is worth breaking rules for, and won't get people killed by default.

[passthroughtime]

Was Sawa-sensei really the only argument Yagami had? The answer may shock you

So, few people know that I fucking despise this take. It's been fun and still can be fun to me sometimes, but as time goes, I see more and more people thinking that unironically and even hate Yagami for this, among other things.

(Huge spoilers for both games ahead. Obviously.)

And I do a lot of (over)thinking myself, as I am writing a looong fic (first three chapters already live on ao3, sorry for shameless promo), and I always love to delve into characters' motives in canon events, goes with writing exclusively canon compliant things of course, and adding to my ever existing brainworms. Moreover, I'm revisiting Judgment atm for the first time since early 2020 if I'm being correct? And I see a lot of things I've forgotten which give lots what has happened in Lost Judgment pretty damn much sense. The Sawa argument is among these things.

First things first, what was the takeaway of the first game for Yagami? His trauma at first was that he fucked up bad and felt he had lost some crucial evidence that Okubo was actually the killer, but during the events of the game it transforms into "I haven't done anything to get to the truth". His trauma, as well Kuwana's, has its core in their inaction during the critical events of their lives. They were never the same again because they didn't do anything while they could, and yes, in that regard they are wounded in the same way.

How have they both responded? In a similar way. Yagami swore to always get involved there he can do something to change the situation before it escalates. Kuwana does the opposite, he tries to punish for the mistakes already made. (Which is funny considering that Yagami as a lawyer dealt with consequences while Kuwana as a teacher had the power to navigate people's lives to prevent the same mistakes, but it's the whole other theme in itself, and has little to do with the initial one.) Let's focus on Yagami though.

The only reason why Yagami repeatedly gets involved on his own in the Lost Judgment plot time and time again, though literally nobody asked him to do so, is the lesson which he learns in the first game. He says explicitly that he wants to get to the bottom of things, and not forget about cases when a trial is done. That's the reason why he doesn't want to be a lawyer again and why he can never be one again, not full-time at least.

And then Sawa gets murdered. Yagami draws parallel to Terasawa Emi (because of course he does) and is determined to bring everyone who is responsible for her death to the light. For now, it's Soma, the direct murderer, and Kuwana, which made Sawa the connecting thread between his crimes. Yagami realizes that Sawa's death was a tool for everyone to get what they wanted, like Emi's. He references it here:

At this point, Yagami has no proof to think otherwise. He thinks that everyone has forgot about Sawa and that she shouldn't have died. The very least Yagami could do, is to make sure everyone will answer for what they did to her. He sees that Kuwana feels guilty and quite shitty that the student which he thinks so highly of was murdered. Kuwana feels responsible, and Yagami knows that someday he will break.

I think it's also important to say that at no point of LJ has Yagami says anything remotely identifying the goal of his words and actions as "murder bad", but that's more obvious than anything else though requires explanation too if I'm to be believed that Yagami isn't after justice for all the murders.

This whole scene is the Sawa argument summarized, but if you look closer, it is really the only beef he has against Kuwana.

BTW he's not as goody two shoes as you prefer to see him in LJ, if his "I get how you feel" doesn't convince you.

And then the one person Kuwana is determined to do anything for has betrayed him, right before Yagami's eyes. What does Kuwana do? Abandon Yagami when Soma has said to his lackeys to do anything so he wouldn't escape, even murder him perhaps?

Great question, Yagami. This really does contradict everything he has thought of Kuwana since forever. After, instead of a goodbye Kuwana makes sure Soma couldn't stay on the boat longer and kidnap/kill Yagami. RK had no time for that, fleeing was the priority over someone they can find some time after.

First thing Yagami does is visit Kusumoto at the hospital, where he learns she has no regard to Kuwana's life, as long as her son is safe and her crime stays uncovered. Which is fine, I guess, though it's sad because Kuwana would do anything for her and for Mitsuru, but whatever. Ehara doesn't come around too, which also understandable, though Kuwana has risked his life to give Yagami the crucial evidence, he is nothing to him and has already played his part. He is just a tool in his revenge. Wait... What?

Yes, actually it's Kuwana who is being brushed off as collateral damage by everyone. Everyone he has helped actually. And he hasn't come clean during the time before Ehara's trial (he at least could leak the information or point to the body without endangering himself, idk) nor he disappeared to save his skin.

After the trial he thanks Yagami for helping Ehara (which Kuwana wasn't able to do himself) and points to his, and Kawai's body, location. Kuwana knows damn well he can die, but getting to the one who murdered Sawa is more important to him. So, Kuwana has no one on his side, even himself.

No one is going to save him. Sure, he isn't as innocent as Emi, he has fucked some shit up. Does he deserve to disappear for good and be forgotten, or even worse, be remembered as a psycho teacher who killed his student? Yagami doesn't think so. All Yagami sees is that Kuwana desperately tries to protect everyone who did everything right or did nothing at all, every victim of bullying. He has no other motive.

Yagami takes no shit from Kuwana, he isn't afraid or angry when Kuwana threatens to blow up the warehouse (as Sugiura and Higashi for example). He knows that Kuwana isn't capable of killing anyone who doesn't deserve it, he takes no pleasure in murder and doesn't do it for personal gain. Yagami, Kaito, everyone else aren't guilty of anything which deserves death as punishment.

If not for the gang, he would set off the bomb though, I'm 100% sure. But that's besides the point.

So, returning to the question: Was Sawa-sensei really the only argument Yagami had? An answer is yes. Because he really doesn't fucking care bullies are being murdered, slay worstie. But it's not because he's such a crappy lawyer, but because he realizes the importance of a person's life above everything else. And a person who cares is not necessarily stupid or unprofessional.

You can argue all you want who was right and who was wrong. It doesn't matter for the characters.

It was never about justice. They don't argue from a legal point of view. It was about remembering about the importance of a person's life.

