#as in like 'he'll probably return for the finale/the final arc' a while

[knockknockitsnickels]

baseless chokkiri gang + next few episodes speculation

I'm wondering what's going to happen with the rest of the Chokkiri gang now. For the past 2 episodes their Kurayaminder's have basically been one-shot by Zukyoon and Kiss so they're probably due for at least another powerup.

I'm curious if they're just going to get another upgrade from Kurayaminder to something else, or if Darkiine will turn the rest of the gang into monsters like she did with Cutty (if she's even capable of doing that, I'm not sure if she can do that to someone without them being "kira kira" first). While Zukyoon and Kiss took care of Cuttinder pretty easily as well, it's worth noting that was after the Idol team had tried to help him and with him fighting to free himself. It'd probably be more difficult if the victim wasn't trying to avoid hurting the Cures.

I also don't know if the rest of the team will get redeemed as well. Zakkury didn't seem to be lying about not being a fan of Zukyoon and Kiss, but that could very well change. We also haven't really seen much of Chokkirine in general - I assumed by her reaction that she's aware of what happened to Cutty and lying to Zakkury on Darkiine's behalf, but I also saw some people speculate that she doesn't know the truth and is just used to Darkiine treating her minions poorly. I kind of just feel like there's more to Chokkirine that we haven't seen yet (but that might be biased thinking on my part, she was my first guess for "mid-season cure").

Current GAME THEORY is that the remaining gang members are going to get an upgrade which will force Zukyoon and Kiss to work with the rest of Idol Precure, though that's probably stating the obvious lol

[tizeline]

Oh boy, at this point I feel that the truth is gonna chew Mikey hard after discovering they are actually the bad guys. Side note: I know Raph and Mikey are gonna struggle at first to accept the truth and even more to accept that Splinter and April aren't evil… but when and how is gonna Mikey really START to accept this? because I feel theres more chances with Raph than with Mikey

Okay, so this is what I've worked out so far regarding Mikey's redemption arc-

Like in canon, after the season 1 finale and Draxum gets fucked up by The Dark Armor and then also becomes wanted in The Hidden City, he (plus his kids) ends up finding and settling down in that apartment in April's building (the idea of them accidentally becoming April's neighbours is hilarious so I'm keeping that lmao). Then Leo enters his Rebellious Teen Arc and runs off to hang out with Donnie and April most of the time, eventually he's joined by Raph too so then it's mostly just Mikey and Draxum brooding in their apartment all day. It's during this time that Draxum spends some time self-reflecting and eventually decides to abandon their plans of world domination, much to Mikey's dismay who is still very much in the mood to end humanity.

It's hard pinpointing an exact starting point of Mikey realizing that he's been in the wrong, deep down I think he already know this, but he'll be damned if he actually aknowledges it. But it's around this part of the story that things start turning around for Mikey. Because when Draxum announces that it's over and they're done with trying to take over the world, Mikey gets pretty pissed about it and decides that he's ALSO gonna go all Rebellious Teenager on them all! See how they like THAT! BTW Mikey's "Rebellious" Teen Arc mostly includes him spending more time sulking outside than in the apartment as he previously did, and acting a bit more cranky towards Draxum, but he still returns home at a reasonable time in the evening and in general doesn't do anything he isn't allowed to do. He's not very good at being a bad kid haha. (If anything, Draxum thinks it's good that Mikey spends some time outside)

I've mentioned before that I like the idea of introducing Mondo Gecko and Woody Dirkins into the story and that they could help him in his character development and expand his world view (also godammit Mikey needs some friends aside from his brothers) So anyway, it's when Mikey starts spending time outside on his own that he meets and, after some time, befriends both of them. I don't have the details figured out here, but I'm thinking that he first gets to know Mondo considering he's a yōkai/mutant (haven't decided which). Mondo would already be friends with Woody which is how Mikey later meets him, when Mondo introduces them to each other. Mikey is obviously Skeptical at first, but Woody gives him free pizza so Mikey is all like "okay, maybe he sucks slightly less than other humans". All of this is to say, Woody is probably what leads to Mikey actually confronting the fact that he MIGHT be wrong about some things.

It's still very much a gradual change. It's around the end of season 2 that the Draxum family all reconcile with each other, and while Mikey is still not very fond of the Hamatos (especially Donnie lol) or humans, he doesn't wish for their demise anymore. Then it's some time after the events of the movie that Mikey fully commits himself to not judge people merely on them being humans or yōkai.

[class1akids]

Did Shouto ever end up having legit closure with endeavore bc i dont even remember anymore??? (sorry bed english

No, not really. Hori's cowardly writing left it super-vague and up in the air. Their last few interactions are:

Endeavor's apology to Shouto, which Shouto probably didn't hear, but then again we know that Hori writes apologies for the perpetrators' sake, not for the victims'

The Endeavor - Shouto combo (which I read as Endeavor's reward as a hero - he gets to have his last action as a hero be the first ever combo with the heir he wanted so desperately, and which I think is one of Hori's truly awful writing choices, priorizing giving Endeavor rewards over what would make sense in the family arc: Enji staying with Touya and Shouto being let to return back to his friends after carrying the family burden this far)

The family FINAL - where Endeavor sets his kids free (while also clear that he doesn't actually have the power to do so bc the family scandal affects all of them) and Shouto tells his parents that he'll be fine with Class A and returns to the dorms (even though the students get the choice to live at home).

It's up for interpretation. I personally read this as Shouto finally allowing himself to put down the family baggage and focus on the things he wants to do for himself and allow himself to grow in his found family (Class A) where he feels safe and loved.

I also think it's important how after this moment, Hori never shows Shouto again with Endeavor, and only mentions Endeavor once as in "people think of him less and less as Endeavor's son"

There is also a mention in Ch 431 of Shouto praying at Touya's altar, which implies that Shouto does in fact go to his parents' house from time to time (and it makes sense since Rei lives there). So he didn't cut them off the way Natsuo did. Him and Fuyumi probably visit sometimes. That's not necessarily forgiveness, but more like filial duty (I remember my father taking care of my grandfather for years as he was dying from lung cancer despite he never forgave him for being an abusive asshole, because he wanted to make it easier on my grandmother - in some cultures this is strongly about defining who you are as a person and something that transcends personal forgiveness) and also given the fact that Rei is staying with Endeavor, Shouto would want to help her regardless of how he feels about Enji personally.

But I think, mostly he just let go without necessarily forgiving. For his own sake he let go of the negative feelings that he was a slave to for so long and started to focus on the things that made him happy and allow himself to grow the bonds with his friends.

I think his blood family will never be a place of comfort to Shouto, but more a place where he is bound by his guilt about the suffering that his birth meant for these people - meaning mostly his mom and siblings.

But it's also pretty clear that the place of comfort, reassurance, family, joy are his friends where he can be just Shouto and be loved for who he truly is.

