#you guys didn't even do the love triangle drama right and you think he has a STORY???????

[kimberlyannharts]

Also like. I never see anyone talk about the New Green ever. He barely has a role. I really hope he’s written out or depowered after Ryan leaves

At this point, outside of just marketing strategies, it feels like M/tt's main support is from Tommy and JDF haters, who like M/tt simply because MMPR Green isn't "exclusive" to Tommy anymore (even though....it kind of is, because this is a completely new suit and new Dragonzord. It's not like how you can, say, play with an MMPR Red toy as either Rocky or Jason). Which sucks, but shows how hollow his character is

Apparently at PMC Ryan said something along the line of how he would like to see an end to M/tt's story (bitch me too the fuck! since 2018!) so I've accepted that he'll probably make it through the 100th. But hopefully his end will be soon, because at this point there's literally nowhere else for his character to go unless they finally decide to make him an antagonist (a WILLING antagonist, please). Especially since he's....not even on covers anymore lmao

[ashwhowrites]

Best friends part 2

Part 1

Not proofread

Y/N was up all night, her brain couldn't shut off.

She went from being with no one, to now having two boys after her. It made no sense.

A part of her was happy to hear about Eddie possibly liking her in a more than friendly way. But her head wanted to remind her of his actions. He hurt her and he kept hurting her. Would he have even apologized if Steve never went over there?

Steve, now her brain ran to Steve. He technically did nothing wrong. He was sweet and such a gentleman. It was obvious he was into her and he has been. She never once had to question his intentions.

But Eddie? It felt so random and a change of character.

It hurts to admit but she really thinks Eddie just enjoyed how she felt about him. That made him feel special and good. It's normal to feel that way when someone tells you that they love you. But did he ever feel anything before she told him?

She really doesn't think so.

~~

The next few days were awkward. Every time she looked at Eddie her head hurt. And every time she saw Steve she felt like running to him and crying.

~~

She made sure to take time to think about this. Someone was going to end up hurt. That's what happens when you find yourself in a love triangle.

She had to think with her head because her heart betrayed her too many times.

Her heart wants Eddie, and it wants Eddie so bad.

But her brain keeps reminding her Steve was the right choice. Steve was someone her heart could learn to love. Someone her heart could learn to want.

~~

Standing outside Eddie's trailer had her feeling sick. She never once has been so scared to see her best friend.

Every second she waited for him to open the door was another second of her wanting to run, make an escape.

But she had to do this.

So when he opened the door with a small smile, she took a deep breath.

Here goes nothing.

~~

"Eddie I know I still love you. And I think I will for a long time. And I can't lie, when you said you feel strong feelings for me too I was excited. I was happy. But I don't think your feelings came from your heart. I think you got caught up with the idea of someone loving you. And it's being taken away and you are jumping into action. Doing what you can to make that feeling stay. But I can't Eddie. Steve has done nothing wrong. He hasn't hurt me like you have."

She hated that his eyes filled tears. She could see the guilt and regret meeting each other in his eyes

"maybe if we went about this differently. Maybe if you didn't turn on me because I wanted to move on from you."

He nodded along. Everything she said was right. He was an asshole and he had to face the consequences of it.

"Eddie, you are my best friend. And I want to stay in your life and I want you in mine. But you had your chance with me. You had years to find out your feelings for me. You had your chance for a long time. But now-"

He cut her off. It felt like he was choking on the words, trying to breathe through the cracks.

"But now is Steve's chance." He smiled at her sadly. He had a feeling where this conversation was going to go.

"um yes. That's exactly what I was going to say." She slightly laughed. Eddie always knew how to finish her sentences. She smiled at the moment.

Eddie sat closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"you're right. He deserves a fair chance. And I'm not going to ruin that. I should never have been an asshole about anything of this. Steve is actually a good guy. And I know he's going to treat you well."

Her heart warmed at his confession. She kissed his cheek softly and mumbled out a soft "thank you"

Eddie laughed to break the silence. Wiping his tears and hers. He clapped his hands on her shoulder.

"now let's go get your man!" He exclaimed as he grabbed his keys. She laughed as she followed him out the door.

Now that is her Eddie.

~~

"what if he changed his mind?" Y/N was terrified. Maybe she was too much drama for Steve.

Steve graduated, he's probably done with high school drama.

Eddie sighed as he neared Steve's street.

"don't be ridiculous. He definitely did not change his mind." He encouraged her. She tried to let it help but inside she was still filled with doubt.

Once Eddie pulled into his driveway, she took a deep breath.

"Hey, he's going to pick you too." Eddie said as he patted her thigh.

She smiled at him softly and unbuckled her seatbelt.

She gave herself a pep talk as she knocked on Steve's door.

~~

Steve was surprised to see Y/N standing at this front door. His eyes caught sight of Eddie and his van. He was even more confused.

"um what's going on?" Steve asked, nerves clear on in his voice. He secretly prayed that this wasn't her breaking up with him. She'll leave him and go kiss Eddie and drive away.

"I have something I wanted to tell you." She smiled at him brightly. That eased his nerves slightly.

"I wanted to say first that it was very sweet of you to step aside for Eddie. You definitely did not need to do that at all."

He nodded. He was trying not to freak out. Not sure which way this conversation was going.

"and second I want you Steve. I understand if there is too much drama for you. And this whole love triangle turned you off in a way. I totally get it and I wouldn't blame you for sending me back to the car. But you made me feel all the things I've been wanting to feel for years. I don't even know if I can make you feel half as special as you make me. But if you still want me, I would love to be your girlfriend still."

Steve couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. His heart is practically running.

She wanted him

She was picking him

For once, Steve was the first choice.

"YO HARRINGTON. THIS IS THE PART WHERE YOU KISS HER!" Eddie yelled from the van.

Y/N laughed into her hands, blushing painfully hard.

She shyly looked back at Steve, who was blushing too.

"you can if you want to." She whispered softly.

Steve didn't waste a second. He cupped her face and smashed his lips onto hers.

As cheesy as it was, fireworks exploded in his chest.

They smiled into each other's lips so hard they weren't even kissing much anymore.

Steve got the girl.

Tags!

@kalinaselennespeaks

@kindablackenedsuperhero @mirrorsstuff @magnificantmermaid @lokiofasgard616 @munsonzzgf @chipster-21 @starrywhitenight @omgvirtualcupcakecollection-blog

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet

[its-chelisey-stuff]

well, nobody dumps trauma on the younger counterparts of main leads like this writer. In retrospective, I should've known who was the evil mastermind behind it lol

I am conflicted about their specific trauma, but I am enamored with the characters and want to protect them so badly. I find their story so tragic and I'm so sad that the happy ending will belong to the older protagonists and not the young ones, because damn, they didn't have enough laughter and love around them. When will these young actors not deal with such heavy storylines?? So unfair.

Drama portrays so well the fact that trauma works in such different ways for people and how we show it. The first thing we notice about this guy is that he's quiet, reserved, stoic and very dedicated at school. The first thing we know about him is that nothing comes for free, as he uses every opportunity to get money and just before we think he loves money and dreams of getting out this town and this provincial life blah blah, we find out the truth and that all the money is for him to get away from his abusive ass of a father who beats him everyday. Ugh. My jaw dropped to the floor, I swear. I was shocked. I HATE HATE HATE this so much. You have to be an insect of the lowest kind, utterly disgusting, if you hit your children. People like that shouldn't be allowed to procreate.

But then, right after this, literally the next scene, we find out her father also beats her and I swear to God I was screaming and pulling my hair because whyyyy ???poor children. They do not deserve this. Their house is the place where they should feel the safest, not the place where they walk on eggshells and are afraid of even making a noise. Their parents should be the people who make them feel the safest, not the ones who make their nightmares come true. This right here is something I hate seeing represented in media, so watching it was pretty difficult for me. In fact, I'd advise people who are triggered by this to skip scenes or the entire episode, because the domestic abuse scenes were pretty realistic. And so loud.

But trauma for our young female lead it's different. She tries to escape from it and leave it at her house, and so she is bright, happy and over-the-top silly teen at school. She tries to enjoy, even if it's a facade. Because this is her way to cope. And her music.

I loved how he tried to reassure her and calm her down. Even if they haven't been friends for so long, he already knows her and understands her in a way no one else does. He's such a kind and selfless soul, despite everything and no matter if he's the second or main lead (more on that later), I'm rooting for him to live happily.

I really wanted for them to get away together, and live in Seoul, being adopted by her idol and brand new CEO. I wanted them to grow up together and happy, but I knew exactly where this was going, not only because of the premise and the writer, but also because this is dramaland. So when he told her they had to run away, I knew they wouldn't make it.

We are presented with a dilemma of who is the endgame here, but right now I don't care that much. I only want for this girl to live her life and finally achieve her dream of meeting her idol and be a singer. Still, we must acknowledge the elephant in the room and I've seen second male lead has glasses, so that's either the drama telling us the answer OR trying to confuse us. I find that I'm okay if he is the young kid who bravely stood up to her violent father just so he could give her time to escape.

