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[artistic-mathematics]

I spent an entire afternoon watching Velma S2 so you don't have to

honestly why is it that it took eight whole episodes for anything even remotely interesting to happen (and when it did, it went down a drain after an episode)

3/10 for episodes before episode 7, 6/10 for the rest of it except episode 9 because that episode is actually significantly better than the rest of it (which I'd rate like a 7.5/10)

overall rating: 4.5/10

if you do want to hate watch I'd suggest just starting at episode 7 like I don't think anything before then is even worth watching

spoilers below (if anyone cares LOL)

honestly Scrappy Doo as the villain was super cool until he started talking and I remembered that the writing in this show makes me want to hit my head against a wall. like how can you get everything right except the fucking writing, like m a n

his whole shtick was??? biting men's dicks off??? like the only connection they'd found early on was the fact that they were white adult men and their dicks were chopped off or something like what the actual fuck this is a DOG still like this has to be weird no?

and they did finally make Scooby a thing except not. like Scooby is just a persona for someone who was in the US military (which is apparently like half the important fucking characters from S1?????) who suggested Project SCOOBI (yes that is literally what it is) but the project is Scrappy and Scrappy goes off the rails and I just. I don't even know.

literally the only redeeming factor of this entire show is that they made Daphne and Velma a thing (like confirmed, they do a little bit of an on and off thing for like half the season but finally, FINALLY figure it out later) but that gets thrown out of a window bc 1. they're so fucking dodgy when trying to communicate to each other, which I guess they kinda are during Moon Monster Madness but like bruh anyway, 2. it's kinda implied that Velma and Daphne have telepathy or a tied consciousness or something???? (when Daphne was trapped in her own brain she called out for Velma and Velma heard her, and vice versa happens a few episodes later) and it just sounds like bad fanfiction, and 3. Velma dies for whatever reason so I guess we're really continuing the trope where the gay couple dies (though I guess Daphne lives but is hella traumatized).

oh, and she turns into a ghost because. uh. yeah??? ghosts are very real now and the ghost of Fred's mom was like haunting Shaggy (Norville in this show ig) for like 2/3 of the show because he accidentally killed her in the last season (she was the serial killer from last season). and they revealed a gimmick where there can only be one consciousness in any given body, so like Fred's mom's ghost trying to possess Fred could force his consciousness out and straight-up kill him. and it's the same gimmick that Velma ends up using to kill Scrappy because Scrappy kills her, except Velma's death is off-screen (he slashes her across the face and she falls from like the second story) and we never see her dead until after we see her ghost for the first time leaving Scrappy's body. Scrappy's death is also super anticlimactic and it's like 2/3 of the season isn't even interesting or important and then two major characters just keel over and die in the last two minutes?????? like hello??????? honestly just cut out all of the drama and filler and whatever the hell like I mentioned when I reviewed S1 and just stick to the plot, like just the plot itself was fairly interesting (though it was still hard to follow and convoluted but like. still much better than everything else)

I think the setup for S3 is like, getting Velma back into her body. do I think S3 is gonna happen? lol no, literally besides Scooby Doo, Where Are You? we haven't gotten a single Scooby Doo show that's longer than two seasons and I sincerely doubt one with reviews as low as Velma is going to get another season (unless everyone decides to hate watch it again, which I guess is fairly possible if it gains traction again).

anyway so this show is inspiring me to actually finish my fucking Velma/Daphne fic bc ain't no way my writing is any worse than this and if I keep thinking about this I'm going to lose even more braincells than I already have.

[artistic-mathematics]

De vacaciones.

[artistic-mathematics]

new pokemon masters update is funny as hell I've seen so many good memes already

but also I can finally have Cynthia and Diantha go on a date together so 10/10 best update ever

[artistic-mathematics]

every time I say I'm going to start and finish a writing project I never do, like

I have three wips I've been trying to get done and I just took on another project. and this is on top of my ever growing classwork

I'm gonna have an aneurysm man

[artistic-mathematics]

La semana en el trabajo ha sido pesada, así que me merezco dibujar algo de Phaesporia.

Tomé de ejemplo cierta ilustración de SM para el primer dibujo, el segundo fue una idea que me surgió después y no me pude aguantar.

[artistic-mathematics]

withering memories (and the new ones we sow)

kinda forgot to put this here but. yuh

chapter 1/9, Angela Martin / Dwight Schrute fic that I've been working on.

[artistic-mathematics]

Nada como comenzar el año dibujándolas a ellas.

[artistic-mathematics]

unintelligible noises as I try to suppress the urge to write self-indulgent Coven Janna x Morgana fic,,, like this idea popped into my head a few days ago and hasn't fucking left since

[artistic-mathematics]

did you see the part of the bg3 script that reveals that "Shar tormented Shadowheart through her incurable wound till her hair turned white"? I always thought she dyed her hair following her exile but no! My girl literally has Marie Antoinette Syndrome.

AH!?!?!? huh????? HUH?!?!?!?

no i have not i would love to see the source for this before i go feral too fast

[artistic-mathematics]

shadowheart…..