I beg you to look at this story from another perspective. Not as a technical coldly-perfect story it should've been. People are imperfect, and Yagami, first and foremost, a person. A person who cares. And JE with LJ as stories can be imperfect... but also realistic.

Terasawa Emi is murdered for the greater good. Sawa is murdered for selfish reasons. Kuwana is almost murdered for the both. I can't imagine Yagami would want to go through lots of red tape to do something someday. He does this something right now. Because the lives of people, living and breathing, should be protected right now and valued above what's right legally.

Please, stop looking at fiction as something which should be perfect, or make more sense, be more logical and emotionally detached than the real world. Some can be like that, but Judgment hasn't been from the start.

[1lostsoul0fishbowl]

This is the original pivotal Greatmage scene, from “do we break another rule, part two” in With a Little Help From My Friends, written two years ago.

I remixed it the following summer for Next Time I Fall, but this is where it all began.

(approx 1.2k words)

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

El seems to have other plans, though. As soon as they get to her house after school, she drops her backpack on the floor and announces to Joyce, “I broke up with Mike today and I think we should go see Corroded Coffin again tonight.”

“Oh, honey, are you okay?” Joyce asks immediately, at the same time as Max is blurting out in confusion, “Corroded Coffin?”

“Yes,” El says decisively, “to both of you.”

“Um, okay,” Joyce agrees after a moment of silence. “Sure. I can take you girls to the show tonight. It’s at the same place as last week, right?” El nods, and Joyce pulls her into a hug. “Okay, sweetie, I’ll call Hop and let him know.”

“What the hell?” Max whispers as soon as they’re down the hall, out of earshot of Joyce. “I figured we were gonna have girls night with movies and chocolate chip cookies.” She’ll do whatever El wants, of course, but some context would be nice at least.

But El just shrugs. “I want to see my boys,” she says simply, and spends the rest of the afternoon quietly weaving four new friendship bracelets while they watch tv. Max steels herself to be patient. El will have to give her all the details eventually. Then they can get down to the important post-breakup ritual of trash talking the ex, which she is looking forward to with perhaps a bit more glee than she ought to.

Joyce insists on fixing dinner for Hop and Will before they leave, so by the time they get to the club it’s only about a minute to showtime and they have to fight through the crowd to get a table. Joyce brings them cokes from the bar, along with a beer for herself, and they settle in to watch. Metal still isn’t Max’s favorite music, but El’s face lights up as soon as the boys start playing and she bobs her head enthusiastically with the beat. She looks happier than she has all day. Max tries to imagine what stupid things about the healing magic of metal Eddie might say, and giggles quietly to herself. Okay, she’ll admit that this is more fun than staying home watching Ghostbusters again.

To her surprise, as soon as the show is over, El grabs both her and Joyce by the hand and drags them backstage. Max goes along without argument, figuring maybe El wants to talk to Eddie and it’ll be much easier in the little backstage area where it’s quiet. She knocks on the doorframe, and a huge grin spreads across Eddie’s face as soon as he looks up and spots them. He greets them with an enthusiastic shout of “Hey, guys!” which is quickly echoed by Grant and Jeff, but not Gareth. The only thing he says, almost breathes really, with something like wonder in his voice, is “Janie.”

Max looks up sharply. The expression in his blue eyes as he gazes at El can only be described as longing. She turns to El, who is smiling widely at him with eyes sparkling and cheeks bright pink, and a few puzzle pieces click abruptly into place in her mind.

Now this— this is interesting.

Max bumps fists with Jeff and Grant and accepts a sweaty hug from Eddie with pretend reluctance, teasing him about being stinky, but she doesn’t take her eyes off El. And El doesn’t even notice, because she doesn’t take her eyes off Gareth. Very, very interesting.

“El,” Max says mischievously, “didn’t you make the guys new bracelets?”

“Oh, good.” Eddie holds out his bare wrist. “Mine just unraveled the other day. Feels like I didn’t play as well tonight without it.” He winks cheekily at El, but Max isn’t sure she even notices. She makes quick work of tying the bracelets for Eddie, Grant, and Jeff, and now that Max knows what to look for it’s so obvious that she saved Gareth’s for last so they could talk. When the hell did this happen? For a fleeting moment Max wonders just how many other little clues she might’ve missed over the last few months. The other boys have wandered off and Eddie is engrossed in a conversation with Joyce, so Max happily and quite shamelessly indulges her curiosity and turns her attention to eavesdropping on El and Gareth.

“I broke up with Mike today,” El says softly as she ties the new bracelet on, right next to a faded one that looks like it had frayed apart and been glued back together. “I wanted to come and tell you.” Her hand lingers at his wrist.

He’s looking at her in the same sappy way Eddie looks at Chrissy, but to his credit the first thing he says is, “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I am fine.” Somehow their fingers have tangled together. “I think I should have done it a long time ago.”

“I could’ve told you that.” They giggle, and Max has to bite her lips to hold back a laugh of her own. She could’ve told El that, too, a hundred times over.

“I was wondering.” El suddenly sounds nervous. “What happens now. If something… if something might happen. With you. And me.” Her brown eyes gaze steadily into his blue ones. “Is that bad?”

A myriad of expressions flit across Gareth’s face, and he swallows hard. “Oh, Janie,” he whispers. “No, it’s not bad. I was hoping something might happen with us someday.” His thumb strokes gently across the back of her hand. “But it’s too soon.”

“Too soon?” El sounds disappointed. Max can’t believe she’s been keeping this a secret; she is so demanding every last little detail from El later tonight.

“You’ve been with him for ages, and you guys just broke up today,” Gareth gently explains. “You should take some time for yourself and just enjoy being single. Keep finding out things you like, without having to worry about what he thinks. Or what I think, or anyone else. Have some fun, be a little selfish, y’know?” His smile is pure adoration. “I bet you’ve never been selfish before in your whole life.”