But my money is on my human golden retriever. Aww, it's such a sight for sore eyes to see Chae JongHyeop in a main role again after almost a year and a half. He was amazing in Love All Play.

So yes, this is the writer of Start Up (does anyone else get PTSD from how toxic the fandom was back then? No? just me?) so we know she's gonna make it a point to drag this love triangle for a while. But this is also the writer of Pinocchio, While you were Sleeping and I hear Your Voice (my personal favorite), so *fingers crossed*

[sleepsonclouds]

Clouds tropespots: The Spirealm, E10

Episode 10 (Drum sisters, 3rd door)

The human skin drum story is wrapping up! I really liked the creepy melancholy of this episode. The crossdressing comedy of errors is a bit more subdued, which I honestly liked.

Everyone thinks we're family: Turns out the story is a love triangle between the two sisters and some guy. Even Cheng Qianli gets it! The cheeky brat: "I envy my sister and brother-in-law too. But I'm not jealous." Nanzhu, expression shifting: "Who's your sister? ...Who's your brother-in-law?" Alas, Qianli only gets the sister part right - Li Dongyan is not the brother-in-law wanted here! Nanzhu threatens to bury Qianli alive. Aww.

Everyone thinks we're family (cont.): Li Dongyan gives a (fake) key to Nanzhu, "his brother-in-law". They can't even do that normally, Dongyan must slip it into Nanzhu's pocket. Is his subconscious picking up on the fact that his hypothetical girlfriend and brother-in-law are one and the same? His interactions with Nanzhu are fascinating to say the least.

Seeking advice from partner: Nanzhu tells everyone he lost the (fake) key. How could he?! His little stricken face! Drama sprite mode is ON. Time to consult his partner: "Linlin. What should we do? The key is lost. We can't go back." Qiushi's very chill about it: "It's fine if we can't go back. Let's stay here together." Well, that works too!

Lending out partner: They're solving the plot, and Xu Jin might get in the way. But there's a solution! "You're responsible for dating," Nanzhu tells Qiushi. Perhaps the Girlfriend Discussion (aka Qiushi's utter incomprehension when it comes to women) has mellowed his jealous tendencies...

Saving partner: Qiushi is hallucinating (again), but manages to resist Xu Jin by stating that he'll "only cherish what he has now". And wonder of wonders, we hear Nanzhu's frantic "Linlin" getting through the illusion! He banishes Xu Jin by threatening to break the human skin drum. Nanzhu must know it's pretty important, but not as important as his Linlin.

Supporting partner (probably necessary): Now Nanzhu has reason to get his hands all over Qiushi, who is worse for wear after Xu Jin's banshee screech. Must support partner. With both hands.

As long as you're happy: Nanzhu refuses to explain what happened. Qiushi knows better than to believe Nanzhu's "I reasoned with her", believing quite rightly that the drama sprite is messing with him. But it makes Nanzhu so happy! "As long as you're happy", says Qiushi, resigned to his fate.

Saving partner (cont.): While the others are slumbering peacefully, Qiushi falls asleep for five seconds and is almost killed by the skinless, glowing monster who wants his skin. (Are those fairy lights? They look like fairy lights.) Nanzhu wakes up at the last moment and uses the human skin drum to drive it away. "Are you hurt? Why didn't you wake us up?" asks Nanzhu. I am Qiushi's great indignation. And the drum is now broken. "I was so worried that I broke it." Okay, Nanzhu is forgiven.

Injuries (real): Qiushi is hit by the door ghost when everyone else has already left. He staggers through the door and promptly collapses. Cue intense worry and Nanzhu yelling for the doctor. They really spend a lot of time worrying about each other's physical well-being in this door! Now they're out, and only the lone kaleidoscope is left. I love those, whatever they are. We'll get to spend some quality time in the real world in -> Episode 11.

[queerfables]

So I've been super busy these past few days and I managed to snatch a bit of time to watch 9-1-1 but I wasn't able to write up my reactions. But I'm back again and really catching up now. I just watched 7x04 Buck, Bothered and Bewildered and let me tell you, you couldn't have stopped me liveblogging this episode with a gun to my head.

Oh my GOD Buck is a completely smitten dork. I feel like he pulled this exact move on Taylor "hey let's hang out for reasons that are totally professional" the boy has one move and it's not slick. it is, however, CUTE

"I can give you lessons if you want" Oh Buck you are in TROUBLE this guy is smoooth

Sorry but I am OBSESSED with this love triangle shit. Two besties competing over the same person is a trope that infuriates me but make it queer and throw in some unresolved tension between the besties and I am SOLD

"You and Tommy have a lot of things in common" Oh shit they really are doing Buddie aren't they? Holy shit.

Harry! I'm so happy they brought the character back even if I'm sad it's a different actor

I love how this call is blatantly just a backdrop for Eddie and Buck's personal drama

"Both in the army... both like watching half naked men pummel each other..." am I being punked right now??

"That guy really knows his engine. You should hear that thing purr now." Did Eddie and Tommy fuck??? Buck's face says he's wondering.

The guy in the drain like "hello? I'm still down here?" This entire scene is a goldmine

Oh now Buck is jealous of Chris liking Tommy? Holy fuck you guys I cannot believe Buddie is going canon

Oh no she shot her son??? Oh God

Okay two things: One, Eddie being super giddy on the phone and Buck immediately assuming it's Tommy and not, like, Eddie's actual girlfriend? And two, the fact that it was obviously not Eddie's girlfriend

Showing up at basketball like "Wow, you guys? What are the odds???" Buck you transparent dumbass

"I'm your basketball beard" yeah that's a way to put it

Listen I'm just totally convinced it's not a coincidence that Buck develops this big time crush with misdirected jealousy on the guy Eddie is all of a sudden hanging out with all the time

Oh God, Buck's face when Tommy says he can take Eddie to get an X-ray. That tight nod and the way he just backs off, because he's not going to fight about this if he thinks it's what Eddie really wants or needs. No matter how he feels about letting someone else be that person for Eddie.

"Obviously I've been the cause of some bad blood between you and Eddie" ITS SO FUNNY WHY IS IT SO FUNNY

Ok no I know why it's so funny, it's because Eddie and Buck are caught up in this ridiculous 14 year old drama where they're both trying to get the cute new boy's attention while being conflicted about who they're actually jealous of and neither of them at any point actually realised they were queer

"That kid could not shut up about you" CUTE

"You don't have to tell me how great Eddie is" CUTE

But also Buck saying he only asked for the tour because he wanted to get to know Tommy which like first of all soft but second of all DUH

Oh holy fuck that kiss was AMAZING. I've got butterflies and I was just watching it. I'm not even a little surprised that it propelled Buck straight past a sexuality crisis and into catastrophic horniness. Didn't I tell you this guy was smooth?

The way Buck can't stop staring at his lips

Bonus reflections:

Wow good thing Tommy said "for god's sake, please call Eddie" because for a fraction of a second there, I swear, Buck and I both were like "Eddie who?"

Okay prediction though: if this relationship doesn't last, it's going to be because both of them were hoping it would solve their feelings of jealousy and being left out, and then it didn't

I keep thinking about Eddie repeatedly asking Buck to go to basketball with him, and Buck repeatedly turning him down, because as everyone knows, Buck doesn't like basketball. So Eddie lets it go and asks someone else to play basketball with him. And suddenly Buck cannot wait to play basketball with Eddie's new friend. Look I just feel like maybe there's some kind of symbolism there.

The 118's next emergency: Buck watches Eddie and Tommy spar and has a coronary

[stevie-petey]

SPEAKING OF SEASON FOUR

I'm so worried that the duffer brothers are gonna fuck up jancy. That flirting with Steve and Nancy in season four was not cute. Like jancy isn't my favorite ship in the series (because I'm in love with Jonathan but that's not the point) but we've established that Nancy DOESN'T love Steve. Did you see Jonathan's face when Nancy started talking about how Steve's grown up? You could tell it made him insecure, It's foreshadowing the love triangle all over again and there's no point in keeping it. It doesn't add to the story it's just another stupid plot for drama, which we don't really need!

It also takes away from Nancy's character!! She's not the kind of girl to just go from guy to guy. She's also not the kind of girl to flirt with her ex who's clearly still got feelings for her while she has a boyfriend!! Even if it was unintentional, like subconsciously, still she's smarter than that and she cares about Jonathan and Steve's feelings she wouldn't risk hurting the both of them at once.