[eternalera]

SPOILERS FOR ANIME ONLY VIEWERS OF JJK

also here's probably one of my most controversial opinion yet of the ending lmao... spoiler but its about gojo

controversial opinion but i think that if gojo was revived it wouldve ruined the story and ending. like dont get me wrong it would be nice if he was alive (god knows how many fix it fanfics ive read of the occasion) but it just doesnt make sense. sure there's the binding vow and the thing of him losing all of his CT or the six eyes (or both) but it doesn't make sense. that's it for cheating death?

sure he's strong and thats a LOT of cursed energy but the result is the same. you are revived and dont have CT. if thats the case why dont other people do it? binding vows are based on the more restricted the vow or the more heavily the greater the outcome right?

no matter how much CT he has he's trading in his CT for another life without it. if he can do that then reasonable ANYONE would be able to do that as they would be facing the same conditions as him, strength be damned because from what ive seen while strength can help in making more powerful binding vows if the basis or the end goal of the vow is the same then ANYONE should be able to reasonable do it (or thats how i see it)

and even if he did come back, what then? i think some people dont understand that he was a weapon in the jjk world. hypothetically if he came back without cursed energy, what then? he might be able to see curses he might not. but most of the people he knew are dead. nanami, haibara, geto, yaga, etc. utahime hates him and shoko is too busy with work to do things with him (it's commonly known that she's irreplaceable in the jujutsu world).

sure he has his students but what can he do for them? theyre stronger than him and unlike maki he doesnt have a heavenly restriction to help him fight them or help them in missions or with curses.

theres no doubt in my mind that he has enough money from his previous missions to retire but what would he do? all he's known is the jujutsu world. thats what happens when youre a weapon. sure he could get a job (as he is pretty smart) but lets be honest... can you really see that?

then there's his whole arc of sacrificing himself to make a world where his students dont have to live like he did. live a life like he did. they dont have to be weapons anymore. he's going to fix it. and he did. if he just came back then it wasnt a sacrifice... well it would be but it wouldnt mean nearly as much. gojo gave almost his entire life to the jujutsu world and during the final years of his life he decided to throw that away and dedicate it to his students instead.

making sure they got to have a life he'll never have. because thats the kinda person he was. even if he never got to see them have it they still have it because of him and thats important. everything he did to help them make it to this point. bringing him back would cut all that out. its sorta like having your cake and eating it too, its weird right? too perfect, too soft. especially in a society where a BUNCH of the characters die. why does this one live?

dont get me wrong, im sad that hes dead but i wouldnt want him brought back. honestly i dont really like when characters are brought back (which is why i kinda dont like nobaras return seeing it closer, even though i love her character).

[lemotmo]

I'm shaking with excitement at this point

Q. They have been filming 8x12 for weeeeeks!! My god how big must this episode be? And clearly Eddie is not in it because he's not been seen in any of the bts pics and videos we've received and boo on that.

A. It does feel like they've been filming that episode for a while now but it's hard to tell because they also shot episode 13 in the midst of it; so I think one of the reasons it seems so long is because they clearly held the outdoor filming for this one block. It might very well be a big episode but it might also just be the way the filming block worked out for the outside shots. And to be fair we have no proof Eddie isn't part of the episode. The only BTS stuff we're getting is 118 stuff and Eddie is in El Paso for episode 12 so just because we're not seeing him in these scenes doesn't mean we won't see him at all. I'm quite sure he'll be in the episode to some degree. Especially if episode 13 and 14 are the big episodes it's starting to feel like they are. I'm more curious about what episode he actually leaves in. Does he leave in episode 9 before they find out Maddie's been taken? Probably not. Does he leave at the end of episode 10 once Maddie is safe? That seems more likely. That would allow Eddie two full episodes on El Paso before returning in episode 13. And I think the goodbye scene in the rain would make a good final scene of an episode. I do think something bad is going to happen to one of them. It's technically Eddie's turn but I'm not sure if they would put Chris in the story position of almost losing his dad again right after they reconcile, or at least begin to reconcile so I actually think it might be Buck again. Who knows really they could both be fine and nothing bad happens, but that would be odd for this show if we're being honest. I do believe once the kidnapping plot is resolved the Buddie stuff will start moving at a pretty steady pace though so we really need to mentally and emotionally prepare ourselves as best as we can, lol. Eek.

Thank you Nonny!

LOL! I just made a post about this topic! Here it is!

I'm not going to repeat everything I said in my post, but I will say this:

I am very sure that Eddie will be a part of 8x12. While they are filming the 118 calls for the episode, they might as well be filming El Paso scenes with Ryan (and Gavin) on another location. It only makes sense to show how he is doing in El Paso.

Personally I think he leaves at the end of episode 10 and I think him and Chris will decide to return at the end of 8x12. They'll be back in LA for 8x13, because we have seen footage of Ryan at the fire station when they were filming for 8x13.

I fear that I will never truly be mentally and emotionally ready for Buddie though. I am going to lose my mind the moment they start the Buddie story arc. EEK indeed! 🤗

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 54 Dire Posting

Greetings, dear void. So much for the gang getting back together. This arc is going to be a long one, at least compared to the previous two. The pace is still break-neck but there are a lot more conflicts being set up here. I wonder if it would be helpful to visually break it down compared to the Sojo and Rakuzaichi arcs...

Hishaku Machinations and Shiba

What a whimsical guy our main villain is! Just look at him sitting on the kiddie ride at the playground while he discusses the current situation with Worst Jeanist for our benefit.

Also the Shiba glazing, hello? It's always been obvious that Shiba's a cut above most sorcerers, especially after he mostly off-screened 3 out of the 4 Tou members. But to have the Big Bad himself acknowledge that he's basically the best of the best is high praise. Good to know he'll still factor in this arc somehow! I mean, of course he will, he's got direct ties to Kunishige's past, Chihiro, and the Kamunabi. The guy's certainly snooping around and doing more offscreen sorcery as we speak. We'll just have to eagerly await his return to the main story.

I just hope this finally, finally puts the crackpot theories of Shiba being a possible traitor candidate to rest. His mere presence is a huge obstacle for the Hishaku and they clearly went to great lengths to work around him in order to murder Kunishige. They're probably pleased as punch that he's out of the way in present circumstances too. Shiba, beware! Your nephews are in danger and Samura can't take all of your death flags for you!

Why are you still there, bro? Just to show us the dead bodies again?

So, Worst Jeanist is one of the main Hishaku. Interesting... wouldn't have guessed since he dresses worse than the random fodder. My man just rolled out of bed, dove into a box of cast-off high school theater costume pieces and went about his day. Anyway, that means we now have: John/Yura - leader Hat Hishaku - tree guy, Kunishige murderer Samurai Hishaku - dining room guard, Kunishige murderer Jane Hishaku - mom conspiracy theory magnet, Kunishige murderer Worst Jeanist Hiruhiko ... and 4 more yet-to-be-revealed members.

Thanks to Hiruhiko we also know there are 68 "fodder" guys participating in the assault of all four Sanso, of which 34 have datenseki shards (don't think about how many times Char was hurt to make those). And all of them are now attacking Senkutsuji- so the other two Sanso (Kuentaisha and Sushi Subaru) can be assumed to be safe for now.

I wasn't expecting them to be a huge org or anything but this seems really small, doesn't it? Only 10 core members! So there will definitely be political maneuvering on their part to weaken the Kamunabi from within. It's so pleasantly unsatisfying to be strung along bit by bit like this until the grand reveal of the plan...

Based on how John talks at the start of the chapter, it doesn't look like they've accounted for Hakuri- Chihiro's the only one that they count as an addition to the fighting forces on the Kamunabi's side. Granted, Hakuri's probably not a formidable warrior even when he can use Isou; it's only been about 24 hours since he figured out how to harness his sorcery at all. He still needs to train it and get used to fighting in general. But surely the Hishaku would be gunning for him if they knew about his powers. He's the ace in the hole that can completely undo what they're planning!