“I am not sure what it means,” she admits, and he laughs, but kindly, and El laughs too, confident she isn’t being laughed at. “Well now’s your chance to find out,” he tells her, and Max decides she already likes Gareth a thousand times more than she ever liked Mike. The magic of metal, indeed.

“Gareth?” El says so quietly that Max has to discreetly lean closer to hear her. “When will it not be too soon anymore?”

He actually has a very lovely smile. “I don’t know. Maybe… maybe we can talk about this again when I’m home for Christmas break? Does that sound okay?”

She shakes her head no. “Too long,” she states, and he laughs, squeezing her hand tightly in his before finally letting go.

“It’s important, Janie,” he says softly. “Take some time just for you. Okay?”

“Okay.” El reaches up to touch the skull and crossbones necklace he always wears. “Can I have this? Until Christmas?” she says unexpectedly.

“God,” he sighs, “I ought to say no, but…” He pulls the necklace up over his head and almost tenderly lowers it over hers. “Until Christmas,” he agrees, and Max idly wonders if either of them will be able to wait that long.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[saemi-the-dreamer]

For the ask meme, Emma /Knightley from Jane Austen's Emma or you'd rather/ if you haven't read Emma, Elinor/Edward from Sense and Sensibility) and Damon Gant/Manfred von Karma from Ace Attorney?

Thanks for asking! 💕

Emma /Knightley

Ship It? Yes!

What made you ship it?

I admit that I wasn't especially rooting/shipping them while I read the book the first time, even if I didn't hate it! I was re-reading it after watching the 1996 series (that and the 1996 TV movie are the only adaptations I've watched entirely) and the ship seemed more natural years later. It's been a while, so I'm sorry for not being able to go into too much detail. Still, something I really love about how these two are portrayed is how the two can be honest and call each other out when needed (thinking about the "Badly done, Emma!" scene) without having the other overreacting or turning into a huge, unnecessary drama, on the contrary, they stop and think about their own behaviour. It's so important, especially in Emma, the heroine gets a pass for a good half of the story, nobody except Knightley argues with her, so for all this time she doesn't take him as seriously as she should, and is even smug when she sees that Harriet followed her advice whereas Robert didn't listen to Knightley's (which wasn't even the point of Knightley's frustration btw).

I guess that I like the dynamic where an overconfident character gets paired up with another who doesn't hesitate to call them on their bullshit, and who is their equal? xD Plus, I recall that Knightley's confession was very poignant... I need to re-read it!!

What are your favourite things about the ship?

Since Emma is not my favourite Jane Austen story, and I only learnt to really appreciate it later and I require re-read it, I can't say for sure. I'd say that I really like how the two have known each other forever - literally, Knightley held Emma in his arms when she was a baby! Talk about a "slow burn"! It's interesting to imagine how the two went through so many stages of life together, saw each other grow and mature, how the way they looked at one another shifted, and how their feelings changed and they could hardly help it. There's something quite natural in this that I like.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

The age gap isn't that bad, especially in context! Or more unpopular I guess: the story didn't need to be "modernised" for today's audience (looking at the 2020 adaptation). For fuck's sake, can't people just accept that things were different back then?! And still be able to say "I'm letting it slide because of context, it's fictional and it works here (❤️) but I wouldn't accept it in real life.". I don't like that they made Knightley younger, and changed the dynamic with Emma that much (from what I've seen), it was unnecessary and just to cater to some holier-than-thous. They could have kept an older Knightley and added some scenes to show his softer, more vulnerable side.

---------------------------------------------------

Gant/Manfred

Ship It? Yes!

What made you ship it?

The fandom made me! 😂

After finishing the first Ace Attorney (the version with "Rise from the Ashes" of course) I went and browsed the internet to find some art and fanfics, and then I discovered the Kink Meme. It's there that I've stumbled upon the pairing. There was also some pretty fanart of them, younger, investigating together. I started to really like the idea of them being both old colleagues (and lovers, having a torrid affair in Gant's office 🤣).

What are your favourite things about the ship?

The potential for two dynamics:

A) an "evil" power couple, with the two just being unapologetic, ambitious, ruthless men. And these two keep bickering like an old couple, and it's a mess of arguments and make-up sex, the two manically laughing as they tempered evidence, etc. (okay, I know I'm going overbroad here, I'm kidding! xD )

B) "We're both disillusioned by a corrupted system, at first we really wanted to make it honestly, then we started getting our hands dirty and now we can't go back or stop. We're colleagues, partners in crime, weird friends... sometimes lovers. We're both messed up, but we don't care anymore, as long as we achieve our goals and have each other."

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Since I mostly low-key ship them and haven't found that many stories about them, I don't think I have one? Otherwise, it's more an unpopular opinion about each one of them, not the pairing?

I'd say that I don't believe either of them ever sexually harassed or "seduced" Miles......................... 😒

[leandra-kinard]

This is going to be really long because I can understand both sides of option A and option B but for arguments sake I'm gonna go with option A.

I think option A holds some merit because I could never guess that after the wonderful premiere that would be the last time we ever had buck and eddie together in a scene outside of work the entire half.

I think the claim that Kristen is deliberately keeping Buck and Eddie away from each other outside of work and making them co-workers also holds some merit. The Buck and Eddie "dynamic" of S6 is just co-workers like it's so troubling what's been displayed on the show.

Like we all thought that 6x04 would lead to Eddie saying something and being mad instead it was played for laughs and was jut so OOC to me. In this past episode Eddie hung up the phone before allowing Buck to talk about his feelings about being a father. They had Buck choosing to go to a fair with Hen over being with Eddie and Chris for Chris's first dance. The behavior of Buck and Eddie both is so OOC to each other this season. If this was the dynamic in S2 of Buck and Eddie people would never ship them and would see them as simply co-workers and friends.