I mean if we're talking about come home it could work as something for bug and Steve to work through I guess ( I don't wanna talk about it too much because it's so far away and there's a lot more we have to go through to get to that point) but it's so outside of Nancy's character. Maybe she's just confused cause she almost died and saw Steve get seriously hurt? But still Nancy isn't a homewrecker and she's not a super jealous or promiscuous person. Even if she didn't know about how close bug and Steve have grown she wouldn't go after him. But strictly speaking of stranger things now. She hardly interacted with Steve in season four, which is fair she's still in highschool and Steve has a job. They have their own shit going on. It's understandable. I feel like Nancy's character gets misconstrued a lot, partially because she keeps getting reduced to a love interest. I just hope Nancy and Jonathan don't fall apart because of how much they've changed during their time away. I love Steve but he's not right for Nancy and she's not right for Steve. I hope they Don't ruin such a great relationship with so much potential. Like I see the problems in jancy but I can see how well it could work if given the chance.

honestly it just feels like the writers dont KNOW what to do with nancy anymore or even jancy. i adore them and think theyre so sweet together but the writers are just ,,,, pissing me off. bringing back steves feelings for her and nancys weird feelings for him was just ??? unnecessary and NO ONE was asking for it

i will say however i do see the vision for stancy. i think they did have a good shot at being in love and happy, theyre right person wrong time, but if that was the plan since season 1 then ,,,, it shouldve been touched on earlier ?!?!!? we dont see nancys feelings for steve at ALL until season 4 like even WHILE THEY WERE DATING. its stupid. and like u said: nancy isnt like that !! she’d never directly hurt anyone :( shes so kind and loyal and the writers are mean

and jancy ,,, ugh they have sm potential if the writers would just figure them out. they keep having the same argument of jon wanting to care for his family and nancy wanting to uncover and explore shit its just. ugh.

for season 4 i will DEF be retconning some shit because yeah. im not dealing with a repeat love square that will be resolved literally THIS SEASON in season 2. feels so dumb to be so repetitive. i will however bring in some elements in that love triangle back in 4 but not in any definitive or dramatic way. smh

[phantomoftheorpheum]

idea! Jen should’ve been in on it! i agree with everything you said in terms of the freezer. it would’ve made perfect sense if Jen was connected to Bloody Rose.

how did the cult get all of that deep/personal information on the liars to make the Hell House? still unanswered. Jen could’ve been this person because they made it a point to show Jen hang out with the liars once or twice. Imogen or one of them even says “you’re one of us.” it would have been the perfect betrayal. i think Wes makes sense for the film and his resentment towards Tabby. i think Mrs. Langsberry makes sense for her resentment towards Tabby. but there was no true betrayal like i was hoping for/looking forward to. if they showed more of Jen getting close with the girls then this could have worked so well.

first, write out Shawn instead of dragging the poor guy through all of this and just introduce Jen without the cheating in juvie backstory. get her close to the girls and Noa. she can still be a suspicious manipulator (lol) but maybe tone it down a little to fool the audience and the girls themselves. then she offers up Johnny and Christian for being suspicious and plants that seed in the girls’ minds. then she helps put those bodies in the freezer to frame Johnny and the mask somehow to frame Christian.

maybe she’s promised a cut of the films profits, she’s a lost soul herself. then reveal for involvement in the finale. it could’ve worked!

I hear you! There are so many potential ideas here, the fact that the love triangle had nothing to do with literally any other storyline on the show was so frustrating!

I really, really believed Jen had a major secret of some kind to be revealed in the finale, and I was so disappointed that there was nothing. I had so many ideas for her with varying levels of "betrayal/antagonism" depending on whether they wanted to keep her in the show as a love interest or not. She could have had secrets around her family (that could cause conflict with Noa without Jen being "evil,") but no malicious intent, she could have been paid to come to Millwood and reconnect with Noa (and then either actually fallen for Noa and tried to do damage control, or being revealed as completely self serving), she could have provided private info to SpookySpaghetti but not realized how serious that situation was, or she could have been fully involved and in on the BR plot. I know a lot of people really dislike her (I think this character would not be nearly as unpopular if they'd just written Shawn out and she hadn't been actively undermining an established ship), but I actually think she had a ton of potential as a character, be that as a protagonist or an antagonist. I just think they absolutely squandered that potential and this storyline was super frustrating to watch. But the fact that they introduced her as this mysterious figure from Noa's past, that Noa feels connected to, but doesn't actually know that well (she didn't seem to know almost anything about Jen's past), and who has some pretty obvious flaws (all the lying/stealing) right away, all of that is super interesting! It has more potential for conflict/twists/etc. than a lot of what we get with the love interests, but they didn't use it that way at all?

I was completely convinced that the love triangle wasn't just there for romantic drama (which it didn't even really provide, because they dangle the "uh-oh, what will happen when Shawn finds out," thing over our heads all season, but then don't even show the scene where he confronts Jen?? this show has a serious problem with cutting the legs out from under their own dramatic stakes), so it was frustrating to realize that it took up so much time and was completely disconnected from everything else. I did think Jen was going to be involved with BR when she started pointing the finger at Johnny and Christian and then the evidence showed up framing them, but I was also willing to accept other explanation for how she fit into the story and why she had so much suspicious behavior, I just expected something. Instead, all that potential just fizzled out.

I definitely think they should have written Shawn out between seasons. Think how much time could have been saved if Noa's plot didn't have the love triangle? There would have been time for her to hang out with other members of the group one on one! There would have been time to explore Jen as a character/person, so we could maybe get some insight into her stealing and her mindset. I think all the love interests have suffered (literally every single one of them, even Ash, who I unapologetically adore) by there not being enough time to have any kind of arc for themselves (it sounds like they actually kind of tried to do this with Greg, but then cut most of it, so they didn't really have time for it, I guess), but it felt like Jen had hints of one, and then it just didn't pay off. Maybe next season. I know people didn't love this storyline (I did not love the storyline), but I'm open to the idea that they could do some course correction with Jen next season, but I guess we don't even know for sure if we're getting a next season yet, so we'll see!

[basicallyjaywalker]

The stupidest thing ever in Ninjago:

The Love Triangle™

I feel the opinion that the love triangle in Ninjago is one of the worst subplots is not only popular but very correct. heck, even ten year old rook who loved drama and romance hated it because it felt fundamentally *wrong*

And I mean there's the obvious point: it wasn't necessary. We did not need a love triangle we had Jaya and things were fine. I actually think the love triangle fundamentally screwed up the otherwise goofy wholesome dynamic Jaya had and showcases some of the worst flaws in how Nya is written

But we did have it and I have a lot of thoughts about it so in this rant-masquerading-as-an-essay we will discuss

The timeline of the love triangle and Jaya generally

Why it's unnecessary, out of character, and generally pretty dumb as a recurring plot

Why Nya was the least wrong of everyone involved in it and also done the most dirty by it

Strap in because this is gonna be a very angry ride

To Recap…

Jaya was initially hinted at in the pilots with a line that was very uncomfy

" You have a sister? Is she hot?" *Gets elbowed for weird teenage boy crimes*

Thanks, I hate it, but Jay seems to be less creepy when the series actually starts and he has his clear crush on Nya. The crush even seems to be reciprocated and they appear to be unofficially official in S1 and S2, including Jay LOSING HIS MARBLES when Nya is captured and Cole makes an accidental pun

And then we hit S3 and I want to commit crimes.

In episode 1 of S3 there is an exchange wherein Nya is talking about how none of her male students listen to her and

Jay: Heyyy Ms. Nya, I saved you a pudding cup!

Nya: what did we talk about?

Jay: Oh right! Boundaries!

This exchange seems to imply that Jay and Nya are on a break, broken up, or possibly just not together in the first place and I misread things and now that they're older Jays teenage boy awkwardness is less endearing and more just creepy.

In any case, we can draw that Nya is trying to gain more independence, and why wouldn't she? Her life from the start of this series has been defined by either a) her brother or b) Jays affection for her. Even when she was Samurai X her main relationships were annoying the ninja or sharing the secret with Kai and hiding it from Jay. Keep this in mind for later.

So later they go to tour Borg Industries, with the guys visiting Mr. Borg himself and Nya staying with the students. As they tour the invention floor they find *gasp* a machine run on flash! No literally I'm convinced this was some interns pet project Cyrus didn't have the heart to reject. A love machine to find your perfect match and, for fun, Nya steps onto it. All of the little girls giggle and talk about how it'll OBVIOUSLY show Mr. Jay!! And then it beeps and everyone looks horrified. Its. Cole? Wait wtf why Cole?

Prior to this the machine listed a lot of Nya's traits and it seems that it's matching them based on that? It's still odd. Anyways, it'll probably be fine because neither Nya nor Cole has shown any sign of attraction before, even in this episode, and it would make no sense for Nya to suddenly develop a crush based on what a stupid machine says-- oh that's exactly what she does? Well.

Okay sure MAYBE Nya harbored affection for Cole before this. Or maybe the machine makes her realize how much they have in common and that's why. Surely if Cole shared similar thoughts he'd have shown them naturally, since he wasn't part of this whole machine thing as demonstrated in the sudden cut-- oh no he starts making moves and reciprocating out of fucking nowhere? Well.

And then Jay finds out and sure this man has a lot of insecurities and he's bound to be a little jealous but I'm sure since hes a grown adult with a least a little more maturity than when he was a teenager he won't react by beating his best friend to a bloody pulp-- oh ffs. Well.

