#AND WHY DID DISNEY POST THIS

[thatoneandlonelyemo2005]

Sorry let me just

WHAT DO YOU MEAN

[cheeseburger443]

Old sketch

[peridotite]

cassunzel was insane. what if we took a disney princess and made an entire show about her in a friends to enemies to lovers sapphic situationship with her servant complete with romantic "i love you"s in the finale

[abnomi]

EVERY REASON (that i can think of) AS TO WHY TURBO/KING CANDY IS NEURODIVERGENT 💥💥

i would like to make a disclaimer first and foremost about the obvious, being that Turbo/King Candy is heavily implied to have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Very often, characters with these disorders are portrayed as villains, and Turbo is no exception to this. There's nothing wrong with antagonistic characters having said disorders, per se, but when the only representation available for people with these conditions are found in characters you're not supposed to root for, it can be really disheartening. i won't be erasing these parts of him because i feel it would be in poor taste to gloss over those core elements of who he is, but plz keep in mind that having any kind of personality disorder doesn't make anyone inherently evil!!!🌞 your ACTIONS make you, not your brain

Also if anyone has any suggestions or other ideas for his neurodiversity, i would love to hear them! please do share!! I LOVE PSYCHOANALYZING CHARACTERS AND HEARING OTHER PEOPLE PSYCHOANALYZE THEM !!!! YAY🎉 if u agree or disagree with any of my points I'd love to discuss them further :-]

without further ado... click read more to find out…😈 be ready for a lot of reaches

💥 ADHD 💥

STIMMING

Turbo's constantly moving around in some way; he's a very expressive character! even as King Candy, he can't seem to conceal his frequent giggling. it's a big habit of his; he seems to do it involuntarily to regulate himself, including when he's nervous or uncomfortable.

he seems to display other repetitive behaviors as well, like doing his iconic thumbs-up pose, sticking out his tongue, or hopping around gleefully. he is but a jovial court jester..

i personally like to think that his phrases, "Turbo-tastic!" and "Have some candy!" are vocal stims of his, although i equally really love the interpretation that these (and the aforementioned stims) are tics :-]

another headcanon; i think it would make a lot of sense for him to have an oral fixation of some sort (ignoring the whole sigmund freud part of the term ermm...); just lots of biting, chewing, needing to have something in his mouth. It would align with the whole idea that he smokes, too

HYPERACTIVITY

we can clearly see throughout the film that Turbo has a lot of energy, made abundantly clear by his mannerisms and general behavior. he's constantly moving, using exaggerated expressions and gestures to communicate + express himself. He's one of the most animated and bouncy characters in the movie, next to Vanellope! it's silly how a character not very grounded in reality is such a threat, but i suppose that's what makes him so threatening in the first place...

another factor in this is how he is very adrenaline-seeking, craving activities that give him a rush (sugar rush...😂😂). more on that in a bit!!

HYPERFIXATION

Turbo's fixation with winning is all-consuming for him; it's an obsession. he doesn't appear to care about much else, if anything besides it. this could be interpreted as a hyperfixation for him (or special interest if ur all about that autism lifestyle), as it overtakes all of his focus and impedes every process of his mind.

it's clear that racing is much more than a passion for him, and while that fact is due to how he was programmed, it's a major character trait of his regardless that could be correlated to neurodivergence.

HYPERFOCUS

There seems to be a big theme of "all or nothing" when it comes to Turbo. he will either be fully dedicated to something or brush it aside without a second thought. it can't be denied that he fully wraps himself up in what he wants, whether it's a conflict he can't let go of or a new pursuit he's hungrily chasing after. 

ultimately, his dedication varies depending on if it is relevant to him and his interests or not, but this aspect of him still shares patterns with neurodivergent thought processes.

INSTANT GRATIFICATION

Seeing as he has a tendency to cheat in his use of code to spawn in whatever his heart desires, it can be assumed that this could do with Turbo wanting instant gratification to fill that bitter, empty void inside of him. while this could simply be brushed aside as greed and his belief that he is obligated to have access to whatever he wants, this trait is consistent with his generally dopamine-seeking behavior and wanting to be instantly rewarded by his actions. His obsession with needing to feel good directly relates to his need for another buzz, constantly after the next rush. (a sugar rush if you will☺☺☺)

ADRENALINE-SEEKING

Closely related to the previous speculation, Turbo always seems to be chasing his next high. he loves the thrill of action and being surrounded by crowds of people below him. it's why his big thing is racing! people cheer him on, he can do whatever he wants, he can go really fast and look cool..

it's possible that a big aspect of why he does this is to distract himself from any kind of pain, because pain = vulnerability. bro does NOT know how to independently cope with his own problems.. HE MAD AS HELLLLL!!! 😂😂

STRUGGLE WITH SELF CARE

(i know this is reaching but bear with me... 🐻) going off of his appearance and tendency to make poor decisions, it can be gathered that this man lacks skill in the self care department. his yellowing teeth and sunken eyes not only serve to complement his design, but also give way to the idea that he neglects himself in favor for whatever weird scheme he's up to.

of course, Turbo does prioritize himself above everyone else, but he doesn't strike me as the type to care much about how others think he smells. him being a bother to anyone isn't a concern of his. he cares about whatever gets him the most praise and attention from as many people as possible, which is winning and racing. Who cares about how clean he is when he's up on a podium holding a shiny, golden trophy, anyway?