Where is the Eddie who cared when Buck wanted to save Abby's fiancé at the cost of his safety? That Eddie who waited for Buck to come from the hospital and find out if everything was okay? The one who listened to him through his family's drama? The one who told him over and over again that he's not expendable? The one that gave him his heart to and has never been brought up again?

Now it's further reinforced by the belief that Kristen has distanced Buck and Eddie enough that now she doesn't have to worry about the Buddie fans and can go about having Eddie explore dating again because Buddie is no longer a thing and she can't be acussed of queerbaiting because they no longer have any meaningful scenes together and it's just phrases to each other at work.

To say that option A is far-fetch'd I do not agree with I think option A holds strong merit and possibility and of course Kristen is never gonna admit that yes she is purposely distancing Buck and Eddie because she has zero intentions of making them a couple and she needs to kill that possibility but her actions speak louder then her words right now in 6A.

I'd love to be proven wrong but option A is just as likely as option B at this point even though Kristen would never admit to option A because it would cause an internet riot storm and so much bad press will come from it.

I'm too busy to reply in detail here, but just a few small points.

If Kristen did all this to pull Buddie apart, then why the kitchen scene of 6x01? If her plan was to distance Buddie to stop people from expecting it going canon, then she wouldn't have included that hugely domestic scene with immense romantic metaphorical undertones.

And yes, we've only seen them as co-workers for the rest of it, but we've also seen them working together and interacting at work - which, to them, is more than work; it's a space where they're at home with their chosen family - in ways that were more in tune and closer than ever before. We've seen tons of small gestures and glances between them, and there were so many "loud" cuts and edits of it always showing the other when something important was going on with one of them.

Also, regarding this: "Like we all thought that 6x04 would lead to Eddie saying something and being mad instead it was played for laughs and was jut so OOC to me." I fundamentally disagree. Eddie being mad at Buck deciding to be a sperm donor is what would have been OOC to me. Eddie doesn't meddle. He supports when asked, and he likely would meddle a little if he thought Buck was in need of it. But Buck has come a long way; Buck is in the process of figuring himself out and making his own decisions, and Buck asked Hen for advice. He went and made an informed decision.

Whether it was the best one for him or not is arguable (I'm in the camp of it wasn't a huge mistake, but he didn't consider all the implications; but it won't derail him or impact him in a big, negative way throughout his life either). If Eddie sees it the way I do, then he would not meddle. He may feel a little more irked about it (that could be interpreted into his reaction last ep), but he's keeping those feelings to himself. As a good friend SHOULD.

Eddie isn't Buck's parent - and even parents shouldn't get mad at their children for making choices they deem unwise; Eddie probably learned a lot here from his own mother who always seemed to meddle a tad too much.

And re Chris school dance, as cute as it would have been had Buck been there too, Eddie is first and foremost Chris' dad, not Buck. Eddie didn't get to be there for all the milestones in the first years of Christopher's life, he deserves to have some of them just to himself now.

Also, just because we're not seeing them hang out after work doesn't mean it's not happening. I think in the way they interact it is implied that they are still as close as ever (just think of Buck's very casual "let me GRAB Eddie"). It's just that the writers decided to spend more time and focus show casing other dynamics and characters that have been on the backseat for a bit in the last season. Could they have included one or two slightly more profound Buddie scenes somewhere in those last few eps? Probably. Am I, as a Buddie shipper personally a tad disappointed? Yes. But the way people are making this out to be a clear sign that the writers hate Buddie now, or have forgotten to care about that relationship, is very glass half empty in my opinion.

Wait and see what 6B brings. If it still continues like this and there are no meaningful interactions between them anymore, then we can get mad at that because, yes, that would ruin ONE of the many aspects that are integral to the show. I doubt the writers would do that, though, because they know very well how important the Buck & Eddie dynamic is - romantic or not.

[dykeyote]

EEK OH IM SO GLAD YOU ASKED!!!!! i dont talk about her as much as jedidiah but shes one of my favorite characters in the whole show (:

but yes i love salem and while theres many reasons i do (for one i love butch lesbians in media!!! hehehehehe) one of the biggest ones is that i think salem is incredibly realistic? to me shes always felt like one of the most likeee. Grounded characters in the show. not in that shes the most rational per se although you could make an argument for that, but in that she just feels the most like a real person - in particular i think having a character who brings the listener out of the interpersonal drama of sydney and jedidiah and elijah (which is the main thing that people focus on in the narrative) for a sec and goes hey, remember, this isnt a podcast, this is a summer camp and there are children involved is a really good way to put sydney's oversharing in perspective and remind us that we are not the only ones listening to him. shes a really good character for the narrative and i also think shes just really fun!! cant wait to see more of her and marisol (:

but as to whether the way she treated sydney was fair. thats a trickier question because i truly dont think that its a simple yes/no question? now, if you were to ask me if i think salem's concerns were valid - yes, absolutely. while i don't necessarily think that the kids shouldnt have any knowledge about the threat, sydney's announcements don't appear to be scripted in any way, and as such we can assume hes not reviewing them with anyone else - he doesnt run the camp, and he really should be talking this through with other members of staff to decide What information is important to give to them. and when it comes to his own personal feelings she's 100% correct there the kids absolutely do not need to know that, partially bc its not their business and partially because it can influence their opinions on people they need to respect (which imo we can already see happening, the campers dont respect joshua and sydney doesnt help that at all)