I will get more into the characterization of everyone later but after this initial fight things do not get better. Jay and Cole are constantly hostile to each other in this season and it continues up until Skybound which was pretty good, actually, and I just wanted to punch Jay in the face for a. Portion. Which solidified Jaya after a healthy dose of trauma bonding! And from what I understand they live happily ever after until Seabound ripped all of our hearts out and turned them to fine mist but I haven't seen past Hands of Time so it doesn't matter

Now with that out of the way, let's get into

Why this entire thing was bullshit.

It was unnecessary

No but fr why did they write this in???? The main reason I can think of is it adds a conflict but here's the thing: if they wanted to develop Jaya, give them conflict and make them stronger as a couple they ALREADY HAD A STARTING POINT. Harken back to the pudding cup interaction earlier. There you go! Nya is tired of her life being defined by the men around her. She wants a break to be able to find herself and be independent again. Jay is insecure and worried this means she doesn't love him and overcompensates trying to "win her back." It offers opportunities for both comedy (Jay finding more and more elaborate ways to try and impress her while everyone else tries to break through to him that he's nuts) and actual serious lessons about relationships (Nya telling him that while she still loves him and maybe one day they can have a future, she needs space and the opportunity to find herself, and maybe he can take the time to find himself too). It genuinely wouldn't change much of the dynamic they have from rebooted to Skybound, is not entirely annoying, and doesn't do either of them dirty in the character development department.

The only other reason I can think of other than extra drama is they wanted to introduce a new relationship dynamic, that of Cole and Nya. But 1. It's obvious from the start that they're not endgame so it's pointless to explore them, it's just for drama. And 2. we already had Pixane this season introduced in the same episode and also know as The Best Thing To Ever Happen To Ninjago. So again, I reiterate that the love triangle was entirely unnecessary because of you wanted a new ship you had Pixane and if you wanted Jaya conflict you could just make it internal.

Everyone is written like me doing a Degrassi AU of this show

Let's start with Nya.

Nya is commonly characterized in the show as an independent, self-confident young woman who refuses to be in a boy's club. But don't take my word for it, because when I mentioned the machine that catalyzed this whole thing listed off details about her, that is exactly what it said. And I don't disagree with it, which is why it feels even stupider that in this whole thing, Nya is just sort of a bystander. Like, let's go through the OOC things she does throughout this plot

-listens to the machine at all

Nya comes across as the type of person who would not trust a simple machine with a dumb name (Perfect Match like really???) to decide her fate unless SHE made it. So for her to not only go along with using this thing with no reluctance, but also just DEVELOP FEELINGS for Cole out of the blue based on it?? Feels so out of character for her!! If anything it would feel more in character for her to get on the machine reluctantly after the girls beg her too, see it's Cole, laugh it off publicly ("haha, Cole? Must be broken") but then worry about it in private or just be unfazed. Nya's independence and desire to be defined by her own actions instead of her brother and his friends' contradicts this action because it just. Doesn't seem in character. IDK this as the catalyst just makes me nuts because of reasons I will get into when talking more about Nya later

-her affections towards cole

I already sort of covered this so I'll just reiterate. Prior to this, there were no clear indications that Nya liked Cole romantically. The machine seems to have planted the idea in her and she ran with it. We've discussed why that's OOC for her. Moving on.

-how she proceeds to act in the dynamic

She doesn't. This is more just bad writing and less her being OOC but it's still OOC that the most agency she gets is yelling at Jay and Cole for fighting at the junkyard and picking which wire to cut which amounted to nothing anyways grrrr--

Sorry that's another scene that makes me mad because it's very dumb. Anyways.

Nya literally feels like a bystander in this whole thing. Her general vibe seems to be. Annoyance with the whole thing. Which I get I'm annoyed too but that only sticks around for S3 and after? It's purely focused on Jay and Cole's conflict. Hell when they have a whole "she's yours you can have her" scene in S4 (which means nothing because it's still going in S5 and S6) SHES NOT EVEN PRESENT. It's just them talking about her like she's an object which feels OOC for both of them too.

I'm going to get more into this when I just talk about Nya so we're going to move on for now

To Cole. What the fuck my guy?

-developing feelings for nya

Never shown to have this before. Doesn't even have a machine to blame. It actually almost feels like he did it to spite Jay. Moving on.

-the fact that it just keeps going

Again Cole has NO reason or motivation or skin in this game? Like it's so weird that he just keeps fighting with Jay over it and is just as passionate about it. It feels like he should be more confused about where he stands on this. Maybe he likes Nya? He never considered it before but maybe he does. But also Jay is his friend and he knows Jay likes Nya too. It's so weird that he literally Mr. Steal Yo Girl's this thing OR just isn't listening to Nya when she obviously seems unsure about her relationship status

Cole's was short because his problems are very surface. He just is here for the plot to work because you can't have Kai do it, that's her brother, and you can't have Zane do it because he has a cool new android gf, and you can't have Lloyd do it bc that's his found family sister. But it just feels OOC the entire time.

Now for the best. Jay. Oh my beloved Jay.

Now this whole thing is semi in character for him. He's super insecure and has a huge crush on Nya, so him being a little upset at Cole and her possibly being an item makes more sense. What doesn't make sense is

-HOW NUTTER BUTTER HIS REACTIONS ARE + HOW PUSHY HE IS

Throughout the seasons this stupid ass plot occurs in, Jay's teenage boy crush on Nya reaches a level that makes me openly and violently cringe as someone who not only loves Jay, but really likes Jaya. First, there's his first reaction to finding out. It makes sense that he's a little upset, maybe hurt, at finding out that apparently Cole is Nya's perfect match, but to then violently take that out on Cole and become weirdly possessive of Nya feels like the writers took his sincere insecurities and cranked them up to crazy levels. Jay is absolutely insecure, don't get me wrong. He definitely seems to understand that he's the clown and coward of the team, and that's part of his arc in Skybound which was pretty good, actually and that's why. But his insecurities have always been portrayed as inward before this. He retreats in on himself and gets anxious, not violent. Take S1 for example, during Once Bitten, Twice Shy (I believe that's the episode) when during his date with Nya he continuously worries about screwing up and runs away to deal with it. He never takes it out on anyone else. He can be physical when he's anxious, iirc he shook someone during a freak out when the Devourer was released, but that was more him just being Extra and not being mad at that person specifically. The only other time his anxieties caused him to lose his shit like this--and caused him to be violent towards Cole over nya, coincidentally--was when Nya was literally captured by Garmadon and the Overlord in S2 after a heated battle was lost and Cole made a very poor word choice, and he stopped almost immediately when Wu intervened because he realized that it wasn't an appropriate reaction. Jay is not a violent person. He's an anxious one. Him attacking Cole over a comment he OVERHEARD from Pixal with no prior build up makes NO SENSE to me.

Additionally in future seasons he becomes weirdly possessive/obsessed w Nya. Again, he was always shown as having a borderline desperate crush on her, but he always kept his awkwardness to a minimum both around her and in private. I mean, take S1 again for example, where he wears cologne to smell good and impress her (well, it was perfume and gave her an allergic reaction, thanks guys, but regardless) as opposed to S6 where he is LITERALLY the pushiest mfer alive. Constantly not listening to her and violating her clearly stated boundaries (one of my least favorite parts of Skybound. I have a lot of feelings about that season and need to rewatch it) goes against his character again!! And yes, the argument can be made that that was because he was trying to force the fate he saw in Possession, but I still think it's OOC for him to become as pushy and creepy as he was. Again, Jay is absolutely an insecure dumbass who catastrophizes and is hopelessly crushing on this woman who is definitely out of his league. however his going so far into the creep zone long after the awkward teenage boy phase feels like the writers, again, took his flaws and just cranked them up for drama

Sorry I've harped on this for so long. It will not get better when I go in depth about how Nya was done dirty in this plot.

Generally, this was a stupid plot

Aside from being unnecessary, aside from being OOC for all involved... The love triangle is just Stupid. Let's look at the actual affects it had for the 4 seasons it occurred.

Rebooted

Jay and Cole have one serious fight and there's one serious scene where Nya has to "choose" that we don't see the outcome of and is literally never elaborated on again.

After that it's jokes.

Tournament of Elements

Cole and Jay don't wanna rejoin forces because they hate each other because of Nya. They have one serious fight in which Cole is like "she's yours" (not how that fucking works). Nya has literally no say the entire time.

Possession

Some light Nya x Cole scenes after Cole becomes a ghost. Jay sees him and Nya together in the glass. Can't remember any serious fights

Skybound

Literally the driving factor of the season.

Notice a pattern? Aside from Skybound, the love triangle serves little purpose other than being a driver for Jay and Cole conflict. Nya has little to no agency, not even being present for the conflicts in ToE. Which brings me to my final point and the driving factor behind why I wrote this whole thing to begin with

Nya was robbed.