It's likely that he had to step his game up when he went under disguise as king candy, which is why he looks well-groomed in comparison to his more corpse-like appearance. Ugly hoe. it can also be assumed that he's had more time to focus on himself because everyone loves him without question... Well, except for Vanellope, but who cares about her, right?

also, i know he makes a condescending comment to Ralph about how bad his breath smells, but it's made abundantly clear that Turbo is a massive hypocrite. his comment doesn't erase the possibility that he has suffered from such "halitosis" as well.

💥 ANXIETY 💥

GENERAL ANXIOUS BEHAVIOR

i know, i know, this could technically be chalked up to be "Turbo is nervously giggling and shit because he's scared of getting caught," but guys. g

even in the flashback scene, we can see how easily stressed he can become in an alarmingly short period of time. he is extremely insecure, therefore i am led to believe he is not only emotionally dysregulated, but also by extension, anxiety ridden.

yes, this is purely speculative, but who's to say that he wasn't like this before? being high-strung and intense are significant facets of his personality consistently portrayed throughout the film. as long as he is getting exactly what he wants, he is happy; the moment he loses even a blip of control, however, he immediately grows extremely tense.

if Turbo wasn't anxious about his disguise as King Candy before, he was anxious about how much attention he was receiving on a given day. if not that, then he'd be anxious over how he presents himself. He hates how he can't control how other people perceive him, which is why he is constantly trying to act like he's better than he is.

its why he justifies his behavior to himself, proudly making others refer to him as the "rightful ruler" of sugar rush and relishing in the attention of his countless underlings. Any secure and stable person would NOT ACT LIKE THIS!!!!😭😭😭

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

As we can see a handful of times on screen, Turbo's instinct to protect himself is very easily activated.

 his fear manifests in anger and aggression. we can see at multiple points how easy it is to upset him or fluster him; his anger is one side of the same coin, the opposite end being his fear and paranoia.

Going off of this point, have you noticed that Turbo is either satisfied or furious without much of an in-between? how the second something isn't under his manipulation, he lashes out and fights back? I'm led to believe that this is how he responds to fear (AAUAAYAUUUUGGHHH 🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡). This guy is so against the idea of being vulnerable, that even when afraid, he will utilize violence to regain his dominance over the situation at hand.

CONTROL + PARANOIA

Turbo's always trying to writhe or fight his way out of uncomfortable situations, unable to exist outside of his comfort zone for seconds at a time.

his defensive, paranoid, and controlling behavior are all reflections of how deeply insecure this man is. He feels such an intense need for everything to go exactly how he expects it to go that the moment he senses any kind of threat, he instantly jumps to defend himself and what he feels that he has "earned," regardless of whether there truly is a threat or not.

this could potentially be a coping mechanism for his anxiety and sense of stability; can't forget to mention how territorial he is!! he jumps to conclusions about what others' intentions are before they even get a chance to reply, as seen with his first encounter with Ralph in the movie. 

the racer is so internally discombobulated that he seeks any sense of stability on his environment, including on those around him. his sense of self is so warped that he copes with constant distraction; being under the spotlight, being actively racing, having to be showered with attention, having others make him feel good because he doesn't know how to do it for himself. he needs to feel like everything is under control, lest everything falls apart.

"...if there's ONE thing I can't abide, it's ANYTHING out of order!"

💥 NPD 💥

INFLATED SENSE OF SELF IMPORTANCE

Turbo's most in-your-face trait above all else. It's made more than crystal clear in every scene he's in that his arrogance is a determining factor in how he interacts with others. This is exactly what drives him to desperately crave admiration, to chase after others he's envious of because he thinks he is obligated to take what they have.

he seems to genuinely think he is entitled to get whatever he wants, just because he is inherently "special" or "better" than everyone else. Why else would he have made himself a king, a step above princess?

EXCESSIVE NEED FOR ADMIRATION

Turbo's self worth is COMPLETELY dependent on the opinions of children and teenagers. I think i don't need to say any more than that, but i will. (Evil).