And now that I think about it, wouldn't the Kamunabi want to have control of Hakuri too? He can summon the Bearers or their blades at will, assuming that the contract overwriting their sorcery makes them unable to resist. They won't let someone who can teleport the blades away from them walk free... poor Hakuri, he's going to be pressed from both sides. But so will Chihiro. At least they'll have each other...?

"Friendship"

Hiruhiko's getting some "hands-on" training thanks to confronting Chihiro (not sorry).

Hiruhiko comes across as really sheltered this chapter. I wonder if all those HCs and if scenarios about Yura being the one to raise him are actually correct...? Yura kind of talks about him like a parent or an owner. Like he raised Hiruhiko in a certain way for a specific purpose. Hm.

So they're trying to temper his immaturity a bit... Hiruhiko is the one who's getting the reality check via his opponent to fuel his growth. Chihiro's already far ahead in his mindset, so he's the one driving his foe's development. He's going to be the reason that Hiruhiko becomes a formidable threat. I love the way the author plays with and blends shounen and action movie tropes so, so much.

Hiruhiko's probably going to be Chihiro's own personal Joker this arc, maybe even into the next depending on how things play out. They're both going to be one-upping each other and learning new things as they adapt. Chihiro himself used a new application of Kuro just to counter Hiruhiko's techniques. Their fights will surely be spectacles every time once they're on even footing!

Speaking of, I am 100% sure that Hiruhiko is going to be a blade wielder before long. John remarked that his sorcery wasn't anything worth writing home about- it was his battle sense and ability to adapt that made him one of the core Hishaku members. So he'll only become stronger by making a contract with an enchanted blade... and truly Chihiro's equal as an enemy.

Equal

I've got a TON of stuff I'm going feral over comparing and contrasting Chihiro, Hiruhiko, and Hakuri, but I'll wait before going on a tangent about it. There's a few crucial bits of information needed before going full-on crazy about how these three hold up compared to each other (not that it will stop me from filling up my sketch book with diagrams and lunatic ravings). But this transition got me so good:

There's that word again- 対等 [taitou], "equal".

There's going to be conflict about what it means to be "equal" between these three. Chihiro and Hiruhiko are already going at it, though it's pretty lopsided from Hiruhiko's end right now. But this could spill back over into Chihiro and Hakuri's relationship too.

Ch. 37: "Equal" from volume 4, titled "Equal"

I will be forever salty that 仲間 [nakama] got translated as "allies". "Partners" or "comrades" would have been better reeeeeeeee

This is where Hiruhiko could throw a spanner in the works. He failed at exploiting Chihiro's cognitive dissonance over killing, but what it means to be "equal" to someone, and a friend... that's brand-new territory for our lonely protagonist. Hiruhiko's probably the first person to approach Chihiro with an offer of friendship, twisted and fucked up as his idea of it is. Hakuri's... passionate proposal of cooperation doesn't really count.

Hakuri's acknowledged Chihiro as a friend, but would Chihiro say the same? Does he think he's worthy of that label- or is he too much of a monster? Does he still feel that sense of imbalance towards Hakuri? I won't speculate here more than this. But by god I hope Hakuri and Hiruhiko face off over what it means to be "equal" to Chihiro.

What about Chihiro himself, though? How's he doing this chapter?

Oh...

He's so genuinely sad about where his choices in life have led him, but he'll never stop until his goal is accomplished. I think he pities Hiruhiko here a little too.

Chihiro thinks he's incomparably worse than Samura, his father, all the "heroes" he grew up admiring and hearing stories about. He thinks he's a monster, but the Hishaku something worse. So he meets them where they are to take them down and stop the spread of evil to innocents.

Chihiro literally gives up his body and lets his blood be spilled to save people. That's not just heroic, it's downright Christ-like. But they run in terror from him all the same. He's a villain by his own choosing and wants people to see him that way. Chihiro doesn't think he's worthy of the accolades given to the adults who tried to steer him away. They were heroes, he's just a murderer. For fuck's sake this guy needs a hell of a lot of therapy.

I'm trying so hard not to go on a major tangent here so maybe I'll do the meta Chihiro analysis another time. I've already got a massive private essay on why I love the writing around Hakuri in the works so may as well do one for him too... anyway, anyway. Just look at how far he's come as a character:

Chs. 1 vs 54

[sobs]

Chihiro is going to suffer for a while yet, probably until the very end. But hopefully this arc will help him realize he's still worthy of love and support. Of basic human decency. Of thinking of himself as a person. (...Hm, who else is struggling with that right now, I wonder...)

Meanwhile, Back at Senkutsuji...

Hello again, Mr. Hat Hishaku. Mr. Hatshaku? We haven't gotten an obvious shot of you since you appeared as a background spook at the end of the Sojo fight in chapter 18.

He was at the dinner table in chapter 40 as well, but we didn't see his hat so it doesn't count.

I wonder if he's the trump card that John was talking about? He certainly seems to be with how thoroughly he overtook the temple already. It's only been about ten minutes too. Things are looking grim for Samura...

Samura, please live. Please. I need you to reunite with Chihiro! And not on your deathbed!

Fuck.

Whatever the Senkustsuji defense forces are planning better be enough... looks like Hiruhiko might be the next one to wield Tobimune though. Actually, where is he moving it and Kumeyuri, anyway...?

Neat trick to be performing while down two arms and pinned to the seat by Chihiro's foot.

There's no way they're giving Uruha and Samura the blades just for giggles. Given the shot of the hole in the ceiling before this panel, Hiruhiko's probably transporting them to himself, but we'll see. Let the theories run wild!

There are many more things I want to say but they're too speculative. I love being wrong every week but some of these things should just stay between me and the brainworms, so... farewell, kind void. Until next time.

[original-bookshelf]

A lot of the core of Allan's character has been this idea that he has to do things by himself in order to protect the people he loves because he viewed himself as a burden to other people and saw the makings of a monster in himself like that of his bio family in the anger and fear that he has. So he tries to control it and internalize and stuff it down to the point that it becomes a problem only for him. Through out roleplay, he's slowly but surely been seen for who he is and brought out into the open with love and care while he's providing those same things for others.

Milton serves a narrative foil to him in how his character is built around fear and anger, but he's decided to embrace these traits and make them his because that is how he'll be accepted. And he's honed these traits into hatred and malice instead. He's fifteen years younger than his uncle and fifteen years older than the cousin he hates so much. He is alone but relies heavily on the pack and his connections with others to succeed as best he can. He externalizes that fear and anger as hatred.

Both are products of their environment but they made different choices and each bears the reflection of what the other could have become. And they both hate it.

Allan has built a family of his own without the strict hierarchy that his biofamily had. Allan chose freedom and non conventional relationships and love and care. He chose to become a protector and a partner and ultimately a father as well. He chose to be responsible for other people simply because he loved them. There wasn't an expectation for them to do anything in return. In fact, he didn't want them to protect him in return because he felt like it would be his fault and his failing as a person to not have been able to take care of himself because that was what he was taught when he was growing up. That if someone was hurt it would be his fault. This built a strong sense of rage at injustice and a lack of care for his own well being.

And this was played into a huge amount in this arc with the justifications that Milton used in how he harmed Allan and his friends. Because everything that goes wrong somehow has to be Allan's fault even when it's clearly not.

Which is part of why Allan is so quick to assure people that it's not their fault and take on that blame for himself. Because it keeps the peace if it's his fault.