I could again write an entire essay about how the Ninjago writers flip flop on Nya all the time, but for now I'll contain it in this essay.

One of my biggest gripes about the writing of this show is how they flip flop constantly between Nya being a character used for the boys development and being an independent character who looks after herself. The love triangle is a prime example of this.

Nya is an independent woman who listens to a random machine when she's trying to define herself apart from a relationship. Nya is a self-confident woman who doesn't get a say when the other two decide who can have her. Nya repeatedly and consistently denies Jay's advances in Skybound, only to make a dramatic turn at the end and choose him.

You see what I mean? It's infuriating. Nya is constantly given lip service as a strong woman, but when the time comes the writers will gladly toss her aside in favor of developing the men in her life. It's annoying, it's aggravating, and it's fully on display in this subplot, wherein she's given little agency and acts like a prop for the writers to use. Jay wins the girl, but why was the girl "winnable" in the first place? Why wasn't she given the space to actually have moments aside from "gasp, she's holding his hand!" to really explore her feelings on camera? Why does her life continue to be defined by her relationships with her brother, his friends, and her boyfriend?

So....

The Love Triangle fucking sucked. It sucked so bad I'm almost convinced it was worse than bringing back Garmadon. It sucked because it was pointless, with even a 9 year old able to see where it would end. It sucked because it took two seasons of characterization for three different characters and threw it out the window. It sucked because it was barely important to any development other than Jay's, and it required making him worse than he is to work. It sucked because it represents a cornerstone in a larger problem surrounding how Nya is treated in the series.

It sucked so bad I spent almost a week writing a 40 paragraph essay/rant about how much I hate it.

[whencallstheheart]

Brian Bird via Twitter: Just like none of our lives ever goes in a straight line... so it goes in Hope Valley. My advice to #Hearties is open your arms wide to whatever transpires. This show has always been more about the forest than the trees. It will make sense soon and I believe it will be transformational for all, as long as our hearts are open.

Oh no we’re back to Brian Bird’s insanely cryptic messages.

BB has definitely gotten Team Nathan’s hopes up before so this wouldn’t be anything new from him, but since the post he was replying to stated that Nathan and Elizabeth would never be together, “transformational” was an interesting word to use. He also asked everyone to “open your arms wide to anything that transpires”.

I suppose this post could be taken either way, maybe he’s trying to reassure Lucabeth fans that despite the weird path they’re taking this season, by the end it will all be ok?

I have never been more confused in my life, at least in season 8 there was a chance that it wouldn’t be Nathan. Whereas now it all seemed so final in season 9, so this change of tone in season 10 is so confusing.

While i’ll always be open to a flip (Nathan and Elizabeth are just incredible together!!), it would be naive of me to think it could be done in a way that would make the hardcore Lucabeth fans happy because at the end of the day, as seen with Team Nathan in season 8, their guy not getting picked even if he’s treated like absolute GARBAGE by Elizabeth is a loss. (I am aware she was grieving so I suppose you can’t really blame her? Maybe a little?)

Could be entirely a ratings thing at the end of the day, whether it was the Nathan hostage situation or the sort of reigniting of the Triangle, episode 9 did get 2 million viewers (I believe). Is that the highest this season? While I wouldn’t take total credit for Nathan bringing in the viewers, the drama of it all CERTAINLY does.

I've gone a long time not seeing a post from that man. I can't stand him. We can't really go off anything he says since it could definitely be taken multiple ways and he loves to stir the pot.

I read an article (this one) that had some snippets from an interview with one of the writers and he sort of had the same message about trusting that things are going to be okay... however they end up being.

“When we were trying to figure out what to do with Elizabeth this year… (we thought) let’s not make it such a straight line,” he said. “Let’s just explore how she gets there. There are no wrong answers. Of course, the fans will read into everything that happens with her, but … she’s an interesting character… Without giving anything away… (that’s) the journey that we’re on with her.”

“I hope it ends up in a position where everyone is supportive of Elizabeth and happy for her and excited about the future,” he said. “…And I think the resolution…is the right way, and hopefully the fans are happy too… Again, we’re mid-season, we’re trying to create questions…”

They've certainly created a lot of questions! I honestly have no idea what's going to happen. Maybe we won't know until next season. I could see them ending on some big cliffhanger where things are left undecided and that would be really frustrating. Hopefully that's not the case.

It would be a really huge deal for them to break up Lucas and Elizabeth but I feel like there's been some seeds planted this season that they might be using as a way to explain it. We see them being pulled in different directions and not always on the same page. She clearly has doubts about the wedding that seem like more than cold feet. It wouldn't be a shock for them to break up if this were the real world. She has her son to consider as well. There's also the whole issue of maybe she's in love with another man. That's a good reason to end things. Her grief could explain why she didn't pick Nathan but it could also explain why she was drawn to Lucas as the safe choice. Are we able to trust her judgement either way? Maybe she wasn't ready at the time to pick Lucas either but felt like she had to make a choice. I think it has to apply to both men in a way if they're going to throw that reasoning around.

It'll be really interesting to see how this all unfolds. Neither side is necessarily all that happy right now. Team Lucas fans are upset with how Elizabeth is acting and rightfully so. Team Nathan can't trust any of this and we always think he deserves better than what he gets.

I really don't think they did this plot for the ratings but it's giving them a little boost because of everyone freaking out, surely. Maybe they predicted fans would react this way but it's also a gamble. They might get some people to tune in again but if they get screwed over they're not coming back. I think ratings would be higher if they just let Nathan be happy and have a decent relationship. It doesn't have to be with Elizabeth but it's almost like it needs to be at this point since they won't let him be happy with anyone else when there was literally no reason why. Maybe Elizabeth is the reason.

[coldflasher]

Thallen ✨

Once again I am behind haha. This is a much more straightforward one. It's a no from me on this one! 1. Why don’t you ship it?

The main reason I don't ship this one is almost entirely because of Eddie as a person, to be honest. He's very sweet, but the man is so vanilla and I honestly don't think they really gave him much of a personality. They knew they were going to kill him off from day one, and I think because of that, they didn't really develop him much beyond "blandly nice, likeable dude." He's... saccharine, is probably the best way I can describe it. Very white picket fence. Don't get me wrong, I like him well enough, but there's a reason that I don't really include him in fics even as a love interest for Iris, and it's mostly because I don't think there's that much substance there and I have a hard time digging deeper into him because they never really gave us a lot to work with. What do we know about Eddie, other than that he's kind and a good boyfriend? Some very brief backstory about him being bullied that never gets explored and only serves to explain why and how he knows how to fight. That's kind of it. I absolutely can and will glom onto a side character with minimal backstory, but there has to be something to hook me in. We got a whole season of Eddie and I feel like he was less developed than some of the random metas of the week that we've had for a single episode.

To be fair, Barry also throws a spanner in the works of this ship for me, because Barry does NOT like Eddie at first, and not in a fun enemies to lovers way where they're sniping at each other and you get that fun banter. Eddie isn't in on it and has no idea that Barry dislikes him, so it feels like punching down. Don't get me wrong, I love all the scenes where Barry is sulking and rolling his eyes and making cheap, bitchy digs about him, because they're really funny---but because Eddie is so cheerful and nice and genuinely has no clue that Barry's being a dick about him being his back, it just ends up making Barry look petty and mean. I mean, he IS, and I love him for it (god i miss bitchy s1 barry and the giant chip on his shoulder) but I don't love that dynamic from a ship perspective.

2. What would have made you like it?

So there are two very different directions they could have taken Thallen that would have made it easier for me to get behind. One would be if they had let Eddie fight back more. Like aside from punching him that one time after he confessed his love for Iris, Eddie doesn't really react or fight or do anything but stew in silence when he realises what's going on behind his back. I think they should have let him be meaner about it, honestly. Make him more flawed and give him a darker side.

Alternatively, I liked the moments of friendship we got between him and Barry and the love triangle could have been more interesting if they'd leaned into that more, imo. Add more conflict with Barry being genuinely torn about knowing that if he does get with Iris, he will be betraying a close friend who he's actually come to care about a lot in his own right... then he starts to care about Eddie in a suspiciously homoerotic way and the audience gets confused about who those longing stares are really aimed at... who's he really pining for? Is it still Iris? Or is he now jealous of both of them 👀 ooh, the drama

3. Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

I love this scene. You all know.

HARDER!!

Also I really like the scenes we get after Eddie finds out the big secret, where they're all driving around in Joe's car while Barry catches bad guys and they're all having so much FUN with it, and Eddie is in so much awe of what Barry can do... what a sweetheart. He deserved better :(

I do think they had potential, I just wish they had developed the friendship and the dynamic and Eddie as a character because I feel like I never got a good grip on him as a character, really

Send me a ship and I’ll answer three questions based on if I ship it or not.

[tal-vez-o-quizas]

Jumpscare: a Milkvan post emerged on my Dashboard!

Tumblr recommended me a Milkvan post out of nowhere!

I need to share it, wow.