As cartoonishly massive as his ego is, i think that it's fair to assume that Turbo has a very unstable sense of self, distorting his perception of his own worth down with it. his near-constant flaunting and need to be the best is a dead giveaway to his deeply-ridden self-doubt. The foundation of his stability is built around how "good" he is (at racing and winning), how powerful he is, whether or not he is being prioritized above everyone else, whether or not he is the absolute best, etc. etc.

The racer outright manipulates others to shower him with admiration and undeserved appreciation. He is incapable of forming a true sense of internal value, instead heavily and codependently relying on others to form it for him. if he isn't the best, he may as well just be nothing.

INTENSE JEALOUSY

He reacts so severely to what he perceives as others taking away what is rightfully his that it only goes to solidify my previous points even further. the second someone else is getting more attention than him, Turbo will bend over backwards to rip back the praise he believes he so rightly deserves.

being extremely competitive, he will one-up against anyone he thinks of as a threat, dedicating himself to taking them down to the best of his ability, and making sure they STAY down to top it all off.

INABILITY TO HANDLE CRITICISM

if we really dissect the entire one-off joke with Turbo insisting that his stolen pink castle is actually "salmon," along with all of his other domineering behaviors, we can garner that he is very persistent in how he wants others to view him. i wholeheartedly believe that this would translate into him not only being defensive over his supposed "ownership" of Sugar Rush, but also over himself and his own insecurities.

He needs to feel good about himself or else he will die and quite literally try to kill everyone.

LACK OF EMPATHY

He appears to have a fondness for making jokes in very poor taste. Turbo has a big sense of humor, but it's always at the expense of others. Be it a pun about a "fungeon," or jumping to protect himself with a joke about "hitting a guy with glasses," he has a tendency to take serious situations very lightly. It's not that he's unaware of the weight of it; he simply doesn't take it Seriously.

its admittedly impressive how he was able to feign empathy so well for Ralph; it goes to show how he is very capable of understanding that what he's doing is wrong, but ultimately does nothing to change his behavior because it doesn't impact him personally. 

i would like to honor this part of him, because even in the possible alternate path of a redemption arc, his struggle with empathy can be explored in a variety of interesting ways :-] he can understand complicated emotions and situations on an analytical level, but he doesn't feel for them unless it has to do with him specifically. (this obviously doesn't make him inherently evil, his ACTIONS make him evil)

💥 ASPD 💥

LACK OF REMORSE/GUILT

One of Turbo's core characteristics is just how far he is willing to go for his own self-interest with lack of regard for how it impacts everyone else. he has absolutely no concern for how anyone else feels besides himself, willing to go so far as to attempt to mutilate a 9-year-old to achieve his petty goals.

Turbo is shameless when it comes to how he goes about getting his way. While I'd like to believe he isn't fully incapable of feeling regret, he doesn't showcase feeling it in the movie itself. The most regret he'll feel is when he slips up and exposes himself. anything else is the fault of everyone else; he is untouchable in his eyes.

DECEITFUL TENDENCIES + LYING

Where do i even start with this one.

well, first of all, let's acknowledge the... erm, horse? in the room? 🐎😅(Please someone help me there is a horse in my room help helphel) being that Turbo went under disguise as King Candy for at least a decade. Even before this, there's a good chance that he's already had plenty of experience with lies and manipulation. i'd be willing to bet on this!!

one of his specialties is being proficient in manipulation, be it the code of games or the minds of people. theyre basically the same thing to him, anyway... I'm sure you all know the scene where he uses 16 manipulation tactics against Ralph and wins. this was Obviously not the first time he'd done this.

REPETITION OF HARMFUL BEHAVIORS

Time and time again, Turbo can't seem to help himself when it comes to poor decision-making. he never internalizes that his bad choices aren't JUST bad for others, but also for himself, continuing to escalate further and further into very dangerous behaviors until he literally dies.

Here's a list of bad decisions he has made! (at least, that we know of)

Pinning himself above his peers

Harassment + stalking

Carelessly charging through GCS with his car, endangering countless civilians

Attempting to take over a game that isn't his x2

Vehicular manslaughter

Implied mass murder + attempted murder, attempted mutilation

Mass endangerment

Breaking and entering, theft, usurpation, plagiarism

and more!!!!!!!

AND HE LEARNS FROM ABSOLUTELY NONE OF THIS!!! with some of the items listed here, he's attempted to do multiple times! Absolute buffoon.

RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR SAFETY OF SELF AND OTHERS

Considering how he was willing to charge into a game that wasn't his own with the awareness that it could permanently kill him, going as far as to recklessly crash into another car (albeit it's possible this was unintentional), it's easy to gather that he doesn't seem to consider anyone's safety at all in the spur of the moment.