Only this time it didn't work out that way.

The peace was not kept. He couldn't avoid others getting hurt despite his best efforts in protecting them and pushing them away. And ultimately, he died.

Now that death might have lasted all of a minute, but he still was dead for a minute, and it wasn't his fault.

It was the actions of the people who'd come to hurt him and tear his family that he'd built apart that killed him. But his decision to face things alone contributed to that.

People came to help though. He wasn't alone. And the people that came love him and his family that he's built so fiercely that they're willing to commit unspeakable acts to protect all of them. He wasn't alone. He didn't have to pick up the pieces alone.

And this ultimately breaks his belief that he has to do everything alone.

This is something he's going to have to work through slowly, but this is probably the climax of that particular misbelief's hold on his life. And now, after everything that's happened, I think that he can finally allow himself to start to heal and mend, examining those fractured parts of himself and piecing himself back together until he's truly comfortable in himself and has replaced that misbelief entirely with a truth, that he is not alone and that he is loved.

[shenanibyte]

I think the idea of Editor being redeemed is very appealing!! Props to you again for the peak characterization. I was thinking that it'd be fun if, even after redemption and all that, there was still something kinda off about him! He does admit in game that he enjoyed killing some drifter; he also WAS the Murder, Kidnappings and Potpourri guy. I feel like it'd be kinda hard for all of that to disappear in a mere change of heart. Do you have any thoughts on what exactly goes on in his head post-redemption?

Ah, thank you!!!

As much as I'd love to see the Editor become a permanent fixture in Nexus, teaming up with Polyblank in an unlikely yet endearing duo, it was always doomed to fail. Just because Polyblank dragged his sorry ass off the streets before he became drenched mincemeat doesn’t mean the Editor would suddenly have a change of heart.

He was in this mess because of Polyblank, damn it!

So, to me, the Editor’s whole “redemption arc" is less about turning over a new leaf and more about swallowing his pride and biding his time. Once he regains his strength and pulls himself out of his funk, he'll return to his former glory: feared, calculating, and ready to remind the Syndicate exactly why they should have never underestimated him!

That said, just because his MAIN motivation for joining Nexus was to drag the entire Syndicate down to hell with him doesn’t mean his bond with Polyblank was entirely fake. For the first time, they’re on the same side, and they were winning. Winning! And the Editor has to admit:

"That damn Nexus agent isn't half bad..."

Still, if the Syndicate came crawling back to him, not out of remorse, but because they finally realized he was enabling Polyblank to outmaneuver them, he’d take the offer in a heartbeat. Yes, he remembers how cruelly they treated him, how they dumped him out as if he was trash, but the power, the fortune, the authority he once held...

It's intoxicating.

And now, it’s being returned to him on a silver platter, no strings attached.

So he’d take it. He'd probably muttering something cheesy while doing so like, “Well, Polyblank, it’s been fun. But you’ve got to admit, orange does suit me.”

And if, against all odds, he doesn’t accept the Syndicate’s offer? He wouldn’t stick around Nexus much longer anyway. Mary would eventually leave Syndicate of her own accord, and the two of them? They’d form a duo of their own.

And as for the Editor’s more… destructive actions/habits, they were part of the reason the Syndicate eventually caught on to his involvement with Polyblank.

He had been working from the shadows, subtly aiding Polyblank in dismantling the Syndicate’s operations. He knew the blind spots, the surveillance gaps, the places they never thought to look, and he exploited them beautifully. But while Polyblank preferred mischief and clever subversion to brute force, the Editor often found himself bristling with impatience.

There were plenty of missions that could have gone far more smoother—CLEANER—if Polyblank had just resorted to violence. Still, the Editor held his tongue.

That is, until one day, when his restraint finally snapped. In broad daylight, he lashed out and beat a Syndicate operative senseless, right there on the street. Polyblank had to pull him off.

He didn’t care. It wasn’t like they’d recognize him anyway. (Spoilers: They did... Eventually.)

But in that moment, he wasn’t just hitting a Syndicate grunt, he was unleashing all his pent-up rage against the entire organization.

In his mind, that lone operative became the Syndicate: the faceless hierarchy that cast him aside, the system that chewed him up and spat him out. Every punch wasn’t just vengeance, it was catharsis.

[anestefi]

Megumi will start the merger the final boss

We know Megumi now has the power to start the merger and since we've been teased with it it'll probably happen one way or another. Megumi never wanted to be a sorcerer or in this situation, he did it for Tsumiki who he killed with his own hands. This has crushed him and he has no will to live, at this point, he probably thinks it's better to be dead and at the airport with his sister, dad, and teacher. However, Yuji and co will probably manage to save him just like Megumi asked

However, when Megumi returns I don't think he'll be the same. He was hit with UV and has no will to live. Not to mention the bath. The goal of the bath was to get Megumi closer to evil, we don't know how this affected his mental state but it could have taken a morally grey character to evil

Not to mention the similarities he has to Geto. Both had beliefs that they used to guide them. Geto wanted to save the weak and Megumi wanted to save Tsumiki and his friends. Both had these beliefs shattered and felt there was nothing left for them. Geto turned to evil and while Megumi has the support system he has more factors pushing him towards evil

Now onto the interesting part, Megumi's shadow has a resemblance to the merger that we've already seen before. It goes all the way back to chapter 1 where you can see these eyes and his shadow.

These curses are also shown in volume openers only to be exorcised by the sorcerers

It's been foreshadowed for him to start it when Kogane announces that a new rule has been added by a player. Which is, “Megumi Fushiguro now holds the authority to activate the merger between Tengen & Humanity”. Sukuna has also said he would start it before so either Megumi or Sukuna will start it.

Another interesting theory is that Sukuna could start the merger and somehow manage to have Megumi merge with Tengen since there are two souls in the same body but I think this is less likely

Sukuna just seems to be getting stronger and stronger, almost like all these fights are a training arc for him preparing him for the ultimate fight. He hasn't been trying his hardest in these fights and even when he's "weak" he bounces back quickly. He's confident in himself that he can win any fight. I truly believe the merger will be the final boss and not Sukuna leading into the final arc

[lovecolibri]

Okay, I still hate the BT "hook up" with every fiber of my being and felt it was unnecessary. But I can at least understand why someone like Tim, who loves drama and who probably stubbornly had SOMETHING like this planned out from the beginning, felt it needed to happen to get Tommy to say those things and put the thought in Buck's head. Again, I don't agree, and it stirred up a bit of a hornet's nest in fandom, but I was kind of shocked by how hard Tim was going in the interviews to say 1) we're NOT shutting Buddie down and 2) be so dismissive of BT 🤣

Anyway, I feel we are in for a slowwww burn with Buddie. Maybe slower than I thought. Of course anything can happen and it's very possible that they are hiding big things about Eddie coming up. Speaking of Eddie...do you think he will be back in some capacity in 814 and 815? I don't think he will be with the team, obviously, but the missed opportunity if he isn't involved. Not just for his story but also a little delicious Buddie angst 😁 I'm really hoping for a BTS or something to indicate that he'll be there.

Yeah, I don't think they needed to do All That, but now that we have the full picture of what they did, I can't lie, I have been cackling since Thursday. I underestimated how much Tim is a messy bitch. I agree, we could have gotten here without the full "first gay sex in Eddie's own house doesn't even get to be him" mess, but no changing that now, so I'm finding the joy where I can, mostly in the fact that it was SO clearly about Eddie, and that we were fucking RIGHT about Eddie being petty enough that T picked up on it, and actively viewed them as competing. For Buck. Which the audience heard meaning they will now be thinking about ever BT scene as T being jealous and competing with Eddie. BYE laughing forever!