I'm gonna remove the usernames though, because I don't want to cause a mess (even though they named Byler in the post):

Now, I don't go into the Milkvan tag, NEVER, so I don't know if some Bylers have really been going at it on their tag, which is not okay, but there are just so many things wrong in this, lol.

But first, these are the comments on the post:

I'm baffled.

1. Their scenes are super boring? Because they actually talk and try to fix their communication issues? Which actually works...

2. Them saying that Byler interactions "kinda boil down" to Will saying that he's sad and that Mike always agrees but mentions El only happened in S2, with the crazy together. Just that's one scene in the entire S2 and that's it, lol. Mike took it back to them right away and the fact that he mentioned El meant that he knew she will understand Will's trauma because she's been through something similar.

It is true that El is part of many of their interactions, but it's not the center because things tend to go back to Byler. Have they never wondered why though? Mike is unable to balance El and Mike. Will brought El in S3 because Mike was making a big deal out of El breaking up with him too, which seems fitting because teenagers do think those issues are the center of their universe, but her name is never unprompted or out of nowhere.

Also, El is part of many of the Byler interactions because they're in A FREAKING LOVE TRIANGLE that the show is throwing on their faces but they deny to see it.

Besides, Will and El are heavily paralleled in the show...

3. So Byler not having as many scenes of them goofing around and having fun the same way Milkvan "do" means they're not entertaining? It's like saying comedy is the only genre that is entertaining when you also have drama, thriller, horror, terror, sci-fi and more. They all bring many entertaining aspects.

Will and Mike do have fun talking, they have "goofed around" but that is not the chore of their friendship and connection. Notice how this Milkvan mentions that Byler have no fun because they think that being goofy is the only way we can enjoy a ship or like that is the way all couples interact.

4. Byler having no substance it's a lie and they pulled that out from their glutes. Even the GA, who are not shippers by any means, appreciate how beautiful and heart-warming their scenes are. Mike helps Will and Will does the same. It's a 2-way-street.

5. Mike and Will just argue and are sad together? Really? This coming from a ship whose main arc from the last 2 seasons have been their fights and how their actions make them both sad and insecure?! Really now.

6. When did we ever say that Milkvan is boring? No one said that. I think most of us just say that their pairing (powered-girl gets attached with nerd-insecure-boy) is very "been there done that" and that's it. We found them extremely adorable and entertaining in the first 2 seasons. They were annoying in S3 (like most characters that season, lol) but they were still entertaining. S4 brought the "I Love You" situation again and that was tiring, but it had a purpose and Milkvans choose to ignore why (Byler).

7. Lastly, Milkvan is a "healthy, functional relationship"? Oh, so El lying to pretend things are fine because Mike didn't followed up that "I love her and I can't lose her again" vomited declaration from S3 (which made her insecure and made her feel the need to paint a perfect picture to Mike) nowhere near any of the letters Mike sent to her for 6 months is healthy and functional? Sure. El always deviating from the main topic every time Mike has tried to apologize after an issue they have, without owning up to her mistakes and getting far away from from connecting and communicating properly as a couple is also healthy? Absolutely.

Feel free to add whatever you want guys, but please don't tag the Milkvans. I just want to hear your opinions on this nonsense, haha.

[willel]

If I remember correctly you do not exactly ship Byler, right?

If you feel free to talk about this topic, I wanted to ask you something as a non-shipper; would you be okay with Will having a new boyfriend (even if we'll see Will and his boyfriend for a couple of episodes), or would you want him to just get over Mike but ultimately just be happy about himself and accepting himself?

I do not consider Byler possibly happening because i do not think it is going to. That's why I am just asking your opinion without including Byler as a possibility.

Ye, I don't ship any of the ships, though I make some exceptions for Jopper and a bit of Jancy. Now Lumax. Even with those, if they didn't end up together, I would not be bothered so you can see why I'm not sure if I can really call myself a shipper.

At the end of the day, I want these characters to be happy. I want them to feel personally fulfilled. I want them to feel accomplished and self assured. I don't want their happiness to depend on another person being with them romantically. I want them to have achieved SOME happiness, even if it's not ALL the happiness.

I, as a person, do not view having a romantic relationship as the end all be all of happiness. Even for characters whose entire story is about romance, I think there is more to be said about the other things they succeed in doing whether they "get the girl" (or boy) or not.

It doesn't matter to me if Will gets a boyfriend. It doesn't matter to me if El keeps a boyfriend. The "boyfriend" is just one possibility for their happiness, not the ultimate solution. In fact, it's such a tiny fraction that people decide to hone in on for some reason.

What I'm looking for is for Will to feel like he isn't a mistake. For him to feel safe telling his loved ones who he really is. (really hoping for Joyce in this case) For him to not be the third-wheel friend. For him to feel confident to speak his mind sooner before he explodes like he tends to do. I want him to feel like he's someone's first priority in a good way whether it's platonic or romantic. I want him to realize he can keep his old friends AND make new ones, he doesn't have to subject himself to this harsh loneliness.

As I stated in the past, I have no idea what the hell the writers are doing with the Byler/Mileven plot line and I think they already screwed it up beyond repair so I care about it even less now. To me, it looks nothing more than potential teenage drama Teen Wolf style or something. Or should I saw Twilight. Whichever is worse. Not necessarily because that's how it's written, but because of how it's been perceived by the fandom and how everyone has been behaving.

Will's story arc about his sexuality and slowly coming to terms with what he thinks is his place in the world is sad and so very interesting. Not to mention how this supernatural plot is wrapped up in his personal growth and trauma. The actual romantic part of it? Eh.... doesn't pull me. (and neither does El's lovelife)

Having read all that, I'm sure you and others can understand why a lot of people support something like Byler whether it happens or not, but also why there are plenty of other gateways that can lead to Will's happiness that can or won't include another guy. I don't know which is more likely.

I have no idea what the writers are doing with this dumb love triangle bonanza and I could've lived my life without it. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm not looking forward to the conclusion. I just know when season 5 hits, I will be blocking all the ship tags. My opinion doesn't matter at all. No ones does except the writing team and their whiteboard.

I'd like to leave off with this. Something I like to reiterate on all posts like this. CANON DOESN'T MATTER. If you ship a ship, then ship it. It's your business and no one else. No one can tell you what to like. There is no law on the books that you can only ship canon. I ship one of the biggest non-canon ships in history probably and we're chill and minding our own business even with canon people constantly spamming us or stealing our content for themselves.

So I'm just sayin', whatever side of this silly war you are on, you'll be way better off not bothering the other side and enjoying your own ship to the very end.

[noco7]

Do you think the love triangle was forced?

I like how you say "the love triangle." I know you mean Gwen-Duncan-Courtney but like. There was a Cody-Gwen-Trent triangle before them, and an Ella-Dave-Sky love triangle afterwards. They are not the only TD love triangle out there.

I'm going to be honest, I don't personally care about the Gwen-Duncan-Courtney love triangle. I don't get the outrage. So many people see it as the end of the glorious D*ncney empire, but that relationship was crumbling before Gwen got there. I also don't care much for Gwen or Duncan as chacters 💀 Courtney all the way, and Evil!Courtney is Best!Courtney, so the love triangle did not destroy my favorite character lmao. Sorry for the rest of y'all though.

And yeah. It was forced. I think everyone believes that, and I kinda doubt you anon - that you asked this question in good faith. You just wanted to see me rant, didn't you?

And I'm gonna do it, cuz I love ranting. Yes, The Love Triangle was forced. And that's the biggest problem with it, imo. Not the result. Not Gwuncan. But all the steps it took to get there.

It's no question that Gwen and Duncan's like for each other was a little.... abrupt. They are alike, and I could even argue that they WOULD make a decent couple, but Fresh wasn't interested in writing a decent couple, and I'll touch more on that later. They were interested in the drama. So suddenly, Gwen starts missing Duncan. Suddenly, Duncan kisses her. And huzzah, one of the most controversial moments in TD History.

After all what's more soap opera than the girl's boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend? And to get to that scene, S2 and S3 were made a fuckton worse.

The thing about Gwuncan is not just that it's poorly written. It's because the writers had to demolish Gwent and Duncney to get there. And instead of putting down Gwent with grace and dignity, or having their relationship generally peter out, the writers just machet-ed it. And in the fandom's eyes, that's *Gwuncan's* fault.

In the real world you can't blame your bad breakup on the next guy your girl gets with. But this isn't the real word, this is writing. And word on the street is that TD had to fuck up Gwent so that they could get Gwuncan. So now Gwuncan represents the downfall of Gwent.

Duncney, on the other hand, was just... they needed to make the relationship worse in Action, obviously. But how they went about it (even I though I enjoy evil Courtney), did a disservice to her character arc in Island. There's nothing wrong with characters regressing, or making a dark turn, but like. You need to have a reason.

A lot of people say that reason was her anger on being rigged out. And she's right to be angry about it. But how is it Duncan's fault? (I actually have a figured out a way that makes sense but like, TD didn't. And we're examining THEM.)