IMPULSITIVITY

his impulsivity and disregard for safety both go hand-in-hand. When it gets to a certain point, Turbo's emotions will boil over and blow up in a cold rage, thus causing him to spiral and act on impulse, becoming a detrimental force to himself as well as everyone around him.

What's interesting is how much restraint he is capable of; he typically is very strategic in how he orchestrates his plans! but once he reaches his breaking point, he snaps and leaves all of his hard work behind in favor of something that calls for his immediate attention.

💥 ETC. 💥

extra tidbits i didnt have enough energy to fully delve into :-]

BPD

Fear of abandonment

Blurry sense of identity

Feelings of emptiness

Self destructive tendencies

Emotional instability

Explosive anger

ODD (oppositional defiant disorder)

He seems so infatuated with his own autonomy that he gets to the point of being resistant and defiant

Resisting against the rules of the world that he directly caused as a result of his own actions, being that one shouldn't "go Turbo."

Enjoys upsetting/getting a rise out of others. this is more speculative as i am going off of the assumption that he thinks pissing people off is funny, based on his other behavioral patterns. (cruel sense of humor, wanting to feel above others via control & manipulation, enjoyment of inflicting pain onto others)

Forcefully defends himself and refuses any kind of criticism

Lashes out when he feels slighted

Excessive persistence despite all odds, whether it's beneficial to him or not

ok bye!! thank you if you managed to read this far ^^ peace and love take care of yourself! all in all turbo is so neurodivergent ok please Okay <3 get this thing his meds

[noramsblog]

Tangled au

[kaontic]

Abusive hypocrites who try to stay dignified and authoritative but are really just this goddamn close to crashin’ out 👌

[psychomusic]

I've seen many people with many takes on andor s2 and the finale and honestly. i think most of the problems could've been solved if they actually made them 5 seasons as they originally intended.

i don't know when they decided to cut it down to only two (especially if it was pre-s1 or after, because that changes DRASTICALLY the emd result) but despite what gilroy said. it was not a good choice. they set up too many pieces, and simply hadn't enough time to follow through

like: cinta's death had sense to me. some deaths are gonna be tragic because there pointless. having this be most of what we got of her this season? not so great. but i understand that if you're trying to cramp up what was originally a 4-season story into 1 this is all you can do. same with k2 and cassian's lack of bond going into rogue one. they alluded to some bonding by mentioning the "17 times they disobeyed orders" but it's sooo underdeveloped.

same with dedra's storyline, and bix's. like. they weren't bad storylines, nor bad executed - the problem is that we didn't have the time to get close to the characters, feel their pain, that the scene cut to something else. which is exactly the opposite of what andor s1 did. s1 took the time to develop and follow the characters. they now didn't have time to do that but couldn't waste all the set up and decided that since we already set those characters up in s1 we could follow s2 with the same engagement

even the shots, idk. they always seemed less intimate, like you're watching from outside. i need to rewatch it and analyze the shots and compare them to s1 to be sure of this point - or find someone who did this already. and like. bix's storyline was not meant to be seen from a distance. you have to live it through for it to really hit. same with dedra.

actually basically all of them because andor was not a story about the rebellion, but people in the rebellion, people under the fascist regime. and the only storyline I've heard no complains on are the ones they dedicated time to develop and let us see through more intimate lens (kleya and luthen, mon, cassian to a degree, syril's death, and the ghormans who got a lot of good development). they simply didn't have time for all of that

[luescris]

My brain is so fucking stupid

Why in the entire universe is it choosing to make me feel emotions about fictional, talking cars of all things

Can I just have One Singular Normal Hyperfixation please

Please.

[fire-on-fuel]

If anything I think andor season 2's only problem is that its a little too proud of itself if that makes any sense. Like great, love the imperialism commentary, keep doing what you're doing cause you do it very well. But. Very heavy but. Where are the aliens. Why is chandrila's culture all kind of lazily yanked from east asian culture on the visual front. Why does everyone have a core worlder accent even outside the galactic core. Why are the "rougher" accents still all variations of english and other accents of that region. Are we in the mid rim? the outer rim? the accents are no longer a usable marker. Why is there an abundance of these sort of empty habitable farming planets/moons populated by sharecroppers or subsistence yeoman land owners- not that that's an impossible or uninteresting star wars concept but it gets old and fills its own cracks in with questionable implicit messaging about colonialism and "empty land". Why is yavin-4 also completely empty minus the giant predator creatures. Again, where are the aliens. Is it a budget thing? We're teetering on the edge of almost all the important imps being white. Human racism has never really been established in star wars within the narrative itself specifically, I want to know where theyre going with this and if they're trying to make a more blatant signal regarding racism and forgetting worldbuilding is in that equation in the process. Re: the aliens, it has been established that the empire is overtly speciesist and human-supremacist but right now only inferencing is covering for how andor answers the question of showing it. A less generous analysis would say that andor gets so excited about connecting itself to the real world it's almost like it considers operating within the parameters of star wars a chore when the structure of star wars isn't in service of building confident lines to hook to real life with. Not world ending by far, but like it's tripping on it's own feet a little. It would be a damn shame if all of these smaller things that effect immersion and connection to the greater star wars universe fell by the wayside because it wants to pat itself on the back for having direct themes of anti-fascism or being relevant, and because the audience might be willing to overlook them for the same reason