[artistic-mathematics]

So uh found this context node, Lae'zel is almost heartbroken over Shadowheart choosing the Dark Justiciar path... bit fruity.

[artistic-mathematics]

excuse me

[artistic-mathematics]

Analysis on Shadowheart, her relationship with "Mother Superior", and Shar

Spoilers for all three acts of BG3 below.

I just had the sudden realization that Viconia sent Shadowheart to retrieve the relic with every intention of letting Shadowheart die alone and as a nobody out of pure jealousy, all the while being thrown around like a ragdoll for fucking fun by the goddess she's devoted everything to because she's been gaslit and manipulated her entire life.

Viconia sent her on a fucking suicide mission (KNOWING that it was a suicide mission) and told her that her memories would be restored after she returned under the impression that Shadowheart was going to die. She knew that she was going directly against what Shar wanted (to convert Shadowheart and puppet her around like a plaything until she became Shar's obedient Chosen) and did it anyway because she considered Shadowheart to be a joke and decided that if Shadowheart was dead, then she would have to be the Chosen.

There's only a few things that Shadowheart knows about herself that aren't total fabrications (not including the fear of wolves, I suppose, though they did gaslight her into being terrified of them). She likes night orchids. She can't swim. She's a cleric of Shar. She has a Sharran wound that hurts sometimes -- and she doesn't really even know why it hurts, just that it hurts. The saddest part about this is that two out of these four things, maybe even three, are things that she most likely learnt via intuition. The only other things she knows? Her suicide mission -- to steal the githyanki relic and return it to Baldur's Gate. And the authority figure in her life (emphasis on authority) -- Viconia Devir, Mother Superior, and the things that she'd had done to put her in place.

Viconia wiped literally everything else from Shadowheart's life except for Shar and herself. Shadowheart has a better idea of who Viconia is than who she herself is, and it only gets worse because Viconia had marked her as "expendable". Meanwhile, Shadowheart is completely unaware, believing that she'll be rewarded greatly upon delivering the relic to Baldur's Gate (she doesn't even know where the House of Grief is, or where she's supposed to deliver the relic to specifically!). Except when Shadowheart does become a Dark Justiciar and shows up to overthrow Viconia, Viconia faces her and calls her a traitor anyway despite knowing that Shadowheart is telling the truth. (Note how Viconia doesn't call out "for Shar!" at the beginning of this battle.)

Everything Shadowheart knows about herself is either shit she was manipulated into believing or things she's figured out on her own. She doesn't remember anyone she was close with -- not her best friend Nocturne or any of the initiates she'd trained with. Meanwhile, it's outright explicitly stated that all of her companions -- both from those still in the House of Grief and those who were sent with her on the relic mission, were never treated this way. People in Shadowheart's past all know Shadowheart better than herself -- at least, they know who she used to be before the events of the nautiloid -- but that's just the problem at hand.

Shadowheart has zero sense of identity. Even at the beginning of the game, with the knowledge of being a Sharran cleric, she's struggling with herself. She very clearly is downright terrible at being a Sharran cleric -- I mean like yeah, she likes deceiving people and playing dirty, but she's horrendous at keeping secrets and worries way too much for people and animals than she cares to admit. Even as going down the Dark Justiciar path, Shadowheart's morals -- the ones that Viconia and Shar both tried to suppress -- stand in the way, especially in the House of Grief. When she's faced with her parents, deep down, she knows that killing them is outright wrong, despite everything that she was taught. If you let her do as she pleases, she makes a comment about just serving blindly, because it's just so much easier to do rather than continue with the mental battle that she's been fighting for years -- and note she doesn't even kill her parents intentionally in this route, and she falls to her knees grieving for these people she doesn't recognize because she understands suddenly, realizes that what it'd all meant, but it's far too late because Shar wipes her memory all over again, and her identity is now officially molded into someone completely unrecognizable.

The worst part about it is that Aylin was right about the "terrible blood price" -- the moment Shadowheart kills Aylin, she will never be free from Shar ever again. At this point, she's doomed to be within Shar's clutches forever, her only fate to end up like The Unclaimed (a story about a Sharran cleric who, as the title suggests, was unclaimed by Shar in death). Shadowheart will never be free from Shar as long as she allows her parents to live, and that is so ridiculously fucking petty from a goddess that already took EVERYTHING from this scared little child in the forest who got roped into Shar's undying animosity.

TLDR: Both Shar and Viconia fucking suck, and I want to fistfight Shar (and win, because genuinely, fuck this bitch.)

[artistic-mathematics]

I just had an idea

AU where Shadowheart is an aasimar and actually the daughter of Shar

and it's completely reversed where Arnell and Emmeline Hallowleaf are her adoptive parents and they name her Jenevelle and they're trying so hard to get her to embrace Selune when deep down that shit ain't sticking because, well, she's Shar's child

and later she has an identity crisis bc like it's undeniable that she's Shar's daughter but Shar kinda just made 0 effort to raise her (and Shar is just like "I wanted you to convert your adoptive parents" or some shit)

I don't really know where I was going with this but uh,,, you can't deny that this isn't at least somewhat intriguing, yeah?