So now Duncney sucks, so Duncan has a "reason," to cheat on her.

Great. So that's why S2 sucks. What about S3?

I See London. As a Noah stan, this episode doesn't hurt me, and it never did. But as a *writer*? Oof. Some of the worst slop I've seen.

I See London is completely built for the Gwuncan moment, and it's so fucking obvious. Gwen and Courtney building a friendship? It's just to make the betrayal all the harder. Duncan somehow being in London, despite being dropped off in Egypt? Yeah, just for Gwuncan. Gwen helping KIDNAP him? Which is OOC for several reasons.... Just for Gwuncan. Even Noah's elimination could be tied to Gwuncan if you tried hard enough.

Gwuncan, as a writing moment, was the root of all evil. Lmao.

But Gwuncan as a ship? I'm going to be honest, I don't think the love triangle was to set up Gwuncan. Which doesn't make sense, but here me out. Sure Gwuncan happens as a result, but the focus is less on their relationship and more about how it affects Courtney. When it comes time to eliminate either Courtney and Gwen, they make up a fake reason to have a tie. (Cody would have voted for Courtney if he didn't have some random injury.) And then Gwen couldn't just lose, but had to have a random allergy? Like the elimination is so stupid, I can't.

But wow, one half of the ship is now gone. Their relationship lasted FOUR episodes! Four! Two long-standing fan beloved ships that spanned entire seasons, are now destroyed for ... four episodes? Why?

And then they make an episode where DUNCNEY get paired together in a WEDDING THEMED CHALLENGE? Bruh. Like I'm actually sad for Gwuncan, as a ship they were disrespected so bad. The show constantly put focus on Duncney, it's so clear that the writers wanted to talk about Duncney, and that Gwuncan was just a cool conflict they thought of.

It's honestly sad, and my deepest condolences for Gwuncan fans, and any Gwuncan fan who still ships Gwuncan and believes in them - y'all the strongest soldiers.

If TD had truly wanted to make Gwuncan a thing, yeah breaking up Gwent and Duncney was necessary (and perhaps they should have ended Duncney earlier and not just Then), but they should have written Gwuncan as two people fleeing terrible relationships. Let them have the audience's sympathy. And then have Courtney be eliminated instead, and show us how good Gwuncan could really be.

The fact that in All Stars they immediately ditched the Gwuncan idea is either proof they never wanted that ship, or that the audience hated the ship so bad that getting rid of it felt like the only option. Cowards. Should have just taken it as a challenge to prove how good it truly was. That's what I would have done. (That's why i write noco)

Tl;dr. Gwuncan's cheating moment was Cool Drama, Fresh wanted to cash in on that, played the long game and destroyed their savings in the process. But they did get what they wanted! But a cool moment is just that, a moment. And Fresh doesn't even like Gwuncan.

[charmixpower]

Look I’m a brella stan but even for me rivusa stole the whole show in season 5 and made it a big more tolerable and lowkey I would like to delude myself into thinking the animators made a conscious decision for that I mean I just rewatched them Christmas episode Bcs 2 more days till Christmassss and like there are so many subtle moments in that episode between them that made me go awwww🥺 like when the specialists arrived at alfea she was like “we weren’t expecting you” and he’s just holding her 2 hands🥺🥺🥺 (also i love how it’s basically Canon that all of the winx love their bfs tiddies that they also bury their faces in them when they hug) or like when u see musa and riven engaged in conversation that they don’t even notice the ice dragons and there’s a small moment where Stella says “we’re gonna bring Christmas to bloom” and idk why it’s animated in such a way that Musa turns to look BACK at riven and he looks down and smiles at her😭😭 (there’s also flora in the frame kinda side eyeing them lmao) like one to one was honestly a highlight in season 5 for me but for some reason ever tiny minuscule rivusa interaction in season 5 was so adorable and honestly outsold any form of drama that was happening between the couples Bcs why do most of not all the specialists act like incels in season 5

JOIN US

Just about every Rivusa shipper I know has Brella as their second favorite ship and vice versa for Brella shippers I know

We are sworn allies, join the ranks

The universe saw how much Winx fucked up Rivusa in s4 and karma kicked in to give them the spot light in s5 as they so clearly deserved, and then the universe was unable to stop the writers form committing any more crimes

Yesss it's so true!!! This is correct for any time their in the background together in s5, they're usually either being cute or making eyes at each other bc their amazing and I love them

Them not noticing the dragons is literally so cute I'm so obsessed with them, their so so so so so cute!!! I loved that the guys got to help with the Christmas stuff it was just so adorable of them 🥰🥰 I love seeing my boys included

Their so adorable, s5 was so rude for THREE DIFFERENT FUCKING LOVE TRIANGLES, but at least domestic Rivusa. Me with Tecmy in s4 tbh

PLEASE OMG YOUR KILLING ME

They were worse in s4. Like everyone had the egos the size of s1 Riven when he was a villain and everyone was so unnecessary jealous, in s5 their just stupid. If you pay attention their not doing it because their jealous or out of any negative feelings, they're just really stupid and don't understand how to flirt. It's funny, completely out of character and infuriating, but also funny

At least Helia's idiocy is balanced out by Flora suddenly becoming very easily jealous and easily unhappy with other girls, s4 was not so kind where only the guys were allowed to be the bad guys which is really annoying

I don't want my protagonists to always be in the right, it's not fun, interesting, and it doesn't develop their characters. Boo!!!!

S5 Sky tho....yeah he's whiney and entitled (he literally didn't care that Flora was upset (, but that's not really that bad when Bloom is EVEN MORE whiney and entitled (SHE KNEW HE WAS IN A ROYAL MEETING AND SHE THOUGHT SOME DRAMA WITH A BITCH SKY DONT EVEN LIKE WAS MORE IMPORTANT), so their made for each other

....

I'm so sorry Skloom shippers

[maya-matlin]

Just related to that ask you for jeyton qnd just an observation that all thr baby mama drama with Jake's ex and Jenny's mom worth noting that had that not really being a thing they would've had a better chance at a future together.

I think the endgame are pretty clear and Jake wasn't the focus though being a in and out love interest, satelite at times like s6 Sean tropes like on and off very inconsistent good hearts and good intentions and his life with a perpetual instinctively to run when shit goes sour but usually not bc of peyon but his ex who always shows up to ruin everything inconvenient but consistently

She baby trapped Jake that Nicki. I don't usually blame like that but the shoe fits. She was trying to worm her way to sink her claws in Lucas too but he wasn’t like clear mind and drunk. It implies that maybe Nicki is older and used it against Jake qnd manipulated them and all the little throw away explaining and the taking off and the coming back to steal kidnap or get her daughter back. I get she wants to be a mom but she went about it absolutely wrong. She's never in the right and I don't think she should be trusted with kids not ehen her own daughters. I'm not a parent or a genius but no she shouldn't procreate!

She is a mess. She seems like she has beef unrelated to Jenny and she's a pawn. Where Jake is genuine qnd would do anything to keep Jenny from her bc she's a risk qnd not a motherly type she's cold and idk. She is ruining Jake's life and giving him jail and shit and trying to take the custody. At least bad Rachel had a heart and is inconsistent and a victim of shit writing but can see Redemption but Nicki? She's just black. Her soul is so mangled and she is unkind and unacceptable and her behavior is just shitty. I know dramatics and it's a drama but she goes way too far. They can't come back from thus qnd Jenny doesn't deserve that. Peyton could've been a great mother despite her age. It's a shame that Nicki did what she did to Jake he was a good guy who got with the wrong girl. And it ruined his life. She's gonna stalk forever he'll run forever. It's so sad. I hope she doesn't turn around and choose Nicki over Jqke all this shit was bc Jake wanted to protect her. His daughter who took care of for most of her life. Ugh. I hope they're happy Jake and Jenny. They were victims of the narrative.

Idk I am not that passionate but evidently I am.

I completely agree with that. It's incredibly difficult for me to imagine a Jake without Jenny because to be honest.. that's his only arc. Practically every decision Jake makes revolves around what's right for Jenny and how he can give her the best life possible. But even without all of that, Jake is a truly good, down to earth guy. I don't think his core values dramatically shifted when Jenny was born. Without Jenny, I can definitely imagine Peyton still falling in love with Jake.