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

I find it interesting how The Little Mermaid, a movie that came out in the 80s, A.K.A. the era of "machismo" in media depicted a male character, although metaphorically, being taken advantage of by a female character. It wasn't your typical "femme fatale" scenario way where the male character would fall to his knees for a mysterious, beautiful and charming woman who suddenly arrived into his life, which isn't really "taking advantage" of somebody, anyways; that's more a story of men letting lust destroy or at least get the best of them. No, this wasn't that. It was a literal act of taking someone's autonomy away from them. It was brief and mostly glossed over in the movie after the fact, but he wasn't mocked nor was it insinuated that he was "less" of a man because he didn't, y'know, consent to being taken advantage of by an attractive woman. I think there is a heavy allusion, though quite probably unintentional, to SA in what Ursula did to him, hence why I'm even pointing it out in the first place. I can't think of many movies that depict that in a serious manner. Yes, his case is a spell and not an actual act of SA, but the metaphor is there when you look deeply enough into it. There is so much more to this movie than what meets the eye at first glance.

[footnoteinhistory]

HARRY ANDERSON and the cast of NIGHT COURT on an episode of THE ALL-NEW MICKEY MOUSE CLUB, 1989 (x)

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Long overdue: my thoughts on the final book in Kendare Blake's "In Every Generation" series titled: "Against the Darkness."

Now, for some reason I think I'm going to start off with some of the things I didn't like about the book first (which is maybe a weird way to do a review--especially for a book and series I do genuinely like--but trust me when I say I did enjoy this book). We'll get to the good parts down below. But we all know finales are always hard and don't always completely stick the landing: I just expect that at this point. But even with that, I standby that this is my favorite Buffyverse continuation, yeah. I'm also really hoping Kendare Blake somehow gets contacted to help with the Buffy TV show reboot coming up, though I know it won't happen.

...

Okay, one complaint I kind of have is that I feel all of our heroes get handed the Idiot Ball at least at one point in this book--and they've gotten extremely bad at communicating with each other--but though I said that it's a complaint... I'm actually not bothered by it that much. Like our Scoobies of old, our new Scoobies are high school students, after all, so they're not always going to be making the best decisions. And there are reasons as to why some of the characters might be choosing to be keeping secrets from one another. And with the stakes higher than they ever have been before, it probably makes sense why everyone is super emotional and probably not one-hundred percent thinking clearly. That being said, it is kind of sad seeing them like this when you compare them to their past books' selves.

2. At first as I was reading the series, I was getting really excited about the idea that Willow was clearly going to go Dark again at some point... But then I read this one fanfiction criticizing Buffy season 8 having Willow go Dark again in that world's future, since season 7's ending seemed to indicate that Willow found a perfect balance with her magic and surely never would again: maybe was even incapable of it? And while I think why Willow in the Dark Horse comics going Dark is justified (though this fic author didn't know that at the time, because this fanfiction was written just when season 8 had come out, and the reason as to why Willow went Dark isn't revealed until season 12), I do largely agree with them. So then a part of me found myself wishing that maybe there wasn't going to be a plot about Willow going Dark in this book series, and that maybe it did break canon some... But that being said, I did definitely enjoy it when it did happen. And the build-up to it was expertly done throughout these novels. And no matter what, it's always fun to see Dark Willow again.

3. One thing I liked that Kendare Blake had done in one of the previous books, was having Spike mention that he and Buffy had never gotten together--or had a relationship together (I forget the exact wording)--after their previous one in season six/after he'd tried to rape her and that sort of thing. And I'll admit that I'm someone who has come to hate Spike as a character now (something I don't want to be doing, and am actively trying not to do--as I used to love his character: and he used to me my preferred person for Buffy, if you can believe it). But I admired that Kendare Blake did this because, if I'm being honest, even with Spike going to get a soul after the attempted rape to try and make things right... I now don't think there should have been any shipping of Spike and Buffy after that fact: it sends a bad message, in my mind. So, yeah: I liked that Kendare Blake had written that it seemed Spike and Buffy hadn't had any sort of (romantic and/or sexual) relationship after that.