HOWEVER. thats not what you asked. you asked if i think the way she treated sydney was fair, to which the answer is. soooometimesss. it really depends, and honestly that's a huge part of why i like salem as a character? she fucks up at times and she feels bad about it and shes also right at times and she just feels like a very real person, not a "good" or a "bad" person in the narrative. do i think she's right to tell off sydney? yes, sydney is acting out of line. do i think she can go overboard? yeah, very much so. i think when people get rightfully angry about salem being demonized in the fanbase they tend to overcompensate and go in the opposite direction? which i think can be counterproductive as salem Absolutely does make mistakes with how she handles sydney that is an objective fact she can be too forceful and i think people tend to ignore the fact that the way she treats and describes sydney and what she blames his mistakes on can be kind of ableist, namely in her first mediation session? but again i am not a salem hater she feels Badly for this and she takes it back and seems to take this into account in later episodes. salem to me is an incredibly complex character and the question of whether how she treats sydney as a whole is fair is a very complicated one because it really really depends on what episode and even what specific scene youre talking about

hehe okay i rambled a lot but to make a long story short . my personal thoughts on salem are that her head is totally in the right place and she is right to call sydney on it but she can be too harsh. and she can also be totally fair and correct at times!! shes a human being with nuanced thoughts and feelings!! i find salem and sydney's dynamic fascinating because its not a situation where one is "wrong" and one is "right" to me

microdosed on infodumping and now im insane ask me my thoughts on anything chnt related and i give you ten million dollar . literally anything and i will talk about my opinions it can be a character a ship smt i dont like smt i love a hc literally anything im insane

[speliviya]

I don’t appreciate the narrative that Olivia hasn’t done anything for Spencer in their relationship and that he’s done all of the heavy lifting. Calculating every gesture tit for tat in a relationship that has been displayed to us as an equal partnership is weird and unfair. They got into one little argument and ppl now are trying to erase her numerous efforts and unwavering support of him this entire relationship and entire SERIES. They love differently and both require different things to feel loved and supported. Like their official romantic relationship has been from 3.19 - 4.11 and I can name something she’s done for him in every episode.

3.19 - After rejecting his kiss because she felt uncomfortable and saw that he was upset, she fixed it immediately and went on to tell everyone about their relationship. She called him before his game to wish him luck and tried to reassure him about Billy being angry at him.

4.01 - She showed up for him at the graveyard so that he wouldn’t be dealing with his pain alone. Her presence literally made him feel better. The minute she heard he was about to throwaway his future she set up an intervention with all of his loved ones and got Darnell to catch a flight and come talk some sense into him. Ultimately, this approach didn’t make him change his mind but that doesn’t change her intention to be there for him and encourage him to prioritize his future.

4.02 - As soon as she dropped him off at work, she went straight into her house and confronted Billy on his behalf. Her father was being an ass to her boyfriend and that was putting a strain on her relationship and she demanded that they fix it; not only for her but for the sake of Spencer’s and Billy’s relationship itself. Then she made sure to thank him at the end of the night and apologized for Billy’s behavior.

4.03 - Literally first scene with them, she’s listening to him talk about the Toledo offer and immediately encourages him to take it no questions asked. Someone with the history of feeling abandoned and unprioritized all of her life not even hesitating to encourage her partner to do what’s best for him and his career takes a tremendous amount of growth, love, and support. She wants what’s best for him and that has always been established since chromosomal DNA. Let’s not rewrite history over one lapse in judgement.

4.04 - She was assigned to write a ‘fun and poppy’ piece and with that she wanted to highlight Black Excellence so the first person that came to mind was Spencer. In this conversation, she’s visibly getting upset at hearing him start to doubt himself and immediately called out the fact that the Toledo coach was gaslighting him. Bonus points for saying that she thinks he’s perfect regardless, period. She felt this story was way more important than what she was assigned and chose to prioritize his (and Simone’s) story despite it possibly costing her the chance to get an internship she really wanted. Olivia understands Spencer in a way that no one else does and would never misconstrued what he’s saying for a story like all the reporters have done to him in the past. Journalism is just as important to her as football is to him. So YES, this was a ‘I’ll sacrifice something that could be best for my career path in order to highlight your story’ moment because it’s more important to her than her being fun and poppy like they asked. Again, just because YOU may not consider that a big deal doesn’t mean it wasn’t a huge gesture in honor of him on her end.

4.05 - I mean she’s giving this man a massage after his scrimmage game which gives them the chance to bond over their day and debrief. Which is something they both adore doing with each other. And I will bring up here that in this episode that is where he encouraged her to take on the responsibility of Jen as a sponsee (not to say it wasn’t ultimately her choice to do so but it’s not completely far fetched that the first time she has to enact her Sponsor duties post Jen’s initial relapse that she reaches out to the person who ultimately persuaded her to do it in the first place). Right after this, she was the ONLY person to recognize why Spencer was hesitant to accept the offer with the coach he had a connection to. She understands him and that means SO much more to him than big grand gestures and surprises. She’s the ultimate pusher that made him take the leap to choose his GAU scholarship. Despite it looking rough right now in the current episodes, having THAT much impact on the journey to someone’s success is a HUGE deal. And she was able to provide the clarity and reassurance he needed to make a decision that was best for him and his future.

4.06 - Kind’ve 4.11 but in reverse? In this scenario, SHE’S the one who has something important to do for her job. He expressed his annoyance and she immediately stopped all three times and prioritized being present for him regardless of her needing/wanting to get the assignment done before the night was over. She didn’t dismiss him, get upset at him, or react negatively at all. She simply stopped and gave him her attention because she didn’t want him to feel like she was prioritizing something ahead of him. Maybe this doesn’t count but the night ended with her giving him some so 😭🤷🏽‍♀️. Spencer had no complaints, that’s all imma say 😁

4.07 - Oh look, Olivia gave him a promposal right at the top of the episode establishing that women can make big gestures too. Energy.. effort.. stop playing with her? This is also the episode where he states that Jen is important to her after she explains how hard it is to be a sponsor. Let’s fast forward to the best part of the night where she tells him that she always knew she was going to love him from the first time they met and he was absolutely worth the wait. He even THANKED her for being patient with him.. she loved and showed up for him unwaveringly DESPITE having to watch him in a whole relationship with her best friend during some of the loneliness and darkest times of her life. If you haven’t caught on by now… someone understanding him, being patient with him, riding behind him no matter what, and showing dedication to making their relationship as healthy and stable as possible are all things extremely valuable to Spencer James. And guess who has been consistently doing this for him since the beginning of their relationship? Oh. Yeah.