The endgames are a mess. I think a lot went on behind the scenes during seasons 1-3. The initial plan was obviously for Lucas and Peyton to end up together. Season 1 pretty much revolves around this concept. The original triangle was Lucas/Peyton/Nathan, something that was intended to go on for longer. Early season 1 Nathan, unlike Brooke, was a pretty outright bad guy (though not without complexity and then untapped potential) who had zero chance of ending up with Peyton. Whenever it was decided to pair Lucas with Brooke for a while, I'm sure everyone had to have taken note of Chad's strong chemistry with Sophia which was obviously also the case in real life. Mark Schwahn also allegedly wanted Bryan Greenberg to be a regular, but Bryan either didn't want this or kept booking other projects that kept him busy. So Jake was kind of coming and going, meaning the show was unable to commit to Jeyton for long. In the meantime, Chad and Sophia literally got engaged and later married. Joy, Sophia and Hilarie have been open on their podcast about how the writers sometimes borrowed from their real lives when coming up with story lines. So in my opinion, in season 2 there was serious potential for the endgames to have shifted to Brooke/Lucas and Jake/Peyton. A lot of work was put into Lucas falling for and committing to Brooke. The beats and ambiguous glances that you'd usually see from the main couple when they're with other people were pretty much absent during season 2. This is even set up when Brooke finds Lucas's Peyton box. The discovery of the box rattles Brooke, forcing her to question whether or not this guy that she's gradually let back into her life and still truly loves still pines for Peyton even now. Anyways, I'm way off topic, but Lucas uses the Peyton box as a way to kind of prove how deeply he regrets the season 1 cheating and fucking up with Brooke the first time around. It's not until season 3 where you start getting the "It's always going to be there, isn't it?" and the "This song makes me think of Luke. I mean Jake." By that point, the story had shifted back and was slowly working back to LP. I don't think it was executed well at all, especially on Lucas's side, but I won't get into that. And exactly! Jake never wanted to run and start over somewhere else. He seemed happy in Tree Hill with his family. But Nicki wouldn't leave Jake alone and didn't seem to have any interest in proving herself, especially if it wasn't going to win Jake back.

Everything about Nicki was disturbing and bizarre. To start with, the OTH writer's room was dominated by men. So we had to sit through multiple versions of similar "bitchy", "slutty" and "crazy" women who did nothing but anger and hurt the male characters. Nicki was simply the first. It was very apparent from Nicki's introduction that she wouldn't be redeeming herself. What Jake tells Lucas about he and Nicki's discussing abortion implies the pregnancy was unplanned. But Nicki is an extremely manipulative person, so it wouldn't be super shocking if she knowingly and intentionally got pregnant with Jake's baby to keep him with her. The time line is a bit muddled because we hear about how Jake entrusted Nicki with Jenny at one point, presumably after their breakup, and ended up finding Jenny freezing in Nicki's car outside of a bar. So clearly even before Nicki left town, she was sending off warning signs and proving herself to be a bad influence on their daughter. Nicki isn't remotely painted in a sympathetic light, so we don't know if substance abuse problems or postpartum depression could have been contributing factors in her behavior. But the fact Nicki displays predatory behavior, preferring to have the power over her romantic and sexual partners, it's hard for me to argue she's a good person or deserves better from the narrative. Even after seeing all she went through to track down Jake and Jenny in seasons 1 and 2, it's hard for me to legitimately say she wants to be a mother. We hear in season 3 that Nicki appears to be trying and is in a better place, but it's hard to reconcile that with how she's written in all of her on screen appearances. Then there's the fact Jenny called Peyton "mama". But I digress. I agree Nicki shouldn't have been a mother.

Yeah. Maybe it's just Nicki's personality and she's overall less emotive and selfless than Jake. Maybe it's the overall sexist writing. But the deck is very much stacked in Jake's favor. No matter how you look at it, he comes across as the far better, more reliable parent. YES! I understand Jake leaving town with Jenny was extreme and Nicki's threats may have been in response to Jake's refusal to give her a chance to parent their daughter, but she always came across so vindictive in regards to how she dealt with Jake. At one point, Nicki even tried to claim Jenny wasn't Jake's biological daughter. To be honest, it could be true. Nicki isn't the loyal type anyways, but clearly Jenny being biologically his was of less importance than their emotional bond. Right. Characters like Rachel, Taylor and Alex were all written to be very villainous early on but eventually showed they had depth and displayed true loyalty and love for the people around them. Nicki feels far more dangerous. No, I totally agree. I wish I could say Nicki had some redemptive qualities. She got some very rare time in the spotlight during the Boy Toy auction when she got to spend the night with Jake. Instead of us seeing a more vulnerable Nicki who deeply loved Jake and regretted her actions, she's written as kind of a succubus when she attempts to seduce him into taking her back, literally saying "Come back to me" and "We can be a family." Jake thankfully gets to speak his piece by the end of the episode, but Nicki responds to Jake's vulnerability by just saying that she'll force her way back into their daughter's life by going for custody. So after all of that, I'm not convinced enough by Jake claiming Nicki as of season 3 was "trying". Peyton would have been great for Jenny. I truly think she would have been happy settling down with Jake and becoming Jenny's mom. I know Peyton's love for Jake and Jenny is sometimes interpreted as her simply wanting a family, any family, but I strongly feel Peyton was telling the truth when she said she wanted that specific family. For the sake of Jake and Jenny, I hope Nicki actually got herself together and became a better person because they don't deserve to be burdened by her toxicity forever. Otherwise, I hope she got out of their lives for good.

[ichinoue]

Random question my friend is talking about the scene with orihime feeling jealous of rukia and explaining it to rangiku but has there ever been a specific scene where Ichigo ever felt jealous or insecure? My friend bought up Uryu and she thought he had a crush on Orihime and why didnt Ichigo feel insecure about that? I'm not to sure I'm new to the series but I an a ichihime shipper tho at least

I think you can see signs of Ichigo's romantic jealousy (although I would definitely say it's more protectiveness rather than jealousy) in the scenes where Shinji flirts with Orihime in front of Ichigo to get his attention, or when Tsukishima calls Orihime on the phone in front of Ichigo and speaks to her fondly to get Ichigo to snap. Both times, both guys were thrown up against a wall by an enraged Ichigo and Orihime was the trigger (and Shinji even accuses Ichigo of being jealous because "it's not like Orihime's your girlfriend!")

But again, I don't really see those moments as Ichigo being jealous that another guy is going to go out on a date with Orihime or something (although Kubo did drop that very implication with Shinji's girlfriend comment)...The allusion of Ichigo's jealousy is there, hinting at his feelings, but these moments have more to do with the fact that both of those guys were enemies at the time, getting way too close for comfort with the girl that Ichigo is super protective over. Which I actually prefer because it makes the whole thing a lot less toxic and keeps it from straying into unhealthy possession--because Ichigo doesn't see Orihime as an object that he's claimed as his own from other guys, but as a person he wants to protect from harm.

However, he IS still aware of other guys taking an interest in Orihime, as we see here:

The boys at school are whispering about Orihime, talking about how pretty she is, etc. One even took a picture of her without her consent. Stalker behavior, right?

…And then this happens, the very same day. The same day! Only four chapters later. Ichigo mentions that she’s likely to be followed/stalked (the ‘by guys’ is omitted). So let’s think about this. Ichigo, admittedly, has noticed the attention Orihime receives from other guys. He’s well aware of it. He pays attention to the guys—all these prospective males around her who want to date her? Ichigo pays attention to it. And he almost seems annoyed by it when he brings it up. His eyes being closed to deflect or hide the true meaning behind whatever reason he's bringing this up to her in the first place. And it makes Orihime blush. Kubo set the scenes up like this on purpose. Creepy guys whispering about Orihime and then Ichigo makes a comment like this only four chapter later? That’s not a coincidence.

As for Ichigo not feeling insecurity with regards to Orihime towards Uryu...I think what's more interesting is that it's actually the other way around: Kubo didn't have to write Ichigo feeling jealousy or insecurity towards Uryu, because he was already writing Uryu feeling that way about Ichigo.

Uryu's feelings for Orihime were never solidified in canon, but there were times throughout the manga where he was the one to give his own private insight on Orihime's feelings for Ichigo (his monologues from the Byakuya battle, and the lust arc). It could be said that he liked Orihime, but knew it was futile because she was already in love with Ichigo so he just stood back and kept his feelings to himself, in private monologues.

In which case, it wouldn't be necessary for Ichigo to show insecurity towards someone who had already conceded "defeat" and never once made their feelings known. If Kubo had done that, it could have ended up with a messy love-triangle of Ichigo and Uryu pitted against each other, both feeling jealous and insecure towards each other while vying for Orihime's heart, and I really don't think Kubo wanted that?? I don't think he wanted to bring any kind of overt-romance drama like that into the already established friendship-rivalry between Ichigo and Ishida (keep in mind that Kubo said romance was only supplementary to him). Having Uryu be the one to silently observe Orihime's feelings for Ichigo and the IchiHime dynamic was enough to get the point across.

However, I do think this moment is interesting:

Ichigo entrusting Orihime's safety to someone else. But not just anyone else--the same person that's been observing their dynamic, the same person whose feelings for Orihime were possibly being hinted at: Uryu. And Ichigo seems to struggle with it. Once again, his eyes/face are hidden, so as not to give away his emotions. He's reluctant to trust Orihime's safety with anyone else, tells Uryu to protect her with his own body, just like Ichigo himself does. And Uryu's just like "I didn't need you to tell me to do that, I would have anyway."

A very tense, very interesting moment.