But in this book, after Buffy is rescued, it's sort of left up to the reader if Spike and Buffy kissed or not. The new Scoobies are trying to guess if they did. And I think it's Buffy who says, "What happens between my and Spike's lips is between me and Spike alone." Also, at the end of the novel, Buffy is taking Frankie (our main character Slayer) with her for some training, and Spike (who is Frankie's Watcher) is thinking of staying behind, in believing Frankie now doesn't need him anymore. Buffy quickly corrects Spike that he's being an idiot--and that of course Frankie still needs him. She still needed her own Watcher well into her twenties, after all, and she tells him to come with them. And it's also hinted at that maybe something could happen between the two of them if he does. Or perhaps not. I'll admit that I'm not the biggest fan of us now getting this up in the air stuff with Spuffy, when I'd thought that Kendare Blake had made a poignant choice in having had nothing happen between them before. But also the fact that it's up in the air means that I can take it (since I can choose to decide nothing happens with them, if I want). I'm glad that it's nothing concrete.

4. I'd prepared myself for a long while that Angel wasn't going to appear in this series--I prepared myself for the worst, actually, after "Buffy: The Last Vampire Slayer"--and I was right that Angel is not in these novels (side note: I have the strangest feeling now that Disney owns the Buffyverse, ugh, they just... don't like Angel--for some reasons I could maybe understand. But Spike also has issues, if we're being honest, and it seems they're maybe Draco in Leather Pantsing him?--and are trying to keep him out of things, but I could be wrong), but I'm glad about the Angel references we do get throughout the series. Also that Frankie and Grim are somewhat Bangel 2.0. But no: I'm mostly glad of the Angel references we get in this book, and that while he's not here, it's not a "Buffy: The Last Vampire Slayer" situation, thank God! Buffy clearly still has feelings for Angel, too (not just Spike), and she even teases Spike when asking him to come with her at the end, that on their journey they'll "stop in L.A., because Angel's always good for some training." LOL. I'm just going to headcanon that Angel, while not joining the Scoobies in trying to save Buffy, was trying to do so by himself, like we find out Giles apparently was doing in the background of a majority of these books. Or something big was going on for him again, and he had no idea what happened to Buffy, and he's going to be miffed when he finds out and that no one told him: like something similar to when he was in Pylea during Buffy's death in season 5.

5. While I was always going to prefer for Willow to end up with Oz in this series (it somewhat hurts that we got teased with it, only for it to be taken away. But oh well. Their beautiful friendship in this still means the world to me, too), I do like Safarina DeWitt. And she and Willow are cute together... Though I do think it moved to love pretty fast (even in knowing they had a past relationship with each other). One minute it seems like Willow is falling for her again, and maybe entertaining the idea of things with Safarina once more, and then she's thinking that she wishes Buffy were there to talk to, because she thinks she might be in love with Safarina--all while Safarina isn't even there at the moment, because she's gone on a long mission with Vi. What?

6. I don't know if I'm the biggest fan of some of the stuff that happened with the Slayer power in this overall series, but it's whatever.

7. This isn't truly a complaint, just a slight disappointment (but one I can live with): I'd kind of hoped that this book would somehow reveal that Faith hadn't actually died like we'd earlier been led to believe, but no dice:( But oh well, I guess:( Buffy died a number of times. I guess it's time we finally got a story where Faith did. At least our girl went out heroically -sobs-

I think that's most of the bad that I can think of: Onto the good!

I already made a post about this, so I'm basically going to copy it here: "It's so nice it is that this is probably one of the few things that exists that treats Kennedy well (Vi actually turns evil for a bit in this series, which is surprising because I’ve never seen anyone give Vi that kind of treatment [especially over Kennedy]. But she turns it around in the end).

You’d probably say, 'Of course it has to treat Kennedy well. It’s an officially licensed thing.' But so was 'Chosen' by Kiersten White. And that book had Buffy calling Kennedy a bitch in it:(

Even though Willow and Kennedy have broken up by the time this series is taking place, Kennedy still calls Willow 'goddess.' It’s cute. And Kennedy is quite the badass."

2. Frankie is so freaking wonderful. She's the heartbeat of this series, as she should be, and I love my little Willow-Buffy-Usagi Tsukino Slayer with my whole heart (she's one of the best Slayers post-season 7 that we've ever gotten, hands-down. Maybe even the best. And I hope the new Slayer we get in the Buffy reboot series is even a fraction like her). But one thing I loved about Frankie in this book, was that we really see her Slayer intuition shining through when it comes to the villain, Aspen. Aspen really starts wrapping everyone around her little finger (and she even had me fooled some, which is a testament to Blake's writing. And the fact that Aspen is a good villain who isn't one-dimensional. As some of that stuff with her, like her friendship with Hailey, was real). But Frankie saw right through her, ala how Buffy would have, and I was proud of her for it. Though the tension that Frankie's hatred for Aspen created between her and Hailey was hella interesting!