I also found it VERY interesting that the stuff about Buddie is getting even more vague and they are talking in even bigger circles around it trying not to confirm nor deny anything at all, while being pretty hardline and clear about BT being over and T coming back NOT for Buck's plot but part of the emergency and that romantic door being pretty well shut. Just...inch resting.

IDK how slow things are gonna go, mostly because this episode alone was SO wild and moved things for Buddie SO far, SO fast. I think we will cool down a little with the big emergency coming up, and Eddie's arc being about Chris first and foremost. As for his return, I also don't know because that man never seems to be at work (RYAN! YOU'RE NEEDED ON SET, GRIL GO BACK TO WORK!). I would HOPE he's back in some way for the disaster, mostly because I think it would be *delicious* for him to be not at work and in danger in a little tsunami arc parallel but I guess we'll just have to wait and see! I'm really hoping we get surprised with this Eddie-in-TX arc, though I'm not super holding my breath. This episode did remind me how predictable they've gotten with parental "redemption" AKA the kid being the one to have to sweep everything under the rug so the parent's don't have feel bad anymore, but it also surprised me with how hard for Buddie and Eddie it went so, fingers crossed we get something that justifies All That Mess we've been waiting for movement on since the s7 finale.

[raayllum]

The Path Trilogy #1: Introduction and A Path Forward — Viren and Karim

So, Callum, Karim, and Viren all have a lot of parallels to each other, right?

Let's talk about 'em.

The basics:

Mage-brother-advisors to a sibling who is an actual monarch. For Callum and Karim, they get points for both being princes; for Viren and Karim, they get points for being usurpers (but more on that note later).

The mage is particularly important, as we know for Aaravos "mages were his prey" and while Karim hasn't fallen into his clutches yet, it is likely that he will, given there's little reason to make Karim a mage as opposed to just another warrior otherwise.

Karim and Viren's belief in destiny ("But destiny favours us, Pharos" / "Please, guide us. Direct us to our destiny") and pre-determination

Viren and Callum (and Finnegrin) all seeking out how to kill their enemies specifically (for Viren, it was Avizandum; for Callum, it's Aaravos).

Viren and Karim both enlist the help of shadowy, imprisoned elves to do their bidding in assassinating monarchs in order for them to take said thrones.

Callum and Karim have loyal partners who come back after perceived/actual abandonments, whereas Lissa does leave (and permanently leaves) Viren.

Karim and Viren both want to restore their people to a former glory, just with very different ideas of what that looks like.

If you've been taking note of the list above, you'll probably notice that Karim and Callum are both walking similar 'paths' to arc 1 (and arc 2) Viren in a variety of ways, but Karim tends to take Viren's political path and Callum tends to take Viren's personal path. That is going to be the bulk of the meta examination today, in addition to parallels (mostly juxtaposition) between Callum and Karim. If you are interested in more of Callum's parallels to Viren, I would recommend checking out these prior metas of mine (compilation here) + their foils tag.

Originally, I intended this meta to encompass all three dynamics of Viren-Karim, Viren-Callum, and Callum-Karim. However, the sections rapidly grew longer than expected (shocking, I know) and I hit the picture limit, so

we're dividing it up into three metas.

This is the First One, and I hope you enjoy!

With all of that out of the way, let's begin.

A Path Forward: Karim and Viren

So as indicated about, Karim and Viren are both very concerned with paths - and more than that, in some ways, they are concerned with strength and weakness.

K: She will forfeit, and they will see where strength truly lies. (4x09) V: If we are strong enough to make the right decisions, humans may finally return to Xadia. (1x06)

K: Humans in their weakness allowed evil to flourish. (5x04) V: But if we are led by a child king... S: He'll make bad choices? V: He will make weak choices. (1x06)

Now, this is unsurprising, in a lot of ways. Both Viren and Karim have a vested interest in becoming king of their respective peoples. Both believe wholeheartedly in symbols ("It's the symbolism, sister!" / "An empty throne is a beacon of weakness"), the aforemetioned belief in destiny, and a strong desire to return to times past. Viren and Karim both want to reclaim lands that were lost because of exile and dark magic, even if Viren is the one who doomed Karim's home in the first place, and Karim wishes for humans to leave (which was the root cause, in a lot of ways, of Viren's subsequent issues - however far removed by history).

These intense desires and beliefs instigate much of their political and general wrongdoings, being subsequently impatient when it appears that other people are not taking things as seriously / willing to wait.

V: Settle down? Can't you see the danger we're in? (2x01) K: [Clucks tongue] We don't have time! (4x08)

This is in direct contrast to the series' idea that things can, and often should, take time ("You say you want to make a difference, to really change things, but that's going to take decades of hard work [...] There's no monster you can slay to solve all your problems!" / "You and I will not live to see this new day?" "No... Nurturing the seed is the work of our lifetimes").

However, Karim and Viren are also fundamentally different people. Karim has watched the crown pass to both his sisters and primarily (it seems, for Khessa) been supportive. He doesn't seem to crave power for himself, even if he is politically minded, and he is focused on conserving something collectively that has directly recently been extremely under threat (his culture and his people's wellbeing). He's a mage but thus far has never shown any inclination towards dark magic (which we see in S5 very much isn't the case for all elves) and was Viren's preferred magical method even when having more access to primal magic. Karim is also friendlier and gets along well with Amaya, which we don't have any indication that Viren ever did.

Furthermore, Viren is far more efficient and can actually know how to be patient and how to try to achieve his own aims than Karim, who fails constantly and consistently. That being said, Karim does undeniably take on Viren's prior political plot line by becoming an

Usurper

and largely for the same reasons that Viren wanted the crown as well, fearing stagnated weakness or integration with their enemies. Both, also, largely following through similar steps of

1) Attempting to converse with their sibling monarch and being shut down regarding their concerns or ideas

2) Calling a political meeting in order to cement their goals that goes very wrong

3) Being arrested and punished for things going by the wayside

4) Only to return - wholly in Viren's case and somewhat in Karim's - victorious the following season after successful to unsuccessful exchanges/betrayals

Last but not least, as a closing (mostly unrelated) note but one I thought was cool enough to mention anyway, Viren and Karim both seek to use archdragons to aid in their takeover coups and world acclimation plans. While Viren wanted to harvest Zym and Zubeia in order to achieve ultimate power, Karim is less concerned with consumption (not a dark mage, after all) and more with collaboration, believing that Sol Regem could be a great and powerful ally.

This is, of course, ignoring the main other relationship in which they parallel one another, which is

Kim'Dael and Aaravos

Kim'Dael and Aaravos, in a lot of ways, have a few parallels beyond just "imprisoned elves who seek their freedom, and team up with power hungry mages," some of which are:

Being, seemingly, the last of their kind — Kim'Dael is the last of the blood drinkers, Aaravos is (possibly?) the last of the Startouch elves

Their own kind as well as the archdragons turned on them

They are both very comfortable and regularly use dark magic for their own ends

Have very specific monikers — the Midnight / Fallen Star and the Bloodmoon Huntress

There is also the layer of how Viren and Karim are useful/appealing to Aaravos and Kim'Dael, respectively, because of their history. Viren is a human mage, like so many of Aaravos' previous victims, and has the Staff of Ziard (one of if not the first thing Aaravos notes about him, and thus knows so much about Viren immediately, I might add), and Karim is tied to Aditi's bloodline, a requirement for Kim'Dael to, well, give a shit.