4.08 - Very similar energy to 4.01. Who was right by his side the entire episode? Despite him literally trying to throw away his future for the SECOND TIME THIS SEASON ALONE. She was not having it because that’s not what she wants for him. She’s been at the forefront of people in his support system trying to help him get out of a situation that, quite frankly, HE put himself in. Now idk if she was the one who arranged all of their friends to come and strategize a plan for him or not but since she brought him there and told him what was happening I’m crediting that effort to her. Standing right along with him to fight for a future he just tried to throw away an episode ago.. Yes, operation Spartacus or w.e was JJs idea but she stood right by him to make sure she was right there if he needed back up. Then at the end she coordinated with Grace to help throw him a graduation beach party. Another grand gesture to ensure he felt loved and celebrated.

4.09 - She called his face pretty, confirmed that he was special, and moved his friends into her home after setting that crooked yt man straight on their behalf. Olivia loves HIM and will make sure his people are straight too.

4.10 - She recognized he was struggling to keep up with his schedule and as soon as she considered the fact that maybe she was the one straining him, she offered to step back a bit and let him prioritize having an actual snack break and bonding with his teammates over squeezing her in. He said NO. He wasn’t having that at all. At the end of the day he set the expectation that snack breaks are important not only to him but to the health of their relationship as a whole.

Trivializing the argument in 4.11 to JUST her being upset about him missing snack time just proves that you missed the whole damn point. They were both wrong and both took accountability for their actions. Saying that she hasn’t planned or done anything on her end of the relationship just because he apologized first and set up a candle lit dinner after he blew up and hung up on her before giving her the chance to apologize is just a clear indication that you’ve been foaming at the mouth waiting for her to be the one to mess up. That’s bias and unfair. If you don’t like Olivia or don’t like Olivia for him then just say that; don’t rewrite history and act like she hasn’t been an equal partner in this relationship just because his gestures have “seemed” more grandeur than hers. They’re different people. Olivia has the background of feeling forgotten and unheard so that makes Spencer want to be extra attentive to make sure she feels loved and reassured at all times. Spencer has the background of carrying the entire world on his shoulders and feeling like he wasn’t enough for his father to stay, making Olivia want to always show up for him and help carry some of the burden to let him know just how much she cherishes and adores who he is and what he stands for. They LOVE each other and are in it for the long haul. GET OVER IT.

[alaffy]

Only Murders in the Building, 2x03 – The Last Day of Bunny Folger (Spoilers)

The title is pretty self-explanatory.  Just like with Tim in the first season, we see what happened on Bunny’s last day of life. The difference here is that, unlike with Tim, we’re given less to clues to the mystery aspect.  That isn’t to say the mystery wasn’t important, or that there weren’t several things to keep track of; it’s just this episode was more about telling us who Bunny really was.  

But let’s start with the mystery in this.  We find out that the day Bunny died, Bunny was going to turn the board’s presidency over to Nan.  We see that Bunny makes a comment about firing The Doorman before her last day is over; however, the way it was said it’s clear that she wasn’t serious and, in fact, she asks about his wife afterwards.  We know she got a phone call from someone about the painting and she immediately tells them not to call her.  We know she ate with someone at her favorite diner the day before who she didn’t consider a friend (the person who wants the painting or someone else?).  We know that she changed her mind about resigning as The President of the Board and that pissed off Nan.  We also found out that Nan planned to modernize the building, something that Bunny neither knew about or approved of.  Finally, we learned that Bunny knew her attacker.

But, again, this story was about who Bunny was.  And if someone where to tell me I would be emotional about Bunny’s death by the end….yes, Bunny could be very much a bitch to the tenants.  And she was unfair to Charles, Oliver, and Mabel in the first season.  But now we see the reasons.  She loves the Arconia and, in her own way, she loves the people inside of the building. By the end of the episode, I got the impression that she does the things she does, she’s the hard-ass that she is because she wants to make sure that the Arconia is a place where people feel safe to live.  Does she go overboard?  Sure, I don’t think that’s even an argument.  In fact, I think she even realizes that she goes to far’ because Bunny is taking stock in her life and she’s beginning to realize is that the building is all she has.  She doesn’t have any friends, or she doesn’t think she does (with the exception of the one neighbor in the building).  However, I would argue against that belief.  We get to see her a couple of times outside of the building.   She’s friendly to the vendor where she picks up her breakfast. She’s friendly to her regular waiter at the diner.  Hell, she’s more then friendly.  In the scene, she gives him a huge sum of money because she knows his dream is to be a DJ and she wants to help him buy the equipment he needs.  

We also get to see moments with her and the trio from that day.  And, honestly?  Looking at it from her point of view, they do sort of come off as asshole-ly sometimes. Like, again, I get why Bunny isn’t their favorite person…but some of the comments, especially from Oliver, were really unnecessary.   But that’s also the point. We see throughout the episode The Trio getting ready for their celebration that they will be having when Bunny is murdered.  We see them having different interactions with Bunny throughout the day.  Some where Bunny goes too far in what she does and some where they do. We also have a funny moment in the elevator.

At the end of the episode, Bunny hears their celebration.  She takes over a bottle of wine and gives it to them, thanking them for saving the building.  They give her a sweatshirt, have a brief banter, and just when you think they might ask her to join in (which is what Bunny was hoping for) they just slam the door in her face.  In fairness, I can understand why they didn’t think Bunny would want to join in.  But when they realize their mistake, instead of correcting it, they take their party up to the roof.   And the heartbreaking moment is when Charles admitted that, while they didn’t kill Bunny, they might have been able to save her if they only had been kind. 

[letstalkabouttvshows]

This is my rant about RNM 4x06 - Kiss from a rose. Please, join me.