[artistic-mathematics]

The thing about shipping in bg3 is... none of them are really non-canon?? As long as you're talking the origins obviously, you can literally play as any of them and romance any of the others. If somebody says Lae'zel and Shadowheart together makes no sense or couldn't work out, they are literally just wrong. That is an ending to the game that you can get. I have! If they don't like that ending, that's fine. They can choose a different one. But that doesn't make theirs MORE canonical somehow

And realistically, even in a Tav playthrough, Lae'zel and Shadowheart probably have more dialog interactions and relationship growth than any other two companions. Whose relationships tend to remain pretty static throughout the course of the game if you aren't playing as one and romancing the other. So I don't really get the argument that any of those ships have some obvious deep connection that this one is just lacking

(Also, funny enough, I think Karlach is the only person either Lae'zel or Shadowheart shows any outward sign of being attracted to, beyond a little no-strings sex for Lae'zel, until pretty late in the game when they've both become much more open versions of themselves. Everybody else is so flirty so quickly, but these two keep their cards close to the chest... except when it comes to Mama K, and we do not blame them for that lol)

this is very true! it's also why I love this game -- that you can romance anyone as anyone (well, aside from Jaheira and Minsc), including the origin characters.

I don't think the other anon meant that any ship is more or less canonical necessarily, just that they didn't see the appeal to it and felt it was lacking compared to other ships? but I certainly disagree with that. as you said, Lae'zel and Shadowheart have the most relationship growth by far, and I think if anything they probably have the deepest connection between companions by the end (aside from potentially Karlach and Wyll, and Minsc and Jaheira, though these two pairs knew each other before the events of the nautiloid).

yeah Karlach has 0 filter and I love her for it haha. and yeah, iirc Lae'zel and Shadowheart have the most emotionally soft act 3 romance cutscenes (even with Shadowheart's sex scene, it's much more emotionally charged than some of the others) and it just goes to show how both of them have progressed along the way. on one hand, Lae'zel is navigating this new emotion that she doesn't even understand in a world she used to detest, and is making a valiant effort at opening her heart (and succeeding!). on the other, Shadowheart is finally allowed to love openly (hence literally everything in her romance options up until that point are very tentative -- I mean for fuck's sake, if you fail the insight check you don't even get to kiss her at the waterfall and she disapproves) and is doing everything she can with this newfound freedom. they definitely are more discreet than the others when it comes to feelings, but damn does it make their act 3 scenes all the more sweeter.

[artistic-mathematics]

Ah I love you writing,your fics. Honestly Tav/Shadowheart is a indulgence of mine as well the cottagecore ending, and Shadowzel.

Can't wait to read your fic.

thank you!!! I'm really glad that you enjoy my fics :)

the cottagecore ending is EVERYTHING. and Shadowheart sounds so cute when she mentions it the first time too like yes I will literally adopt all the animals and plant all the flowers and live in the middle of nowhere with you

[artistic-mathematics]

You really think Lae'zel/Shadowheart would actually be happy long term together?

I really tried to love it, did Shadowheart origin and romanced her but I dunno, just felt like Tav with some new dialogue. It feels like a really shallow ship, Shadowheart is not subtle when she likes someone, Kalrach/Halisn. Neither is Lae'zel.

They just aren't interested, even after their fight and the creche/gauntlet there's no connection beyond casual respect.

Just don't see it at all. Maybe I lack the fandom goggles for it but very vapid ship

yes, I do think they would be -- they both grow to be kinder and softer people, and really grow to care for each other by the end.

I actually think Shadowheart and Lae'zel are more subtle compared to the other companions when they like someone. you have to remember that sex is like, stage -1 for Lae'zel's romance -- githyanki don't really do love, so romancing her is quite literally touching all the bases backwards. Lae'zel never states who she likes during any playthrough (afaik) aside from the player character, and that's just because that's not exactly something she's familiar with because it's not in her culture at all.

as for Shadowheart, her voiceline for Karlach is when she meets her -- and ofc she's not going to have any similar dialogue for Lae'zel, because Lae'zel is a gith. and correct me if I'm wrong, but I do believe this is the only time Shadowheart says anything like this ab Karlach for the rest of the playthrough. as for Halsin, she actually has dialogue where she expresses disdain if the player character kisses him. there's no way to know this is jealousy unless you romance Shadowheart and Halsin asks to have sex with you during the end of act 2, in which Shadowheart will fully admit to wanting the opportunity. but this is only if you're romancing her -- she won't make any mention of it otherwise. even when Halsin finally offers to travel along, her reaction is by far the most negative compared to everyone else's.

so in summary, I don't really think Lae'zel and Shadowheart are exactly the type to openly admit to who they like necessarily. I think they'd work well especially considering that they were both deprived of love for so long (Shadowheart being kidnapped + not being allowed to love bc of Shar worship, Lae'zel straight-up not having any due to gith culture) that it'd be this gentle learning experience for the both of them. they both already clearly care for each other, even if it's just as friends. besides, they already bicker like an old married couple in game lol

also keep in mind that these are just my interpretations! if you don't think Lae'zel and Shadowheart would work well together, you're absolutely entitled to your own opinions and views :)