But the crux of it is how Viren goes to and uses Aaravos' power to achieve his own ends in becoming king and leading a war on Xadia. Time will only tell how effective an ally Kim'Dael will truly be to Karim (thus far it's been a deadly but unsuccessful fetch quest / hostage exchange), but she definitely has the potential, and I think it's likely S6 will see both her and Aaravos being freed from their confines.

I've said before, though, that there's little reason for Karim to be a mage, specifically, rather than just another (less talented) warrior like his sister, unless he is going to become Aaravos' prey by manipulation or proxy in future seasons, given that he preys on mages. However, we'll simply have to wait and see whether Karim will fall into Aaravos' clutches, willing or unwillingly, going into S6.

Misc Notes:

There's a lot to be said about how Viren is the kind of person who would create Karim, a character who is much like Viren in many ways and largely emboldened by the trauma he and his people have suffered at Viren's hands. I think it's one of the show's best "show not tell" examples of how the cycle perpetuates itself unless it is actively stopped, and how tradition and being constantly stuck on the past can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a help, and why Janai's line very much mirrors Harrow's dying philosophy, one that is extremely in contrast to both their mage advisors: I make history. History does not make me. Even if they grew up as radically different people — Viren from a disadvantaged background, Karim as a pious prince; Viren a dark mage, and Karim a primal one; Viren, relatively safe growing up in Katolis with a long standing cold war versus Karim having his culture recently and brutally ripped away from him — one of the worst and best things the Cycle does is create similarity through suffering and trauma response(s).

The parallels between Janai and Harrow go steeper, too, with Harrow's statement of "I'd rather die a king than live as a coward" (which Viren mistakes as pride rather than accountability) and Janai's assertion that she wants to be queen when Karim tries to make her back down. Likewise, we see Karim and Viren justify the actions they take in a similar manner to most of the other mages in the show when it comes to escalating/restoring to violence:

V: I had no choice! K: What choice did I have? You pushed me to this, sister!

There is also, of course, the theme of exchange running throughout both mages once we get to S5. Viren wanted to exchange a soldier's life for Harrow, thinking in exact scales and numbers rather than in the horrific humanity lurking underneath, whereas Karim treated his sister's life as a bargaining chip in exchange for the Sun Seed, and thereby control of his people's future. However, where Viren always sees himself as an active participant in his guilt/decisions, and therefore focuses on self-martyrdom as a justification, Karim still looks externally for signs and gifts to be given, tying back to how he uses his religion and fear of the new to justify his own decisions, making himself more passive but no less dangerous as a result.

One of the biggest differences between Karim and Viren is, perhaps, their choice of partner. Lissa ultimately left Viren after he was further corrupted by dark magic in order to save Soren, meaning that whatever he did was not something she could morally justify/accept or feel comfortable with, even if it successfully saved their son's life. Meanwhile, although Miyana appears to abandon Karim (and more on their dynamic here), he remains fairly faithful in her love for him ("Miyana, I knew you'd come!") until 5x08 and overjoyed when she does end up returning to him, even before the reveal she's brought gifts.

M: Whatever appearances might have been, my loyalty never wavered. K: Your loyalty? M: My love.

Last but not least, we have the interplay with the concepts of truth and blindness running throughout the series.

Viren has always had eye symbolism — pouring literal darkness into his eyes in order to try to see the mirror; Aaravos overtaking and turning one of his eyes white in S3; Viren, upon waking resurrection, having clear eyes — which makes sense, if you want to reaffirm a character is short sighted or not seeing things clearly. It seems Karim assuming that healing Sol Regem's blindness will fix their problems, even when the sun king reaffirmed the opposite. In this way he borrows more from Claudia, perhaps, banking on the idea that fixing physical means fixing the emotional, and that it will give him everything he wants with none of the repercussions or hangups.

Where Viren finally sees the truth, Karim is blinding himself in order to try to heal Sol Regem (and unsurprisingly gets a cut across his eye/eyebrow, courtesy of Amaya) along the way.

Conclusion:

As discussed in the meta above, where Viren progresses past his arc 1 well, arc, Karim largely steps in to fill his political shoes, demonstrating how history and the cycle repeats itself and the dangers of such attitudes and choices. We don't know whether Karim's quest for power and control will end as disastrously or deadly as Viren's, but his army turning into a monstrous one seems likely, given Pharos' lingering Aaravos induced corruption and subsequent involvement. If you are interested in even more Karim and Viren parallels, check out this post for ones that didn't make it into / weren't relevant to this meta (the "cutting your palm open with a knife" is a particular favourite of mine).

Now that we've looked at how Karim is unknowingly walking Viren's political path, the next upcoming meta — The Path Trilogy #2: In the Name of Love, I Would Do Anything For You — will explore how Callum is mostly unknowingly walking Viren's personal path. The final Path meta will focus on additional parallels between Callum and Karim.

Now at the end, as always — thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! I'll see you in the next one!

[aspureasamelody]

pure what are your top 5 favorite ichisaya moments

5. Masaya's last moments before his sacrifice

When Masaya just takes a moment to hold Ichigo close, run his fingers through her hair, hug her and pet her and be with her for a little while longer.

Masaya's never felt very attached to his life. He always felt like the world would be better without humans, and he included himself in that when he spoke. I think some part of him was always subconsciously ready to give up the ghost and hand himself off to Deep Blue.

But here, in this moment, where he's about to sacrifice his life to heal the earth in a similar way to how he's always thought he should, he hesitates. He's found this precious feeling he wants to hold dear. He's scared to die for the first time, because for the first time, he feels like he has something to lose.

But he'll do it. For her. He just wants this last moment.

And afterwards, even as Deep Blue tries to claw back control, Masaya holds back a god and either kills himself, or holds them down to let Ichigo finish them off. And he dies with a smile, because at least he knew her, at the end of it all.

4. Masaya encouraging Ichigo to fight in A La Mode

Masaya had a character arc throughout Tokyo Mew Mew about how scared he was when Ichigo put her life in danger to fight. He went from worrying about how she's holding up out there and feeling utterly useless to do anything, to unlocking Blue Knight to protect her, to fully awakening as Blue Knight and vowing to fight by Ichigo's sides as equals who uplift and support each other.

And now, when Ichigo's powers are slowly coming back to her after they've both died and come back to life for each other, Ichigo is the one who's worried that she's not sure what she can do, for her friends or for the Earth.

And Masaya pulls her aside, and reassures her that he knows she's strong. There's plenty she can do, and the others need her. He trusts her to fight, believes in her power and her might, knows that she's strong enough that even if they have to part ways right now, they'll still find each other when he comes back for her.

He helps her remember her strength at her lowest moments. He helps her awaken this confidence she deserves.

3. Ichigo and Blue Knight fighting together side-by-side

This one doesn't really need a full analysis to go with it.

They're a power couple, and probably the two most powerful beings in the entire verse of Tokyo Mew Mew, and I love that for them.

2. The confession in the rain

Classic moment, beautiful in all forms.

Ichigo's run all this way in the pouring rain. Her phone is broken, the concert is practically over, she's so late that she's sure he's already left. She's terrified that he'll hate her forever.