I need to vent about episode 6 and after I do that, I'll go back to my positive bubble. So bear with me for a few minutes.

I've been liking Season 4 so far. Let me start with that.

I think the episodes up to 5 had a good pace, and a good balance between individual plots, and overall, it was giving us the build-up for whatever bigger story arc this season has.

Up to 5, I got that feeling. Like, "ok, they are definitely building the tension and the stories to meet at some point where it will all fit".

Honestly, I still believe that and I still believe Alex (the only character that we don't know anything about plot-wise except he's in Jones's contingency plan) will play an important part in the bigger picture here.

But, episode 6 just overwhelmed me with all the things I dislike in this show's writing, all at once, and just made me annoyed as hell.

The pace 😡

For me, the first episode of the season that felt slow and disconnected as a whole. For five episodes we were having a solid pace and then, episode 6 just hit all the wrong notes.

Guest stars 😡

I love Eduardo, I really do. But all his scenes with his daughter felt overly dramatic and we met her, what? One episode ago? We don't care about her daddy issues, I'm sorry, but we don't.

Will these emotionally charged scenes between them have a place in the bigger story arc that's yet to be revealed?

Odds are, no. But even if it does set some kind of plot, still was too much for too little.

--

Bonnie, as Maria was last year for the first half of the season, it's turning into the main plot. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

The girl has the kiss of death, she did something awful to Michael, she still didn't share all she knows about Tezca, and yet, Max is sheltering her.

Max, the king of trust issues, let me add (I mean, make it make sense). At least she's not crashing at Malex's place.

I know we need guest stars to move the story along, and again, up to episode 5, it was making sense.

But now, we see more of her than we've seen Kyle, or Isobel or yes, ALEX, all season.

Will this have a point? A good resolution? Will all this time we spent with Bonnie be worth the screen time?

---

Tezca, for the first time this season, felt like a badly written villain.

Up to 5, we got the sense she's manipulating everyone. I mean, she took Alex first and nobody knows.

She knew exactly who to hit and what strings to pull.

Again, we had 5 episodes where Tezca was shaping up to be as manipulative as Jones but even edgier. Sinister.

The whole reveal of her true form, with the tattoos and her test to Bonnie (???) felt out of place and underwhelming.

Ok, she can't be stabbed to death but even that twist wasn't good enough to shake the feeling that they might turn Tezca in an all-over-the-place character.

Is it possible her scene at the station was all an act? One more manipulative thing she's pulling to deceive everyone about the plan?

GOD, I HOPE SO. Because this character has potential and would be a tragedy and a waste to not write her well.

Too much information with no real information 🤡

RNM has a way to throw a lot of information at us but when we think about it, there's no real information at all.

We know Max is the savior and has a lot of power. Liz has a part to play in the Ophiuchus movement. AGAIN, the bad guys movement, which means that's not good. We know Alex is part of a contingency plan created by Jones. We know he's in a hole. Dead or locked up. The options here a slim due to the fact the last time we saw him HE WAS GETTING QUICKSANDED. We know the alighting has begun.

And that's it.

There's no more information. They keep circling back to these huge points and they don't explain anything.

I get the build-up but we need to have some real answers. SOON.

The same arguments over and over again 🤡

Since episode 2, it seems like Echo has been arguing about the same things nonstop.

We get Max has powers he can't control. We get Liz has doubts.

In the same way, Michael's falling for the idea of a home planet seems like a broken record. We know Michael always wanted to go back. We get it. Now, move the story along. Get to the point already.

Get to the complicated part of it all because all the emotional struggle is already set up. Again, we get it.

The lack of simple logic 🤡

For a group that has a bunch of geniuses, they do often overlook the simplest of logic.

Like, if Alex's not reaching out, not checking-in, MAYBE there's something wrong.

Especially when the only mother figure he had growing up has died and the love of his life got sick for the first time. Oh, and yeah, there's a dark triad with a crazy shapeshifter with unstoppable powers.

These are all things Alex would go back to Roswell in a blink of an eye.

Why no one is finding it odd that he's not checked in yet?

There are other examples, fell free to add them in the comments if you want to.

My point is 😡🤡

Episode 6 was a mess when it's supposed to lead the way to midseason.

To set up the revelations, plot twists, story arcs, and all.

They had 5 solid episodes and all for what? For this episode to be the connecting element for the first half and second half of the season?

It didn't deliver. Unfortunately.

My hope is that episode 7 picks up the pace again and give us all we are craving for: ANSWERS.

And the missing piece that will make all these plots happening right now fit each other.

Ok, now I'm done. Back to my positive bubble until proven otherwise.

💜

PS: Feel free to rant in the comments too. It's a safe space. I think we all need it.

[luxshine]

Y yo a ti, Cas -segunda parte. Because of course Mexican Cas pulled us out of despair and can throw us back in.

Ok, so the last 24 hours have been a bit of a rollercoaster and now I have another post to write about how dubbing is made. Because I love Misha a lot, and I respect him but… the whole rouge translator thing just doesn’t jive with reality.

Now, first of all I want to make a disclaimer: I do not believe that there’s a conspiracy to keep Dean closeted and away from Castiel. That makes absolutely no sense, no matter how you slice it. Among other things, conspiracy implies intent, and I really doubt the CW, Warner Bros and everyone involved in the marketing choices cares that much. At most, I think that there was a misunderstanding of marketing/PR and now people are doubling down on trying to pretend it didn’t happen. But a conspiracy? Nope. This isn’t THAT important, and it would require a LOT of people involved to make things work.

Which is precisely why the rouge translator thing doesn’t work. Because you would need a conspiracy to MAKE Destiel canon in order for it to be real.