3. Speaking of Hailey, I love my badass Potential Slayer SO much (and I missed her when she couldn't be with her Scoobies--though her scenes with Aspen when she was being a double-agent were intriguing). And the fact that she's actually more talented than Frankie is is interesting. Her whole story in this book is interesting. I was always big on Hailey, but I don't think I took a shining to her this much until this book. Her and Vi (her older sister) get to be part of the Slayer line together! But I adored when Hailey told Vi something like, "I guess the Slayer line wanted me, too." And Vi frowned and said, "The Slayer line's greedy." Hailey reminds me a lot of Isabelle Lightwood from "The Mortal Instruments" series.

4. Truthfully, I think that this is the first time that I actually enjoyed Sigmund as a character and wanted him and Hailey together. The way he was actually such a good friend to her in this novel, when she couldn't go to the Scoobies without blowing their cover? And how he kept her secret about being a Potential for her when she didn't want anyone to know about it? -applauds- And it was clever on Blake's part that since Sigmund, who is a demon, is supposed to marry a demon (which is why he and Hailey had to break-up), she had Hailey become a Potential Slayer in this book... which is part-demon, you know;)

5. While I somewhat enjoyed our werewolf Jake as a character before, and his relationship with his uncle Oz, I don't think I fully appreciated him until this book, either (also, his boyfriend is the sweetest). He fucks up terribly (because of Jordy pretty much wanting him to, no less--he wanted him to not "completely muzzle the wolf, but rather be more wolf": paraphrasing here). But the way he recovers from that, and handles his newly made pack that he created, made me truly appreciate him.

The Scoobies all coming together to fight a super-powered Aspen (when they really had no chance), with all the Slayer strength she'd stolen, also made me care for them all the more.

6. I did like Grimloch and Frankie as a couple quite a bit. But, yeah: they did need to breakup as they did in this novel, since they were mostly lust above all else. Edit: Frankie liked Grim, but she wasn't in love with him yet. And Grim thought he shouldn't be her first love--and even Frankie had to agree--so they broke up. But I did enjoy how Frankie said something like, "You may not be my first love, but could you be my fifteenth?" And Grimloch replies, "I may be your last love." That was sweet. So there's hope for them in the future, then, and that they could perhaps even end up together someday.

7. Using Buffy's cross necklace that she got from Joyce (this idea that Joyce gave her a cross necklace is monumental and I need a fic about it, STAT!) to be the thing to bring her back was just such a great idea. And seeing her and the Slayers finally get to return and kick Aspen's ass in an epic battle, after she'd imprisoned them for so long, was everything.

8. Giles! How could I forget Giles?! I actually sort of knew beforehand what characters were going to appear in this series, because of an interview of Kendare Blake's that I watched. She, however, did not mention Giles in said interview. And it was such a pleasant surprise to have him show up right when the shit had hit the fan. And she wrote him so well. Giles and Spike's interactions, in particular, were hilarious.

9. I said above that I don't really like Spike as a character anymore. But Kendare Blake's writing is some of the exception to that rule: she reminds me of why I loved him to begin with--she writes him in-character, I believe, and so funnily. And she shows him as a true hero and father figure to Frankie, while still having flaws and being Spike (like in being a drama queen and being a bit of a child). It's a lot of fun, really.

10. I kind of mentioned this above, but Oz is everything right in this world--as he always has been--and his relationship with Willow, Jake, the other kids like Frankie, and Spike is really something to write home about.

11. Willow and Frankie's relationship mother-daughter relationship in this series is something I'll never get over from this series. It's just so beautiful.

I think that's mostly everything. I'm very glad Kendare Blake was the one who got the commission for this series, and I'll always remember it and surely return to it soon. And I very much thank her for writing it.

Shutting up now.

Edit: I forgot to mention that finally getting to see Frankie and Buffy interact at the end of this was everything.