But Masaya's there. Masaya stood in the rain all night, for hours, waiting. Because he told her they'd meet there, and he was worried about the fight at the tower, but all he could do right now was wait for her.

We get to see Ichigo's determination, her raw emotions, her conflict in her double life. It's so good to see just how overjoyed Ichigo is when this finally goes right, and she finally gets to hear him say that he loves her. She's been through so much all day, she deserves this joy.

We even got to see the emotions in this scene broken down from both their perspectives, and it's just... perfect. Every moment of it.

And it's even better in Tokyo Mew Mew New, because in that one, Masaya notices the ears and expertly plays dumb by placing a handkerchief over her himself! That added touch elevates an already awesome scene to new heights!

1 Ichigo taking the lead in Tokyo Mew Mew ReTurn

This is a culmination of Ichigo's character arc.

She's confident, straightforward, knows she's powerful, knows what she wants.

She's passionate about the earth, and proud of her passion and love in all departments. She's not deterred or embarrassed by the cat ears and tails popping up anymore. She knows who and what she is, and she loves it. She's found this amazing depth of self-actualization and self-love, and it shines in this little moment.

Masaya is afraid of things changing, but he sees this, sees how Ichigo has changed and how happy she is for that growth, and suddenly, his fear of change is abetted. Because in whatever ways they change, whatever the future holds for them, they'll just come closer and closer together.

[burst-of-iridescent]

Hello! (First I wanted to say I'm sorry if you've answered this before, and if so could you please direct me to it in your response?) but I was wondering what you thought of Zuko's betrayal toward Katara in The Crossroads of Destiny, if it felt in character or not for him, if not, how do you think it should have been written differently? On the same note, what are your (specifically Zutara related) thoughts on Season 3? Is there anything you would have written differently, and if so, how? Personally, I always felt dissatisfied with S3 in general, although it was still overall enjoyable. I don't even personally dislike kataang, but maiko disgusts (and I mean REALLY) disgusts me.

i know there are many who argue that zuko's choice in CoD was character assassination, that it was meant to torpedo zutara, that it was too sudden etc etc... but personally, i've always felt that it was both in-character and necessary for zuko at that point in his arc.

i can understand how on first watch it seems like too much of a turn-around, given how zuko's arc seemed to be heading, but i think this ignores two things: firstly, that the path to redemption isn't linear and secondly, the real context of the choice that lay before zuko in CoD.

it's one thing to give up on chasing the avatar and accept a quiet, humble life in ba sing se; it's another entirely to actively turn traitor yourself and work against your nation and your family. part of the reason zuko was able to reconcile himself to being lee the tea shop server forever is because it was essentially a path of passive neutrality: he was helping neither the avatar, nor the fire nation. it was the best option available to him, a grey area that allowed him to find some measure of peace without forcing him to pick a side.

azula's coup, however, destroys any chance zuko has of ever going back to that life. he's been dragged right back into the conflict, and this time there's no question of staying out of it. one way or another, he'll be forced to fight, and the only choice left to him is who his enemy will be. azula, his own sister, offering him everything he's ever wanted? or aang, the boy he's spent years hunting, who embodies everything he's been taught to oppose?

and so naturally, when confronted with a dangerous unknown, he chooses to go back to what's familiar and what he spent most of his life believing he wanted. remember that zuko is also a victim of a lifetime of abuse and indoctrination in a moment of extreme psychological stress, and it's no wonder that he picks what he sees as safe and easy (zuko isn't actually safe in the fire nation ofc and he knows that, but it comes back to the case of the devil you know vs the devil you don't), though he himself is aware deep down that it's the wrong choice.

from a character perspective, zuko also needed to go back to the fire nation to realize how much he's changed, and that the home he'd always yearned to return to didn't actually exist, and probably never had. had zuko actually gone with the gaang in the book 2 finale, i think a little part of him might have always wondered about the what-if of it all. ultimately, i think it strengthens zuko's redemption for him to backslide and then actively make the choice to change and still try to do better, further proving the show's message of how it's never too late to do the right thing.

the only thing i would have changed is how zuko's arc in the first half of book 3 is handled, because while i do get what the writers were going for, i think it was a wasted opportunity to get insight into the war from the fire nation's perspective. it would've been cool to see zuko learning about the gaang's exploits and slowly putting the pieces together about who was likely responsible for it, allowing us to see the effects of their actions from the other point of view.

book 3 was definitely the most unsatisfying of the series, because the season as a whole is the least cohesive and well-planned of the three, and coming on the heels of the near-perfect book 2, the disparity is even more obvious. it's somewhat masked by the fact that it does have some of the best individual episodes of the series, which is probably why many people overlook how weak the season is as a whole.

i actually wouldn't change anything zutara-related other than letting them have ONE conversation and a hug post-agni kai (as they deserved) because that entire arc was just *chef's kiss*. my problems with book 3 stem almost entirely from the finale and aang's overall arc, but that's probably too long to get into here so tldr: less magic pointy rock, lion turtle, and half-assed relationships, more letting go of katara, confronting grief over air nomads, and found family with hints of an actually well-developed romance for the future.

sigh, to think of all we could have had.

[firesofdainix]

do you any thoughts about how the interaction between the moons and the sun would be? the idea of the moons wanting to talk with the sun it's so funny to me but at the same time it could have many outcomes because the sun is so unpredictable (love him tho)

SOLAR FLARE!!! jk jk kidding!

The Sun is a ruler, first and foremost. His word is absolute and his planets must carry it with devotion, except, they don't. However, he's good at reiterating why HE'S the Sun, while they're just planets underneath him. He shows his power, from his voice, from the solar flares, and from being able to order them around. So I can see why the moons decided that the Sun should be their final frontier to get the planets to notice that the way they've been treating their moons isn't ideal. The ironic part of this is how the Sun doesn't treat his planets like equals as well. His 'friendship' with Mercury has been rife with Mercury, initially being uncomfortable with him, and the Sun being clingy for his company. So, he may not be so empathetic to the moons as some hope he'll be.

But he's also known to reconsider his decisions, or anyone else's if they approach him in masses. In the Size Arc he shut down Mars's scolding completely because he wasn't much of a force to behold. But when every planet ganged up and told the Sun that his idea was incredibly stupid, he caved and returned the order back to normal.

I think the same could be with the moons. He'd get mad that they're all out of orbit, but seeing them all approach in masses may help convince him to listen to them. He'd probably understand, or he probably may not. At the end of the day it's the Sun's decision and how he'll react to (hopefully not crazy enough)

[lola-andheruniverse]

okay, I have a ~theory~ about all the clear shipbaiting on TWD:DD S1

I think NR/GN/Zabel are trying to make Isabelle a 2.0 version of Leah, with hints of Connie and I don't like it one bit because I don't think it's necessary but it's good for canon caryl.

Hear me out: AK original plans for Leah was for her to be a foe for Carol. Everything that Leah was and wasn't screamed Carol. All those parallels on 'Find me'? AK would have been more subtle if she had pointed a neon arrow at both women's head. She would be the final catalyst to canon caryl because, apparently, Daryl and Carol couldn't just solve their feelings for each other without a another angsty plot no one asked for. Anyways, nothing AK originally planned happened because Gimple interfered, and with Lauren negotiating Maggie's return as the leading female of S11A, Melissa was shoved aside and everything about Leah became even more WTF than it already was because Maggie x Pope x Leah made no sense whatsoever. She died with zero emotional impact. Fast forward to the series finale: Daryl confesses his love. Carol clearly doesn't get the depth of what he's saying. Why would she? They never had the resolution they were supposed too within Leah's arc. Daryl interprets Carol's light 'I love you too' as 'she doesn't love me on the same way I love her'. Oblivious idiots in love 101.