Second: As I write this, I still don’t have an answer from the voice actors. But rest assured, WHEN they reply (or we can organize a panel so YOU guys can ask directly), I will tell you the absolute truth. If I am wrong with my assumptions, and it WAS a rouge translator, I will let you know, and I will admit I was wrong. And if it was from the audio (say, a Jensen adlib) or the actual script? I will also let you know.

Third: I don’t doubt that Misha REALLY believes the rogue translator thing, if it was told to him by TPTB. There’s no reason to believe he knows how dubbing works in Mexico, nor how many people check the final product. Or that he even watched the episode, instead of believing it was a fan clip. Also, I respect him immensely and I don’t want any hate send his way.

That said, let’s go into how dubbing works, again.

For the sake of argument, I will start with the idea that yes, there was a “Rogue translator” who decided that THIS was the perfect moment to make Destiel canon. Not, say, Season 8 when he could have translated an “I need you” from Dean into an “I love you” when the god tablet thing happened, not in season 12, or during the purgatory prayers. No, the best moment was two episodes before the finale, when he had to know that Cas was not coming back. 

And yes, the translator knew Cas was not coming back because when we translate series, we get them in packages of 5 episodes or more at the time. So they must have had 15x16 to 15x21 (The interview special) all together. So they knew that this was Cas’s exit from the series.

Now, in my previous post I said how in the old times, we used vhs tapes and paper copies of the shooting scripts (when they were available that was not always). Now a days, we get the video file and a word document (if we’re lucky. If not, we make the word file). Translate everything. Go through it AGAIN to make sure the lip sync matches and that we don’t have huge speeches when there’s a small window of time to say the speech because of the language differences. Check that we didn’t accidentally used a slang word that only Mexico would understand. If the show is not PG-13, make sure our swearwords are not too bad or too localized. THEN we send it to the studio, which prints about four copies of the script and hands it,and the video, to the Dub director.

The dub director then goes and re-watches every episode, while checking the script. Some directors don’t speak the language, so they’re just checking cadence, time, and the damned lip sync. (And if you, as a translator, don’t match the lip sync? You are either back to training or out of a word if you get too many strikes). So sure, you could slip a change of line there, IF the director doesn’t speak German, or Japanese, or Hindi.

But almost every single dub director speaks English. So a change from “Don’t do this, Cas” to “And I, you, Cas” would be noticed then and there, and changed to the right line. Which means that, for the rogue translator thing to work, we’d have to add also a rogue dub director.

And honestly, do you see a professional dub director with more than 15 years of experience (because you don’t give a series to a newbie, and Supernatural had the same dub director for all it’s run) risking his job for ONE line?

Anyway, in the times before the plague dub actors were called in groups to the study to record, in order to save audio tracks. So, for example, all the Inner Senshi would record together when doing Sailor Moon, and I assume in Supernatural, Sam and Dean’s lines would also be recorded together, while Dean and Cas might have been or not. Depending on times and so on. So you’d had at least 3 people in the studio: Dean’s VA, the dub director and the sound technician. ALL of them checking what was being said, what was in the script, and listening to the original audio.

Some actors would also make corrections to the script there, making some lines easier to read, and, again, checking those damn lip letters (Can you tell I HATE the lip letter thing?) . I remember fondly the VA for Sailor Jupiter, Araceli de Leon (RIP), who was known as “The Corrector”, since she would go through ALL the scripts for everyone with a red pen. The day I handed a script she didn’t find any corrections, I was jumping out of joy. So if 15x18 was recorded AT the dubbing studio? Someone who knew English could’ve caught the difference between the “Don’t do this” and the “And I you”, making it harder for our rogue translator to go unnoticed.

But let’s say it was recorded post-quarantine, when voice actors work alone at home, in their own private sound studios. I have no idea if they would have the director at hand through zoom, but I assume so. In any case, the VA would STILL have the original audio to know how the lines were said, and after 4 years of dubbing Dean Winchester, I will assume that the VA knows at the very least a little bit of English so if his script said “And I, you Cas” but he heard Jensen say “Don’t do it, Cas”, he would’ve made a correction there.

That’s now two people who would have to ignore the rouge translator’s actions, and even help them, in order for this theory to work.

And then the audio goes back to the director, who checks it again, makes sure it is lip synced and well acted, and sent to the audio technician who mixes it all, and now we have a THIRD person who could’ve said “Hey… uhm… this line? Is not what it says in the original” and by this time, we’d have to have a conspiracy to keep that “And I, you, Cas” in the final product.

Which brings me to person number four: Once the dubbing is done? It’s reviewed by the client (In this case, WB Latam), who gives the final say and CAN ask for redubs if necessary.

Story time. When I was doing this for a living, I got a series that had the WEIRDEST line ever. A line that made me triple check I was hearing things right (because it was a damn adlib that I couldn’t check with the script)

It was: “I’ve been listening to jazz even since I was a sperm swimming in my father’s testicles”.

So yeah.

I was a pro, so I didn’t censor it or change it and send it as it was to the director. Who OF COURSE called me and asked “Are you 100% sure that’s the line?” (This was in Japanese, and he didn’t speak Japanese. He trusted me). And I said “yeah, but if you need to change it, we can find another way to say “I’ve been a Jazz fan since before I was born”. “ He, Jack bless him, said “Nah. If that’s the original, let’s keep the original”.

The client was NOT amused and we had to change it in the final product.

Now, this was a throw away line by a secondary character that never appeared again in the series, in a small scene that probably only I remember. And the client still said “Nope, change that”. I’d like to believe that a line that changes the relationship between two main characters would have the same, if not more, scrutiny from TPTB.

Which makes now four people who would have had to either ignore the actions of the rogue translator, or actively participate in a conspiracy to make Destiel Latam canon.

Which, I dunno about you, sounds like way too much effort for something that was going to last for exactly one second before Cas got sucked into the Empty.

Someone made a mistake? Probably. But I am more willing to bet it was whoever sent the master video file to the studio than the dub studio, if that line wasn’t supposed to be there.