[mimislocalvoid]

Me, myself and i are trying not to make a twst of with a unique magic that basically makes them drunk like a Friday night in vegas as a backfire for using the unique magic

[not-kamenx]

Beyblade X Ep 34: A Rainbow Guest

GES SJACSLSVWJEVEJEVENEBB BC LABJEBWEVD KB VEJEDV WHAT IN THE OMINOUS SPINNING DRAKE IS THIS EPISODE

Okay, first off, I WAS SO DISTRAUGHT AFTER GETTING HIT WITH A FOUND FAMILY EPISODE THEN WE GET HIT WITH JAXON’S TEAMMATE, SIGRID NANAIRO AND HER REALLY BLUNT ATTITUDE TO EVERYTHING EXCEPT SUSHI. Okay I’m gonna be honest, I did get spoiled that she was Multi’s sister BUT LEGITIMATELY I’M STILL SURPRISED

She and Jaxon are similar but not at the same time??? I mean they both love Komaba Sushi (I figured ever since Memories of Sushi ep because the bigger set was given to her while Chrome was too busy focusing on Jaxon and getting fed blah blah blah and yeah) AND THEY’RE PRETTY BLUNT but Jaxon seems to prefer choose his words while she prefers to choose her actions

The way Robin went to grab the mask and practically suffocated Jaxon had me giggling, LIKE DO THEY JUST HAVE IT ON STANDBY???

Like he was so happy to see her and now he’s getting choked by his hair in the mask

Anyways when Robin was surprised she knew him I figured he’d put two and two together, since in the first ep he knew Jaxon was part of Team Pendragon and so was she? Mini plot hole I suppose

BUT YEAH I noticed throughout the episode Robin kept defending Multi from Sigrid even though he keeps getting cut off which, GAHHHHHH AND EARLIER DURING THE VOTES SHE TRIED TO COMFORT HIM they’re adorable honestly

anyways the reactions when Robin and Jaxon find out they’re sisters 😭

THIS IS THE MOST HORRIFIED EXPRESSION IVE SEEN JAXON EXPRESS IM CRYING WHY DOES HE LOOK SO MORTIFIED

and later on we get a look at baby Multi and Sigrid, WHICH OMG I WANNA DRAW MULTI WITH SHORT HAIR NOW

and…. Babadudum…. You guessed it… why I’m immediately posting my reaction to this….

We get a lovely momentary session where Chrome is slowly continuing to lose it over Jaxon in the corner of a room while Sigrid sits there like the bestie who has to hear about her friend’s relationship problems

CHROME YES I WANTED TO SEE YOU BUT NOT LIKE THIS, HAVE A DAMN SLICE OF LIFE MOMENT OR SOMETHING HELP

and thennnn some shady shit just casually breaks into Komaba Sushi and steals the bey plans Multi had. Hello, how does no one spot this THEY HAVE TWO HUGE ASS BUILDINGS SURROUNDING THEM???

[curemoonliite]

tryna recreate a weird, almost incomprehensible poll i saw in my dream last night!

[imjustavenuxwithaboomerang]

zeddison headcanons because i want them both and i need them back neow

they're both queer (not really a niche headcanon but i'm putting it)

it took zed many months to get over the dog imitation habit

(ignoring the queer headcanon for a sec) addison is the biggest ally to ever ally. like one of those obnoxious allies but it works for her

^full on rainbow cake and celebration when literally anyone comes out, but she'll also be lowkey if requested

they are "me? obsessed with you? yes, yes i am" personified (about each other, ofc)

addison was zed's anchor when it came time to learn how to control his zombie state (similar to kipo and her anchor from kataow)

addison knows enough of the zombie language to have conversations but struggles with pronunciation (i'm slightly projecting with this one i fear)

they're literally always holding hands or linking their arms/pinkies (literally canon)

addison lets zoey dress her up and do her hair, especially after she got her true alien hair

^zed has a whole album of pictures of addison after zoey's makeovers (simply just because he loves them both so much, literally only like 3 were taken for funny reasons)

zed has dyscalculia but thought that it was just a zombie brain issue for the longest time (yes, he's canonically top of his class. yes, i'm giving him dyscalculia. both can be true)

^once he figured out what he had, he had to be practically begged by addison and his friends to ask for accommodations

addison is insanely touch-starved but presents herself like she's not (i definitely feel like dale and missy weren't the most physically affectionate parents, and i assume that angie (her most touchy relative) died when addison was young)

addison is closer to eliza and bonzo than zed is to bree (this is pretty much supported by a handful of scenes in the movies but whatever)

^don't get it confused, zed and bree are still very friendly to each other, as she is addison's best friend and bonzo's girlfriend

addison's baked dessert of choice is muffins, especially fruit muffins

^zed hates the sensation of cooked fruit (we're projecting again) but he eats them anyway to make addison happy

^once addison finds out he doesn't like cooked fruit, she then feels really bad for giving him so many muffins to taste-test and recruits zoey and bonzo instead

zed is greek (at least on his dad's side, due to the "-polis")

zed ends up pursuing a career that does not require more years of school due to his gifted-kid burnout (we all know he has it) being so bad

^addison most likely pursued something in the hospitality industry, became a politician like her mom (but like an actually good one), or became a defense lawyer

^i also feel like addison's the breadwinner of their relationship (not that that matters in the slightest just a thought)