Okay, cut to TWD:DD and Isabelle. Isabelle has similar character traits to Carol, although they are not as obvious as it was with Leah. Isabelle's part of a religious group as Leah was. Both groups are a little bit suspicious. Remember Laurent reading to the priest-turned-walker? He said they were waiting for his second coming or something like that. Both Laurent and Isabelle are incredibly reticent on killing walkers. The kid has an excuse: he's just a kid. What is Isabelle's excuse? Leah was a very manipulative person and tried to guilt-trip Daryl on staying with her. Daryl only decided to 'belong' with Leah after Carol told him that she couldn't visit him anymore because of Henry and Ezekiel. He angrily asked her "you asking my permission?"...to move on from him with her life. Daryl was lost at that moment, grieving Rick, and Carol was married to someone else he saw as better than him and deserving of her. Leah was right there offering him something closer to a home and to love. Why wouldn't he accept her offering? Lucky us, she's already gone by the time he came back. Carol got him out of the woods eventually and he got back to his real family.

Let's go back to Isabelle now. She's trying to do the same thing Leah did. But she's not going to succeed because Daryl's not on the same emotional place he was when he met Leah. Even if he loses hope to come back home at some point, he'll never feel like he truly belongs anywhere else than his truly home - Carol. The teaser trailer for 'The Book of Carol' clearly show us that. He knows where he belongs. BUT, when Carol arrives, she'll see him adjusted, with a younger woman giving him heart eyes and a kid following him everywhere. The woman is supposedly a nun, a woman of faith. Carol was once a religious woman, so she'll probably admire Isabelle. She may think Isabelle's better than her, untouched by all the horrors of the ZA. Isabelle's definitely not a murderer like she is, Carol's low self esteem will whisper to her. Isabelle's better for Daryl than Carol is, the same way Connie was better for him. Daryl's probably in love with her, he just loves Carol as a best friend. And it's her duty as his best friend to point him in the direction of the good woman over there, who can have his babies, while Carol sadly smiles and gives him her blessing. *snort*

There's it, the supposed angsty plot no one asked for that Daryl and Carol need to cross the line to romantic canon because, again, saying 'I love you' and crossing an entire fucking ocean apparently isn't enough, we've got to insert a third part to shake things up. *snort again* That was the intention with Leah but TPTB changed their plans last minute. I don't think Isabelle will become a villain like Leah, unless they kill Laurent off. But if TWD:DD is really about Daryl getting his happy ending, he doesn't need another dead child to grief, does he? Does this make sense to anyone other than me and my caryl brain? No, only me? That's okay.

[mateushonrado]

What I'd like to see in the seventh season of The Dragon Prince

Status Post #11309: Now that season six has arrived on Netflix and that the third arc now back in the planning stages as season 8-10, pending a greenlight from the streaming service, here's what I'd like to see in the upcoming seventh season, which will be titled Book Seven: Dark and will air between the latter half of this year or during next year, probably summer. That said, I hope we'll get a great conclusion to Mystery of Aaravos like having Callum and Rayla getting married in a flashforward and so on.

Claudia and Terry's redemption

While a friend of mine find the former an inconsistent mess of a character and the latter uninteresting who doesn't do much to the story, I'm in the opinion that they'll find redemption, especially the former since I doubt she'll remain Aaravos' apprentice, given that the fallen Startouch Elf himself has plans for Callum and there are moments in the recent season confirmed that she still has some good inside of her.

She's definitely going to know the truth behind her father Viren's death by that he sacrificed his life to stop Sol Regem and Aaravos than being killed by the tyrannical dragon as punishment as well as realising that Terry was right about Aaravos' motive is revenge.

Flashback anthology episode

What the show needs is definitely an episode in vein of its spiritual predecessors Avatar: The Last Airbender's "Zuko Alone", "The Tales of Ba Sing Se", "Appa's Lost Days" and "The Avatar and the Fire Lord" and Avatar: The Legend of Korra's "Beginnings" and "Korra Alone".

It would be a good opportunity to focus on Rayla's past with Kim'dael, Soren and Claudia's past with their mother Lissa, how Claudia met Terry like why they fall in love and what does Terry think of Claudia using dark magic, Aaravos' devouring of Janai's grandmother Queen Aditi, Callum's father Damian, Aanya and her mothers Annika and Neha, the Orphan Queen, Laurelion, Luna Tenebris, Garlath, Esmeralda Skall and so on as it could be an extra-long episode, say a 40-45 minute episode.

Return of characters

Other than characters who are likely going to return such as those who appeared last season like Callum, Rayla, Ezran, Soren, Claudia, Zym, Terry, Aaravos, Amaya, Janai, Zubeia, Gren, Kasi, Aanya, Lujanne, Allen, Runaan, Kosmo, Astrid, Bait, Stella, Karim and Miyana, here's those I'd like to see next season.

It's very likely that Runaan's husband Ethari will return because otherwise, we won't get a reunion between Rayla's foster fathers if he doesn't. Notable characters I'd like to see returning are Ellis, Ava, N'than, Ahling (considering that he's the only one of the three attacked by Viren's forces who is still alive along with that his son Kasef, who served as his temporary successor and was allies with Viren, is dead since Florian and Fareeda were killed off in season three and it would be a good opportunity for this to introduce their successors), Nyx, Akiyu, Kim'dael, Elmer, Villads and so on.

Especially Kim'dael since I'd like to see her appear in this season because it would be a good opportunity to set her as the main antagonist of the final arc along with introducing characters from Bloodmoon Huntress and Tales of Xadia such as Suroh as well as Lissa since I would like to see Soren and Claudia calling her out for her reasons to leave them to be with their father.

Deaths and resurrections

Given one of the recent interviews hinted that we'll be seeing a sacrifice, my guess is that we'll see something important. Given that Karim isn't so likeable, I think he'll likely bite the dust for his idiotic attempt to overthrow his sister Janai and there's a possibility that Callum will sacrifice his life and then returning back to life, given that he said in seasons four and six to Rayla that if Aaravos corrupts him to the dark side or if he gets consumed by darkness, (according to Kosmo), she would be the one doing the deed, something that she's not so sure about it.

I do think we'll see a resurrection but I doubt it'll be Viren since his voice actor Jason Simpson outright confirmed that he's permanently dead after being revived twice. I think Aaravos will manipulate Callum into reviving Viren after Claudia betrays him only to revive his daughter Leola, which could result in Callum and Rayla ultimately acting as parental figures to her in the end, not unlike how the Mandalorian became a father figure to Grogu in his titular show, how Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna became parental figures to Hotaru during Sailor Moon after her father's death and defeating Mistress 9 that led to her sacrificing herself to stop Phantom 90's wrath which resulted in her being age regressed into a baby or how Thor took care of Gorr's daughter Love in the end of Thor: Love and Thunder.

I also think Kpp'ar will be freed from his coin in which he pretends to have found redemption only for that he returned back with revenge on Viren before discovering that he's dead, resulting him attempting to kill Soren and Claudia before Rayla kills him and I think that's it.